2014 NBA Trade Deadline Guide

The 2014 Trade Deadline is in full-swing and we’re just hours away from what could be anything from a total dud or a mild surprise. Stories are changing in real-time and I will be updating this document all the way through Thursday morning before we’ll shut it down and brace for the onslaught of Tweets, phone calls and texts (NOTE: THIS DOCUMENT IS NOW SHUT DOWN AS OF 10 AM ET. CHECK OUT OUR PLAYER BLURBS OR YOU CAN FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST. WE'LL BE BACK AFTER THE DEADLINE WITH WINNERS, LOSERS AND A FULL BREAKDOWN).

Important Programming Note: The players listed in the sections below are not imminently being traded and some are outright bad rumors. Completed trades are clearly marked. I’ve tried to remove the gunk but with so much action it’s helpful to know which guys have no chance of being traded even though they're hot in the rumor mill.

This is 30 teams deep and comprehensive, including conversations I’ve had across the NBA landscape and the review of reports from anybody and everybody that may have information to help owners.

You’ll want to follow our NBA crew on Twitter, who can all be found on our NBA home page, and you can click here to follow me for all the breaking news and information.

This document has been updated in full as of: 10:00 a.m. ET on Thursday.

Before:

ATLANTA HAWKS

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Jeff Teague

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: Omer Asik, Jordan Hill, Chris Kaman

Commentary: Danny Ferry is not thrilled with Teague’s contract and current production for good reason – he has really struggled and something isn’t right. The Hawks aren’t going to treat him as a toxic asset, but with the Knicks reportedly interested in Teague as a backup option as they focus on Kyle Lowry. Now that the Knicks are in limbo following the Iman Shumpert injury and Teague tweaked his ankle tonight, we could see rumors surrounding Teague slow down.

Asik would be an interesting fit in Atlanta that would allow Al Horford to move to power forward, but Ken Berger reports that the Rockets are asking for too much right now. The Hawks are interested in both Hill and Chris Kaman, highlighting their need for not just big men but NBA level players, as well. Hill has about four suitors according to a local media report so it's hard to peg their probability of landing in the ATL.

Bottom Line: Teague’s value is currently unchanged by trade rumors until something substantial pops up. Asik would not impact any of the Hawks’ fantasy assets in a meaningful way, nor would Hill or Kaman. There's more than enough minutes to go around and these would be ideal landing spots for both players, though owners shouldn't go wild projecting their value just yet.

BOSTON CELTICS

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Rajon Rondo, Brandon Bass, Kris Humphries, Jeff Green

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: Gordon Hayward

Commentary: The Celtics are primed for the rumor mill as a rebuilding team with plenty of future draft picks and players that are reasonably tradable in Bass and Humphries. Bass’ $6.9 million contract next season isn’t terribly prohibitive and he can be a solid backup big man or plug-in starter for a playoff team. The Bobcats and Warriors have been linked to him but those rumors have died down, mostly likely because the Warriors and Celtics are looking for bigger fish. The Bobcats have lost momentum in general on the trade front, but their situation could change. Humphries’ big $12 million expiring contract is one of many that is flooding the market, but unlike other guys he can still play. The Celtics would like to move Green but his contract has only received a positive rumor out of Mitch Lawrence at the NY Daily News, who is hit or miss.

The big story is and may always be Rondo, though. The Knicks are throwing everything including the kitchen sink at Boston, but unfortunately that doesn’t hold much weight. The going rate for Rondo appears to be two unprotected first round picks and/or a combination of young players to make Danny Ainge pull the trigger. The Knicks, Raptors and Sacramento are among “four or five teams” that are pushing the hardest for Rondo according to Sam Amick, with the Knicks seeking a star to placate Carmelo Anthony and the Raptors seeking a replacement for Kyle Lowry, who local writers don’t think will be in the team’s future plans. None of these rumors has passed the smell test, and not because of the various reports but because teams aren’t likely to come up with what Ainge wants.

The Celtics would love to reunite Hayward with Brad Stevens, but they haven’t been willing to part with a first round pick. This is something that I don’t see as outlandish, but also something that I’d expect more smoke on if it was truly in discussion.

Bottom Line: Bass’ value probably doesn’t get better moving to a contender. Humphries would be interesting in the right location, but there’s not enough to hold onto to consider a stash. Rondo owners can safely ignore the rumors at this time. Green’s value should be on the upswing if he survives the deadline, as expected at this time, and the only active (and old) rumor of Atlanta’s interest would be a best-case scenario in a trade.

BROOKLYN NETS

Players traded IN: Marcus Thornton

Players traded OUT: Jason Terry, Reggie Evans

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: None at this time

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: Jordan Hill

Commentary: The Hill deal had a lot of steam until about 2 p.m. ET when Howard Beck reported a tapping of the breaks. Fast forward to late Wednesday night and a handful of teams had joined the 'sweepstakes.' It won’t be the best thing for Hill’s value if he lands in a sort-of crowded frontcourt, but if the Nets are going to pay a massive luxury tax bill then it’s reasonable to expect that he plays 20 or more minutes per game. Hill’s value would have been highest in L.A. if Mike D’Antoni was forced to play him following a Pau Gasol trade, but D’Antoni has never been a fan of Hill and this could be a net positive move when all of the dust settles.

Thornton’s value can only go up in Brooklyn and he could add punch to a unit in desperate need of some, but expecting anything more than 20 mpg to start is overoptimistic. Thornton’s struggles on defense and his style of play aren’t likely to translate well with veterans Deron Williams, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, but if he buys in and his new teammates buy in then it’s possible he reprises some of the old magic.

Bottom Line: If you’ve been stashing Hill it’s probably worth it to hang tight through the deadline to see where everything goes, but if you come across a mid-level stash or free agent then feel free to make the move. Thornton should be considered a low-level stash for deeper leagues at this time.

CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Ben Gordon, Ramon Sessions, Bismack Biyombo

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: Evan Turner, Arron Afflalo, Gary Neal, Caron Butler, Brandon Bass, Greg Monroe, Jordan Hill, Anthony Morrow

Commentary: The Bobcats were among the hot teams in the rumor mill and sometime between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning they started to cool off significantly. Monroe’s name hasn’t come up in a week, and neither has Bass’. Afflalo rumors have been tepid at best, and a deal including Neal and Butler fell apart in the last 24 hours according to Adrian Wojnarowski. The Turner rumors appeared to have significant weight and by the looks of it the teams abruptly changed course. Gordon and Sessions are expiring deals and Biyombo is a sweetener with very little upside. I’d expect the Bobcats to reboot their efforts but it’s been a somewhat stunning turnaround in terms of smoke.

Hill was added to Charlotte's wish list by ESPN L.A. following the Steve Blake trade and it's possible they're setting their sights lower. Morrow was added to the list early Thursday morning when he was ruled an unlikely get for the Bobcats. Stein added that Gary Neal was still in play and that Sessions was being dangled as the bait. Sam Amick tweeted something to that effect, too.

Bottom Line: Until talks pick up steam there is no fantasy impact here.

CHICAGO BULLS

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Mike Dunleavy, Kirk Hinrich

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: None

Commentary: Management is sensitive to what trading one of these veterans would do to the relationship with Tom Thibodeau. The Rockets were eyeballing Dunleavy and the Warriors have called on Hinrich. GM John Paxson has downplayed the deadline since the start.

Bottom Line: Unless something drastic happens, owners don’t need to gameplan here.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Luol Deng, Jarrett Jack, Anderson Varejao, Dion Waiters, C.J. Miles, Alonzo Gee, Earl Clark

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: Pau Gasol, Chris Kaman, Omer Asik, Jimmer Fredette, Pierre Jackson, David Lee

Commentary: The Cavs are among the most interesting trade deadline teams because of the firing of GM Chris Grant, as they have gone from a splashy team to one that is now trying to add pieces to placate Kyrie Irving and make a playoff run. They’ve also won six games in a row amidst a number of Cumbaya reports and rumors have slowed down considerably.

That said, the reality behind Luol Deng’s future isn’t looking great for Cleveland after they gave up so much to get him. They’re facing getting nothing for a player that will be a sought-after free agent this summer that they have little chance of signing. They’ve spoken with the Kings and Warriors according to local beat guy Sam Amico, which is interesting after uber-reporter Tim Kawakami spit-balled a David Lee for Deng and Waiters deal a few weeks back that there has been literally no reporting on.

The Kings are looking for a splashy deal but their only real asset that they’re willing to part with is Isaiah Thomas and though he might outplay Kyrie Irving on many nights, that’s just not happening if you’re Cleveland. Chris Kaman isn’t somebody the Cavs are going to overpay for and talks have stalled there, and talks about Gasol have stalled too – but that’s a splashy move that hasn’t been ruled out. The new Lakers plan to keep Gasol being reported by Marc Stein may mean that talks have effectively been squashed even if it hasn't been reported yet. Omer Asik talk has all but vanished over the last week. Ditto for Waiters.

The talk surrounding Jack has solidified around the Kings, too. The Cavs simply need to find a team to take on Jason Thompson's contract and a deal to rid themselves of Jack's contract will be all but done (no easy task). Though it’s a red flag that Cleveland doesn’t want to keep Jack, the Kings make sense given owner Vivek Ranadive’s experience as a minority owner of the Warriors, and Jack could support both guard positions if newly acquired Jason Terry’s knee doesn’t hold up or he gets bought out. Folks also don't have to look much further than the Kings' prior interest in Monta Ellis and their current backup PF Carl Landry to see how the Warriors connection has paid off in the past, either. Jack would be promoted as a much-needed veteran presence and keep Thomas from playing over 32 minutes per night.

Or not? An interesting report emerged early Thursday morning in which Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, a solid source of Cavs info, writes "(Jack) hasn't been what the Cavs expected on the court and he hasn't been the locker room influence many expected, either." Ouch. It's tough to dissect that but there haven't exactly been glowing reviews of Jack taking charge, so if we're grading we'd have to give Jack an 'I' for incomplete rather than passing any judgment in that department. The report also touches on other important issues like Deng, but on Jack it's reported that the combo guard prefers the ball in his hands and that isn't happening in Cleveland. In Golden State he was given the rock and that allowed Stephen Curry to play off the ball. The Kings don't have a Curry to play off the ball while Jack takes point guard roles, so the system issue isn't solving itself, aside from the unlikely event that Jack is given the reins over developing and emerging point guard Isaiah Thomas. That's a lot of questions and not that many good answers.

The reporting on Deng is the actual lede in Lloyd's piece and it goes on to explain how Deng was brought in as Chris Grant's guy and how now he's essentially on the outside looking in. By the sounds of things he's a little bit pissed off over the whole ordeal and that's the impetus for putting Deng on the block, and Lloyd goes on to write that a first round pick and a replacement at the '3' position would get him moved "today." This shouldn't be construed to mean that a trade is imminent or even likely, but the flavor of what's going on behind closed doors should give owners a bit more insight into their own decision-making processes.

The interest in D-Leaguer Pierre Jackson (held by NO) could be in response to the chance that Jack gets dealt. Alonzo Gee and Earl Clark would be filler to any deal.

Bottom Line: There are a lot of variables here but Luol Deng owners should hang tight through the deadline to see what happens. Things couldn’t be much worse than they are in Cleveland. Jarrett Jack could use a change of scenery but he’s not earning an even timeshare with Thomas in Sacramento. Even if he did he’d have a hard time floating standard league value. Anderson Varejao’s value can only go down in most locations. Waiters’ value is highest in Cleveland where they need him to work out. There’s not enough smoke behind these potential deals to consider the impact of new players in Cleveland, but any big man acquisition would hinder Tristan Thompson’s already mediocre value.

DALLAS MAVERICKS

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Shawn Marion, Shane Larkin

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: Luol Deng, Kevin Love, Spencer Hawes

Commentary: Among the quietest teams on the trade front, none of these players are likely to be traded by current reports. Marion has struggled mightily since returning from his shoulder injury and somebody wearing a tin foil hat might think he’s taking it easy so he doesn’t get traded. The Mavs need a big man and would love to get Hawes but they’re not trading a first for him and there has been no smoke whatsoever for about two weeks there. Larkin’s inclusion has come late and would be an enticement for teams to take on Marion, but again, there’s not much action here. The Love rumors were quickly shot down by Marc Cuban and local writers that astutely pointed out that the Mavs are nowhere near able to offer the assets the Wolves would want for Love. That deal was shot down quickly by Minnesota reporters, too. The Mavs’ interest in Deng was reported at about 3:30 p.m. ET today (Wed), but just like the Love report (from Ken Berger as well) there is no real traction here because they can’t offer Cleveland enough, according to Berger.

Bottom Line: Marion’s value would likely take a dip unless he was somehow traded to Philly, which isn’t on the table right now. There are no real adjustments to make on Dallas players at this time.

DENVER NUGGETS

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Andre Miller, Kenneth Faried, Jordan Hamilton

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: Iman Shumpert, Beno Udrih

Commentary: Miller getting dealt is almost a foregone conclusion with the Wolves being Miller’s preferred location and most likely acquisition from a Minny perspective according to reliable Darren Wolfson. But Miller and Minny’s wishes aren’t at the top of the list here, as the Knicks view Miller as a consolation prize, the Wizards like him in a pure backup role, and the Sixers have even been mentioned. There’s not enough smoke near the Sixers to get excited there, however. The Iman Shumpert injury is also likely to juggle the market throughout the wee hours of the night. Miller has also been mentioned with the Kings, but that talk has cooled in the last week or so.

I'm leaving Shumpert up here until he's unequivocally removed from trade talk, but it's telling that Adrian Wojnarowski didn't mention Denver at all when discussing Shumpert and the Knicks. I'm also tempted to remove Faried's name with no real viable trade partner in the news, but he has been a hot name on the block and it's possible other deals crawl out of the woodwork.

Bottom Line: Faried just had a big game on Tuesday and he’s been a late-round value as of late, and he should be owned in all 12-team formats for the current production and also the possibility that he's more appreciated in a new location. J.J. Hickson and Timofey Mozgov were low-to-mid level stashes when Faried was attached to the Knicks, and they may return to being that, but we need to see more smoke for Faried to keep them rated that high. Miller is just a low-level stash for the chance he lands in New York in a post-Raymond Felton environment, or the currently unlikely dream scenario of playing in Philly with a guarantee of big minutes.

DETROIT PISTONS

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Greg Monroe, Rodney Stuckey, Jonas Jerebko, Charlie Villanueva

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: None at this time

Commentary: Go back two weeks and the Pistons were a hot team in trade circles. But the firing of Mo Cheeks and the uneasy status of GM Joe Dumars have cooled things off considerably. A soft market for restricted free agent Greg Monroe early on has also contributed here. Monroe is expected to receive a max contract that guys like David Aldridge and Zach Lowe think will be matched by Detroit, regardless of the massive failure that the Josh Smith-Monroe-Andre Drummond trio already is and is most certainly going to be.

The thinking is that the Pistons can survive the cap hits and get out from Smith’s deal at a later time, but if the market picks up for Monroe then that could change. The Warriors have expressed interest lately and that’s intriguing because they’re looking to make a splash and can include Harrison Barnes or Klay Thompson in a deal, which at least gives a starting point for discussions. No deal is imminent on that front and conversely is being panned as unlikely at this time. The rest of the guys are expiring salaries and so far only Stuckey has been taken seriously on that front. As a secondary player on the market there hasn’t been any news about him for over a week.

Bottom Line: Monroe’s stable value can only go up outside of Detroit and thus he’s a hold or mild buy low target right now. Give the same amount of credibility to Smith's buy low status for the chance that Monroe gets moved – which again isn’t likely right now.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

Players traded IN: Steve Blake

Players traded OUT: Kent Bazemore, MarShon Brooks

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Harrison Barnes, Klay Thompson

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: Luol Deng, Greg Monroe, Thaddeus Young, Tristan Thompson, Kenneth Faried, John Henson, Amir Johnson, Brandon Bass, Dion Waiters

Commentary: The Warriors traded away spare parts in MarShon Brooks and Kent Bazemore for injury-ridden but solid Steve Blake. The move will desperately help a team that needs ballhandlers, though I'd stop short at saying that Blake is the answer for their penetration woes. Still, it's a solid move with practically no downside.

The Warriors aren't done dealing just yet, either, so stay tuned.

Everybody between Young and Johnson on that list is a part of a spit-ballish report from Chad Ford, but nonetheless the players fit the profile of what GSW is looking for. Bass might be the most realistic acquisition here, but the Warriors are going to try to go big as everything is suddenly in disarray at Oracle. Add in an interesting, but perhaps overreaching report from Chris Mannix that Barnes and Andre Iguodala are having friction and the stage is being set for a big move – but the question is whether or not Joe Lacob and Bob Myers have the courage to make a big move. Deng and Waiters for David Lee was floated by Tim Kawakami as a make-sense solution to the financial and on-court situation in Oakland, but with no smoke there it’s possible that Lacob isn’t ready to get off the Lee bandwagon just yet. Monroe and Deng were tied to the Warriors most recently of the bunch, but we simply don’t have a lot to go on here.

Bottom Line: Blake's value goes in the tank and he can be dropped in most regular formats. It's arguable that he could eat into the value of Klay Thompson and to a lesser degree, Andre Iguodala and/or Harrison Barnes. Bass would struggle for value playing for the Warriors.

HOUSTON ROCKETS

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Omer Asik, Jeremy Lin

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: Ersan Ilyasova, Mike Dunleavy, Anderson Varejao, Spencer Hawes

Commentary: Some Omer Asik talk has picked up lately but it’s still hovering between an unlikely and mostly unlikely status. He’s been linked to Milwaukee in a deal for Ilyasova, but it’s doubtful the Rockets are going to bite given Ilyasova’s struggles and Terrence Jones’ solid play this year. The Cavs rumor is about a week or two old before the front office shakeup.

The big issue is the $15 million Asik is owed next season ($8.4 million cap hit), but the most interesting rumor I’ve heard (from Ken Berger) is the one sending Asik to Philly, who is $5.1 million under the cap and not winning a title anytime soon. Asik doesn’t exactly fit the run and gun system, but Brett Brown would probably modify things a bit and it wouldn’t really matter – he’d be a tremendous upgrade and placeholder to allow Nerlens Noel to develop at a slow and steady rate. The Hawks like Asik but not at the price Daryl Morey is reportedly asking for, which is a first round pick at this time. Whether or not there’s a way to include Hawes is unclear, but the Rockets seem to have him on their ‘want’ list rather than ‘need’ list.

Jeremy Lin has also come out of nowhere to gain momentum in deadline rumors, and I found it interesting that Marc Spears updated his power rankings/trade rumors column from “Houston won’t trade Lin for the scoring that he brings” to Houston is “actively shopping Lin, as well.” Spears isn’t the only one reporting that Lin is available, though Chad Ford's rumor was tied to New York and that one is probably dead following the Iman Shumpert injury. Ford named Shumpert and Tim Hardaway as the cost of doing business. Basketball Insiders said that Lin was unlikely to be traded in a report that came out after Shump's injury on Wednesday.

The Rockets were genuinely interested in Dunleavy but the Bulls appear to be hanging tight.

The Rockets are reportedly interested in Rajon Rondo (who wouldn’t be), but they won’t give up Chandler Parsons and for now that’s the end of that. If things heat up I’ll add them to the chart above but not until then. It’s worth noting that Morey and Danny Ainge have a good relationship.

Bottom Line: Asik is a low-to-mid level stash right now in standard leagues (low-level for 14 teams in 9-cat), and that outlook would improve appreciably if things start pointing in Philly’s direction. A move to Cleveland or Milwaukee seems unlikely, but he’ll be worth an add after just about any trade as long as there are no red flags with his knee. Lin's value becomes less likely to change due to the deadline with no team to attach him to in a rumor. The unlikely trio of Hawes, Varejao and Ilyasova would all take value hits in Houston, but that’s getting way ahead of ourselves and now is a great time to buy low on Jones. He’s had a down couple of weeks and along with low probability trade rumors owners may not be feeling the love. A declining late-mid round value is the ceiling for what you want to give up in a deal.

INDIANA PACERS

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Danny Granger

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: None at this time

Commentary: The Pacers don’t have a realistic shot at trading Granger and they’re more likely to check out the buyout market and/or try to block players from the Heat.

Bottom Line: Nothing to see here at this time.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Darren Collison, Jared Dudley, Reggie Bullock, Matt Barnes

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: Iman Shumpert, Raymond Felton

Commentary: The Clippers/Knicks rumor is dead after the Shumpert injury according to Adrian Wojnarowski and still alive according to Chris Broussard. I'm going with Woj there. The proposed deal was going to center around Shumpert and Collison, with the Clippers taking on Felton’s bad deal as a sweetener and the teams jockeying over whether or not to include Reggie Bullock (valuable) and/or Jared Dudley (not valuable). Shumpert and Felton are only included on this list until they're formally ruled out by another source. Matt Barnes is probably available for the right price but the Clippers need him if they're not upgrading on the wing.

Bottom Line: Collison's stash value evaporates unless he's included in another rumor down the road. Dudley is terrible and would need a miracle to pan out for owners in another location. Until the next rumor, there's nothing to change value-wise for the Clippers.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS

Players traded IN: MarShon Brooks, Kent Bazemore

Players traded OUT: Steve Blake

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Pau Gasol, Jordan Hill, Chris Kaman,

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: Kevin Love, Emeka Okafor

Commentary: The Lakers are sellers and it wouldn’t be a deadline without the rebuilding franchise dominating headlines. Pau Gasol is the obvious draw here, and the Kevin Love rumors were probably unfit to print but when in Rome is the rule at this time of year. David Aldridge reported Wednesday afternoon that talks between the Lakers and Suns “if they were ever serious” were “dying on the vine,” which is in direct opposition to lower quality reports that the Suns viewed Gasol as the best they could do for Okafor’s enticing and partially insurance-covered expiring contract.

With Steve Blake now traded to Golden State, Gasol's chances of being traded are lessening by the moment. Word from ESPN reporters Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne is that the plan is shaping up to be to trade Hill, trade Kaman, and that will get them under the luxury tax without having to trade Gasol while keeping his Bird Rights. In that plan, the Lakers would try to sign Gasol or sign-and-trade him during the offseason.

For Hill, a market once dominated by just one team in the Nets has expanded to include the Cavs, Nets, Bobcats, Hawks and Pelicans. The Hawks are also interested in Kaman. Ramona Shelburne reported that her sense was that the Nets and Pelicans are the favorites for Hill's services. Owners would want to hope for a move to New Orleans and also hope that Monty Williams plays nice.

Gasol has also been linked to the Cavs but those talks stalled, as did the talks for Kaman in the same location.

Hill was all-but Brooklyn’s by lunchtime on Wednesday and then talks stalled out, with Cleveland entering the mix and presumably floating out offers greater than the ‘nothing’ that the Nets have offered (aside from their disabled player exception that would assist the Lakers with their cap number). The Suns were apparently talking about Hill, too, but those talks have ended according to Woj. Marc Stein has also jumped on the Cavs’ report.

Kaman would be a great fit in Portland according to yours truly, especially given the big man injuries but mostly because they need a backup big man no matter what. That said, an experienced backup PF is probably higher on the list than a center. There have been no rumors about that type of deal whatsoever so it’s a non-starter in these parts.

Bottom Line: The change of direction for L.A. on the Pau Gasol front has fundamentally changed the Lakers' big man situation, with Gasol and Robert Sacre set to lock down the center position and the Lakers having little to no depth if they deal Hill and Kaman, which is of no consequence to owners. Hill and Kaman are best valued as low-end assets with the expectation they'll be playing somewhere else and owners can check both here and in the blurbs for the most recent updates. Hill's value may get a slight bump in New Orleans over the other locations.

This is undoubtedly big news for Kendall Marshall, who earned the trust of Lakers management to be the anchor to the Lakers' point guard attack. He should be owned in all leagues as the Lakers' only durable player at the position and chances are he'll get plenty of run. Brooks' value improves and he's somebody to watch but not pick up in most leagues. His defense is terrible and he has a few guys to leapfrog before he gets consistent minutes, but he'll undoubtedly get a chance to impress Mike D at some point. The move also gives a slight bump to Wes Johnson and Jodie Meeks, who don't have to compete against arguably D'Antoni's favorite healthy(ish) player. Ryan Kelly also gets a boost with more players heading out than coming in, at least for the time-being. I liked owning him before the news and I like owning him afterward.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Tony Allen, Tayshaun Prince, Zach Randolph

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: Small forwards, J.J. Barea, Chase Budinger, Harrison Barnes, Trevor Ariza, Martell Webster, Otto Porter Jr.

Commentary: Multiple reports hit mid-day Wednesday identifying a deal sending Prince and Allen to Minny for Barea and Budinger, but after talk was ratcheted up and then down it become fairly clear that Minnesota pushed out the information to improve their odds elsewhere, as mentioned by Sam Amick. Ken Berger pushed out the initial report, it was corroborated by Woj and local reporter Darren Wolfson, and then shot down by local beat writer Ronald Tillery whose source called it a “fishing expedition,” adding that Allen’s inclusion killed the deal. Trade deadline, folks.

All of the Twitterati agree now that the deal has cooled off, which interestingly might have taken the Wolves off of Jameer Nelson and onto Andre Miller. David Aldridge keeps pushing for a deal with the Wizards, but hasn’t reported any specific interest by either party. Allen said he will return Friday against the Clippers from his injury and that he doesn’t mind coming off the bench, saying he doesn’t want to be “disruptive.” That sounds like a guy that doesn’t want to be traded and it’s also good for Courtney Lee’s value. Right now it doesn’t appear that the Grizzlies have the assets to make a deal for Barnes work. Talks about Randolph are all-but dead at this point and probably didn’t exist.

Bottom Line: The Grizzlies will likely continue to hunt for a small forward upgrade, but mostly it sounds like they want to get out from Prince’s deal without sacrificing depth. They will go into the tax to pursue an upgrade according to Aldridge, but even that is dubious with what non-tax paying teams are going to be getting from Moneybags Mikhail Prokhorov. James Johnson owners are the only threatened bunch and after a sub-15 minute outing due to foul trouble, he could even be on waiver wires. As I mentioned in Wednesday’s Dose, I’m hanging on there given his body of work over the past few months.

MIAMI HEAT

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Norris Cole

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: Caron Butler, Emeka Okafor

Commentary: The Heat aren’t seriously entertaining moving Cole and they’re probably more likely to buy out Butler rather than trade for him. Okafor might not be able to play this season. Not a lot going on here.

Bottom Line: Butler might have more consistent value in Miami but it’ll likely be limited to deeper leagues if he eventually ends up there.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Caron Butler, Gary Neal, Luke Ridnour, Ersan Ilyasova, John Henson

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: Omer Asik, Eric Gordon, Austin Rivers, Ramon Sessions

Commentary: This list has to make Bucks fans sick and they have had the look of a Maloof-owned team that is purposely acquiring bad players to keep attendance down Major League style so they can try to hijack a team and move it to Seattle. Maybe that’s not fair given Herb Kohl’s roots in the community, but what a mess. Gary Neal is looking like a foregone certainty to be traded, not that it matters. The Suns, Bobcats, Thunder, Wolves and Kings were mentioned by beat writer Gery Woelfel, who is slinging an awful lot of mud on the wall lately, and the Thunder and Bobcats are two teams that had made the cut with other reporters until Sam Amick reported that the Thunder had no interest. The would put the Bobcats in the lead, as they are trying to get Milwaukee to go for a Ramon Sessions-for-Neal swap according to Marc Stein.

Luke Ridnour is also attracting attention with the Wizards reportedly being interested for their struggling backup PG slot. Austin Rivers is reportedly of interest (according to Woelfel), and that’s precisely the type of deal the Maloofs would have gone for in the past. Woelfel threw out the talk of Eric Gordon earlier in the week which was shot down by Basketball Insiders and hasn’t been reported by anybody else. Larry Sanders is all-but untradeable after his recent injury and down year.

Henson is reportedly available (again, Woelfel) and in particular as a carrot for the Bucks to get rid of O.J. Mayo’s deal. The Warriors and probably a handful of other teams are interested, but without much smoke there isn’t much to go on right now.

Butler is likely to be traded or bought out after the deadline, with the latter being the most likely of the two scenarios. Despite hitting seven treys on Tuesday there isn’t much reason to give him fantasy consideration under those circumstances in standard formats. Take one look at his game log and you’ll know why.

Bottom Line: There’s no real point in speculating on Neal or Ridnour outside of the deepest of leagues, and though the Bucks probably want out from under Ilyasova’s contract that sounds like a heavy lift, especially after a late Alex Kennedy report that Kohl loves the guy. Kennedy may have unearthed the reason for all of the Ilyasova madness. Henson’s value is actually pretty good right now in Milwaukee with Sanders' season all but over, despite Larry Drew’s ongoing Keith Smart reprisal. Rivers is fantasy garbage and owners shouldn’t move the needle here on Milwaukee assets in general until something more substantial pops up. Sessions to Milwaukee is probably an upgrade when it comes to getting rid of Neal, but a mess from a fantasy perspective no matter what.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Kevin Love, J.J. Barea, Chase Budinger, Shabazz Muhammad

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: Tayshaun Prince, Tony Allen, Andre Miller, Jameer Nelson, Gary Neal

Commentary: The Kevin Love rumors from earlier in the day were a waste of ink and as it turned out so were the rumors involving Barea, Budinger, Prince and Allen. Andre Miller is considered the best bet to arrive in Minny at this time, and Nelson might replace Miller as a target if Miller can’t be acquired. The Wolves have been contacted about Muhammad but he’s raw and doesn’t appear to be in the greatest shape. The Nuggets aren’t interested in a 1-for-1 deal for Miller and Barea, and the overall story is that the Wolves are trying to improve to appease Love but aren’t finding any real traction in the market for now.

Early Thursday morning Darren Wolfson reported that the Wolves were in "3rd or 4th" position to obtain Neal. That's just funny considering we're talking about Gary Neal.

Bottom Line: The Wolves wanted Allen and Prince to help shore up the defense, and in the case of the latter we will all question that, but Rick Adelman does love him some veterans. We could throw Pau Gasol in the incoming list but those talks fizzled quickly and Dante Cunningham and Alexey Shved’s names were thrown out a few weeks back but haven’t hit the wire since. Not a whole lot doing in Minnesota and owners can sit on their projections. Until there is more than one lone report on Shabazz, there’s no reason for owners to pay him any attention.

NEW ORLEANS PELICANS

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Eric Gordon, Tyreke Evans, Austin Rivers, Anthony Morrow, Pierre Jackson

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: Jordan Hill

Commentary: For all of the talk about New Orleans being players at the deadline nothing has emerged to truly get folks excited. They want to trade Gordon and Evans because they’re clearly not worth the deals they got, which everybody in the league also knows. Rivers has been begging to get out of New Orleans and the Bucks and others may be interested in spending little to nothing on him, while Anthony Morrow is the much better asset and could be moved for a low pick. Pierre Jackson is on the Cavs’ radar if they move Jarrett Jack and he was held out of his D-League game on Wednesday.

Hill joined the list after the Lakers traded Steve Blake. He's all but certain to be playing somewhere other than L.A., though it's unclear where that will be at this time.

Bottom Line: There’s nothing to glean here for fantasy purposes, though Jackson has been tearing up the D-League and may be worth a look in 30-team leagues if he can get freed up. Hill would be more interesting in New Orleans than in most places but there's still not enough to go on in standard formats.

NEW YORK KNICKS

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Raymond Felton, Iman Shumpert, Beno Udrih, Tim Hardaway Jr., Metta World Peace

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: Rajon Rondo, Kyle Lowry, Jeremy Lin, Kenneth Faried, Jordan Hamilton, Darren Collison, Reggie Bullock, Jared Dudley, Glen Rice Jr., Andre Miller

Commentary: Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Clippers/Knicks deal dead following the Shumpert injury. Currently only Chris Broussard has reported that deal isn't dead and Hamilton for Udrih is alive as a standalone deal. But then again, Broussard says a lot of things. Marc Stein reported that Faried to the Knicks was getting pared down to just the smaller components of Hamilton for Udrih, but that was before the Knicks lost their deal with the Clippers. I'll start pulling a lot of names down from the chart when it becomes clear what the Knicks are going to do after a brutal blow last night.

On the whole, this list is pretty hilarious when you consider the Knicks’ lack of assets. The Knicks are that guy in fantasy leagues that send out a million crappy trade offers and then tell every single person that they don’t know what they’re talking about. You’ll notice that Carmelo Anthony is not on this list. That should be old news, but if you’ve been under a rock you should know that everything is pointed toward 2015 and the hopes they can use their cap space and a trade right now to entice Melo to stay.

The easiest thing to say about the Knicks’ trading situation is that Rondo and Lowry are all-but ruled out, though Lowry isn’t expected to re-sign with Toronto at this time and by virtue of that Masai Ujiri could be slowplaying his hand there. Still, the only scenario that was even remotedly close to delivering Lowry to the Knicks was a three-way deal including Jeff Teague to Toronto, Lowry to New York and Atlanta getting Iman Shumpert. Obviously that's dead now.

Udrih has been linked to the Wizards and Spurs’ backup jobs and those are realistic reports, though he’s not exactly in demand so nothing is imminent.

The Jeremy Lin to NY rumor also fell apart with the Shumpert news, but he jumped on the block pretty quick the other day and it's possible another team doubles back to check him out.

Bottom Line: Felton’s value is dwindling and he has late-round upside if he stays in New York. Owners can move along if they want. Shumpert is hands off for owners following his sprained MCL. Kenneth Faried has been playing at a late-round value and his value would be solidified in New York, but we'll have to see what direction the market heads for him now.

Collison loses his stash appeal with the New York deal seemingly dead. Andre Miller has some low-level stash appeal for the chance he is the Knicks’ booby prize, and the rumors about him landing in Philly while unlikely don’t hurt. Lin's status stabilizes now that there are no active trade rumors for him following the Shumpert injury.

Until there are more credible rumors surrounding Rondo or Lowry, I’m not moving the needle based on their respective situations.

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: None at this time.

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: Gary Neal

Commentary: The Thunder have their own pick in this year’s draft so they could theoretically make a deal, but right now Gary Neal is the only player in the rumor mill and that got shot down by Sam Amick on Thursday morning. Charlotte is also hot on his tail, among other teams, so there isn’t much going on for OKC except puff pieces about what a great defender Kendrick Perkins is. So things are pretty normal.

Bottom Line: The needle isn’t moving for fantasy assets in OKC.

ORLANDO MAGIC

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Arron Afflalo, Jameer Nelson, Glen Davis

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: None at this time.

Commentary: The Magic were a popular trade deadline team during the preseason and throughout the year, but almost all of the talk surrounding them has been ice-cold for the last few weeks. Basketball Insiders, who spends a good amount of time reporting on the Magic in general, has changed that stance by implying they could be slowplaying the deadline and that talk about “sitting out the deadline may be overstated.” Conversely, Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted at 8 p.m. ET that the Magic are “strongly inclined” to sit on Afflalo and revisit deals after the season. They want a big piece back in return for Afflalo by all reports, and Nelson and Davis are more likely candidates to be traded – though it’s been quiet on that front. Davis left Wednesday’s game early and that’s going to cause speculation and is the most we’ve heard on him all week.

Charlotte reports for Afflalo have crept into play now that the Evan Turner deal went south, but with no explanation out of the Sporting News for how the Bobcats intend to do that it’s hard to put much stock in what is going on. For what it’s worth, Basketball Insiders also reported that Afflalo calls were getting turned away, indicating the interest from other teams is probably limited to the easier-to-move assets.

A late report that the Wizards are interested in trading for Nelson hit the wire on Wednesday, but the idea that the Magic would take back a second round pick as state is a hard to believe. Nelson’s salary next season is only partially guaranteed and other teams would gladly get in on that action.

Bottom Line: Owners can hold onto Afflalo with relative confidence at this time and risk-takers can try to take advantage of trade concerns with a buy low offer. Victor Oladipo was starting to look like a guy that might be a trade deadline casualty like Derrick Favors last year, though his role almost has to improve or Jacque Vaughn will start to catch serious heat. I still like him as a buy low candidate after a slow week, and the talk about a loosened approach to dealing help that along a small amount. Tobias Harris is a decent buy low guy with the chance that his role stays similar or grows in the event of a Big Baby trade.

PHILADELPHIA SIXERS

Players traded IN:

Players traded OUT: Spencer Hawes

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Thaddeus Young, Evan Turner

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: Omer Asik, Andre Miller

Commentary: For the team most synonymous with this year’s trade deadline, the rumor mill has churned out different versions of the same thing for just about a month. With the exception of a lone Andre Miller rumor, the story is pretty simple for Philly. They want first round picks for each of Young, Turner and Hawes, though CBS Sports reported early Thursday that the Sixers would take two second round picks for Turner. That's what they got for Hawes in a Thursday morning deal, and details on what Philly got back are not available just yet.

Young is the most likely to be dealt but Philly isn’t exactly dying to move him, and one has to think that the Hawes trade lessens the percentage chance that either Young or Turner gets dealt -- but mostly Young. A deal with Charlotte for Turner which was heavily pined by well-sourced reporters basically blew up on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. The Warriors were linked to Young and about six other players that any team looking to make a splash would want, but we need to see more there before moving the needle there.

The fact that Houston's Omer Asik has been linked to Philly helps, but both teams have the same goals of accumulating picks and Houston doesn’t strike me as a team that’s willing to give up a pick to get Hawes as a rental. The Sixers could also absorb Asik’s salary.

Bottom Line: Hawes' value is crushed by this news, though it's theoretically possible he maintains some low-end value while in Cleveland. Along the same lines of Young and Turner's chances of staying improving, their value increases somewhat with this news. Turner could lose all of his value and he has been sell-high candidates for a while, and his value is so threatened by the trade deadline now that he may actually be buy low candidates for the savvy reverse psychologist.

PHOENIX SUNS

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Emeka Okafor

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: Pau Gasol, Jordan Hill, Gary Neal, Thaddeus Young

Commentary: The Suns have backed off on the Gasol deal even if there is at least one report from Basketball Insiders indicating that he will likely land there. Their record on reporting a trade of that magnitude is unknown at this time, while heavy hitters like David Aldridge said it was “dying on the vine.” The groin injury has played a factor but as I mentioned in the Lakers writeup and in other places, the Lakers probably need to get a mid-first round pick to get Kobe Bryant to buy in. The Suns turned their attention to Hill briefly but apparently they’re out of those talks for now according to Woj. The Okafor contract is a nice asset because it’s partially insured and also expiring. Neal has been linked to at least six teams throughout Wednesday and the Suns aren’t on the top of that list right now. Young was linked to the Suns two weeks ago but there has been no smoke at all on that front.

Bottom Line: Gasol’s theoretic value would crush the waning value of Miles Plumlee and also dent guys like Channing Frye and Markieff Morris, though it wouldn’t destroy them. Frye would still be a standard league guy in 8-cat leagues and a must-start player in 9-cat formats. Morris would be a deep league guy. Hill wouldn’t have the upside he has in L.A. in a Pau-less scenario, but he’d be a good bet to get 20 minutes if the Suns reverse course there, which doesn’t look like it’s happening. Owners shouldn’t speculate on Young in Phoenix unless there is more smoke.

PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: None at this time.

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: Spencer Hawes

Commentary: The rumor for Hawes is the only one involving a Portland player over the last two weeks, unless you want to count my pure speculation that Chris Kaman could provide a boost a rumor (and it’s not, note I didn’t list it). If you’re just catching up, the Blazers needed a backup big man anyway (preferably a PF but any backup big would do) prior to Aldridge’s groin injury and injuries to Meyers Leonard (finger, week-to-week) and Joel Freeland (knee, month-to-month).

Bottom Line: Until there is a second report about Hawes or some news about other players, owners can assess the Blazers like they normally would.

SACRAMENTO KINGS

Players traded IN: Jason Terry, Reggie Evans

Players traded OUT: Marcus Thornton

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Isaiah Thomas, Jimmer Fredette, Jason Thompson, anybody not named Ben McLemore or DeMarcus Cousins

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: Rajon Rondo, Luol Deng, Jarrett Jack, Andre Miller

Commentary: First things first, the Kings did exactly what they needed to do by trading Thornton’s contract to the drunken sailors in Vegas by way of Brooklyn. Stellar for Pete D’Allesandro and the Kings. This opens up the door for Ben McLemore who will get double-digit shot attempts per game as long as he doesn’t totally fall off the cliff, and I’d expect the Kings to give him a much longer leash this time. Evans is added toughness and a potential timeshare candidate opposite Quincy Acy if the Kings can deal away Thompson, which they very much would like to do.

Even with that trade in the books there’s no telling where the deals stop for the Kings. One of the most fascinating stories in Sacramento has been the constant arguments about Isaiah Thomas’ play among a media that by and large has bet on the wrong side of Thomas’ ledger at every juncture. The plugged in guys know where to draw the line for the most part, but sources near the team constantly relay subtle signals that management isn’t fully sold on Thomas.

Sources close to the team also maintain that Mike Malone loves Thomas and the ice at a management level, if it exists, has been thawing with each game that Thomas carries a bad team on his back while taking the criticisms in stride. Regular readers know where I stand on Thomas – he’s an above average defender in space that is suffering from severe deficiencies behind him, most notably because Sacramento bigs are lost on the pick-and-roll. He struggles to maintain fundamentals off the ball defensively, and in the same category of raw he was developed to score for his first two years under Keith Smart as the only way he could stay on the floor. With 35 games under his belt as starter this year, many of which he was encouraged to force the issue scoring the ball, he has not been able to shake the low-hanging fruit of reports that he’s scoring point guard only. This, despite solid assist numbers depressed by flawed offensive teammates, has been the bulk of what the media has read if they follow traditional local outlets or national news outlets.

Now with the Kings facing the luxury tax if a team signs Thomas to a big offer there has been talk that he is available, which is true, but the idea that he is at his highest value is sort of hilarious when local reports treat him as Allen Iverson reincarnate. He’s basically a 25-year old rookie learning the game and entering his prime. The Kings are on the lookout for a backup point guard but they appear committed to giving Ray McCallum a solid look-see for the rest of the year. If they can secure a guy like Jack that could change and Thomas might see his minutes creep into high 20s or low 30s, but that’s nowhere near a foregone certainty. A skeptical person might also say that doing this could help keep another team from signing Thomas to a big offer sheet, but he's already as undervalued as it comes in the NBA.

Indeed, late on Wednesday night reports trickled in that the Cavs and Kings are talking trade. Jack would go to the Kings, and Thompson would go to the Cavs but they want him to immediately go to a third team. That's no easy task and why Marc Stein, who broke the report, called this deal a maybe heading into Thursday.

Thomas is the ultimate moneyball player, ringleader from the island of misfit toys. Whichever team chooses to stock their point guard position with this affordable and undervalued player will be free to spend elsewhere, and I can’t see the Kings moving him in anything but a bigger than average deal.

The Rondo reports were mostly wishful thinking for any number of teams but the Kings have pushed hard for that type of impact play. Owners shouldn’t make any adjustments based on the Kings involvement at this time.

Luol Deng has been linked to the Kings and there have been no reports on that since, so talks are likely in the exploratory phase if they’re happening at all, which they probably are. Jimmer would be a logical piece to link to Cleveland considering both Jack and Deng have been linked, but nothing substantial has hit the wire yet.

Bottom Line: Thomas could be viewed as a slight sell-high candidate for the chance his heavy workload is reduced by trade, or simply because McCallum ends up giving meaningful minutes as a backup. Neither that or a Jack acquisition should be viewed as a foregone conclusion that Thomas' minutes will go down appreciably. I wll add, however, that Jack does represent the perfect storm that could theoretically impact Thomas' early round value, and the fact that Thomas' shooting hand was swollen after the game is running up against my rule to take shooting wrist injuries seriously. I was told the injury wasn't serious by sources close to the team and I'll keep believing that for now. But if you want to add a half-round discount to your valuation because of that it's probably a prudent play.

Terry looks like a candidate to be bought out and Evans has no fantasy value at this time. Ben McLemore is a mid-level pickup following the news of his promotion to the starting lineup, though he was terrible on Wednesday night and I wouldn't hold it against anybody if they called him something less than that. The Kings were short-handed and Mike Malone hinted that the team was tight about the deadline. Not exactly ripe conditions to evaluate the rookie, though his body of work has been similar all year.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: None at this time.

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: Beno Udrih

Commentary: The Spurs are familiar with Udrih but the rumor comes from Berman of the Post (NY), who was probably just relaying management’s attempt at leverage. The Spurs’ window is right now and they have about $8 million in salary and their own draft pick this year that they can send out in a deal, but nothing along those lines has been even remotely on the radar.

Bottom Line: Fantasy owners don’t have any adjustments to make in San Antonio right now.

TORONTO RAPTORS

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Kyle Lowry, Amir Johnson

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: Rajon Rondo, Kenneth Faried, Iman Shumpert, Raymond Felton, Beno Udrih, Tim Hardaway Jr., Metta World Peace

Commentary: None of the incoming players listed here have much expectation of actually being traded for, but the Knicks have been trying fruitlessly to put out media reports centering on the acquisition of Kyle Lowry. The Shumpert, Felton, Udrih, Hardaway and MWP piece is a mix that Toronto hasn’t seemed all that interested in, and that is probably more true after Shumpert's injury on Wednesday. Owners should consider a trade very unlikely here until a credible rumor proves otherwise.

If the Raptors are indeed worried that they won’t re-sign Lowry and want to get something now, a third team would be a unique way to facilitate a trade sending him away. That is also very unlikely at this time. The last piece here involves Rondo, and the Raps are genuinely interested in him but that deal is unlikely both because of Danny Ainge’s demands and also because he may not be willing to sign there long-term.

Reports for Faried don’t make sense right now unless the Raps lose a power forward, and though Johnson’s name popped up in a Warriors report there’s not a lot of traction there and he was one of six players listed in that report.

Bottom Line: Fantasy owners will simply want to watch and see if any of these rumors gain steam before updating their projections on Raptors players.

UTAH JAZZ

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Gordon Hayward, Richard Jefferson, Andris Biedrins, Marvin Williams, Brandon Rush

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: None at this time.

Commentary: The Celtics made their interest in Hayward known but there have not been any substantial reports to suggest anything is brewing here. Conversely, there have been multiple reports stating that the Jazz plan to hold Hayward through the end of the season at the very least. The remaining players listed are all expiring contracts, but the market is soft for those right now.

Bottom Line: Owners shouldn’t expect changes to Jazz assets’ values as a result of the trade deadline, at least at this time.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading OUT: Trevor Ariza, Martell Webster, Otto Porter Jr., Chris Singleton, Eric Maynor

Players in the Rumor Mill Heading IN: Beno Udrih, Jameer Nelson, Luke Ridnour, Andre Miller

Commentary: All of the Ariza, Webster and Porter talk is coming from David Aldridge, who thinks the Wizards and Grizzlies are a match because of the latter’s desire to upgrade at small forward. He claims Memphis is willing to go into the tax for an upgrade, which would mean Ariza, who Aldridge also detailed as a guy that probably wouldn’t be re-signed by the Wizards this summer. It sounds more like informed speculation with a hint of armchair GMing, but he’s a connected guy and it’s worth keeping in the back of your mind if you own Ariza.

Udrih has been strongly linked to the Wizards, who are hoping they can get convince the Knicks to “send him to DC instead of Denver” according to Marc Stein. Prior to that report there were multiple prior reports confirming Washington’s interest. There has also been a lone report tying Washington to Jameer Nelson from Sheridan Hoops that hasn’t been picked up, perhaps because it included the idea that Orlando would surrender Nelson for a second round pick. That’s very unlikely and can be disregarded for now. The Wiz previously hadn't been able to convince Denver to part with Miller, but Stein's comments may indicate a change there. Miller is still connected to at least four teams. Ridnour is also in the mix and it would be surprising if the Wizards didn’t have a new backup PG by the end of the deadline.

Bottom Line: None of the backup point guards will have value in Washington playing behind John Wall, and owners shouldn't discount Ariza any more than a round at most until there is more smoke behind this rumor. The Grizzlies don’t have much to package in a deal besides Ed Davis and they have been pretty high on him, while conversely the Wizards haven’t appeared like a team desperate to move Ariza.