February’s trade deadline first thing to watch in 2019
With 2018 in the books for the NBA, here’s a look at what’s important to follow in 2019, starting with the trade deadline in early February.
Trade season approaching
The trade deadline is Feb. 7. Who makes a deal? Do the Lakers try to make a move now, or will they remain patient until free agency? Will Danny Ainge and the Celtics, fifth in the Eastern Conference going into Wednesday amid high expectations to win the conference, shake up their roster? Do the Clippers, Sixers, Thunder or Jazz get involved? Names to watch: Washington’s Markieff Morris, Atlanta’s Kent Bazemore, Cleveland’s Kevin Love and J.R. Smith, Miami’s Wayne Ellington, Dallas’ Dennis Smith Jr., Chicago’s Jabari Parker and Lakers’ Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
All-Star firsts
Who makes their first All-Star Game? Here are formidable candidates: Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons, Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton, Phoenix’s Devin Booker, Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic, Clippers’ Tobias Harris and Memphis’ Mike Conley. For the first
time, the All-Star draft made by the two players with the most votes from each conference will be televised.
Playoffs
The order is far from settled in both conferences, but in the East, it looks like the first five spots are locked up (Milwaukee, Toronto, Indiana, Philadelphia, Boston) with five teams (Charlotte, Miami, Detroit, Orlando, Brooklyn) competing for the final three spots. The Western Conference is far more competitive with 14 teams in the playoff mix. Just four games separate first-place Denver from eighth-place San Antonio, and just four games separate the Spurs from 14th-place New Orleans.
The end of the line
Miami’s Dwyane Wade already said this is his final NBA season. What about Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki, who might be one of the last players to spend his entire career with the same team? Will Atlanta’s Vince Carter, 41, try to play another year, and more pressing, what about Carmelo Anthony, who hasn’t played a game since Nov. 8 and there doesn’t seem to be a strong market for the 10-time AllStar? Is his NBA career over?
Coaching carousel
There won’t be as many coaching changes after this season than there were after last season, but there will be openings. Cleveland will look for a coach to develop a team that will add another lottery pick in the draft. Chi- cago will need to decide if it wants to keep Jim Boylen (replaced Fred Hoiberg). Will Washington stick with Scott Brooks? Lakers with Luke Walton? Timberwolves with Tom Thibodeau?
Finals
Golden State is looking at its most difficult run to the Finals, especially if the Warriors don’t have home-court advantage in the West or in the Finals. But they’re still the Warriors, with more talent than any other team in the league, and DeMarcus Cousins hasn’t played yet. It’s difficult seeing another team repping the West in the Finals. Boston still has time to turn it around and con- tend for the East title. Same with Philadelphia. But the three-way race for the top spot right now between Milwaukee, Toronto and Indiana is compelling. A Bucks-Raptors Eastern Conference finals would be fun.
Draft
This draft might be as deep on paper as the 2018 class, but there are potentially franchise-changing players at the top, starting with Duke’s Zion Williamson (#tryinforzion), R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish. Take note that this is the first season under the revised draft lottery reform, which tried to disincentivize tanking by evening the odds for the teams with the best shot at the No. 1 pick. That’s not going to stop teams from wanting the best pick possible.
MVP
Try not to get enveloped in midseason narratives. Let the season play out. That said, there are no shortage of MVP candidates: Houston’s James Harden, Golden State’s Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, New Orleans’ Anthony Davis, Lakers’ LeBron James, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid and Oklahoma City’s Paul George.
Bountiful free agency
With more than 200 players scheduled to become free agents, it will be a hectic summer. Can the Warriors hang on to Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson? Will the Lakers make the kind of moves that make them legit contenders? Can Toronto re-sign Leonard? Will the Clippers make a big splash? Multiple All-Star-caliber players set to hit the market: Durant, Thompson, Cousins, Leonard, Harris, Middleton, Vucevic, Kyrie Irving, Al Horford, Kemba Walker, Jimmy Butler and Marc Gasol.
Golden State’s future
The Warriors, who are moving into a $1 billion arena in San Francisco next season, are going for their fourth title in five seasons and third consecutive under coach Steve Kerr. How much longer can their dynasty last? Durant, Thompson and Cousins have the opportunity to play elsewhere next season, and it remains to be seen what impact winning or not winning the championship has on their decisions. Winning is difficult, and so is keeping the team intact.