NBA trade rumors 2016: Latest buzz as deadline nears

by Genevieve Que, |
December 18, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Leandro Barbosa (19) falls while defended by Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) and guard Rashad Vaughn (20) during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. | Reuters/ Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

With the NBA trade deadline fast approaching, fans are over the edge which team will pick who, who will go to what team, and who stays.

This year sees an exciting list of names, such as Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, and Blake Griffin. Anthony denies moving into another team, however; while the Houston Rockets is still said to be making a deal with any team who is willing to go with Howard.

The Milwaukee Bucks is also getting some attention as to what it will do with the expiring contracts of some of its veteran players as well as the fates of Michael Carter-Williams and Greg Monroe. However, Marc Stein said in his ESPN report on Monday that the Bucks is not yet ready to let go of Monroe but also pointed out that Carter-Williams is up for the picking.

Meanwhile, in the Sacramento Kings arena, rumors are rife about DeMarcus Cousins. Earlier, the Kings had already confirmed that it would not fire head coach George Karl, but they might have to let go of Cousins even though he is their most talented ball player at the moment. Sporting News reports that the reason might be because of Cousins' difficulty in controlling his temper and emotions.

ABC News' Chad Ford, on the other hand, reports that the Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings, and Atlanta Hawks will have a big trade off. He said that the Celtics might let go of Kelly Olynyk, Evan Turner, and James Young. He further added that the Kings might let go of Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, and Al Horford.

NBA observers and experts note that the teams are using a new game plan in this season's trade-offs in order to create a better line-up and let go of unnecessary salaries. ESPN further reports that top teams do not make deadline deals because they have already created a strong team.