Predicting NBA's Biggest Names Who Will Be Traded Before 2015 Deadline
The NBA's buyers and sellers have been uncommonly busy ahead of the 2015 trade deadline, but there are still plenty of moves to be made.
Many of the most obvious transactions have already taken place. The Cleveland Cavaliers shored up their wing rotation and added a rim protector in a substantial swap with the New York Knicks, and the Boston Celtics finally sent away Rajon Rondo after nearly two years of speculation.
In the past, those kinds of deals might not have gone through until the 11th hour. For whatever reason, they were consummated early this season.
Still, the rumor mill continues to churn, and there's no shortage of trade chatter these days.
A potential sale has the Brooklyn Nets looking to move expensive assets, streamlining their books as much as possible. Elsewhere, as always, lottery-bound squads are looking to divest themselves of veterans, hoping to bring back better long-term prospects.
Most interestingly, there are a handful of deals out there that, despite being topics of conversation for months, remain undone.
It's tricky to foretell what moves will and won't be made. That said, here's a crack at deadline predictions for this season.
Brook Lopez, C, Brooklyn Nets
1 of 5
The Nets are going to hang on to Lopez. For now.
"Standing pat at this time," a Nets source told Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowksi. "There was nothing we liked."
Rumored talks with the Oklahoma City Thunder stalled, and whatever other progress was made with teams out West hit an impasse. But Brooklyn's ceiling this season appears to be a one-and-done visit to the postseason as a low seed. And with owner Mikhail Prokhorov reportedly considering selling the team, as first relayed by Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg News, there's little reason to keep him around through the deadline.
Brooklyn's options for cutting salary are limited. Deron Williams' health and costlier contract make him harder to move than Lopez. Joe Johnson's deal, like Lopez's, runs through the 2015-16 seasonโbut for an extra $8 million per year.
Lopez can help a risk-tolerant team in need of size and offensive punch at center. His history of foot and back injuries may chill interest, but eventually somebody will take the gamble.
This situation features a motivated seller with an asset thatย should be drawing interest. It's only a matter of time until a deal gets done.
Reggie Jackson, G, Oklahoma City Thunder
2 of 5
The writing's on the wall for Reggie Jackson.
Slipping down the depth chart behind newly acquired Dion Waiters and staring at restricted free agency this summer, Jackson is beginning to look like excess baggage in OKC.
And he knows it.
"My ultimate goal is always to win a championship...(but) whatever is the next move is the next move," Jackson said, via Sam Amick of USA Today. "I'm just going to be here and be the best player I can be, day-in and day-out. When I go on the court I hope it shows. I want to compete at the highest level, always trying to get better. But if you have to move, it is what it is."
Given a chance to assume a bigger role this season, Jackson has contributed in volume but not efficiency. He's hitting under 29 percent of his threes on the year and has predictably seen his minutes diminish of late.
After playing 38.2 minutes per game in November (thanks to simultaneous injuries to Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant), Jackson saw the floor for just 28.4 minutes per game in December. In January, that number has dipped to 21.2.
With Waiters locked up for an extra year on his rookie deal, there's little reason for the Thunder to bother with the hassle of renouncing, dealing with a cap hold or matching an offer sheet for Jackson in July. Getting something for him before the deadline that might help OKC's playoff push makes much more sense.
Everyone seems prepared for the Jackson-Thunder relationship to end. Now it's simply a question of Oklahoma City finding a suitable trade partner.
Miles Plumlee, C, Phoenix Suns
3 of 5
The emergence of Alex Len and the sneakily smart deal that brought in Brandan Wright have combined to push Miles Plumlee into the "expendable" category for the Phoenix Suns.
According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein: "Sources told ESPN.com โthat the Suns are working in conjunction with Plumlee's agent, Mark Bartelstein, to try to find a new home for the third-year center, who has seen his playing time steadily dwindle as the season has progressed."
That's actually a little sad, as the former No. 26 pick seemed to have carved out a niche in the league last year after coming over from the Indiana Pacers. Plumlee flashed eye-opening athleticism for a big man, and he even featured the occasional "I didn't know he hadย that" post move.
The role reduction has been significant for Plumlee this season. After starting 79 games in 2013-14, he's seen his spot in the first unit disappear. His minutes per game in January have plummeted to just 12.8.
This is a good problem for the Suns to have, as there are plenty of teams out there who could use a 26-year-old center with as much bounce as Plumlee. However, if Phoenix continues to insist on a first-round pick for its third-string center (as Stein reports it is), it may be tough to swing a deal.
Expect the Suns to soften their stance and move Plumlee for a second-rounder or a wing.
Thaddeus Young, PF, Minnesota Timberwolves
4 of 5
It wouldn't be a trade deadline if we weren't talking about Thaddeus Young's availability.
The seemingly annual tradition of Thad rumors is back again this year, as the Minnesota Timberwolves find themselves in the perfect "excusable tank" situation: They have no reason to employ a serviceable veteran who'll only eat into minutes better fed to young talent.
The Wolves have been smashed by injuries, with Ricky Rubio struggling to recover from a more-complex-than-expected ankle sprain and Nikola Pekovic only recently stomping his way back into the rotation. Kevin Martin (broken wrist) is nearing a return but hasn't played since mid-November.
The happy accident in all this is that the Wolves have a perfect justification for letting the kids (Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, Gorgui Dieng, etc.) take their lumps, learn a few things and, most importantly for the future, lose.
Adding another No. 1 overall pick alongside a core of Wiggins, Rubio and Dieng could fast-track the rebuild in Minnesota.
Young is merely in the way. Not because he lacks proven talent, but because he has it. Known commodities like him can help good teams. With the Wolves, he's just not a logical fit.
With Steinย reporting the Nets have interest, we should probably expect a move by the deadline.
It'll be best for everyone.
Wilson Chandler, F, and/or Arron Afflalo, G, Denver Nuggets
5 of 5
This prediction's on the bolder side, as Denver Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw recently explained to Christopher Dempsey of theย Denver Post that Wilson Chandler and Arron Afflalo weren't being actively shopped.
But with Timofey Mozgov already shipped out and the Nuggets sufficiently distant from playoff relevance, there's just too much sense in moving Chandler and Afflalo to ignore the possibilities.
Besides, Chandler himself is skeptical he's staying put, per Dempsey:ย "If a deal comes along that's a pretty good deal, you've got to make it of course. And some guys say they're not going to trade you, and then they trade you. I'm not saying that (Nuggets general manager Tim Connelly) is that guy, but you never know. You can never feel too safe about anything."
Chandler is a big wing on a reasonable salary (he's owed just $7.1 million next season, the final year of his contract), and Afflalo fits nicely into the three-and-D prototype so many teams covet. He too has just one more year on his deal after this oneโa player option for $7.5 million.
B/R's Zach Buckley laid out the appeal of Afflalo: "The 29-year-old has averaged 15.6 points per game since the start of the 2010-11 season and boasts an impressive .461/.383/.827 shooting slash over that stretch. Add in the fact he can play and defend multiple positions on the perimeter, and it's obvious why teams would have an interest in acquiring him."
Who wouldn't want that?
Aside from the Nuggets, of course, who need to accumulate picks and youth to get their rebuild going.
Afflalo and Chandler could bring back a bit of both.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
