NBA Latest Trade Rumors for 2016-17 NBA Season: Cousins on Demand, Westbrook to Nuggets, Gay to Spurs
The NBA rumor mill is grinding hard, and big named players and NBA teams are involved. Let's look at some of the more recent trade rumors for the 2016-17 NBA Season.
1. DeMarcus Cousins on Demand?
DeMarcus Cousins is making waves in the NBA news, not just for his excellent showing at the exhibition games before Team USA Basketball heads off to 2016 Rio Olympics, but also because of rumors saying there's a lot of teams wanting to get him.
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Rumors say that these are Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets and Boston Celtics. The buzz about the Bulls is that they want to get Cousins to create their own "super team." Cousins is also rumored to be interested in playing for the Bulls to join his former teammate Rajon Rondo.
If Cousins will join the Bulls, he will play alongside Robin Lopez, Jerian Grant, Jose Calderon and Jimmy Butler. This team, however, is likely to be incapable of beating the NBA Champions Cleveland Cavaliers.
After losing Dwight Howard, the Rockets might be highly interested in trading for one of the best big men in the NBA today. The Rocketes might trade Clint Capela, Sam Dekker, K.J. McDaniels or Corey Brewer to get DeMarcus Cousins.
2. Russell Westbrook to Nuggets, Lakers?
Westbrook has stated that he is not interested in playing for another team other than Oklahoma City Thunder.
However, the Nuggets can offer one of the best trade options to Oklahoma City to get Westbrook. In exchange for Westbrook, Denver can give away Kenneth Faried and Emmanuel Mudiay.
Faried can help strengthen the defense of OKC's backcourt. Last season, he averaged 12.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 0.9 blocks per game. The 6'5" point guard and incoming sophomore Emmanuel Mudiay averaged 12.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game.
Westbrook has also been rumored to move to the Los Angeles Lakers. According to Chris Broussard of ESPN, " I was talking to some people, some executives yesterday about possible trades they might do, or offer, and I was told they think they can sign (Westbrook) as a free agent."
3. Rudy Gay to San Antonio Spurs?
According to Patrick Malin, writer for The All Out Sports Network, it would be a good idea for the San Antonio Spurs to trade for Rudy Gay, because that will give them a strong offensive player off the bench.
Gay can be Kawhi Leonard's back-up forward, granted that Gay is willing to come off the bench. Rudy Gay is still a legitimate offensive threat; the 10-year veteran averaged 17.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.
Aside from the Spurs, Malin suggests that Gay could potentially go to OKC Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers and the Indiana Pacers.
