Bust Out Your Trade Machines
There has been an increasing number of trade rumors out there lately and soon enough everyone will start making big moves. Until there are more official moves, here are a few trades I would like to see, or that I think might be real possibilities.
The Los Angeles Clippers have reportedly shown interest in Thaddeus Young of the Chicago Bulls, but they may need a little more motivation to get this trade done. Involving the Washington Wizards allows the Clippers to replace some of the minutes Landry Shamet would be leaving behind. The Bulls would be giving away some of their veteran presence in Thaddeus Young, but unfortunately, this offseason move hasn’t panned out as well as previously intended anyway. This trade would bring in another great young playmaker in Landry Shamet as well as a surging, shooting big man in Davis Bertans. More importantly, both of these players are on great contracts. The cost for both the Clippers and Bulls will be a pair of second-round picks as well as Mo Harkless. For the Wizards, they seem to be heading towards another throwaway season. Harkless will provide solid minutes for them this season and then be off the books moving forward. Along the way, they will add additional picks to help them as they build towards the future.
Everyone keeps hearing about a mutual interest from Portland and Kevin Love. This seems to be a great match in the sense that Love is originally from the area and the Blazers are looking to bring in another playmaker behind CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard. The deal will not be a cheap one, as it likely will cost Portland both the exciting young player in Anfernee Simons and a first-round pick. Then again, if the move does exactly what they intend, then that pick likely will not be of too much value to begin with. On the plus side, they will also get out from underneath the Hassan Whiteside contract. For the Cleveland Cavaliers now is the time to make some moves. There is clear unrest in the locker room and the way John Beilein has approached his role as an NBA coach. More than likely, these thoughts are coming from a veteran on the team. Anfernee Simons is the true motivation to make this deal, he has shown growth in his second year with the team and would fit nicely in Cleveland as they try to sort out the backcourt of their future as well. Hassan Whiteside for the rest of the season is a small price to pay for this, especially when they’ll be getting a first-round pick as well.
The trade market for Andre Iguodala will start to heat up here shortly, but not every team will have or be willing to give up the assets needed to make the move. Memphis insists on getting a first-round pick in return, but I think they will settle for a Warriors second-round pick that is shaping up to be number 31 or 32 this upcoming season. Dallas will give up Courtney Lee in exchange for Andre Iguodala, a move you make each time when you are given the option. Iguodala provides another ball-handler when Doncic is off the floor and someone to defend the top wing players in the Western Conference. He will be more than well-rested and will come in ready to make an immediate impact pushing Dallas from just a playoff team to hoping to push for the Western Conference Finals.
The Denver Nuggets have had a good season thus far, but that does not mean they should stand idly by without making moves. With Gary Harris’ disappointing start to the season and the emergence of Michael Porter Jr. as yet another solid player, the Nuggets have the flexibility to make a move like this. Bradley Beal has proven to be one of the best shooting guards in the league and would be an incredible addition to this already stacked roster. Washington will get both Gary Harris and Monte Morris from Denver with a second-round pick. Both of these players are young and can look to be a part of a new core that Washington can hope to build with in the future. In order to make the money work, they will likely need to involve a third team to take on some salary burden. This is tough to do without giving up too many assets, but fortunately for Denver and Washington, a team like Sacramento seems to have no choice but to make a move. Dewayne Dedmon has now come out and said he wants to be traded elsewhere. This will be a “Center carousel” in which Mason Plumlee goes to Sacramento, Dewayne Dedmon goes to Washington, and Thomas Bryant goes to Washington. This allows Denver to have a cheaper but still very solid backup center and Sacramento gets a center that could help them make a push for the playoffs this season. Washington will still have 3 years tied up to a center, only for a little more money. That’s the cost of getting young prospects nowadays. The only kicker to this trade is that it cannot be made until January 15th when both Bradley Beal and Thomas Bryant will become eligible for trade again.
