NBA trade rumors: 10 questions about Cavs, Clippers, Kemba as deadline nears
Is there a deal that would convince LeBron James to stay? Are the Lakers ready to clear salary-cap space?
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6 min read
NBA executives are not going to get much sleep over the next two weeks. The trade deadline (Feb. 8, 3 p.m. ET) is rapidly approaching, so everybody is debating deals, weighing options and trying to figure out what the hell other teams are doing.
Here are 10 questions that are hanging over the league:
Can the Cavs fix their issues?
The Strugglesville Cavaliers are the most interesting team in the NBA as the trade deadline approaches. Consider:
- Nobody is happy with the status quo.
- LeBron James will be a free agent in July and it is not clear what -- if anything -- would convince him to stay.
- Their best trade asset -- the Brooklyn Nets' first-round pick -- could turn into their most important building block in a post-LeBron world.
- Tristan Thompson and J.R. Smith are underperforming, and Kevin Love reportedly had his commitment questioned in a recent team meeting.
Cleveland is an extremely tricky spot. This is a championship-or-bust team with a roster that does not appear to have any hope of challenging the Golden State Warriors as presently constructed. The front office does not want to jeopardize its future flexibility, but it must figure out a way to get better right now. The Cavs' offense is awesome, but its defense is atrocious, and they should be going after players who are effective on both ends. The George Hill rumors sound almost too good to be true -- he is a perfect fit -- but a deal isn't done yet and they still need to fix the frontcourt. While I don't blame Love for their problems, I would not be surprised if they moved him for wing help and made Thompson the starting center.
Who wants Kemba?
Kemba Walker is the freshest big name to be added to the trade rumor pile, and I don't buy Michael Jordan's assertion that the team isn't actively looking to move him. If the Charlotte Hornets are considering a rebuild, then it makes no sense to keep the 27-year-old All-Star. As loyal as he is to Charlotte, there is no way he would want to re-experience the losing and pain that defined his first few years with the franchise.
So, who should go after him? I wonder if the Cavs would be willing to part with the Brooklyn pick in order to get him. I'd love to see him take the mantle from Tony Parker in San Antonio. The Utah Jazz could put together an interesting package for him, too -- how exciting would a Walker-Donovan Mitchell backcourt be?
Are the Clips really happy with who they are right now?
Reasonable people can disagree about whether the Los Angeles Clippers should be buyers or sellers. On one hand, they have been incredibly fun recently, riding the Lou Williams wave and salvaging a season that looked like it was lost. On the other hand, they are ninth in the Western Conference, Williams is in the last year of his contract it's not clear whether or not DeAndre Jordan will pick up his $24.1 million player option for next season.
Two months ago, the writing was on the wall for a fire sale. Now the Clippers' future is much more complicated. Dismantling everything now would not feel great, but keeping it together comes with major risk.
Will all the talk about the Lakers add up to anything?
Everybody assumes the Los Angeles Lakers want to maximize their chances of signing LeBron James and/or Paul George next summer, and that might mean trading some of their young players in the near future. Julius Randle's future has been up in the air for some time, and the front office is likely gauging the market for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr., too. A report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Jan. 8 indicated that all three of them are available.
Randle, however, is the only one of them who is going to be a free agent this summer, which means that making moves isn't necessarily urgent here. The Lakers can choose to keep their options open if they don't find any appealing deals.
Who will rescue George Hill?
Hill's talents are utterly wasted with this Sacramento team, and the rumored Cavs deal makes a lot of sense for them. This is an elite defensive player who can play either guard spot and doesn't need the ball in his hands to be effective. Guys like him are important in the playoffs, and Cleveland should not be the only contender trying to pry him away from the Kings. Is Channing Frye, Iman Shumpert and a non-Brooklyn pick really enough to get it done?
Can the Thunder or Wizards do something sneaky?
These teams are getting less and less similar as Oklahoma City keeps clicking offensively and Washington keeps looking lifeless in half its games. Both of them, however, have hopes of going deep in the playoffs and could use some reinforcements on the bench. Thunder general manager Sam Presti has a history of strengthening his team for the stretch run and the Wizards have traded first-round picks for Bojan Bogdanovic, Markieff Morris and Marcin Gortat over the last few years.
With these teams, I'm interested in role players that make them more versatile and could swing a playoff series. Keep an eye on names like Rodney Hood, Alec Burks, Lance Thomas, Courtney Lee and Tyreke Evans.
Are the Grizzlies ready to tank?
If so, they've had a hell of a run. Nobody expected Mike Conley and Marc Gasol to develop into stars, and it is hard to overstate how beloved Zach Randolph and Tony Allen are in Memphis. This could be the end of the line, though, if the organization is prepared to bottom out and start over. Gasol will turn 33 next week, and it is getting harder and harder to imagine him being there the next time the Grizzlies win a playoff series.
That said, tanking is a tough road to go down in a small market. As bad as things seem right now, Memphis could ultimately decide to let the season play out, get whatever draft pick falls its way and revisit things in the offseason.
How many big men will move?
We've already mentioned Love, Thompson, Jordan and Gasol. How about Derrick Favors, Dewayne Dedmon, Jonas Valanciunas, Robin Lopez, Tyson Chandler, Willy Hernangomez, Kyle O'Quinn and Marcin Gortat? Is there any team out there actively looking to acquire a center rather than moving one? It's an extremely weird time to be a big dude.
What will the Magic do?
I'm going to guess that rookie Jonathan Isaac is untouchable. Beyond that, I'm not sure there is a single player on this roster who should feel safe. Orlando has actually had two impressive victories lately (against the Wolves and the Celtics), but they have by and large been a disaster since their surprisingly solid start. This is a new front office trying to create some sort of identity, and it has big decisions to make when it comes to Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon, who will both be restricted free agents in a few months.
What could come out of left field?
I'm not even talking about a DeMarcus Cousins, Paul George or Anthony Davis trade here -- those stars have been discussed to death. Is there possibly another big-name player out there who could throw a wrench into things? I wonder about Gordon in Orlando, C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic in Portland, Hassan Whiteside in Miami and Jabari Parker in Milwaukee.
The Wizards are a fascinating team to think about in this context, given that John Wall recently said the front office might have to "figure it out." Would they part with the slumping Otto Porter? Could they consider selling high on Bradley Beal? What if J.J. Barea is right and Wall isn't actually popular with his teammates? This team could be as messed up as the Cavs are, even though they're not getting the same amount of attention.
