1 Trade That Can Help Every Fringe NBA Playoff Team
Maybe these 10 NBA squads have rosters strong enough to carry them into the postseason. But not all of them can advance that far, and even those on track for playoff berths would surely like to get a bit better before the stretch run.
Sneaking in is stressful. Improving your rotation and emerging as a favorite to play beyond 82 games allows for far better sleep.
But what can they do to find an upgrade?
We're attempting to stay at least somewhat realistic with these trade ideas for each team—the same 10 squads featured in the recent "legit or nah" piece will be highlighted for the sake of consistency. That said, each idea should shore up a weakness for the organization in question, making it more competitive in at least one area.
Not all 10 swaps can happen in the same reality. But you'll probably want your team's trade to be the one that becomes more than a mere hypothetical.
Detroit Pistons
1 of 10
Detroit Pistons Get: Nicolas Batum
Charlotte Hornets Get: Stanley Johnson, Jon Leuer, Boban Marjanovic, 2018 first-round pick (top-20 protected in both 2018 and 2019)
Nicolas Batum's contract isn't exactly palatable.
Not only does the 30-year-old swingman make $22.4 million during the current season, but he's on the hook for another $76.7 million over the next three years, assuming (and this feels safe) he picks up a player option in 2020-21 worth just over $27.1 million. Absorbing those expenditures while also giving up potential (in the form of Stanley Johnson) and a first-round pick? Well, that might initially feel nonsensical.
But think harder.
Johnson is a 21-year-old forward whose price tag is going to spike in a few years, and his shooting stroke remains broken. He's knocking down only 35.3 percent of his field-goal attempts and 28.3 percent of his deep tries, which just about negates his stingy defense. Factor in a complete lack of distributional development, and any net rating swing when he plays—the Detroit Pistons' mark drops by a team-worst 11.5 points per 100 possessions—makes far more sense.
Plus, that first-round pick likely wouldn't convey until 2020, given the impact Batum could have on this squad. The French veteran may not be a game-changing force at this stage of his career, but his two-way play and comfort operating in a catch-and-shoot role (current percentages be damned) would open up more opportunities for key running mates in the Motor City.
Acquiring him requires the Charlotte Hornets to essentially punt on the present season, and they should be drawing closer to that mentality while operating with a disappointing 11-19 record. Getting out from under Batum's massive contract makes sense, particularly if it can happen in conjunction with an influx of upside.
Indiana Pacers
2 of 10
Indiana Pacers Get: Lou Williams
Los Angeles Clippers Get: Lance Stephenson, 2018 first-round pick (lottery protected)
The Indiana Pacers bench is already scoring at a respectable clip. By putting up 105.8 points per 100 possessions, it trails only the second units of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz, Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Pelicans. That's not ideal, but it's far from leaving the backups as scoring liabilities.
Let's make it ideal.
Substitute Lou Williams in for Lance Stephenson (while also giving up a protected lottery pick), and you create a supercharged unit in which a deadly scoring guard leads the push alongside Cory Joseph, Domantas Sabonis and whoever else the Pacers feel like playing. And therein lies the hidden problem we're trying to address.
Indiana might find offensive success with its non-starters, but it can't trust them for prolonged periods, which heaps more responsibilities onto the shoulders of the opening quintet. Only the Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Pelicans and Minnesota Timberwolves allocate fewer minutes per game to the bench—a sticking point that would change with Williams in the mix.
The Los Angeles Clippers should be ready to pull the plug on their injury-riddled season (this won't be the only time one of their players gets traded away in this article), and getting a first-rounder for Williams would be too much to pass up. He's averaging a scorching 19.9 points and 4.9 assists while slashing 44.1/39.1/89.8, but he's also an expiring contract likely to walk away from the downward-spiraling organization in favor of a contender this summer.
No superior rental exists for squads seeking out a second-unit scoring spark.
Miami Heat
3 of 10
Miami Heat Get: Justin Holiday
Chicago Bulls Get: Justise Winslow
This would admittedly be hard to swallow. It could only happen if the Miami Heat got the ill-advised idea to go all-in on the present campaign and willingly sacrificed potential for a moderate amount of in-season help.
But what else are they going to do?
Unless the Heat decide they want to embark on blockbuster talks—see Bleacher Report's Dan Favale's breaking down a three-team trade that nets Paul George as an example—they don't have the assets to get much assistance in the present. The Stepien Rule prevents Miami from trading a first-round pick until roughly 3042, at which point robots will probably be suiting up for NBA teams, and it can't offer a second-round pick until 2022. Is anyone going to bite on one of the new contracts from this past summer? Can the Heat get fair value for Hassan Whiteside?
A lesser deal has to be the answer, and that involves letting someone else take the plunge on Justise Winslow.
The 21-year-old's shooting stroke from the perimeter has started to show a bit of improvement. He remains a high-quality defensive presence capable of hindering multiple positions. The Heat have occasionally gotten creative and teased facilitating production from his 6'7" frame. But he's still been disappointing, and they can't figure out how to overcome his distinct lack of gravitational pull, to the point that their net rating dips from minus-0.4 to minus-4.0 when he's on the floor.
He's ostensibly a more talented player than Justin Holiday, but remember: This whole deal hinges on Pat Riley's wanting to make moves geared only toward moving up the 2017-18 Eastern Conference standings. And to do so, he needs to pull the 23rd-ranked offense out of the garbage chute.
Holiday has proved a capable scorer for the Chicago Bulls, who would likely jump at the chance to acquire Winslow's upside. Holiday's shooting percentages aren't impressive, but he's shown the tools necessary to shine in a lower-usage role, which he'd likely assume upon moving down to South Beach. Miami, unlike Chicago, wouldn't have to overextend him out of necessity.
Milwaukee Bucks
4 of 10
Milwaukee Bucks Get: DeAndre Jordan and Brice Johnson
Los Angeles Clippers Get: John Henson, Matthew Dellavedova, Thon Maker, 2020 second-round pick
Let's hand over the initial justification to Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes, who also suggested this exact trade package:
"As L.A. realizes the market for a Jordan rental isn't so hot, maybe this package is enough to make it happen. Maker might be tough to pry from the Bucks, even if his progress this season has been a bit disappointing. But it's hard to see Milwaukee making his inclusion a deal-breaker—especially if it means keeping [Malcolm] Brogdon, [Khris] Middleton or anyone else who's actually been productive this year out of the exchange.
"This feels like a brutal sell-low return for the Clippers, but guess what: They are selling low!
"The Bucks might even be cool with the possibility of renting and losing Jordan after this season at a price like this, particularly since Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to grow to 7'9", have X-ray vision and spend all his minutes at center by next season anyway."
At this point in the year, Thon Maker can't be a deal-breaker.
Sure, the second-year center is still bubbling over with potential and has displayed brief flashes of upside in virtually every facet of the game. But he's also been flat-out bad, failing to show any semblance of consistency on either end of the floor and directly hampering the Milwaukee Bucks' attempted climb up the Eastern Conference hierarchy. NBA Math's total points added lists him as a glaring negative on the offensive side and gives him the No. 382 overall score, while ESPN.com's real plus/minus places him at No. 421.
If he's the biggest sacrifice (while also getting you off the hook for the John Henson and Matthew Dellavedova contracts), you pull the trigger without hesitation.
New Orleans Pelicans
5 of 10
New Orleans Pelicans Get: Marco Belinelli
Atlanta Hawks Get: Alexis Ajinca, 2018 first-round pick (lottery protected)
The New Orleans Pelicans are set up best to ship off one of their key pieces and travel down a rebuilding route. But if they're willing to keep trying with the DeMarcus Cousins-Anthony Davis combination and ship off future assets, they could potentially add a nice complementary piece.
That's where Marco Belinelli enters the equation.
The shooting guard is having a nice offensive season for the Atlanta Hawks, though he still shouldn't be a part of the long-term plans. For that tanktastic team, his age (32 years old in March) supersedes the fact that he's averaging 11.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 40.6 percent from the field, 38.3 percent from downtown and a league-best 95.2 percent from the charity stripe.
If the Hawks were able to get a first-round pick for his services (even while absorbing the last two seasons of Alexis Ajinca's four-year, $20.2 million deal), they should pack his bags for him. Embrace the fall down the Eastern Conference standings and start salivating over the elite talents atop the 2018 NBA draft class.
Meanwhile, the Pelicans could use one more shooter to place alongside the fire-and-ice combo. They already have E'Twaun Moore (46.0 percent on 4.0 attempts per game), Darius Miller (45.3 on 4.1), Jameer Nelson (38.4 on 2.7) and Rajon Rondo (36.8 on 2.2) putting up solid numbers, but they can't possibly have enough marksmen on this roster. More snipers provide more incentives for the big men to remain on the interior, where they can do even more damage.
Plus, New Orleans is still seeking depth in general. Only the Minnesota Timberwolves are allocating fewer minutes per game to non-starters, and any team coached by Tom Thibodeau shouldn't count in this ignominious competition.
New York Knicks
6 of 10
Los Angeles Clippers Get: Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott
New York Knicks Get: DeAndre Jordan
Once again, credit goes to Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes for the framework on this admittedly risky swappage: "Ultimately, this deal involves two teams exchanging opt-out candidates, with the Knicks taking on the bigger name and the bigger risk. Again, New York has generally been cool with that."
The crux of the argument in favor of this trade (which allows the Los Angeles Clippers to get something for DeAndre Jordan rather than potentially watching him opt out and leave) is fit alongside Kristaps Porzingis. Whereas the rebounding machine should be a strong running mate with the Latvian 7-footer, that hasn't been the case for Enes Kanter, even though he's currently in the midst of a career season that has featured substantive improvement on both ends.
According to PBPStats.com, the New York Knicks are outscoring opponents by 3.67 points per 100 possessions when both current bigs are on the floor—a sample of 486 minutes this season. That may seem like a strong mark, but the Madison Square Garden residents see their net rating swell to 6.43 when Porzingis plays without Kanter. In the reverse situation, the net rating stands at minus-18.57.
Quick recap: Kanter is unquestionably playing solid basketball this year. But that doesn't change the numbers, which show moderate success with both him and Porzingis, utter putridity when he plays without the team's leading star and the best results of all when the aforementioned star goes to work without him.
Maybe Jordan would have a similar effect. But he's also a more useful piece in general than Kanter, and his interior defense, rebounding acumen and willingness to operate in close proximity to the basket would all play well alongside the Eastern Conference's likely first-time All-Star.
They should work well in conjunction. Best of all, though, staggering them would allow the Knicks to continue operating like a playoff squad with either big on the floor all on his lonesome.
Oklahoma City Thunder
7 of 10
Oklahoma City Thunder Get: Marco Belinelli
Atlanta Hawks Get: Alex Abrines, Terrance Ferguson
If the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to make a notable trade this season, the deal will likely involve Paul George moving to a different location before he hits free agency during the hottest months of the year. But going down that rabbit hole probably wouldn't make the team better for the 2017-18 season, which is our one and only goal in this particular article.
So what can the Thunder give up?
Because they owe a protected 2018 first-round pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves and another opening-round selection to the Orlando Magic two years after the initial asset is conveyed to the 'Wolves, they can't realistically offer any top-30 draft slots. No one wants to part with a player of significance for a pick that would, at the absolute earliest, come six years into the future. And that leaves the Thunder with makeshift potential packages, cobbling together non-stars and second-round selections.
No player with whom they can realistically part (Steven Adams, for example, isn't on the table) should hold more appeal than Terrance Ferguson. The 19-year-old wing has only logged 7.1 minutes per game in 2017-18, but he was selected No. 21 overall in the 2017 NBA draft because of his long-term appeal.
Ferguson serves as the centerpiece here, giving the Atlanta Hawks the upside they'd need to part with Marco Belinelli when no first-rounder is coming back to the Peach State in return. Including Alex Abrines doesn't hurt, either. The 24-year-old shooting guard might not have much star power, but he's shown stretches of spot-up prowess in the past and is on the books at a reasonable salary for one more year ($5,455,236 in 2018-19).
On the other side of the swap, OKC's desire to incorporate Belinelli should be obvious. The Thunder rank No. 24 in offensive rating, No. 15 in three-point attempts per game and No. 26 in three-point percentage—all strong indications they could use another floor-spacing option to make life easier, both when driving and playing kick-out basketball, for the marquee names.
Philadelphia 76ers
8 of 10
Philadelphia 76ers Get: Lou Williams
Los Angeles Clippers Get: Jerryd Bayless, 2018 first-round pick (lottery protected)
Reunion time!
We're raiding the Los Angeles Clippers yet again, this time to steal away Lou Williams, who will become an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the 2017-18 season. And though he'll presumably be coveted by plenty of different contending organizations in search of a scoring spark off the pine, what better landing spot than the franchise with which he spent the first seven years of his professional career?
Thanks partially to the woeful efforts of Jerryd Bayless (going to LAC here for salary-matching purposes), the Philadelphia 76ers bench has scored more points per game than only the Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, New Orleans Pelicans and Milwaukee Bucks. Offensive rating doesn't look much better, since the Philly backups are putting up a meager 99.8 points per 100 possessions—the Association's No. 27 mark.
Even after Markelle Fultz returns, they'll need scorers. That's the biggest issue in general for this club, which features so many players capable of creating offense for others but precious few contributors comfortable assuming large scoring loads.
Williams is most assuredly not afraid of filling such a role.
Even while playing for a struggling Clippers squad, he currently ranks No. 14 in NBA Math's offensive points added, primarily because of his undying knack for getting buckets in any and all situations. Whether he's working off the bounce, shooting spot-up jumpers, attacking the hoop or earning trips to the free-throw line, he's capable of serving as one of the league's deadliest bench scorers.
Philadelphia might be hesitant to give up a first-round pick—even a protected one—for a half-season rental (though it's also possible Williams could re-sign). And that's fair. But it can also take solace in getting another opening-round selection from the Los Angeles Lakers, and it only has so many roster slots available.
Utah Jazz
9 of 10
Utah Jazz Get: Garrett Temple
Sacramento Kings Get: Joe Johnson, 2018 second-round pick, 2019 second-round pick
Even with Donovan Mitchell breaking out as a scoring stud, the Utah Jazz could use a bit more offensive firepower. Even factoring in their last 13 games—during which they went 7-6 against a tough slate of competition—they still rank No. 9 in defensive rating but only No. 12 in the offensive counterpart.
That's respectable, but it's still not where they need to be with a healthy Rudy Gobert. Not if they're looking to break out of the middle of the pack, climb above .500 and earn a playoff spot in the difficult Western Conference.
The scoring addition can't come at one of the bigger spots, since Joe Ingles, Derrick Favors and Gobert have all justified enormous minute expenditures. But the guard slots in the lineup are still a bit weak. Ricky Rubio remains a limited scoring threat, and the Jazz don't have many reliable 1-guards who are capable of both creating their own looks and setting up teammates.
Garrett Temple isn't truly a point guard. In fact, he's spent exactly 0 percent of his minutes at the 1 this season, per Basketball Reference, instead splitting time evenly between the 2 and 3. But he's functioned as such in the past, even logging 26 percent of his minutes as a floor general during his first four NBA seasons. Even more importantly, he's required assists on only 57.1 and 87.5 percent of his made twos and threes, respectively.
He might be the best option Utah can get its hands on, so long as it's unwilling to part with a first-round selection or a key rotation figure. Losing Joe Johnson is hardly a deal-breaker during the 2017-18 campaign, seeing as he's slashing a cringeworthy 38.4/8.3/81.8 and has played just 20.7 minutes per game over the course of 10 appearances.
So why would Sacramento part with a useful backcourt member for such a meager return? Johnson is on an expiring deal, and Temple isn't (assuming he turns down a player option worth only $8 million). That, plus an infusion of two second-round selections, could be all the temptation necessary.
Washington Wizards
10 of 10
Washington Wizards Get: DeMarcus Cousins
New Orleans Pelicans Get: Marcin Gortat, Kelly Oubre Jr., 2018 first-round pick (top-10 protected)
If the Washington Wizards truly want to go after DeMarcus Cousins, they might have to dangle Otto Porter Jr. in front of the New Orleans Pelicans' collective noses (beaks?). And while that should justifiably give them a bit of pause, it shouldn't be enough to prevent them from completing the deal and acquiring one of the sport's deadliest bigs to pair with John Wall and Bradley Beal.
Of course, they might be able to get such a move done even without losing Porter—so long as the Pelicans fall well below .500 and are tempted to shop Cousins before he hits the open market with no promise of recompense.
Marcin Gortat (or Ian Mahinmi, if New Orleans is truly selling low) would have to go. Ditto for Kelly Oubre Jr. and a 2018 first-round pick, since the Wizards would need to part with assets of substantial value to lure in such a prize.
But Oubre, no matter how much potential he's put on display throughout the 2017-18 campaign, shouldn't be a sticking point. Not for a player of Cousins' caliber, a center who could help complete one of the NBA's best quartets by pairing up with the incumbent triumvirate.
Already, the Wizards are outscoring foes by 11.44 points per 100 possessions with Beal, Porter and Wall on the floor, per PBPStats.com. Imagine what they could do with Cousins drawing away defensive attention instead of Gortat; he might not be as proficient at setting and slipping screens, but he has a distinct gravitational pull and demands double-teams on the interior.
This Washington bunch is already a threat to rocket up the Eastern Conference ladder now that it's getting healthy, and its middling record isn't indicative of the level at which it's played. But it could use another star in its quest to compete with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics for a legitimate shot at advancing all the way to the NBA Finals.
Unless otherwise indicated, all stats from Basketball Reference, NBA.com, NBA Math or ESPN.com and are current heading into games on December 20.
