The Philadelphia 76ers are likely to trade Evan Turner at the trading deadline in 2014 and a number of teams could be in the mix to get him, including the San Antonio Spurs, Charlotte Bobcats, Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks and Chicago Bulls as the Sixers consider moving Turner, Spencer Hawes and Thaddeus Young at the deadline.
The Spurs are looking like a motivated team at the deadline, which usually doesn't happen, but with all their injuries this year they have no choice and CBS Sports reports they could be in the mix for Turner. ESPN.com reports that the Charlotte Bobcats are also heavily interested and that could make for an interesting deal for the Sixers, as they are looking for picks and cap relief and Ben Gordon could be an option for them.
The Spurs have dealt with various injuries at times to Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, Manu Ginobili and Tiago Splitter and with Tony Parker and Tim Duncan not getting any younger, a trade for a solid scorer like Turner could be huge come playoff time. Head coach Gregg Popovich doesn't like to shake things up too much heading into the second stretch of the season, but with their Big three getting elderly, this could be one of their only chances left to make a playoff title run with Duncan.
Turner has been averaging 28 points six rebounds and 3.8 assists per game this season on a bad Sixers team and after they did not pick up his option, Turner knows he is not going to be here next season. The Spurs will not want to give up much to get him and the Sixers are fishing for draft picks, so that could be an issue for the team making a deal. What's tough on both sides, is the Sixers want a high pick yes, but why wouldn't a team just wait for Turner to be a free agent, then sign him? That could force the Sixers to take something lesser simply to get anything for him instead of just letting him walk, but it remains to be seen if they will do that.
Turner is shooting over 40 percent this season and he has been motivated to play well on both sides of the floor and that is something the Spurs love and that puts them in position to make a move. The Bobcats appear aggressive at this deadline and that could play into things, while the Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks could be dark horse options for a trade. The Mavs look like they may just sit tight, while the Bulls have had interest in players like Mike Dunleavy, Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson and that could get them to make a deal as well.
Andre Miller is also available and that could be a backup option for teams looking at Gibson and Turner, as he is an older player and has fallen out of favor in Denver. Chances are he will be traded, but the Nuggets will not just simply give him up. The deadline could be very active this season based on the rumors flying around, but it's more likely no big deals will get done.
