NBA Players and Teams Already in Need of a Trade
Only amateur basketball detectives need more than a week(ish) to figure out which NBA teams and players already need to make a change.
Good thing we're all professionals 'round these parts.
Talking trades might seem a tad premature, but we're not cannonballing into ridiculousness. Early-season lessons and developments hold weight. We have a feel for what many teams are, what they aren't and what they need. We can tell when players look out of place. We know the difference between temporary issues and logjams that won't go away.
Besides, most of our subjects entered the year riding the coattails of uncertainty. These players and teams were always going to need a midseason change. We're just calling for that pivot in a more timely fashion.
Honorable Mentions
1 of 8
Kent Bazemore, Atlanta Hawks
Kent Bazemore doesn't really need a pink slip. He isn't harshing the Atlanta Hawks' subtle tanking vibes and doesn't seem unhappy going along for the ride. If anything, the Hawks should want to dump him and the $54.3 million he's due through 2019-20.
But Bazemore could use some new digs himself. His offensive efficiency—both from distance and around the basket—has dipped since taking on more ball-handling duties. He's more likely to regain his 2015-16 mojo on a team that only needs him to defend and swish spot-up threes.
Charlotte Hornets
Surprise, surprise: The Charlotte Hornets need another playmaker. Their offense implodes whenever Kemba Walker takes a breather, and they don't have an in-house solution.
Nicolas Batum is sidelined with an elbow injury and wasn't particularly inspiring in the point wing role last season. Jeremy Lamb and Malik Monk look hopelessly overmatched when Walker isn't there to be a defensive magnet. Getting Michael Carter-Williams back won't do anything.
In the event they're itching for some backup, the Hornets are more likely to surf the free-agency market after clearing a roster spot. They don't have the small-scale assets to broker a blippy deal.
With that said, their dare-to-be-great, screw-it-let's-pay-the-tax scenario includes offering the Phoenix Suns Lamb, Marvin Williams and a first-round pick for Eric Bledsoe and Jared Dudley.
New Orleans Pelicans
Wings! And maybe a spare knee or two for Anthony Davis! But mostly the New Orleans Pelicans need wings!
Too bad they have zero expendable trade assets. (Shout-out E'Twaun Moore for becoming indispensable.)
Jared Dudley, Phoenix Suns
Phoenix should be shopping every single one of its veterans.
Except this guy.
Dudley is a natural choice here in today's age of ring-chasing vets, but he seems genuinely jazzed to be a steadying locker room presence—interest that isn't rooted in playing time. He's made just one appearance this season but doesn't seem to care, hence the honorable mention instead of full-fledged feature.
While Dudley has earned the chance to play for a winner and was painted as available before the season, the Suns should probably keep him around a bit longer—you know, for the culture.
Sacramento Kings
To say the Sacramento Kings need to make a trade is a bit strong. They'll lose enough to jostle for top-five lottery odds even with all their veterans in tow.
At the same time, these 15- to 20-minute nights for Kosta Koufos and Zach Randolph need to stop. Earmarking more run for super-small units or getting Willie Cauley-Stein and Skal Labissiere above the 30-minute threshold makes more sense.
Finding a new home for Koufos—who is inherently easier to move because of his salary—should be among Sacramento's biggest priorities.
Wesley Matthews, Dallas Mavericks
2 of 8
Wesley Matthews deserves to play on a good team.
He is in no way worth the $36.5 million owed to him through next season, but he remains a defensive workaholic. The Dallas Mavericks run him through the wringer for more than 35 minutes per game, even though he's 31 and a couple years removed from an Achilles injury, in hopes he can stabilize their most leaky five-man combinations.
It doesn't always work. Not for long stretches. The Mavericks are being dominated when Matthews is on the court—which, again, has more to do with the lineups in which he plays. He isn't someone who should be anchoring an entire system. Few wings can. He's best suited as a 1B perimeter defender who knocks down threes and flings passes off the catch.
That role isn't available across the league in unlimited supply. They exist on contenders and seldom come with his price tag. And it doesn't help that the Mavericks don't need to make a move. They'll contend for a bottom-five record and top-five pick with or without him.
Potential suitors will have to dangle clear incentives for Dallas to nibble. A first-round pick is ideal, but it's also unlikely without another steep contract coming in.
Salary-cap relief is pretty much all the Mavericks can hope for at this time. And while they have the timeline to wait out the market or let Matthews come off the books, taking on a younger player who's more likely to opt out of his deal this summer would be a defensible play.
Potential Trade
Dallas Mavericks receive: PF/C Channing Frye, SG Iman Shumpert, 2020 second-round pick (via Miami), 2021 second-round pick
Cleveland Cavaliers: SG/SF Wesley Matthews
Eric Bledsoe
3 of 8
Duh.
Eric Bledsoe caused quite the ruckus when he tweeted "I don't wanna be here" on the evening of Oct. 22. Everyone and their third cousin's fifth cousin assumed this was his way of requesting a trade from the then-winless Suns—especially after they fired head coach Earl Watson.
Though Bledsoe claimed to be expressing his disdain for hair salons, general manager Ryan McDonough didn't buy it. How could he? Bledsoe apparently asked for a change of scenery during the offseason. McDonough also said the point guard and his people were angered by the absence of extension talks, per Kevin Zimmerman of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM:
"Eric (was) eligible for a renegotiation and extension of his contract … with two years left on his contract, we did not feel like that was something that made sense for the team. We told Eric and his representatives that was something that we were potentially open to discussing next summer with one year left on his deal. I guess they didn’t like that answer and took kind of a hostile approach and kind of shut down and distanced themselves from the team."
So, yeah, this relationship needs to end. Bledsoe isn't with the team anymore, and dragging out this lover's spat doesn't help either party.
Specific trade packages won't be offered here because too many potential suitors exist, and the assumption is you all have lives. Bleacher Report's Adam Fromal came up with a few doozies if you're looking for more than just best-fit locales.
Beyond the where and when, though, we know how this plays out: The Suns will ask for a little too much, as they are now, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. But they will end up settling for less because Bledsoe's exodus eradicates their leverage—and because the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers did nothing to set a competitive trade market for All-NBA talents, let alone fringe stars.
Best Potential Destinations: Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs
Tyson Chandler, Phoenix Suns
4 of 8
Tyson Chandler is getting the Wesley Matthews treatment. He needs to be on a good team, spending the duration of his twilight competing for, at minimum, mid-end playoff berths. (And, ideally, lobs from Giannis Antetokounmpo. But shhh! Spoilers!)
Maybe the 7'1" skyscraper is perfectly fine wasting away in Phoenix as a mentor. He is getting actual minutes, unlike Jared Dudley, and could take special pride in trying to reinvent Marquese Chriss' opponent-friendly defense.
Still, Chandler is 35. And he didn't sign on to be a babysitter. He joined the Suns to recruit LaMarcus Aldridge, and because they were offering $52 million. They don't need him with Dudley so enthusiastically on board and were shopping him accordingly before the Eric Bledsoe mess took effect, per ESPN.com's Zach Lowe.
Moving Chandler, of course, isn't the easiest venture. Teams aren't tripping over themselves to land non-shooting 5s owed $26.5 million through 2018-19.
Auctioning him off in a straight salary dump is even ambitious. Most squads would rather have the cap space. The Suns will need to take back an unsavory contract or two if they want anything or anyone special in exchange for his services.
Fortunately for them, they're in a position to bite that bullet. They should be hawking Chandler across the league as a quality rim-runner and situational paint protector, with the primary intention of absorbing a longer-term deal and extra fodder to net first-round picks and prospects.
Potential Trade
Milwaukee Bucks receive: PG Eric Bledsoe, C Tyson Chandler
Phoenix Suns receive: PG Matthew Dellavedova, C Greg Monroe, PF/C D.J. Wilson and 2018 lottery-protected first-round pick
Denver Nuggets
5 of 8
How much longer before we're forced to write an obituary for the Denver Nuggets' offensive identity?
The Mile High City's finest finished fifth in points scored per 100 possessions last season. And they placed first from Dec. 15 onward, after permanently moving Nikola Jokic into the starting lineup. They were only supposed to build upon that momentum following the addition of Paul Millsap over the summer.
But the Nuggets have done just the opposite. They rank inside the bottom 10 of offensive efficiency and aren't playing nearly as fast. Fewer possessions are ending with cuts and easy looks at the rim, and Jokic isn't bending defenses with the same effortless immediacy.
Almost 40 percent of the Nuggets' shots came within five feet of the basket last year. That number has plunged to around 30 percent this season. They're not trading in these tries for triples; their three-point-attempt rate (32.6) is basically unchanged from 2016-17 (32.9). They're instead allocating more of their looks to mid-range and long-two areas, according to Cleaning The Glass.
Four-game samplings often aren't telltale of anything. Denver has the look and feel of a team that will continue to endure growing pains.
Waiving Jameer Nelson, last year's most-played point guard, ties the Nuggets' backcourt playmaking burdens almost exclusively to the inexperienced Jamal Murray and underdeveloped Emmanuel Mudiay. They are incredibly light on wings after dealing Danilo Gallinari this summer yet don't seem in any rush to play Malik Beasley or Richard Jefferson, whom they waived Nelson to acquire.
Chalking up a sub-.500 start to temporary warts doesn't fly when you're supposed to be a playoff lock. And it most certainly doesn't work when your greatest strength has devolved into an Achilles' heel.
The Nuggets need to act now. They have explored an Eric Bledsoe trade, according to Basketball Insiders' Michael Scotto, but they shouldn't stop with him. Every available wing worth a damn should be on their wish list, too.
Trades to Pursue
Eric Bledsoe
Denver Nuggets receive: PG Eric Bledsoe
Phoenix Suns receive: PF Darrell Arthur, PG Emmanuel Mudiay, 2018 lottery-protected first-round pick
Kent Bazemore
Denver Nuggets receive: SG/SF Kent Bazemore
Atlanta Hawks receive: PF Kenneth Faried, PF Trey Lyles
Gorgui Dieng, Minnesota Timberwolves
6 of 8
Free. Gorgui. Dieng.
Well, that, or politely remind Minnesota Timberwolves head coach and president Tom Thibodeau the 27-year-old exists.
Actually, on second thought, remind him that Dieng is playing through the first season of a four-year, $62.8 million extension. Perhaps he'll then realize that slashing Dieng's minutes by more than half is absolutely ridiculous.
Relegating Dieng to the second unit was always an ominous play. But few could have predicted such a drop-off, even after accounting for Thibs' loyalty to Taj Gibson.
"Gibson has the benefit of coach Tom Thibodeau’s trust from their Chicago days together," the Star Tribune's Michael Rand wrote. "He also has the versatility to guard more positions and switch on defense."
Yeah...no.
Dieng is the more versatile defender. He knows how to use his length when defending in space. You would switch him onto ball-handlers before Gibson. And the debate isn't even kind of close on offense. Dieng has more range than Gibson on his worst nights. He has canned 43.4 percent of his looks between 16 feet and the three-point line since 2015-16 while turning into a viable threat from the corners.
Sure, the Timberwolves were a mess on defense in 2016-17. But they're a mess now. They're vomiting over 120 points per 100 possessions when Karl-Anthony Towns shares the floor with Gibson—exponentially more than the Dieng-Towns duo coughed up last season.
Tiny samples stink, give the Timberwolves time, don't overreact, blah, blah, blah. Using Dieng in the second unit is fine—so long as he's actually playing and being given a chance to subsist in the new world order.
Otherwise, he deserves to play for a team that won't let him rust on the bench.
Potential Trade
Brooklyn Nets receive: PF/C Gorgui Dieng
Minnesota Timberwolves receive: PF Trevor Booker and SG Sean Kilpatrick
Jahlil Okafor, Philadelphia 76ers
7 of 8
Kudos to the Philadelphia 76ers for making Jahlil Okafor seem even more dispensable than before.
Pretty much everyone has tabbed Okafor for Trade Watch since his rookie season. But he received a "DNP: Coach's decision" in three of the Sixers' first four games.
And that's with Richaun Holmes on the shelf nursing a wrist injury.
If Okafor cannot scrap for minutes now, when Amir Johnson is his primary competition, he's not going to ever crack the rotation with any semblance of consistency. The Sixers should move him, if only to avoid the embarrassment that would come with declining his team option for 2018-19.
Better yet, they should move him to the Bulls in a swap built around problem prospects.
Cameron Payne continues to deal with foot injuries and hasn't flashed anything special since arriving in Chicago. But the Sixers are an actual basketball team now, with real NBA players and reliable spacing and everything.
Upgrading Payne's situation might help him look like a real NBA player himself (once healthy). And it can't hurt the Sixers to have emergency insurance at the point guard spot, given Markelle Fultz's—ahem—minor shoulder injury.
Meanwhile, the Bulls get to take a flier on a hometown kid for their troubles. Okafor will be on his rookie scale through next season, and they, as one of the league's most flagrant tankers, should welcome the opportunity to experiment with a 21-year-old embroiled in uncertainty.
Potential Trade
Chicago Bulls receive: C Jahlil Okafor
Philadelphia 76ers receive: PG Cameron Payne
New York Knicks
8 of 8
Will the New York Knicks ever not contradict themselves?
General manager Scott Perry and team president Steve Mills spent much of the summer trumpeting a real, live, authentic, actual youth movement. So, naturally, 23-year-old Willy Hernangomez is forfeiting minutes to 27-year-old Kyle O'Quinn.
"The same," Hernangomez told the New York Post's Fred Kerber when asked how he felt about his situation after not playing in the Knicks' Oct. 21 loss to the Detroit Pistons (via the Post's Marc Berman). "I’m still mad. I cannot help the team win if I’m sitting on the bench."
Capping Hernangomez's exposure runs counter to the very idea of rebuilding. The Knicks have a lot of bigs, but Joakim Noah (suspension) isn't even in the rotation right now. What happens to Hernangomez when he's back?
Head coach Jeff Hornacek cannot be entirely faulted for rolling with a 25-year-old Enes Kanter, but the Knicks needn't pretend he's part of their big picture. He is an acquisition borne from desperation, and his on-off splits are crummy enough to yank him in favor of Hernangomez.
Gloss over this questionable pecking order, and the Knicks still aren't off the hook. Kristaps Porzingis needs to play more center. They should embrace whatever adjustments are necessary for that to happen.
Gutting the frontcourt is out of the question. Kanter (two years, $39.2 million) and Noah (three years, $55.6 million) are immovable. Jettisoning O'Quinn and Lance Thomas is more doable and opens a few minutes here and there at both the 4 and 5 slots.
Potential Trade
Los Angeles Clippers receive: SF/PF Lance Thomas and C Kyle O'Quinn
New York Knicks receive: PG/SG Austin Rivers and SG/SF Sindarius Thornwell
Unless otherwise cited, all stats are courtesy of NBA.com or Basketball Reference and current leading into games on Oct 27.
Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale) and listen to his Hardwood Knocks podcast co-hosted by B/R's Andrew Bailey.
