NBA Rewind Trade Edition: Breaking down deadline week

Under-the-radar Players To Watch At The Deadline

While the biggest names in the NBA get most of the attention when it comes to viral trade rumors and crazy speculation, here are a few players who could quietly be dealt away.

David Lee hasn’t risen from the bench for the Celtics since January 10 and behind Amir Johnson, Kelly Olynyk, Jared Sullinger and Tyler Zeller, he’s lost his spot in the rotation. They just don’t need him now and his $15.49 million salary is only weighing them down when they could use that cap space to far better effect.

Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald says that Lee hasn’t drawn much interest, while a source has gone as far as saying he has no value:

"Lee, who has fallen out of Brad Stevens’ rotation, and would welcome a move to a playoff team that has a role for him, is not drawing suitors. “David Lee was tough for Golden State to move all of last year,” said the source. “And it finally came down to him being moved for Gerald Wallace. David Lee has no value. It’s his contract. David Lee’s value comes in if they get one of these big name players.”"

Long-term, he doesn’t have any value with his current contract. His defense leaves much to be desired and $15.49 million is an extortionate sum for a role player who’s going to offer passing, rebounding, some post moves and little else, even if he does those things well.

The key element with Lee is that his contract his expiring, so despite the rising salary cap, he can clear a lot of space for a team if they let him and his heavy pay walk. This does give him some value and he can be utilized on the correct team, making him someone the Celtics will want to move for those reasons. Ultimately, they just don’t need to keep him past Thursday.

Shabazz Muhammad isn’t one of the most high-profile players on the Timberwolves’ young squad. After Zach LaVine put on another show in the 2016 Dunk Contest, that’s even more clear. However, with his athleticism, quick scoring, strong finishing and post-up game, Muhammad has drawn some interest from around the league.

Darren Wolfson has reported multiple teams who are considering him:

It’s still not certain whether or not Minnesota will look to trade Muhammad, so it’s not a foregone conclusion that he’ll be dealt at all. It’s not out of the question, though, so he could be the first of a couple of Timberwolves players to keep an eye on.

Ricky Rubio is appearing here due to some conflicting reports surrounding his potential fate at the deadline. Only a week ago it looked like moving Rubio wouldn’t be something they would consider now that their youth movement in full swing. Even with his limitations, he has a lot of underrated ability to offer. Nevertheless, if they can add further depth or make the most of a trade with a team in desperate need of a point guard, it could change their minds.

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News has reported that Rubio is actually readily available:

"Incumbent Ricky Rubio is readily available and the feeling is that the Spanish guard could be moved prior to Thursday’s NBA trade deadline."

It can be somewhat surprising depending on how tuned in you are to what the Timberwolves may be up to before the deadline. Just a few days ago, it looked like trading Rubio was something they didn’t want to do.

For teams in need of a point guard, though, Rubio should bring in a high return. He’s one of the best steal aficionados in the NBA, an excellent passer, strong rebounder, and has at least improved his short 3-10 feet jumper from 33 percent accuracy last season to 50 percent. He still lacks a consistent jump shot or three-point game which is almost forbidden in today’s NBA, but for a team in need of a dynamic playmaker who can help defensively too, Rubio should attract a few calls to Minnesota’s front office.