NBA Trade Rumors: 10 Teams Who Could Make a Move for Elton Brand
The NBA Trade Deadline is fast-approaching and there are a number of interesting names out there. We all know about the whole Carmelo Anthony-saga. Whether he gets moved before next month's deadline remains to be seen.
One of the more interesting names that has been on the trade market for a while now is Philadelphia 76ers forward Elton Brand. He is still a productive player, averaging 15 points and nine rebounds per game this season. He has played in every game this season and can be a valuable asset for teams that are looking for size on the inside.
The problem with Brand is his contract. He makes nearly $16 million this season and has two years with nearly $30 million left on the five-year contract he signed before the 2008 season. There aren't a lot of teams that can take on that contract, or that want to take on that contract.
Fortunately, Brand is still productive enough that someone, somewhere could take a flyer on the forward and hope that he can put them over the top.
Here are 10 teams that could decide to take a gamble on Elton Brand as the missing piece to a playoff berth, or a championship.
Orlando Magic
1 of 10
Orlando has made the biggest move of the trading season so far this season when they acquired Jason Richardson, Gilbert Arenas and Hedo Turkoglu last month. Popular sentiment is that they might not be done making moves. They have said that they would like to acquire another big man to help out Dwight Howard.
The finances of the deal would make a potential Brand-to-Orlando deal very tricky to pull off. Orlando is going all-in for this season in an effort to convince Howard to sign an extension with them. An inside duo of Howard and Brand would be difficult to stop.
Miami Heat
2 of 10
Going into the season, everyone said that if the Heat had one weakness it’s that they have absolutely no inside presence. Udonis Haslem was the best big man that they had but he got hurt early on and will miss the rest of this season.
This team has been very hot-and-cold so far this year. They haven’t figured out what to do on the inside, mainly because the big three control the ball so much that they rarely pass the ball into the paint.
If Miami gets desperate enough, they might find Brand’s size and presence on the inside a valuable asset to making a championship run this year.
Indiana Pacers
3 of 10
Indiana has looked pretty good at times this year. They are a young and scrappy team that fights every single game and they play their hearts out. They don’t have enough talent right now to do anything substantial.
They need someone, anyone who can provide leadership and is a fierce presence for them. I don’t know if Brand fits into the fierce category, but he can bring leadership. Plus, Brand could mentor Roy Hibbert and make him into a more dominant presence in the paint.
Right now the Pacers are the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. Elton Brand doesn’t make the team great, but they would have a better chance to get in the playoffs with him.
Denver Nuggets
4 of 10
The Nuggets are a good team in the Western Conference. They do have an issue with Carmelo Anthony that needs to get resolved one way or another before the deadline passes. The Nuggets have been doing everything that they can to get rid of Al Harrington and his four-year, $28 million contract. Kenyon Martin is a shell of his former self.
Why not let Denver take a flyer on Brand for this season with Melo and Billups and see what happens?
That team still wouldn’t be good enough to win a championship; in fact they probably wouldn’t be any better than they are now. But teams like to make a change and see if that ignites a fire under the rest of the team.
Toronto Raptors
5 of 10
The Raptors are in an awful state right now. They lost the only player that they have drafted and developed in years when Chris Bosh left to join LeBron and Wade in Miami. That roster right now is depleted and they need to find help somewhere.
Despite all that, the Raptors are only three games behind Indiana for the final playoff spot in the East. A playoff berth means additional revenue for the team. Granted they would have to take on a lot of money in order to do this deal, but the front office could spin it by saying that they are taking advantage of an opportunity and trying to win now.
It’s doubtful that they would try to acquire Brand, but stranger things have happened in this league before.
Milwaukee Bucks
6 of 10
Another team that has an outside shot at the playoffs this year, the Milwaukee Bucks are one or two scorers away from being a very good team. While Brand isn’t exactly an electrifying offensive presence, he is an upgrade over almost every player that they have on the roster right now.
The Bucks defense is stout; they are fourth in the league in points allowed per game at just fewer than 93. They are dead last in scoring offense, 91 points per game. This team needs some kind of offensive spark. Brand is an upgrade over Drew Gooden and Ersan Ilyasova.
If the Bucks could find a deal somewhere to acquire some offense, without severely damaging their defense, they could be a dangerous playoff team.
Detroit Pistons
7 of 10
The Pistons are a disaster right now. They are saddled with a number of big (bad) contracts. They have been shopping the market trying to find anyone who will take any of them. This team used to be so well run, finding guys who could play together and win 50-55 games every year.
Now they are a mess.
Adding in Brand doesn’t fix the bad contract problem, but it could make them a little closer to earning a playoff spot this year, if that’s where they decide to go with things. The beauty of the Eastern Conference is that you can be about 10-12 games under .500 and you are still in playoff contention.
It won’t mean much when those under .500 teams actually get in the playoffs, but they can at least say that they made it in.
Atlanta Hawks
8 of 10
Don’t look now, but the Hawks are playing really good basketball. They have a good, young nucleus of talent and are a dangerous team moving forward.
First, let me say that I am aware the Hawks have Al Horford at the power forward position. What a deal to acquire Elton Brand does is strengthen the team’s lineup and rotation.
For example, the Hawks acquire Brand to play power forward. The team is able to move the 6-foot-10 Horford to his natural center position. Now they are stronger at the center spot and they don’t really lose a lot of production with Brand at the power forward spot.
Charlotte Bobcats
9 of 10
Charlotte was a surprise playoff team last year. This year they really stumbled out of the gate. The offense is bad and they need something to spark them. Boris Diaw is decent at the power forward position, but he should not be a starter.
Bringing in Brand upgrades them at the power forward position. It would put them ahead of Indiana for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East and Michael Jordan could say that it was a successful turnaround given where this team started.
Don’t anticipate Brand going to Charlotte, but given how competitive Jordan is, he will do anything to make sure his team advances to the postseason for the second straight year.
Phoenix Suns
10 of 10
The Suns are an intriguing team. They have a lot of assets, though just how valuable those assets are is anyone’s guess. The front office wants to put Steve Nash in the best possible position to win a championship, which is why they made the trade with Orlando for Vince Carter and Marcin Gortat.
They still haven’t gotten any better after the deal. They are two games under .500 right now and four games behind Portland for the final playoff spot in the West. This team likes to play a fast, open style and they need a power forward to take the place of A’mare Stoudemire.
They have the pieces to make a deal for Brand, but do they want to try and bring him in as a piece to get Steve Nash back into the playoffs?
