Trade Candidate

Trade Candidate: Kris Humphries

December 25th, 2012 at 2:03pm CST by Luke Adams

No team spent more lavishly this offseason than the Brooklyn Nets, who committed over $240MM on free agent signings, a figure that doesn't even include the $89MM+ contract the club took on when it acquired Joe Johnson from the Hawks. However, it wasn't as if the Nets were going out and pursuing all the best outside free agents on the market. The team never officially cleared any cap space, instead electing to re-sign its own free agents, such as Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, and Gerald Wallace.

With the Nets well over the cap, it only made sense for the team to bring back another player whose Bird rights it held: Kris Humphries. Having no cap room or exception money remaining after their spending spree, the Nets could only sign minimum-salary deals, which likely wouldn't be enough to lure in another player capable of averaging a double-double, as Humphries did last season. So the team inked Humphries to a two-year contract worth $24MM, ensuring that the big man was around to help Lopez on the glass.

The price to retain Humphries was high, but there was some logic to overpaying — Dwight Howard was still on the trade market at the time, and if D12 had remained available into the regular season, the Nets could have re-entered the mix to acquire him. The more salary the Nets sent out in a hypothetical Howard deal, the more bad contracts they could take on from the Magic (or whichever team held Howard), so paying Humphries $12MM annually rather than $8MM could have actually helped facilitate a deal. Additionally, giving him two years at a higher annual average value, rather than three years, meant avoiding a long-term commitment, and getting the chance to clear him from the books in 2014.

Of course, mere weeks after the Nets re-signed Humphries, the Lakers acquired Howard, and it's unlikely that the All-Star center will be back on the trade market this season. Making matters worse, Humphries hasn't exactly fit in with the new-look Nets, falling out of favor with coach Avery Johnson, and seeing reduced minutes in recent weeks. After averaging nearly 35 minutes per contest last season, the 27-year-old is playing just over 23 per game this year.

According to Howard Beck of the New York Times, the Nets were never particularly enamored of Humphries, and his sudden demotion "practically screams buyer's remorse." There's some reason to believe that injuries have slowed Humphries recently, as a mild abdominal strain kept him out of action today vs. the Celtics and will sideline him tomorrow against the Bucks (Twitter link). Still, the former reality-TV star doesn't appear to be a core piece in Brooklyn, and when we asked earlier this week whether the Nets will try to trade him, approximately 85% of you predicted they would.

Deciding to move Humphries is one thing, but finding a logical deal is quite another. With a $12MM annual salary, nagging injuries, and a fairly one-dimensional game, Humphries may be a decent complimentary piece for a team, but he's hardly a tantalizing trade chip. He would likely have to be packaged with more attractive assets, such as MarShon Brooks or a collection of future draft picks, to draw a whole lot of interest.

Even paired with Brooks or a draft pick, it's hard to envision a perfect match for Humphries and the Nets. Brooklyn certainly has no qualms about taking on big-money contracts, making them a candidate to take on a player like Pau Gasol, who is owed $19MM annually. But Humphries likely isn't the sort of player the Lakers are looking for, and the Nets themselves may prefer to acquire a forward more suited for small-ball, with Wallace seeing major minutes at power forward lately.

Wilson Chandler may be a decent fit for the Nets, but his salary isn't significant enough to match up with Humphries'. Danny Granger is a big name that may be available at the trade deadline, and the Pacers could use backcourt help, but I'm skeptical that Brooks and a couple draft picks would be enough to entice Indiana to part with its top scorer. One name that has re-surfaced recently in connection with the Nets is Ersan Ilyasova, who the team reportedly eyed over the summer. Brooks could interest Milwaukee, if the team expects to lose either Monta Ellis or Brandon Jennings next summer, but the Nets would probably have to take on a bad salary like Drew Gooden's to make any sort of Humphries/Ilyasova swap a realistic possibility.

Even if there's not a perfect match out there for Humphries on the trade market, I expect the Nets to explore their options in earnest once he becomes trade-eligible in January. The team re-signed Humphries in order to retain a solid asset they would've otherwise lost for nothing, but the veteran forward hasn't been a fit in Brooklyn, and it may be time for the team to cut its losses. If a Humphries package can bring back another piece that would be of more use to the Nets, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him on the move on or before February 21st.

Trade Candidate: Pau Gasol

December 22nd, 2012 at 2:03pm CST by Chuck Myron

Over the next two months as the trade deadline approaches, Hoops Rumors will be examining several players rumored to be on the block, and we'll begin with the most prominent name in discussions. Pau Gasol is off to a career-worst start in terms of scoring and shooting percentage, and his poor fit alongside Dwight Howard in the up-tempo offense of new Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni has many believing he'll soon be gone from L.A.

The Lakers are about a year removed from the short-circuited deal to acquire Chris Paul, a trade that appeared to send Gasol to the Rockets. Houston would have given up Kevin Martin, Goran Dragic, Luis Scola and a 2012 first-round pick. No one's going to offer nearly as much to acquire Gasol these days. The Rockets, for their part, are reportedly no longer interested, and the Lakers are apparently coming up empty in their search for a package of two players on cheaper contracts who would fit better in D'Antoni's offense. L.A. wants to wait until Gasol and Nash have played together under the new coach before making any moves, and the point guard has made it clear he wants to play with Gasol. Yet with Nash nearing a return, the Lakers will soon come to a point of reckoning, when they realize their team as constituted is either capable of winning a title or not.

For as much trouble as Gasol is having putting the ball in the basket, the rest of his game appears intact. He's averaging only 8.8 rebounds per game this season after grabbing 10.4 a year ago, but Gasol notched just 7.8 RPG with the Lakers in 2007/08 after coming over from the Grizzlies. This season's decline is less significant in terms of rebounds per 36 minutes, where Gasol's average of 9.2 is off from last year's 10.0 mark. Gasol's assists and blocks per game are in line with last year's numbers. Even so, his 15.1 PER and .096 win shares per 48 minutes are career lows by a long shot, so that could deflate his value with teams that put a great deal of stock in advanced metrics.

The greatest impediment to a Gasol trade is likely his inflated contract, which pays him $19MM this season and close to $19.3MM in its final season next year. It also includes a 15% trade kicker, but because Gasol already bumps up against the maximum salary, a team that trades for Gasol would only have to give him another $136K. Regardless, Gasol's deal would occupy 35% of the salary cap for whichever team acquires him, quite an investment no matter who the player is, and the money wouldn't come off the books until 2014.

A team that's targeting players in the free agent market next summer wouldn't make sense for Gasol, which would seem to eliminate the Hawks, who don't appear to have any interest. The Wolves might be a more intriguing possibility, since their commitments for next season have them close to the salary cap anyway. Minnesota denies interest, but rumors persist. The Lakers supposedly haven't been moved by offers built around Derrick Williams and Nikola Pekovic, perhaps in part because Pekovic, a restricted free agent at season's end, doesn't seem like a fit for D'Antoni's offense, either. The Wolves would have to include much more than just Williams and Pekovic to make the salaries match anyway, and I suspect Andrei Kirilenko would have to be a part of that deal. He's a versatile, athletic forward of the sort that makes D'Antoni smile, and his contract, like Gasol's, ends in 2014, when the Lakers want to have cap space to pursue free agents.

The Raptors look like they're in the mix for Gasol, too, with Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon and Linas Kleiza among the players who could wind up in L.A. Just like the Lakers, the Raptors need to get healthy before making a deal. When that happens, it might just come down to whether the Lakers are sold on Bargnani, whose trade value is at an all-time low, much in the same way Gasol has taken a hit in the eyes of executives around the league. Some teams are apparently higher on Bargnani than others and willing to take a risk to bring him on board, so perhaps the Lakers are among the teams more inclined to take him.

In recent years, the most prominent trade candidate has been dealt at or near the deadline, but if the Lakers continue to struggle once Nash is back in the lineup, I don't think they'll wait to make a move. As many of his numbers show, Gasol is still a productive player, and even if he isn't the star he used to be, he can help a team. He's probably of greater value to another team than he is to the Lakers in D'Antoni's scheme, so I think at some point a team will step forward with a deal that L.A. will take.

Trade Candidate: DeJuan Blair

September 16th, 2012 at 7:09pm CST by Zachary Links

DeJuan Blair was a regular in the Spurs rotation last season, averaging 21.3 minutes per contest and starting 62 of 64 games. However, once the Spurs reached the postseason, the forward’s minutes greatly diminished. Blair saw just 7.6 minutes per contest in the Spurs’ ten playoff games and as Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News wrote, he was less-than-thrilled with his reduced playing time.

“I love the Spurs, but they’ve got a lot of ‘bigs,’ and they’re bringing somebody else from overseas, so where am I going to fall at?” Blair said in July. “I was out of the rotation at the end of the season, so imagine next year…. That’s something I really don’t want to go through again, because it tore me down.“

Blair really appeared to be on the outs in San Antonio as Erazem Lorbek was widely rumored to be making the jump to the NBA, but the center wound up re-signing with Spanish club Regal Barcelona. While the 6’11” Slovenian won’t be in the states to take minutes away from Blair, offseason acquistion Boris Diaw should see a good amount of time after inking a two-year, $9MM deal. Matt Bonner will also return in 2012/13 after averaging more than 20 minutes per contest across the last two seasons.

For now, Blair still figures to be a key part of the Spurs’ rotation to open the season. What remains to be seen is if he’ll continue to get major minutes as the season wears on and if he’ll also see the same kind of burn in the postseason. If Blair is not seeing significant time to start the season, the forward will very likely look to force the trade issue again. The former Pitt start will earn just a shade over $1MM in his final year under contract and could be extremely attractive to a team looking to pick up a cheap – and highly motivated – rebounder off the bench.

Trade Candidate: Terrence Wiliams

March 10th, 2012 at 8:40pm CST by Ryan Raroque

While he certainly hasn't taken the league by storm, Terrence Williams appeared talented enough to be selected in the lottery of the 2009 NBA draft, going 11th to New Jersey ahead of Jrue Holiday, Ty Lawson, and Darren Collison. Now more than halfway into his third NBA season, Williams is struggling to crack the rotation in Houston while the other three players have found success and steady roles with their respective teams.

Senior writer Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld reports that Williams is unsure of his future with the Rockets and implied that he would not be upset if he were to be dealt. Kevin McHale weighed in on the matter of his lack of playing time: “It’s tough. We have a lot of wings. It’s really loaded up in that spot. It’s just a situation where he got some time early. He got some time lately and it’s just a tough situation for a lot of those wings.”

During his rookie season, the former Louisville Cardinal played in 78 games and started in 9 of them, averaging 22.6 MPG, 8.4 PPG, and 4.5 RPG. This season, Williams is averaging 4.5 PPG, and 2.4 RPG and played a total of just 32 minutes in the last 20 games. If given minutes, there is a chance that Williams could be a productive rotation player. In the season opener against the Magic, he scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds in 27 minutes. In a January game against the Thunder, he played 23 minutes and shot 5-for-8 from the field en route to 13 points and 3 rebounds.

The 6'6'' guard-forward is on the final year of his rookie contract and accounts for 2.4MM of the Rockets' salary cap. At that number, Williams could either be packaged along in a deal involving Luis Scola (or another big contract) in order to help match salaries or find himself as the next target for teams looking to add wing help for cheap. Taking a chance on Williams would not have too much financial implication, as a team that trades for him could simply let him walk at the end of the season if the situation doesn't work out.

Trade Candidate: Kirk Hinrich

March 9th, 2012 at 10:42pm CST by Chuck Myron

Lost in the noise surrounding Josh Smith in Atlanta lately is another intriguing trade chip the Hawks possess. They were without 31-year-old combo guard Kirk Hinrich for a month to start the season as he recovered from surgery on his left shoulder, and found suitable replacements on their bench. Jannero Pargo continues to see minutes as the backup point guard, while Willie Green has served as the backup shooting guard. Hinrich has started in the absense of Joe Johnson lately, but with the emergence of others, Hinrich's minutes are at a career-low 20.2 per game. He's shooting only 35.6% from the floor, also a career low, perhaps because of a lack of rhythm from playing time, but aside from the effect that's having on his point production, his most of his numbers per 36 minutes are consistent with what they have been the past several seasons. The Hawks don't appear to need him, but teams with holes at either guard position may.

Yesterday, we passed along a report from Ken Berger of CBS Sports who said rival executives believe Hinrich will be traded before the deadline. Recently, we've heard rumors linking him to the Clippers, who could use a shooting guard, and the Lakers, who are looking for a point guard. His contract, which pays him $8.1MM this year, is expiring, making him even more enticing for teams wanting to clear cap space. The Lakers reportedly want the Hawks to take on salary in a Hinrich deal, and that has a chilling effect for Atlanta, which teeters on the brink of being a tax-paying team.

So, a trade with the Clippers could be easier. A swap of Hinrich for Eric Bledsoe and Ryan Gomes would work under the cap, according to ESPN's Trade Machine. The Hawks could develop Bledsoe along with incumbent starter Jeff Teague and see which young point guard emerges as the best option going forward. Gomes may seem unappetizing this year, but he does provide depth at the wing positions for next season, when Green and Tracy McGrady come off the books. The trick would be convincing the Clippers that Hinrich is still a starting-caliber guard. He started 51 games combined for the Wizards and Hawks last year and 53 for the Bulls in 2009/10, but hasn't been a full-time starter since 2007/08. Hawks GM Rick Sund could point to last season's stint with the Wizards, when Hinrich shot 45.2% in 48 games for Washington, which would have been a career high had it been a full season total.

While the Clippers could bite, I think it's more likely Hinrich winds up with a team that hasn't been mentioned as a backup if he is to leave Atlanta. It's hard to see either the Clippers or the Lakers, two teams with aspirations of deep playoff runs, taking a gamble that Hinrich can return to his form of several seasons ago. He's only been past the first round of the playoffs once, too, so that hurts his case as well. Still, his versatility is likely to prompt several teams to make offers before the deadline is here.

Trade Candidate: Andre Iguodala

March 7th, 2012 at 6:29pm CST by Alex Lee

Make no mistake about it, Andre Iguodala is having a fine year. The veteran forward was selected to his first All-Star game and has been mentioned as a potential Defensive Player of the Year candidate. While his scoring is down at 12.6 PPG, Iguodala has continued to stuff the statsheet as he always has while being the leader of a first place team.

But as the shine of a 20-9 start begins to wear off, the 76ers fans are getting restless. Going into tonight's game against Boston, the Sixers are 2-8 in their last 10 and have seen their once sizeable lead over the Celtics shrink to just a game. That stretch has shown the Sixers go ice cold offensively in the final minutes of close games, primarily because they lack an offensive star who can create his own shot.

Making almost $14MM this year, that player is supposed to be Iguodala. But as he showed on Sunday night against Chicago – where he airballed two pivotal attempts in the last few minutes – it probably is not. Iguodala's ineffectiveness at the end of games has led the team to turn to sixth man Louis Williams to take the final shot. Williams is a nice "instant offense" type of player, but he is not who a team wants deciding games for them if they intend to go deep in the playoffs.

Another issue is the lack of chemistry between Iguodala and Evan Turner – neither of whom is a traditional shooting guard. Turner's minutes have been down for the last month and the most popular theory is that those two cannot play together – prompting John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Daily News to suggest that one of them needs to go. As mentioned by Luke Adams, Smallwood thinks it will be Turner.

While I disagree that Turner will be moved, all of the elements mentioned above definitely point to the Sixers needing to make a decision at some point. They need a star, or at least someone who can create (and make) their own shot. With Iguodala due nearly $30MM in the two years after this one, the Sixers would need to take salary back to make a trade work.

How about a swap centered around Iguodala and the recently signed Marcus Thornton? Iguodala's defensive prowess would fit nicely around offensive studs Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins in Sacramento Meanwhile, Thornton's scoring and three point shooting would be a good fit in Philly. ESPN Trade Machine likes a straight up Iguodala-for-Thornton swap. Doug Collins and Rod Thorn both love Iguodala, so it is just speculation at this point, but it's clear that Philadelphia needs to do something, whether this year or very soon, if they want to compete with the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference.

Trade Candidate: Jose Calderon

March 3rd, 2012 at 4:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Every year around this time, it seems, there are suggestions that the Raptors could do better at point guard than Jose Calderon. And yet he still remains in Toronto, now in his seventh season as a Raptor. He's barely a double-figure scorer, averaging 10.9 PPG this season after putting up only 9.8 PPG a year ago, but his 8.8 APG this season has him third in the league in that category. That number isn't a fluke, either, as two of the previous three seasons he averaged 8.9 APG.

Perhaps the reason he pops up in trade rumors so consistently is that other teams covet his playmaking ability. Yesterday we passed along Marc Stein's report in which he said the Lakers have inquired about Calderon, but the Raptors are unwilling to take on salary in such a deal. Calderon makes $9.78MM this season, so he wouldn't fit into the $8.9MM trade exception the Lakers have, and other parts would have to be added to the deal.

The reason the Raptors may be so reluctant to add salary this year might be because they're bumping up against the luxury tax threshold. Strange as it may be for a team with an 11-25 record, the Raps' $69.72MM cap hit this year, according to Storytellers Contracts, is not far below the $70.307MM tax line. That may also be reason why Toronto would be reluctant to offer Calderon to the Suns in a deal that would bring home native Canadian Steve Nash, who makes more than Calderon does.

Hasan Alanam of Canada.com explored five possible destinations for Calderon last month, pegging the Lakers, Hawks, Blazers, Jazz and Magic as potential suitors. There's even a rumor suggesting he'll end up in Orlando as part of a Dwight Howard deal. While the possibilities abound, don't expect this year's trade deadline to be any different for Calderon. I'm inclined to believe he'll be sticking around, but next season, when he 's due $10.56MM in the final year of his contract, may be when the Raps finally make their move.

Trade Candidate: Raymond Felton

February 29th, 2012 at 8:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

Earlier today, in an expansive Insider-only piece for ESPN that we summarized here, Chris Broussard reported that two players the Blazers are particularly willing to bring up in trade talks are former Charlotte teammates Raymond Felton and Gerald Wallace. Broussard characterizes Felton as "uncomfortable and unhappy," and there have been some rumblings around the point guard of late, so let's take a look at what he can offer.

The past 12 months have not gone as planned for Felton, who was atop the free agent point guard market in the summer of 2010 and drew All-Star consideration after a strong first half with the Knicks last year. He went to Denver in the Carmelo Anthony trade and suddenly found himself on the bench behind fellow former Tar Heel Ty Lawson. Shipped off again this past summer to Portland, Felton has posted career lows in PER (10.8), PPG (10.2) and shooting percentage (37.6%) and recently lost his starting job to Jamal Crawford.

Felton, an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, spoke earlier this season of wanting to re-sign with the Blazers. His more recent comments seem to indicate he’s not as keen on sticking around anymore. The Lakers have reportedly begun to sniff around. His contract, which pays him $7.56MM this year, is expiring, so it’s not hard to see Felton getting traded for the third time in a little more than a year.

The latest we hear on the Lakers and Felton is that he and Ramon Sessions are the team’s top choices at point guard. He fits the Lakers’ needs at that position, but unless the Blazers want to go with Crawford, a combo guard, as the long-term starter at the one, such a move would leave a lot of question marks in Portland. Even though ex-Blazer Steve Blake was the starter in Portland as recently as 2009/10, I doubt the Blazers are high on Blake or Derek Fisher, both of whom have multiple years left on their deals. Realistically, another team would have to be in on the trade for Felton to get to L.A.

An intriguing destination for Felton might be Dallas, where Jason Kidd’s shooting, which had helped him perpetuate his career, has deserted him as he stares down his 39th birthday in March. The Mavs could take Felton in the hopes he returns to the 17.1 PPG, 9.0 APG form he exhibited in New York and can contribute to a title defense. They’d have Felton’s Early Bird rights, so if they missed out on Deron Williams this summer, they’d have the inside track on re-signing Felton, who’s 12 years younger than Kidd. The Blazers would replace someone who might not want to be there with a steadying influence who can help them nail down a playoff berth. This would be a low-risk trade for the two sides, since both contracts are expiring, but it’s just my speculation at this point.

Trade Candidate: Michael Beasley

February 28th, 2012 at 4:39pm CST by Luke Adams

A few years after the fact, the Derrick Rose vs. Michael Beasley debate that headlined the NBA draft in June 2008 seems laughable. Rose already has an MVP award under his belt, while Beasley has been inconsistent at best — he has switched teams once already and could potentially be on the move again before March 15th.

The Timberwolves acquired Beasley from the Heat in the summer of 2010, essentially giving up just a second-round pick in a deal that freed up cap space for Miami to sign its big three. While acquiring a former second overall pick for virtually nothing seemed like a coup, the Wolves have seen Beasley's production continue to slip during his time in Minnesota. Beasley's PER has declined in each of his four NBA seasons, from 17.2 in his rookie year to 13.0 this season.

The frontcourt in Minnesota is a crowded one, featuring Kevin Love, Derrick Williams, Nikola Pekovic, and a trio of former lottery picks in Beasley, Darko Milicic, and Anthony Randolph. Beasley doesn't seem to be in the team's long-term plans, having reportedly been offered to Golden State last June in a package for Monta Ellis. If the T-Wolves can find a deal that sends Beasley out of town and lands them a solid two guard, they'll likely pull the trigger.

Although Beasley hasn't developed in the way that many were expecting, he's still at least a useful rotation piece. He's shooting more three-pointers than ever this year, and hitting them at a career-best rate of 42.6%. And even though his scoring is down, this year's career-worst rate of 17.1 points per 36 minutes isn't bad. In addition to his play on the court, Beasley's contract situation makes him a useful asset. Whichever team holds Beasley at year's end would have the option of extending him a qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agent, or simply letting his $6.26MM salary come off its books.

The Lakers reportedly have some interest in Beasley, though they may prefer to use their $8.9MM trade exception to acquire a point guard. According to Peter Vecsey of the New York Post, the Celtics and Nets are also interested. Boston makes some sense, since Beasley could help out in the short-term and be added to the team's lengthy list of expiring contracts. New Jersey is a less logical short-term fit for Beasley, though his expiring deal could help the team clear cap room to make a run at Dwight Howard — plus, Anthony Morrow is a shooting guard that may interest Minnesota. Michael Pina of Hoops Rumors suggested a swap with the Mavericks that sends Shawn Marion to Minnesota could help both teams, and I think there's something to that idea, though Marion's contract (which includes a 15% trade kicker) likely wouldn't appeal to the T-Wolves.

There are enough conceivable fits for Beasley that I think the Timberwolves will be able to find a deal before the deadline, if they so choose. The offers for Beasley may not seem like much for a former second overall pick, but one thing's for certain — they'll be better than the Rockets can expect for Hasheem Thabeet.

Trade Candidate: Marvin Williams

February 26th, 2012 at 4:40pm CST by Michael Pina

Last week, rumors circulated around Atlanta forward Marvin Williams and his reported request to be traded. While the report was squashed shortly after it came out, the rumor coincidentely happens to be backed by the lowest workload Williams has seen since 2007. In other words, even if Williams didn’t request a trade, now might be an appropriate time for him to do so.

Williams is playing the fewest minutes per game of his entire career (10 fewer minutes per game than he did in the 2009 season) which is incredible given the injury issues Atlanta has seen in their frontcourt this year. If he is in fact unhappy with his role in the Hawks’ offense, he may have a logical reason. Despite the team losing Jamal Crawford to free agency before the season—a player who never met a shot he didn’t want to marry—the 25-year-old veteran’s field goal attempts are the lowest they’ve been since he was a 19-year-old rookie. All this while finally showing some serious improvement in his three-point shot. Williams is taking more threes per 36 minutes than at any point in his career, and making a personal best 43.2% of them.

Atlanta is over the cap, but barely under the luxury tax, so if they were lucky enough to find a potential suitor for Williams’ services (his contract isn’t attractive), it wouldn’t be with the intention of bringing back any increase in salary.

One possible deal that could either work out for both teams (and players), or leave everyone hardly noticing a trade was made at all, would be Marvin Williams to Washington for the talented, yet oft-maligned Andray Blatche. Both players have worn out their welcome with the franchises that drafted them, and both could see an uptick in production when placed in a new situation. Atlanta still needs depth in their frontcourt; pairing Blatche with Josh Smith and a healthy Al Horford next year could make the team’s weakness a strength.

The move would also allow Washington to amnesty Rashard Lewis—Williams could slide in as the long-term replacement—and not have to overpay players just to meet the minimum salary line. He’s never been an elite defender or potent offensive threat, but if placed in a new situation, surrounded by young athletes, Marvin Williams could have a large impact on basketball games.

Blatche is owed approximately 6.6MM more in guaranteed money over the course of their respective contracts, but Atlanta would save $2.2MM over the next two years. It’s a risky deal, but an interesting one.

The Cavaliers have also reportedly shown interest in Williams’ services. One possible deal could be Williams for Ramon Sessions and either center Ryan Hollins or forward Christian Eyenga.