5 Sneaky Trade Ideas for 2015 NBA Title Chasers
Rational sneakiness can go a long way in swaying the NBA's championship race.
Blockbuster trades receive more attention than any other transactions. That's what happens when household stars are involved. Big names equal big impacts.
Sometimes, though, understated swaps can be just as significant. These aren't deals headlined by superstars or recurring All-Stars. To say they feature well-known role players would even be a stretch. They're more about title contenders addressing glaring needs at bargain prices.
Might the NBA see some of these deals go down ahead of the Feb. 19 trade deadline? Only time will tell.
Then again, why wait? We can just concoct our own.
In constructing trades, we'll follow the above guidelines: no stars, just usable, dependable aid.
Selecting teams will boil down to need and feasibility. Chosen squads must be in the championship hunt, need tweaking and have the assets to broker something of (marginal) note
The Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks are perfection personified, so they're not playing this game. Contenders like the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers both have needs, but they're asset-fallow. They're not eligible for this game either.
And on that note, we're off to reinvent the NBA's 2015 title tussle, one subtly structured trade at a time.
Chris Copeland Joins the Grizzlies
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Memphis Grizzlies Get: F Chris Copeland
Indiana Pacers Get: 2016 second-round draft pick (via Toronto or Boston) and trade exception
Trading for Jeff Green significantly strengthened the Grizzlies' depth on the wing. Green can defend small forwards and power forwards, is an offensive upgrade over Tayshaun Prince and he leaves Memphis better equipped to run smaller lineups with an athletic 4. The buck just cannot stop with him.
Seven of the past eight NBA champions led all playoff teams in three-point attempts and makes, according to ESPN Los Angeles' Baxter Holmes. The Grizzlies aren't built for conforming to that trend, even with Green. They rank middle of the road in three-point efficiency and 27th in deep-ball attempts.
Green himself isn't much of an off-ball scorer. He's shooting just 31.8 percent from long range since joining the Grizzlies and only 29.6 percent on general catch-and-shoot opportunities.
Acquiring Copeland gives Memphis' offense the savvy shooter it lacks. He's converting just 37.6 percent of his buckets on the season, but as Bleacher Report's Adam Fromal recently explained, his statistical regression is not cause for alarm:
"This year is an aberration, and the Pacers haven't properly showcased his talent. But now that he's clearly not worth much to the team, the Memphis Grizzlies should be able to steal him away, getting him at a bargain price and then using him to shore up a unit of perimeter shooters that's still rather lackluster.
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Copeland has fallen out of the Pacers' beanpole rotation. His defense has always been suspect, but he's buried at least 41 percent of his three-pointers in each of the last two seasons. He also torched twine on 43.9 percent of his catch-and-shoot treys for 2013-14.
Now, the Grizzlies offense ranks 10th in efficiency as currently constructed and has been slightly better since Green arrived (ninth). But Copeland isn't supposed to come in and transform the dynamic. The Grizzlies simply need outside shooting.
Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry have combined for more three-point makes (256) than the entire Memphis team (243). Look at Copeland as someone who can help the Grizzlies close that inexplicable gap and further enhance their offense in time for the stretch run.
Andrei Kirilenko Syncs Up with the Toronto Drakes
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Toronto Raptors Get: F Andrei Kirilenko
Philadelphia 76ers: SF Landry Fields and 2017 second-round draft pick
Andrei Kirilenko has been suspended by the Sixers after not reporting for duty, per the Inquirer's Keith Pompey. Chances are the Raptors wouldn't face the same issue since, you know, they're angling for title contention now (not in 2027).
General manager Sam Hinkie has sufficient cause to accept this deal. Not only does he rid the Sixers of an off-court distraction, but Tony Wroten Jr. is likely done for the season after suffering a partial ACL tear in his right knee, according to CSNPhilly.com's Dei Lynam. Fields can play the 2, is on an expiring deal and doesn't add wins to the Sixers' tanking model. So, he's perfect.
Landing that second-round pick is the robust cherry atop this trade. Hinkie has collected at least 14 second-rounders through 2020. Securing another one brings his grand total to 15, at which point (I think) he can cash those in for a lifetime supply of bar-stool fist bumps or something.
This is an easy deal to justify on the Raptors' behalf. Their defense has regressed into a morbid mess. They are ill-fit to defend stretch forwards, rank 24th in defensive rebounding percentage and have dropped to 21st in points allowed per 100 possessions.
Things have been even worse in recent weeks. The Raptors have lost eight of their last 13 games, and during that time they rank 25th in points allowed per 100 possessions, just ahead of the eight-win New York Knicks. Kirilenko hasn't logged a minute on the hardwood since Nov. 13, but his defensive reputation speaks for itself.
Opponents are shooting 6.1 percentage points below their average when being guarded by him this season, and his lifetime defensive rebounding rate (14.9) is far superior to the marks DeMar DeRozan and Terrence Ross are posting now.
At 29-15, the Raptors remain in play for a top-two seed out east. Irregardless of where they end up, though, they'll need a scrappy defender who can guard both forward spots in the playoffs. While a 33-year-old Kirilenko won't turn them into defensive rocket scientists, he's insurance against the Raptors' most fatal flaw.
Pablo Prigioni Takes Houston
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Houston Rockets Get: PG Pablo Prigioni and F Quincy Acy
New York Knicks Get: PG Alexey Shved and 2015 second-round pick (via Minnesota)
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is in the market for a splashy point guard, according to Bleacher Report's Ric Bucher. Dealing for Prigioni isn't the same as dealing for Reggie Jackson or Goran Dragic, but given the price tag attached to New York's floor general, this is a no-brainer.
Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv says the Knicks want a second-round pick as compensation for Prigioni. That's nothing to a Rockets team in dire need of additional playmaking.
Somewhat lost in James Harden's MVP run is the Rockets' offensive regression. They rank 14th in efficiency, down from fourth last season. The potential to explode is there, but Houston's model is too dependent on Harden going bonkers nightly.
Prigioni is an ideal complement to Houston's rock-wielding shooting guard. He's a proven passer, can play full-court defense and, most importantly, doesn't need the ball in his hands to make an impact.
Almost half of Prigioni's total shot attempts have been spot-up three-pointers this season; he's drilling 45.9 percent of them. Throw him behind Patrick Beverley—who's nailing 41.7 percent of those same shots—and the Rockets have a better-balanced point guard rotation that makes life easier on Harden.
That this rotation only comes at the expense of a second-rounder and the seldom-used Shved makes it an easy one to like. Only 1.5 games behind the second-place Grizzlies, the Rockets can improve their title chances without disturbing the core.
Opportunities like this don't come around often, or even at all.
Wilson Chandler Hits Rip City
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Portland Trail Blazers Get: F Wilson Chandler
Denver Nuggets Get: SG Will Barton, SF Allen Crabbe, SF Dorell Wright and 2015 first-round draft pick (top-20 protected)
With the Denver Nuggets more than seven games outside of playoff contention, they're one of the league's top fire-sale candidates. They've already shipped out Timofey Mozgov for picks, and any Chandler trade would be similarly motivated.
Zach Lowe of Grantland loosely linked Portland to Chandler earlier this month. But with Nicolas Batum nursing a torn ligament in his right wrist and LaMarcus Aldridge playing through a torn ligament is his left thumb, the Blazers need Chandler more than ever. Wrote Lowe:
"The Blazers could make a trade, and they’ve sat on their 2015 first-round pick as a bunch of the West’s top nine — Oklahoma City, Dallas, Memphis, and Phoenix1 — flipped first-rounders for some present-day help.
Portland was a decent bet to make that kind of deal even before Aldridge’s injury, though the need for a wing player like Wilson Chandler is probably more urgent given Batum’s shaky play and Terry Stotts’s lack of trust in the C.J. McCollum–Allen Crabbe–Will Barton bench mob.
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Standing at 6'8", Chandler can man either forward spot, which will prove huge if either Aldridge or Batum misses significant time.
The Blazers offense has been a disaster without Aldridge on the floor, scoring just 99.6 points per 100 possessions when he's on the bench (equivalent of 23rd in the league). And though Batum is playing through a career-worst season, he's still one of the game's most versatile wings.
Portland's second unit, though improved, is not setting either end of the floor on fire either. The team's bench is in the bottom half of both offensive and defensive efficiency, per HoopsStat.com, so it could use an explosive three-and-D wing to help bridge the gap between featured lineups and backup-brimming combinations.
Chandler should function just fine within Portland's third-ranked defense. He's also finding nylon on 34.7 percent of his spot-up threes, a serviceable number that will work well as part of the Blazers' drive-and-kick-heavy offense. They rank second in catch-and-shoot points and sixth in spot-up efficiency and need players who can work off the ball.
Forfeiting a first-round pick is rarely easy. But Chandler is under contract through next season, and injuries threaten to bilk the Blazers of home-court advantage.
These are trying times in Portland, despite the Blazers' record. This team, while it doesn't need a star, must act accordingly.
Bismack Biyombo Dabbles in Dallas
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Dallas Mavericks Get: C Bismack Biyombo
Charlotte Hornets Get: PG Devin Harris and 2016 second-round draft pick (via Memphis)
Sources told ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon and Marc Stein the Mavericks expect to sign free-agent Jermaine O'Neal to help deepen their rotation at the 5. This makes sense in the aftermath of Brandan Wright's departure.
Pursuing Biyombo just makes even more sense.
After dropping two straight, the Mavericks are now in sixth place out west with the Grizzlies on deck. To really shore up their championship chances and make a play for the Western Conference crown, they need depth beyond the starting lineup.
"Today we're not in a good place because we've dropped two games in a row and haven't played well," head coach Rick Carlisle said, per Fox Sports Southwest's Mike Fisher. "[Memphis] is going to be very motivated...coming in here after we beat them back at their place. We just need to pick it up."
Employing both J.J. Barea and Harris is overkill with Rajon Rondo in tow. Harris' minutes have dipped below 20 per game, and Barea is more than capable of soaking up any playing time he leaves behind. The Hornets are also in the market for another point guard after losing Kemba Walker to a knee injury, per Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
Biyombo, meanwhile, gives the Mavericks a feared tower to spell Tyson Chandler. The seventh overall pick from the 2012 draft is averaging 12.8 rebounds per 36 minutes in limited playing time, and he's holding opponents to 47.8 percent success rates at the rim—better than the 51.8 percent Chandler relinquishes.
Dallas' defense has admittedly improved of late; the team ranks eighth in points allowed per 100 possessions since Rondo's arrival. But the Mavericks endure a demonstrative downswing when either Rondo or Chandler steps off the floor.
Dealing for Biyombo remedies that issue, which, in turn, puts the Mavericks back in home-court contention, stocking the Western Conference's absurd arms race with yet another loaded championship depot.
*Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference and NBA.com and are accurate as of games played Jan. 26, 2015 unless otherwise cited. Draft pick information via RealGM. All traded vetted by ESPN's Trade Machine.
