Best- and Worst-Case 2015 NBA Trade Deadline Scenarios for Every Team
It's that time of year again.
The NBA All-Star Game is right around the corner. Phone bills are rising faster than tensions in Ukraine. The same goes for the intensity of the voices on both ends of the lines. Meanwhile, players around the Association are doing their best to block out the fluttering of rumors while they gear up for a week off.
Indeed, the NBA's winter trade season is approaching its apex. Come Feb. 19, teams will no longer be able to swap assets, leaving those in need of help to scour the waiver wire, the D-League and competitions overseas for helpful, healthy bodies.
This year's deadline could be a quiet one, given the rampant activity that marked December and January. Then again, with the championship chase as wide-open as ever, there could be more clubs eager to escalate the arms races in each conference.
Either way, the opportunities for change inherent in the craziness of the trade deadline are attended by plenty of risk. Some teams need to open themselves up to such risk to achieve their goals. Others would be better suited to stay off their cells until regular-season play resumes after the All-Star break.
To figure out where all 30 teams stand on that particular spectrum, let's consider the dos and don'ts for each over the next week-and-a-half.
Atlanta Hawks
1 of 30
UPDATE on Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 6:40 pm ET by Adam Fromal
The Atlanta Hawks may not have shored up their rebounding deficiencies, but they did make a trade.
Per Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the team is sending 2014 first-round pick Adreian Payne to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a future first-round selection. Essentially, the Hawks are adding a valuable future asset while counting on the development of Mike Scott and Mike Muscala, as well as next year's potential arrival of Walter Tavares.
This move also opens up a roster spot for the team to fill in the coming days. Anyone else thinking about Ray Allen?
--End of update--
Best Case
The Hawks don't have many weaknesses of which to speak, but rebounding is certainly one of them.
"Rebounding is another area that we can definitely keep improving on," Al Horford told Bleacher Report in early January.
Horford's prognostications proved prescient this past week, when Atlanta was beaten up on the boards by both the New Orleans Pelicans (52-32) and the Memphis Grizzlies (55-37) in their first defeats since December.
The Hawks aren't in desperate need of any monumental shakeup, as their 43-10 record indicates, but nabbing a carom-collecting specialist on the cheap would be ideal.
Worst Case
The Hawks rest on their laurels, only to see the East's bigger, more physical contenders (e.g. the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards) get their respective acts together in time to bludgeon Atlanta on the boards come playoff time.
Boston Celtics
2 of 30
Best Case
The C's continue to stockpile draft picks and other useful assets. As Celtics.com's Marc D'Amico detailed, general manager Danny Ainge has already piled up picks galore to either be spent by Boston or dealt away in trades in the coming years:
"The C’s currently possess the rights to as many as 12 first-round picks in the next four drafts, including up to eight in the next two drafts. The final number of first-rounders that Boston will own is dependent upon conditions that are attached to many of the picks. Those conditions will also affect the number of second-round picks the Celtics will own over the next few drafts, but suffice to say, they own a lot of them.
"
That's not to mention all the young talent already on the Celtics roster.
Ideally, Ainge would swap the team's more expensive veterans (e.g. Tayshaun Prince, Marcus Thornton and Gerald Wallace) for even more chips to add to his Fort Knox-like stack.
Worst Case
The Celtics can't find any takers for their elder statesmen and, instead, buy them out. Or, for whatever reason, Ainge deals those aforementioned veterans, but takes back other long-term salary obligations in return.
Brooklyn Nets
3 of 30
Best Case
In a flurry of deadline deals, Nets general manager Billy King is able to offload his squad's more onerous salaries (e.g. Joe Johnson's, Deron Williams', Brook Lopez's and Kevin Garnett's) while bringing back players who can help the team win now and won't clog the cap sheet later.
As Grantland's Zach Lowe wrote, in discussing Garnett's potential availability: "The Nets won’t engage in any series of deals that leaves them with more long-term salary, so it will be tough to find the right combination of trades that makes dealing Garnett’s expiring contract palatable."
Brooklyn won't completely control its own first-round pick until 2019, with swap rights doled out for 2015 and 2017 and the picks outright betrothed to other teams in 2016 and 2018. Those circumstances, along with a desire to strengthen the club's young roots in Brooklyn, give the Nets every incentive to win now, albeit with the sorts of financial obligations that scream for savings.
Worst Case
The Nets focus on instant savings and, as a result, get back only spare parts and late draft picks for their stars. Without any potential cornerstones to show for its GM's deadline-dealing efforts, Brooklyn tumbles clear out of the playoff picture in the East, thereby beginning another long, painful, postseason-less chapter in the sordid history of Nets basketball.
Charlotte Hornets
4 of 30
UPDATE on Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 6:40 pm ET by Adam Fromal
According to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, the Charlotte Hornets have traded Gary Neal and a second-round pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Troy Daniels and Mo Williams. It's hardly a blockbuster move, and it may not be the last Charlotte makes before the deadline.
However, the Hornets have now successfully acquired a stopgap solution at point guard while Kemba Walker heals. It's not every day you can find a 50-point scorer to take on that kind of role.
--End of update--
Best Case
Charlotte gets back all of its wounded (e.g. Kemba Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Bismack Biyombo) right around the trade deadline. With the roster back at full strength, the Hornets can comfortably ignore the hoopla surrounding Feb. 19 and focus, instead, on winning with the group they have on hand.
That is, unless they can find a taker for Lance Stephenson, who's been on the block since December.
Worst Case
The injuries to Walker, MKG and Biyombo turn out to be more serious than previously anticipated. GM Rich Cho tries to restart stagnant talks with the Minnesota Timberwolves regarding Mo Williams and Troy Daniels.
Chicago Bulls
5 of 30
Best Case
Mike Dunleavy's ankle heals up in time to restore balance to Chicago's otherwise paper-thin wing rotation, one recently boosted by the return of rookie Doug McDermott. Better yet, Joakim Noah's knee recovers well enough that the Bulls can dangle Taj Gibson on the market to bring more shooting to the Windy City while unclogging the club's crowded frontcourt.
Worst Case
Dunleavy has to sit out for longer than expected, but the Bulls can't make Gibson available on account of Noah's issues.
"Because of his ability to guard both positions [power forward and center] and to play both positions and [because] Jo’s still working his way back [from offseason knee surgery], I think Taj is critical for our team," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said last week, via the Chicago Sun-Times's Joe Cowley. "Taj has played well. He’s been consistent. He’s been our best defender up front. That’s something that we need."
Especially with Pau Gasol producing in a less-than-ideal capacity, as Grantland's Andrew Sharp noted: "While Gasol looked like the biggest steal of the offseason a few months ago, he’s now being called the new Boozer. He’s the defensive liability who’s fooling people with empty stats, and he’ swallowing minutes that should be going to [Nikola] Mirotic."
Cleveland Cavaliers
6 of 30
Best Case
The Cavs stand pat with the same cast of characters that's won 13 of 14 to vault Cleveland into the mix for the Central Division crown. At most, they entertain the prospect of Ray Allen hopping aboard after the All-Star break.
Worst Case
For whatever reason, Kevin Love reverts to fitting out rather than fitting in. The Cavs, afraid of losing Love for nothing this summer, trade him for pennies on the dollar.
And, no, that's not at all likely to happen, per the Akron Beacon-Journal's Jason Lloyd:
"I know the trade deadline is approaching and an easy talk radio topic is whether the Cavs should trade Love. Not happening. The Cavs have not entertained any thought like that and haven’t discussed Love with any other teams. They are committed to making this work and Sunday was proof that it can.
"
Dallas Mavericks
7 of 30
Best Case
The Mavs are able to fill their thin frontcourt with veterans off the waiver wire. According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Marc Stein, Dallas is keen to snap up Amar'e Stoudemire if/when he and the New York Knicks agree to a buyout. Jermaine O'Neal, a Dallas resident, will also be in the mix.
Worst Case
O'Neal signs elsewhere, and the Knicks hold Stoudemire hostage for assets. The Mavs have picks to deal—their 2015 first-rounder (lottery protected) belongs to Boston, as does their 2016 second-rounder—but lacks the contracts to make the salaries match.
Denver Nuggets
8 of 30
Best Case
The Nuggets streamline their hodgepodge of a roster and squeeze good value out of their most tradeable players all in one fell swoop.
They get the first-round pick in exchange for Arron Afflalo's services that they've been seeking, per The Denver Post's Christopher Dempsey. General manager Tim Connelly finds someone to take JaVale McGee off his hands, perhaps while coercing the Nets into sending Brook Lopez west. The same goes for Kenneth Faried, who seems to have plateaued in the Mile High City.
And if Denver can pull all this off without giving up Wilson Chandler, their most attractive trade chip, then all the better.
Worst Case
The Nuggets either stand pat or get taken for a ride by other teams wise to Denver's desire to deal.
"From my chair, it's just a matter of time when to make decisions (on possible moves)," team president Josh Kroenke told The Denver Post's Benjamin Hochman. "A good portion of deals is timing, and unfortunately our time frame has been drawn out due to different circumstances, mostly injuries. But I must say it again, our current state is not acceptable and our fans deserve better."
Detroit Pistons
9 of 30
Best Case
The Pistons find the backup point guard that, according to Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears, they're looking for. That affords D.J. Augustin all the support he needs filling in for the injured Brandon Jennings, while allowing rookie Spencer Dinwiddie, who recently had his ACL repaired, to be brought along patiently.
Worst Case
The pool of available floor generals dries up, leaving Detroit with little choice but to thrust Dinwiddie into significant minutes behind Augustin.
Golden State Warriors
10 of 30
Best Case
Warriors GM Bob Myers happens upon a trade partner willing to take on David Lee, and the $15.5 million he's owed next season, without bringing back any onerous long-term salary obligations or sacrificing boatloads of draft picks.
That aside, the team with the league's second-best offense and top defense, per NBA.com, should probably avoid any major moves.
Worst Case
Fearful of the financial ramifications of paying Draymond Green, Golden State offloads Lee, but gives up a lot to do so—and disrupts the team's magical chemistry in the process.
Houston Rockets
11 of 30
Best Case
Dwight Howard isn't sidelined by edema in his right knee for as long as the Rockets originally anticipated he would be. Even without him, Houston continues to build on its 13-6 record sans Howard, thanks in part to Joey Dorsey's work in relief.
Worst Case
The condition of Howard's knee doesn't improve as quickly as Houston had hoped and Dorsey stinks it up at center. That leaves GM Daryl Morey with little choice but to scour the trade market for another big and, perhaps, part ways with Terrence Jones and/or a first-round pick to get a deal done.
Indiana Pacers
12 of 30
Best Case
Paul George progresses so rapidly in his recovery from that nasty compound fracture of his leg that he's able to play for the Pacers this season. With George's return on the horizon and a spot in the playoffs within reach, the Pacers hold steady with their core
Worst Case
George's leg leaves Indy in limbo. Meanwhile, the Pacers slip out of the playoff picture, which puts David West back on the block—and for less than what Indy wants, per Grantland's Zach Lowe:
"There were rumblings about six weeks ago that the Pacers had made West available for a first-round pick, but those rumblings have quieted, and that price is probably too high. West is in decline and has a thorny player option for next season, but he can get you buckets in crunch time...
"
Los Angeles Clippers
13 of 30
Best Case
The Clippers find help on the wing without shaking up their core. Danny Ainge throws Doc Rivers a bone by buying out Tayshaun Prince, who Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears says will draw plenty of interest from L.A. if/when he becomes a free agent in the coming weeks.
Worst Case
Rivers gets antsy about his club's situation on the wing, especially with J.J. Redick battling back spasms. In turn, the Clippers offer up Jamal Crawford, the lynchpin of their thin second unit, for temporary relief at shooting guard and small forward.
Los Angeles Lakers
14 of 30
Best Case
The Lakers capitalize on Ed Davis' strong interior play and flip him for a draft pick, before he inevitably opts out of his current contract in search of a much more lucrative one this summer. Jordan Hill's quad and hip flexor heal up in time for him to be dealt for assets as well. By degrading their roster, the Lakers improve their odds of snagging a top-five spot in the lottery and keeping their 2015 first-rounder.
Worst Case
The Lakers sit on their hands and don't get anything of value in exchange for Davis and Hill. The team improves under Byron Scott's direction, to the point where L.A.'s first-round pick winds up in Phoenix.
Memphis Grizzlies
15 of 30
Best Case
The Grizzlies do nothing. They filled their need for wing scoring when they snagged Jeff Green from the C's, and have established themselves as an even more formidable force out West since then.
Worst Case
Memphis does something—anything, really. This roster is well-balanced as is, with solid, situational backups lightening the load of a superb starting five. The Grizzlies have a clear identity, and need only to continue to get comfortable with their current arrangement if they're to contend for a title this spring.
Miami Heat
16 of 30
Best Case
Lightning strikes twice for Pat Riley. After scooping Hassan Whiteside off the scrap heap and unleashing him on the rest of the league, Riles finds a backcourt equivalent who can fill in for the oft-injured Dwyane Wade and push Norris Cole, Mario Chalmers and Shabazz Napier ever so gently out of the picture at the point.
At present, the Miami Heat are trying to pull that trick with Tyler Johnson. The team announced Sunday that Johnson, after ripping through two 10-day contracts, would remain in Miami for the rest of the season.
Worst Case
Johnson flops, Wade winds up back on the training table, Miami's stable of point guards continues to flounder and the Heat, devoid of any real trade fodder, fail to find the depth at guard they need to compete for a playoff spot. Either that, or Riley seriously considers swapping Luol Deng for roster relief.
Milwaukee Bucks
17 of 30
Best Case
The Bucks snooker someone into taking Larry Sanders off their hands. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Charles F. Gardner, Sanders has not yet been cleared to play by the NBA, even though he's completed the 10-game suspension he earned for his fourth failed marijuana test.
So far, Milwaukee has proved that it can stifle its opponents just fine, with or without Sanders. In fact, per NBA.com, the Bucks have actually held their foes to 2 fewer points per 100 possessions when Sanders has sat out.
There's no urgent need for the Bucks to rid themselves of Sanders, but the sooner they do, the sooner they can move on from him as a franchise.
Worst Case
GM John Hammond tries to accelerate Milwaukee's stunning rebuild by swinging for the fences in a trade for an expensive veteran.
There's some pressure for the Bucks to become a basketball powerhouse as soon as possible. As NBA.com's David Aldridge detailed in his weekly column, the Bucks' future in Wisconsin remains in limbo until the team, city, county and state figure out how to fund a new arena and where to build it.
But the club's impressive turnaround thus far—the Bucks have nearly doubled their win total from 2013-14 already—is reason enough to preach patience from a personnel perspective, especially with Giannis Antetokounmpo showing flashes of stardom at the tender age of 20 and rookie Jabari Parker working his way back from a torn ACL.
Minnesota Timberwolves
18 of 30
UPDATE on Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 6:40 pm ET by Adam Fromal
Flip Saunders just keeps picking up more pieces for the future.
Per Wojnarowski, the Minnesota Timberwolves added Gary Neal and a second-round pick for Troy Daniels and Mo Williams. Per Vivlamore, he also sent off a future first-round selection to the Atlanta Hawks for Adreian Payne, who was the No. 15 pick of this most recent draft.
And as ESPN's Brian Windhorst notes, the pick is protected for the lottery from 2017 (when it can first be conveyed) through 2020, so the Wolves aren't going to be giving up anything too substantial.
It's still all about the future in Minnesota.
--End of update--
Best Case
Flip Saunders is able to...well, flip some of the Minnesota Timberwolves' veterans for useful building blocks.
According to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, Charlotte has been hot after Mo Williams to provide some depth at the point while Kemba Walker recovers. Williams, though, isn't about to force his way out. "At the end of the day, I just kind of let (the front office) do their job, and I do mine. I hope that I'm in their best plans," he told the St. Paul Pioneer Press' Andy Greder.
Beyond Williams, Kevin Martin could be on the way out. Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix reported last week that Dallas and Washington were potential destinations for Martin, who's owed close to $14.5 million after this season.
Worst Case
The Wolves let the moment pass without getting something for Williams, who will be a free agent this summer, and Martin, a productive offensive player who doesn't offer much on the other end.
Then again, hanging onto these guys wouldn't be a bad thing, per se. Williams can serve as a mentor of sorts to Ricky Rubio at the point. As for Martin, his smooth shooting stroke will help to open up space on the floor for Nikola Pekovic to post up and Andrew Wiggins to drive to the hoop.
New Orleans Pelicans
19 of 30
Best Case
Jrue Holiday returns in time—and Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans continue to perform well enough—to spare the New Orleans Pelicans from any need to pursue a point guard.
Since Holiday went down with a stress reaction in his right leg in mid-January, Evans has averaged 17.1 points and 7.9 assists. Gordon, meanwhile, averaged 14 points (.464 from three) and 5.1 assists in his first 18 games back from a six-week hiatus.
Worst Case
Holiday's recovery takes longer than expected, Evans and Gordon can't keep up their improved play and the Pelicans panic their way into a short-term gain with long-term pain.
New York Knicks
20 of 30
Best Case
The New York Knicks track down a team that's willing to trade for Amar'e Stoudemire. That seems highly unlikely, in large part because he's on an expiring contract with a final-year salary ($23.4 million) that's nigh impossible to fit into the structure of an agreeable trade.
And, well, Stoudemire just isn't that productive or reliable anymore.
Beyond those factors, Stoudemire might be available through free agency anyway, assuming he and the Knicks agree to a buyout. "Over time, we will see how things pan out," Stoudemire told Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears. "You give yourself a break during the All-Star break. You think about it with your family. …That will give me a good solid week on how to weigh out the rest of the season."
Worst Case
The Knicks pay full price to buy out Stoudemire. The rest of Phil Jackson's fire sale stops short of shipping out Jose Calderon and Pablo Prigioni, both of whom have seen their names bandied about in trade rumors of late.
"No reason to think about it, it’s directly out of our hands," Prigioni told the New York Post's Marc Berman. "I focus on the next practice, supporting the guys, keep moving on. Just focusing on the team and give my best. In the summer we will see. Now just focusing on our team."
Oklahoma City Thunder
21 of 30Best Case
The Thunder are able to reignite their previous pursuit of Brook Lopez, preferably with Reggie Jackson as the bait. Steven Adams' three-week absence in the wake of breaking his right hand gives GM Sam Presti more than enough cover to do so.
Kendrick Perkins and rookie Mitch McGary are both capable of soaking up Adams' minutes at center, but neither is likely to improve OKC's prospects of making the playoffs out West. Adams has proved more than serviceable in the middle, but his skills pale in comparison to those brought to the table by Lopez.
And, as Basketball Insiders' Alex Kennedy says in the video above, the Thunder have had a thing for Lopez since the 2008 draft, when OKC took Russell Westbrook at No. 4 instead of the 7-footer from Stanford.
Jackson, meanwhile, has been more or less rendered expendable since the Thunder traded for Dion Waiters earlier this season.
Worst Case
The Thunder plug along with Perkins and McGary at center. Elsewhere, they allow awkwardness to smolder between Jackson and Waiters on the bench. New Orleans and Phoenix continue to strengthen their postseason cases while OKC does nothing.
Orlando Magic
22 of 30
Best Case
With their head coach already gone, the Orlando Magic hold off on introducing any more chaos to their situation this season. They allow their young core to grow alongside the sweet-shooting veteran trio of Channing Frye, Ben Gordon and Luke Ridnour.
James Borrego, Orlando's interim coach, is able to lay some sort of foundation from which his successor can fashion a competitive squad.
Worst Case
GM Rob Hennigan takes the downward spiral of the Magic's lost season as a cue to cash in some of his veterans for rebuilding assets.
Chances are, though, that won't happen, assuming Orlando is, indeed, keen to start winning again in the near future.
Philadelphia 76ers
23 of 30
Best Case
The Philadelphia 76ers use their copious cap space to absorb expiring contracts from other teams while adding to their impressive stockpile of draft picks.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey, that's exactly what the Sixers are trying to do:
"With the most salary-cap space in the league and roster flexibility, the Sixers are, once again, in the market to acquire an expiring contract from a team looking to dump a salary. If the price is right, they also will take in unheralded players on opposing teams' rosters who they believe can contribute in their system.
"
Per Pompey, Philly is also open to offloading Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, whose skills as a rebounder and defender may come in handy for a playoff team before he becomes a free agent this summer.
Worst Case
The Sixers throw a wrench into their slowly improving machinery by putting one of their core youngsters (e.g. Michael Carter-Williams, Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid) on the market. Per The Inquirer, GM Sam Hinkie isn't looking to move any of those three, though he "could change his mind over time."
At some point, the Sixers will have to introduce some semblance of stability if they're to start creating a winner for fans in Philly to enjoy. Parting ways with their top prospects now would only serve to set that process back.
Phoenix Suns
24 of 30
Best Case
Alex Len's ankle sprain is mild enough to once again render Miles Plumlee expendable for the Phoenix Suns. Sporting News' Sean Deveney recently wrote that the Suns are in the market for the sort of shooting big man they lost when Channing Frye left this past summer.
Granted, Phoenix would be hard-pressed to get one in return for Plumlee. According to Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears, interest in Plumlee's services has thus far been tepid, at best. But if Suns GM Ryan McDonough can spin his second-string center into a stretchier backup big, the team would be that much better equipped to hold onto a playoff spot out West.
Worst Case
The Suns get desperate enough for frontcourt support that they put one of their point guards up for auction. Per Deveney, Goran Dragic, who can opt out of his contract this summer, could be the first one to go.
But Dragic is arguably the best of the trio, between himself, Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas. Sending out Dragic would make it easier for head coach Jeff Hornacek to fit Bledsoe and Thomas together, but at the expense of Phoenix's frantic, small-ball identity.
Portland Trail Blazers
25 of 30
Best Case
Either Nicolas Batum straightens things out and rediscovers his prior form or Portland Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey springs for another wing.
Batum's subpar performance (.376 from the field, .273 from three) has left Portland with a glaring need for help at small forward, be it behind or ahead of the Frenchman. According to Basketball Insiders' Alex Kennedy, the Blazers and Clippers have both kicked the tires on Denver's Wilson Chandler.
Unlike L.A., though, Portland can offer the Nuggets a first-round pick in exchange for Chandler's services.
Worst Case
The Blazers take their chances with the roster they have. That wouldn't be the absolute worst thing, since Portland has played well enough to hang around the West's top four all season.
But Memphis, Houston, Dallas and the Clippers have already moved aggressively to improve their respective rosters. And as capable as the Blazers are of competing with those clubs, it would behoove them to take full advantage of their current moment, before LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez hit free agency.
Sacramento Kings
26 of 30
Best Case
The Sacramento Kings put any major roster changes on hold while they sort out their coaching situation.
According to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, the Kings are close to signing former Coach of the Year George Karl to a four-year contract. Assuming both parties agree, the Kings would do well to work with Karl to determine how the roster should be constructed.
Otherwise, they run the risk of once again putting the cart before the horse, as team owner Vivek Ranadive did when he hired Michael Malone to be the coach before installing Pete D'Alessandro as Sacramento's GM.
Worst Case
The Kings inject more chaos into their existing maelstrom by shaking up a team that, while clearly in need of some personnel changes (as its 18-32 record suggests), already has plenty on its plate that needs to be sorted out.
San Antonio Spurs
27 of 30
Best Case
The San Antonio Spurs stand pat. They know this team can win it all because, well, this group, save for a fringe face or two, did just that to end the 2013-14 season.
All that has held this squad back so far is injury. Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker, Tiago Splitter, Marco Belinelli and Patty Mills have all missed significant time in 2014-15, but are back in action for Gregg Popovich nowadays.
Worst Case
Spurs GM R.C. Buford, overcome by a sudden case of amnesia, forgets that the team on hand in San Antonio is more or less the same as the one that bulldozed its way to the title last year.
Toronto Raptors
28 of 30
Best Case
Toronto GM Masai Ujiri parlays the Raptors' reserve of draft picks and expiring contracts into some frontcourt help.
The Raptors rank among the league's bottom half in rebounding percentage and defensive efficiency and have given up the seventh-most shots within five feet of the rim, per NBA.com. As Sports Illustrated's Rob Mahoney recently detailed, Toronto's defensive downturn has had plenty to do with poor execution on the part of its perimeter players.
But Jonas Valanciunas and Amir Johnson, while effective in fits and spurts, haven't performed consistently, and will be hard-pressed to compete with their counterparts in Cleveland, Chicago, Washington and Atlanta come playoff time.
Worst Case
The Raptors get comfortable with their cushy position in the Eastern Conference standings and decide that there's nothing broke about them, and, thus, opt not to fix their defensive deficiencies through upgrades.
That appears to be the mindset into which Toronto's players have fallen.
"We’re still second in the East," DeMar DeRozan told the Toronto Sun's Ryan Wolstat.
Added Patrick Patterson:
"You look at past history where teams have been in a positive situation, they’ve been winning or maybe they’ve lost but they’re in a great situation as far as standings go and they make a trade and next thing you know that trade messes up the chemistry and causes them to play horribly, have problems in the locker room, thus resulting in a horrible season after that and losing in the playoffs too early.
"
Sure, swinging a trade at this point is risky, but the Raptors are already in danger of falling behind their competition in the East.
Utah Jazz
29 of 30
Best Case
The Utah Jazz let their young core continue to jell under the direction of head coach Quin Snyder. Their playoff prospects already all but extinguished, the Jazz should be under no pressure to cash in their chips for veteran help or do anything that would improve their present circumstances at the expense of their bright future.
Worst Case
GM Dennis Lindsey gets mixed up in trade talks with other executives inquiring about the availability of Trey Burke and Enes Kanter, who've lost ground in Snyder's rotation to Dante Exum and Rudy Gobert, respectively.
Washington Wizards
30 of 30
Best Case
The Washington Wizards opt to bolster their backcourt through free agency, rather than add to their payroll over the long haul to do so. According to CSNWashington.com's J. Michael, that's precisely what the Wizards are trying to do:
"The trade deadline is Feb. 19 and as of this week there still aren't any serious possibilities because the Wizards, who are just under the luxury tax, are hesitant to take on long-term salary commitments if they can get a player who can provide comparable production on a pro-rated deal with no future money on the books.
"
Instead, Washington could take its chances with Ray Allen, assuming he decides to give it another go, or seek reinforcements from the D-League or overseas.
Worst Case
The Wizards go after a guard whose contract runs past the 2015-16 season. In doing so, Washington imperils its prospects of signing a certain reigning MVP 17 months from now.
Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.
