The NBA trade deadline this year could turn into a spectacle because of the money flooding into the NBA. A new media contract will continue to increase the salary cap, providing teams with more cap space. This helps enable trade involving players with large contracts, the type who tend to make the biggest difference on court.
As teams position themselves for a deep playoff run, or invest in tanking, the staff at Canada Sports Betting considered the most intriguing NBA players as the NBA trade deadline approaches. These five stars would create a significant impact on any team which trades for them, boosting contenders into the top ranks of the association.
Brook Lopez
There’s no reason for the Brooklyn Nets to hold onto Brook Lopez, unless they want to squander the best years of this talented center. He turns 29 on April Fool’s Day, in the middle of a contract that locks him into more than twenty million per year before becoming a free agent in 2018. Teams that trade for Lopez receive a minimum of a year and a half of his service, along with a chance to extend his contract after the salary cap rises. Since the Nets need draft picks to rebuild their organization, any team that puts together a reasonable package should be able to pry the center away from Brooklyn.
Lopez boasts superb career averages of 18.4 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 1.7 blocks, with a 50.8 FG% and 79.5 FT%. This year, he’s started to shoot the three on a regular basis, hitting 34.6% from beyond the arc on 5.2 attempts per game. Expanding his range beyond the three-point arc greatly increases his value, fitting in with an NBA which prizes three-point shooting more than ever. Brooklyn probably needs another half-decade to recover from the infamous Boston trade. Swapping Lopez while his stock’s high could chop a couple of years off the process if the Nets use incoming picks wisely.
Goran Dragic
In the span of a few years, the Miami Heat have completely disintegrated due to factors mostly beyond Pat Riley’s control. Sure, they might have handled the LeBron situation better, but King James wanted to bring glory to Cleveland and his hometown of Akron all along. The loss of Chris Bosh due to life-threatening blood clots destroyed what was left of morale, and Dwayne Wade got paid in Chicago. Now that the big three are gone, the relevance of Goran Dragic has been diminished because Miami’s been thrown into an impromptu rebuild.
The quality of Dragic’s game hasn’t crumbled, despite the sudden change of fortune. He averages 19 PPG and 6.4 APG on 45.6% shooting from the field. His three-point rate has spiked to 38.9%, close to the 40.8% career-best he established the year before joining Miami. He turns 31 in May, which will reduce the return Miami receives for the star point guard. On the other hand, Dragic has a good attitude towards the situation, increasing his desirability in the eyes of GMs. If the Heat don’t expect to receive the same package they gave up for Goran and Zoran Dragic, they should be able to restock their coffers with a draft pick and maybe even a prospect.
Paul Millsap
Part of the Atlanta Hawks squad that won 60 games during the 2014-15 season, Paul Millsap has watched key team members migrate to key positions in the NBA. Horford left for Boston and Korver was poached by Cleveland, leaving Millsap on a team with noticeably less depth than the franchise record-setting squad. Credit goes to Millsap and coach Mike Budenholzer for their recent tear, which has lifted them into the fourth spot in the eastern conference standings.
The issue with their recent success is the fact that it won’t amount to much more than a quick exit in the playoffs. No team from the east will pass the Cavaliers, and rivals such as the Celtics and Toronto Raptors feature lineups with the ability to dismantle the Hawks in the post season. Four games behind the Raptors and two games behind the Celtics, the Hawks appear stuck in basketball purgatory, good enough to make the playoffs at the cost of the team’s future.
Everybody loves Paul Millsap, so the Hawks won’t bother with lowball offers. If Atlanta receives a solid package comprised of picks and prospects, the franchise could benefit from short-term pain that creates long-term gains.
Carmelo Anthony
In a weak eastern conference, the Knicks find themselves two games out of the playoffs after losing seven of their last ten matches. This wasn’t the plan Phil Jackson envisioned. Adding Derrick Rose, Brandon Jennings, Courtney Lee and Jaokim Noah hasn’t had the stabilizing effect that Jackson expected. If anything, adding these players seems to have made everything worse. Noah’s having fitness issues, Porzingis has a sore Achilles and Rose might not want to play basketball anymore.
The official line from the Knicks and Melo tends to focus on staying the course. Nonetheless, post-game comments and rumored leaks from the front office paint a more uncertain portrait. There’s no doubt that Melo’s frustrated with the current situation, which has no quick fix. There’s also no doubt that Porzingis is a unique franchise player with MVP potential – the type that the Knicks can build around.
Getting a solid package for Melo would be optimal for the New York Knicks, potentially providing Anthony a chance to win a ring while rebuilding the franchise the right way. Long-suffering fans of the New York Knicks know that trading Anthony makes far too much sense, reducing the chance of any logical deal.
Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler’s star has risen as the Chicago Bulls have fallen out of realistic contention for a NBA Championship. They call him Jimmy Buckets now, and he’s turned into a superstar despite beginning in the shadows of Derrick Rose. Depending on your point of view, he could be considered a top-ten player in the association, and he’s certainly one of the elite two-way ballers in the league. He’s able to defend opposing guards and small forwards well, without suffering from reduced efficiency on the fun side of the court.
Similar to the New York Knicks and Carmelo Anthony, rumors and discussion surface of Chicago potentially dealing Jimmy Butler because the team’s floundering despite off-season investments. Even worse, prospects Mirotic and Portis have been struggling, Wade and Gibson age inexorably and Rondo’s might have just played himself out of the league.
Landing an all-star of Butler’s caliber would require a massive return for the 27-year-old forward. Assuming Chicago doesn’t want to trade Jimmy to an eastern rival, one of the more intriguing scenarios involves Butler to the Pelicans. New Orleans could offer a solid combination of multiple prospects and first round picks, and Butler would likely fit in well with Davis and the Pelicans – or any other team, really. He’s pretty good at basketball.
