Steve Nash, Andre Iguodala and Four Other Big-Name Veterans Who Should Be Traded
The worst thing an NBA team can be is average.
Of the league's 30 teams, 16 make the playoffs. The other 14 are rarely attractive destinations for free agents, so they depend on the Draft to increase their overall talent level.
The problem is most All-Star caliber players, or at least the ones who can make an impact in their first few years, are usually gone after the first five picks.
Teams drafting in the mid-to-late lottery can find themselves running in place for years on end: not bad enough to get a top draft pick and not good enough to make the playoffs.
A bad team with a lot of talented young players, like the Clippers or the Kings, can at least sell hope. But when a franchise is stuck on the "mediocrity treadmill," not winning enough to be interesting and not losing enough to get better, fans quickly become apathetic.
Here is a list of veterans, many of whom have been extremely successful on their current teams, playing on teams going nowhere.
Both the teams, who could commit to a full rebuilding process without the ghosts of past glories holding them back, and the players, who could spend their last years playing in meaningful games, would benefit from a fresh start.
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Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns
1 of 6
Why He Should Go:
In seven seasons with the Suns, Nash has won two MVP awards and spear-headed multiple runs to the Western Conference Finals. But despite surrounding him with two All-Star forwards in Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion, the Suns never made the NBA Finals.
Now, with Stoudemire gone, the talent-level in Phoenix has dropped significantly. At 10-9, Phoenix is currently holding on the final playoff spot in the West. But with a -1.5 point differential, there is little chance they will playing basketball games beyond the first two weeks of May, much less through June.
Whether the Suns knew it or not, letting Amare walk in free agency was the start of a rebuilding process. There's no point in delaying the inevitable.
Where He Should Go:
A lack of dependable shot-creators on the perimeter has eventually capsized the Orlando Magic in their last two playoff runs.
There's no player in the league better at creating good shots for himself and his teammates than Nash, and the Magic's superb team defense, anchored by two-time Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard, would hide his shortcomings on that side of the ball.
Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia 76ers
2 of 6
Why He Should Go:
In the summer of 2008, the 76ers invested $160 million in Iguodala and Elton Brand, effectively committing to building a team around them. The results have been disappointing to say the least.
With that much salary committed to two players, Philly will never be a player in the free-agent market. And Brand, an undersized post player playing on one leg, might have one of the most untradable contracts in the league.
Evan Turner was the second pick in last year's draft, and like Iguodala, he needs the ball in his hands to be effective. As long as AI is in Philly, Turner, who has a meager 16.2 usage rating this season, will never have the chance to show what he can do.
Where He Should Go:
The Dallas Mavericks, after letting go of Josh Howard and Devin Harris, have become an increasingly older team on the perimeter. They are desperate for a wing who can create his own shot off the dribble as well as match up with the many athletic swingmen in the West.
Mark Cuban has never been afraid to take on excess salary, and Iguodala's game fits the Mavs' needs to a T.
Richard Hamilton, Detroit Pistons
3 of 6
Why He Should Go:
Ever since winning the 2004 NBA championship in one of the biggest upsets in league history, the Pistons have been on a steady decline.
They went from title contender to fringe playoff team to completely irrelevant fairly quickly.
Hamilton, at 32, doesn't fit into the Pistons' long-term plans, and plays the same position as their best two young players: Rodney Stuckey (not a true point) and Ben Gordon.
Where He Should Go:
The Chicago Bulls, with Carlos Boozer returning to health, have one glaring hole in their starting line-up. They have 2 guards who can space the floor next to Derrick Rose (Korver) and guys who can defend on the perimeter (Ronnie Brewer), but no one who can do both.
Hamilton would be a great cog in the Bulls' system, and whenever their offense gets stagnant, they could run him through a maze of picks.
Tayshaun Prince, Detroit Pistons
4 of 6
Why He Should Go:
Prince is in much the same boat as his fellow ring-bearing colleague. The Pistons are rebuilding, and they don't need a 30-year old role player playing so many minutes on the wing.
Austin Daye, their first-round pick from last year, seems to share a similar skill-set as Prince. It's time for Detroit, at 6-14 and with a -6.3 point differential, to find out which of their young prospects can actually play.
Where He Should Go:
A savvy veteran with championship experience, Prince would be a great fit in San Antonio. The Spurs have never replaced Bruce Bowen, and Prince, with a 7'2 wingspan, has given Kobe Bryant fits before.
And while he's dramatically cut down his 3-point attempts this season, he's a career 37.2 percent shooter from behind the arc, so he'd fit right into the Spurs' philosophy of surrounding Ginobili, Duncan and Parker with shooters.
Antawn Jamison, Cleveland Cavaliers
5 of 6
Why He Should Go:
Acquired as part of a desperate attempt to win a championship before LeBron left town, Jamison, at 34, has little value for a Cavs team clearly going nowhere.
By the time Cleveland is relevant again, Jamison will be long since past the end of his rope. All he's doing now is taking shots (and minutes) from younger teammates like JJ Hickson. Does it really matter if the Cavs win 35 instead of 30 games?
For Dan Gilbert, the Cavs owner who put his reputation on the line by rather foolhardily declaring that Cleveland would win a championship before their departed superstar, the answer might be yes. But in terms of basketball, Jamison needs to be sent packing, again.
Where He Should Go:
Too slight to guard low-post players and too slow to guard perimeter players, Jamison is the ultimate defensive tweener. The Milwaukee Bucks, a strong defensive team with a solid anchor in the middle in Andrew Bogut, can hide Jamison on defense, content to know that Bogut can clean up most of the messes he creates.
More importantly, Milwaukee has the league's lowest-rated offense, and Jamison, with his bizarre collection of floaters, can put up points in an awfully big hurry.
Shane Battier, Houston Rockets
6 of 6
Why He Should Go:
With Yao Ming on the injured list yet again, it's clear that the Rockets can longer count their perennially injured big man into their long-term plans.
And without Yao, the Rockets would be lucky to compete for a playoff spot, much less contend for a title like they were two years ago.
Most of Battier's value comes from his work as a defensive specialist, but at 32, his loss of foot speed is really starting to show. Ever since arriving in Houston, his defensive rating has slowly slipped from 102 to 110.
He's a rapidly depreciating asset with little value on a Rockets team that doesn't have a shot-blocking center or much of a chance of winning.
Where He Should Go:
With the loss of Tony Allen in free agency, the Boston Celtics lost their best perimeter defender, a must if they want to run the gauntlet in the East, much less face Kobe and the Lakers in the Finals.
Battier is a wily veteran who can space the floor for the Celtics' offensive players and should still have enough juice in the tank for one last push at a ring.
