NBA Trade Rumors: Predicting the 10 Most Active Teams At the Trade Deadline
This year will be full of speculation, offers, assumptions and trades close to the trade deadline on February 24. Almost every single NBA team has either All-Star talent looking for a change of scenery, disgruntled All-Star or former All-Stars looking for a title contender or tons of money in expiring contracts.
While there are some big names that will surely capture headlines like Carmelo Anthony, Zach Randolph, Greg Oden, and Andre Iguodala, there are bound to be plenty of more trades around the league of the small, medium and large varieties.
Here are the top 10 teams that will likely be the most active until the trade deadline hits.
10. Portland Trail Blazers
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Goodbye Greg Oden. Thanks, but no thanks. Your time in Portland is done. At this point, Portland needs to make a change. The Blazers' All-Star and team captain Brandon Roy will not be the same player again, ever. Their franchise center-to-be, Greg Oden, has been all but successful while in Portland. It is time.
Portland can still get some value out of Greg Oden. It can definitely find a team willing to put its prayers on the youngster. Greg Oden is still young enough to make a serious comeback in his career and become a top center in the league. Portland cannot afford to be that team while Roy and Aldridge reach their prime. If Oden becomes a star somewhere else, put a paper bag on your head and call it a day.
The team also has Rudy Fernandez and Nicolas Batum who have drawn plenty of interest across the entire league. Andre Miller has been unhappy as of late and might also be in trade talks. Don’t be surprised to see Portland trading for a point guard or perhaps another big man if they do not re-sign Joel Przybilla.
9. Memphis Grizzlies
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Disgruntled former Rookie of the Year third runner-up OJ Mayo gets involved in a fight on the team plane. The team is clearly not performing the way they envisioned they would as they are under .500 almost halfway through the season.
It is becoming clear that the teams need just another veteran or two to keep this team focused. There will be several of those available at the trade deadline and a player like OJ Mayo might just land them one. That or they trade Zach Randolph for expiring contracts, tank the season and hope for a better start next year. After all, they do need to re-sign both Randolph and Marc Gasol this summer, so money will likely be an issue very soon.
Keep an eye on the Grizzlies as there will be plenty of uncertainty about the team's direction and that will open up a significant amount of trade scenarios.
8. Phoenix Suns
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The only reason the Suns are on this list and above two other teams is because of Steve Nash. They like him a lot and rightfully so. He is in fact the heart and soul of the team, as his coach Alvin Gentry puts it. He is still a top five point guard in the league.
But their record speaks for itself. They will get a ridiculous amount of phone calls and proposals and it might just happen that they get a phone call they are forced to listen to.
At some point, Steve Nash might be involved in trade talks and the situation in Phoenix right now points towards that. The Suns might not want to be active, as they already were involved in a blockbuster trade, but they might just be like it or not.
7. Dallas Mavericks
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The Dallas Mavericks will be active at the trade deadline. That is pretty much a given almost every year. But this year the Mavericks have pieces that will have a lot of teams calling them.
The Mavericks have expiring contracts in DeShawn Stevenson, Caron Butler and Tyson Chandler. Tyson Chandler is going to be re-signed for sure. That brings up another name: Brendan Haywood. They also have players like Rodrigue Beaubois and Jose Barea who are tradable given that the team already has Jason Kidd and it would not be too much of a sacrifice to give up one or the other.
The Mavericks also have Mark Cuban. If there is someone that will pull the trigger on a trade, it is Cuban.
6. Chicago Bulls
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The Bulls are on pace to win 55 games this year. They have also won seven out of their last 10 games, even if they have had negative lapses as of late, like the benching of Carlos Boozer. This team is good, and playing in the East, they will be successful.
But they could be much better. The Bulls have been constantly looking for another big name to join them. They have been coveting Carmelo Anthony for a while, but they are not likely to land him. They may find the shooting guard they need somewhere else, or they may end up realizing Ronnie Brewer is pretty darn good.
Regardless, they will be active at the trade deadline, whether they land a player or not.
5. Charlotte Bobcats
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The Bobcats are not going anywhere this season. They have already taken their first punt in the firing of coach Larry Brown. Point guard DJ Augustin has already been mentioned in trades, as well as Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace. They need and will make some sort of change before the deadline.
A name that gets repeatedly mentioned is Baron Davis. Some believe that his return to Charlotte could bring his career back up. The problem with that is that he seems to be getting his groove back in Los Angeles and they are winning. What was that? Yes, they are winning. As a matter of fact, they have won seven out of their last 10 games.
Although it looks like Davis may not be their answer, the Bobcats will look to make a change and with all the names and the teams being mentioned in trades lately, they might just find a partner. They are not likely to make a blockbuster trade, but don’t be surprised if they get involved in a multi-team trade at the very least.
4. Detroit Pistons
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If there is a team that needs a trade badly, it is the Pistons. They do not have enough rising talent to develop into a good team soon. They have players in their prime, like Tayshaun Prince and Ben Gordon, that are rusting away. They also have older veterans that are still very productive in Rip Hamilton and Charlie Villanueva.
There have already been rumors that Hamilton is headed out of Detroit and plenty of teams have been calling about Prince. They will pull the trigger on something soon, even if it is for just an expiring contract like Troy Murphy's.
Hopefully, something happens in Detroit. This team needs it the most.
3. Philadelphia 76ers
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The Philadelphia 76ers have gone 13-15 with Andre Iguodala in the starting lineup. They have gone 5-7 without him. His presence on the court has actually not been noticed much. The team has been listening to offers for a while and they will keep doing that for a second straight year. This year, though, he will surely be moved.
The team has Evan Turner now under development. Yes, he looks like a bust for now, but he does play a position that requires some maturity and experience to master. You did not see Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady or even Andre Iguodala have a good first season, not that he will be anything like those players. But it is definitely too soon to call him out.
The 76ers also have several expiring contracts to work with in Jason Kapono, Darius Songaila, Tony Battie, among others. They have trade chips all over the place as well as All-Star level talent in Iguodala. Oh, and if there is someone crazy enough to trade for Elton Brand, he is also an available player as well.
2. Denver Nuggets
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While Carmelo Anthony is the player that will most likely be traded before the deadline, that does not make the Nuggets the team that would be the most active. Well actually, it kind of does. But the fact that they will keep trying to have Melo re-sign with them kicks them down to No. 2.
At this point, a trade for Carmelo is almost imminent. The Nets or whoever decides to throw more than the Nets at the Nuggets management will get Melo.
Other than Carmelo, the Nuggets are also looking to ship newly-acquired Al Harrington along with point guard Chauncey Billups with him to complete their roster overhaul. The Nuggets will be a very different team in the next eight weeks. You can count on that.
1. New Jersey Nets
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The Nuggets may have the player most likely to be moved, but the Nets have the team most likely to land him, or whoever else they shift their attention to if that fails.
The fact is the Nets will pull the trigger as soon as possible. They will likely get Anthony, but management is interested in a complete change of staff. They want to provide Anthony with top level talent. At the end of the day, it would not be surprising to see Chauncey Billups, Al Harrington, Richard Hamilton or other players joining the Nets with Anthony.
At the very least, the team will ship Troy Murphy for some sort of talented player. It does not matter what happens, the phones will be ringing and dialing at every minute in New Jersey from now until February 24.
