5 NBA trades that make so much sense that they just won’t happen
If you don’t know what ESPN’s Trade Machine is, AND if you
haven’t tried hundreds (at least) of ridiculous trades that you know will never
happen, but still will help your team anyway, you’re not a true NBA fan. It’s a
tool ESPN created fit with every team’s player (and their corresponding salary)
with the option to “try out” any combination of players and picks you want and
see if they fit under the current NBA salary cap rules. That’s what brings me
to this post: 5 NBA trades that make so much sense that they just won’t happen…but
should.
#1: Charlotte Bobcats/Milwaukee
Bucks trade:
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Cody Zeller, and Ben Gordon, Rights
to Portland’s 2014 1st Round Pick
For:
Caron Butler, Larry Sanders, and Ersan Ilyasova
Why for Charlotte:
The Charlotte Bobcats have a legitimate chance at making the
playoffs this year. When is the last time anyone could say that…and not be
joking? Michael Jordan has to cash in on the first real opportunity for playoff
basketball and surround Kemba and Big Al with some real scoring punch in
veterans like Ilyasova and Butler while Sanders offers a defensive asset off
the bench.
Why for Milwaukee:
This is all about the Bucks doing what they need to do to
obtain multiple promising young assets as well as gain salary cap relief
looking into future years while also moving some veteran talent out to free up
time for Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Greek wonder kid, to develop.
#2: Los Angeles Lakers/Houston Rockets trade:
Pau Gasol and Nick Young
For
Omer Asik, Jeremy Lin, Terrance Jones, and 2014 1st
Round Pick
Why for Los Angeles:
The Lakers finally agree to take on future payroll
obligations now that Kobe has signed what will most likely be his final
contract in the league. Linsanity and Asik are solid young building blocks to
mold their rebuilding process around as well as taking a flyer on Jones (who
has been flourishing lately) and another first rounder. Package these young
pieces with Kobe and a big-ticket free agent in the next few years (Kevin Love
perhaps?) and the Lakers are right back in contention in the Western
conference.
Why for Houston:
Harden and Dwight are one of the most dominant duos in the
league when both are healthy and playing to their maximum potentials. Pairing
this duo with Gasol and his rebounding, defensive, and passing acumen would be
a deadly combination of stars. Losing Lin and Asik hurt in both PR and value to
the team’s offensive output but the subtle addition of Nick Young into the trade
compensates for this. The Lakers drive a hard bargain and make the Rockets end
up parting with an extremely valuable first round pick in the upcoming deep
2014 draft.
#3: Detroit Pistons/Phoenix suns trade:
Charlie Villanueava, Rodney Stuckey, and Greg Monroe
For
Emeka Okafor, Gerald Green, Alex Len, Rights to Indiana’s 2014
1st Round Pick, and Rights to LA Laker’s 2015 1st Round
Pick
Why for Detroit:
In order to go through with this deal, the Pistons would
have to be admitting to their fan-base that their current plan isn’t working
and they need to re-do the rebuilding efforts that have been on-going for far
too long already. However, a core of Alex Len, Brandon Jennings, Will Bynum,
Josh Smith, Andre Drummond, and two first-round selections in each of the next
two years is certainly a good place to start.
Why for Phoenix:
The Suns came into this season with every intention of
giving their young players time to develop and mature as players while
enhancing their individual skill sets. Thanks to astute recent trades, the Suns
have an impressive assortment of assets including good young talent and a
plethora of future first Round picks. Come this deadline, they will choose to
cash in on these assets in their efforts to push ahead and make the Playoffs.
Giving up what will likely be one of the worst first-round picks this year doesn’t
hurt as nearly as badly as other first round selections in this draft. The two
biggest assets the Suns will be hesitant to deal away are Len and the Lakers’
first-round selection in next year’s draft. The fact that all three players
they acquire are on short-term deals allows the team to decide on the future of
each, giving flexibility to the long-term future of the team. If they want,
they can re-sign them, sign-and-trade them for valuable future assets, or let
them walk in free agency and sign someone else with the savings in cap space
created by the trade.
#4: Orlando Magic/Philadelphia 76ers/Memphis Grizzlies
(3-Team) trade:
ORLANDO:
Aaron Afflalo, Maurice Harkless, and Andrew Nicholson
For
Tayshaun Prince, Ed Davis, and Memphis’ 2014 1st
round draft pick
PHILADELPHIA:
Even Turner and Lavoy Allen
For
Aaron Afflalo and Maurice Harkless
MEMPHIS:
Tayshaun Prince, Ed Davis, and 2014 First-round draft pick
For
Evan Turner, Lavoy Allen, and Andrew Nicholson
Why for Orlando:
Orlando’s GM, Rob Hennigan, is certainly not opposed to
three-team blockbusters involving the 76ers as seen in 2012’s Dwight Howard
blockbuster deal. Hennigan probably doesn’t get enough of a return on Afflalo
here, but Ed Davis and a mid-round draft pick in one of the most talented
drafts in recent memory is what a rebuilding team needs. This would give the
Magic three of the top 20 selections in this summer’s draft while freeing up
playing time for younger building blocks like Tobias Harris and Victor Oladipo.
Why for Philadelphia:
The Sixers look to capitalize on the Magic’s need for draft
picks and try to turn Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen into a player on the verge of
breaking out and another hidden gem in Harkless. Afflalo and Carter-Williams give
Philly one of the most-talented backcourt tandems in the Eastern conference
with Nerlens Noel and two draft picks of their own in this coming draft as well
to build around.
Why for Memphis:
Memphis is attempting to upgrade their small-forward
position in a last-ditch effort to make the playoffs in the highly-competitive
Western conference. They agree to relinquish their first-round selection to try
and “buy low” on Turner, who could flourish on a talented playoff team with
proven guards and big men. Although Ed Davis is a vital rotation member and
someone the Grizzlies wouldn’t want to part with, the return of Allen and
Nicholson should be able to fill in and at least, combine to match the
production output of the departing Davis.
#5: Chicago Bulls/New York Knicks /Golden State Warriors
(3-Team) trade:
CHICAGO:
Joakim Noah, Kirk Hinrich, Mike Dunleavy, Jimmy Butler, and Rights
to Cleveland’s 2015 1st Round Pick
For
Carmello Anthony
NEW YORK:
Carmello Anthony, JR Smith, and Cole Aldrich
For
Joakim Noah, Harrison Barnes, Jimmy Butler, Mike Dunleavy,
Maureese Speights, and Jermaine O’Neal
GOLDEN STATE:
Maureese Speights, Harrison Barnes and Jermaine O’Neal
For
JR Smith, Kirk Hinrich, and the Rights to Cleveland’s 2015 1st
Round Pick
Why for Chicago:
Simple thinking: The Bulls have tried their current
defensive heart and hustle around an MVP-type player (when healthy) and they
came up close. It just happened to be at the same time that the Miami Heat have
completely revolutionized the way NBA GM’s go about building a roster. The
Bulls become extremely bold with this move and attempt to pair a healthy D-Rose
with Carmello Anthony trying to beat Miami at their own game. They hate to lose
Noah, Butler, and Cleveland’s future first, but the price of obtaining an
all-star is just ridiculously high in the current NBA trading landscape. This
deal would certainly leading to Carlos Boozer being amnestied in the offseason
to allow Taj Gibson to ably slide into the starting role and using the salary
cap space created by the amnestying of him to sign another capable player to
defend and rebound down low to fill the void left by Noah.
Why for New York:
The Knicks finally admit to the league, their fans, and
themselves what everyone else already has known: the Carmello Anthony
trade/experiment was a massive failure. You can’t win a championship with a
team built around a superstar who tries on one end of the floor. They actually do
extremely well in this deal as they turn Carmello (who could leave them in a
year and a half anyway) Cole Aldrich, and the maligned JR Smith into a
legitimate All-Star center in Noah, two extremely talented young wing players
in Barnes and Butler who each can serve as the antithesis to Smith as they are
highly efficient, defensive minded guards that are a coach’s dream. Speights,
Dunleavy, and O’Neal would serve as fillers in this trade likely to fill-in
roster spots and limited playing time for the rest of their contracts.
Why for Golden State:
This trade would at first stand as a head-scratcher for the
Warriors as they deal away two contributing big men, and a promising young
talent (albeit one blocked by Iguodala and Thompson on the wing) for the
chucker of all chuckers in JR Smith, the token big man in Aldrich, an older
Hinrich, and a future first. However, this is another chance for Golden State’s
GM, Bob Myers, to prove to the rest of the league, just how much better he is
at his job than his peers. Myers takes this opportunity to shift assets and
mostly keep the core of his roster intact, or at least equaled in talent, while
picking up a major asset in Cleveland first-round selection in 2015. Myers is
largely gambling on the probability (and more like inevitability) of Cleveland
continuing to make terrible roster decisions going forward and gaining what
will most likely be a top 8 pick in a draft while maintaining his own team’s
chances at competing deep into the playoffs with veterans Hinrich and Smith.
No comments:
Post a Comment