Marc Stein, ESPN Senior Writer 7y

Bulls eyeing Bosh? Miami moving Dragic? Here's the latest buzz

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario -- In this latest Son of Weekend Dime compilation, we've amassed the freshest dribbles of pertinent chatter from the NBA's annual D-League Showcase ... with the league's annual trade buzzer just over 30 days away:

No one in the NBA knows if Chris Bosh will ever play professional basketball again thanks to his unfortunate bout with blood clots. That sadly goes for Bosh himself, as he recently explained during an appearance at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Yet there were a couple interesting Bosh rumbles in circulation this week in suburban Toronto:

1. More than one rival team has said they don't expect Bosh to be waived by Miami until after March 1, thereby ensuring he's not playoff-eligible for another team. The prospect of removing Bosh from the team's payroll becomes an active option for the Heat after Feb. 9, which is the one-year anniversary of his last game for the club.

2. If Bosh, who turns 33 in March, makes it back onto the floor next season, word is that the Chicago Bulls are already plotting a run and will be at the front of the line to try to sign him.


The most substantive trade proposal generating buzz among the various team officials, scouts and agents assembled this week at the Hershey Centre: Orlando, according to league sources, recently tried to engage Miami on a Goran Dragic deal in which the Magic were said to be offering center Nikola Vucevic and a future first-round pick.

‎The Heat, of course, already have a well-compensated starting center in Hassan Whiteside and, sources say, had no interest in Orlando's pitch. The South Beachers continue to leave the impression that they're resistant to surrendering Dragic before the Feb. 23 trade deadline.


A player who is sure to move between now and the trade deadline?

Denver's Jusuf Nurkic.

Sources say that the Nuggets, having acknowledged that Nikola Jokic and Nurkic didn't click as a pairing, are actively working to find Nurkic a new home that would give him the chance he deserves to be a front-line center.


‎You'd struggle to find a single team with a representative at the Showcase that believes Atlanta has permanently pulled All-Star forward Paul Millsap from the trade market.

The skepticism has been so loud that it leads one to imagine Millsap might still prove to be the biggest name in play between now and Feb. 23, assuming Dragic indeed can't be had and with Sacramento's Rudy Gay suddenly out for the season.


The Kings naturally became a popular topic in the wake of Gay's torn Achilles suffered Wednesday night.

The bulk of the external trade interest Gay attracted came in the offseason‎, most notably from Oklahoma City, Miami and Portland, but sources say Sacramento has had opportunities to move Gay since the season began and chose to hold off, presumably in hopes of giving itself the best chance of snagging the West's No. 8 seed and thus bringing a halt to the league's second-longest playoff drought (10 seasons and counting).

The Kings, though, just went 1-6 on a crucial homestand to fall to 10th in the West at 16-25 and Friday begin an eight-game road trip (yes, eight) in Memphis.


Given Gay's long-term unavailability and Sacramento's well-known hopes of convincing DeMarcus Cousins to sign for the long term, ‎two wings have emerged as the most likely Kings to be dealt:

Ben McLemore first and foremost, followed by Arron Afflalo.


The Clippers have offered a future second-round pick for Suns forward P.J. Tucker -- who is said to have a not-so-secret admirer in Doc Rivers -- but sources say Phoenix is holding out for a first-rounder in exchange for the rugged defensive specialist.

Tucker and out-of-favor guard Brandon Knight are widely regarded as the most "gettable" Suns. Coach Earl Watson announced this week that veteran center Tyson Chandler is "not going anywhere."


This one's not exactly a trade item, but there's an expectation in Denver that the Nuggets -- after taking on Mo Williams in a deal with Atlanta -- plan to re-sign Alonzo Gee once Williams clears waivers.

Denver can sign Gee to one more 10-day contract before it must decide whether to ink him for the rest of the regular season or let him go.

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