When the dust from the free-agent frenzy settles, expect some big names to be traded by their respective teams. According to Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report, among the big names that he expects to wear new jerseys are DeMarcus Cousins of the New Orleans Pelicans and Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cousins, who was acquired by the Pelicans via trade with the Sacramento Kings at the trade deadline, is entering the last year of a four-year, $65.6 million deal and could become an unrestricted free agent after the 2017-18 season. However, Cousins is unsure if he plans to sign a long-term extension with New Orleans.
If the Pelicans do not see any indication that Cousins plans to stick with them, they could pull the trade trigger rather than risk losing him without getting anything in return. In a separate report, Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday said he is trying to convince Cousins to stay with the team and keep their Big 3 with Anthony Davis for a long time. Holiday recently signed a five-year, $126 million contract with the Pelicans. The contract could increase to $150 million due to incentives.
Cavs may part ways with Love
Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love has been tied to different trade rumors in the past, most recently with Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks. Love signed a five-year deal worth $113 million, including a salary of $22.6 million in the coming season.
Love averaged 19.0 points and 11.1 boards in 60 regular-season games but his performance dipped in the postseason, averaging just 16.8 points and was a liability on defense in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. Love’s inconsistent play has been called out several times by LeBron James on social media and it could lead to their eventual separation in the near future.
Sun might set on Eric Bledsoe in Phoenix
Before the 2017 NBA Draft, Chris Haynes of ESPN.com reported that the Phoenix Suns were discussing a trade involving Eric Bledsoe and the Denver Nuggets' Emmanuel Mudiay and the No. 13 overall pick but the deal never materialized. However, Bledsoe’s future with the Suns remains unclear especially with the emergence of Devin Booker as the team’s superstar.
The 27-year-old Bledsoe could be attractive trade bait as he can provide scoring and playmaking at the same time. Last season, Bledsoe was one of just seven players to average at least 20 points, six assists and four rebounds. Earlier, reports surfaced that the Suns planned to trade Bledsoe to the Cavaliers for Kyrie Irving.
