While the calendar still shows 10 days left in the countdown to Christmas, the celebrating in NBA front offices begins today.
Dec. 15 is the first day that players signed in the offseason can be dealt. Call it the unofficial start to the trading season, which will keep names up in the air and our heads spinning until the trade deadline on Feb. 18.
We'll get things started by looking at a six-pack of players who already are or could be in discussions:
Ryan Anderson, New Orleans Pelicans: The nightmarish 1-11 start that virtually eliminated the Pelicans from playoff contention before the season was a month old has the franchise already looking ahead to next season. That means a long-term view of what they can build around Anthony Davis. Anderson has a contract that is currently affordable at $8.5 million, but it expires next summer and the big bump in salary that he'll likely get doesn't fit into the picture. There has already been widely known talk with Phoenix about acquiring forwardMarkieff Morris. According to Yahoo Sports, the Suns were trying to swing a deal to get Anderson last summer and are back in the picture. The Pelicans like Anderson as a long-range shooter in their lineup, but could be in the mood to make some kind of change to shake things up. At just 27, Anderson is the kind of solid stretch-four that is valuable in anybody's lineup these days.
Terrence Jones, Houston Rockets: He is just 23 years old and shows flashes of all the things that made him a first-round pick out of Kentucky. But Jones also has nights or stretches of games where he just disappears. Put that together with the Rockets' 4-7 start that got coach Kevin McHale fired, a numbers game on the Houston front line and general manager Daryl Morey's penchant for reshuffling deck and Jones would seem to be the odd man out. Second-year jumping jack Clint Capela has become a fixture in the starting lineup and the talented and hard-working Donatas Motiejunas is just getting his season started late after back surgery last spring. There are plenty teams out there that would like to bet on Jones' upside.
Markieff Morris, Phoenix Suns: The 6-foot-10 forward earned himself a $10,000 fine from the league office for demanding a trade when the Sunsshipped his twin brother, Marcus, to the Pistons in the offseason. The Suns held the line and refused to buckle, but Morris has now been left out of the rotation over the past two weeks, supplanted by Jon Leuer and Mirza Teletovic. The lineup change hasn't produced a big uptick in the Suns' lineup, but it hasn't resulted in a huge falloff from where they were either. It just makes sense for the organization to move an unhappy employee before the situation gets worse as Morris watches his brother thrive in Detroit. Markieff has talent that has drawn attention from the likes of New Orleans, Houston and Utah. His moving on seems only a matter of when and where.
Lance Stephenson, Los Angeles Clippers: When the Clippers got done bolting the door, sending out emojis and getting DeAndre Jordan to change his mind to stay, coach and team president Doc Rivers then went out on next order of business: rebuilding his bench. But after a decent start to the season, the bench has sagged and the additions of Paul Pierce, Josh Smith and Stephenson have produced little. Pierce at least has the excuse of being 38 years old. At 25, Stephenson has been disengaged since he left Indiana two seasons ago. Rivers denied recents reports that he was trying to deal Stephenson and Smith. In Stephenson's case, that might only be true because there aren't any suitors for him. He's still got all the physical tools and in this league that usually means somebody will eventually take another chance. Rivers will just have to keep trying.
Solomon Hill, Indiana Pacers: He was a surprise first-round pick in 2013 and now has fallen almost completely out of the Indiana rotation. Marc Stein of ESPN.com and Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star both have confirmed the Pacers are trying to move Hill. His name has been linked in talks with the Pelicans for Ryan Anderson, as well as several other teams. At just 23, there's still interest in a muscular 6-foot-7 small forward with an extra long reach and the Pacers might want to swap out that potential for an asset that could help solidify their status as a playoff contender in the Eastern Conference.
Brandon Jennings, Detroit Pistons: The push for a change here could come from Jennings' side of the aisle. Likely returning soon from last season's torn Achilles' tendon, the point guard has to show that he's still got his old speed and explosive ability to attack the basket in order to get a big payday next summer as a free agent. If Jennings can strut his old stuff, the Pistons could use him to get needed help in the frontcourt. With Reggie Jackson signed to his big free agent deal last summer and fitting in nicely now, there's no reason for coach and team president Stan Van Gundy to stick with two players delivering the same package. Because of the comeback from a significant injury, Jennings might not be on the move until closer to the February trade deadline after he's been given a chance to show he's healthy and become a valuable commodity again.
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