NBA recap: 2019 trade deadline, buyout market and games to watch

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Teams with no incentive to tank

Every season, teams play the long game by giving their young players more minutes in the hopes of them gaining playing experience. That goes hand-in-hand with losses to increase their chances at a high draft pick, and usually means they’re selling off any of their serviceable veterans. With two days until the trade deadline on Feb. 7, not many deals have been made.

The problem with this deadline is so few teams are inclined to tank. The Sacramento Kings, perennial sellers, don’t have the rights to their first round pick and are in a legit battle for the playoffs. The Kings may actually be looking to improve their immediate roster for a change, but they have a deep roster of young talent as it is and it’s tough to see them doing anything of substance.

The Orlando Magic have tradable assets in Terrence Ross and Evan Fournier, but that organization desperately wants to make the playoffs for the first time the since 2011-12 season. Offloading one of these players likely puts an end to their playoff pursuit.

The Atlanta Hawks have some pieces, but will likely ask for too much because they can buy out players like Dewayne Dedmon and allow them to choose their team. The Dallas Mavericks are already making noise, but they lost their trade assets in DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews in the Porzingis trade, and like Sacramento, don’t own the rights to their first round pick if it falls outside the top five.

The Chicago Bulls don’t have any players that would entice an offer from a playoff contender, outside of some noise that Jabari Parker is on the Los Angeles Lakers’ radar, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

The Cleveland Cavaliers traded Rodney Hood to the Portland Trail Blazers for roster fillers and two future second round picks, leaving Alec Burks as the only player that may net them something similar to Hood.

Even that move is confusing for the Lakers, but shows that the trade market is barren as teams with assets are asking for too much, holding onto their future pieces to make a playoff push or are willing to wait until summer to test the market. Expect moves to be made, but it’s a tough market to gauge given the lack of incentive of certain teams to tank.