5 Trades That Need to Happen Before the NBA Trade Deadline

by John Nygren

It's early February and unlike most years, I don't have the opportunity to sit and wallow in my own despair due to the outcome of the Super Bowl. The NBA trade deadline has been moved up to before the All-Star break for the first time in recent memory and in a league where the same two teams have been to the final three years in a row, there's a lot of teams that either need to blow it up or make a significant move to try and catch up to their conference rivals.

The Detroit Pistons got things started early with their blockbuster trade to acquire Blake Griffin from the Los Angeles Clippers for Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic and two future draft picks (a protected first and second rounder) last Monday. Who else but Stan Van-Fucking-Gundy would look at the centerpiece of a Clippers team that has consistently underperformed over the last few years and say "Fuck yeah, that's what I want" then give away four very valuable pieces to make it happen. I personally think the Pistons made the trade to sell tickets and get a great deal on some Kia's and honestly, that's okay with me. Since that beautiful bastard Jerry West hasn't fleeced anybody else in the past week, let's take a look at what trades NEED to happen before Thursday.

1.Marcus Smart and Boston's 2018 first round pick to Memphis for Tyreke Evans:
There have been a lot of rumblings about Tyreke Evans as the trade deadline approaches. Along with the Celtics, there are rumored to be at least six other teams (76ers, Cavs, Nuggets, Heat, Pelicans, Rockets) making a run at him. This makes it tough for Boston to just dangle a late first rounder and an expiring contract to get a deal done. However, the Grizzlies are going nowhere fast and picking up a tough, young two-guard that they would have the upper hand in re-signing in July along with a draft pick would make a lot of sense for a team that sees primed to hit the reset button. Make it happen Danny.

2.Aaron Gordon to Cleveland for Channing Frye and Brooklyn's 2018 first round pick:
As of right now, the Cavs are in deep shit. Kevin Love is out for at least another month with a broken hand, Isaiah Thomas is still a long way away from returning to his old form and worst of all, they are currently only 4.5 games out of missing the playoffs entirely. Although they maybe shouldn't hit the panic button yet, they do need to do something to improve going into the second half of the season. You could keep that coveted Brooklyn pick and have an excellent chance of landing a great young rookie next year. The problem with that decision is that LeBron James will never even meet him and you'd still have a bunch of veteran role players (Kyle Korver, J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, Channing Frye, Tristian Thompson) eating up your cap space. Adding Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon to this roster would simultaneously salvage this season while also starting to plan for what a post-Lebron Cavs team might look like. Gordon is crazy athletic, can guard just about every position and has greatly improved his outside shooting of late (34.6 3P% on 5.8 attempts per game this season, up from 28.8% on 3.3 attempts in 2016-17). At only 22 (!) years old, his future looks incredibly bright and playing alongside LeBron could very well expedite his development. What's the downside?  He's a restricted free agent at the end of the year, and he's reportedly seeking a monster $20-25 mil/year contract. LeBron may also look at his age and think "Can we really win now with this guy?" The answer is probably not, but Gordon is easily the best young asset that's available at the deadline. This deal would also leave the Cavs with their own first round pick and a stock pile of other vets to potentially move in other trades. Their owner and superstar put them in a shitty position by assembling a roster of overpaid, over-the-hill players whose personalities don't mesh well and if they want to fix the toxic situation they created to reach a fourth straight NBA finals, this is a move they have to make.

3.Avery Bradley to Oklahoma City for ????:
This trade is tricky. I love the potential fit of Bradley on this Thunder team. With his tenacious D, sneaky good outside shooting (37.4 3P%) and strong leadership skills, he'd be a great glue guy to add to this dark horse title contender. The only problem is that the Thunder have used up all their valuable assets to assemble their current roster. They don't have a first round pick they could trade until 2024 and the season-ending injury to Andre Roberson has made their already questionable depth that much weaker. But with the Clippers currently in sell mode, they could be willing to move Bradley for a few second round picks and some expiring contracts (Jerami Grant perhaps?). The likelihood of this deal happening is slim, but if the Clips have no intention of re-signing him after this season and are willing to accept far below market value for him, I wouldn't be surprised to see Bradley move on to his fourth team in seven months.

4.A playoff contender trading a protected lottery pick to the Heat for Justise Winslow:
I love me some Justise Winslow. He's a young, three and D guy with a sky-high ceiling.  Winslow has failed to earn a significant spot in Erik Spoelstra's rotation in his brief career so far and that relative lack of playing time makes him an intriguing trade target for a fringe playoff team that's looking to add a hard-nosed player to their bench. Although I doubt he'll be moved, I think he's an under-the-radar young player who could have a Victor Oladipo-esque breakthrough if he ends up in the right system.

5.Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris to Cleveland for Cleveland's 1st round pick and Cedi Osman:
Here's a move the Cavs could make with their own draft pick. Spencer Dinwiddie has outperformed all expectations, but really isn't much use for a rebuilding Brooklyn Nets team who finally gets their own picks after this upcoming draft. Since Dinwiddie took over the starting point guard job in mid-November following a knee injury to D'Angelo Russell, he's averaged 14 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds and ranked 13th in real plus/minus (right ahead of superstars Chris Paul and Joel Embiid). He also doesn't turn the ball over much (1.4 TO's per game) and has the length (6"6) to defend multiple positions. During a time where LeBron is struggling to create for his teammates without turning the ball over and the Cavs getting gashed on defense night after night, Dinwiddie could give this team the spark on both ends of the floor while also providing them with some much-needed cap flexibility (he's on the books for just $3.1 mil over the next two seasons) heading into a pivotal offseason for them. Joe Harris lacks Dinwiddie's versatility and would likely just be a rental given his impending free agency this summer, but his excellent outside shooting (40.2 3P%) and solid defense would help them out on the nights that J.R. Smith and Jae Crowder don't show up.

Although there are a multitude of trade possibilities, I don't think we'll see really see too crazy of a trade deadline. Between the insane contracts some players have signed over the past year and the value most GM's put on building through the draft , it's unlikely that a lot of teams will piss away their long-term plans for a shot at short-term success.

DeAndre Jordan is a longshot to be moved because of the Clippers asking price (a package containing multiple draft picks and players) and his contract situation (a 2018-19 player option for $24 mil that he'll likely opt out of). A dominant second-unit scorer like Lou Williams will come at a cheaper price, but any team pursuing him will have to ask themselves whether or not it's worth giving up a first round pick and the star potential and manageable rookie contracts that come with them for one playoff run with Lou Will? If it doesn't push you over the top where you can now contend with Golden State or Houston, the answer is no. One thing is for sure, there will be teams that try to make these moves this year, but I will sleep soundly knowing that will not be my Celtics.

Thanks for reading. I'll be posting here weekly, so be sure to come back and check out my stuff if you liked what you read.

Twitter: @JohnNygren_BOS
IG: @johnanonymous

NBA Trade Deadline Predictions

The NBA Trade Deadline is approximately three hours from now at 3 P.M. EST. Here's a quick look at the most buzzed about players on the trading block and the odds they'll be moved by the deadline.

High Possibility:
-Pau Gasol, power forward (Current team: Chicago Bulls Potential landing spots: Sacramento Kings, Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat)
-Iman Shumpert, shooting guard (Current team: Cleveland Cavaliers Potential landing spots: Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, Houston Rockets)

50/50:
Ryan Anderson, power forward (Current team: New Orleans Pelicans Potential landing spots: Cleveland Cavilers, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors)
Jared Dudley, small forward (Current team: Washington Wizards Potential landing spots: Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers)
Randy Foye, shooting guard (Current team: Denver Nuggets Potential landing spots: Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder)
Channing Frye, power forward (Current team: Orlando Magic Potential landing spots: Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Cleveland Cavaliers)
Ty Lawson, point guard (Current team: Houston Rockets Potential landing spots: Utah Jazz, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets)
Thaddeus Young, power forward (Current team: Brooklyn Nets Potential landing spots: Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks)  

Unlikely to Be Traded:
Al Horford, center (Current team: Atlanta Hawks Potential landing spots: Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors)
Dwight Howard, center (Current team: Houston Rockets Potential landing spots: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Portland Trail Blazers)
Blake Griffin, power forward (Current team: Los Angeles Clippers Potential landing spots: New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Chicago Bulls)
Kevin Love, power forward (Current team: Cleveland Cavaliers Potential landing spots: Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Sacramento Kings)
Greg Monroe, power forward/center (Current team: Milwaukee Bucks Potential landing spots: Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks)
Jeff Teague, point guard (Current team: Atlanta Hawks Potential landing spots: Utah Jazz, Orlando Magic, Dallas Mavericks)