NBA Trade Deadline 2020: 5 trades to help the rich get richer

The 2020 NBA trade deadline is the opportunity for talent-rich contenders to make a bigger jump, so what trades can teams like the Lakers, Bucks and more make?

One of the beautiful things about the NBA trade deadline, which comes at 3 p.m. ET on Feb. 6, is that every team has different goals in mind. For some teams, it’s about selling and getting assets to build with for the future. Others, however, are contenders that are looking for that one piece that could potentially put them over the hump in pursuit of the title.

While any player movement at the NBA trade deadline is exciting to watch, there’s another level of fervor around trades that involve the best teams in the league making big swings. Not only are there often big-name players involved but also the rampant prognostication about value, fit and so on.

There are certainly more than five contenders in the league that could make a move at the 2020 NBA Trade Deadline. That being said, let’s delve into five possible trades that could make the NBA’s richest teams even richer as they move toward the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

5. Love-ing life in Boston

The notion of trading Kevin Love to the Boston Celtics is a divisive topic. Some fans have been pining for it to happen forever, while others have adamantly opposed it, especially if it would cost the Celtics Gordon Hayward in the deal. Both sides of the argument have their merit, to be sure.

For my money though, Love going to Boston gives Brad Stevens’ team the best chance of winning an NBA championship. There’s no ignoring how talented and valuable of a player Hayward is, but it’s equally obvious how much of a logjam he creates on the wing for the Celtics. Boston’s future and, frankly, best option lies with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown controlling the minutes on the wing, and Hayward throws a wrench into that.

Love, on the other hand, does not cause the same issues. In fact, he would give the Celtics exponentially more flexibility. Among the reasons why this potential trade has been discussed relentlessly for some time is that Love’s ability to stretch the floor and facilitate the offense as a big man fits seamlessly into the things Stevens likes to do within his offense. In that alone, Love would help unlock some more of Boston’s potential on that end.

Furthermore, the addition of Love would possibly give Boston a trump card in terms of lineups it could deploy. Putting Love at center in a small-ball lineup with Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, Tatum and Brown creates an absolute terror for opposing teams to defend and, even with Love’s defensive limitations, score on consistently.

Would trading for the 31-year-old forward cause some friction among the fanbase? Indubitably. But saying it’s a risk not worth taking is ignoring how Love would fit into the mix.