Wembanyama is hot property (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images) Source: FOX SPORTS Do teams have players coming off contract? What other stars are genuinely gettable with the assets they have? What’s their age profile? Have they already committed to a certain path?
Then there’s the lure of landing prodigal likely Pick 1 Victor Wembanyama hovering over this season. The French phenom remains the grand prize for those occupying the lower seeds, but there’s many more highly-rated prospects including Scoot Henderson and Amen Thompson.
After all, we’ve seen how quickly the likes of Zion Williamson and Ja Morant have helped turn their teams’ fortunes around in recent years.
Below foxsports.com.au runs through which teams in the middle pack – those currently outside the top eight seeds – should buy, sell or retool at the trade deadline.
UTAH JAZZ (26-26)
It’s all about having an open minded approach in Utah. NBA Insider Mark Stein reported the Jazz are effectively open to trading anyone bar Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler – and that’s exactly the philosophy they should have if the price is right. The likes of Mike Conley, Kelly Olynyk, Jared Vanderbilt, Jordan Clarkson and Malik Beasley have all been great for Utah, but it shouldn’t be married to any of them. And this might be the highest any of the aforementioned players’ value will ever be. After trading Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell in the off-season for a surplus of draft picks, the rebuilding Jazz’s strategy is to retool and load up on assets – and that should continue to be – they’ve just happened to win more games than expected. But whether or not Will Hardy’s team finishes sixth or 11th ultimately isn’t the priority, and we’ve seen enough to suggest they’re building something promising. This also doesn’t mean they should sell all their veterans – and if they could flip some for a John Collins type, that also wouldn’t be the worst move.
Verdict: Sell (but be open to retooling)
Olynyk is on the trade block (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) Source: FOX SPORTS PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (25-26)
Selling mightn’t be Portland’s plan as it looks to build around Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant, but it should be. After Lillard re-signed last year and the Blazers put different pieces around him like Grant, Josh Hart and Gary Payton II, it hasn’t moved the needle in terms of getting the team closer to a championship. And Portland is now seemingly setting itself up to sit in the middle pack of the West for some time. It’s possible the franchise was instead better off dealing Lillard, and whether or not it still should is probably more a conversation for the off-season. For now, the Blazers should very much be open to off-loading the likes of Hart and Jusuf Nurkic, both of whom Yahoo reports are available, and even Grant for the right price given the gun forward could depart for nothing this off-season as a free agent. Bolstering their draft hand and improving their salary cap flexibility and lottery odds should be the priority.
Verdict: Sell (but they’re more likely to retool)
Nurkic is reportedly on the trade block (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) Source: FOX SPORTS WASHINGTON WIZARDS (24-26)
OK, so the Wizards are in the midst of a six-game winning streak and are knocking on the door of the playoffs. But what’s their ceiling? Get knocked out in the first round? We’ve seen Washington go on promising runs such as this, but other stretches where the team has really struggled. There’s just not enough consistency nor the core of a team you’d confidently say is moving in the right direction and capable of a deep playoffs run – both now and in the coming years. And so the most obvious move is for Washington to offload Kyle Kuzma given he can opt out of his current deal this off-season and become a free agent – with Bleacher Report revealing that’s his plan to join a bigger market team – where the Wizards would lose him for nothing. His value is sky high too amid a career-best season, with plenty of suitors lining up for the forward where a bidding war would net Washington a nice return, despite Yahoo reporting the team has no intention to trade him. Of course, the Wizards have already shifted towards seller mode by moving Rui Hachimura to the Lakers.
Verdict: Sell
Curry collects 38 points against Thunder | 01:02
INDIANA PACERS (24-28)
The Pacers have never been a franchise that has embraced the tank – evident by how much the team has surpassed expectations this season – but the reality of where the rebuilding franchise is at has set in. Indiana is clinging onto a play-in spot right now, having dropped 10 of their last 11 games. They’ve already made the decision to re-sign Myles Turner, and at age 26, he still fits into the rebuilding demographic alongside Tyrese Haliburton (22) and Bennedict Mathurin (20), and their backup bigs probably haven’t shown enough to warrant bigger roles. But the likes of Buddy Hield, TJ McConnell (both 30), and even the 25-year old Chris Duarte, who’s clearly not on the same level as the slightly older Turner, should all be available if they can net the franchise valuable draft capital. This is more about beefing up the Pacers long-term assets as it is them going into tank mode, if that’s not the pathway they want to take.
Verdict: Sell
Giannis drops 50 points in Bucks win | 01:14
LA LAKERS (24-28)
It’s now or never for the purple and gold. It’s rare to have two of the best players in the world on the same roster including the remarkably dominant evergreen LeBron James at age 38. The King is on a mission to carry this team back to the playoffs after a two-year absence, and he’s already indicated he wants the Lakers to make a move. This is a team that has shown enough despite Anthony Davis missing over five weeks, and it probably has more talent that it was given credit for during its early season woes. It’s not inconceivable for the Lakers to make a deep playoff run given how open the West is. LA has of course said, given its relative lack of future assets, it would only part ways with its two future first-round picks for a genuine difference maker star that’d take it to the next level and compete for a championship. The dream package would be either DeMar DeRozan or Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic – the latter who can become a free agent this off-season – but there’s no telling if the Bulls would agree to such a deal. Even a player like Terry Rozier or Bojan Bodanovic in exchange for one of their picks would provide a nice boost and give the Lakers a third reliable option moving forward, with Russell Westbrook set to become a free agent.
Verdict: Buy
LeBron’s triple-double downs Knicks | 01:00
CHICAGO BULLS (23-27)
The Bulls have been in no man’s land all season, currently just hanging around the play-in mix in a big drop off from last season’s sixth-seed finish. But maybe the most worrying aspect is that their big three of Zach LaVine (27), DeMar DeRozan (33) and Nikola Vucevic (32) aren’t getting any younger, and there’s no telling when Lonzo Ball will return from his ongoing knee issues. With Vucevic eligible to become a free agent and DeRozan eligible for an extension, it looms as the perfect time to sell off at least one of the duo – if not both – for the best package on the market, and build around LaVine. However the Bulls would be wise to not go into full blown tear it down mode given they owe Orlando a top-four protected first-round pick this year from the Vucevic trade. It means Chicago could go into tank mode but still finish with a pick outside the top four that would then be passed onto the Magic. It’s more likely the Bulls rejig their roster and hope a different dynamic serves them better next season, with Ball hopefully back in the fold.
Verdict: Retool
The Bulls are on trade watch (Michael Reaves/Getty Images/AFP) Source: AFP TORONTO RAPTORS (23-30)
What’s going on in Toronto? A team that finished fifth in the East last season now has the sixth-worst record in the entire NBA amid rumblings of disenchantment behind the scenes and players not wanting to be there. Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr can become free agents this off-season, while the value of Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby has never been higher. It’s likely the Raptors make some sort of move, but how extreme do they go? They could ship out any of VanVleet, Siakam, Anunoby and Trent – or even a collection of them – like the Thunder did with Russell Westbrook and Paul George or the Jazz did with Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell – and get their hands on a meaty collection of draft picks to rebuild with alongside Scottie Barnes and vastly boost their lottery odds. But they’re probably better off trading just one of their stars and reassessing their direction this off-season. There’s ultimately no obvious answer in a dilemma team president Masai Ujiri would be grappling with. But in a positive, the Raptors are in a rare position where they’re really bad, yet their stars are all still highly valued, and thus they should maximise that window while it’s available.
Verdict: Sell (but be open to retooling)
