Written by Tim Bontemps at WashingtonPost.com
Less than a week remains until the NBA trade deadline and there is still plenty of uncertainty about how much activity will actually take place before the clock hits 3 p.m. EST Feb. 18.
Big names like Blake Griffin and Carmelo Anthony, despite the various levels of speculation around them at times, seem unlikely to be moved – though a trade for each other has been one of the internet’s favorite discussion points the past few weeks. Same goes for DeMarcus Cousins, as the tempestuous Sacramento Kings appear set to hang onto their all-star center.
But while a few notable names could move, including Dwight Howard and Al Horford, the bigger question seems to be how many teams are actually going to be willing to make deals. With as many as 12 teams believing they can make the playoffs in the East alone, it’s tough to gauge who will be willing to sell off pieces, while out West teams seem to have the opposite sentiment – the Golden State Warriors and, to a lesser extent, San Antonio Spurs are so good that it isn’t worth selling out to add a piece.
Still, all anyone has to do is look at last year – when it felt like half the point guards in the NBA were traded in the 20 minutes before the deadline – to see that you can never be sure things will be quiet until the dust has settled.
Here are seven names that could be headed elsewhere over the next week, along with some possible destinations for each.
Dwight Howard, Rockets
Possible suitors: Heat, Celtics
There was always the possibility the Rockets would look to move Howard, who will almost certainly opt out of his contract and test free agency this summer. That possibility has seemingly become a reality after The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday that Howard is on the market.
The trouble for the Rockets in trying to gauge Howard’s value is that he’d be a rental – unless a team is willing to pony up big bucks to sign him to a max contract this summer. That’s why Miami would make sense as a potential destination, with the ability to send back Hassan Whiteside – a younger player with upside at the same position as Howard – as the centerpiece of a deal. It also makes sense for Boston, which desperately needs a rim protector and has plenty of picks to spare.
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