NBA Trade Rumors: Pao Gasol, Evan Turner Could Be On The Move

NBA trade rumors are heating up with just a little more than two weeks to the league’s trade deadline, and some superstars reportedly on the trading block.

The window for completing trades ends at 3 pm ET on February 20, leaving teams in contention or thinking about a title run with little time left to fill out their rosters for the playoffs.

The NBA trade rumors this year are fueled even more due to a couple of out-of-contention teams looking to unload. The first is the Philadelphia 76ers, who at 15-34 are at the bottom of an already mediocre Atlantic Division. The Sixers are reportedly shopping Evan Turner, seeking a draft pick in return, and Philly also seems willing to part with Spencer Hawes and Thaddeus Young if the price is right.

Though Turner is the team’s top priority, one NBA executive said his expiring contract may make it hard to move him before the deadline.

“It wouldn’t be smart to give up assets for a player you think you can just sign on your own in July,” the unnamed general manager was quoted in Bleacher Report. “If you don’t need to trade anything away to get him, then why would you?”

Turner would be quite a catch, averaging 18.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.0 steals per game.

NBA trade rumors have also centered on Los Angeles Lakers center Pao Gasol, who seems almost imminently headed to the Phoenix Suns.

With the Lakers slipping out of playoff contention and eager to start building a core of young players and draft picks to rebuild, the trade would be welcome to both the team and Gasol, who could get a fresh start with a better club.

But though the teams have reportedly moved close to inking the deal, in the past NBA trade rumors have proved to shift quickly and deals that once looked concrete can fall apart easily. There’s a good reason this remains classified with rumors until the deal is finalized.