The Charlotte Hornets are expected to be active sellers in the trading market on the Feb. 8 trade deadline. With luxury tax penalties looming, will general manager Rich Cho trade the team’s best asset for some cap relief and a significant trade haul? Right now, there are rumblings that the Detroit Pistons are interested in their prized point guard Kemba Walker.

Meanwhile, in Chicago, John Paxson and Gar Forman are weighing the pros and cons of trading Nikola Mirotic who is having his best season (17.3ppg on 47.0 FG%) in the NBA. Big-men with three-point shooting are always prime trade targets for any team.

The Utah Jazz are believed to be the favorite destination for the former Euro League MVP, but will other teams spoil their bid in the 11th hour of the trading window?

It’s time to gauge the latest trade rumors and determine whether there’s a chance a deal or two could go down in the coming weeks. Again, the meter is still the same. Red for shoo-in deals, orange for expected, yellow for probable, blue for possible, and green for trade talks that are not expected to reach an agreement at all.

Kemba Walker to Pistons (Alert level – Blue)

While Walker has been mentioned in trade chatters before (particularly at the time when the Hornets were in the mix for Kyrie Irving in the offseason), the buzz surrounding the All-Star’s potential trade has never been this loud.

Walker has been the heart and soul for the Hornets the past 4-5 seasons, but NBA writer Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post believed Charlotte should consider trading Kemba for package of future picks and young players.

Adrian Wojnaroswki of ESPN is anticipating a busy trade deadline for Pistons GM Stan Van Gundy, who is looking for additional scoring punch on his roster.

According to Rod Beard of the Detroit News, the Pistons are now kicking tires on Nikola Mirotic and Evan Fournier, though he’s not ruling out a move to get a high-scoring point guard. The Pistons are presumably dangling rookie sniper Luke Kennard, former lottery pick Stanley Johnson and oft-injured guard Reggie Jackson in potential or ongoing trade talks, per Bobby Marks of ESPN.

Still, there’s isn’t a report yet indicating trade discussion between the Hornets and the Pistons regarding Walker’s availability. Apparently, the Hornets haven’t given up yet. They are hoping the return of head coach Steve Clifford from a sick leave and some of their key contributors from injuries would salvage their season. Then again, the Pistons can always re-explore a deal in the offseason, especially if the Hornets end up with a losing record at the end of their 2017-18 season campaign.

Nikola Mirotic to Utah Jazz (Alert level – Orange)

Mirotic is now trade eligible after the three-month moratorium was lifted last January 15.

The Bulls can now dangle him in trade negotiations. However, the forward still has full control of his destination because of the no-trade clause on his current deal. There are three teams believed to be gunning for the 6-foot-10 sniper: the aforementioned Pistons, Portland Trail Blazers, and the Utah Jazz.

The Jazz are trending to be the No.1 destination for Mirotic because the player actually likes the idea of playing for head coach Quin Snyder. Tony Jones of Salt Lake Tribune reported that the Bulls and Jazz have now gone past preliminary stages and negotiations are getting serious.

As a matter of fact, Mirotic has now followed Salt Lake Tribune on Twitter, hinting that he would probably waive his no-trade clause on a deal sending him to Utah. The Jazz are reportedly offering a package centered on Derek Favors, who has a $12MM expiring contract. On the other hand, the Bulls seek at least a first-round pick along with the expiring deal.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED