5 Stars Who Could Be Worth Trading the No. 1 Pick in 2015 NBA Draft
Last year's top NBA draft pick, Andrew Wiggins, was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a deal for Kevin Love. It was weird.
Let's get weird again.
Instant turnarounds are still a priority in today's NBA. It's getting harder and harder to pry stars away from incumbent teams via free agency, but the concept of wheeling and dealing is alive and well.
That brings us back to the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft, which could be used on Jahlil Okafor of Duke, Karl-Anthony Towns of Kentucky, D'Angelo Russell of Ohio State or another one of this year's top prospects.
Any one of the Association's worst squads would do well to continue rebuilding around such touted talent. But those looking for an added kick, for an immediate leap, could also dangle the position in negotiations for star-level impacts.
Prospective targets are not just a who's who of the NBA's best players. We need reasons as to why they would become available. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are not hitting the chopping block. Get over it. Our definition of "star" will also rest on present performances and reputations or projected ceilings. There needs to be just cause as to why they're worth building around.
Bear in mind, we're not making package-specific suggestions. Other moving parts would need to be involved in any deal. Certain top-pick contenders would also need to trade the actual player drafted, not the pick itself, since they're unable to unload a first-rounder this year (looking at you, Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks).
Most importantly, we're going to be standing out on limbs, some of them fantastically flimsy. That, though, is just the cost of picturing what cannot yet be definitively predicted.
DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings
1 of 5
Age: 24
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 23.7 points, 12.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.7 blocks, 46.6 percent shooting, 24.2 player efficiency rating
DeMarcus Cousins, you are our muse.
No, seriously, you are. We don't have to imagine why you would wind up on the trade block, because sources told Bleacher Report's Howard Beck you may already be there:
"Karl wants players who move the ball and push the tempo, and that could mean wild upheaval on the Kings roster. Even DeMarcus Cousins, their franchise center, is not untouchable, according to a source with insight into Karl's thinking. 'At the trade deadline, everyone was available,' the person said. Including Cousins? 'Every single person (on the Kings roster) was available.' Although Karl does not hold a front office title, 'he definitely has control' of future personnel decisions, the source said.
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Caveat: Cousins can certainly fit into George Karl's pace and space system. While his efficiency has suffered since the Sacramento Kings decided to run hare-footed sets following Mike Malone's departure, Cousins is a rampant-roving big man with the offensive range necessary to open driving lanes when post-ups aren't a priority.
But let's not pretend he's the ideal fit for such an offensive dynamic. All towers with a scoring touch inside the paint are best used within a blueprint that frequently, not haphazardly, utilizes their back-to-the-basket weaponry.
If the Kings are going to marginalize Cousins' vast skill set in any way, the two parties are better off without each other. This holds doubly true knowing Cousins and Sacramento's management haven't seen eye to eye since the dawn of time (see: Cousins' pre-Karl rant).
Young and fully capable of carrying an entire offense, there should be no hesitation in flipping the No. 1 pick for Cousins' services. Statistically speaking, the Kings are a borderline playoff team when he's on the floor, and his individual production knows few peers.
To wit: Cousins is just the third player to collect 6,000 points, 3,500 rebounds, 850 assists, 400 steals and 350 blocks through his first five seasons, joining Charles Barkley and David Robinson. That's certainly worth the top selection for any team hoping to expedite its rebuilding process.
Best Fits Among No. 1-Pick Contenders: Denver Nuggets, Lakers and Knicks
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
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Age: 20
2013-14 College Per-Game Stats: 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, 62.6 percent shooting, 28.2 PER
Yes, we're walking a tight rope without a safety net, but Joel Embiid is still worth the mention of that risk.
Sitting for his entire rookie season hasn't done much for his individual stock. Both his surgically repaired right foot and history of back problems are red flags that won't soon go away.
Still, the potential is there. Embiid is still the kid who drew comparisons to Hakeem Olajuwon. He is still the player who rivaled Wiggins for alpha-dog status in last year's draft before going down. He is still the talent-rich prospect whom Jonathan Tjarks summed up accurately for SB Nation:
"At 7'0 and 250 pounds with a 7'4 wingspan, Embiid looks like he was constructed in a laboratory from the best parts of lesser center prospects. He has elite size, length and athleticism. He has the ability to get down in a stance and switch on the pick-and-roll, bang with bigger players on the block and contest shots high above the rim.
What makes him special, though, is what he can do on the other side of the ball. Embiid is the rare seven-footer who projects as both an elite defensive and offensive player.
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Protect the rim, block shots, crash the glass, score in the post, drill jumpers—there isn't much a projected peak Embiid cannot do. All-around talents like himself, however raw at first glance, don't surface very often.
Something like once in a generation.
And the pick-obsessed 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie is prepared to deal him for another top selection, according Forbes' Mark Heisler. If you're this year's lottery winner (and not the Sixers), and Philadelphia comes calling with Embiid and one of its four possible first-round selections, can you say no?
Some teams might.
Those that are shallow at the center position and fully aware of the franchise-turning possibilities at hand will not.
Best Fits Among No. 1-Pick Contenders: Lakers, Lakers, Lakers
Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers
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Age: 26
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 17.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.7 steals, 42.9 percent shooting, 19.2 PER
The irony here is real.
Love was traded for the 2014 No. 1 pick last summer. Imagine if he was dealt away from the Cleveland Cavaliers in similar fashion this offseason.
It's not as ridiculous as it sounds. Not if you even slightly believe ESPN.com's Chris Broussard, who says most NBA executives see Love leaving Cleveland in free agency (via The Big Lead).
Displeasure with playing the third fiddle to Kyrie Irving and James is the fulcrum of this belief. Love's numbers and efficiency have plummeted with the Cavaliers as he tries to familiarize himself with playing the role of an almost-exclusive spot-up shooter.
Skeptics won't look at his numbers and see a superstar worth the No. 1 pick, but again, these are lines Love is posting as a third option. He's not even a year removed from becoming the first player in league history to average 26 points, 12 rebounds and four assists while also hitting at least one three-pointer over the course of the entire season.
That's the type of damage he can do as a featured option. He doesn't even have to be the No. 1 benefactor; second in command will suffice. That should allow him enough touches to register a usage rate comparable to those from his final seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Viewed that way, Love is still enticing enough to mortgage the future on. Prying him out Cleveland will be difficult, what with the Cavaliers likely placing a premium on win-now talent. But if a third team can get involved, a still-in-his-prime Love remains worth this kind of dice roll to the right team.
Best Fits Among No. 1-Pick Contenders: Lakers, Knicks, Nuggets
Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies
4 of 5
Age: 30
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 18.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.8 blocks, 49.6 percent shooting, 22.2 PER
Big men on the wrong side of 30 are atypical of lists like this. They should be on the downside of their careers, starting to feel the ill-effects of post play, end-to-end running and Father Time.
Marc Gasol, however, is an intriguing option for those high-end lottery teams looking to not just expedite their rebuild but end it. He can anchor a top-ranked defense and headline an efficient offense, and he'll be coming off the best season of his career this summer.
At age 30, Gasol has only just made the conspicuous leap to superstardom. He's averaging career highs in shot attempts, points and usage rate, having just started taking the Memphis Grizzlies' offensive livelihood upon himself.
Because he's not overly reliant on bruising post-up sets, Gasol's game should age well beyond this season and into his mid-30s. Just over 36.1 percent of his offensive touches come in such situations, a distribution that's markedly lower than those of Zach Randolph (41.9), Roy Hibbert (45.7), Dwight Howard (50.7) and Al Jefferson (58.6), among others.
Looking at Gasol and his ability to space the floor as a quasi-stretch 5, it's difficult not to draw similarities between LaMarcus Aldridge and, most notably, Tim Duncan. Provided he stays in shape—something he's dedicated to these days, per Beck—Gasol plays with the potent grace of someone who should remain a star as he enters his twilight.
For top-pick contenders in desperate need of immediate results, it's impossible not to see the upside. And if you're the Grizzlies, there's no better way to salvage Gasol's departure while remaining competitive than to sign and trade him for the No. 1 pick (the actual selection, since Gasol cannot be moved until July).
Best Fits Among No. 1-Pick Contenders: Minnesota Timberwolves (buh-bye, Nikola Pekovic), Lakers, Knicks
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
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Age: 26
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 25.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.9 blocks, 51 percent shooting, 27.8 PER
Remember those leaps of faith we referenced earlier?
Well, jump.
Kevin Durant's inclusion isn't a shot in the dark value-wise. Even while he's tended to various foot injuries, missing more games this season than in his previous seven combined, the reigning MVP is still worth building around—someone with the power to transform a team down on its luck into an insta-contender.
This is arguably Durant at his worst, and yet he's still padding box scores with mind-melting stat lines. To this day, he's an efficient gunner with a penchant for on- and off-ball playmaking who flirts with 50/40/90 shooting slashes like the regular season is some kind of protracted speed-dating tournament.
The real issue here is Durant's availability, or lack thereof. He's set to enter unrestricted free agency in 2016, at which point the Oklahoma City Thunder could lose for him nothing. Though capitalizing on his value would make sense this summer, his departure is not guaranteed.
Then again, Durant hasn't promised to remain in Oklahoma City, either.
"I was loyal. If it comes down to that, I mean: I was," he told GQ's Zach Baron. "My deal's up in 2016. I'll have been here nine years. I could have easily wanted out. I could have easily not signed the extension after my rookie contract. I could have not played as hard every night. But people tend to forget."
No one will soon forget about his inevitable foray onto the open market, least of all the Thunder.
Faced with the prospect of losing him in one year's time, without assurances of his return, proactively moving on this offseason—a la the Timberwolves (Love), Nuggets (Carmelo Anthony) and Orlando Magic (Howard)—won't sound as crazy then as it does now.
After all, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and a No. 1 pick makes for one hell of a reboot.
Best Fits Among No. 1-Pick Contenders: All of them.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com and are accurate leading into games for March 2. Draft pick information via RealGM.
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