It’s that time of year again! No, we aren’t talking about the holidays. In fact, we’re talking about the time of year that everyone starts making predictions and dream trades in the hopes that the powers that be in the big leagues will follow suit. Here’s our list of the best trades we want to see before deadline day.
Dwight Howard to Boston for picks – Boston has a young core that Brad Stevens is molding into a solid eastern conference team, so it may seem counter intuitive to trade for an aging superstar with a large cap number. However, Boston is one of the few teams in the league that can afford Howard, and his presence down low elevates an already staunch defense into one of the best in the east. It’s clear that the Howard/Harden combo in Houston is struggling as it has already cost Kevin Mchale his job. If Howard is willing to leave, Boston could be a perfect fit for him to regain his Orlando Magic form and play for a coach he respects on a team that should be a contender in the east.
Joe Johnson to Memphis for picks – Memphis is a team that is constantly in the playoff picture in the west, yet they always seem to come up short due to their lack of offense. Their core of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol is aging and chances are their window will close soon. Mortgaging some future picks for a shooter of Johnson’s caliber would provide Memphis with a player who can shoot them back into a game or extend leads while their defense suffocates opposing offenses. Much like Gasol and Randolph, Johnson is on the tail end of his career and is yet to win a championship. Brooklyn will most likely take any amount of picks for him because they have so few between now and 2019, meaning getting anything in return for their star player will be a good idea that will help them down the road.
Dion Waiters to Philadelphia for young assets – Waiters has had a rather mercurial career after being highly drafted out of Syracuse. After falling out of favor in Cleveland and being traded to OKC, rumors have recently swirled that Waiters wants to go home to play in Philadelphia. Philadelphia has done a nice job over the past 2 years of stockpiling assets, so they have the tools to trade for Waiters. Since they are still winless this season it seems like Waiters could at the very least provide some instant offense. Whether or not Waiters alone is enough to get wins remains to be seen, but at this point in the Sixer’s season, it can’t get much worse. Philadelphia has plenty of young talent to trade, and it’s not like any member of their backcourt has been so impressive that they can’t be traded. Waiters going home and getting his chance to be the legitimate number one option would be interesting to say the least.
Carmelo Anthony to the Bulls for picks – The Knicks may have found their future in the latest draft with Kristaps Porzingis, so it would make sense for them to trade Melo and collect assets to keep getting younger and obtaining more talent through the draft. Melo would go to Chicago and instantly be paired with Jimmy Butler, Joakim Noah, and Derrick Rose to create one of the most talented rosters in the east. It’s unlikely it will ever happen, but most NBA fans are still wondering what would have happened had Melo chosen Chicago over NYC during free agency.
Kevin Garnett to the Clippers for a 2nd round pick – File this under trades that will never happen. That being said, it would be fun to see Garnett join back up with Doc Rivers and Paul Pierce on a team with championship aspirations. Garnett probably won’t contribute much of anything besides a veteran presence, but with the way the Clippers seem to be imploding early this season, Doc may want to bring in a voice that the entire will respect and listen to.
These five deals could shake up the entire league. We can’t wait to see the trades that roll in. Are you excited?
–Mark Rubino
