Atlanta Hawks
Who They Should Trade: Tiago Splitter, Thabo Sefolosha, Paul Millsap
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Paul Millsap, Tim Hardaway Jr, Mike Muscala
SUMMARY: The Hawks are in an awkward position with their current roster. The Hawks aren’t good enough to seriously compete in the East, but they also aren’t bad enough to completely tank and get a lottery pick. Chances are, there isn’t any major players they can bring in via free agency or trades that will make them contenders, so I believe they should trade Millsap and others and go full rebuild mode this offseason.
Boston Celtics
Who They Should Trade: Jonas Jerebko, Terry Rozier, Tyler Zeller
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Jaylen Brown, Kelly Olynyk, Avery Bradley
SUMMARY: With Isaiah Thomas becoming a star and a household name, the Celtics should trade some of their younger players and get this guy some help. I think the Celtics should shoot for the stars, and try to land Jimmy Butler or another huge player. Otherwise, the C’s should go out and try to find a bench scorer and perhaps a better starting power forward.
Brooklyn Nets
Who They Should Trade: Brook Lopez, Luis Scola, Bojan Bogdanovic
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Brook Lopez, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Bojan Bogdanovic
SUMMARY: The Brooklyn Nets are the worst team in the league right now, and Brook Lopez is rotting away in Tank City. The Nets should look to trade Lopez for some younger players and a few picks. No one on the team should be untouchable.
Charlotte Hornets
Who They Should Trade: Jeremy Lamb, Cody Zeller, Ramon Sessions
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Marco Belinelli, Frank Kaminsky III, Cody Zeller
SUMMARY: With Kemba Walker’s play suddenly declining for no apparent reason, the Hornets need some more productive backcourt help, and their starting frontcourt needs a better defensive player as well. Zeller has been a fine option for Charlotte, but the Hornets need a big guy who can score and protect the rim.
Chicago Bulls
Who They Should Trade: Rajon Rondo, Doug McDermott, Nikola Mirotic
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Jimmy Butler, Doug McDermott, Taj Gibson
SUMMARY: The Bulls need to find a trade partner for Rondo ASAP. He’s not doing much off of the bench, and I think the Bulls need to find either a better starting point guard or a solid backup in exchange for Rondo and perhaps a younger player such as McDermott or Mirotic. They also need to hold on to Jimmy Butler and DWade.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Who They Should Trade: Iman Shumpert, DeAndre Liggins
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Iman Shumpert, Channing Frye, Kevin Love
SUMMARY: To concur with LeBron, the Cavs do need a playmaker of the bench. The Cavs have an overabundance of players at shooting guard, and they need to trade one or two of them for a solid backup point guard or center.
Dallas Mavericks
Who They Should Trade: Andrew Bogut, Deron Williams, Devin Harris, JJ Barea, Salah Mejri
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Andrew Bogut, Wesley Matthews, Devin Harris, Dwight Powell
SUMMARY: The Mavs have caught fire lately, so I wouldn’t expect any huge deals from this team as the deadline approaches. I would try to move Andrew Bogut if I were Mark Cuban and the Dallas front office, but he’s not a bad rim protector when healthy. The Mavs would need a better point guard/shooting guard option, but that might no longer be an issue with the emergence of Yogi Ferrell.
Denver Nuggets
Who They Should Trade: Kenneth Faried, Wilson Chandler, Darrell Arthur, Emmanuel Mudiay
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Kenneth Faried, Danillo Gallinari, Gary Harris
SUMMARY: The Nuggets have already been active this season, and they should remain aggressive. The only person that should be untradeable is Nikola Jokic, but anyone else should be in trade talks for either picks or younger players to build around their foreign center.
Detroit Pistons
Who They Should Trade: Tobias Harris, Aron Baynes, Jon Leuer
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Andre Drummond, Reggie Jackson, Boban Marjanovic
SUMMARY: The Pistons are also very aggressive as of lately, and need to win a few trades if they want to remain in playoff contention. The Pistons should hang on to Drummond, and possibly Jackson too unless an irresistible trade is offered. Otherwise, Detroit should look to strengthen their forward spots and certain places on the bench.
Golden State Warriors
Who They Should Trade: James Michael McAdoo
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Ian Clark, Shaun Livingston
SUMMARY: The Warriors shouldn’t and probably won’t make a trade, but if they do, it should be for frontcourt depth and that’s really it. It’s not a huge issue now, and won’t be, but don’t expect the best team’s front office to be very active.
Houston Rockets
Who They Should Trade: Corey Brewer, KJ McDaniels, Tyler Ennis
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Ryan Anderson, Nene, Montrezl Harrell
SUMMARY: The Rockets should look to make one minor deal at the deadline, whether it’s for backcourt or frontcourt depth. Otherwise, there’s no major holes in this team’s roster and should continue to win games for the rest of the season.
Indiana Pacers
Who They Should Trade: Al Jefferson, Rodney Stuckey, Lavoy Allen, Kevin Seraphin
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Thaddeus Young, Rodney Stuckey, CJ Miles
SUMMARY: The starting 5 in Indiana is among the best in the league, but it’s their bench that needs some major help. The Pacers should be trying to bolster their bench to make them a scary darkhorse in the playoffs.
Los Angeles Clippers
Who They Should Trade: Austin Rivers, Wesley Johnson, Luc Mbah A Moute
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Jamal Crawford, Luc Mbah A Moute, Mareese Speights
SUMMARY: The Clippers have some major decisions to make this offseason, but they should make a minor move this deadline to set up a good roster for the postseason. Rivers and Johnson are both tradeable pieces that could net a decent return.
Los Angeles Lakers
Who They Should Trade: Luol Deng, Jose Calderon, Nick Young
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Lou Williams, Luol Deng, Larry Nance Jr.
SUMMARY: The Lakers should probably go full tank mode and trade away some of their veterans for whatever they can get.
Memphis Grizzlies
Who They Should Trade: Chandler Parsons (Lol), Brendan Wright, Tony Allen
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Tony Allen, Troy Daniels, JaMychal Green
SUMMARY: Memphis is in a decent spot, so they shouldn’t make any Earth-shattering moves. Expect a relatively quiet deadline from the Grizz.
Miami Heat
Who They Should Trade: Josh McRoberts, Wayne Ellington, Willie Reed
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Goran Dragic, James Johnson, Tyler Johnson
SUMMARY: If Dragic is available, the Sixers, Bulls and other teams in need of a good point guard should be calling. Otherwise the Heat should make a few deals to build around their core.
Milwaukee Bucks
Who They Should Trade: Greg Monroe, Matthew Dellavedova, Mirza Teletovic
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: John Henson, Mirza Teletovic, Rashad Vaughn
SUMMARY: With Jabari Parker out for the rest of the season, the Bucks may think about tanking, but they should make some strong trades and try to get Giannis and company some playoff experience.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Who They Should Trade: Nikola Pekovic, Jordan Hill, Kris Dunn
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Kris Dunn, Shabazz Muhammad, Gorgui Dieng
SUMMARY: The Wolves should be making some moves to continue to help their core of Wiggins and Towns. Getting rid of some of the bigger contracts on this team would help in many ways.
New Orleans Pelicans
Who They Should Trade: Omer Asik, Alexis Ajinca, Tyreke Evans
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Quincy Pondexter, Terrence Jones, Tim Frazier
SUMMARY: The Pelicans may look at all of their options prior to this deadline, but I expect a pretty active trade deadline from New Orleans.
New York Knicks
Who They Should Trade: Joakim Noah, Derrick Rose, Lance Thomas
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Carmelo Anthony, Lance Thomas, Courtney Lee
SUMMARY: I don’t even know man. Knicks are fucked.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Who They Should Trade: Kyle Singler, Nick Collison, Josh Huestis
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Enes Kanter, Anthony Morrow, Cameron Payne
SUMMARY: OKC needs to decide whether to rebuild around Westbrook or just go for a surprise playoff run. Either way, some moves need to happen.
Orlando Magic
Who They Should Trade: Jeff Green, Elfrid Payton, Mario Hezonja
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon
SUMMARY: The Magic looked OK in the off season, and that has not panned out at all. Look for the Magic to make a deal or two.
Philadelphia 76ers
Who They Should Trade: Ersan Ilyasova, Gerald Henderson, Jahlil Okafor
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, Ersan Ilyasova
SUMMARY: The 76ers gotta figure out their big man situation soon. I believe Jahlil Okafor should be the one to go, and Philly should try to flip him for picks and a decent guard.
Phoenix Suns
Who They Should Trade: Brandon Knight, Alex Len, Jared Dudley
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Alex Len, PJ Tucker, TJ Warren
SUMMARY: The first name on this list is the first guy that should get traded. Even if it’s for a future second round pick. Otherwise, a lot of teams should be calling about PJ and TJ.
Portland Trail Blazers
Who They Should Trade: Allen Crabbe, Meyers Leonard, Evan Turner
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Moe Harkless, Ed Davis, Noah Vonleh
SUMMARY: With the major contracts the Blazers handed out like hot cakes this offseason, it’s going to be hard for the Blazers to make any huge trades, but expect moves no matter what.
Sacramento Kings
Who They Should Trade: Rudy Gay, Arron Afflalo, Anthony Tolliver
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Willie Cauley-Stein, Omri Casspi, Malachi Richardson
SUMMARY: The Kings front office is always unpredictable, so there’s no way to tell what the Kings will do. However, they should be trying to dump Afflalo’s contract to any team that will take it.
San Antonio Spurs
Who They Should Trade: Danny Green, Pau Gasol
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Jonathan Simmons, Patty Mills
SUMMARY: The Spurs making a deal on this deadline would be a pretty big deal, considering they’re the Spurs. Expect a quiet deadline once again from San Antonio.
Toronto Raptors
Who They Should Trade: Jared Sullinger, Lucas Nogueira, Demarre Carroll
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Cory Joseph, Norman Powell, Patrick Patterson
SUMMARY: After acquiring Serge Ibaka, the Raps are in pretty good shape to compete in the East. Only a minor trade should happen if any for Toronto.
Utah Jazz
Who They Should Trade: Raul Neto, Jeff Withey, Shelvin Mack
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Alec Burks, Dante Exum, Rodney Hood
SUMMARY: The only trade the Jazz should make this year is one to strengthen their front court depth. Other than that, a major trade would be surprising.
Washington Wizards
Who They Should Trade: Ian Mahinmi, Andrew Nicholson, Jason Smith
Who Other Teams Should Be Calling About: Otto Porter Jr, Markieff Morris, Kelly Oubre
SUMMARY: The Wizards are a few moves away from being contenders, and we can be assured the Wizards’ front office will make a few deals to launch them into contention.
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