Thursday’s NBA trade deadline has some hype to live up to with major dominoes already falling flat.
DeMarcus Cousins is now a member of the New Orleans Pelicans. The Los Angeles Lakers, fresh off promoting Magic Johnson, have already made one notable move after the franchise simply flirted with changes at the deadline for years.
With names like Carmelo Anthony, Jimmy Butler and many others still making the rounds, the Association could still undergo drastic changes between now and the Thursday cutoff. To help make the wait a little more doable, here is a look at five bold predictions ahead of the deadline.
Pistons Ship Away a Player Not Named Andre Drummond
Let the rumor mill tell it and the Detroit Pistons are about to move star center Andre Drummond.
Nope.
ESPN’s Marc Stein suggested the Pistons aren’t turning away teams who ask about Drummond, which makes sense. The Pistons are at least smart to see what’s out there. But dealing a 23-year-old star who averages 14.6 points, 13.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game doesn’t make sense.
Now moving Kentavious Caldwell-Pope or Reggie Jackson? That makes sense. Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press stressed the former:
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is the player drawing the most interest as the trade deadline approaches, but he still appears to be a major part of the Pistons’ future, a source told the Free Press.
Teams like the Washington Wizards are still looking for shooters off the bench after missing out on Lou Williams. KCP or Jackson are great consolation prizes and much more realistic than a team landing Drummond. Look for one of those names to leave Detroit soon and provide a playoff hopeful with a serious boost.
Cleveland Grabs Darren Collison
It is only a matter of time before the Cleveland Cavaliers make a splash and get LeBron James some desired depth.
The Cavaliers don’t have many assets to move, but with Kevin Love hurt, the front office has to find a way to get some bench scoring while helping rest James and Kyrie Irving.
Basketball Insiders’ Alex Kennedy suggests Darren Collison:
I wouldn't be surprised to see teams that missed on Lou Williams (NOLA, WAS, CLE, etc.) shift their focus to Darren Collison. He can be had.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) February 22, 2017
Call it the perfect fit. Sacramento isn’t done shipping away the nuts and bolts of the failed roster yet and won’t ask for much in return for a 29-year-old guard who gets in the way of a backcourt featuring guys like Buddy Hield.
Look for the Cavaliers to cough up a draft pick in a deal for Collison, who functions as a rental.
Lakers Finally Unload Nick Young
The Lakers simply haven’t been able to get rid of Nick Young for years.
Times have changed, though.
With Magic at the controls, selling Young won’t be so hard—all he has to do is give him up for next to nothing. Young, otherwise known as Swaggy P, is 31 years old and makes north of $5 million in each of the next two years. But he’s come on this season, averaging almost 14 points per game. As a shooter off the bench, Young isn’t the worst asset in the world, provided he doesn’t fall off a cliff again.
The Lakers used to run to the deadline with perhaps the most rumors of any team flying around the front office—then nothing would happen. This year is different, with Magic assuming a leading role and turning around Williams for a first round pick and Corey Brewer in a matter of hours. Look for him to work his, well, magic one more time and finally dump a contract the front office has tried to give away for years.
Knicks Ship Derrick Rose Away
This only seemed like a matter of time, right?
The New York Knicks brought on Derrick Rose hoping he’d be a piece capable of helping Anthony get the team to the playoffs, then perhaps luring even more quality players to town.
Whoops. Instead, Rose pulled a disappearing act recently and on the court has been the slasher everyone knows and loves, but also the player who doesn’t offer much as a defender or passer.
According to reporter David Aldridge, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a major interest in Rose:
Wolves’ pursuit of Derrick Rose still very strong—“Thibs wants to do this,” says league source w/knowledge—but MIN absolutely keeping Dunn.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) February 21, 2017
Look for the Knicks to jump all over this.
It isn’t every day a team comes out of nowhere and has an interest in an oft-injured point guard on a big contract who hasn’t worked out over half a season with his new team. No, Phil Jackson won’t get a Kris Dunn out of this, but he can get Ricky Rubio—a pass-first guard who might be a better fit alongside Anthony and others than Rose ever was.
Sounds like a win for the Knicks, who can’t afford to let this opportunity slip away.
Jahlil Okafor Teams Up With Paul George
Jahlil Okafor has always looked like the odd man out with the Philadelphia 76ers.
On the same depth chart as Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel, an off-court incident and ho-hum play on it have combined to have the 2015 first-round pick averaging fewer minutes this year than he tallied in his rookie campaign.
A team like the Indiana Pacers can’t complain.
ESPN.com’s Ramona Shelburne noted the Pacers might have an interest in trading for Okafor, as did ESPN.com:
Sources say Indiana is surveying the trade market looking for assistance on the wing as well as in the frontcourt, but it’s unclear how serious the Okafor talks are at this point.
The only problem here for the Pacers is a potential bidding war with others teams such as the Boston Celtics and Portland Trail Blazers.
But keep in mind the Pacers have to think about enticing Paul George to stick around for the long term. Failing to get him some help right now could compromise the team’s lone chances at its superstar.
So when push comes to shove at the deadline, look for the Indiana front office to give up whatever it takes to bring on Okafor’s upside, giving him run as a starter, perhaps helping the team make the playoffs and ensuring a nice base to build around in the years to come.
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