NBA Teams That Should Buy at the 2018 Trade Deadline
The certainty of the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers squaring off for a fourth consecutive time in the NBA Finals is far from a certainty.
The Cavaliers' defensive struggles (28th in defensive rating, according to NBA.com) have many teams in the Eastern Conference believing in themselves. Suddenly, LeBron James doesn't seem as intimidating.
That could make more teams believe as we close in on Thursday's trade deadline.
Some teams, such as the Warriors or Houston Rockets, shouldn't do anything. There's no need to fix what's not broken.
But other teams could find themselves with a shot at the Finals, or at least in the march toward contention. There's also one other team that should be buyers, but for different reasons.
Chicago Bulls
You're probably not expecting to see the Bulls here, but they have incentive to be buyers.
The Bulls have cap space, although it's a little weird. Without getting into the weeds, they are operating over the cap as a technicality. They can either absorb a $12.5 million contract through the trade exception they generated in the Nikola Mirotic deal to the New Orleans Hornets, per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, or they can renounce their cap holds and open up $14.9 million in space, according to Spotrac.
Either way, there are plenty of teams that have extra contracts—especially bad ones—they are looking to unload to help facilitate other deals. The Bulls would be well-advised to use some of that cushion they have if the contract comes with some tidy assets.
The NBA is heading into a massive cap crunch this offseason, and while the Bulls have cap space, they're not positioned to make a move into contention. Taking bad contracts for draft picks could put them in a great position in two or three seasons.
Now is as good a time as any to start thinking ahead, and according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, they seem to have that mindset.
"Besides [Lauri] Markkanen, [Zach] LaVine and [Kris] Dunn, [John] Paxson is willing to package anyone if it means receiving a young player or draft asset in return," Cowley wrote. "If that means taking back an expiring contract or a bad contract the Bulls can get out from under in a couple of years, such as center Omer Asik's, so be it. That's what a rebuild entails."
The Trail Blazers, for instance, might want to dump one of their several terrible 2016 contracts: Evan Turner, Meyers Leonard, Mo Harkless. The Bulls should be happy to accommodate them, as long as it comes with a first-round pick.
Other "tanking" teams such as the Phoenix Suns or Sacramento Kings could do this too, on a smaller scale, but the Bulls are unique in being able to absorb a large contract.
Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers don't have the same goals as the Boston Celtics. Getting back to the playoffs after a five-year hiatus would be a success and vindication of all tanking technology.
However, they need bench players, especially a scoring punch. According to Michael Scotto of The Athletic: "Philadelphia is eyeing a backcourt upgrade and has expressed interest in Lou Williams. The 76ers have also kept tabs on Hawks guard Marco Belinelli. Grizzlies guard Tyreke Evans is also on Philadelphia's radar."
The Sixers have been coveting first-round picks for so long, but now it's time to use one. They are no sure bet to even make the playoffs, and they owe their long-suffering fans a run. Williams would make that happen.
They are also one of three "front-runners," along with Boston and the Denver Nuggets, for Tyreke Evans, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. But most reports (and the competition) suggest that is going to take a first-round pick as well.
There is a less expensive option: Marco Belinelli. He might not make as big a difference, but he doesn't need to; the Sixers' goal is the playoffs, not banners.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets are an in a similar position as the Sixers in that they're not chasing the ultimate dream; realistically, they only want to make the playoffs.
According to Real GM's Keith P Smith: "The Nuggets are known to want a backup point guard, and they have been linked to both Darren Collison and Marcus Smart over the last few days. If they could get either by giving up a pick or one of their young forwards, it would give them depth a position where they really lack it."
I'd be surprised if the Indiana Pacers moved Collison with as well as he's been playing and with the Pacers in the playoff hunt, but the Celtics could move Smart.
According to the Boston Herald's Steve Bulpett, "Sources indicate Danny Ainge likely will only move Smart if he can get back someone who will help the club more in the present—or if trading Smart brings back an asset Ainge can then move for such a player."
The Nuggets are ranked 21st in defense and could use Smart, but they're not going to give the kitchen sink for him. Still, if the right situation presents itself, they could make a trade.
Oklahoma City Thunder
It would be hard to sell this as anything but a disappointing season for the Thunder.
They made some of the biggest trades ahead of the year, adding Paul George and Carmelo Anthony to compose a new Big Three that started off as a big dud offensively. After a choppy 14-15 start, they started to piece things together. They were letting Russell Westbrook be himself, and things were moving along.
They went 21-8 but then lost Andre Roberson to a season-ending ruptured left patellar tendon. Now they're without Roberson, their defensive stopper, for the duration of the season.
The offensive rating doesn't take nearly as much of a hit as you'd expect (minus-0.9) without Roberson, and the defense gives up 11.6 more points per 100 possessions.
OKC doesn't need someone who can duplicate what Roberson does, but a three-and-D wing such as Courtney Lee would be a huge help come playoff time. The Thunder should be calling.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics are perched atop the Eastern Conference, though the Toronto Raptors are one game back.
Their ability to push through adverse situations has been commendable—such as Gordon Hayward's season-ending injury—but it's not as easy to do so in the playoffs when opponents can game-plan against you and focus their defenses better.
Their offensive rating drops from 108.4 to 99.0 when Kyrie Irving sits, per NBA.com. That's not going to work in a seven-game series against a team that is top-five on both ends of the court, such as the Raptors.
Bulpett reports the Celtics aren't messing around.
According to two Western Conference sources, the Celts are still in pursuit of Lou Williams and Tyreke Evans. They have had discussions regarding others, but those two appear to be the main targets as the C's look to add scoring off the bench.
That's in addition to possibly adding Greg Monroe, according to the Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach. Adding either Evans or Williams would go a long way toward assuring a trip back to the Finals. Adding both might even give the Warriors a run for their money.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers are awful defensively, and they need to land some help if they're going to get back to the Finals. (I wrote about the Cavaliers' situation previously, along with their trade targets, and nothing has changed.)
There is no simple fix. They are not the same team—they have 59 percent roster continuity from last season, according to Basketball Reference—they are not as good as they were, and the infighting appears to be worse than ever.
Hoping that someone like Tony Allen is going to hit the waiver wire and solve all their problems isn't going to work. They need to do something big, and probably more than one thing. For example, bringing in both DeAndre Jordan and George Hill would fix a lot of issues.
If they don't, LeBron James could be on his way out.
According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN: "They aren't just looking at losing this season, but they are looking at losing LeBron James. If tomorrow were the beginning of free agency, there's a good chance that would be the case."
The Cavaliers are in a tough spot. They're damned if they do make a move and fail and then James leaves them in the lurch with no picks and an overpriced team. They're damned if they don't and that's what motivates James to go.
Bottom line: They have to try to keep one of the three greatest players of all time.
All statistics are current entering games Tuesday.
