NBA Trade Rumors for 2016-17 NBA Season: Paul Millsap to Celtics, Kelly Olynyk to Raptors
Just two weeks from now and the 2016-17 NBA regular season is about to start. As the pre-season games roll, NBA trade rumors continue to pour in. Here are the latest NBA trade rumors.
1. Paul Millsap to Boston Celtics
Paul Millsap will hit free agency when the 2016-17 NBA regular season ends. According to rumors, Millsap may leave the Atlanta Hawks and join the Boston Celtics for a higher-paying contract.
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According to AJC.com, Millsap said, "I can't predict what is going to happen. For me, it's focus on basketball. Get through this year, try to get a championship for this team first of all. We'll deal with all that during the summer time when we have all our options on the table."
Millsap is a crucial part of the Hawks team on both the offensive and defensive end. He averaged 17.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.7 blocks per game.
Despite Millsap's skills and the great talent within the Hawks roster, chances are they can't win a championship in lieu of the top caliber teams in the Eastern conference, most especially the Cleveland Cavaliers. So a trade with other teams might be the best option to shake up the roster.
If the Celtics trade pushes through, Millsap will play alongside his former teammate Al Horford.
2. Kelly Olynyk to Toronto Raptors
According to Sportsrageous, the Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets and Toronto Raptors will engage in a three-way trade which involves Kelly Olynyk moving on from the Celtics to go to the Raptors.
In particular, Jusuf Nurkic of the Nuggets will be traded to the Celtics. Olynyk and R.J. Hunter will move to the Raptors, and Demetrius Jackson along with 2 draft picks in 2018 will be sent to the Denver Nuggets. Jakob Poeltl of the Raptors will also be moved to the Nuggets.
However, this complex 5-man trade doesn't pass the ESPN trade machine test, which determines if a trade obeys the rules set up by NBA in terms of salary cap space. In addition, the Celtics aren't likely to give up as many as 5 important players in its roster.
But from the Raptor's perspective, they will benefit from acquiring Kelly Olynyk because of his ability to hit long range shots. The spread big man is a crucial player in today's NBA game, forcing the defensive big man to leave the middle and creating open lanes for the offensive side.
Olynyk averaged 10.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 40.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc last season.
