2014 NBA Trade Deadline Ideas

Hey remember me? No well knock loose those cobwebs in your head and get your NBA general manager thinking cap on.

 

With the NBA trade deadline less than a week away I decided to take a look at possible trades. Granted I will warn you before you keep on reading NONE of these trades are likely to happen but I’ll try and explain why they should; starting with most likely to least likely to happen.

TRADE 1: Spurs and 76ers

Spurs: get Evan Turner

76ers: get Matt Bonner, Nando De Cole, 2014 first round pick

WHY?: The Spurs are in need of another playmaker outside of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, Turner is a restricted free agent and if the Spurs are not happy with Turner’s play they can cut him loose after the season. Giving up the little used Bonner and De Cole nets them another young playmaker with the option to keep or cut loose at the end of the season. The 76ers don’t want Turner so if they can get anything for him he is gone. The 76ers get the expiring deals of Bonner and De Cole (so no added salary for next year) plus the Spurs first round pick in the deep 2014 draft, while the pick will more than likely be a 26-30 pick it is still a solid asset for a player the 76ers don’t want on their team.

 

Turner would provide a needed playmaker for the Spurs.

 

TRADE 2: Celtics and Thunder

Celtics: get Hasheem Thabeet, Kendrick Perkins, Mavericks 2014 first round pick

Thunder: get Brandon Bass, Avery Bradley

WHY?: The Celtics are in the collecting draft pick industry. The Celtics want either a draft pick or a cornerstone player in any trade they make. So by giving up Bass and Bradley and paying for Perkins salary next year the Celtics net themselves a third first round pick in the deep talented 2014 draft. The Thunder have the Maverick’s and their own first round pick so giving up one plus the dead weight of Thabeet and Perkins to net them two defensive playmakers for another title run is a smart move to make.

TRADE 3: Suns and Bucks

Suns: get O.J. Mayo, Larry Sanders

Bucks: get Emeka Okafor, Pacers 2014 first round pick

WHY?: The Suns are looking to make a serious playoff push, adding Mayo gives them another scoring option with Eric Bledsoe out for the year. Sanders gives the Suns a true anchor  in the middle of their defense allowing their two young centers to play less minutes off the bench against team’s second units. The Bucks are in total rebuild mode, while they have stated they want to keep Sanders but when a team is offering a first round pick in the deep 2014 draft plus take Mayo and the remaining 2 years 16 million dollar contract off your books; the Bucks got to make the move. Okafor hasn’t played all season and his contract will be covered under the injury clause so the team he represents will only have to pay 20% of his salary.

 

Sanders shot blocking would be a huge asset for the Suns defense.

 

TRADE 4: Spurs and Magic

Spurs: get Arron Affalo

Magic: get Matt Bonner, Nando De Cole, 2014 first round pick

WHY?: Again the Spurs need another playmaker and scorer to make another serious push for a NBA title. While Turner is more of a playmaker, Affalo is a scorer who has good three point shooting ability. He can start or come off the bench and play either the two or three spot. He does have another two years on his contract at 7.5 million each year but the last year of the deal is a player option he will likely decline. If he sticks long term (a smart move on his part) he could be the starting shooting guard on a team that will feature an ageing Tony Parker and a superstar in the making (Kawhi Leonard). The Magic are like the 76ers, totally rebuilding around Victor Oladipo and Nikola Vucevic. So for the Magic to trade Affalo and allow more playing time and responsibility to the cornerstone player (Oladipo) and net them again a highly coveted first round pick in the 2014 draft is a steal.

 

Affalo's outside shooting would mesh well with the Spurs offense.

 

 TRADE 5: 76ers, Pelicans, and Suns

76ers: get Emeka Okafor (Suns), Archie Goodwin (Suns), highest 2014 first round pick (Suns), 2014 second round pick (Suns)

Pelicans: get Thaddeus Young (76ers), Spencer Hawes (76ers)

Suns: get Eric Gordon (Pelicans)

WHY?: The 76ers are in total rebuilding mode so to trade Young and Hawes (both of which are not in the teams long term plans) for a former first round pick (Goodwin) and the highest pick of the Sun’s potential four first round picks is a good way to speed up the rebuilding process. The Pelicans get a young stretch forward to take Ryan Anderson (who has been injured basically all year) spot in the rotation, and a true center in Hawes who can guard the middle and yet step out to the three point line allowing All Stars Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday work in space. The Suns have been looking for a star player since Steve Nash was traded away. The Suns have been high on Gordon since they offered the restricted free agent a 4 year 58 million dollar deal two summers ago. The Suns get the star scorer they have been dying to get and they can trade either Eric Bledsoe (unlikely) or Goran Dragic in the offseason and regain that first round pick they lost.

Gordon would provide that alpha dog scorer the Suns need.

 

TRADE 6: Cavs, Heat, Clippers, Rockets

Cavs: get Mario Chalmers (Heat), Shane Battier (Heat), Ronnie Brewer (Rockets), Donatas Motiejunes (Rockets), 2014 first and second round pick (Heat), 2014 and 2015 second round picks from Knicks (Rockets)

Heat: get Loul Deng (Cavs)

Clippers: get Udonis Haslem (Heat), Francisco Garcia (Rockets)

Rockets: get Jared Dudley (Clippers)

WHY?: The Cavs trade for Deng in hopes of making a playoff push, they terribly failed, so the Cavs ship off Deng to get back more than they gave up to get him. The Heat take a decline Battier, overrated point guard (Chalmers), and a player not in their rotation (Haslem) and exchange them for a former All Star and a reliable scorer and defensive stopper. How good is your team when former All Star Deng is your FOURTH scoring option? The Clippers have plenty of depth at the wing spot and have been looking to trade Dudley for some depth in the front court, Haslem brings them an energy guy off the bench who can cover pick and roll on defense (a key part in winning playoff basketball). The Rockets trade two players who get little playing time (Brewer and Motiejunes) and Garcia (who they have been looking to trade) and net themselves a D and three specialist who can back up at both wing spots.

Deng didn't work out in Cleveland; Maybe in Miami?

 

TRADE 7: Celtics, Knicks, Suns, Pelicans

Celtics: get Carmelo Anthony (Knicks), Tyson Chandler (Knicks), J.R. Smith (Knicks), Raymond Felton (Knicks), Beno Udrih (Knicks), Ish Smith (Suns), Dionte Christmas (Suns)

Knicks: get Emeka Okafor (Suns), Kris Humphries (Celtics), Keith Bogans (Celtics), Avery Bradley (Celtics), Darius Miller (Pelicans), 2014 first round pick (Celtics), 2015 first round pick from Clippers (Celtics), 2014 first round pick from Wizards (Suns)

Suns: get Jeff Green (Celtics), Brandon Bass (Celtics), Anthony Marrow (Pelicans)

Pelicans: get Victor Faverani (Celtics), 2014 second round pick (Suns), one million dollars cash each from Celtics and Suns

WHY???: First off this trade WON’T ever happen but it should. The Knicks are more than likely going to lose Melo in free agency so why not lose him and a lot of the mistakes they have made over the years? By trading Melo the Knicks gain over 35 million dollars in cap space and go from tax payers this offseason to even UNDER the cap for the first time since 2010. In order for the Celtics to get Melo they must offer up three first round picks (done), and take back the bad deals of Chandler, Felton, and that headache shoelace untying Smith (done). All the players the Knicks take back contract is up at the end of the season and on their books for next year is just Amare Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani expiring deals along with the young pieces in Tim Hardaway Jr and Iman Shumpert. By doing this they will have enough cap space to go after Kevin Love and Kevin Durant in the summer of 2016. The Celtics speed up the rebuilding process by adding another superstar to their roster to join Rajon Rondo. Melo would be highly incline to stay in Boston because he and Rondo are great friends and just a roster of them two makes the Celtics at worst the fourth best team in the weak eastern conference next year. The Suns offer up Okafor’s expiring deal and a middle of the first round draft pick to land the duo of Green and Bass to make a serious playoff push. The Pelicans are a throw in team to make the cap numbers work, they take back Faverani (a solid young player) get two million in cash (to cover his salary) and for their trouble a late second round pick.

Rondo and Melo teammates? Hopefully.

 

IF any of these trades actually do happen remember you heard it first here, very similarly to Woody Harrelson’s character Charlie Frost in the movie 2012.