The NBA schedule is moving into Christmas and that means trade rumors will continue to pop up until the deadline comes in 2016. Players like Markieff Morris, Ryan Anderson, Ty Lawson and Brandon Jennings have come up in rumors along with DeMarcus Cousins and Hassan Whiteside, but many of those deals are less realistic than others.
Morris has been getting attention on the trade market since this summer and it looks like the Suns will make a push to move him before the deadline. Morris was upset over the summer when his brother was traded, but appeared to soften that stance once the season started. The team reportedly has started looking to trade Morris and it comes as he has been nudged out of the rotation a bit in Phoenix.
Ryan Anderson has come up in trade rumors for the Pelicans, as he is in the final year of his deal and could be an intriguing option for teams. There are conflicting reports that Anderson was being shopped and that the Pelicans have now pulled him back, but either way if he is not moved now, he likely will be a target when the deadline gets closer. According to ESPN, Ty Lawson's representatives are looking for the guard to get traded out of Houston, but so far no deal has been close to happening.
Brandon Jennings could be a target for the Pistons after coming back from surgery, but teams may want to wait and see how he performs before making a move. Cousins and Whiteside were both mentioned in rumors over the past month, but those reports were shot down by their respective teams. Cousins has been mentioned in rumors for months and nothing has been happening, while Whiteside's name keeps coming up because he is headed into free agency and some have wondered if Miami can keep him.
Pat Riley came out to the Miami Herald and said that the rumors regarding Whiteside were "BS" and that the team is not shopping him in trades. The reports had the Kings and Rockets interested in Whiteside, but that is looking very unlikely at this point. Of all the players mentioned, Morris is a likely option to get traded, as ESPN reports that the Rockets previously had "serious interest" in Morris.
Morris is on a team-friendly contract and after being unhappy in Phoenix, the team may want to simply move on. The Rockets have been off to a bad start this season and they could look at making some moves to try and retool for the second half. According to CBS Sports, the market for Lawson has not been great and the team could try and wait until the deadline gets closer to make a move. Lawson could be an option to move in the Morris deal if the Rockets pursue that, but that is not a major need for the Suns with Eric Bledsoe there.
Check here for more on NBA trade options heading through December.
