We have questions about the NBA. Luckily, we also have answers. Some of them might be useful. A few might even turn out to be right. This is Five Big Questions and this week we touch on some of the hottest assets on the NBA trade market.
What team does Anthony Davis play for at the end of this season?
Ben Ladner (@bladner_): The New Orleans Pelicans. The Pels seem to be gunning to get back into the playoffs, and they really want to make it work with Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. It would take a massive offer for another team to pry Davis away, and I’m not sure they’ll be willing to sacrifice enough to get him. Would Boston part with Brown or Tatum and a draft pick (and more) given how well they’ve played? I also think it’s more likely that New Orleans trades Cousins than Davis. Davis is better, younger, and doesn’t have the personality issues Cousins does.
Jeff Siegel (@jgsiegel): Seconded on New Orleans. The Pelicans are in playoff position, things are really clicking offensively with Davis and Cousins, and management can point to E’Twaun Moore and Jrue Holiday as guys who have improved over last season and will be able to contribute long-term to a Davis-Cousins Pelicans team. Of course, if Davis gets the inkling that Cousins isn’t coming back in free agency this summer, then that could change things drastically.
Bryan Toporek (@btoporek): If the Pelicans trade anyone, they’d first have to ship Cousins out, right ? Otherwise, if they trade Davis, Boogie is getting the hell out of dodge once he’s a free agent in July. For that reason alone, I’m expecting Davis to stay with the Pelicans through the end of the season. If Boogie leaves and the Pellies appear lottery-bound for the next few seasons, perhaps they consider a Brow trade then, but they should give this partnership a full-season tryout before attempting to blow it up.
Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg): Smart people have argued that the Pelicans would be wise to trade Anthony Davis now, while his value is highest. But smart people don’t seem to running the Pelicans. Plus, if Boogie leaves and they trade Brow, who are the people of New Orleans going to buy tickets to see? Solomon Hill? From a spreadsheet perspective, you could talk me into thinking trading Davis is a good idea. If he demands a trade (which he hasn’t, yet), it would be a good idea. But from a business perspective, it’s ticket-sale trouble.
Paul Centopani (@PCentopani): The Pelicans. New Orleans is finally getting production from the players surrounding their twin tower experiment and it’s resulted in some wins. I’m a big fan of their contrarian team-building strategy of going big when the rest of the league is downsizing. The only way I think they entertain trading Anthony Davis would be in the offseason and only if Boogie leaves as a free agent first.
Who holds the Brooklyn Nets pick at the end of this season?
Ladner: The Cavs or the Thunder. You have to do everything to can to win a championship when you have LeBron James and that pick won’t be as valuable as in years past. OKC looks to be trending in the right direction, but if they really go south, it might be worth giving up Paul George for a package that includes that Nets pick.
Siegel: Cleveland. That pick is too valuable to give up for a George rental and James and company have to be looking at how things are fitting in OKC and thinking that George might not fit in as seamlessly as we would have thought over the summer. I think they would have included the Nets pick for George at the beginning of the season, but bringing him in this late makes it difficult to integrate him effectively for another deep playoff run.
Toporek: Unless LeBron tells the Cavs he is 100 percent re-signing with them this summer, they shouldn’t give that Brooklyn pick up for a short-term rental. If they could somehow use it to get Brow, Kristaps Porzingis or Myles Turner without giving up anything else of value, go for it! Since there is no chance in hell of that happening, Cleveland should cling to that pick as a possible cornerstone of its rebuild if (when) LeBron leaves.
Goldberg: 97 percent chance it’s the Cavs. 2 percent chance they trade it to the Thunder, and a 1 percent chance Adam Silver just gives it back to the Celtics.
Centopani: Cleveland is in a precarious position. Do they do everything they can to capitalize on their championship window? Or do they prudently hold the pick and build for the future? They’re far from a perfect team and the Brooklyn pick is their best trade chip by far. I’ll say there’s a 50 percent chance the pick stays in the Cavs’ possession, 35 percent it goes to the Clippers, 10 percent for the Mavericks, and five percent for the Thunder.
Who does DeAndre Jordan play for at the end of this season?
Ladner: I don’t think it will happen, but Portland is an intriguing destination. Jusuf Nurkic hasn’t played as well as some thought he would after the home stretch of last year, but he’s still only 23 with a lot of room to grow. If the Clippers go into full-on rebuild mode, he might be a useful piece of the next generation. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum aren’t old, but they’re in the middle of their primes and the clock is ticking. Jordan’s presence as a vertical threat on offense and rock-solid defensive anchor could separate the Blazers from the clogged middle of the West.
Siegel: Outside of Los Angeles, Milwaukee seems like the obvious candidate. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and the Bucks need a fiery presence in the middle of the paint like Jordan. DeAndre Liggins is giving Milwaukee good minutes to add to their wing depth and although he obviously doesn’t make either Middleton or Brogdon completely expendable, it softens the blow if one of those guys is included in a deal for Jordan. The proposed deal with both of them and a first round pick doesn’t seem to make a ton of sense, especially since Jordan can walk at the end of the season. But one of those guys and a protected first might be the best the Clippers can do.
Toporek: I’m with Jeff in thinking Milwaukee is the most likely destination. The Clippers need to accept their fate and move Jordan by the deadline, and the Bucks are the best fit in terms of needs and assets. If I’m Milwaukee, there’s no way I include Khris Middleton in that deal, but I’d do something around John Henson and Malcolm Brogdon. That may not sound like enough to entice the Clippers, but the possibility of losing Jordan for nothing as a free agent this summer has them backed into a corner where they can’t demand a huge return for him.
Goldberg: I hope it’s Milwaukee. Thon Maker and John Henson are being asked to do too much in playing the Chris Bosh role in Jason Kidd’s blitzing defense. Jordan could normalize a lot of what they do defensively, and the threat of his rolling to the rim would be great for that offense, which has already introduced more pick-and-roll since acquiring Eric Bledsoe. My dark horse is Cleveland, who could use an upgrade from Tristan Thompson.
Centopani: Since you’re probably a huge fan of mine, you already know I put together an artfully written piece on this exact subject not too long ago. TL;DR, DeAndre Jordan would be perfect on the Cavaliers.
Who does Nikola Mirotic play for at the end of this season?
Siegel: Why would he leave the Bulls? They’re clearly going to finish the season with 60+ wins and at least give the Warriors a competitive series, so I don’t see why the Bulls management would blow up this juggernaut.
Toporek: If the Bulls were a competently run organization, I would say they’d attempt to flip him the minute his trade restriction lifts on Jan. 15. He clearly isn’t part of the franchise’s long-term vision — otherwise, why would the Bulls wait until the eve of training camp to re-sign him? — and he’s playing well enough to perhaps fetch a decent return, especially considering he has a $12.5 million team option for 2018-19.
However, the Bulls aren’t a competently run organization, and this recent six-game winning streak of theirs will all but assuredly convince general manager Gar Forman and executive vice president John Paxson that they should be buyers at the deadline rather than sellers. All-in on that No. 8 seed! #SeeRed
Goldberg: Oh my god I so much don’t care.
Centopani: Man, remember when the idea of Nikola Mirotic existed before the player? That was fun. His stay in the league hasn’t lived up to the myth, but he’s been crushing it in his seven games so far this season. All of which have been Chicago victories. Don’t see how you can trade away that kind of success.
Who does Marc Gasol play for at the end of this season?
Siegel: Now this is a Brooklyn pick destination! Gasol has an extra year on his contract as compared to George and there wouldn’t be any issues with fit; he can space the floor and protect the rim, play pick-and-roll with James, and would be immensely fun in Cleveland’s system (and while fun shouldn’t be the primary reason they do this deal, it’s at least on the whiteboard). Gasol would change Cleveland’s rotation and might eat into those all-offense lineups with James, Kyle Korver, and Channing Frye, but the improvement on the defensive end would be worth it.
Toporek: The Grizzlies. They already devastated longtime fans by allowing Zach Randolph and Tony Allen to walk this past offseason. Losing a third member of the Grit-n-Grind core would be too much, even though their season is quickly spiraling past the point of no return. I expect them to wallow in their misery for the next three-and-a-half months, hope Mike Conley’s return helps provide a short-term spark, and then re-evaluate their roster once the season ends. If they land a high enough draft pick to grab a Deandre Ayton or Mo Bamba, the prospect of dealing Gasol suddenly becomes far more stomachable.
Goldberg: Am I the only non-Grizzlies fan who thinks they shouldn’t trade him? Between Gasol and Mike Conley, they can still be a competitive playoff team in the Western Conference, which is all they ever have been. They aren’t in a markedly better or worse position than they’ve ever been in before. Just ride out whatever this is until they retire, and rebuild then.
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Centopani: Grit-n-Grind is dead. Mike Conley hasn’t played since Nov. 13 and is slated to miss the next two weeks. The Grizzlies have one of the worst records in the NBA. Marc Gasol is 32 years old. It’s time to make moves. Even at full health, this Memphis team had a limited ceiling. The place I’d love to see him go is San Antonio. Putting him in the Spurs system and uniting the Brothers Gasol just feels right. I don’t think they have the pieces though. Cleveland works both from the contracts/assets and fit perspective, but I’ll throw in a wildcard here: Portland. Would Memphis take a package of something like Jusuf Nurkic, Meyers Leonard, Ed Davis, and their upcoming first-rounder? Probably not enough, right? How about Nurkic, Evan Turner, Zach Collins, and that 2018 first? I think we’re onto something.