NBA Trade Deadline 2015: Analyzing League's Top Trade Candidates
Thursday's NBA trade deadline presents a last chance for squads to bulk up for the playoffs or brighten the future.
In a busier trade season than usual, Rajon Rondo, J.R. Smith, Timofey Mozgov, Iman Shumpert, Dion Waiters, Jeff Green, Jameer Nelson and Tayshaun Prince have all already swapped uniforms this season. While some franchises already handled their business, others still need to shop or acquire another piece or two.
Making things more interesting, this has the makings of a rare postseason featuring more than three or four prominent contenders. A few Eastern Conference clubs and the entire Western Conference can make a run, which creates several contenders hungry to scour upgrades.
With the deadline fast approaching, here are the top players potentially on the move.
Enes Kanter
Although nowhere near a playoff spot, the Utah Jazz boast a pair of promising 22-year-old centers in Enes Kanter and Rudy Gobert. Possessing valuable young assets is all a losing team can ask for, but one of those players is not content sharing the spotlight.
According to The Salt Lake Tribune's Aaron Falk, Kanter has grown disgruntled in Utah's crowded backcourt.
"But for the third-overall pick in the 2011 draft, the frustrations are about more than one night. Kanter grew tired of empty promises of playing time during his time under Tyrone Corbin and remains frustrated by the inconsistency of his role.
The Jazz and coach Quin Snyder have tried to balance time among their four primary big men — Kanter, Derrick Favors, Rudy Gobert and Trevor Booker. Snyder has admitted in the past that it has been hard to find time in some games for all four, and said matchups and performance would dictate who got minutes most nights.
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Kanter has averaged 27.1 minutes per game to Gobert's 21.9, yet the French rim protector is working his way into a more even balance. In his limited role, Gobert ranks fourth with 2.2 blocks per contest, and his 21.6 player efficiency rating (PER) falls right between Carmelo Anthony and Damian Lillard for No. 19 in the NBA.
He enhanced his stock during Friday night's Rising Stars Challenge, getting snubbed for MVP despite his 18 points, 11 boards and three blocks. NBA on TNT's Twitter page shows one of those impressive swats.
A completely different player, Kanter is effective in his own right, averaging 13.8 points per game on 49.1 percent shooting with 7.8 rebounds per game. If given a meatier role as a top option, he's more than capable of becoming a nightly double-double. Yet he can't come close to matching Gobert's defensive presence.
Their contrasting styles give Utah reason to keep both around, but if they can't coexist, it makes sense to deal the displeased big man set to hit restricted free agency this offseason.
Goran Dragic
In the East, the Suns would be fighting for home-court advantage during the first round. In the West, they're battling the Oklahoma City Thunder and Anthony Davis' New Orleans Pelicans for the No. 8 seed.
As the Thunder return to full strength, the Suns shouldn't realistically view themselves as a serious threat. They're walking the tightrope with a guard-heavy roster, which has the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers calling them for Goran Dragic. Per ESPN.com's Marc Stein:
"Sources said that the Rockets, who let Dragic go in free agency in the summer of 2012 but have him high on their list of free-agent targets this summer, are prominent among the teams hoping to engage the Suns in serious discussions about Dragic before the league's annual trade buzzer next week.
The Lakers, meanwhile, also have coveted Dragic for some time and likewise are said to be intent on testing the Suns' resolve when it comes to their Slovenian point guard. Sources say L.A. plans to chase Dragic this summer anyway with an aggressive four-year offer that would be valued as high as an estimated $80 million if it approaches max-contract territory.
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A year after scoring 20.3 points and 5.9 assists per game last season, Dragic has slid to 16.2 points and 4.1 assists while sharing the backcourt with Eric Bledsoe and newcomer Isaiah Thomas, whom Phoenix poached from the Sacramento Kings last offseason.
Stein added on Twitter that the Suns would prefer to move Thomas in hopes of Dragic regaining last year's breakout form.
Despite an initial hesitance to move Dragic, Stein said the Suns are now listening in case they can't retain him this summer. Last week, general manager Ryan McDonough admitted on ESPN Radio, per Stein's report, that he assembled an uneven roster.
"I think our roster balance is a little off, and that's my fault. We are a little too backcourt-heavy, especially in terms of guys who, you know, I think you'd define primarily as scorers in the backcourt. So I think at some point we'll need to balance that out, try to get a little more size, a little more frontcourt scoring and rebounding.
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Even in a down year, Dragic is shooting above 50.0 percent for the second consecutive year. The prolific playmaker would provide an interesting duo with defensive guru Patrick Beverley in Houston, and James Harden needs some offensive help with Dwight Howard sidelined.
The Lakers wouldn't win any more games with Dragic at the helm, but he'd give them someone exciting to watch as they toil through a lost year. Letting the 28-year-old loose would lead him back to producing 20 points a night.
The Brooklyn Nets are trapped in no man's land. After years of inexcusable moves hemorrhaging the future for overpriced veterans far past their peak, they're stuck as an old, losing team with few positive assets.
At 21-31, the Nets are open to dealing Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez. While nobody is likely generous enough to take Williams or Johnson off their hands, Lopez is a different story.
The 26-year-old center has notched just 15.3 points and 6.2 boards this season, yet at least he has remained relatively healthy. At his best, there are few, if any, better scoring centers than Lopez. Despite his atrocious rebounding rates for a 7-footer, he's an intriguing gamble with buy-low potential.
Discussions with the Denver Nuggets fell through, so the Nets need somebody more desperate. Oklahoma City still must cement a playoff spot, and Steven Adams is currently sidelined after undergoing hand surgery.
Yet Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reported last month that the Nets left the table, with one team source saying, "There was nothing we liked." Those negotiations, however, died with a healthy Adams in the paint.
As the deadline approaches, Brooklyn might settle for the best offer it gets. Don't be shocked if a playoff hopeful exploits the fleeting franchise.
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