5 NBA Teams That Can't Afford to Let 2015 Trade Deadline Pass Without a Deal
Gather 'round NBA cohorts. Yours truly has a secret, and he doesn't plan to keep it.
February is a busy time of year for the Association. The league has All-Star rosters to produce, Damian Lillards to tick off and trade rumors to engender.
Pay special attention to that last one, because it's why we're here. Trade season can be complicated to navigate. Speculation is piled on in bunches, and it can be difficult to discern fact from fabrication. That's why we're going to make it easy on ourselves.
Forget player-specific deals. We just want to know which teams absolutely, positively, without question or negotiation need to make a deal before the Feb. 19 deadline comes to pass.
Rumors will matter in identifying these teams, though again, particular deals are not the primary focus. Mostly, this is your one-stop shop for teams that cannot afford to push forward as currently constructed.
Certain squads may need to bolster their title pursuit, while others just need to shift course, ridding themselves of unwanted contracts so that they may rebuild without interference. Sure, every franchise could use a brighter outlook. But not every club qualifies.
Overlords such as the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks will not be touched. Teams that have already made substantial trades—Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, etc.—need not shake their foundation any further.
Then there are those who just don't have assets (Los Angeles Clippers) or simply need to play the hand they've been dealt for fear of wrecking a (semi-)good thing (Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards).
Proposed parameters in mind, the wait is over. It's time to pillage through those that would be doing themselves a great disservice by remaining dormant in the coming weeks.
Honorable Mention: Minnesota Timberwolves
1 of 6
Disclaimer: The Minnesota Timberwolves don't need to make a trade given their current trajectory. They have a budding superstar in Andrew Wiggins and remain in play for the No. 1 overall pick. That's all they really need in the aftermath of Kevin Love's exit.
There's no way they should look to acquire players that drum up their win count. Finishing with the league's worst record doesn't guarantee the first overall selection, but it promises top-four placement. That's huge.
Selling low on veterans such as Nikola Pekovic, Kevin Martin and Thaddeus Young doesn't make much sense, either. Pekovic and Martin returning could cut into Gorgui Dieng and Wiggins' playing time, but the damage would be negligible.
Both Pekovic and Martin are productive pieces who could come in handy next season if the Timberwolves are healthy and playing better than expected. Same goes for Young, provided he eschews the opportunity to explore free agency this summer.
Still, for the sake of stockpiling draft picks and definitive long-term assets, radio silence should not be an option in Minnesota. Coach and president Flip Saunders needs to be working the phones, seeing if he can turn his now-available veterans into any combination of the three P's: picks, players and plasticity.
Marc Stein of ESPN.com says Young is readily available, so it's safe to assume that's what the Timberwolves are doing. If Young, Pekovic and Martin are worth anything to contending squads—preferably a first-rounder—Minnesota is no longer an honorable mention. Saunders will need to make that deal.
Denver Nuggets
2 of 6
In the race to go absolutely nowhere, the Denver Nuggets are winning.
Denver projected as one of the six bajillion-trillion-zillion teams that would contend for the Western Conference's final playoff spot. They were healthy (or at least healthier than last season), were preparing to play with pace and had added talent to the foundation that tallied 57 victories in 2012-13.
Weeks before the trade deadline, a playoff berth is officially out of the question. The Nuggets are eight games back of the eighth-place Phoenix Suns and have posted a ghastly 9-20 record against teams .500 or better.
To head coach Brian Shaw's credit, the Nuggets are running more (sixth in pace). But they're still fielding a humdrum offense and rank 22nd in points allowed per 100 possessions. They've also lost three contests by at least 30 points and have been prone to bouts of games-long laziness.
"I didn't feel like we came and competed from the very beginning of the game," Shaw deadpanned following Denver's 30-point loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday, per The Associated Press' Brian Mahoney. "In these kinds of situations, I'd have more respect if guys just told me that they didn't feel like playing from the start."
Stuck in the middle of nowhere and having already flipped Timofey Mozgov for two first-round picks, the Nuggets must finally begin the rebuild they've evaded since Carmelo Anthony left. Wilson Chandler and Arron Afflalo are hot property as proven three-and-D contributors, and both could be worth a first-rounder to the right contender.
Interest in win-now gimmicks must subside. The Nuggets have been linked to Brook Lopez, according to The Denver Post's Christopher Dempsey, and Reggie Jackson, per the New York Daily News' Frank Isola, neither of whom make sense.
Unless there's serious salary-shredding (JaVale McGee, for starters) or pick-squirreling involved, the Nuggets have no reason to deal. That said, they have every reason and, at this point, obligation to make something happen—so long as it's the right, roster-razing something.
Houston Rockets
3 of 6
Trading for Corey Brewer and signing Josh Smith isn't enough. The Houston Rockets need more.
Not a lot more, to be certain. Just more. They've slipped to fifth place in the Western Conference after an onset tear, and their 8-7 record against intraconference playoff teams doesn't inspire confidence. Dwight Howard may also miss time with a knee injury, per Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, so there's a clear need for more weaponry.
Isolating areas of concern isn't hard here. Howard's absence will hurt, but Smith is big and burly enough to police the paint. What the Rockets actually need is another playmaker.
It's been all James Harden everything this season, and while the bearded bucket-blazer has inserted himself into the MVP conversation, the Rockets offense has suffered from a potency paralysis. They rank 14th in efficiency, down from fourth last season, according to NBA.com, a pitfall that can be traced back to their over-reliance on Harden.
As Bleacher Report's Kelly Scaletta writes:
"There are four teams with a player who accounts for 35 percent of their points, and none of them are higher than 13th in offensive rating.
With that in mind, it’s little wonder that the Rockets’ offensive rating with Harden on the court is higher and absolutely free-falls to 91.4 when he takes a seat.
The Rockets need another shot-creator to help balance their offense. Harden is great, but they can't overuse him.
"
Bleacher Report's Ric Bucher does say the Rockets are in the market for a point guard. Should an obvious upgrade become available, general manager Daryl Morey has the pieces to make a needle-nudging deal—most notably the New Orleans Pelicans' protected first-round pick.
Finding the right target will be more difficult. Despite the overabundance of point guards in the NBA, there aren't truckloads of lethal floor generals available. The Rockets can only hope something worthwhile materializes between now and Feb. 19.
Their relevancy within the West's title tussle depends on it.
Portland Trail Blazers
4 of 6
Injuries threaten to derail the Portland Trail Blazers' once-promising title chase.
LaMarcus Aldridge is playing through a torn ligament in his left thumb, and Joel Freeland and Robin Lopez are still on the shelf. Nicolas Batum is also laboring through a wrist issue, which, while not ideal, explains his career-worst shooting percentages and general decline.
Covering for all these injuries is a lot to ask of a severely shallow team. Though Chris Kaman and Steve Blake have provided much-need second-unit depth, the Blazers bench still ranks in the bottom half in offensive and defensive efficiency, per HoopsStats.com.
If these last 10 games—through which Portland is 4-6—are any indication of what's to come by standing pat, the Blazers are in trouble:
Small samples, though misleading, are huge for the Blazers. Their record against the Western Conference's top-eight franchises has long been bad (3-8), and the slightest misstep from here on can cast them outside the championship conversation.
Home-court advantage admittedly remains the inevitable. The Blazers have a nine-game lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Northwest division crown. Winning that sector guarantees them at least one round's worth of home-court convenience.
This, though, is not a license for idleness. Portland could use depth on the wing, especially with Batum resembling half a basketball player these days. General manager Neil Olshey has a first-round pick and expiring contracts to work with, and Grantland's Zach Lowe loosely linked the team to Denver's Chandler.
It's time for the Blazers to make something happen—whatever it is—for championship's sake.
Brooklyn Nets
5 of 6
Here's some friendly advice for the Brooklyn Nets: Trade everyone.
You know, so long as that's possible.
Brooklyn's fire sale has been fact for a while now. Stein and ESPN.com colleague Ohm Youngmisuk recently reiterated that Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Lopez and even the team's floor-moppers are available.
Unloading their pricey stars has always seemed like a long shot, but in recent weeks the Nets turned down a deal that would have landed Lopez with the Thunder, according to Wojnarowski. They also talked turkey about a Johnson-Lance Stephenson swap, also per Wojnarowski.
No, the market for their overpaid superstars isn't strong. But there appears to be a market, even if it's an unimpressive one.
Sitting outside the East's playoff bubble, dealing with injuries and fielding a 25th-ranked offense, the Nets need to accelerate their demise. They're not slated to have cap space until summer 2017, and they don't own the rights to their own first-round draft pick until 2019 (Atlanta says, "Hi").
Not one of Lopez, Johnson or Williams will help hydrate their draft-pick desert. So, knowing this inexplicably expensive core has peaked, the Nets will just have to take what they can get.
Reversing their cap-crippling outlook with the acquisition of shorter or expiring contracts is the ceiling on their demolition. And, given the alternative—paying $91.2 million for more of the same (before taxes)—that'll have to do.
Oklahoma City Thunder
6 of 6
The state of the Thunder is complicated.
Had injury bugs never stripped them of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant (at the same time!), we wouldn't be having this conversation. But they did, so we are.
Thunder general manager Sam Presti cannot stop the Dion Waiters' transaction train. And for what it's worth, the rumor mill suggests he won't. The team has been linked to Lopez, per Wojnarowski, and a mystery deal that would have sent Jackson to Denver, per Isola. What's more, a source told Isola that Jackson is expected to be moved shortly.
That is no surprise. Not only did the Thunder acquire another shot-taker in Waiters, but Jackson is also streaking toward a massive payday and allegedly has little desire to remain in Oklahoma City, per Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. So, as Mannix explains, the Thunder are planning to react accordingly:
"Thunder officials understand there are no guarantees with Durant.
They know they can offer the most money—several executives believe a max deal for Durant in the new TV revenue-infused market in 2016 could be worth in the neighborhood of $200 million over five years—and they believe Durant likes playing in Oklahoma City. 'I think he likes his teammates,' said Brooks. 'That's always important.'
But the Thunder know a couple of early playoff exits the next two seasons could diminish the team's chances of re-signing him. So the Thunder are loading up. Just not recklessly. As part of the process.
"
Dangling a combination of Kendrick Perkins' expiring contract, Jeremy Lamb and Jackson puts the Thunder in play to strike a blockbuster deal. Such a package offers both imminent cap relief and promising prospects. If Presti sees the chance to add an impact player—think Lopez, only healthier—he'll need to pounce.
Never mind an early playoff exit. The Thunder need to ensure they reach the postseason first. They're 3.5 games behind the eighth-place Suns with 36 left to play.
Upon reaching the playoffs, the Thunder are free to worry about the Warriors or whomever they'll face. For now, it's about doing everything in their power to brige that gap between them and effusive failure—even if it entails paying the luxury tax (as they're slated to do) for the first time ever.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com and are accurate as of games played Jan. 29, 2015, unless otherwise cited. Draft pick information via RealGM. Salary information collected from HoopsHype.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
