NBA Notebook: Which big names will actually be on the move at the trade deadline?

With less than three weeks remaining until the NBA trade deadline, the rumor mill is beginning to heat up around the league. A number of teams have some big decisions to make on upcoming free agents this summer, while other franchises may be looking to hit the reset button after a disappointing first half of the season.

In the last few days, a number of high profile players including Kemba Walker, Rodney Hood, DeAndre Jordan, and George Hill have been connected to trade discussions by Marc Stein of the New York Times and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com.

What kind of return could those players fetch on the market? What are the odds these guys actually get moved? And will the Celtics have any interest in them? Let’s take a look at some of the top-tier talent that's reportedly available, to figure out if these rumors will end up just being talk.  

Kemba Walker

Why is he on the market? The point guard is one of the few pieces on the Hornets roster with any meaningful trade value. He’s a bargain piece (earning $12 million per year through next season) on a team that isn’t going anywhere as currently composed. Charlotte is also littered with bad contracts (Marvin Williams, Nicolas Batum, Dwight Howard). At the moment, the Hornets are in no man’s land. They have too much talent to go into full tank mode and they have no financial flexibility over the next couple seasons thanks to their ugly cap sheet. With no clear path to meaningful improvement internally and Walker due for a big raise in 2019, the Hornets' braintrust is reportedly making Walker available before his trade value plummets in the year leading up to his free agency.

Potential return: The Hornets are looking for a team to take on a bad contract with Walker and a young prospect or first-round pick too. It will be tough to pull off both of these objectives in any deal for Walker in this cap climate, though. Charlotte’s bad contracts are massive and Walker at age 27 isn’t young enough for a rebuilding team to build around moving forward. That should keep the interested suitors to a limited pool.   

Potential suitors: Cavs, Nuggets, Sixers, Pistons. The Cavs have the necessary big contracts to match up here well moneywise, but how much are they willing to clog up their payroll in future years with bad deal(s) for just a one-year run at the title if LeBron James splits town? The Cavs’ other problem is that all of their own big contracts don’t hold much value in the trade market either since guys like J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Tristan Thompson are overpaid as well. The Hornets aren’t going to trade bad contracts for bad contracts while also giving up the face of their franchise. If the Brooklyn pick or multiple future first-round picks from Cleveland become available, a deal could get done here. Otherwise, it’s hard to see the Hornets taking the bait.

Around the rest of the league, it’s likely the Hornets look to find some teams set on making the postseason but are in the midst of disappointing years. The Nuggets could use a go-to scorer and have a glut of bad contracts in the frontcourt that could help match money with the Hornets’ albatross. The Pistons have less toxic contracts but are equally disappointing at 22-22. The Sixers could certainly absorb a bad contract or two if they like the fit of Walker with their young guys in the backcourt. He might be a little too old for that squad, however, at age 27.

Will Celtics be interested? Nope. An Irving and Walker fit doesn’t make sense and the Celtics don’t have the contracts to make the money work.

Estimated odds Walker gets moved: 40 percent. Walker clearly wants to stay so management may think twice about moving him if the offers aren’t up to par.

DeAndre Jordan

Why is he on the market? The veteran center is currently sidelined with a sprained left ankle and is earning $22 million. He’s got a player option next year for $24 million that he’s expected to opt out of and if the Clippers aren’t willing to pony up the dough to re-sign him, trading him away for assets now may be the smart play.

Potential return: He’s merely a half-season rental, so the Clippers will either be looking to dump a bad contract (Danilo Gallinari) or pick up some additional assets in the form of a young prospect or draft picks.

Potential suitors: Cavs, Bucks. The Cavs defense is worse than ever and a lack of rim protection on the backline is a major reason why. If they can entice the Clippers to take on a Thompson or another bad contract while adding in a first round pick and/or a young prospect (Ante Zizic, Cedi Osman) as a sweetener, the Clippers might bite. Then again, if the Clippers aren’t willing to commit big money to Jordan long term, it’s not clear why they would be willing to do so with overpaid veterans on the Cavs. Jordan isn’t worth the Brooklyn pick on the rental, but multiple first round picks (owned by Cleveland) might entice the Clippers to part with Jordan and still swallow a bad deal with him.

The Bucks have been searching for a true center for a while now and have more reasonably priced deals that could be offered (John Henson, Tony Snell, Matthew Dellavedova) to make the money match with Jordan’s hefty $22 million salary. With the Bucks floundering in the standings (seventh spot in the East) they could be looking to shake things up more after already dealing for Eric Bledsoe to form a super athletic team around Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Would Celtics be interested? No, simply because of the money. Boston would have to move one of their Big Three pieces for Jordan and they aren’t going to do that.

Estimated odds Jordan gets moved: 20 percent. Clippers are back in the playoff picture and it’s hard to see the Clippers getting what they want for a half-season rental.

Rodney Hood

Why is he on the market? The Jazz are in the midst of a disappointing season thanks to injuries and inconsistent production across the lineup. Utah has a number of potential sell candidates (Derrick Favors, Joe Johnson) but Hood certainly has the most value among them. He’s on an expiring deal at $2.9 million and will be due for a big raise in restricted free agency this summer. If the Jazz don’t want to commit big money to him in July, they could opt to move him now to a team who wants him for a rental or simply wants control over Hood during his restricted free agency.

Potential return: Hood’s worth more than a usual expiring contract due to restricted free agency, but compensation will be limited due to the payday that’s looming. The Jazz may be interested in keeping him long term as well for the right price if they aren’t offered enough for him in a trade, so there is no pressure on the Jazz to deal him. A first-round pick or a prospect under contract for a couple years are the kinds of pieces that would likely intrigue Utah enough to make a deal.

Potential suitors: Almost anyone. Hood’s a lethal shooter who is only 25 years old and makes under $3 million per year. He could be attractive to a contender looking for an extra offensive piece or a younger squad that wants to add some promising talent to its core and has money to spend this offseason to keep him.

Could the Celtics be interested? It’s one of the more realistic possibilities on this list, but I think it’s a bit of a long shot due to Hood’s long-term price tag. With a potential new contract on the horizon for Marcus Smart and a max deal for Kyrie Irving starting at $35 million in the summer of 2019, the Celtics will be dealing with hefty luxury tax penalties for the next few years. Adding Hood to that mix would be too expensive for ownership to handle. He’d be a great bench fit for this year, but this front office isn’t going to give up much for a rental without Hayward in the fold. The only way I see the Celtics dealing for him is if Smart is in the deal itself.  

Estimated odds he gets dealt: 50 percent. Jazz will listen but they aren’t going to deal him just to deal him.

George Hill

Why is he available? The Kings signed the point guard to a three-year, $57 million contract this summer and they likely already regret it. Hill’s numbers have been fine but this team is bad and Hill is taking away opportunities from the future (i.e. No. 5 pick De’Aaron Fox). The Kings have announced they’ll be resting veterans periodically for the rest of the year to allow for development (i.e. full tank mode) and they would love to get off the hook for Hill’s $19 million next year (2019-20 is non-guaranteed)

Potential return: This is an overpriced contract right now, so it’s not going to be able to fetch the Kings any real value. They’ll have to take on a bad contract to dump it or include some draft compensation in the deal.

Potential suitors: Cavs. This is only real team that makes sense for Hill right now. A deal will get done here if the Kings are willing to take on a couple of expiring contracts (Channing Frye, Iman Shumpert) in order to get out from Hill’s money for next year. Whether the Cavs are willing to go down that road or not depends on how things go in their other trade negotiations.

Will Celtics be interested? Nope. Too big of a contract to bring in.

Estimated odds he gets dealt: 20 percent. It’s Cavs or bust for Hill in my opinion.