NBA Rumors: Analyzing League's Top Trade Candidates

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Because of the rapidly approaching NBA ^[1] trade deadline, no alert general manager has received any rest during the All-Star break.

Teams have until 3 p.m. ET on Thursday afternoon to complete any deals. The league's juggernauts dissuade everyone else from harboring title aspirations, causing many front offices to feel disgruntled. ESPN.com's Zach Lowe told Bleacher Report's Howard Beck as much on a Sirius XM B/R Radio appearance:

. @ZachLowe_NBA on trade talks: "There's a lot of angst in the league. A lot of teams are unhappy with how they are internally." @br_radio ^[2]^[3]
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) February 14, 2016 ^[4]

When only four or five teams can seriously entertain thoughts of a championship run, everyone else has to think about moving top players, particularly pending free agents. Then again, most teams are trapped in the middle rather than tanking for better lottery odds. No NBA team wants to be stuck as a No. 8 seed, but it beats just missing the postseason and a top-10 pick.

The rumor mill hasn't given way to any concrete deals, but these prominent players are reportedly on the market heading into the deadline.

Dwight Howard ^[5], Houston Rockets

Darren Abate/Associated Press

NBA fans have endured more Dwight Howard rumors than anyone could handle over the years. A long-lasting saga led him to the Houston Rockets after one unceremonious season with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Houston's grueling journey in search of stars finally led it to a Western Conference Finals appearance behind Howard and James Harden ^[6]. A year later, the Rockets entered the break barely secluded from the playoff picture at 27-28.

According to The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski ^[7], the Rockets' disappointing season has prompted them to shop their starting center:

The Houston Rockets have started contacting teams about trading eight-time All-Star Dwight Howard, league sources told The Vertical. Howard, 30, plans to exercise an opt-out in his contract this summer to become an unrestricted free agent, and uncertainty surrounding the commitment both sides are willing to make has pushed Houston general manager Daryl Morey toward seeking potential trades on the market, league sources said.

After missing half of last season with a knee injury, Howard has returned to register 14.6 points, 12.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. Yet even with the three-time Defensive Player of the Year manning the paint, Houston has relinquished 106.8 points per contest, tied with the Phoenix Suns for second-most behind the Sacramento Kings.

As noted by ESPN Stats & Info, the underachieving club has actually fared better without him:

Since Jan. 1, the Rockets are 6-10 when Dwight Howard plays and 5-0 without him. They're allowing 9 fewer PPG without him in those games.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 11, 2016 ^[8]

Per an ESPN.com report, league executives told Yahoo Sports that the Rockets are collaborating with Howard's agent, Dan Fegan, to locate potential destinations. Howard, however, claims to have had no role in seeking a trade.^[9]

"I have not asked the Rockets to trade me, nor have I talked about right trades," Howard said, per ESPN.com's Marc Stein ^[10]. "I want to win. I want this situation to work. I chose this team. And I'm not running because we have been faced with some adversity."

A 30-year-old center with prior knee and back issues is a dangerous long-term investment, but the Rockets spent years clearing payroll and accumulating assets to land marquee stars. Nevertheless, the eroding situation—along with overwhelming dominance from the Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder—could compel them to move backward again.

Jeff Teague and Al Horford ^[11], Atlanta Hawks

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

The Atlanta Hawks are not in as desperate a spot, but they have already lost more games this season (24) than last year, when they clinched the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed at 60-22. Do they fight for a No. 3 seed and an Eastern Conference Finals rematch with the Cleveland Cavaliers? Or do they realize their current squad peaked last year?

Per CBSSports.com's Ken Berger ^[12], they're at least entertaining offers for two of their prominent starters: "Multiple executives with teams around the league confirmed to CBS Sports that the Hawks have, in fact, been calling teams to assess interest in All-Stars Al Horford and Jeff Teague."

It makes sense to test the market, even if they end up standing pat. The 29-year-old Horford will hit free agency this offseason, and Teague will follow after the 2016-17 campaign. No team wants to watch its stars walk without receiving any compensation.

According to The Vertical's Chris Mannix ^[16] (via CSNNE.com), Atlanta's asking price is driving away suitors such as the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets. But talks could ignite at the final hour if the Hawks aren't just doing their due diligence:

From everything I've been told in the last two or three days, Atlanta's requests for both Al Horford and Jeff Teague have been borderline ridiculous. The kind of things teams like Boston, or Milwaukee, or Denver simply won't deal for the players they want.

Things like this tend to cool off though. As we get close to the deadline - when we get to the 17th, when we get to the 18th - that's when the real horse trading begins. That's when Danny Ainge will know if Atlanta is really serious about trading Al Horford.

Last week, ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst and Kevin Arnovitz ^[17] reported the team was holding "serious internal discussions" about shopping Horford, Teague and Kyle Korver. Along with Boston and Denver, they mentioned the Orlando Magic as a franchise seeking a veteran upgrade.

Moving Horford, a late All-Star addition in place of Chris Bosh ^[18], makes the most sense if the Hawks don't think they can regain last season's spark. The Celtics have myriad picks and young talent to move, but they'd have to feel confident about retaining him with a long-term extension.

Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

First, let's talk about the giant elephant in the room. The New York Daily News' Frank Isola ^[19] set the hot stove on fire by declaring early talks of a blockbuster three-team deal sending Carmelo Anthony to Cleveland and Kevin Love to Boston.

It's not happening. Anthony—who holds a no-trade clause—and LeBron James both vehemently shut ^[20] down ^[21] the far-fetched exchange while speaking to Sirius XM NBA Radio and reporters, respectively (h/t Cleveland.com's Joe Vardon). The last thing Cleveland needs is a ball-stopping wing man with defensi ve deficiencies. There's also nothing to suggest the New York Knicks are willing to dump their star forward for picks and cap space.

Love won't get shipped out of Cleveland in this fashion, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's staying. The big man's 15.7 points per game represent his lowest average since 2009-10, a season during which he mostly played off the bench. Along with his diminished scoring, the 27-year-old doesn't do Cleveland any favors defensively.

Love isn't untouchable, according to the Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach, but Cleveland isn't pawning him off to the highest bidder:

Re: Kevin Love. League source says the Cavs have been shopping him around, but that the asking price is very high.
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) February 13, 2016 ^[22]

In a season during which they fired head coach David Blatt, the Cavaliers still entered the All-Star break garnering the conference's No. 1 seed at 38-14. James is on track to make his sixth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals, but the Cavs need to make major strides to prove they can hang with the Warriors, Spurs or Thunder.

Cleveland isn't in a position to trade a star for solid pieces and draft picks, and it likely won't net Anthony or another marquee name in return. If this team is going to end the city's championship drought, it needs to spend the next two months figuring out Love's optimal usage.