The NBA offseason for 2014 is coming and that means trade rumors involving Kevin Love, Rajon Rondo and Jeremy Lin will get crazy again and other names like Greg Monroe, Josh Smith and Arron Afflalo could also be in the mix for teams like the NY Knicks, Boston Celtics, LA Lakers and Chicago Bulls and as all that goes on, players like Carmelo Anthony, Kyle Lowry and LeBron James will be targets in free agency.
The offseason has the chance to be very dramatic this offseason with some of the names involved and if teams miss out on players like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony as free agents, Kyle Lowry and Dwyane Wade will feel the heat on the free agent market, while names like Monroe, Smith and Rondo will get attention in the trade market. The Pistons have a big decision to make on Monroe, as he is a restricted free agent and they could look to make a move with him now that Stan Van Gundy is in the fold as president and head coach. The team committed to Andre Drummond during the season and didn't extend Monroe and now Pro Basketball Talk reports the Lakers and Bobcats could be interested in a deal.
Josh Smith came up in trade rumors last season due to the large contract he signed and if the Pistons opt to keep Monroe or move him, they could pull the trigger on a Smith move if a team wants to take his contract on. Smith is a solid scorer and a defensive liability and that is one reason why he could potentially get moved from the Pistons now that Stan Man has taken over. Smith has a big contract with three years left at $13.5 million per season and that could be too much for the Pistons to deal with. The team signed Van Gundy to a five year, $35 million contract and that means he will have full control on the direction of the team.
The Knicks will be an interesting team to watch this summer, as they will try to bring back Carmelo Anthony on a free agent contract when he opts out of his deal. The Knicks have the best chance to sign him since they can give him the most money and the most years on a deal, but after the way the team played this season he may rebuff that offer. The salary cap is expected to rise and that gives teams like the Rockets and the Bulls a chance to compete with the Knicks for an offer. Anthony missed the playoffs for the first time in his career and even with Phil Jackson in the fold, he may not be happy at how big of a step the Knicks took back from last year.
Anthony is opting out because he may never get another chance to be a free agent in his prime and if the Knicks miss out on bringing him back, there are some other things they could look at doing. The team nearly traded for Kyle Lowry last season and they could sign him, while Monroe is another good option along with a possible trade for Rajon Rondo. That deal is unlikely, but according to Stephen A. Smith the team is interested and it comes after Rondo averaged 11 points and nearly 10 assists last season after coming back from serious surgery.
