How to tell the buyers from the sellers ahead of trade deadline
The playoff race at the bottom of the Western Conference continues to make things tricky for teams as they try to understand what the trade market is going to look like. And last week, a move in the East reminded teams that things aren’t necessarily as simple as they seem.
Atlanta, the East’s last-place team, sent Allen Crabbe’s expiring contract to Minnesota for guard Jeff Teague, the type of veteran player who could maybe nudge a team a spot or two higher in a playoff push. Except the Hawks aren’t going to sniff the playoffs. So why did they act?
Adding Teague, a free agent after the season, will give Atlanta a look at a possible solution to one of its problems — a need for a backup point guard who can help ease the problems when Trae Young is off the court. This isn’t “buying” in the traditional sense — it’s getting a preview of a possible solution before the Hawks tackle the problem.
Last year, Chicago made a similar move, trading for Washington’s Otto Porter Jr. despite having no real shot to make the playoffs when it acquired him.
The general lesson teams have taken into this trade deadline is this — sometimes sellers look like buyers and sometimes buyers look like sellers. It’s something scouts around the NBA are wondering about as the Feb. 6 trade deadline looms — whether some teams near the top of the standings actually could sell.
The team that comes up most often in NBA circles in this regard is Toronto, which has had a tremendously successful season considering it lost Kawhi Leonard for nothing in free agency and has had to deal with injuries to Pascal Siakam and Marc Gasol.
Some teams believe the Raptors would listen to calls on players such as Gasol and
Serge Ibaka, both of whom are in the final year of their contracts and seemingly not in their long-term plans. There’s also speculation that Kyle Lowry could be had at the right price — the kind of seismic moves teams headed for the postseason normally wouldn’t make.
Two other names that have rival scouts and executives intrigued — Indiana’s Myles Turner and Brooklyn’s Spencer Dinwiddie.
Turner is one of the NBA’s best shot blockers and has fit better with Domantas Sabonis this season than in the past. Still, as Sabonis has blossomed, Turner could be viewed as an attractive asset to help the Pacers in other areas. It’s not an easy decision; he has value if he stays in Indiana too.
Similarly, Dinwiddie has been awesome this season in Brooklyn, but with Kyrie Irving back and Kevin Durant returning next season, Dinwiddie’s opportunities in Brooklyn, logically, will shrink. He’d come at a steep price, but rival executives are at least thinking about it.
At the bottom of the conference, New York has a roster full of veterans — almost all power forwards — who are expected to attract some interest. At the top of that list is Marcus Morris, who would make a lot of sense for contenders like the Clippers. Cleveland’s Kevin Love has played well and would welcome a change of scenery, but his contract is a tough one for teams to take on.
For teams looking for a big man who can shoot, Davis Bertans in Washington, who is a free agent after this season and due for a big raise, probably would be preferable. Charlotte’s Marvin Williams is another big man who can shoot and is in the final year of his deal.
One other trade to report: Trevor Ariza is going from Sacramento to Portland in a five-player deal for Kent Bazemore, Anthony Tolliver and two second-round picks.
Tip-ins
Philadelphia scored a three-point basket against Chicago on Friday night in an unusual way — with six players on the court. The botched substitution led to a technical foul. … Proposed league changes — including an in-season tournament, reseeding the final four teams in the playoffs and a potential play-in tournament — won’t be voted on in April. The NBA will continue studying the changes and discussing them with teams and the players union.