Deal Or No Deal? Team by Team Speculation as the NBA Trade Deadline Approaches
Now that the Carmelo Anthony saga is finally over, we can move on to other things. With 48 hours left until the trade deadline, there could be a lot of player movement.
There are many questions that need to be addressed. Does Orlando need more size, the Celtics more depth, or the Lakers another piece?
Do Dallas or Houston pull their itchy trigger fingers? Does Portland go young? Does Chicago need a shooting guard? Will Oklahoma City finally make their move? Can Cleveland re-home their veterans?
These questions, and many more, will be answered in the next few days. Meanwhile, here is a look at which teams are likely, and which are less likely, to make a deal in the coming days. The teams are broken into five tiers, from most likely to least likely to make a deal.
First let's get this out of the way...
The Carmelo Anthony Trade Teams
Now that Anthony is finally gone, the Nuggets can concentrate on rebuilding. The latest rumors have them re-trading some of the pieces they received from New York. They may turn around and make another trade with New Jersey, which would yield them their desired draft picks.
They will likely also explore trading complementary pieces Nene, J.R. Smith, Al Harrington, Kenyon Martin and Chris Andersen. While many teams are interested in Nene, Denver has already talked to him about an extension.
The Timberwolves got Anthony Randolph: Mr. has-a-lot-of-potential-but-never-sees-the-court. They were likely losing Corey Brewer anyway, so if they don't mind paying up for Eddy Curry, then it wasn't a bad deal for them. Further moves seem unlikely, though not out of the question.
New York Knicks:
The Knicks finally got Anthony, though whether it's worth it may be debatable. They may want to add some extra big men and more depth, but don't have a lot of trade chips left.
1. Likely to Make a Move
The Bobcats are always looking to cut costs or make other moves. Names like Boris Diaw, Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson have been mentioned quite a bit. Diaw is reportedly the most likely to get moved; many teams could use his Swiss army knife-like skills. At $9 million this year and next, however, he does get paid quite a lot though.
Jackson's name has been connected with Dallas, among other teams, but it looks as if he'll remain in Charlotte because of his expensive contract. Wallace could get moved, and Dallas, Houston and Portland are among the teams that have expressed interest.
Cleveland Cavaliers:
When you lose 26 games in a row, you have to consider making changes. Antawn Jamison and Mo Williams have been on the block for a long time but look less likely to be traded.
Ramon Sessions has drawn a lot of interest, as has veteran Anthony Parker and injured center Anderson Varejao. Parker could be headed to Chicago and Sessions has drawn interest from the Hawks, among others. League executives say that they have a potential deal using their LeBron trade exception. We'll see.
Houston Rockets:
With the expiring contracts of Yao Ming, Shane Battier and Jared Jeffries, as well as a lot of talented young players, Houston has a lot of trade assets. The question is how they will use them. Right now they have a logjam at the wing-positions, and may be looking to move Aaron Brooks, so they are quite likely to make a deal.
They have a history of making deadline moves, and are not afraid to pull the trigger.
Now that they have officially missed out on Carmelo Anthony, the Nets will look to make other moves. Devin Harris will likely be moved, possibly to Portland or Atlanta.
They have also talked about acquiring some of the pieces Denver got from New York. Troy Murphy will likely either be traded or bought out.
Portland Trail Blazers:
The Blazers are likely to be involved in deadline discussions. They have pieces in Andre Miller and Joel Przybilla who are both quality players and expiring contracts. Marcus Camby also draws a lot of interest, although he is against being traded. There has been a lot of talk with New Jersey about a deal that would involve Harris and Miller.
2. Active
Atlanta Hawks:
The Hawks seem content to just retain their own players and grow from within since their acquisition of Jamal Crawford. Unfortunately for them, the rest of the good teams in the conference have gotten better.
Their areas of need are an upgrade over Mike Bibby at point guard, and a big man that would allow Al Horford to move to the 4. They are said to be interested in Cleveland guard Ramon Sessions, among others.
Crawford could be traded because he has an expiring contract and has not been signed to an extension. Despite their needs, they haven't appeared too much in rumor reports.
Golden State:
The Warriors have a few expiring contracts to play with and could look to add some size in the paint, or some depth. Brandan Wright, who has a lot of potential but barely plays, could be on the move. Golden State may want to make a move for a veteran as they are trying to make a playoff push.
The Pacers have expiring contracts and some assets and may look to use them now rather than wait for free agency. They could use some shooting guard and power forward help.
Jeff Foster, TJ Ford, Mike Dunleavy and Dahntay Jones are likely among the ones being discussed. If a deal could be worked out with Memphis for Zach Randolph and OJ Mayo, it would help Indiana a lot.
Memphis Grizzlies:
It is hard to tell whether Randolph and Mayo are on the block or not. Memphis is always denying it, but rumors keep coming up. Regardless, they will have a difficult time holding on to both and many teams would be interested in either player.
Hasheem Thabeet is already on the block in his second year. Someone may be willing to take a risk on him.
Boston Celtics:
The Celtics' only problem is that their role players keep getting injured. They may trade to add some depth. A better bet for them may be to wait and sign someone who receives a buyout—Rip Hamilton, Anthony Parker?
Chicago Bulls:
The Bulls may be able to get an upgrade at shooting guard, but it doesn't really seem like they need to at this point. They have a strong core that they won't want to mess with. If they do make a deal it will probably be a smaller one for someone like Anthony Parker.
Dallas Mavericks:
It is surprising that the Mavs aren't higher on this list with their history of making moves and the Caron Butler injury. They appear to be one move away from championship contention, but they sincerely believe that they are good enough now.
If they do make a move, it will likely include Butler's expiring contract in exchange for a scoring/defending wing like Tayshaun Prince, Hamilton, Wallace or Jackson.
Once the Clippers find their small forward, their core will be set. Center Chris Kaman could be on the move, although his injury doesn't help. Rasual Butler is another name that is mentioned a lot. Recent rumors have Danilo Gallinari being redirected to the Clips from Denver.
Milwaukee seems pretty quiet on the trade front this year. But with all the expensive contracts they have and the fact that they are still pretty far out of the playoffs, they should be looking to do something. Corey Maggete could be involved.
The Hornets have been active on the trade market, but don't have too many chips. They are said to be interested in Maggete and Jamison, although they don't have the contracts to match them. They could use some front-court depth, and perhaps some scoring help, as they look to keep David West and Chris Paul on the team.
The Thunder should make a deal. By cashing in on some of their expiring contracts and young pieces, they could become contenders. However, that probably won't happen as they have shied away from major moves, preferring to let their talent develop.
The problem is, they may not be able to keep all of that talent there, and they will eventually need to make their move to the next level.
Orlando Magic:
The Magic looked likely to replace their back-up big man after he was traded earlier this season. That has died down and could still happen, although Magic officials have denied any trade speculation to this point.
The Kings have shown little interest in making trades and even less in taking on long term salaries. They desperately need some veteran help but probably won't get it yet. Big men Carl Landry and Samuel Dalembert, who possess expiring contracts, have drawn a lot of interest. They may acquire a guard to complement Tyreke Evans.
The Jazz may have to make a move to keep their star Deron Williams happy. They seem to be in free fall right now, and may not even make the playoffs. They really need some interior depth and defense, and some wing scoring help. Andrei Kirilenko's expiring contract is their biggest asset.
4. On the Sidelines
The Pistons should absolutely be looking to make a move, but with their ownership situation up in the air that looks unlikely. They would like to get rid of Rip Hamilton's expensive contract, but that will be difficult.
Tayshaun Prince has attracted a lot of interest, but they don't want to move him for some reason. I wouldn't be surprised to see them make a move, but they have their hands tied.
Los Angeles Lakers:
With their struggles lately, the defending champs have been the subject of a lot of rumors. I really don't see them making a move at this point though, at least not a big one. Their improvement will have to come from within.
Philadelphia 76ers:
The Sixers looked likely to make a move earlier in the season when they were struggling, but now look less likely since they're making a playoff run. The Andre Iguodala rumors haven't been flying as fast.
They could potentially move Thaddeus Young to keep him from bolting this summer, or make a small move. If they could switch some of their wing depth for some post depth, that could be helpful.
The Suns would love to move Josh Childress and his mistake contract, but that probably won't happen. They have already made their big move this year with Orlando, and probably are done. I think the Steve Nash rumors will be put on hold for a little while.
The Raptors are another team with interest in Gallinari. That is really the first rumor I've heard about them in a long time, though. They don't seem in a position to make too many deals right now, although they could move Leandro Barbosa if anyone has interest. Gallo would be a nice fit here, though, if that works out.
The Wizards are in the midst of rebuilding and don't seem to have any deals at hand. They were said to be considering moving JaVale McGee and Andray Blatche earlier this season, but that probably won't happen.
If they could get a good deal for Rashard Lewis or Kirk Hinrich, they'd take it but that doesn't look likely now, either.
5. Not Making a Move
The Heat don't have anything to trade, simple as that. While they could use some interior help and additional depth, that isn't going to happen. They will need to wait until the offseason if they want to make any more moves.
Why mess with success? The Spurs don't have any glaring needs and have good chemistry as it is. I see no reason to make any changes.
