The NBA draft is here and traded rumors are flying heading into the event and names like Kyrie Irving, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love, Arron Afflalo, Omer Asik, Jeremy Lin, John Salmons or Rajon Rondo could be on the move in certain deals along with Omer Asik, Jeremy Lin and Amar'e Stoudemire, as the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic and Denver Nuggets could be trading players or picks.
Kyrie Irving is likely not going anywhere, as the Cavaliers are looking to rebuild with this pick if they don't trade it, but his future has been dissected plenty this season and now he could sign a long term extension if they draft Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker. LaMarcus Aldridge is getting to Kevin Love territory, as he is coming into the last year of his deal and the Portland Trail Blazers may not be able to sign him, as they do not have the cap space yet for a max deal.
Reports have the Rockets trading Omer Asik to the Pelicans, while Arron Afflalo is heading back to the Denver Nuggets and this comes as the Rockets are trying to get LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. According to ESPN.com, the Rockets may try and trade James Harden in a sign and trade for Melo with the Knicks to get him and LeBron James and that would make a Big 3 for Dwight Howard. The Rockets have been working on trading Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin and that would help clear cap space for the team to sign players and they now are out of the running for Kevin Love.
The Rockets are reportedly trading Asik for a lottery pick in the future and there will also be cash involved and this comes as he averaged 5.8 points and 7.9 rebounds last season. Asik averaged a double-double the year before, but having Howard put him on the bench and now he has the chance to start again and the Pelicans had been eyeing him for some time. Lin could be next to move after the way the Rockets are looking at things and both of those players have massive contracts.
The Knicks are making moves and they have traded Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton and now they could be angling to sign Carmelo Anthony and other names too. Kevin Love was nearly traded to the Warriors before that broke down and now he could get moved ahead of the draft, with the Timberwolves eyeing some picks and players. Love nearly was dealt for Klay Thompson, but the Warriors balked at that and now teams that miss out on Melo and LeBron could go after him, including the Rockets and the Chicago Bulls.
The NBA draft always has a ton of trade rumors and more often than not, teams chill, but the Toronto Raptors and Memphis Grizzlies could be looking at a deal as well. The Pelicans have made a move and so have the Mavericks and now the Knicks could be positioning themselves for a big free agent run.
