3 Fresh Trade Ideas from Last-Minute NBA Trade Deadline Rumors
Thursday's NBA trade deadline is so close, you can smell it.
Or, at least you might be able to smell it if the air weren't so choked by the smoke of rumors, leaks and speculation.
We'll find out where the fires are soon enough. But for now, let's take stock of some recent trade-related chatter and put together swaps that could materialize if those whispers gain volume over the next few days.
All of these deals work under cap rules, and we've done our best to provide justifications for all parties involved. Also, you'd better read these in a hurry. The landscape is shifting at warp speed as we get closer and closer to that Thursday cutoff.
Ben Simmons for James Harden Brings Order to the Universe
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Philadelphia 76ers Receive: James Harden
Brooklyn Nets Receive: Ben Simmons, Seth Curry
After months of speculation and waist-deep-in-the-weeds searches for ways to get Ben Simmons to Atlanta, Minnesota, Sacramento or wherever else, wouldn't it be something if we returned to the clean, logical trade that was sitting there all along?
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday that Sixers team president Daryl Morey asked Nets general manager Sean Marks about James Harden's availability in mid-January. Marks' response was a flat "no," and the two reportedly haven't spoken since then.
But Woj notes that because no one's sure how happy Harden is in Brooklyn, those talks could resume. Which, sure! Anything's possible, and we have some specifics about how a deal might get done.
Here's Bill Simmons on his Spotify podcast: "This is from the same source that has given me some good intel over the last couple of weeks, that Brooklyn is open to it, but [Seth] Curry has to be in the deal."
I'm not convinced the Sixers should be as enamored as they are by a declining 32-year-old with a suspect record of conditioning—one who'll expect an extension worth between $200 and $270 million when he hits free agency this summer. But if Morey remains convinced Harden is his man, there's no way Curry should be a sticking point.
In the above deal, the Nets get a player in Simmons who doesn't need (or want?) the ball and completely revamps their defense, plus an ace shooter in Curry. Assuming Simmons is fit enough to get on the floor later this season, Brooklyn looks like a better, deeper, more balanced team in the wake of this hypothetical.
For Philly, which has driven a hard bargain all along, this might feel like settling. But the Sixers should consider themselves lucky Brooklyn isn't asking for a handful of first-rounders on top of Simmons and Curry. Brooklyn has leverage here because it knows the Sixers can only otherwise acquire Harden via a complex sign-and-trade or through the unlikely clearing of mountains of salary ahead of free agency.
Marcus Smart Trade No. 1
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Minnesota Timberwolves Receive: Marcus Smart, Enes Freedom
Boston Celtics Receive: Jaden McDaniels, Malik Beasley, 2022 first-round pick (top-10 protected)
Per SKORNorth's Darren Wolfson: "Minnesota definitely trying to trade for Marcus Smart. But unless they include a first-round pick or Jaden McDaniels in addition to Malik Beasley, most likely doesn't get done."
So, what's the holdup on Minnesota's end? The Wolves have Jarred Vanderbilt filling the "rangy, energetic, non-shooting forward" niche, which means they shouldn't be fixated on keeping another similar player in McDaniels. Meanwhile, Beasley has disappointed this season, averaging 12.3 points on a 37.8/35.2/74.4 shooting split.
Throw protections on a first-rounder and call it good!
Smart would give the Wolves an upgrade on the Patrick Beverley position, assuming they let the veteran point guard walk in free agency this summer. More importantly, Smart would add supreme defensive versatility and provide an example of the effort level it takes to win meaningful games to Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards, neither of whom have played many of those.
Smart's shaky shooting is an issue, but when you have the best high-volume shooting big man of all time at center, spacing is pretty easy to sort out.
The Celtics will probably have better offers for Smart, unless the Wolves add more draft capital or remove protections on the pick they're offering. But this move saves tax-conscious Boston a little cash, and past versions of Beasley have been the type of efficient three-point gunner whom the Celtics could use to juice an offense that has struggled for most of the season.
Marcus Smart Trade No. 2
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Atlanta Hawks Receive: Marcus Smart
Boston Celtics Receive: Bogdan Bogdanovic, 2022 first-round pick (via Charlotte Hornets), 2022 first-round pick (via Oklahoma City Thunder)
The Athletic's Chris Kirschner reports the Hawks "have interest" in Marcus Smart. Considering how perfectly he'd fit as a defensive hole-plugger on a team that will always need one with Trae Young around, that's enough to throw a trade together.
Boston might wind up getting only four second-rounders out of the attached picks, as both are protected and may not convey. The Celtics should counter the Hawks by asking for Onyeka Okongwu and/or trying to expand the deal to include Al Horford's salary, which would get them way below the tax this year.
Still, some version of this exchange makes sense. Smart would add defensive punch to a Hawks team that needs it, and Bogdanovic would bring shooting and playmaking to a Celtics team where those qualities are in short supply. It's the throw-ins and sweeteners that complicate matters.
Because Smart has played an integral role in Boston's recent 7-1 run since his return from injury, putting up positive on-off splits in seven of those eight contests, the Celtics might not be inclined to move him. Then again, Smart's stellar play is the reason why so many teams have interest.
Framed that way, Boston could take advantage of the situation by ginning up a bidding war and selling high on a player who has contributed to unease in the locker room at times in the past.
Stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. Accurate through Feb. 7. Salary info via Spotrac.
