There is only about a month left before the NBA trade deadline looms on the horizon.  Officially, all deals must be consummated by 3 PM Eastern Time on February 6, which means some teams, as well as players, are going to be scrambling to put the final touches on any trade arrangements as the clock winds down.  Apart from the number of trades that could be coming, the league is as full of excitement as always.

Moves As NBA Trade Deadline Looms

Jrue Holiday has had a target on his back for about two months.  The New Orleans Pelicans have had a hard time staying healthy this season and the team is rumored to be open to negotiations.  Any team that wants to pick Holiday up should be prepared to break out the checkbook, as he won’t go cheaply.

Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers could be soon packing his bags to move to a new locker room.  The Cavs are 10-23, 12th in the Eastern, and are looking for some new blood.  They want young talent and Love could be sacrificed in the process.  Given that there is still about $90 million outstanding on his contract, after the end of the current season, Love is carrying a huge price tag.

The Memphis Grizzlies are more than likely going to want to give Andre Iguodala a new home ahead of the trade deadline.  He can be had more cheaply than most, but finding a team with enough interest to pick him may prove to be too big a challenge.

The Houston Rockets are “this close” to being a lock for a championship race.  They have great talent with Russell Westbrook and James Harden, among others, but are reportedly looking to add a little more depth to the roster.  The target is Robert Covington of the Minnesota Timberwolves.  If the Rockets can make it happen financially, he would fit in well with the rest of the crew and round out the ultimate dream team of 2020.

Moving beyond the trade talk, the Pelicans can finally count on Zion Williamson again.  He’s back since undergoing surgery last year and just participated in his first full practice this week.  The team isn’t yet willing to commit to when he might be back on the court for a game, but at least there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

This isn’t too much of a surprise to anyone, but Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo lead the league in All-Star voting by fans.  The Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks stars, respectively, have been the two most talked about names this season for their positive performances and Doncic is currently 599 votes ahead.  The final day for voting is January 20.

Darren Collision’s NBA retirement may come to a crashing end.  The point guard is apparently considering getting back in the game and is said to be looking for a team that will pick him up in February.  If it’s up to him, Collision will sign with either the LA Clippers or the LA Lakers.  His ten-year run in the league came to an end last June when he retired so he could spend more time on his faith, according to a statement he made at the time.

Someone who has been in the NBA for six years should have a good grasp on the rules by now, but Sacramento Kings center Dewayne Dedmon is looking at his wallet becoming $50,000 lighter after publicly asking for some other team to pick him up.  In violation of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement, he said this past Sunday, “I would like to be traded.  I haven’t been playing, so I would like to go somewhere where my talents are appreciated.”  It didn’t take long for the league to drop the hammer on him.

The man who helped put the NBA in an entirely new era of success has passed away.  David Stern was the commissioner of the league for 30 years and made groundbreaking advances that brought the NBA into a whole new light.  He passed away at 77 years of age on January 1 as a result of a brain hemorrhage he suffered three weeks ago.

So, as the NBA trade deadline looms, that’s that rumors at the moment. We’ll have more sports news in the next few weeks before the big day.