Trade Candidates for the 2015 NBA Draft

The NBA Draft has turned into a major event. Heck, it’s even become a national holiday. People gather around TV screens to wait for the commissioner to walk up and read names written on little cards over and over again.

Thinking about potential and upside of prospects and how they could possibly fit with the team they’re drafted to is fun, especially for those of us who love watching these players when they’re in college. But let’s be honest, the most exciting part of the draft is when a trade happens.

That’s when the real fun begins.

Not only do you get to think and dream of what that prospect might be with the new team, you really get to see how much that team values the drafted player. Giving up multiple assets and potentially mortgaging their future for a player who hasn’t even played a game on the pro level? Fascinating.

A total of 33 players were traded in 14 transactions last year. In 2013, 32 players moved around in 16 different trades. The question isn’t if there are going to be an insane amount of trades on draft night, it’s a question of who and when.

With all this in mind, here are a few ideas of some realistic trades that we might see during the 2015 NBA Draft.

Will Mason Plumlee be on the move?

While Mason Plumlee has exceeded expectations in Brooklyn, the Nets are reportedly open to the idea of trading him. He is, after all, the perfect trade candidate for draft night — his rim protection coupled with his strong rebounding ability has turned him into arguably their most valuable asset.

The issue for Plumlee is that he plays behind Brook Lopez, the only player the Nets are willing to commit to long-term. For a team looking for a starting-caliber center, this would definitely be the type of guy to go after.

The question then becomes: What teams will consider giving up their pick for this level of player?

Despite Plumlee becoming a proven center, his value won’t yield a lottery pick. Teams in that position are looking for a player with high potential, something Plumlee doesn’t necessarily have.

That being said, teams right outside the lottery could definitely take a chance. Other than All-NBA center Al Horford, the Hawks lack rim protection from their bigs. The Celtics at No. 16 would also benefit from having a player like Plumlee, who thrives as a pick and roll big.

If they’re looking for pick No. 15 or No. 16 in return, the Nets would likely have to offer both Plumlee and their 29th pick — ironic given that the Nets have sent all their picks in the near future to both Boston and Atlanta. Even so, the Nets are desperate to add new players to their core and it’s unlikely they get that where they currently stand, at the end of the first round.

Can the Nuggets get any value out of Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried?

The Nuggets are a team in flux and have several different directions they can go. After they choose their coach, the next decision is what to do with Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried, two pieces of their core that the front office seems luke warm on keeping.

Lawson is a borderline All-Star, a turbo guard who lives in transition and has a reputation as a pesky on ball defender when he is dialed in. The Nuggets own the No. 7 pick, and if they fall in love with Justise Winslow, Emmanuel Mudiay, or Mario Hezonja, they could conceivably package Lawson and their pick to move up. I doubt any of the top three teams in the draft take that offer, but the Knicks might bite. They are in talent acquisition mode and in need of a floor general. They’d also keep a lottery pick with No. 7 to add another young asset.

Faried is a different case. He is more of a specialist and a high end role player; a rim running, energy big who thrives on the offensive glass. Being in the first year of his extension, someone may be willing to move a pick for him because he’s under contract long term.

Trading Faried straight up to a team might be tricky, seeing as there aren’t many candidates who seem likely to do such a deal. The Kings have shown interest in players like Faried in the past, making them a possibility. A deal centered around Faried and No. 7 for the Kings’ No. 6, a promising player like Ben McLemore, and an expiring contract in Jason Thompson is a starting point.

Could the Bulls move one of their bigs?

The Bulls have the dilemma of having too many frontcourt guys demanding minutes. The fit with all four of them isn’t the cleanest, either, with some of their lineups being absolutely unplayable at times. If Chicago wants to move one, the draft is an excellent opportunity to do that.

With the year that Pau Gasol had and with Nikola Mirotic looking like a key piece of the core moving forward, neither seem likely to move. Noah’s contract is expiring and, at 30-years-old, he is coming off one of his worst personal seasons in his career. That leaves Gibson, who is on a cap-friendly contract and capable of producing in small or large minutes.

Gibson brings defense and rim protection at the power forward spot, qualities that are highly sought-after for his position. Charlotte has been looking for that the last couple years and haven’t been able to get it consistently. With Bismack Byombo being a free agent, Marvin Williams not being what they thought he would be and the Cody Zeller/Noah Vonleh combo still being a work in progress, adding Gibson to start and protect the basket alongside Al Jefferson would be ideal.

Gibson probably isn’t worth pick No. 9 alone, but if Chicago gave up Gibson and pick No. 22, that could spark some discussion.

Will the Thunder move up for a wing?

With how cluttered Oklahoma City’s roster is with bigs and how thin they are on the wing, it wouldn’t shock me if they tried to move up into the top 10. I’m sure they would love to get their hands on a player like Winslow, Hezonja, Stanley Johnson or Kelly Oubre to pair with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

With Mitch McGary’s emergence and the Thunder likely to bring back restricted free agent Enes Kanter, Steven Adams is the odd man out of the rotation. It would have to take more than just Adams and No. 14, so throwing in a young wing like Perry Jones III or Jeremy Lamb, two other guys who disappeared in the rotation, would be necessary.

Detroit might not seem like a fit at first, but given that other than Andre Drummond they aren’t committed to any big on their roster, they could use a backup center to protect the rim. Detroit is trying to push for the playoffs this year, making it harder to go through developing another young player. Trading pick No. 8 for a package of Adams, Jones III and No. 14 would still give them a lottery pick and two other quality rotation players. Adams gives them a backup center and Jones brings versatility on the wings, being someone who can play both forward spots and provide the scoring.