The NBA season is really heating up as we are nearing the halfway point on the year. By now, most teams know if they are truly going to compete this year. Now there can always be surprise teams that makes a late push for the playoffs, and there is always a few team’s whose wheels completely fall off.
But for the most part we have a pretty good idea of who the good and bad teams are.
As we near closer to the NBA trade deadline, teams will begin to try and add players that will hopefully take them to the next level, or attempt to shed bad contracts and gain assets.
Here are five teams that desperately need to make a trade.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets are currently fifth in the West with a record of 21-12. They have two superstars in James Harden and Dwight Howard, and a number of strong role players. The Rockets have one primary deficiency and that is perimeter defense.
Jeremy Lin is an average perimeter defender, while James Harden is known for his lack of effort on the defensive end. Although Chandler Parsons has the size to be a solid defender, he too is just averages.
Patrick Beverley is the most capable perimeter defender and he has been injured for parts of the season. The West is home to some of the best perimeter scorers in the NBA today. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Tony Parker, Chris Paul, and Monta Ellis all call the West home.
The Rockets do however; have some pieces that could net them an elite defender. They just happen to have a very unhappy, but talented center in Omer Asik who has requested to be traded. In a league where many teams are in need of a capable center, Asik could net the Rockets some nice pieces in return. If the Rockets could fix their perimeter defense they could become a much more viable threat in the West.
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls hope of contending this year went down with Derrick Rose. Once it was learned that he would most likely miss the rest of the season, the Bulls chances went out the window. This has led them to a bit of a crossroads for the rest of the season.
The Bulls are currently strapped financially and they have big money in Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng. Deng is currently in the last year of his contract and he has expressed interest in testing the free agent market. There have also been some rumors of tension between Deng and the Bulls front office over how much Deng’s services are worth. It would be in the Bulls best interest to trade Deng while his value is high.
Multiple teams have reported interest in Deng if he were to become available on the trade market. The Bulls should seize this opportunity and attempt to gain some draft picks or other young pieces in return. Rose has stated that he has no interest in being part of a rebuild, but given his recent history of injuries he doesn’t have much of a leg to stand on. If the Bulls could manage to successful dump Deng and Boozer’s bad contracts and acquire young pieces in return, they could then more easily sign a big name free agent and have a young core going into next season.
Golden State Warriors
After a bit of a rocky and injury filled start, the Warriors have managed to heat up. They are currently on a six-game winning streak and have won eight of the last 11. The Warriors also rank in the top-11 of the NBA in points per game, rebounds, assists, and points allowed; the Warriors one area of weakness in their lack of depth. Last year they had a very productive bench duo of Carl Landry and Jarrett Jack, but over the offseason both these players moved on to different teams. Harrison Barnes is one of the better sixth men in the NBA but outside of that there is very little production.
Jermaine O’Neal was having a very solid year before he went down with a very serious wrist injury. The remaining role players for the Warriors are; the oft injured Toney Douglas, Kent Bazemore, Marreese Speights, and Draymond Green. None of these names are very intimidating and while they are all solid players, they won’t be able to carry a team deep into the playoffs.
With two injury prone starters in Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut, it would be in the Warriors best interest to find some more capable bench players, particularly at the center position. Both Bogut and David Lee have been mentioned in trade rumors in the past year and the Warriors certainly have some pieces they could move.
Los Angeles Lakers
Much like the Bulls, the Lakers hopes of a playoff run went down with their star. While Kobe Bryant’s injury is not as serious as Derrick Rose’s, it is just as concerning. The Lakers currently sit at 13-18 and have lost five straight.
To the Lakers credit they have played much better than I expected.
However, it would be in the Lakers best interest to lose as many games as possible and in the process, free some cap room.
Recently rumors have come up that the Lakers are looking to move Pau Gasol for former Laker center Andrew Bynum and picks. This trade would be beneficial for numerous reasons.
It would free up cap room by removing Gasol’s $19 million contract. It would also net the Lakers draft picks or at least some young players. It would also doom the Lakers to a terrible season, thus rewarding them with a lottery pick in a very talented draft class. If the Lakers do truly hope to make the playoffs this year, than they should look to adding another post player.
Outside of Pau, the Lakers have Jordan Hill, Chris Kaman, and Robert Sacre roaming the paint. And while Sacre has been a pleasant surprise for the Lakers, you won’t be attracting any big name free agents with him as your starting center. It would be in the Lakers best interest to take advantage of such a strong draft class, but if they wish to try and compete, they will need to make some trades for either scenario to happen.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks have been a pleasant surprise this year as they are currently eight in the west with an 18-13 record. Dallas has one of the most efficient offenses in the NBA this season.
They also have one of the worst defenses as they rank in the bottom third of the league in points allowed and rank 27th in rebounds per game. The Mavericks have four starters who are more offense oriented. While this isn’t a bad thing, they currently lack an elite defender. They also have a center rotation consisting of DeJuan Blair and Samuel Dalembert.
While these two players are certainly serviceable, the Mavericks would benefit greatly if they could acquire a strong defensive center. The Mavericks leading rebounder is Shawn Marion with seven a game. Unless your small forward is Kevin Durant or LeBron James, your small forward should never be leading your team in rebounding.
One player that would provide a perfect fit for this team is Omer Asik; however, the Mavericks don’t have much to offer the Rockets in return. If the Mavericks want any chance of bringing Dirk Nowitzki close to another ring, they will need to make some serious improvements on defense and the frontcourt.