Potential Blockbuster Trades for 2017
Fans love speculating about blockbuster trades that may include some of the biggest names in the sports world.
Websites dedicated to tracking trade rumors create buzz seemingly on a weekly basis. Twitter and other social media avenues erupt whenever a possible blockbuster trade gets mentioned by a reputable source. Knowledgeable sports fans who understand such deals often fail to materialize nevertheless allow themselves to become excited and intrigued by rumors about big-name players switching teams.
2017 will bring with it a plethora of fascinating potential blockbuster trades.
Mike Trout is currently the top young player in Major League Baseball and could become the biggest star in the sport if he parts ways with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at some point in 2017. Klay Thompson may move on from the Golden State Warriors if the right offer comes along. San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers may finish his career with a different team.
2017 should be a big year for the trade rumor mill.
It's possible, of course, none of these trades will occur over the next 13 months. Players get comfortable in their environments, and teams wish to retain stars. All 10 trades mentioned in this piece are theoretically possible as of late November 2016, which makes them fascinating subjects to ponder this holiday season.
Blake Griffin to the Oklahoma City Thunder
1 of 10
We absolutely understand this trade wouldn't happen today. The Los Angeles Clippers are, as of the afternoon of November 23, one of the best teams in the Western Conference, and trading forward Blake Griffin to any club, let alone to a playoff contender that plays in the same conference, is downright silly heading into Thanksgiving Day.
Say, for the sake of argument, the Clippers fall apart over the next several months for whatever reasons. Maybe Chris Paul will suffer some sort of physical setback, or perhaps a long losing streak will cause the Clippers to plummet down the standings.
Los Angeles trading Griffin to the Oklahoma City Thunder makes sense in such an imagined world.
Griffin, via Spotrac, can terminate his current contract and enter free agency after the 2016-17 season, meaning the Clippers may lose him for nothing next summer. As Matt Moore of CBS Sports explained, Griffin grew up in Oklahoma City and attended the University of Oklahoma, and the thought of returning home to play alongside Russell Westbrook may intrigue him if he and the Clippers don't win a title during the first half of 2017.
Just because this blockbuster trade won't happen today doesn't mean it's not an option down the road.
Joe Thomas to the New York Giants
2 of 10
It's rare any potential transaction involving an offensive lineman would be considered a blockbuster trade, but here is an exception.
Joe Thomas of the Cleveland Browns is respected as one of the NFL's best left tackles of the past decade. Thomas has never played in a postseason game to the Browns' long-lasting futility, though, and the tackle who turns 32 years old in December isn't getting any younger. Add in that Thomas took a shot at team management following a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 20, as Conor Orr of NFL.com wrote, and we may be approaching a time when Thomas and the Browns (finally) part ways.
The New York Giants could move Ereck Flowers to right tackle and then trade for Thomas in 2017 to fortify the team's line and protect quarterback Eli Manning during Manning's final seasons in the NFL. Cleveland, meanwhile, is in a complete rebuild, and the team needs to reconstruct what is currently a terrible offensive line. Thomas isn't helping the Browns win a Super Bowl, and he and the club will both be better off the sooner they realize that reality.
Andrew McCutchen to the Seattle Mariners
3 of 10
The Pittsburgh Pirates nearly built a championship team around center fielder Andrew McCutchen. Pittsburgh failed to get over the figurative hump, however, and the club should now view McCutchen as a trade asset rather than a lineup mainstay.
Per Spotrac, McCutchen's contract includes a club option for the 2018 season, meaning a team that trades for him will control his rights based upon how he performs in 2017. McCutchen could be a bargain for a team in need of power in the lineup and stability in CF if he finds his All-Star form with a club such as the Seattle Mariners.
MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported on November 20 recent trade talks between the Pirates and Mariners regarding McCutchen "did not advance," but that doesn't necessarily close the door on a future deal. As Mark Polishuck of MLB Trade Rumors explained, the Mariners could use a right-handed bat who also patrols the outfield such as McCutchen.
A change of scenery could be just what McCutchen needs in 2017.
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Klay Thompson to the Boston Celtics
4 of 10
As Nate Scott of USA Today wrote, the blockbuster trade rumor linking Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson to the Boston Celtics wasn't actually ever a real rumor. The story merely popped up somewhere on the internet, similar to a tale about somebody claiming they saw Bigfoot in the woods.
With that said, the Warriors trading Thompson to the Celtics actually makes some sense when you think about it for more than a few seconds.
Thompson's contract, via Spotrac, runs through the end of the 2018-19 NBA season, meaning he wouldn't be a "rent-a-player" for a team such as the Celtics. Two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry, however, should put pen to paper on a new contract with the Warriors at some point in 2017. The Warriors also need to consider the futures of Kevin Durant and Draymond Green.
Curry and Durant have both won MVP honors during their careers, and Green is a force down low on both ends of the court. Thompson, meanwhile, is a second-tier player behind the likes of Curry, Durant, LeBron James and other proven superstars. The Warriors can afford to retain their four stars through the spring, but trading Thompson could become an option in the summer of 2017.
Philip Rivers to the New York Jets
5 of 10
A team sometimes needs to realize the inevitable, and that is the case with the San Diego Chargers this fall.
The Chargers probably aren't winning the Super Bowl with quarterback Philip Rivers on the roster. Rivers joined the Chargers in 2004, and the veteran who turns 35 years old in December is entering the twilight of his career. San Diego needs to begin planning for a future that doesn't include Rivers, as ESPN's Rivers McCown explained this past October, and the New York Jets may make for the ideal landing spot for a QB who hits the trade market in 2017.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Geno Smith, Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg are all probably good guys who try their best. None are as talented as Rivers is today. The Jets trading for Rivers would generate positive headlines in the New York press, help Gang Green steal the back pages of newspapers from a New York Giants team that is 7-3 as of the posting of this piece and give the club its best QB since Brett Favre.
The Jets could be convinced to trade a top pick for Rivers if the club believes no QB in the upcoming draft class is worth a first-round value.
Giancarlo Stanton to New York
6 of 10
You may have noticed no team is mentioned in this title of this slide. That is neither a typo nor an accident.
Joe Giglio of NJ.com, referencing Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, recently speculated the New York Mets could trade for Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton if the Mets are unable to re-sign Yoenis Cespedes. Stanton would provide a boost to the lineup the Mets lacked last season even with Cespedes patrolling the team's outfield, and New York could theoretically send one potential ace to the Marlins in return for Stanton.
The Mets and Marlins are division rivals, however, which makes it hard to imagine they would come to terms on such a blockbuster trade.
Miami and the New York Yankees share no such rivalry. The Yankees lack star power, compared to the Mets, and the Pinstripers could send multiple promising prospects to the Marlins for Stanton. Stanton is currently owed over $300 million, per Spotrac, but money didn't prevent the Yankees from acquiring Alex Rodriguez last decade.
Either way, Stanton could find himself playing in New York at some point in 2017.
Marc-Andre Fleury to the Edmonton Oilers
7 of 10
Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury possesses the physical skills to be one of the best players at his position when he is fully healthy. Fleury is a proven winner, as he helped the Penguins complete a journey to the Stanley Cup title in the spring of 2009, and the 31-year-old should still have plenty left in the tank.
The sports fates sometimes frown on an athlete, and that was the case with Fleury earlier this year. Issues stemming from a concussion sidelined the goaltender, and rookie Matt Murray excelled while filling in for Fleury. Pittsburgh won the Stanley Cup with Murray on the ice, and the Pens rewarded Murray with a three-year contract extension, per ESPN.com.
The Penguins risk losing Fleury to the upcoming expansion draft, as Kevin Allen of USA Today explained in October, and thus the club may explore moving him before the trade deadline. As Michael Meyer of Puck Prose pointed out last month, the Edmonton Oilers could afford to trade for Fleury and also pay the remainder of his current salary. The Oilers began the current campaign as one of the hottest teams in the Western Conference, and trading for a champion goaltender may intrigue the club once we get into the new year.
Carmelo Anthony to the Cleveland Cavaliers
8 of 10
Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James refused to say in October if he and New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony had recently spoken about Anthony playing for the Cavs in the near future. "Maybe. Maybe not," James responded when asked about the subject, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
James wasn't so coy about the matter earlier this year.
According to Bleacher Report's Howard Beck, playing alongside Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul is among James' goals he'd like to accomplish before he retires. James helped the Cavaliers win a championship in 2016, and those running the franchise would do well to complete any and all transactions to keep the all-time great happy during his second stint in Cleveland.
The Cavs and Knicks may not make this trade during the 2016-17 NBA season, but that doesn't mean it's not an option come next summer. Kristaps Porzingis, not Anthony, is clearly the top star for the Knicks heading into the winter months, and the Knicks should plan on building around Porzingis as soon as possible.
Porzingis and Kevin Love teaming up on the same side would make for a rather formidable duo.
Tony Romo to the Denver Broncos
9 of 10
Quarterback Tony Romo may never again start for the Dallas Cowboys.
Romo suffered an injury during a preseason game this past August, and rookie Dak Prescott ultimately received the opportunity to start in Romo's place. Prescott, along with running back and fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliott and the best offensive line in the NFL, helped the Cowboys win nine games in a row and begin the campaign 9-1 overall, and Prescott is now cemented as the team's starting QB for the foreseeable future.
Romo turns 37 years old next April, but there is currently no indication he plans to hang up his cleats following the current campaign. In fact, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported Romo is already eyeing a potential move to the Denver Broncos. The Broncos seemingly need an upgrade at the position until Paxton Lynch is ready to lead the team's offense, and general manager John Elway has proven, in the past, he isn't afraid to take a flier on a veteran QB.
Elway bringing Peyton Manning to Denver in 2012 led to the club winning a Super Bowl.
Romo's price tag isn't what it was before Prescott became a mainstay for the Dallas offense, and thus this trade makes all kinds of sense for all parties. Denver would improve its offense, on paper, the Cowboys would receive compensation for who is now a backup QB and Romo would receive one last chance to win a title before he calls time on his career.
Mike Trout to the New York Yankees
10 of 10
It's the baseball trade rumor that won't disappear.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim owe outfielder Mike Trout over $100 million between 2017 and the end of the 2020 season, per Spotrac. That's a bargain for a talent such as Trout, a 25-year-old who has already won a pair of MVP awards and who has been compared to Mickey Mantle by Pedro Maura of the Los Angeles Times and others.
Why, then, would the Angels even consider trading him to the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs or any other team?
As Sweeny Murti of CBS New York recently pointed out, the Yankees could offer a bounty of prospects to the Angels for Trout's services. The Angels, meanwhile, need to decide sooner or later if they can win a World Series with Trout on the roster or if Trout is more of a trade asset than he is a piece to their overall puzzle. For what it's worth, Trout grew up a fan of the Bronx Bombers, per Peter Gammons of Gammons Daily.
The Yankees can afford to pay Trout's wages over the next decade now that names such as Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira are off the books, and trading for Trout would make the Yankees the toast of the town over the New York Mets. This trade makes sense for all involved, but whether or not the Angels will pull the trigger on the transaction in 2017 is anybody's guess heading into the winter months.
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