NBA trade rumors are beginning to circulate with 2017 nearing its end. It is likely that a former member of the Cleveland Cavaliers will be among the prominent names always mentioned in these discussions.
Brooklyn Nets center Timofey Mozgov became relevant in the NBA when the Cleveland Cavaliers completed a trade to acquire him in January of 2015. The Russian big man immediately had an impact in Cleveland. He was given the starting role and thrived.
Unfortunately, in the 2015-16 season, the Cavaliers used Mozgov less. For the majority of the games he played for them in that campaign, he came off the bench.
Due to these changes, his numbers plunged. Despite this, he was still grateful because, by the end of that season, the Cavs won their first-ever title.
Hoping for a career resurrection, Mozgov parted ways with the Cavaliers in the 2016 offseason and ended up with the Los Angeles Lakers. With the Lakers, Mozgov was expected to mentor the young talents while also leading the squad. However, as the 2016-17 season rolled, Mozgov struggled to fulfill his roles. It was the reason why his name frequented NBA trade rumors.
In June this year, the Lakers accomplished an NBA trade to get rid of Mozgov and his lucrative contract. They sent him and D'Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets for Brook Lopez and the 27th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft (used to select Kyle Kuzma).
The NBA trade between Los Angeles and Brooklyn was another chance for Mozgov to redeem himself. Sadly, as the current season continues to progress, it looks like the 31-year-old will be on the move once again.
Déjà vu
Similar to his time with the Los Angeles Lakers, Timofey Mozgov is losing significance with the Brooklyn Nets.
The Nets opened their season with Mozgov as their starting center. That did not last long as head coach Kenny Atkinson decided to replace him with Tyler Zeller. Soon, he lost his spot in Atkinson's rotation. The recent development involving Mozgov will surely bring him back in NBA trade rumors.
A report suggested that since Mozgov no longer has value to the Nets, they should find a way to let him go.
If they fail to do so or they hold on to him, his contract is going to be a burden for their salary cap. After this season, he has two years left on his deal that will earn him a base salary of $32.720 million. That amount will prevent the Nets from adding big names in next year's free agency period.
Impossible task?
There will be numerous NBA trade rumors linking Timofey Mozgov to several franchises once the Brooklyn Nets make him available. But at this point, it seems like trading him is almost an impossible task for the Nets.
Mozgov's value on the trade market plummeted since he split up with the Cleveland Cavaliers. It is uncertain if there is an organization willing to absorb the pricey contract of a player whose performance has diminished in the last two years.