NBA Trade Rumors: Brandon Knight To Kings, Rudy Gay To Magic, Mario Hezonja And Jodie Meeks To Suns
NBA trade rumors have been hovering like a cloud over small forward Rudy Gay and the Sacramento Kings for months. Gay has not been pleased with his experience as a member of the Kings, and the team reportedly agrees that he isn’t a good fit in Sacramento. Basketball Insiders reveals that the Kings have been talking to the Orlando Magic about a possible deal, and Rudy Gay has been the focal point of those discussions.
Point guard Brandon Knight of the Phoenix Suns is another player who has been frequently mentioned in the rumor mill, and according to Fox Sports, there have been ongoing discussions between the Suns and Kings regarding the availability of Brandon Knight.
“It’s hard to read Sacramento. Sacramento talks a lot, but then never does anything, so Sacramento’s very frustrating to people,” said Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
“I know that Sacramento has been talking to Phoenix about Brandon Knight since the summer. Will that ultimately get done? I don’t know, but it’s out there.”
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Orlando Magic small forward Mario Hezonja came into the NBA with high expectations as the No. 5 overall choice in the 2015 NBA Draft, but his situation with the Magic has gone from bad to worse, as detailed in a piece published by Fansided. Hezonja is no longer in Orlando’s playing rotation, and the team is even considering sending him down to the D-League to work on his game. As often happens when a young player underachieves, Mario Hezonja’s name has been coming up in NBA trade rumors as a result of his issues with the Magic, and head coach Frank Vogel recently weighed in on the matter.
“Mario is in a tough spot right now. You can’t earn minutes without minutes. Right now, he’s doing everything he can within that to stay ready and to show that he has a great attitude, which he does, and to show that he as a great work ethic, which he does. He’s handled it exactly how you want a young player to handle it, by double and tripling his work. And just being very determined to be ready when his number is called again and to be a team guy until it does.”
The latest from the NBA rumor mill has the Sacramento Kings, Orlando Magic, and Phoenix Suns involved in a potential three-team deal. The specifics of the transaction are rumored to have Brandon Knight going to the Kings, Rudy Gay heading to the Magic, and Mario Hezonja and shooting guard Jodie Meeks joining the Suns. This four-player swap would satisfy all NBA trade rules per the ESPN NBA Trade Machine, so the league would approve this deal if it were agreed upon by the teams involved.
It appears that this trade would be advantageous for both the Sacramento Kings and the Orlando Magic, but it would be questionable for the Phoenix Suns. The Suns do have reason to move Brandon Knight, but would they do it for Hezonja and Meeks?
Current NBA trade rumors are circulating that the Kings, Magic, and Suns could be contemplating a three-way deal. Sacramento and Orlando would be likely to agree to this four-player swap, but it might take more prodding to get Phoenix to join in — and that may lead to the demise of this potential trade unless the Kings or Magic would be willing to add something more to their offer.
[Featured Image by Matt York/AP Images]
