6 NBA Youngsters Who Could Use a Change of Scenery at 2015 Trade Deadline
Opportunity and fit. Those two words can be just as important to an NBA career as size, strength, speed and skill.
Players need the chance to prove their worth in this league. If playing time isn't consistent, production won't be either. But it isn't only about getting minutes, it's about seeing the floor in a system that promotes whatever talents that player brings.
If any part of the equation is missing, the entire calculation is thrown off. That's when frustration starts to set in, which often leads to trade whispers being made by the individual or his team.
The Orlando Magic have put forward Andrew Nicholson, who's seeing by far the fewest minutes of his three-year career, on the trade block, sources told ESPN.com's Marc Stein. A crowded frontcourt has squeezed out Nicholson in Orlando, but if he finds more minutes elsewhere, he could get back to raining jumpers from mid-range and piling up points from the low post.
Utah Jazz center Enes Kanter has reportedly tired of his team's stable of bigs. After playing behind Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap to start his career, Kanter is now fighting for minutes with Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert. And the former No. 3 pick reportedly isn't happy. Kanter told Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune he would like to be moved before the Feb. 19 trade deadline.
Those are just two of the six young players—under 26 years old—who could benefit from a change of scenery.
Maurice Harkless, SF, Orlando Magic
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The minutes crunch that has blocked Nicholson's development also hasn't done any favors to his 21-year-old teammate, Maurice Harkless. And that's really a sad story since he left St. John's with a wealth of athletic ability but an obvious need for serious seasoning.
There is only so much work that can be done on the practice floor. Live game action can accelerate a young player's learning curve, but Harkless has seen less of it the longer he's been in Orlando. He logged 26 minutes a night as a rookie, dipped to 24.4 as a sophomore and is now receiving only 13.8. He's sat out more games (29) than he's played this season (27).
Finding a rhythm from distance would do wonders for the career 31.7 percent three-point shooter, but he's converted 45.9 percent of his field-goal attempts even without that weapon in his arsenal. He has the physical tools to live above the rim, and those same gifts give him an intriguing future as a pesky defender.
He might not have the league's highest ceiling, but he doesn't seem like someone who should be buried on the bench.
"It'd be a stretch to suggest Harkless showed signs of NBA stardom in his first two seasons..." wrote Orlando Pinstriped Post's Evan Dunlap, "but if nothing else he demonstrated competence, that he merited consideration as an everyday player."
But it doesn't seem the Magic view Harkless in that light. At least, they don't think highly enough of him to work him into a small forward rotation that already includes Tobias Harris, Evan Fournier and rookie Aaron Gordon.
No one knows exactly what Orlando has in Harkless. A change of address could help peel back the curtain.
Reggie Jackson, PG, Oklahoma City Thunder
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Before this season even started, electric combo guard Reggie Jackson seemed ready for a change.
While productive in the Oklahoma City Thunder's sixth-man role, the 24-year-old hasn't been shy about voicing his desire to become something more.
"I want to be a starter," Jackson declared back at OKC's media day, per Basketball Insiders' Susan Bible. "I've always wanted to be a starter. I've always wanted to be great. All the greats I've seen started, so that's kind of the mold."
But a starting gig in Oklahoma City wasn't available to Jackson then and still isn't now. Incumbent starter, and perennial All-Star, Russell Westbrook does a lot of the same things as Jackson—only the former does them better. This season, Jackson has averaged 16.5 points, 5.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds per 36 minutes. With Westbrook, those numbers jump to 28.4, 8.4 and 7.0, respectively.
In other words, it isn't hard to see why the Thunder have yet to honor Jackson's request. But that doesn't mean the restricted-free-agent-to-be has to like the decision. Not when he sees, as he said, greatness in his future.
That's created a murky situation for the Thunder, which has only grown more complicated since the arrival of guard Dion Waiters. In his 18 games with OKC, Waiters has seen 26.9 minutes of action a night. Over that same stretch, Jackson has only received 20 minutes per game.
Something has to give, likely meaning someone has to go. The Thunder have the backcourt depth to sacrifice Jackson to fill a more pressing need (post scoring). And teams short on competent point guards like the New York Knicks and Miami Heat might be glad to take him off OKC's hands.
Then—and only then—will Jackson have the chance to show the basketball world he can be the type of player he says he is.
Enes Kanter, C, Utah Jazz
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On the surface, Kanter's situation in Salt Lake City doesn't look dire enough to warrant a trade request.
The former No. 3 pick has averaged career highs in points (13.8), minutes (27.1) and usage percentage (25.1). He sees the fifth-most playing time on the team and attempts more field goals (11.9) than every player not named Favors, Gordon Hayward or Trey Burke.
In no way has Kanter fallen out of the rotation or the offense. But after seeing a season-high 30.1 minutes per game in December, he's watched that number decrease to 27.6 in January and 26.3 this month.
And it's no coincidence that this slide has ran concurrently with Gobert's emergence. The two players couldn't be more different—Kanter is a gifted offensive player with defensive limitations, Gobert is the opposite—and first-year coach Quin Snyder has learned the benefits of playing both.
But try explaining that to Kanter after he's already spent ample time waiting for a featured role. With restricted free agency awaiting him this summer, there's an economic aspect attached to his production. If neither of those numbers are where he would like, it's entirely possible there's some resentment over that fact.
"I think there's a sensitivity to Enes related to his first couple years and how little he's been used..." his agent Max Ergul said during an appearance on 1280 The Zone, per Falk. "Him and his family, and, in some respects, I, do believe there was definitely some lack of investment in his development."
It probably doesn't help that Kanter couldn't reach an extension with the Jazz, while Hayward, Favors and Alec Burks all signed their own.
Schematically, Utah isn't a bad place for Kanter's skills. Favors and Gobert can guard against Kanter's defensive shortcomings, while his ability to space the floor clears some congestion in the paint.
But if Kanter feels he's ready for a new start, that's his call to make. And not every team would have a tower of potential like Gobert nipping at Kanter's heels.
Jeremy Lamb, SG, Oklahoma City Thunder
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It wasn't supposed to take this long for things to click for 2012 lottery pick Jeremy Lamb. Not for a guy who makes the game look so effortless.
At least, he did appear to have that ability when he was still playing games. But he seems to have lost the confidence of Thunder coach Scott Brooks, who has benched Lamb 12 times in OKC's last 24 contests and only once given him double-digit minutes during this stretch.
Lamb has never averaged more than the 19.7 minutes he logged last season. He's down to 15.6 this time around, and even that number is deceptive with how often he's failed to get off the bench.
He doesn't have a solidified role in Oklahoma City and quite possibly never will. Starter Andre Roberson is Brooks' preferred defender on the wing. Jackson and Waiters split the spark-plug duties. Even being reduced to a three-point specialist wouldn't be enough for Lamb with Anthony Morrow, a career 42.1 percent sniper from distance, on the roster.
Lamb needs a fresh start on a team better equipped to deal with the inconsistencies often seen in a 22-year-old.
"A change of scenery to a team that will make his development a priority is the only way Lamb will reach his true potential," Bleacher Report's Dave Leonardis wrote of Lamb. "He'll never grow with his minutes fluctuating on a game-by-game basis in Oklahoma City, where the focus is on winning a championship."
The Thunder could give Lamb that chance. They were reportedly willing to include him in the deal that would have brought Brook Lopez to OKC, per USA Today's Sam Amick, and could add Lamb as a sweetener to any potential move they make.
He has so much more talent than his numbers suggest. He just needs a team committed to bringing out his best.
Andrew Nicholson, PF, Orlando Magic
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For the past two seasons, Nicholson seemed like a promising piece of Orlando's future. Now, he looks like a member of the Magic by title only.
He's only played three times in 2015, most recently appearing for a five-minute stint on Jan. 10. Orlando can get more athleticism from Aaron Gordon, better interior play from Nikola Vucevic and Kyle O'Quinn, more shooting range out of Channing Frye and added rim protection from Dewayne Dedmon.
All of that has made Nicholson disappear behind one of the NBA's deeper frontcourts. He posted respectable per-game marks his first two seasons—6.8 points on 48.1 percent shooting, 3.4 rebounds in 16 minutes—but hasn't had the playing time needed to make a similar mark in 2014-15.
Nicholson is a below-average athlete, and he never found the three-point shot he tried featuring last season (he hit 28 of his 89 attempts, 31.5 percent). But he's a crafty scorer on the low block, who could help a club looking for some low-cost depth up front.
"He's only 25 with a lot of unrealized potential and could probably be had for cheap," NBC Sports' Sean Highkin wrote of Nicholson. "He could be a worth a flyer for a team in the market for a young big."
A trade would be as much about helping Nicholson as it would his new team—if not more. He isn't the only one on this list battling for floor time, but his fight is easily the most difficult. The Magic are overloaded with alternatives, and a lot of those players will still be around next season, the final guaranteed year on Nicholson's rookie contract.
Nicholson has to re-establish his value before hitting the open market. Two years of wasting away on Orlando's bench might move him too far off the radar for a team to pursue him.
While others need a change to help their development, Nicholson might need it to save his NBA career.
Lance Stephenson, SG, Charlotte Hornets
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It had to end here, didn't it? Has anyone looked more out of place than Lance Stephenson this season?
Whatever he was supposed to do for the Charlotte Hornets, he hasn't. He's almost lost five full points from last season's scoring average (9.0, down from 13.8). His field-goal percentage has plummeted from a very good 49.1 to a borderline unplayable 37.1. His player efficiency rating has almost been sliced in half (8.9, down from 14.7).
In July, Hornets general manager Rich Cho said they were "extremely excited" about signing "a great up-and-coming player with an incredibly high ceiling." By December, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe heard Stephenson had "clashed with teammates," while league sources told ESPN.com's Marc Stein Charlotte was "exploring its options to move him."
Stephenson always seemed like a volatile acquisition, but it's still somewhat shocking to see things go this poorly, this quickly. Then again, the Hornets needed three-point shooting more than anything, and that's never been Born Ready's strong suit.
As bad as this has played out, the problem could have more to do with the fit than Stephenson himself. He could still be an impact player in the right situation.
"For all the peaks and valleys in his game, there's no questioning Stephenson's ability to be a game-changer who could boost a playoff contender," wrote NBA.com's Fran Blinebury.
Stephenson is a rugged on-ball defender, a great rebounder for his position and a sound secondary playmaker. He brings a moving truck's worth of baggage and spotty scoring, but on the right team, the positives outweigh the negatives.
The Hornets just aren't that team.
Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
