Using history as a judge, there will be 9.2 trades made on the Feb. 7 NBA trading deadline.
Then again, you won’t have a decimal when this season’s count is finalized. So for argument’s sake, the over/under should be set at 9 1/2.
Everyone is on pins and needles regarding the status of Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard and Bradley Beal, who are the most desirable names being bandied about. But word came down recently that the Dallas Mavericks are shopping Dennis Smith Jr., and GetMoreSports.com has learned that the Detroit Pistons are fielding offers for Stanley Johnson, Reggie Bullock and Ish Smith … and they aren’t turning down calls inquiring about Andre Drummond.
The rumor mill tends to go a little haywire in the three weeks leading up to the deadline, and for good reason.
The one commodity every team has with its fan base is “hope,”, and “who can my team get?” is the question asked at water coolers, barstools and in the stands of every NBA arena where t-shirt guns often draw the loudest cheers of the evening. At last count, there were 29.
The fact of the matter is that hundreds of deals will be discussed, and nobody (with the exception of Daryl Morey) will put all of their cards on the table until the final hours before the deadline arrives.)
In the meantime, all eyes are on the New Orleans Pelicans and Davis to see if he will go public with a trade request. If he does, the bidding figures to include the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks. The Lakers have the advantage if Davis wants to be traded this season rather than over the summer, because the Celtics cannot have Kyrie Irving and Davis on the same roster until July of 2019.
IF ANTHONY DAVIS PUSHES FOR A TRADE, LAKERS CAN TRUMP CELTICS
More eyes are focused on Toronto, because nobody except the mysterious Uncle Dennis knows whether Kawhi Leonard will ask for a trade to one of his desired destinations — the cities of New York and Los Angeles are known to be comfort zones for him.
And so the game keep getting played, the phone calls keep getting made, and every NBA player not named LeBron James is advised to keep an extra bag packed, just in case.
We have already gone over the list of the 10 Players most likely to be traded, and none of those names have been removed as possibilities.
What is holding the New York Knicks back in terms of finding a taker for Enes Kanter is the fact that Kanter is active on social media and likes to talk politics, and multiple league executives have told GetMoreSports.com that teams would prefer to acquire players who prefer to keep their mouths shut.
How this makes sense in a country where Freedom of Speech is valued makes absolutely no sense, but welcome to 2019 — a year when McDonald’s and Wendy’s is being served to the NCAA champions at the White House on silver platters. Presumably, the culinary staff on Pennsylvania Avenue is getting paid despite the partial U.S. government takeout.
But we digress …
Most of the trades made this February will be reported after the fact rather than before they happen, but word is often leaked out by agents, players and team executives — often times misinformation designed to artificially inflate a player’s value.
What many fans and observers fail to account for is the impact that February free agency and the end of the Chinese Basketball Association season will have on teams’ eventual playoff rosters.
For example, the Atlanta Hawks were trying to get no more than a second-round pick from the Philadelphia 76ers last season in exchange for Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova. Sixers president Bryan Colangelo would not even make that low of an offer, and he ended up getting both players for nothing after they did buyouts following the deadline.
Right now, Pierre Jackson of the Beijing Dragons is averaging a robust and league-leading 39.8 points per game for a team that has no chance at making the playoffs, and he is playing on a team that includes NBA veterans Shavlik Randolph and Thomas Robinson. The CBA’s leading rebounder is Dakari Johnson of the Quingdao Eagles, who are currently out of the playoff picture, and Marcus Denmon of Zhejiang is third in the league in scoring (37.8) for a playoff bubble team.
So trades between NBA teams are not the only way to acquire impact players in time for playoff rosters to be set. Additionally, players from China can sign with NBA teams up until the final day of the regular season and be playoff eligible as long as they have not played on an NBA roster this season.
There may even be a spot somewhere for Isaiah Austin, whose story was documented on this site over the summer. He still might be the first player to test the new Chris Bosh rule.
But NBA trade talk will be the dominant storyline for the next three weeks, and with 14 teams competitive in the Western Conference and 11 in contention in the East, there are not all that many teams looking to shed big money and start and/or continue their rebuilds.
So let’s focus on the five teams that have zero shot at making the postseason:
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (9-35) — J.R. Smith (one year remaining at $15.7 million) has been on ice for months now, and Kevin Love (despite those who say his contract cannot be moved) should be back on the court by the beginning of February. John Henson (one year remaining at $9.7 million) was an asset to the Bucks in the playoffs last season, and Channing Frye (expiring $2.4 million contract) is a known commodity.
NEW YORK KNICKS (10-33) — They are in London this week without Enes Kanter, who fears that Turkish intelligence agents will assassinate him if he crosses the pond. Tim Hardaway (two more years at $37 million) and Courtney Lee (one year remaining at $12.7 million) have been heavily shopped, and Lance Thomas (one year remaining at $7.5 million) is certainly expendable. Most important for the Knicks is clearing additional cap space, and not taking on long money that would deplete their 2019 salary cap space. I still believe Kyrie Irving is a possible acquisition if tha three-way Anthony Davis deal goes down.
PHOENIX SUNS (11-34) — They have been seeking a point guard all season long, and they even made the unusual move of waiving Isaiah Canaan the day after he started a game for them. Trade assets include Jamal Crawford (who became trade eligible today), T.J. Warren (three years and $36 years remaining on his contract) and Ryan Anderson (one year remaining at $21 million).
CHICAGO BULLS (10-34) — Finding a landing spot for Jabari Parker remains on the frontburner, but the Bulls’ asking price has been too high. At the end of the day, the best they may be able to do is acquire a matching expiring contract, perhaps with a second-round pick thrown in. Christiano Felicio (two years remaining at $15.7 million) can be had for a bag of hammers, and there is not much else here that Gar Forman is willing to move from his young core.
ATLANTA HAWKS (13-30) — As reported here earlier, Kent Bazemore (player option for next season at ($19.2 million) is being shopped, and there is a lot of interest around the league in Dewayne Dedmon (expiring $6.3 million). Jeremy Lin (expiring $12.5 million) also is available. Alex Len (expiring $4.3 million) could draw some interest, and one would imagine Vince Carter is a prime buyout candidate. All the Hawks want back is expiring contracts and draft picks.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (19-24) — The plan has been and will remain building around Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, but the Celtics have the right to the Grizzlies’ first-round pick. So anything that comes across Chris Wallace’s desk that includes a restocking of the draft board cupboard will have to be looked at closely.
THE 10 NBA PLAYERS MOST LIKELY TO BE TRADED
