5 NBA Teams That Should Be Active in Trade Talks During 2016 Offseason
There are a million ways for NBA teams to improve their players—from strength training and skill drills to sleep science and nutrition education—but only three methods to improving their rosters.
The first of those (the draft) has already happened. The second phase tips off July 1, when free agents can start chasing cash like they're trapped in phone booths filled with money.
The third avenue (trades) is available throughout the offseason, but it picks up steam when the dust has settled in free agency. Once the annual game of musical chairs is over, those teams left without seats—but still with needs to fill—will look more aggressively to snag players already signed to deals.
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This summer is shaping up to be a unique one in that regard. Player salaries that once seemed unwieldy will be far more attractive compared to the contracts soon to be signed under the exploding cap. With so much money to be spent and so few free agents worth the expense, there will be teams that have space to spare and can absorb players, rather than having to cobble together dollar-for-dollar swaps.
Look for these five teams, listed in alphabetical order, to be the most active on the trade market, driven there by a combination of assets on hand, absence of appeal to free agents and desire to take a big step forward.
Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge must feel a lot like Cage in Edge of Tomorrow. Every time he goes hunting for a bona fide star with his cache of draft picks and young players, he winds up back where he started. That was once again the case for Ainge surrounding the 2016 draft.
"There was a lot of discussion and no deals. It was just that simple," Ainge told Boston.com's Brian Robb. "We pulled away from some, they pulled away from some. I don’t think it was a lack of value (in the pick), but to find trade partners in those kind of deals it has to be good for both teams. We just didn’t find one."
Ainge's boss, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, wasn't so diplomatic in his assessment.
"We did not sniff a trade today," Grousbeck said, per SB Nation's Jared Weiss. "It was a collection of rip-off attempts and we laughed at them."
Either way, the C's are as loaded with assets as they were before the draft. Rather than attempt to entice his colleagues with hypotheticals, Ainge can offer actual names (Jaylen Brown! Guerschon Yabusele! Ante Zizic!).
Between now and 2020, the C's are owed two first-rounders from the Brooklyn Nets (via swap in 2017, outright in 2018), first-rounders from the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies, plus enough second-rounders to send Sam Hinkie into a feeding frenzy, (wherever he may be).
The problem for Ainge and the C's will be the same one that's plagued them all along, which NBA.com's David Aldridge laid out after the draft:
"The Celtics' GM has made no secret the last couple of years that he's wanted to package his cache of Draft picks as part of a deal for an All-Star or better level player. Which is part of the problem. Everyone knows how desperate Boston is to get a big name to TD Garden, so no one is willing to give in. You keep hearing around the league that the Cs value their young players more than others do, and that often gets in the way of a potential deal being consummated.
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But Ainge won't stop plugging away, however painful the process may be. Until he has that second star to pair with Isaiah Thomas (and probably even after that), he'll be on the prowl for the next great Celtic.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks already have one near-7-footer (Giannis Antetokounmpo, 6'11") playing point-center and another (John Henson, 6'11") signed to swat shots on a descending salary through the 2019-20 season. On draft night, they added 7'1" Thon Maker, who, like Antetokounmpo, has the skills to play all over the floor, if not (yet) the bulk to bang inside.
And, per Sporting News' Mitch Lawrence, the Bucks could be hot after another big man, Joakim Noah, who is a favorite of head coach Jason Kidd's.
Nothing here bodes well for Greg Monroe, who, according to Lawrence, fell out of Kidd's favor during the former's first season in Brew Town. The Bucks shopped Monroe "hard," per Sheridan Hoops' Michael Scotto, prior to the draft, to no avail.
Chances are general manager John Hammond will continue to dangle Monroe throughout the summer. Finding any takers through the first half of July figures to be a challenge, though. With the glut of quality bigs available, most teams seeking help up front will hesitate to give up anything of value for a plodding, old-school big whose potential opt-out in 2017 essentially renders him a one-year rental.
Once executives see how the market unfolds, they may be more inclined to talk shop with Milwaukee. Monroe's $17.1 million salary for 2016-17 will look like a steal compared to the mind-numbing sums due to be doled out in free agency.
And with a slew of formerly trade-baity stars (i.e., Jimmy Butler, Kevin Love, DeMarcus Cousins) looking likely to stay put for now, Monroe could emerge as an attractive target when the business of basketball bleeds into August. That would put the Bucks in an enviable position as they look to add to their promising, young core.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Tom Thibodeau's draft-day pursuit of Butler may be just the beginning of the Minnesota Timberwolves' trade activity this summer. With Kris Dunn, the No. 5 pick in 2016, joining Ricky Rubio and Zach LaVine in the Twin Cities, the Wolves are howling with talented players in their backcourt.
And that doesn't include Andrew Wiggins, who could spend time at shooting guard, and Tyus Jones, who barely got off the bench as a rookie under previous head coach Sam Mitchell.
The T-Wolves won't have to cull that crop if they don't want to. Dunn could spend his debut campaign on the pine learning behind Rubio and LaVine.
But if the failed Butler chase was any indication, Thibs may desire a veteran with playoff chops to help not only nurture his TimberPups, but also turn them into a threat out West in a hurry. If the team falls short in free agency, its next-best bet may be to find that kind of support on the trade market and offer some of its guard surplus in return.
The Wolves have other chips too: Nikola Pekovic, who played just 12 games in 2015-16 amid his most injury-plagued campaign, is under contract for another two years. His pact sports numbers—$12.1 million this year, $11.6 million in 2017-18—that will look like peanuts under the new cap.
Essentially everyone on Minnesota's roster outside of Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns ought to be available in trade talks. The league's last two Rookies of the Year give Thibs and general manager Scott Layden a pair of cornerstones to build around. The objective, then, is to figure out who else in Minneapolis fits with that duo and reshuffle the rest accordingly.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers had their trade pitches swatted away left and right on draft day. According to the Bucks County Courier Times' Tom Moore, the Sixers offered Nerlens Noel and the Los Angeles Lakers' 2017 first-round pick (top-three protected) for Boston's No. 3 spot in this year's draft.
But Noel is still in Philly. So is Jahlil Okafor. With any luck, Joel Embiid, another big man, will be healthy enough to join them.
Throw in the 6'10" Ben Simmons, who was 2016's No. 1 pick, and Dario Saric, another 6'10" forward who's been stashed overseas since Philly drafted him in 2014, and the Sixers will soon have more size than they know what to do with.
Big men may not be all that fashionable in the modern NBA, but the Sixers' youngsters should draw interest under the right circumstances. Noel (6'11", 228 lbs) is a lanky athlete who can block shots and finish at the rim. The 20-year-old Okafor, despite his struggles both on and off the court as a rookie, is still supremely skilled for a player of his age and physique (6'11", 275 lbs).
Embiid, the No. 3 pick in 2014, might be the best of them if his foot and back problems don't prevent him from playing.
The Sixers have needs to fill at other positions, particularly in their backcourt and on the wing. Chasing after restricted free agents like Harrison Barnes and Dion Waiters could help, but only if those players' incumbent teams decline to match whatever offers Philly extends.
Should the Sixers come up short on the market, they can once again angle toward trading a young big or two. Even if they land a decent-sized fish in free agency, they could flip a frontcourt player and the Lakers pick for more established help.
As with Milwaukee and Monroe, Philly may have to wait for this summer's group of pivots to thin. When that happens, the Sixers should find more than a few teams interested in acquiring bigs on rookie deals rather than having to shell out eight-figure salaries to aging free agents.
Phoenix Suns
All seems hunky-dory with the Phoenix Suns...for now.
During a recent appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio, head coach Earl Watson insisted the team didn't shop Eric Bledsoe before or during the 2016 draft. Since then, Bledsoe has assembled some of his fellow Suns in San Diego for some good old-fashioned male bonding, as second-year pro Devin Booker shared on Twitter:
Whether they're all still teammates once training camp convenes in October is another story.
According to the Arizona Republic's Paul Coro, the Suns were "open to trading" Brandon Knight during the draft. Phoenix shouldn't be any less inclined to do so now, with Tyler Ulis joining a collection of Kentucky-trained guards that includes Bledsoe, Knight, Booker and Archie Goodwin.
The Suns should be able to pluck a foundational backcourt from that group. Between Alex Len and Tyson Chandler at center, plus incoming rookies Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss at power forward, they might soon crack their frontcourt code as well.
That leaves small forward as the spot that could most use an heir apparent. T.J. Warren and P.J. Tucker will vie for time on the wing. The Suns will also have the requisite cap room to draw some attention from free agents at that position.
But luring a veteran to a team that hasn't been to the playoffs in six years will be tough, warm weather and all. Should the Suns fall short, they'll still have enough talent to drum up activity on the trade market.
And given general manager Ryan McDonough's propensity for pulling off big trades, you can bet he won't shy away from swinging a deal, even an unusually risky one.
Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Cap information via Basketball Insiders.
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