With the February 28th NBA trade deadline approaching, which I celebrate like Christmas, we will discuss potential trades that could shake up the whole NBA.
1) The Jazz – With the emergence of young big men for the Jazz like Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors, the Jazz look like they need to get rid of Paul Millsap or Al Jefferson. If I was their G.M I would trade Jefferson, he is a little bit older and is worth more in the trading market than Millsap. Jefferson’s contact also runs out this offseason making him an unrestricted free agent. It looked like San Antonio was interested in Jefferson for a while, but have since pulled out. I think a struggling, rebuilding team will try to trade for him, like the Bobcats, Suns, Magic, or Hornets.
Prediction: Jefferson will be traded along with Mo Williams and Raja Bell to the Hornets for Austin Rivers, Eric Gordon, and a first round pick.
Outcome: The Jazz will become a lot younger and get ride of three expiring contracts. Eric Gordon will be able to spread the floor for the big men.
The Hornets will get some experience and a good role model for Anthony Davis, and the Hornets will be fighting for the eighth seed by next season.
2) The Celtics– With Rajon Rondo out for the year, it looks like the Celtics are out of contention for any more titles in the near future. This means that they have to trade one of their aging stars. Paul Pierce looks like the easy choice. His contract is about 30 million dollars higher than Garnett’s, and his 42% field goal percentage is awful compared to Garnett’s 51%. Pierce is getting paid over 60 million dollars over four years, and he hits the market in the 2014 offseason. I think since Pierce is 35 years old, the only teams that should trade for him are teams looking to win titles within the next year or two, like the Clippers or Spurs.
Prediction: The Celtics will trade Paul Pierce and Jason Terry to the Spurs for Danny Green, Gary Neal, and a first round draft pick.
Outcome: The Celtics will lose some talent, but they will free up a lot of cap space so they can make moves for free agents like Tyreke Evans. Danny Green will blossom into a stellar player, and the Celtics will not miss the 2014 playoffs.
The Spurs with the help of Pierce will make one more push for a title. While retaining young prospects Kawhi Leonard and Tiago Splitter.
3) The Hawks– Josh Smith has clearly stated that he wants out of Atlanta. Houston has shown interest in the 6’8, athletic Power Forward. Houston would be more than willing to send Patrick Patterson, who has never really developed, to Atlanta in return. In my mind this is a match made in heaven, the Hawks get a low ego quality player in Patterson, and the Rockets get a player that will carry them into the playoffs.
Prediction: The Hawks will trade Josh Smith and Devin Harris to the Rockets for Patrick Patterson, Terrence Jones, and a first round pick.
Outcome: The Hawks will become a much more efficient team with Al Horford and Lou Williams leading them into the playoffs.
The Rockets will have another star to play alongside James Harden, and might make it out of the first round of the playoffs.
4) The Bulls– Apparently fourth place in the east isn’t good enough for the Derrick Rose-less Bulls. Rumors has it, the Bulls want Toronto forward Andrea Bargnani. This confuses me because Bargnani is having an awful year. He is shooting just 41%, 30% from 3-point range. He is also grabbing an underwhelming four rebounds per game. Boozer scores just as frequently as Bargnani, with 16 points per game, but he grabs nine boards per game, and shoots 47%. The trade rumors don’t completely surprise me though. Boozer hasn’t liked Chicago management very much since he was traded from Utah, and he doesn’t fit in with the Derrick Rose offensive scheme very well. Luol Deng can also be traded now, since if you get Bargnani you won’t lose any 3-point shooting, and backup Small Forward Jimmy Butler has shined of late. I expect a shocking three team trade to go down.
Prediction: The Bulls will send Carlos Boozer to the Raptors for Andrea Bargnani, they will also trade Luol Deng and Marco Bellinelli to the 76ers for Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes.
Outcome: The Bulls will clear cap space and try to lure a big name free agent in, while still being a legitimate title contender.
The Raptors will finally get rid of Bargnani. They will have a positive outlook on the future with Boozer, Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, and Rudy Gay.
The 76ers will get rid of underachieving Evan Turner, and get an all-star in Luol Deng.
These four deals could drastically change the NBA for years to come. Now all we can do is wait and see.
Next Week’s article: The weakness of the 2013 NFL draft class.
-(GO PACERS)
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