NBA Rewind Trade Edition: Breaking down deadline week

Teams Ready To Spend

Of course, there’s no way we can know whether or not we’ll see any blockbuster trades and which teams will pull them off. However, when it comes to those with the ability to make something like that happen, these are four key teams to watch.

The Boston Celtics have a horde of assets more valuable than any other team in the NBA. They have so much young talent that most teams would love to have in their rotation, an enticing expiring contract with David Lee’s $15.49 million salary, and a plethora of picks. Specifically, the have seven in this year’s draft alone, headlined by the Nets’ 2016 first rounder (even if it’s only going to be included in a trade for an incredibly high price).

So, who could the Celtics pursue in deadline week? Without doubt, they can easily be the biggest players, with names like Al Horford, Jeff Teague, Tobias Harris, Dwight Howard (probably a rumor to the disappointment of fans), and even Kevin Love.

As Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe has reported, though, the Celtics aren’t one of the teams with interest in Howard anymore, but remain high on Horford, despite the question marks surrounding his contract situation.

"The Celtics currently have almost no interest in trading for Howard, 30, a talented center with a history of back issues and a questionable work ethic. He can opt out of his contract at season’s end, and even if he wanted to re-sign with Boston, the team would have reservations about offering a long-term deal. The Celtics do think highly of Horford, sources said. They admire him as a player and believe he could be a good fit in Boston. But there are a few major hurdles that are likely to keep the Celtics from completing a deal for him if he is available. Primarily, he will be a free agent at season’s end. Horford, 29, declined to sign an extension with the Hawks this summer."

Howard just doesn’t seem like a player who can help the Celtics maintain their rising momentum long-term, and definitely not for such a large amount of money. Hassan Whiteside is another name that has been linked with the Celtics, although he’s remained relatively quiet in trade rumors lately. As is always the case, though, there could be other notable names that Boston are looking into that we don’t know about.

Maybe they can find out with Horford’s agent whether or not he’d be keen to re-sign in Boston. If they think he’s staying, they’ll obviously be even more aggressive in pursuing a trade. And if Ainge can land Horford and keep him long-term, he really will have the Celtics on the road to contention.

The Orlando Magic must be envied by many young teams around the NBA, thanks to their core full of talent, athleticism and reasonable depth. With Elfrid Payton, Evan Fournier, Tobias Harris, Aaron Gordon, Mario Hezonja, Victor Oladipo and Nikola Vucevic, there’s a group of exciting young talent in Orlando that should be heading towards the playoffs. Yet, the Magic’s recent performance and dismal offense suggests otherwise.

This could be prompting them to the idea of moving away some of their young talent (not blowing up the entire core) to acquire a more established star. Which, after being linked to the Hawks in regards to Jeff Teague and even calling the Clippers about Blake Griffin, is clearly the case.

Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders has reported that with the deadline right around the corner, the Magic are one of the teams we could see pull off something big, or at least try to:

"The Magic, who have been struggling to find wins as of late, have not only been actively exploring their trade options, league sources who have engaged in talks with Orlando paint them as a team willing to do something big… Magic sources were pretty adamant yesterday that all the team is doing at this point is weighing their options and being aggressive in seeing what they could make happen, trying to defuse the notion the team was trying to sell off the roster. It was made very clear that the only way Orlando deals players it feels are core guys is if they get a proven All-Star type player in return, which is what it seems the Magic are looking for at the deadline."

There’s no way they’re getting their hands on Blake Griffin, so that idea can be put to rest. Although, if they made the effort to call the Clippers to at least ask, they would have known how much they would need to sacrifice to make something that big happen. Without doubt, the Magic are a team to keep your attention on.

The Atlanta Hawks, as you’ll have seen from the previous slide, are open to making some major deals before the deadline. Whether they move Teague, Horford, Korver, or possibly even a combination of two of these players, the Hawks All-Stars from last year may not be together by Friday. As is always the case, though, the rumors are always changing. So, as mere outsiders in the chaos of trade deadline week, it’s hard to gauge exactly how high the chance is of someone as talented as Horford being dealt.

From the Hawks’ standpoint, they may be thinking that the core they have right now isn’t enough. They have one of the best two-way players in the NBA in Paul Millsap, who rightfully became an All-Star again this season. He hasn’t been mentioned at all as a trade possibility, but with Teague’s slight regression it seems most likely that a change at point guard, to bring in talent at another position, makes sense.

When it comes to Horford, the Hawks are going to demand either a star player in return or a couple of notable players in a package deal. If they agree to anything, it’s probably going to come in the final hours when the most desperate teams come in with the best offers.

The Milwaukee Bucks have been one of the NBA’s biggest disappointments this season. They ranked 2nd in defensive efficiency a year ago and have now fallen to 25th, and while the addition of Greg Monroe has given them a new double-double machine, he’s been detrimental to their signature defense.

Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times has reported that an NBA executive believes all players besides Jabari Parker, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton are on the table:

"“From what I’m hearing is they (the Bucks) are willing to trade anybody not named Parker, Antetokounmpo or Middleton,’’ an NBA executive said. “I even heard they’d listen (to offers) for Parker and Middleton, but it would have to be some crazy offer. “They want to do something; they know they have to do something. That group they have isn’t working.’’"

The group they have right now has been nothing short of a disappointment and there’s a lot of uncertainty whether Michael Carter-Williams and Monroe are a duo the Bucks want as an integral part of their team long-term. While Williams’ value is questionable, Monroe can still command a fair return given his offensive talents. With the correct move, Milwaukee still have a key core of talent within their roster. They might just need an adjustment before the deadline to help set themselves on the right track for 2016-17.

Next: Key Players Cooling Down