5 Ways the Trade Deadline Could Impact the 2018 NBA Draft
The NBA trade deadline's results are bound to have implications on the 2018 draft.
Big names are on the market, and the sellers will be draft-pick hungry, hoping buyers are willing to part with the unknown to acquire established talent.
Last year, we also saw almost every pick in the 20s change hands before the draft. Bojan Bogdanovic and Lou Williams each went for first-rounders at the deadline.
There are useful veteran role players on bad teams who could hold more value to playoff teams. But how will first-rounders be valued this year? And will any stars get moved to teams that aren't interested in gambling in the draft?
Kemba Walker gets moved
Walker is the biggest name rumored to be on the block, even if Michael Jordan tried to extinguish trade rumors in an interview with Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. The team has been stuck in no man's land for a while. If not shoppers, the Hornets should be active listeners at the least.
Moving Walker would give Charlotte the chance to reset. The question is how determined they'll be to rush a move now and whether suitors would be willing to move their first-round pick.
One would think the Hornets only entertain offers with a pick that's projected in the lottery, assuming a star-for-star swap is unlikely.
There also aren't many teams around the league that need a primary ball-handler. Among those that do, the Los Angeles Clippers have two first-rounders. The Cleveland Cavaliers have the Brooklyn Nets' pick.
The Phoenix Suns could have a top-five pick and the Miami Heat's if it's outside the top seven. Phoenix is already loaded with young prospects. Could the Suns feel motivated to make a move for a proven veteran like Walker?
The Los Angeles Clippers go all in on 2018 draft
The Clippers haven't had a lottery pick since 2010. They could potentially have two in 2018, after netting a first-round pick from the Detroit Pistons in return for Blake Griffin.
The focus now shifts to DeAndre Jordan and whether the Clippers look to move him too. Jordan has a player option for 2018-19, and an extension isn't close, per Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
Teams expected to have late-lottery to mid-first-round picks that could stand to upgrade their rim protection at center: Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns.
Lou Williams should also be a deadline target once again. He went for a first-rounder last year, and he's having an even better 2017-18. It may even make sense for the Clippers to see what they'd get for Avery Bradley.
The Clippers ultimately have a real opportunity to blow it up and throw a handful of chips onto the 2018 draft board. They can build around an improving, 25-year-old Tobias Harris. They'll have two first-rounders at least, and they could wind up with more depending on the market for Jordan, Williams and Bradley, especially considering L.A.'s willingness to deal without receiving guaranteed production in return.
Teams bite on players with first-round price tag
Tyreke Evans' career year is about to get him traded. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski already reported the Grizzlies are sitting him until they strike a deal.
Memphis isn't a threat to make the playoffs, and it's becoming clearer that even a healthy Mike Conley and Marc Gasol can't be leaned on to carry a team in the west.
Evans' price: A first-round pick.
Who gives it to them? Likely not the Philadelphia 76ers, according to New York Times reporter Marc Stein. Despite the injury to John Wall, David Aldridge reported the Washington Wizards won't deal their pick, either.
The Boston Celtics could make their pick available, since it will be deep in the 20s and there is still a chance they can get the Los Angeles Lakers pick if it's No. 2-5. The Minnesota Timberwolves have their own pick and the Oklahoma City Thunder's if they make the playoffs. The Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs could also look to make their projected picks in the 20s available to add Evans for their playoff runs.
Marcus Smart will be a restricted free agent, and the Celtics don't sound prepared to overspend. Wojnarowski reported he'll have a first-round price tag as well (h/t Erik Garcia Gundersen of USA Today).
Frustrating offensive inefficiency suggests Smart won't be a fit everywhere. Boston would need to find a team that places extra value in his pressure defense and toughness off its bench.
A first-round pick would likely be enough to acquire Julius Randle from the Los Angeles Lakers, who'd also have to pay up this summer to keep their fourth-year forward. If the Lakers want to preserve cap space for bigger-name free agents, re-signing Randle won't be a priority, particularly with the emergence of Kyle Kuzma.
The Brooklyn Nets' pick becomes available
The Cleveland Cavaliers have Brooklyn's pick, which the odds say would be No. 8 if the lottery was tomorrow, per Tankathon. In that range, Cleveland would miss out on elite prospects like Arizona's Deandre Ayton, Slovenia's Luka Doncic, Texas' Mohamed Bamba, Duke's Marvin Bagley III and Missouri's Michael Porter Jr.
Will management trade the pick for an impact player to bolster their roster and improve their chances against the Celtics, Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets?
If Cleveland keeps the pick, the payoff won't likely come for at least another year. LeBron James won't have interest in waiting on a rookie's development when the Cavaliers could use the pick to try to acquire another weapon for their upcoming playoff run.
Will they be willing to include the Nets' pick in deals for Kemba Walker or DeAndre Jordan? The Plain Dealer's Terry Pluto reported they won't swap it for "a short-term answer," and he added that Cleveland would only swap the pick for a "player who is under team control for a few years."
That makes it unlikely the pick is moved in February. The Cavaliers want a rookie or sophomore to develop, and teams won't be prepared to give up on theirs that early for an uncertain pick.
However, the Cavaliers could deal their own pick, which currently projects to be No. 24. They could try to swap it for a serviceable role player.
The New York Knicks and Orlando Magic start selling
ESPN's Ian Begley reported the Knicks won't be selling their first-round pick, despite Kristaps Porzingis' plea to add talent. But after Sunday's embarrassing 99-96 loss to the Atlanta Hawks at home, it's become clear the team needs to sell.
And playoff teams could see value in Enes Kanter, Courtney Lee and Kyle O'Quinn.
Do the Knicks have a fire sale and look to convert veterans for picks? There could be interest from contenders in Lee's three-and-D prowess and Kanter's inside scoring and toughness.
What about Willy Hernangomez? Before the Knicks dealt Carmelo Anthony, Hernangomez was expected to play a significant role in 2017-18 and ultimately establish himself as a long-term piece. But between the logjam up front and Coach Jeff Hornacek's need for defense and toughness, Hernangomez has wasted away on the bench.
If the Knicks want to keep Kanter, it would make sense to shop Hernangomez, who's 23 years old and may have more value than any of their veteran trade chips. Contenders should feel more confident in Hernangomez than whoever they'd be looking at with a pick in the 25-30 range.
The Orlando Magic are another candidate to start selling, with Elfrid Payton entering restricted free agency and Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic having generated so much empty production.
The Athletic's Michael Scotto reported the Magic could also explore moving Aaron Gordon, though it's difficult to make any sense of that unless Orlando can get back at least one first-round pick, plus another pick or a separate prospect.
Phoenix's 2018 picks and young forwards make it stand out as a possible suitor for Gordon.
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