The NBA free agency period is rolling with trade rumors and once LeBron James and Carmelo sign, the dominoes will start to fall for teams and players like Amar'e Stoudemire, Mario Chalmers, Jordan Crawford, Iman Shumpert, Andrea Bargnani, Derrick Williams, Jeremy Lin, Kevin Love and Rajon Rondo could all be on the move before the 2014 summer is up, with teams like the Celtics, Warriors, Heat, NY Knicks and 76ers interested in trading.
The NY Knicks are looking to make deals to bring in Carmelo Anthony and other players and now Phil Jackson could look at trading Amar'e Stoudemire, Iman Shumpert or Andrea Bargnani. Pro Basketball Talk reported that the Sixers were interested in acquiring Shumpert and that Stoudemire could be involved in a deal, but that talk has subsided for now. The Knicks already have moved Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton to clear out cap space and now more moves could be coming once Anthony signs.
The Warriors have been mentioned in numerous trade rumors this offseason, including with the Timberwolves about Kevin Love, but that deal fell apart around the draft. Yahoo Sports is reporting that the Golden State Warriors are looking at a potential sign and trade with Jordan Crawford now that Shaun Livingston is signed. The report says that the team is willing to deal Crawford and that a number of teams are interested, including the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, LA Lakers and New York Knicks as well as the Dallas Mavericks if they don't get Chandler Parsons.
The Warriors were deep into the Kevin Love trade talks, but those broke down around the inclusion of Klay Thompson, who Golden State was reluctant to give up. The team loves the duo of Steph Curry and Thompson and that is why they balked at the idea of putting him into the trade, even with Kevin Love as the player they would get in return. The Warriors could now try and get something for Crawford while also helping him get into a better situation, as he likely is the odd man out with Curry, Thompson, Andre Iguodala and Livingston now on the roster.
According to Basketball Insiders, the Miami Heat could be looking for a sign and trade deal involving Mario Chalmers. The report says that the team likely will use Shabazz Napier and Norris Cole as their main point guard options if they don't sign anyone else and that likely means Chalmers' says are numbered in Miami. Chalmers is a free agent, but he did not play well in the finals and now could be on his way out and moving him in a sign and trade could potentially help with the salary cap.
The Knicks will be in the mix to make moves and while they likely shouldn't give up Shumpert since he is their best young player, they have to put everything on the table to build around Carmelo. The team is expected to keep Anthony, but so far Melo and LeBron James are taking things very slowly in free agency. Jeremy Lin, Kevin Love and Rajon Rondo are some of the bigger names and Lin could get moved soon, while Love and Rondo may remain on their teams through the season and into the deadline.
