10 NBA Teams That Need to Make Fast Changes
The NBA trade deadline is February 18 at 3 p.m. ET.
This is important to remember down the road as teams across the league look to find that one player who can put them over the top and into contention. Each team in this list needs to act quickly—way before this deadline approaches.
Some teams here will need to sign free agents to 10-day contracts, while others will look to offload players as their seasons are lost. Some teams don't even need new players; they just need to give some other players more minutes.
This list is all hypothetical, and some things said may be unlikely to happen. This list is to show what improvements are possible for each team if it chooses to do so. After all, the trade deadline is always a crazy place for rumors and speculation.
Move Tyreke Evans Back to Small Forward
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Can someone, anyone, please help Anthony Davis out?
The Pelicans, outside of Davis, are not too good. Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday and Eric Gordon are decent guards, but Alonzo Gee, who is averaging 3.8 points and 2.9 rebounds in 21.0 minutes per game, is not the answer at the small forward position.
There is no quick fix for the Pelicans, as good small forwards are hard to come by in the NBA. But the Pelicans can move some pieces around.
Evans has experience playing at small forward, and like it or not, he has the size (6'6", 220 lbs) and quickness to defend that position. Gordon and Holiday both have injury-prone tendencies, but when healthy, both can take over a game getting to the basket.
If the Pelicans, who currently have an 11-22 record (13th in the Western Conference), were able to put together a starting five consisting of Holiday, Gordon, Evans, Davis and Omer Asik, they might be able to dig themselves out of the abyss that is the bottom of the West. The kicker is, obviously, if this lineup can stay healthy.
Norris Cole has proved to be a solid backup point guard in the league over the past few seasons, and coming off the bench is Ryan Anderson, who is arguably the best shooter at the power forward position in the NBA. The depth is there to make this team contend for an eighth seed this season (four games back of eighth place) if the core can stay healthy over the next few months.
Phoenix Suns Trade Tyson Chandler
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There's no easy way to say this, but the Phoenix Suns are a mess.
It doesn't seem like the Suns could possibly rise from the ashes of this season after firing two assistant coaches while posting a 12-25 record through 37 games. The lowest point of the season came when they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers. In addition, they are currently on a nine-game skid.
Need I say more?
The Suns, like the Wizards, should tank this season, but for different reasons. The Wizards are actually a good basketball team that just hasn't caught a break yet, whereas the Suns are a team that has no leader or passion to turn the season around. This team needs to clean house—and do it quickly.
Losing Eric Bledsoe for the season was a tough loss, but trying to replace him before the trade deadline would be a mistake because there is no light at the end of the tunnel for Phoenix right now. It's hard to imagine that a year ago, the Suns had Bledsoe, Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas in their backcourt. Fast-forward a year, and none of them are on the court for Phoenix.
What the Suns could do, however, is trade their most movable assets for flexibility this offseason. Tyson Chandler, who signed a four-year, $52 million contract this past summer, isn't going anywhere if he stays with the Suns. It would be in both the Suns' and Chandler's interests for him to go elsewhere for either a late first-round pick or a couple of young developing players.
According to NBADraft.net, Phoenix is currently projected to have the fourth pick in the draft this upcoming summer, and it could land a Ben Simmons, Brandon Ingram or even Dragan Bender. With another draft pick in their arsenal if they trade Chandler before the deadline, the Suns could potentially move up even higher, depending on how the lottery plays out.
The Suns shouldn't tinker with anything by adding players; they need to follow the 76ers' line of thinking and just tank to get the best possible players in the draft. Jeff Hornacek is a good coach, despite the issues he has had with his players this season. It's not his fault that his team is so bad and lacks the heart to stop the bleeding.
Sacramento Kings Trade for Iman Shumpert
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A team that has DeMarcus Cousins, Rajon Rondo and Rudy Gay in the starting rotation and depth on the bench, including Kosta Koufos, Marco Belinelli and Darren Collison, looks good on paper, right? Problem is, basketball games aren't played on paper.
Currently sitting in 10th place in the West with a 14-21 record, the Sacramento Kings have some issues. The team's issues go beyond the feud of Cousins and head coach George Karl, or even the immaturity of Rondo and Cousins. This team doesn't have a presence on the perimeter.
The Kings are too talented to lose so many games and actually rank third in the NBA in points scored per game (105.9). On the flip side, they are dead last in the NBA in points allowed per game (107.9).
The solution? Better defense.
The Kings drafted Willie Cauley-Stein with the sixth pick in this past draft as a defensive presence next to Cousins in the frontcourt. So far, he averages one block per game with 4.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Not bad for only 18.1 minutes per game.
The perimeter defense for the Kings, however, is bad. Rondo averages 1.9 steals per game, and Gay is a capable defender at the small forward position, but the Kings need a lockdown defender at the shooting guard position. The best way to facilitate that need is by making a move at the trade deadline.
The likes of an Avery Bradley or Tony Allen are unlikely to be traded, but a player like Iman Shumpert, who is currently coming off the bench for the Cleveland Cavaliers, could be a nice addition for the Kings.
Keep in mind that this is all hypothetical, but a starting rotation of Rondo, Shumpert, Gay, Omri Casspi and Cousins looks a lot better than what the Kings have right now with Ben McLemore and Belinelli as the best 2-guards on the roster.
Washington Wizards Should Tank
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This was supposed to be a breakout season for the Washington Wizards. Instead, the only good position they find themselves in is for the lottery in this year's upcoming draft.
The Wizards are 12th in the Eastern Conference with an abysmal 15-17 record, and the problem is that this team losing just doesn't make sense. The league just honored Marcin Gortat with the Eastern Conference Player of the Week award, and John Wall is still averaging 19.5 points and 9.7 assists per game. What gives?
Well, Bradley Beal just can't stay healthy this season.
Beal has missed 15 out of 32 games with nagging injuries to his shoulder and leg. When he's on the court, however, Beal is the Wizards' top scorer with 19.8 points per game. Replacing that kind of production is nearly impossible looking down the roster for Washington, which is relying on the services of Garrett Temple (7.1 PPG) as a replacement.
Beal has yet to take on basketball activities since being cleared for conditioning a week ago, according to CBS Sports (via RotoWire), and he could be out for a while after suffering a stress reaction in his right leg. The Wizards have a couple of options right now: Sign a free agent, like Ben Gordon, to a 10-day contract, or trade for a shooting guard as a security blanket.
However, what could be an interesting avenue of exploration for Washington that was addressed earlier, is to ride this season out and miss the playoffs to get a better spot in the lottery.
The Wizards are currently 2.5 games out of the eighth seed in the East, and they don't look to be competitive in the playoffs if they have to face off against the Cavaliers in the first round.
So why not tank a little, make sure your best players are healthy for next year and try to draft someone early next summer? After all, NBADraft.net projects the Wizards to have the 12th pick in the draft.
Boston Celtics Use Draft Picks to Trade for DeMarcus Cousins
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The Boston Celtics might be the only team in recent memory to compete in the playoffs and have the first overall pick in the draft.
The infamous Brooklyn Nets trade for Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry is the gift that keeps on giving. Nets general manager Billy King gave the Celtics the golden ticket: unprotected first-round picks.
The Nets, who currently have a 10-24 record and sit third in the draft projections, will surrender that pick to Boston, which sits pretty with a 19-15 record as its roster gets healthier. The Celtics are equipped with multiple first-round picks and could use them to pull off a big trade for a superstar.
But we've all heard this before from Danny Ainge and the Celtics. When will they actually pull the trigger on a deal? There have been rumors of the Celtics looking to acquire Cousins from the Kings, but apparently that isn't likely to happen, according to Matt Moore of CBSSports.com.
For the sake of argument, the Celtics should trade for Cousins if they can. Whether that involves shipping off two or three first-round picks from the Nets for, arguably, the best center in the NBA, Boston should get that deal done as soon as it can, because adding a center like Cousins is the missing puzzle piece for the Celtics.
They currently rank sixth in scoring defense and have talented, young wing defenders in Bradley and Marcus Smart. All they need is a post presence to put them over the top and into championship contention.
Los Angeles Lakers Move Forward with Larry Nance Jr.
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This season is more about the Kobe Bryant farewell tour than it is about the actual season. The Lakers have some really good young players in Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and 2015's second overall pick, D'Angelo Russell.
However, the Lakers still can't make sense of their roster.
Bryant continues to hoist up shots and handle the ball more than he should on offense, but that's not the problem with this team anymore.
There have been reports of Russell and Randle being unhappy with their roles in the team and with head coach Byron Scott, but at the end of the day, they need to show up and play—no matter how many minutes they get.
One bright spot for the Lakers has been the play of rookie Larry Nance Jr., who is averaging 11.6 points and 10.4 rebounds in his last five games.
The Lakers should continue to put Nance in the starting rotation and have Randle come off the bench. The Lakers starting five of Lou Williams, Clarkson, Bryant, Nance Jr. and Roy Hibbert should stay the way it is until Randle and Russell step up their games.
It's way too early to say that the Lakers should look to trade Randle or anything of that sort, but maybe they found something different in Nance Jr. and should give him the opportunity he has earned. The Lakers aren’t going anywhere this season, so experimenting with young players like Nance Jr. is a good sign moving forward.
Chicago Bulls Trade for Jose Calderon
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The Bulls are second in the East with a 21-12 record, they have a rising superstar in Jimmy Butler averaging 22.1 points and 4.8 rebounds and they have found success with a new rotation featuring rookie power forward Bobby Portis. So why are they on this list?
They have no backcourt depth.
Derrick Rose has been healthier this season, although he has had a few nagging injuries. Rose is scoring 14.4 points per game and averaging 5.1 assists, which are usually decent marks for a point guard in today's NBA, but it's not enough for the Bulls.
Aaron Brooks and Kirk Hinrich are two players who can come off the bench to give Rose and Butler a rest, but they're not talented enough to hold their own on the court for extended periods of time. What the Bulls need is more scoring off the bench. Hinrich is a good defender, and Brooks is quick enough to stay in front of his man, so they need more perimeter shooting.
A player who could be available before the trade deadline is Jose Calderon. The New York Knicks are stuck in the bottom of the Eastern Conference, and with the slim chances of making the playoffs this season, they might move some pieces around in preparation for the offseason.
Now, again, this is all hypothetical, but the Bulls could send a couple of players to New York to facilitate the cap space (Calderon is making $7.4 million this season) that would give the Bulls a competent ball-handler coming off the bench who is shooting 41.3 percent from downtown this season.
Milwaukee Bucks Sign Tony Wroten
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Jason Kidd may be away from the team right now due to a hip surgery, but that's no excuse for a Milwaukee Bucks team that ranks 13th in the East with a 14-23 record.
After making the playoffs last season, the Bucks—similar to the Wizards—were supposed to be a team to be reckoned with moving forward. While next year and the years to come may show the Bucks as one of the scariest two-way teams in the league, this season looks to be lost.
The Bucks need another point guard on the roster behind Michael Carter-Williams and another small forward to support Giannis Antetokounmpo. Milwaukee is a long, defensive team that likes to get out in transition for easy baskets.
Greivis Vasquez, who should be returning from injury at the end of this month, is on the depth chart. The Bucks don't need to change much until he returns, but they do need the depth of a third point guard to take the pressure off Tyler Ennis and Carter-Williams.
This past December, the 76ers released Tony Wroten, who was averaging 8.3 points per game for Philadelphia. While other teams have expressed interest in signing the 22-year-old, Wroten remains a free agent. It couldn’t hurt the Bucks to add Wroten into the mix until Vasquez returns, and it wouldn't cost them much, either.
The Bucks have a solid foundation in their roster; they just need to stay healthy and get more depth.
Houston Rockets Trade for Ryan Anderson
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The Houston Rockets started off slowly, but they have improved since firing head coach Kevin McHale. James Harden seems to have found his shot again, and Dwight Howard is taking up space in the paint.
However, the Rockets are still missing a key ingredient to their offense. Clint Capela has improved drastically from last season and has a lot of potential moving forward at the power forward position, where he is already averaging 7.7 points and 7.0 rebounds. But Capela can't stretch the floor, which sometimes clogs the Rockets in the paint.
The acquisition of a player like Ryan Anderson would fit perfectly with what the Rockets could do on offense. Anderson is a stretch 4 who shoots the ball from downtown at a 38 percent rate. The Pelicans don't appear to be headed toward the playoffs this season, and if possible, they should look to offload Anderson's expiring contract ($8.5 million this season).
Houston would have to move pieces and assets to make this trade possible, but adding Anderson to the rotation would give Howard the room he needs to operate while allowing Houston to spread the floor on offense.
Brooklyn Nets Improve Roster Immediately
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You should never beat a dead horse, but the Nets only have themselves to blame.
I mentioned earlier about how their trade with Boston has put the future of the Nets franchise in jeopardy, but here we will try to focus on the present. The Nets aren't making the playoffs, nor are they going to be a good team at any point this season. The best-case scenario for the Nets is to win as many games as they can so that the Celtics don't get a high draft pick this coming summer.
The opponents for the Nets don't matter at this point—they are playing against themselves. They lost Jarrett Jack for the season a couple of days ago, and if that wasn't bad enough, Brook Lopez is playing so well that some teams could be looking to trade for him.
If you're Brooklyn, that cannot happen. The Celtics are in the same division as the Nets, and the Nets can't allow Boston to have a top-three pick this season. Otherwise, that trade will go down as one of the biggest steals in NBA history.
Billy King has to act quickly and sign and trade for the best players available. Free agents like Ben Gordon and Wroten are still out there and can score and create their own shots, so the Nets should take a deep look at them. Shane Larkin is not a starting-caliber point guard, and Brooklyn must replace him in the rotation with someone who is capable of running an offense.
The Nets are sinking fast, and there isn't much time to change things before it gets worse. Lopez has to continue to play at an All-Star level, and Joe Johnson needs to play like the player he used to be in Atlanta.
But most of all, the Nets need more players to stay afloat. If not, the future will be even murkier than it is right now.
