With a week remaining until this year's trade deadline, Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game took to Sulia last night to discuss a few trade rumors, as well as the long-awaited debut of a much-discussed Rockets rookie. Here are the highlights from Bucher:
- Although Bucher reported a few days ago that the Jazz are more likely to move Paul Millsap than Al Jefferson, he hears from a rival executive that there's more league-wide interest in Jefferson.
- The same executive told Bucher that the Jazz aren't necessarily deciding between keeping one or the other — both Jefferson and Millsap could be dealt, or Utah could ultimately retain both guys.
- One general manager believes the Hawks' motives for shopping Josh Smith involve showing Smith all his options and perhaps convincing him that re-signing in Atlanta for less than the maximum salary could be the most attractive one.
- Bucher adds that if Smith is moved, there's still a good chance it could happen after the season rather than within the next week. That's a riskier approach for the Hawks though, since Smith wouldn't necessarily need to be part of a sign-and-trade to switch teams in July.
- Although Royce White is back on the court for the Rockets' D-League affiliate, it appears that he's been more focused over the last few months on mental health advocacy rather than conditioning. According to Bucher, White is "woefully out of shape," which feeds the view of many people around the league who question the rookie's commitment to his NBA career.