Buying and Selling Latest NBA Trade Rumors: Drummond, Griffin, Collins and More

When Draymond Green spends three minutes of a postgame presser weighing in, unprompted, about the Cleveland Cavaliers sitting Andre Drummond while they try to find a taker for the two-time All-Star, you know NBA trade season is upon us.

Maybe that shouldn't come as a total surprise, given the year-round transaction-talk addiction that has overtaken the league in recent years. But with the trade deadline still more than a month away, it feels strange that we already have some serious rumors to wade through.

We'll leave Bradley Beal out of the discussion this time; he's due a break. Besides, the only reports on that front are adamant assertions that the league's leading scorer is going nowhere.

That's fine. Enough other notable names show up in the latest crop of trade rumors to warrant some buy-or-sell analysis.

Verdict: Hard sell on the trade talk. The only way Drummond winds up with the Raptors will be if the Cavs buy him out.

Andre Drummond is averaging 17.5 points and 13.5 rebounds through 25 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season, and we won't need to worry about updating those stats for a while.    

The Cavs plan to sit Drummond until they can work out a deal to move him, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Woj also noted there were "no serious, ongoing trade discussions with any team," but The Athletic's Shams Charania reported—and we're paraphrasing—au contraire!

"The Raptors and Cavaliers are engaged in active talks," according to Charania.

If we can move past the delightful mental image of the NBA's top newsbreakers locked in a cutthroat scoop-off, let's run with Charania's report.

The Toronto Raptors' center position is abysmal. Aron Baynes hasn't hit his threes or contributed nearly enough interior defense to offset the departures of Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka, and Chris Boucher, dynamic as he is, lacks the heft to man the 5 full time. The need for a player like Drummond (although it'd be nice if a 6'11" guy who only shoots twos could do better than 47.4 percent from the field) is clear.

One small issue: Toronto almost certainly can't trade for Drummond, who could walk in 2021 free agency, without surrendering significant assets.

The Athletic's Blake Murphy broke the situation down in detail, but the gist is this: Toronto has to send out at least $22.93 million in a trade to acquire Drummond's $28.8 million salary. To do that, the Raps would need to either include Norman Powell, whose production on the wing they desperately need, or as many as five players—including Boucher, Baynes, Stanley Johnson and Patrick McCaw. When factoring in the cost of replacing those guys and the extra salary Drummond would bring aboard, Toronto is suddenly very thin and very expensive.

Drummond isn't worth all that. In fact, Powell alone is probably more valuable to Toronto than Drummond would be. Centers who don't stretch the floor and can't switch are a dime a dozen. The Raptors are too smart to sacrifice so much for a fungible good. 

Verdict: Buy Atlanta's asking price. Hesitantly sell what seems like eagerness to move Collins.

We know Atlanta Hawks big man John Collins wants more than the $90 million extension he turned down prior to the season. We also have increasing reason to believe his expectations are justified.

Collins hasn't just validated his 40.1 percent three-point shooting from a year ago; he's bettered that figure by draining 41.1 percent on even higher per-minute volume. Already an established lob threat with an evolving off-the-dribble perimeter game, Collins has also profiled as a much better defender this season. Atlanta's defensive rating is 9.4 points per 100 possessions better with him in the game.

Some of that defensive growth could be noise, but Collins and his representation will be able to credibly argue he's a high-end, two-way star when free-agent negotiations roll around this offseason.

It's no wonder that the Hawks are seeking a "high first-round, lottery-level pick" in exchange for the 23-year-old forward, per Charania.

Collins' impending restricted free agency is obviously a concern for any acquiring team, but whoever gets him will have the advantage of match rights on any offer sheet Collins signs. That's a valuable measure of control, particularly if the organization that hypothetically trades for him isn't a notable free-agent destination. If you don't think you can sign Collins in free agency, a trade is the only way to get him.

From the Hawks' perspective, it makes perfect sense to set a high anchor point in negotiations. Worst case, they can keep Collins, see what the free-agent market says he's worth and decide whether to match. A sign-and-trade this offseason (only an option if Collins doesn't sign an offer sheet) is another possible way for the Hawks to get value.

Collins is playing at a level that might actually justify a max salary, he's cheap now because he's still on his rookie-scale deal, and the Hawks are right to be asking for premium assets to move him.

Verdict: Sell a Griffin trade. The Pistons will pursue one like Wile E. Coyote pursues the Roadrunner: hopelessly. A buyout is the only way Griffin goes anywhere.

Like Drummond in Cleveland, Blake Griffin will be out of his team's lineup until the Detroit Pistons figure out how to move him, according to Wojnarowski.

Unlike Drummond, whose expiring contract and gaudy counting stats should have some appeal on the trade market, Griffin comes about as close to being truly untradeable as any player in the league.

Griffin's bounce is gone, as evidenced by the two blocks and zero dunks he's accumulated this season. The 32-year-old forward is still finishing decently inside, making 65.6 percent of his shots within three feet of the bucket. But he's getting to the hole less frequently than ever. The Pistons, whom Wojnarowski reports "will continue to pursue trade scenarios" while also having "talks on a contract buyout," aren't going to find any takers.

Griffin is averaging just 12.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists on a 36.5/31.5/71.0 shooting split, and his lack of mobility is just as damaging on defense as it is on offense. Add to that the $39 million player option he holds for next season, and it's genuinely impossible to imagine any team giving up value to get him. If the Pistons were willing to attach several draft picks, young players and take back bad salary, maybe things would be different.

But the whole reason Detroit needs to move on from Griffin is so it can pivot fully toward its rebuild. Surrendering draft assets and/or young talent doesn't exactly square with that aim.

Verdict: Buy a Kings trade, but sell Barnes' involvement.

Harrison Barnes has never been better, and his $22.8 million salary fits nicely into the Boston Celtics' $28.5 million trade exception. With Boston clearly needing depth and two-way play as it tries to avoid slipping under .500 on the season, a deal involving the 28-year-old forward makes sense.

The Athletic's Sam Amick reported Barnes is on Boston's radar.

Except...why would the Sacramento Kings have any interest in moving on from Barnes, a critical figure in the team's quest to end their league-long 14-year playoff drought?

Barnes, in addition to posting a career-best 61.5 true shooting percentage and being the team's only decent option when defending large opposing wings, is on a declining deal. He'll collect $20.3 million next year and just $18.4 million in 2022-23. Though not a star, Barnes is a verified starting-caliber stretch 4.

Boston would have to blow the Kings away with draft picks and young, cheap talent for talks to progress at all.

Nemanja Bjelica? Now that's a different story. The Celtics might have loftier aims when it comes to their TPE, but some team is going to work out a deal to add the Serbian vet.

The Sacramento Bee's Jason Anderson reported the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers have interest.

Sacramento telegraphed its intent to move Bjelica weeks ago, cutting him from the rotation between Jan. 11 and Feb. 9. It actually says even more about the Kings' plans that Bjelica suddenly logged 28 minutes on Feb. 12 and another 26 on Feb. 14.

That's a showcase, folks. Sacramento is letting the league see Bjelica can still play, and the 32-year-old forward's 15-point, nine-rebound, six-assist effort after a full month on the shelf proved it. 6'10" players who own 39.0 percent career conversion rates from deep and can make a play on the move aren't often available, but Bjelica seems to be an exception.

The Kings are good enough to at least stick around in the play-in conversation, and a top-eight spot isn't out of the question. Barnes is key to that effort, while Bjelica clearly isn't.     

Stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. Accurate through games played Tuesday, Feb. 16. Salary info via Basketball Insiders.