2018 TSN.ca NBA trade deadline primer

When it comes to major trades, NBA fans got spoiled last off-season with the likes of Chris Paul, Paul George and Kyrie Irving all being dealt in the summer.

Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline promises movement, but we’re unlikely to see anything terribly earthshattering…unless the Cleveland Cavaliers go nuts, but more on that later.

Here’s a quick primer at what to look for around the NBA over the next 24 hours:

Los Angeles Clippers – Lob City has been razed to the ground and it’s time to look for copper wire among the scraps, but there might not be that much available. Former Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams is off the board, having signed a three-year extension with the team. Removing Williams from the equation takes away one of the bigger names thought to be on the trade block. There was known interest from the Boston Celtics, who are reportedly trying to move Marcus Smart for a first-round pick (which they would presumably flip to the Clippers for Williams).

There’s still DeAndre Jordan, though, and what happens to him will be interesting to see. After representing himself for a majority of his career, Jordan has recently hired an agent, leading to rampant speculation that he intends to opt out of the final year of his deal.

You’ll recall that the Clippers basically placed Jordan under house arrest in his own home in the summer of 2015 to wrest him away from the verbal commitment he made with the Dallas Mavericks. With his old running buddies CP3 and Blake Griffin in Houston and Detroit, respectively, Jordan might be ready to test the free agent waters. If that’s the case, look for the Clippers to attempt to turn him into something before 3 p.m. on Thursday.

But let’s not overlook the amount of risk Jordan could be taking in entering the market, one that was more freewheeling when he signed his deal three years ago. The chances of getting a max or near-max deal aren’t high, so Jordan must tread carefully. As for where Jordan could end up, he’s been attached to the Cavs for some time (perhaps, with Tristan Thompson going the other way), while the Portland Trail Blazers were said to be interested over the weekend.

Tyreke Evans – With Williams off the board, the Memphis Grizzlies likely hold the most sought-after name available on Thursday in Tyreke Evans. The 28-year-old Evans is enjoying a career renaissance with the Grizzlies; perhaps the lone bright spot in what has been a tumultuous year for the team. Evans is putting up some of his best numbers since 2010 when he won Rookie of the Year with the Sacramento Kings, averaging 19.5 points, 5.0 assists and 5.0 boards in 31.1 minutes a night.

A versatile player, capable of playing at either guard spot or the three, Evans will be of interest to a number of teams. USA Today’s Sam Amick reports up to seven teams could make a play for Evans, including the Celtics, Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat.

Utah Jazz – In their first year in the post-Gordon Hayward era, the Jazz aren’t exactly dead in the playoff water (they’re three games out of the final spot in the West) and rookie Donovan Mitchell is fun as hell, but it still could be time to retool. Rodney Hood could fetch an attractive return for the Jazz. A restricted free agent at season’s end and a potential target for an offer sheet, Hood is shooting almost .400 from three and is averaging a tidy 16.8 points a night.  The Salt Lake Tribune’s Tony Jones reports that the Oklahoma City Thunder, Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls could all be interested in Hood’s services, with the Jazz looking for a similar return to the one that the Bulls received for Nikola Mirotic last week. Derrick Favors, Emmanuel Mudiay and Alec Burks could also draw interest from contending teams.

Toronto Raptors – If it weren’t for the local angle, we probably wouldn’t be mentioning the Raptors here because, frankly, they’re unlikely to be active before the deadline. The Raptors are currently the only team in the NBA with a top-five offensive and defensive rating and their bench is flourishing, running roughshod over the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics on Tuesday night. They don’t need to make a move, but that doesn’t mean they won’t look to do something if the opportunity presents itself.

The Raptors, like virtually every contending team, would like to land a shooter if they can. Former Raptor Marco Belinelli has been told by the Atlanta Hawks that they intend to move him before the deadline and he’d fit the bill, but the Raptors – thanks to cap restraints and a couple of previous trades – have little to offer without disturbing team chemistry and the rotation. If a second-round pick and Bebe can move the needle for somebody, then maybe the Raptors can do some business, but don’t hold your breath.

It’s still possible that the team could look to add through a veteran buyout much like the Celtics did last week in signing Greg Monroe following his release from the Phoenix Suns.

Cleveland Cavaliers – Okay, let’s talk about the Cavs. Things are not good in The Land right now, not good at all. The Cavs have lost 14 of their last 22 games. Kevin Love is out for six weeks with a hand injury and fans are writing mean tweets in response to a team post to wish Isaiah Thomas a happy birthday. Things are very dark, indeed.

Now, here’s what’s probably going to happen – the Cavs will stand pat, try to weather this storm and hope things will come together in the playoffs. Boring, right? Well, here’s what could happen – the Cavs could go just crazy and blow the whole thing up…the whole thing up. Tristan Thompson has been underperforming, so it’s not surprise that his name has come up in trade rumours, but he’s got two years after this one remaining on a five-year, $82 million deal. It’s not like he’s going to be easy to send out the door. The same goes for J.R. Smith and his one year-plus-option left.

Getting more creative, the Cavs could try to cut bait on Thomas after only 15 games. Zach Lowe of ESPN reported on Monday that the Cavs and Charlotte Hornets have had preliminary discussions about a deal that would send both Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum to Cleveland. To facilitate that, Thomas might have to be included and maybe the Brooklyn Nets’ first-round pick (acquired from the Celtics in the Kyrie trade) that the Cavs are loath to move.

Shipping off Thomas is unlikely, but what’s even more unlikely is moving LeBron James. We’re still going to speculate, though. Is there a chance that the Cavs could actually trade LeBron James before Thursday’s deadline? Well, yeah, but it’s beyond remote. For one thing, LeBron has a full no-trade clause. Unlike the NHL where those things are handed out like Cheddar Bay Biscuits at a Red Lobster, only LBJ and Carmelo Anthony have full no-trade protection. Coincidentally, Melo waived his in the summer to be traded to the Thunder. But LeBron said on Tuesday that he would never waive his NTC and he hasn’t be asked, so that should put things to bed.  

Besides, where would he go? Yes, he can walk in the summer and he likely will, but who could make a trade on Thursday that could land LeBron and satisfy the Cavs? Good luck getting Jamal Murray or Nikola Jokic from the Nuggets. The Bucks aren’t about to package Thon Maker and Khris Middleton in the middle of a playoff race. You can forget about landing Klay Thompson from the Dubs.

 As interesting as a LeBron trade might be, you’ll probably just have to settle with the continuing drama from Cleveland as is.