NBA Trade Rumors: Knicks, Bucks Looking To Make Deals Before 2016 Deadline?

With NBA All-Star Weeked approaching, the number of names involved in trade rumors is increasing. A few teams have accepted that they won’t make the playoffs, and they are resigned to being sellers at the 2016 NBA Trade Deadline.

The New York Knicks made the biggest news this week by firing Derek Fisher, and they might not be done making moves before the deadline. New York has been linked to a few players that could be traded, though its unclear if the front office has enough trade bait to execute a deal.

A few weeks ago, it was reported that the Knicks were looking at the possibility of acquiring Jeff Teague from the Atlanta Hawks. New York was unable to make a trade happen, and the latest report from ESPN New York claims that the team is now keeping an eye on Brandon Jennings.

With Jose Calderon as their starter, point guard is the Knicks’ most glaring need. But considering Carmelo Anthony has a no-trade clause and the team is unwilling to trade Kristaps Porzingis and, New York realizes that it will be difficult for them to acquire anyone of significance.

"Do we sit in a really favorable spot? Probably not," Knicks president Phil Jackson said at Monday’s press conference on the firing of Fisher. "We don't have a tremendous amount of favorable trade items that are on our roster."

It’s rare that a superstar gets traded midseason, and it would be very surprising to see the Knicks trade Anthony, even though they are on their way to missing the playoffs for a third straight season. Last week, there were reports that teams had called the Los Angeles Clippers about Blake Griffin, though head coach Doc Rivers made it clear that the All-Star wasn’t going anywhere.

The Milwaukee Bucks, meanwhile, are reportedly looking to trade a few of their best players since they aren’t likely to make the postseason.

Greg Monroe and Michael Carter-Williams have both been on Milwaukee for less than a year, but Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times reports that they can be acquired at the right price. After making the playoffs last year, the Bucks already have their eyes set on next season since they are 20-32 and 6.5 games behind the East’s No.8 seed.

Monroe is averaging 16.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game after signing a three-year deal worth $50 million in the offseason. The Bucks traded for Carter-Williams at last year’s deadline, and the 6'6 point guard is averaging 11.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game.

The Bucks have other players who might make sense as trade pieces, such as O.J. Mayo and Jerryd Bayless. They are much more likely to be dealt than the likes of Jabari Parker or Giannis Antetokounmpo, who are just 20 years old and 21 years old, respectively.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are also interested in making a deal. According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the Cavs have interest in the Hawks' Kyle Korver, the Pelicans' Tyreke Evans and Omer Asik.