NBA 2016-17 Eastern Conference Roundtable: Cavs, Trades And Takes

Oct 18, 2016; Columbus, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts against Washington Wizards in the first half at the Jerome Schottenstein Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 18, 2016; Columbus, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts against Washington Wizards in the first half at the Jerome Schottenstein Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
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Mar 27, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay (8) dunks the ball against the Dallas Mavericks in the third quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Kings won 133-111. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY.
Mar 27, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay (8) dunks the ball against the Dallas Mavericks in the third quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Kings won 133-111. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY.

The Biggest Name To Be Traded This Season Will Be?

Saenz: Ricky Rubio. And I don’t even think it will make all that much of a difference.

Morton: DeMarcus Cousins

Murray: Rudy Gay? Can’t envision any other notable talent being dealt unless something comes up during season.

Polazzon: LaMarcus Aldridge – The fact that rumors have surfaced that LaMarcus Aldridge may be traded this season is enough to make me believe it will probably happen. After all, how many trade rumors ever come out of San Antonio? Anyone can see that while Aldridge is still a superstar (just see his playoff performances against Oklahoma City), he still doesn’t play the typical Spurs way. Last season was the first season in a long time where it seemed that every possession in the Spurs offense was going to either Aldridge or Kawhi Leonard in some sort of isolation play. With Tim Duncan retired, the Spurs must decide if Aldridge is the future they want and, personally, I don’t think the Spurs can see a future with Aldridge, even if he can see one with them.

McFee: Goran Dragic – Pat Riley, er, the Heat* need to accept they’re going to be bad and stop trying to achieve that limbo state of we’re not contending anytime soon but still want to be competitive. LeBron is long gone and not coming back. Neither is Wade. Bosh may never play basketball again. The Big 3 Era is over. It’s time to build for the future and give an electrifying PG a chance to play on a team where his skill set could be better used; say Sacramento?

Clark: Brook Lopez is the easy answer, so I’ll throw in Nikola Vucevic. The Magic’a front court is crowded with the two newcomers, Ibaka and Biyombo. Vucevic could net a nice return to help out the predicted offensive struggles.

Staple Jr: Rudy Gay. Sacramento has already informed the veteran wing that he’ll be an unrestricted free agent next season, and it’s highly likely that he won’t be staying with the Kings. His name has already come up in recent trade rumors with the Miami Heat, so it may look like that trade can come sooner rather than later. The only issue now is what a team would be willing to give up in order to attain a services for an athletic wing who can show inconsistency on both ends of the floor on a given night.

Webb: Nerlens Noel. Maybe not a huge name, but enough to make a difference. Sixers will roll with Okafor and Embiid and Nerlens will be the odd man out.

Petree: At a glance this isn’t a very difficult question. Then the realization hits that no one is really traded anymore… Damn you free agency(shakes fist angrily)! Anyways, the biggest trade this offseason was easily Jeff Teague to Indiana in exchange for the rights to Taurean Prince, and re-signing Kent Bazemore. George Hill averaged 34 minutes a game last season for the Pacers, and in a point-guard-driven league, that doesn’t sound like a great idea. So adding an accomplished floor general, who can blitz defenses in the full court and hit the money ball will be a big acquisition for the Pacers.