NBA trades on eve of 2014 Draft

It’s the eve of what is expected to be a very busy 2014 NBA Draft Day and already several teams are positioning themselves to improve their rosters for the upcoming season and the future. A couple of NBA trades have been agreed upon by the participating teams and are just awaiting league approval. The trades can only be finalized after the draft, as per NBA rules.

Dallas Mavericks – New York Knicks

Carmelo Anthony has opted out of his contract with the Knicks and the franchise is looking to retool its existing stable of players in order to position themselves for future acquisitions. On the other hand, the Dallas Mavericks are expected to be one of the teams that will be vying for the chance to sign Anthony and/or LeBron James.

The Mavericks will receive Knicks starters Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler. The Knicks receive Spanish point guard Jose Calderon, Haitian-Canadian big man Samuel Dalembert, promising young guard Shane Larkin, Wayne Ellington, as well as the 34th and 51st picks in tomorrow’s draft.

The move improves the New York’s roster, making them an improved team and a potential destination for Carmelo Anthony. Dallas frees up a lot of cap space and are now in a position to jockey for a shot at LeBron or Carmelo.

Houston Rockets – New Orleans Pelicans 

The Houston Rockets agreed to trade Turkish big man Omer Asik to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for a protected 2015 first-round draft pick. The Rockets will get the pick if New Orleans ends up between positions 4-19 in the lottery.

Houston frees up the $15 million owed to Asik on the tail end of his three-year deal. Another move here and there, then the Rockets can make a legitimate run at another superstar player to join James Harden and Dwight Howard.