NBA training camps are close to opening, and with that comes early speculation about players that could be on the move. Phoenix Suns point guard Eric Bledsoe appeared to be a prime candidate before inking a five-year, $70 million deal to stay in the desert.
With Bledsoe off the market, which players will teams target? Here are the five likeliest names to wear multiple uniforms this season.
Rajon Rondo, PG Boston Celtics
Rondo played in just 30 games last season, so his uncharacteristically low numbers should be taken with a grain of salt. Rondo is an interesting candidate for a trade; at 28 years old there's plenty of time left in his prime to be a major player on a contending team. His warts, however, are glaring.
Rondo can't shoot the 3-pointer. He's a career 25 percent shooter from beyond the arc and he's never averaged one attempt per game for a full season. He's also a poor free throw shooter, so the benefits of his forays to the rim are often negated.
On the plus side, Rondo is one of the NBA's premier passers, a solid rebounder for his position, and an impactful defensive presence. His offensive limitations make him a poor choice to carry a young group like the 2014-15 Celtics. His mercurial attitude may also be a poor influence on the young players. With Marcus Smart in town to play point guard in Rondo's absence, he may be traded for a post player.
Greg Monroe, C Detroit Pistons
Monroe's playing this season on a one-year deal worth a little more than $5 million. The Detroit Pistons struggled when they had to play Monroe, Andre Drummond and Josh Smith together, mostly because Smith is a poor fit as a small forward. Unfortunately for Detroit, Smith's locked into a difficult-to-trade contract, and Drummond is a younger building block.
Despite a fine season in which Monroe averaged 15.2 points and 9.3 rebounds, he's the likely choice to be the odd man out unless the Pistons can find a taker for Smith. Monroe's a career 50 percent shooter from the field, and knocks down a passable 68 percent of his foul shots. As the season progresses there will be plenty of takers for a true center-the only holdup will be if Monroe demands a max contract from the acquiring team.
Roy Hibbert, C Indiana Pacers
Without Paul George this season, Roy Hibbert becomes the premier player on this roster. Last season the Pacers ranged from middling to terrible offensively, and that was with one of the league's top wing scorers as the top option.
Power forward David West is likely the best offensive starter now, but he's declining with age. Hibbert must step up and assume a far greater scoring load-the problem is he's a career 46.7 percent shooter who scores 11.2 points per game. Offensively, he may have hit his ceiling; if that's the case, Indiana could decide to trade him to a team in need of rim protection, bottom out, and hope for the first overall pick.
Hibbert is a free agent at the end of the year, and his free agency could be a doozy. Despite his no-shows in several games during the playoffs, and being exposed as a liability against stretch big men, Hibbert remains a top defender near the rim. He averaged 2.2 blocks last season and was the anchor to one of the NBA's top defenses.
David Lee, PF/C Golden State Warriors
The Warriors are probably better off without Lee, despite his admittedly good production. At 18.2 points and 9.3 rebounds last season, it's hard to see why Golden State would benefit from losing him. While the numbers are great, the effect his presence has on this team isn't.
Lee is a poor defender, and while his points have value, he disrupts the Warriors' chemistry. Playing the younger and cheaper Harrison Barnes as a stretch four, or even slotting in Draymond Green if the prefer his grit and size, spaces the floor much better for the star shooters Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
Neither Barnes nor Green are good defenders either, but C Andrew Bogut can clean up their mistakes. If not, it would be very difficult for most teams to match the Warriors' scoring anyway. There are teams that can use a player like Lee, who is a gifted rebounder and opportunistic scorer. Golden State, however, is not his ideal spot.
Kevin Martin, SG Minnesota Timberwolves
Martin's name isn't as big as these other guys, but his impact in the right situation could be enormous. Martin is a career 38.5 percent shooter from beyond the arc, and he dropped 19 points a game last year.
He's also a defensive liability and has never shown much proclivity for passing the rock. Therefore, he is a poor fit as a top scoring option. With rookie Andrew Wiggins likely to have his good games and bad, Martin is probably the top option in Minnesota's backcourt. Not good.
If Minnesota struggles out of the gate, it's not hard to see them dealing Martin, turning the wing spots over to Wiggins and fellow first-round pick Zach LaVine, and cruising to the lottery for another high pick.
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