NBA Draft 2012: 5 Teams That Should Trade Up
The Charlotte Bobcats, Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers all need to trade up in order to ensure they get the right players to lead them to a title. The only way to win in the NBA is to be aggressive, and all of these teams need to either stay that way or start learning.
Atlanta Hawks
1 of 5Needs: Center and point guard
Ammunition to trade: First-round pick, mid second-round pick, F Josh Smith
Who they would target: PG Kendall Marshall or C Fab Melo
The Hawks have one of the better teams in the NBA, posting a winning record in each of the last four years and making the playoffs in each of the last five. However, there is a big need for the Hawks to make an impact trade in the 2012 offseason.
The team's biggest need is at center. While the 7'0" 255-pound Fab Melo isn't the best on the offensive end, he could make an impact similar to Tyson Chandler when he was with Mavericks during their championship season. A change of (point) guard could be needed as well, and trading up for Tar Heel Kendall Marshall could be the spark that gets the Hawks over the hump.
Boston Celtics
2 of 5Needs: Center, small forward or shooting guard
Ammunition to trade: Multiple first-round picks, F Paul Pierce
Who they would target: C Tyler Zeller, G/F Terrence Ross
The Celtics need to make aggressive draft moves in order to continue their run at the top. Trading up for Zeller or Ross to replace Garnett, Allen or Pierce will limit their drop-off next season as they continue their quest for another championship .
While having Rondo and Pierce under contract is a great start, they need a young gun from the 2012 draft who can come in and help create a new "Big Three" in Boston. The Celtics should make priority No. 1 to re-sign Brandon Bass.
Charlotte Bobcats
3 of 5Needs: Everything but starting point guard
Ammunition to trade: Second-round pick, future firsts and multiple young promising players
Who they would target: PF/C Arnett Moultrie, G/F Austin Rivers
The Bobcats might as well be starting from scratch right now. They have one of the worst teams in the league and look to stay that way for a while. This futility needs to be corrected, and the only way to do this is to bring in not just one, but two talents to team with Kemba Walker and D.J. Augustin, who is currently a free agent. The Bobcats have multiple options and should trade up in this draft.
Arnett Moultrie is a guy who can come in and start at power forward or center, and should give the Bobcats the presence in the frontcourt that they are sorely lacking. Austin Rivers is someone who can come right in and add another scoring option to whoever winds up being their No. 2 overall pick.
Cleveland Cavaliers
4 of 5Needs: Everything, except for one starting guard, but Irving could play either Point or Shooting guard equally well.
Ammunition to trade: A pair of second-round picks
Who they would target: Forwards Perry Jones and Andrew Nicholson
Cleveland is arguably the worst team in all of basketball not named the Bobcats. They finished tied for third for the NBA's worst record but the Wizards looked better than them late last year. Even during the early part of the season, they looked overmatched against the truly competitive teams.
With a ton of cap room and multiple picks in the draft, the Cavs would be smart to trade up into the late first round and get a good forward. They have an excellent promising guard in Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving.
Perry Jones and Andrew Nicholson are both talented forwards who play completely different roles. Nicholson is more of a smash and grab power forward like Kevin Garnett. Jones is a true 3 who will be able to add a lot of scoring to a team that needs it.
Golden State Warriors
5 of 5Needs: Small Forward
Ammunition to trade: A late first and pair of seconds
Who they would target: Forwards Harrison Barnes or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
The Golden State Warriors need someone who can come in at small forward and compete with the greats if they want to make a move into playoff contention. They have a lot of ammunition in the draft this year and could package their No. 7 and No. 30 picks to move into the top five.
Harrison Barnes and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist are the cream of the crop at the small forward position. Both players can make an immediate impact and will be the foundation of their team next season.
