NBA Mailbag: What to expect as trade deadline nears?
Sixers guard Ben Simmons will likely be a popular figure as the Feb. 10 trade deadline approaches.
Thank goodness for unlimited cell phone plans. With the NBA trade deadline approaching on Thursday, nearly all of the league’s GMs have spent most of their time fielding or initiating calls and texts.
In related news, most of the questions for this week’s NBA mailbag centered on the trade deadline. So, I’ll jump right into those questions without delay. After all, a trade could happen any time now before the deadline at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday.
For future mailbags, send your question to me through email or Twitter.
Which team will make the biggest deadline splash? Biggest buyers?
— Gadi Goldbarg
No doubt, the Philadelphia 76ers will try to be the biggest seller. After all, Ben Simmons remains in a Sixers uniform without ever having any intention of playing in it. Hence, it seems inevitable it’s a matter of if, not when, the Sixers trade Simmons. The only question: what will it take for the Sixers to pull the trigger? They have failed to do so all season despite facing pressure with not having the most competitive roster possible to contend for an NBA title. But with the Sixers still among the Eastern Conference’s best teams, they have proven they have enough with Joel Embiid’s dominance, quality team depth and Doc Rivers’ coaching.
Kristen Ledlow, Isiah Thomas and Candace Parker discuss the potential of a James Harden-for-Ben Simmons trade.
Therefore, it appears likely the Sixers will trade Simmons before the trade deadline only if the deal also involves Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden. But Nets coach Steve Nash told reporters definitively that the team is not trading Harden. So perhaps Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey waits until this summer. Then, Harden could decline his player option to become a free agent or convince the Nets to execute a sign-and-trade with Philadelphia.
As with most trade deadlines, it is hard to anticipate which teams will make the biggest splash. But look for the Sacramento Kings to be extremely active. As what has become familiar for quite some time, the Kings are at the bottom of the standings and have a lot of young players that could result in various deals.
After performing the first trade before this week’s deadline, expect the Portland Trail Blazers and LA Clippers to remain active. Portland interim GM Joe Cronin recently told me, “I don’t think we have the appetite to tear it all the way down.” But by dealing Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Clippers for Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson and the Detroit Pistons’ 2025 second-round pick, it appears the Trail Blazers are trying to trim their luxury tax bill while opening up more opportunities for Anfernee Simons and Johnson to develop. The Trail Blazers also seem open-minded on what further direction they take, including whether they continue to build around Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic. I would also expect the Clippers to find a new destination for veteran forward Serge Ibaka, who has an expiring $9.7 million.
Do you think the Lakers will make any moves before the deadline?
— Janet French
For better and for worse, I think the Lakers’ roster will be the same as it has been this season. Here is what LeBron James and coach Frank Vogel think about the team heading into the trade deadline. But here’s what I think. I expect the only roster changes will involve what unfortunately what has become the Lakers’ familiar pitfalls this season: dealing with overlapping absences to their star and role players due to injuries and COVID-19. I expect Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ vice president of basketball operations and general manager, to be active on phone calls. After all, the Lakers have fielded dramatically different rosters during his four-year tenure partly because of his aggressiveness. But Pelinka faces an unavoidable reality.
There is no market whatsoever to trade Russell Westbrook for two reasons. He is making $44 million in salary, making any partner having to deal multiple assets just to match contracts. Westbrook’s high-risk, high-reward style of play has created more turbulence than highlights with the Lakers. The Lakers have a 2027 first-round pick that they theoretically could use to sweeten such a deal. But that hardly attracts as much cache as more immediate draft picks. The Lakers also appear to want to keep that anyway to maintain flexibility for future deals. Not surprising that the Lakers are gauging interest for Talen-Horton Tucker, given his young upside. But I suspect the Lakers will keep THT because they have developed him from day one and remain confident he will blossom even more.
Should the Lakers bring Russell Westbrook off the bench?
That does not mean the Lakers don’t have any roster holes. They have plenty with Westbrook’s shortcomings, too many veterans and not having enough defensive-oriented players. Practically speaking, though, the Lakers have a much better chance with addressing those issues in the offseason considering eight of their players will become unrestricted free agents this summer.
What do you feel is the biggest issue with the Lakers that can be corrected immediately?
— Janet French
The bigger issues are not correctible. The Lakers have a veteran-laden roster susceptible to injuries. They also have a dynamic point guard (Westbrook), who has struggled with finding his footing consistently with and without LeBron James and Anthony Davis. But the relatively easier correctible issues involve James and Davis having a cleaner bill of health for the second half of the season. That way, James and Davis can accentuate the Lakers’ strengths and overcome their shortcomings just as they did during their 2020 title run. That way, Westbrook also can foster more on-court chemistry with the Lakers’ other two stars. If that brings out the best in Westbrook, the Lakers could finally benefit somewhat on their risky deal. If not, they can absorb marginalizing or benching Westbrook as the Lakers have already done in two games recently.
The time has come for Anthony Davis to take charge as the Lakers' leader.
Do you think the Lakers will make the playoffs or the Play-In Tournament?
— @satuitoo_carlos
All scenarios are possible. Because James and Davis presumably will be healthier than the first half of the season, I still have optimism that the Lakers will make the playoffs as a sixth seed than having to appear in the play-in tournament as a seventh, eighth, ninth or 10th seed. But even if the Lakers secure the No. 6 spot, their ceiling is nothing more than the West semifinals. Even with a fully healthy roster, the Lakers don’t have enough to beat the Golden State Warriors or the Phoenix Suns in a playoff series.
Should the Golden State Warriors make a move at the trade deadline?
— @RingzSeason22
I don’t think so. The Warriors already have become one of the NBA’s title contenders because they have shown resemblances of the 2014-15 championship team. They still have Stephen Curry and Draymond Green mostly playing in their prime. They have Klay Thompson looking reasonably well following a 2 1/2-year absence with injuries. They still have veteran Andre Iguodala helping the team elevate its young talent even in a diminished role. And the Warriors have developed another All-Star (Andrew Wiggins) as well as some young players (Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, Kevon Looney).
Have the Warriors become the favorites to win it all in 2021-22?
That doesn’t mean the Warriors’ roster is perfect. They could upgrade their center depth. Green has stayed sidelined for the past month with a lower-back injury, and projected recently he won’t return until at least the NBA All-Star break. Second-year center James Wiseman has not played this season since having surgery on his injured right knee from last April. And the Suns could challenge the Warriors in the playoffs because they have an All-Star center (Deandre Ayton) and a dependable backup (JaVale McGee). Yet, it’s not worth it for the Warriors to give up their young wing players just to bolster their size. Looney has been dependable, and the Warriors’ main calling card involves the talent and continuity they have fostered with their All-Stars and role players.
Who wants this basketball showerhead? pic.twitter.com/uxS4tJ6Hh9
— Simon Shamoulia (@Sly_Sii) February 6, 2022
I’ll pass!!
Hoops Around the World
We all know that the NBA has become a global brand and that basketball has become a global game. But what fuels your basketball fandom?
Got a good basketball story to tell? Write it up and send it my way. The best essays will be used in this feature throughout the season. We’d also love to see a photo of the hoop you play on, whether it be in your neighborhood gym or in the backyard of your driveway. Got a good image? Then pass along and we’ll feature it.
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NBA Digital Sr. Analyst Mark Medina will be answering questions each week in his NBA Mailbag.
How can you participate? Simply email your question to Mark here, or use your Twitter account and get your question to him here.
