The NBA offseason for 2014 is almost officially here and that means trade rumors for the association and players like Rajon Rondo, Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Monroe, Roy Hibbert, Eric Gordon, David Lee, Andrew Bogut, Klay Thompson and Jeremy Lin all could be getting traded this summer and teams like the Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, NY Knicks and LA Lakers could get involved.
This year the most frequent trade rumors have been about Kevin Love and that is no surprise, as he is nearing free agency and the Timberwolves have to make a major decision about trading him or not. Roy Hibbert has been mentioned in trade rumors after the Pacers lost to Miami in the playoffs and ESPN.com reports that he would be open to the team exploring deals after the up and down season eh had. David Lee, Klay Thompson and Andrew Bogut have been mentioned in the Kevin Love trade talks, while Eric Gordon has been mentioned as a backup option for teams who miss out on top free agents.
Kevin Love has been the center of attention and he will continue that through the summer, as the Timberwolves are likely to pull the trigger at some point in a trade. The team has said in public that they do not want to trade Love and Ricky Rubio has tried to plead his case for him to stay, but Love has made it clear he wants to test the market. The team has not made the playoffs in the six years he has been there and so far he has been connected to a number of teams, including the Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, LA Lakers and Chicago Bulls.
Love has been spotted in Boston with Rondo, quoted talking about Phil Jackson in New York and he has also been connected to the Warriors, who he said has a great roster of young talent coming in for Steve Kerr as he takes over. The Timberwolves are now in the same territory of the Nuggets with Carmelo and the Magic with Dwight Howard, as they have to weigh the decision of trading him for something now (or soon) or keeping Love and getting nothing in return once he leaves in 2015 as a free agent.
Rajon Rondo is a top target as well and the Houston Rockets have been looking at him hard and this stems from interest last season. Daryl Morey feels that the team needs an outstanding point guard and while Jeremy Lin has been solid, he is no Rondo. The Rockets are in on the Carmelo Anthony chase as well and to do either of those, the team will need to move Lin and Omer Asik for any chance at getting into the mix.
The NBA trade market should be an active one this offseason and it comes after a mostly quiet deadline last year. Love will remain the top option for teams and if he is not traded, now, it's almost a guarantee that he will be moved during the season at the deadline by the Timberwolves.
