Trade winds blowing throughout NBA as deadline nears

NEW ORLEANS — Jahlil Okafor viewed New Orleans during All-Star weekend with a different lens than usual, since he thought there was a chance it may have been his next home. That’s life in the rumour mill. Welcome to trade season, already underway in earnest and will remain so until Thursday afternoon’s deadline.

All-Star DeMarcus Cousins is changing his address from Sacramento to New Orleans, Serge Ibaka was sent last week from Orlando to Toronto — and the next few days will likely see Carmelo Anthony, Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson, Reggie Jackson and many more discussed by various teams.

“Here we go again,” said Okafor, the Philadelphia 76ers forward who missed two games before the break amid looming trade speculation.

The motivations are many, and obvious in most cases. Some teams will look to add pieces with hopes of enhancing their postseason chances; others are looking to build toward the future by shedding expiring contracts or collecting draft picks.

The jostling is already underway, and the Cousins move would be huge for New Orleans — if they can convince him to sign an extension this summer.

Ibaka should bolster the Raptors’ chances in the East, and Cleveland moved the injured Chris Andersen to Charlotte to open up a roster spot just in case the Cavs have a chance to add a piece that might help LeBron James defend last season’s title.

With Cousins now moved, the next huge domino to fall may be Anthony, who has a no-trade clause — but is going through times trying enough with the New York Knicks that he may be persuaded to drop that clause.