The three-team deal sending Jeff Green to Memphis has been completed, adding another top Western Conference contender to the list of teams that have made upgrades. Grades for all the deals made by West teams can be viewed here.
To remind you: The Rockets got Corey Brewer in a trade and signed Josh Smith; the Mavericks acquired Rajon Rondo; the Suns picked up Brandan Wright; and the Thunder added Dion Waiters. In the East, the Cavs have brought in Timofey Mozgov, Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith. (And yes, I still consider the Cavs title contenders despite their .500 record.)
Rarely are this many trades made before the middle of January, but there is a strong feeling throughout the league that the title is up for grabs more than it has ever been before. If an extra piece is both needed and available, teams are jumping at the chance to grab players that are coming available.
Who might be next in this season of the trade?
Here are five guys I can see being moved before the Feb. 19 trade deadline:
Luke Ridnour, PG, Orlando Magic. Had been picking up splinters for most of the season before getting some burn (or showcased) in six of Orlando’s last seven games. The 12-year veteran will be 34 by the time the trade deadline arrives, and his contract is not all that burdensome — $2.75 million this season, with a team option for the same amount next season. He is a cheaper alternative – but not as good a shooter – as Jose Calderon of the Knicks. There are plenty of teams out there that could use an extra veteran point guard (the Clippers and Rockets immediately come to mind), and Ridnour has a strong reputation around the league.
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, PF, Philadelphia 76ers. Let’s say you are a team in the West and you want to put some length on Kevin Durant or Kawhi Leonard or LaMarcus Aldridge if you meet them in the playoffs. Mbah a Moute is one of the league’s most underrated perimeter defenders, and he has no long-term future with a team that collects second-round draft picks with the same verve as Danny Ainge collects future first-round picks. Offloading him might even help the Sixers back to having the worst record in the league, a distinction Phil Jackson and the Knicks seem hell-bent on achieving now that they have set the franchise record for longest single-season losing streak.
Brook Lopez, C, Brooklyn Nets. Russia is in economic turmoil. Mikhail Prokhorov has already broken his vow to get married if he does not win a championship in his first five years of owning the Nets. Joe Johnson and Deron Williams are either too expensive or too injury-prone and combustible to be moved, and with GM Billy King under orders to try to shed some payroll, a deal that moves Lopez and his $15.7 million salary through Philadelphia’s cap space makes nearly every team in the league a possible destination for the best player also most likely to break his foot again. Has been averaging 14.4 points and 8.6 rebounds in January as the Nets have gone 1-6. I could see him ending up in Milwaukee, where frontcourt help is a dire need for a team that appears as if it will make the playoffs.
Jason Thompson, PF, Sacramento Kings. He has started all but one game alongside DeMarcus Cousins, and that just ain’t gonna work moving forward. Yes, Thompson is listed as a power forward, but his offensive repertoire more resembles that of a center. His contract (owed $13.2 million over the next two seasons) makes him difficult to move, as most teams would rather take their chances trying to discover the next Hassan Whiteside. But for teams seeking some offensive production out of the backup 5 spot (such as Brooklyn), his contract is not as onerous as some of the other contracts out there. Once again, he is a player that could be moved through Philadelphia’s cap space. It does not help his trade value that the Kings have been trying to move him for nearly two years now.
Lance Stephenson, G, Charlotte Hornets. Ever since the first month of the season passed, it has been no secret around the league that the Hornets are ready to cut bait on their primary offseason acquisition. Can knuckleheads be traded? Ask J.R. Smith. Can Stephenson help a good team become a Finals contender? Ask the Indiana Pacers. Stephenson averaged only 10.2 points (but also 6.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists) in 25 games before being sidelined with a pelvis injury, and a month on the shelf has not helped his trade value nor the Hornets’ on-court performance. What makes him more desirable than he might otherwise be is that he is under contract at $9 million for only one more season after this one; his $9.4 million for 2016-17 is a team option.
More on trade possibilities in this video with CineSports’s Noah Coslov.
Chris Sheridan is publisher and editor-in-chief of SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter.
I agree about Cavs still being a contender in the East. LeBron looked good and the Mosgov addition will help. Phx could have beat almost any team last night.
Joe Johnson isn’t injury prone, and Nets may be able to re-sign him for a reasonable price after his contract expires after next year, as he approaches age 35. JJ doesn’t require athleticism so he can be good until age 38.
Deron Williams is too expensive, but mostly he seems to have lost his “elevation” so is just mediocre as a result. (I hope he get Platelet Rich Plasma treatment, during is 4-6 injury rest. Nets can wait until the off season or February 2016 to move him, especially if he shows more athleticism and less money left on his contract. However DWill may not be an injury concern, as this current Torn Cartilage injury was a fluke. His ankles and knees appear to be just what they are – over the hill, but no longer hurting. He can move laterally fine – he just can’t elevate.
Brook Lopez on the other hand is still proving to have the best touch of any 7’2″ player in the NBA and is possibly the best offensive Center in the NBA. He can still be improving on defense as Feb 19 approaches. His contract isn’t that terrible and its not clear whether he will opt out of his player option year, on July 1. Hollins doesn’t like how Brook plays, but then neither does Jason Kidd in Milwaukee. If all goes well, and Brook stays healthy until Feb 15, teams may be more confident to take a chance on him. Prokhorov/Billy KIng made it clear that there are no firesales. They must get back a good player, who Hollins likes, such as Roy Hibbert or Derrick Favors. Its all about injury risk for Lopez.
And after Phila seems to have gone back on their word to waive Andrei Kirilenko, the Russians won’t be happy with doing Phila. any favors going forward.
Nets and Bucks cannot trade this season as a result of Kidd deal