NBA Trade Speculation: Injury-Prone Players Worth Pursuing at the Deadline

Injury-prone players are a definitely topic when it comes to making trades for them.

On one hand, there is a high-reward for injury-prone players as their cost in a trade market is increased due to their tendency to miss time with injuries.

On the other hand, however, there is a high-level risk with injury-prone players, as your team could give up young talent or draft picks for players that spend more time on the bench than they do on the court.

This year is no exception, with a number of players on the trading block that have that high-risk and high-reward value, based on their tendency to miss time with injuries.

Injury-prone players are worth pursuing though, as long as teams can get them for the right price, which is an absolute key when dealing for injury-prone players.

On this year's trade block there are a couple of players that are worth pursuing and the first one on that list is Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut.

Milwaukee Bucks C Andrew Bogut

ESPN's Mark Stein is reporting that the Milwaukee Bucks are willing to deal Andrew Bogut for the right price before the trade deadline.

While Bogut missing time is commonplace for the Milwaukee Bucks, there's no doubt that when he's on the court he's a real difference-maker.  In 12 games this season, Bogut is averaging 11.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and two blocks per game, which is the kind of production that could take an average NBA team to the next level.

While Bogut's recent ankle injury is a major reason for concern, as it is the kind of injury that could pop back up, it's feasible that Bogut could make a team dangerous down the final stretch of the 2011-12 NBA season.

The main issue with making a trade for Bogut is that the Bucks are demanding that whoever trades for him also take disgruntled shooting guard, Stephen Jackson.  That alone might scare some teams off, even with the possibility of Bogut turning their team into a legitimate contender.

Either way, teams like the Rockets and the Hawks could seriously benefit form the kind of double-double production Bogut could bring to their team once he returns from his ankle injury.

Minnesota Timberwolves SF Michael Beasley

Next up on the list of injury-prone players that teams should take a chance on before the March 15th trade deadline is none other than Michael Beasley of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Beasley has been no stranger to injuries throughout his career, from back injuries to ankle injuries, Beasley is the kind of player that plays hard, but pays for it by spending time on the bench healing injuries.

With that being said, Beasley's production this year of 11.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, on 44.1 percent shooting from the field, is the kind of production that could make a team move past the first round in the NBA playoffs.

While Beasley already missed 11 games this season, due to injuries, he sure could be the spark that teams like the Clippers and the Lakers are looking for either coming off the bench or even in their starting lineups.

If the only thing teams have to give up for Beasley is a first-round draft pick, teams like the Clippers, Lakers and even the Nets would be smart to do just that.

New Jersey Nets C Brook Lopez

When Brook Lopez is on the court, he's an absolute force to be reckoned with.  In the limited time he's played this season he's averaged 19.3 points per game, including an impressive 38-point outing against the Dallas Mavericks.

The main concern regarding Lopez is the fact that he's injured his right foot twice, first by breaking it at the beginning of the season and secondly by spraining his ankle just over a week ago.  Multiple injuries to one location for any player is bad, but for a seven-foot center and the wear and tear he puts on his body, it makes it that much worse.

With that being said, Lopez is still an incredibly valuable asset for the Nets as they still try to make a final push for a big-time trade, specifically with Orlando, before the March 15th trade deadline.

Any teams interested in making a move for Brook Lopez would be smart to do so because he's the kind of talented and versatile center that you can build around moving forward.  Lopez has the potential to bring legitimate interior production to both the offensive and defensive side of the ball for teams that are willing to take a risk on his injury-prone right foot.

While the players on this list all have missed significant time with injuries over the past years, including this year, there's no doubt that teams should still take the risk on them as they might be the missing pieces to a deep run in the 2012 NBA playoffs and beyond.

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