As the NBA’s regular season draws near, we’re counting down the top 10 storylines to watch around the league over the course of the 2014-15 campaign. Today’s entry is on NBA stars who could change addresses over the next 12 months.
The NBA has become as much about the transaction wire as the actual product on the court. As we’ve seen from the sagas surrounding LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard and Kevin Love over the past few years, fans are constantly looking to see who the next star to change teams will be and where they wind up.
Though the fervor surrounding the 2015 free-agent class won’t match what happened this past summer (when James was a free agent and Love was expected to be moved) or what’s in store for 2016 (when Kevin Durant is expected to be courted by half the NBA), there are several excellent players who are expected to hit the market this season. Their futures will be hotly debated over the next several months.
Rajon Rondo
Let’s begin with the star most likely to be moved during the upcoming season, the final piece from the Celtics’ Finals runs. The Celtics have made noises about wanting Rondo to be there long-term, but it’s hard to see how that happens. General manager Danny Ainge has assembled a group of young players to rebuild the franchise around, led by Marcus Smart – the No. 6 overall pick in June’s draft and the heir apparent to Rondo as Boston’s point guard.
Sacramento has been linked to Rondo multiple times, and perhaps they’ll make another run at him. Kings star DeMarcus Cousins and Rondo are both former Kentucky Wildcats. Just expect Rondo to be wearing something other than the Boston green-and-white by the time the trade deadline passes in February.
LaMarcus Aldridge
The Trail Blazers star has said publicly he would like to re-sign in Portland when he is eligible for a five-year max contract next summer. But July 1 is still a long, long ways away, and there will be significant interest in the sweet-shooting power forward on the open market.
The Trail Blazers were tremendous fun to watch last season, but also are one of the thinnest teams in the brutal Western Conference in terms of depth, and could easily slip out of the playoff picture this season. If that happens, the possibilities of Aldridge leaving as a free agent presumably increase.
Marc Gasol
The undeniable top target for every team with cap space next summer. A true 7-footer with gifted vision as a passer on offense and terrific instincts defensively, he’s a game-changer at both ends of the court – which is why a certain Triangle-running team in New York would love to get their hands on him.
But it’s not going to be easy to pry Gasol out of Memphis. He went to high school there when his brother Pau was starring for the Grizzlies, and has gotten mighty comfortable there since being dealt from the Lakers in exchange for Pau in 2008.
That won’t stop teams from pursuing him, even if the buzz around one of the league’s quietest stars doesn’t reach capital-D Decision levels.
Goran Dragic
Dragic was sensational last season in Phoenix, averaging 20.3 points and 5.9 assists while being the engine that drove the Suns to a stunning 48-win campaign that defied all preseason projections.
That raised Dragic’s stock around the league, and he’ll garner plenty of interest – as well as multiple max contract offers – if he plays at that level again this season. Could he price himself out? After the Suns re-upped Eric Bledsoe and the Morris twins this offseason, not to mention signing Dragic’s brother Zoran, it will be tough to get him to leave a promising situation in Phoenix.
Greg Monroe
Monroe is maybe one notch below the other players on this list, but he’s easily the most fascinating name after his offseason gamble. He chose to sign the one-year qualifying offer for restricted free agents rather than a long-term extension with the Pistons, allowing himself to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
The Pistons may shop Monroe fearing he bolts the Motor City in the offseason. He’s a less than stellar defender and not much of a rim protector despite his 7-foot size, but big men with his offensive skill set are few and far between. And he’s only 24.