Gamble or rebuild — the biggest dark horse trader at the trade deadline

The annual trade boom is approaching, and the competition for the NBA's biggest buyers and sellers is gradually taking shape. Some teams close to title contenders are looking for the final piece of the puzzle to complete the final lineup, while others have to go through a clearance sale for future rebuilds.

With many changes in free agency in the summer of 2019 and 2020 is recognized as a small year in the free agency market, many teams have to hurry up to make team lineup reforms before the trade deadline. Under such circumstances, many mid-level teams have to make decisions about the future direction of the team and make clear trading methods for the team's next step.

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Atlanta Hawks

The Eagles currently have the worst record in the league with 9 wins and 32 losses, but although they have no hope for this year's playoffs, the Eagles lineup has accumulated enough potential stocks as a cornerstone from the draft, and it is time to start a reconstruction plan. the next step.

In the previous article " Where's Andre Drummond Going - The Tranquility Before the Trade Storm " I pointed out that the Hawks and Drummond seem to be a match made in heaven, and Drummond can give Trae Young a competent pick-and-roll combination to help improve the rebounding deficiencies of the Hawks. With John Collins also emerging, the Hawks should aggressively trade Drummond to prepare for next year's playoffs.

In terms of chips, the Hawks have Chandler Parsons and Evan Turner's expiring contracts and draft picks in the next few years. These assets are important reasons why the Hawks are the dark horse buyers this season. The move to trade Jeff Teague a few days ago has confirmed the high-level determination to win now.

Miami Heat

The Heat relied on first brother Jimmy Butler and teenagers Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo to lead the team to an amazing record, but although this lineup can make a difference in the East, it is still a little short of winning the championship.

The Heat have had names like Chris Paul and Kyle Lowry on the verge of preseason, and while the team is second in the Eastern Conference, it's time for the Heat to turn those rumors into reality and try to push the team into the ranks of title favorites. middle.

The Heat's roster lacks a competent power forward, and Kevin Love could be the key player the team needs to win the title. Love, who can pull the three-point shot, will be the best combination for Butler's pick-and-roll and Adebayo's paint, and the rebounding aspect can inject a new energy into the team. If you want to know more about the trade rumors between Love and the Heat, you can also go back and read the article " I'm rich in 94 - Kevin Love's battle for "Love" .

In the backcourt, Jrue Holiday may be the object of consideration for the Heat. When the Pelicans have no ambition to win the championship in a short period of time and Lonzo Ball's hand is gradually warming up, many experts have said that Holiday may leave the season, and the Heat may also consider the possibility of trading Holiday.

With Dion Waiters, James Johnson and Justice Winslow on the Heat's roster for most trade battles, the only concern is that general manager Pat Riley may be looking to stock up on silver bullets to join Giannis Antetokounmpo's battle in the summer of 2021.

phoenix sun

Most mid-to-late West teams won't be buyers at the trade deadline, but the Suns should be actively involved in this trade spree after a nine-year playoff drought.

The Suns' starting lineup is roughly set. The starting lineup of Ricky Rubio, Devin Booker, Kelly Oubre, Dario Saric and DeAndre Ayton is still competitive in the competitive West, but the weak bench is the team's record. biggest reason.

Wizards shooter Davis Bertans and Nugget Raider Malik Beasley would both be good additions to the Suns' bench. Bertans has been a big hit with the Wizards this year and may be asking for a lot, but his arrival will add scoring ability and much-needed 3-pointer to the Taiyang bench. On the other hand, Beasley played less than 20 minutes after Michael Porter Jr.'s return this year, and is gradually out of the rotation. Beasley, who was the scorer on the gold bench last year, would also be a good choice for the Suns.

The Suns won't be the favorites to fill the bench either, but with Booker's team putting pressure on the team to win, the Suns will have to make the final touches for the playoffs and overhaul their long-losing lounge culture.

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portland pioneers

This may be an unpopular argument, but I think it's time for the Frontiers to think about rebuilding.

Portland's lineup centered on Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum has been in the West for six years, and was swept 4-0 by the Warriors despite reaching the Western Conference championship game last year. Coupled with this year's sluggish performance, the team fell out of the playoffs, completely lacking the momentum of the top three in the West last year.

In fact, there have been rumors of teams wanting to trade McCollum this year, and I believe Portland executives should take this seriously. The team's backcourt has Lillard and McCollum at the expense of the team's perimeter defense, but it's difficult to bring in a 3-and-D wing player without enough cap space and less attractive chips.

Although McCollum has experienced a slow start to the season this year, the current average has returned to a high level of 21.9 points, and there are signs of recovery. With the team's record sluggish and the fact that it recognizes the fact that it can't challenge for a championship, McCollum will be the best trading chip for the Blazers.

Some people say that the worst situation in the NBA is to stay up for a long time, and the Blazers are in such a situation right now.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder have had an amazing performance this year with Chris Paul rejuvenating and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander coming out of the cocoon, currently sitting seventh in the Western Conference and sitting firmly in the playoffs. Still, the Thunder shouldn't change their rebuilding plans and settle for seventh in the Western Conference.

The two biggest trading chips in the Thunder lineup are CP3 and Danilo Gallinari. Although the two veterans have rejuvenated this year, the fact that they are over 30 is still in sight, and neither player is in the team's future plans.

The 34-year-old CP3 has been showing signs of aging since last year's playoffs. The tight schedule has also caused him to miss out frequently due to injuries. What's more, the young guard SGA will have to take over from CP3 sooner or later. Finding a new owner for CP3 is the team's top priority. . On the other hand, Gallinari's skills this year have attracted the attention of many teams. If Gallo's contract can be exchanged for more draft picks, it will help accelerate the Thunder's inevitable rebuilding plan.

The Thunder stockpiled first-round picks through 2026 when they traded Westbrook and PG before the season began, and a future star player with these picks will help the Thunder return to the championship. But before that happens, the Thunder have to deal with CP3's expensive contract.

king of sacramento

The Kings went 39-43 last year, just one step away from the Western Conference playoffs. Because of this, many fans predicted that the Kings had a great chance to challenge for the playoffs before the season started this year, especially when De'Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic are all maturing.

Unfortunately, at the end of the half-season, the second-to-last record in the Kings West tells us that things backfired. With the team further and further away from the playoffs, it's time to identify yourself as a seller and clear the roster of contracts that are hindering rebuilding.

With Fox and Hield both under contract, Bogdanovic is the team's best deal. Hield just signed a top-level contract before the season. Fox is also expected to be re-signed with a lot of money. At that time, there will not be enough salary space to re-sign Bogdanovic. The team should also seek any trades including Bogdanovic before the contract expires.

On the other hand, center Dewayne Dedmon is another important trade chip. Dedmon, who just joined the team this year, not only failed to replicate the performance of last year's Eagles' three-point shot, but was also benched by coach Luke Walton, and he officially issued a request to sell me last week. Without affecting the lounge, the Kings should also trade Dedmon. After all, centers who can shoot three-pointers are still very popular in the current NBA.

Readers who want to continue discussing NBA topics with me can find me at kwlee1022@gmail.com, and welcome to private message me on the Basketball Utopia Facebook fan page .