In a fair world, the big fish would be Bradley Beal who plays out of this world for a team that is abysmal. Washington is giving up the NBA’s leading scorer. With the Wizards sitting at 15-26 and refusing to trade Beal (the NBA’s top tradeable asset), some other trades become possible headliners.
Aaron Gordon has repeatedly requested a trade out of Orlando. The upstart Hawks, who are (9-1) under interim coach Nate McMillan, are looking to trade talented forward John Collins.
The Miami Heat wanna take a swing at a trade, the underachieving Celtics (21-22) need to shake things up a bit. And the Warriors need to determine the best course of action to help this 2020-21 team while also truly improving its chances to compete for a title next season.
Can and will the Houston Rockets move Victor Oladipo? Are the Kings and Marvin Bagley Jr. headed for divorce? Is Lonzo Ball on his way out in Nawlins? Could the NY Knicks be a destination as Magic Johnson suggested on First Take Tuesday morning? Or maybe the Bulls as Woj mentioned.
We already know the Lakers are shaking a couple of trees, trying to get some help to stop the bleeding until LeBron and AD return. They are reportedly looking for wing players but don’t have much to offer anyone. If Andre Drummond doesn’t get traded by the Cavs by Thursday he could end up in LA.
Possible Trades
The Celtics should shake things up with a trade that’ll include Marcus Smart, Tristan Thompson, Aaron Nesmith and a 2021 first-round pick for the Hawks’ talented forward John Collins.
Danny Ainge needs to do something to improve the struggling “Leprechauns.” Ainge has been close for six seasons but has always come up short. But he can’t afford to miss this opportunity to give the Celtics floundering frontcourt a facelift and inject some life into his entire team.
The Hawks have long been interested in Smart and it’s time for the Celtics to move him as he thinks he should be taking the big shots on a team with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The Nuggets haven’t looked the same since their historic “NBA Bubble” run. Losing Jerami Grant and Torrey Craig in free agency and the uneven development of Michael Porter Jr. has hurt the “Mile High City” guys’ frontcourt as a whole and truly revealed its lack of athleticism.
That’s why trading for the Uber athletic Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon is a huge possibility. To get him it may take Will Barton, Bol Bol and a future first-round pick.
I think it’s worth it if you’ll add a 25-year old explosive forward to the team with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. This move would help the Nuggets immensely.
The Sac-Town Kings (RIP Elgin Baylor) need to move Marvin Bagley Jr., as that relationship has soured beyond repair. Kings are still kicking themselves for drafting Bagley over Luka Doncic in 2018. Both the Kings and Bagley need a fresh start ASAP, so the time is now to move on from one another.
Kings just wanna make sure they get something of value when trading their best asset not named DeAaron Fox and maybe Buddy Hield. He’d be a great fit in Charlotte, who lost presumptive Rookie Of The Year LaMelo Ball for the season with a fractured wrist.
So maybe the Hornets shift their focus to moving Malik Monk, Vernon Carey Jr, and a lottery-protected first-round pick in 2022 for Bagley. The belief would have to be that he and Ball when healthy could be the start of something special in the “Queen City.” In acquiring Monk, the Kings get a good young wing, and a first-round pick which is about the best they can hope for as it pertains to the oft-injured Bagley.
Last but not least the Warriors need backcourt help and someone who can set the offense and allow Steph Curry to play off the ball and do what he does best — flat out gets buckets. That’s why I think the move to acquire Lonzo Ball is highly plausible, and the Dubs have Kelly Oubre Jr. and a 2023 protected first-round pick.
Some believe that having Ball start or come off the bench gives them a better chance at competing in 2020-21 than keeping Oubre. Although he’s played better the last six weeks Oubre’s expected $20-25M AAV has the Dubs sniffing around for a trade. Ball would be a good fit for Kerr’s system.
The Pelicans would want a young player and a first-rounder for Ball and that means the Warriors could also end up with the talented and very underused Nickiel Alexander-Walker, who has the potential to be a very good wing in the right NBA system.
