NBA Trade Deadline 2020: 5 trades that could change the NBA draft

As the 2020 NBA Trade Deadline approaches, here’s a look at five potential trades that could really change up the 2020 NBA Draft.

How many of you remember the 2012-13 Brooklyn Nets?

This was the first year the team was playing in Brooklyn, having moved into New York City after having played their games in New Jersey since 1977. They were led by Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Brook Lopez and Gerald Wallace, and they finished with 49 wins. They were second in their division that year and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Chicago Bulls.

What else was notable about that season for the Nets? They didn’t have a single draft pick, having traded their No. 6 draft pick at the previous season’s trade deadline to the Portland Trail Blazers for Wallace. The Blazers were able to take Damian Lillard with the Nets pick,and have been able to create a team around the franchise player that was gifted to them via an innocuous trade with an Eastern Conference team.

While some trades may seem like they don’t shake up the future of the NBA when they occur, oftentimes what may seem like a small trade can have a big effect years later. First-round picks get most of the attention, and an exchange of a lottery pick can be a move that can either help launch a successful rebuild for a franchise or chart a course for a new front office.

The 2020 NBA Trade Deadline is 3:00 p.m. ET on Feb. 6, and although there have only been whispers of potential trades, that doesn’t necessarily mean that this will be a dull trade deadline. Here are a few potential trades that could shake up the 2020 NBA Draft.