The powers have significantly shifted in the NBA the past three years. Gone are the days the West’ loaded 15 teams, far outmatch the East’ four or five productive franchises year in and year out. With the blockbuster trade mid-season, between the Rockets, Cavs, and Nets, it brought even more talent to the Eastern Conference in one James Harden. For the teams that are vying for playoff contention and on the market for marquee players, it was a significant blow. With a potentially loaded 2021-2022 draft class incoming and a somewhat disappointing free agency coming this summer, it is pertinent bubble playoff teams and mid-seeded teams make a trade before the deadline on March 25th. Listed below are teams I believe should push for a trade ordered in urgency of a needed trade.
10. Atlanta Hawks
With Trae Young averaging 26-4-9.5, the stats are beginning to feel empty. With the pickup of Rajon Rondo, everyone in the basketball sphere saw this as a positive. A young, superstar in the making, gaining a proven champion point guard that can guide him in right direction. So, who is the blame for the 14-20 start for the Hawks? Well the blame was placed on recently let go coach Lloyd Pierce. Coach Pierce was not the blame. Pierce was handed a roster back in 2018 of an already failed season in May. A roster that looks pretty identical to the team we currently see today. Hopes seemed to be high heading into this season, with the acquiring of Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari. Both high caliber scorers, great for some much needed second offense outside of Trae and John Collins. In an offense driven league, you still need some sort of way to get stops down the stretch, and Atlanta just does not have it. This has been an issue since Coach Budenholzer left, as well as the core group of players like Horford, Millsap, and Teague. So rather than seeing the record of the Hawks and focusing the attention on Coach Pierce, we need to be looking at GM Travis Schlenk. Shortly after parting ways with Pierce, Nate McMillian was named interim coach by Schlenk. A step in the right direction somewhat, seeing that Nate McMillian is a great defensive minded coach. Hopefully before the deadline, we see Coach McMillian gain a valuable two-way piece to move forward and compete in the play-in games.
Possible trade scenario:
Hawks trade: G Tony Snell and 2021 Second round pick Thunder trade: G Lu Dort
The reason for the trade is you can still keep your core group of young guys together while shedding Tony Snell’s contract while acquiring a solid perimeter defender in Dort who is still in his rookie contract on a franchise who is clearly trying to tank, and Dort does not make it easy for the Thunder to tank games.
9. New York Knicks
With an on paper roster that seems like yet another tank year for the Knicks, Coach Thibodeau has brought a winning coaching style back to New York. Currently sitting 4th in the Eastern conference standings, on the back of All-Star Julius Randle, things are looking up for “The Mecca of Basketball” again. The team still has one major flaw, shooting. The Knicks basically rank first in every major defensive category in the NBA, but rank 29th in offense. If any team has half a brain, just play JV level 2-3 defense on the current Knicks and you will win the game. This basically eliminates Julius Randle and the slashing of R.J Barret. With tons of cap space, and the idea of a marquee player playing in New York, it is very attractive to play with the Knicks. What isn’t attractive, is the complete mismanagement of the franchise has suffered basically the past 20+ years. The franchise is on the come up again, with the hiring of William “World Wide” Wesley back in 2020 and Coach Thibs as well. With the rotation changing, after the signing of a finally healthy Derrick Rose, rookie newcomers Quickley and Toppin, the Knicks have pieces that are viable and appealing to teams across the league.
Possible trade scenario(s):
Knicks trade: F Kevin Knox and G Elfrid Payton Rockets trade: Victor Oladipo Knicks trade: F Kevin Knox, G Elfrid Payton, ’21 first round pick. Wizards trade: Bradley Beal
The Knicks have more than enough money to take on any contract in the league. With Beal growing frustrated in D.C, the improved Knicks, could definitely be a landing spot for a superstar of his caliber, as well as Oladipo, in the near future.
8. Oklahoma City Thunder
This franchise is a lot easier to talk about seeing that they are playing for the future. They are trying to strike gold in the draft again much like they did with Harden, Durant, and Westbrook. So the question raises, “Isn’t their roster terrible already?” Well yes and no. They are basically hedging all their bets on the next two drafts and their respective lotteries. With a very terrible on paper roster, they some how still don’t have the worst record in the NBA. Reason being, they have some young guys in Diallo, SGA, and Dort that don’t play to lose games. For fans of the Thunder this brings a sense of optimism, for the ownership of the Thunder, this spells trouble. All three of the pieces mentioned above all hurt their chances in the draft lottery and drafting positions. Personally, I think you can get even more draft capital by adding SGA to the trade block and letting him deservingly go to a franchise that wants to win.
Possible trade scenario:
Thunder trade: G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Heat trade: ’22 and ’24 first round Hawks trade: G Tony Snell and 2021 Second round pick Thunder trade: G Lu Dort
Trade works for both teams, one gets exactly what they want in draft spaces, the other gets a solid, durable two-guard in SGA who significantly boosts your chances against teams like Philly and Brooklyn.
7. Denver Nuggets
Coming out of an impressive showing in the bubble, Denver cemented themselves a powerhouse in the Western Conference. But, anyone in the right mind knows Denver doesn’t have a shot this year without making some sort of move. There’s only four teams competing out of the West as it stands now with the Lakers, Clippers, Suns, and the Jazz. Denver fell victim to the moment in the bubble. Jamal Murray looked absolutely absurd in the bubble averaging 24-7-5, with a 50/44/89 split. Truly incredible heroics from Murray to push them deep into the bubble. This year Murray averages 21-4-4, not bad by any means, but not the player from the bubble. During the great “James Harden Sweepstakes”, Denver refused to trade Murray as apart of a Harden deal. Boy, do they feel foolish. Adding Harden to a roster with Jokic, and Michael Porter Jr., is a scary team for anyone to face. Now that’s in the past, where do they go from here? Well, MPJ seems to constantly have an injury bug, but with unlimited potential. As their window for a championship gets narrower and narrower, might be time to take that gamble and trade for an important piece.
Possible trade scenario(s):
Denver trades: G/F Michael Porter Jr. and G/F Will Barton Washington trades: G Bradley Beal Denver trades: G/F Michael Porter Jr. and C/F Bol Bol San Antonio trades: G Demar Derozan
Trading with the Spurs may seem like a long shot, seeing that they are in contention for a playoff spot. Derozan opted into the player option for 20-21 season worth roughly $27 million, ’21-’22 is an unrestricted free agent. Spurs could potentially lose him for nothing, if they don’t do something fast.
6. Golden State Warriors
Steph Curry on yet another MVP like season, the Warriors have been very impressive for what they have on their roster. With the signings of Oubre and Wiggins in the offseason to try (keyword being try), to make up for Klay Thompsons absence, the Warriors can make up for some lost time with a trade before the deadline, but not without a risk. Look, if they want to keep the roster the way it is and squeeze into the playoffs and call it a year after a first round exit, no one would blame them. But, what if they took said risk and have a legit shot of being contenders heading into ’21-’22 season with healthy Klay returning?…
Possible trade scenario:
Warriors trade: G/F Kelly Oubre, G Brad Wanamaker Mavs trade: F Kristaps Porzingis
Granted KP is very injury-prone and kind of a prima donna, but in a free flowing offense like Warriors, they could potentially have a very tall and athletic starting 5 in ’21-’22 season with Curry, Klay, Green, KP, and Wiseman. Down side of the trade, KP has one of the worst contracts in the league for how much he costs, for how little he has played in three years. A resurgence can and will happen, hopefully with the Warriors.
5. Portland Trailblazers
S.O.S! Someone go help Lillard and C.J! It has been far too long for another star not wanting to go play with one of the best backcourts in basketball. Portland is a fantastic city, with a die-hard fanbase, but for some reason can’t pull in any high caliber players every year during free agency. Portland is currently sitting 5th with a 19-14 record in the West…with no C.J McCollum or Jusuf Nurkic. Personally, Lillard is number one on the MVP ladder for me, but that’s a tale for another day. Every year seemingly, since 2016, Portland always looks one player shy of being a legit threat out West. If they can make a solid trade before the deadline, they could be back in the mix.
Possible trade scenario(s):
Portland trades: C E. Kanter, F Nassir Little/Cavs trade: C Andre Drummond or C Jarret Allen Portland trades: C E. Kanter, F Nassir Litle / Pistons Trade: F Blake Griffin
Clearly with the constant health states of Portland’s bigs, they need a piece that is reliable. Drummond or Allen are the real prizes, Griffin being a consolation prize. Griffin needs out of the dreadful franchise of Detroit, but his contract won’t be doing teams any favors, being that he cost upwards of $35 million.
4. Miami Heat
Don’t let the Heats’ record or them being high on the list fool you, this team is dangerous. The are sitting at .500 currently in the Eastern conference, with the return of Jimmy Butler, the team has bounced back in a major way. This can seriously have another sneaky year, don’t be surprised if this team can knock off a big dog like Philly or Milwaukee, especially post trade deadline. One thing I’d like add, the Heat’ unrealistic expectations of Robinson and Herro are absurd. Again, another team who had a shot at Harden, but said no cause they wanted to keep these two guys. Probably doesn’t feel to good to see him on the Nets when you could’ve had him for what you think are future Heat greats, but I digress. This team doesn’t need much at all, so the trade by OKC posted above, I believe is the best case scenario for the Heat. SGA needs a franchise who can win now, and he can aid and make them more of a contender. The bubble SGA, was not the SGA we grew accustomed to seeing during the ’19-’20 season.
Possible trade scenario:
Thunder trade: G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Heat trade: ’22 and ’24 first round pick
3. Brooklyn Nets
As a basketball fan, you really don’t want to see Brooklyn get anymore help than what they already have. Kyrie is possibly having the best year of his career, Harden is on yet another MVP campaign, all while KD is sitting out. The trade acquiring Harden, a piece that slipped out of their hands was Jarret Allen. He provided all and exactly what they desperately need right now. The current lineup Coach Nash could and has run before late in games consists of Kyrie, Harden, KD, Green, and Harris. This team can put up 150 points any given night but they will also surrender 140. If that’s their formula for winning during the regular season, why not, but when you have a series with teams like Miami, Philly or even Indiana, their weakness on the inside is going to be on full display. People have speculated, trading for Javale McGee, would be the cheapest, most viable option. With some reason releases and teams wanting a trade for their respective big men, Brooklyn will be definitely scouring the market the next three weeks.
Possible trade scenario(s):
Nets trade: C Deandre Jordan and G Spencer Dinwiddie Cavs trade: C Andre Drummond Nets trade: G Spencer Dinwiddie, F Nic Claxton Hawks trade: F/C John Collins
The Cavs deal is more likely, seeing Cleveland’s antics with benching Drummond just before a tip-off last week. The Hawks trade however, although not very likely, but the Hawks have said they want a “significant haul” for Collins. Which, Brooklyn can basically surrender their future again, like what they did to acquire KG and hobbled Paul Pierce back in 2013. In today’s world, this doesn’t seem as drastic, seeing Collins is still very young and has a relatively cheap contract for what he can do for Brooklyn.
2. Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers coming out of the bubble with the ring was huge to LeBron’s legacy. This is just another year for LeBron to add to the legacy. With increased competition out east and relatively same competition in the west, the Lakers are still playing for the post-season, not the regular season. AD has been out with a calf injury the past three weeks, and the Lakers have been taking proper precaution with him and resting him accordingly. Even with AD back, when the playoffs roll around, they still don’t have easy series ahead of them. They still need to acquire pieces to focus on getting through the west, beating the Clippers. As long as the Clippers don’t choke again, that team is really the only team out west that could halt LeBron to his 11th NBA Finals appearance. The glaring deficiency with LA is one in the same with Brooklyn, a weak inside presence. Granted, LA has Montrezl Harrell and Anthony Davis, Marc Gasol has become a liability and Kuzma is barley a forward. To take pressure off AD and Harrell, Lakers should push for a trade or an acquisition in the coming weeks to prepare for another late playoff push.
Possible trade scenario(s):
Lakers trade: G Talen Horton-Tucer, C Marc Gasol / Kings trade: C Hassan Whiteside Lakers trade: G THT, C Marc Gasol, F Markieff Morris / Cavs trade: C Jarret Allen Lakers trade: G THT, C Marc Gasol, F Kyle Kuzma / Magic trade: C Nikola Vucevic
All of the above are plausible and doable. Vucevic has the largest contract listed, but easily the best piece you could trade for. Hot take, whoever gets the better big man before the trade deadline between Brooklyn and the Lakers, is who is going to be winning the 2021 Finals.
1 Boston Celtics
The Celtics have been awful. If you told me before the season started, Jaylen Brown would average 25 ppg on 50% from the field, I would think they would be a front runner out in the
east, at least for the regular season. During the off season they let Gordan Hayward walk to Charlotte and got nothing in return. Let’s look back mid-season last year. The Pacers wanted Gordan Hayward and a future pick for Myles Turner and Doug McDermott. Considering Haywards’ play last season, you have to wonder why they didn’t pull the trigger on it. They could desperately use the scoring of McDermott and the versatility of Turner right now. Another major downfall this season for the Celts, Kemba isn’t playing like Kemba, only averaging 18-3-4. All of which are his lowest since the 2014-2015 season. Down the stretch, the obvious go to guys like Tatum and Brown have been reliable, but everyone else looks lost. Especially, since Marcus Smart has been injured, but is projected to return after the All-Star break. Every year the Celtics have gotten better with their stars gaining experience, but not this year. NBA just doesn’t feel right when the Celtics aren’t a quality team. Danny Ainge has caught a lot of flack for his draft choices, but the one he definitely got right was trading down for Jayson Tatum, over picking Markelle Fultz. Other than that, it has been a lot of swings and misses in the draft, so you’re gonna have to make up for it in the current NBA market.
Possible trade(s):
Celtics trade: C Tristan Thompson, ’21, ’22 First Round Picks / Magic trade: C Nikola Vucevic Celtics trade: C Tristan Thompson, ’21, ’22 FRPs Wolves trade: C Karl Anthony-Towns
The Celtics need a quality big, stop being so cheap, and a return to normalcy with Kemba. Both Vucevic and KAT need out of their current situations, and the returning teams are gaining draft capital.
Bottom line:
Some these predictions for trades are pretty drastic, but all viable for all teams involved. Porzingis, Vucevic, SGA, Jarret Allen, Andre Drummond, Victor Oladipo, and Bradley Beal are among names that would be no surprise if they were moved prior to March 25th.
From Way Outside...Looking In. 
Great work!!!
LikeLike