Super Bowl week in the NBA means one crucial thing. The trade deadline, rife with interesting players galore, is just around the corner. Any contenders, bottom-feeders, or mediocre also-rans looking for a boost in players or future assets have until 3 p.m. Eastern time this Thursday to swing deals at their heart’s content.
(Clears throat): If LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are indeed planning something, they have until then.
This deadline is particularly important to the NBA’s cream of the crop, the genuine championship contenders. With all due respect to squads like the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat — who could be reasonably classified as contenders by the end of the year — I have narrowed this crop down to four teams in each conference. (The Lakers need not apply.) These are the eight teams who could either swing for the fences or make minor but necessary depth additions in their respective title pursuits:
West
- Denver Nuggets (defending champions)
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Oklahoma City Thunder
East
- Boston Celtics
- New York Knicks
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Philadelphia 76ers
As the specter of the NBA’s trade deadline looms, let’s break down one deal that makes sense for each of these heavyweights.
Milwaukee Bucks: Guard/Forward Bruce Brown
If the Bucks have one weakness, it’s an atrocious point-of-attack defense. Despite rostering two All-NBA-caliber frontcourt defenders in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez, the Bucks can’t stop the ball or any dribble penetration. At all. Damian Lillard might be a prolific scorer with the best of them, but no one will fear attacking him in a backcourt with Malik Beasley around playoff time. A 19th-ranked defense in net rating is just one example of how awful Milwaukee has been on this side of the court.
That makes Brown a perfect fit for Doc Rivers and Co. (Never mind that the rebuilding Toronto Raptors don’t actually need him.)
The consummate glue guy, Brown can defend guards and wings and even handle the ball a little bit to take pressure off Lillard. He would help stop much of the bleeding on defense and give the Bucks more of a needed edge. In a win-now situation, Milwaukee shouldn’t hesitate to find a real backcourt upgrade like Brown next to its second-best player. The Bucks should explore anything to take pressure off Antetokounmpo and Lillard, and Brown is probably their most optimal option.
Denver Nuggets: Forward Dario Šarić
At the time of this writing, the defending champion Nuggets are one of just four NBA teams with a top-10 net rating on offense and defense. Nikola Jokić looks primed for a potential third MVP award, Denver’s starting five remains one of the league’s finest lineups, and ascending young building blocks like Peyton Watson have given the bench much-needed juice.
On paper, with their MVP-caliber superstar and complementary roster, the Nuggets are more than capable of winning back-to-back titles. But adding more depth, especially for a bench unit that could use some scoring and playmaking, is never a bad idea.
Enter Šarić.
An established veteran, Šarić’s $2.7 million cap hit this year will make him very appealing to contenders playing the margins if the Golden State Warriors decide to blow it all up. Šarić is an efficient scorer with size who could be the connector that Denver’s inexperienced bench (Reggie Jackson notwithstanding) of Watson, Christian Braun, and Julian Strawther might need for spring. Someone like Šarić, who makes the right pass, right read, and right shot on nearly every possession for a young and athletic group sounds simple. But he could truly propel Denver’s repeat hopes.
Boston Celtics: Center Andre Drummond
Putting the Celtics in here is more due diligence than anything. Boston is already tight to the salary cap and has arguably the league’s deepest roster. There’s just not much money or minutes to go around. In all likelihood, the Celtics will stand pat and enter the postseason in pursuit of banner No. 18 without making any meaningful trade additions. No one would bat an eyelash if this came to pass.
That said, adding backup big man depth wouldn’t be the worst idea, particularly to be prepared for the Nikola Jokić, Joel Embiid, and Bam Adebayo’s of the world. From this respect, the Chicago Bulls’ Andre Drummond will likely come cheap (in contract and trade haul). The experienced center would give Boston insurance and size in different matchups without jeopardizing any aspect of its long-term plans.
Even someone who probably won’t play more than 10 minutes every other night is valuable to the Celtics’ title ambitions.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Guard Tyus Jones
Jones has been a revelation in his first season with the Washington Wizards. With increased minutes and a larger green light, the starting point guard has blossomed on one of the NBA’s worst teams. There’s the rub. Washington must weigh whether it’s worth keeping the 27-year-old Jones in a massive rebuild rather than dealing him away for a solid trade haul.
Call it a hunch, but the Wizards almost certainly know that Jones would be more useful to a team ready to compete now.
A solid and efficient facilitator, Jones would seamlessly fit in a majority of NBA lineups. But Minnesota probably needs him most. While the Timberwolves have sat at the top of the Western Conference standings for most of the season thanks to an elite defense, their offense leaves much to be desired. Minnesota is just 19th in offensive net rating and is only 16th in clutch offense rating. Anthony Edwards is a fine player and all, but this suggests too much of the Timberwolves’ success hinges on him successfully playing hero ball. No wonder head coach Chris Finch was exasperated a few weeks ago.
Jones would act as another reliable ball-handler for Minnesota and someone who can create their own shot on a stifled offense.
New York Knicks: Guard/Forward Mikal Bridges
The Knicks are a legitimate championship contender. There’s no other reasonable conclusion after watching New York win 15 of its last 18 games in convincing fashion. Head coach Tom Thibodeau has his defense buzzing with the addition of O.G. Anunoby, and first-time All-Star Jalen Brunson is spearheading a dangerous offense. But if there’s one thing the Knicks are missing, it’s a running mate for Brunson. A guy who can consistently take more of the scoring load and work in tandem with Brunson when the court shrinks in the playoffs. (Because that guy probably won’t be Julius Randle.)
Under these constraints, even while unlikely on paper, Bridges is perfect for what New York might desire at the deadline.
Bridges built a reputation around being the NBA’s ultimate ironman. He seldom misses games and works impeccably hard on the defensive end. His scoring evolution with the Brooklyn Nets — because he’s had a larger role — is what’s elevated Bridges to potential star status. It’s also what would make him more than a role player move for a Knicks team hunting a title.
Any inter-city trade between New York and Brooklyn would undoubtedly carry a hefty price tag for a 20-plus-point scorer who plays both ends of the court. But that is no object for the Knicks, who have a massive cache of assets to trade away, including several first-round picks over the next two drafts. As it stands, they are in a prime position to shake up the NBA world and catapult themselves into official contender status.
If New York makes a blockbuster move now, acquiring Bridges would apply.
Los Angeles Clippers: Forward/Center Xavier Tillman
No one and I mean no one in the NBA, has been as hot as the Clippers in the last 2.5 months.
Since a November 17 win over the Houston Rockets, the Clippers are 28-9. They’ve ripped off three separate winning streaks of at least five games, including a nine-game romp before the new year that put them on a path to contention. They started the season 4-7, and it’s like it never happened! Credit’s due where credit’s due for Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden, and sixth man Russell Westbrook learning how to play team basketball together.
The Clippers are another squad that has so much money already committed to its roster — along with limited minutes available — that it’s hard to see them making a groundbreaking trade. But being better prepared for the Western Conference gauntlet against the Nuggets and Timberwolves’ size should be a subtle deadline goal for L.A.
Tillman would not only give the Clippers more athleticism, playmaking, and shooting off the bench, but the 6-foot-7 big could credibly hold up in a switching defense against teams with larger forwards. It’s unclear how much Tillman would actually play within the Clippers’ rotation, but he’s certainly good (and cheap) enough to warrant seventh or eighth-man consideration. Plus, it’s not as if Tillman is very busy with the floundering Memphis Grizzlies anyway.
Philadelphia 76ers: Guard/Forward Alex Caruso
The 76ers sit here with a caveat. If Joel Embiid can return healthy toward the end of the regular season, then the rise of Tyrese Maxey should be enough to keep Philadelphia buoyed as a championship contender. And if the 76ers want to be prepared for a deep playoff push, they’ll probably need more guard depth — particularly someone who can lock down the perimeter while Maxey does his scoring thing.
There’s arguably no one better at such a job than the Chicago Bulls’ Alex Caruso.
A reigning All-NBA First-Team defense selection, Caruso has a reputation as perhaps the most elite outside defender in the NBA. He also has a solid scoring touch in the halfcourt and transition and can handle the ball in closing lineups if needed. Chicago is reportedly asking for a handsome trade haul in return for Caruso’s services, likely knowing how coveted he is. The 76ers may feel inclined to pony up and get the guard, knowing they won’t have golden opportunities like this to contend forever.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Forward Dorian Finney-Smith
The Nets are horrific, and beyond trading a franchise player like Bridges, they should probably consider dealing top role-player pieces away like Finney-Smith for an earnest rebuild, too. An explosive forward who shoots 38 percent from behind the three-point line with volume and eats up boards off the bench like Finney-Smith fits the bill.
The Thunder might be the ideal fit for Finney-Smith.
Behind a promising core led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, sophomore riser Jalen Williams, and Rookie of the Year candidate Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City has romped its way into the West’s dead heat for the No. 1 seed. But beyond their youthful exuberance and athleticism, the Thunder could be a little too small to excel and win in a playoff basketball setting. Holmgren stands tall as a dynamic 7-foot-1 roaming shot blocker, but there’s not much depth or size beside or behind him aside from Jaylin Williams. As a result, Oklahoma City is understandably just 25th in total rebounds per game and is especially awful on the offensive glass (29th).
Adding someone like Finney-Smith, who can run with the Thunder’s youth and give them more needed length and girth, should be a no-brainer. This new era in Oklahoma City is likely just at the start of its extended run. Only time will tell how much the Thunder want to go all-in on this first real contending season.
