We are officially less than two weeks away from the 2021 NBA Trade Deadline and right now, it all seems a bit chaotic. With constant rumors flying around, there’s no telling how the league is going to look come playoff time.
As of today, there haven’t been any significant moves around the league, excluding the major four-team blockbuster that sent James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets. Apart from that, the return of Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks has been the highlight of the rest of ’em.
The buyout market has been an exciting area to keep an eye on. Blake Griffin recently joined the Brooklyn Nets after mutually parting ways with the Detroit Pistons and ex-teammate Andre Drummond might soon follow in his footsteps.
Many people believe that we will be seeing a few enormous trades in the next few days. At the moment, there seem to be numerous stars that are either unsettled or just deserve a move to a contending team.
With so many players available via trade, many NBA teams will look to strengthen their rosters while others should avoid making any changes.
So far, we’ve seen a few teams perform way below expectations. Organizations like the Boston Celtics and the Denver Nuggets instantly pop to mind. It should go without saying that teams as such should look to fortify their roster if they wish to compete seriously.
On the other hand, the 2020-21 season has offered us a selection of pleasant surprises. Teams that were initially perceived as lottery teams, like the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs, are now finding themselves well inside the playoffs.
With all this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the teams that should avoid making any trades in the next week that would risk their chances at a solid playoff run.
Team to stay put No. 5: San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are in a pretty tough and unexpected spot right now. After Gregg Popovich’s 22-season playoff run ended last year, most people instantly wrote them off for the foreseeable future. Quite surprisingly, they are now sitting seventh in the Western Conference and a play-in spot is all but guaranteed.
Here’s where things get complicated for them. DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge are about to hit free agency in the summer and with the franchise going towards a more youthful direction, re-signing these two seems like crazy-talk.
This duo has been catalytic in their recent success and separating them from the young core will most likely result in the team’s plummeting in the standings. As a result, the Spurs are faced with a tough dilemma.
The front office must decide between keeping the pair as is until the summer or trading them away to get at least something in return, rather than be left empty-handed when they depart for good in the summer.
Whichever direction they decide to go with, keeping the veterans along would seem like the wise thing to do. Even though the Spurs possess a fun young core, they are far away from competing for a playoff spot if they were to subtract DeRozan and Aldridge.
The experience that will be implemented on Dejounte Murray, Keldon Johnson and co. will be priceless. At the end of the day, how much of a trade return can two declining veterans get you?
Team to stay put No. 4: Miami Heat
Once every few years, we get a Cinderella story that makes the majority of the NBA fanatics root for a specific team throughout the playoffs. The 2019-20 Miami Heat were exactly that story and were exciting fans even without the bubble’s crowds.
After being the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, they knocked out the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics, both of whom were considered heavy favorites in their matchups. In the ultimate matchup in the NBA Finals, they fell at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
Unfortunately for them, they haven’t exactly replicated their success as things stand. They are struggling to maintain an above .500 record and were outside the playoff picture for the majority of the first-half of the season.
As in any similar case, trade rumors have started to hover around the team. The most common names that we hear daily are Victor Oladipo, Bradley Beal, Kyle Lowry and John Wall.
While all the aforementioned are quality players who could play a pivotal role in mirroring last year’s success, they are not worth trading away all the valuable assets that the Heat have on the roster.
Players like Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson and Kendrick Nunn had a major impact on last season’s regular season and playoff run. Their contribution exceeds every statistical measurement and Pat Riley knows better than to trade them away.
Team to stay put No. 3: New York Knicks
Similar to the San Antonio Spurs, we’ve seen another pleasant surprise in the Eastern Conference. The newborn New York Knicks have been shocking the basketball world since the first game of the season and could be participating in playoff basketball in May.
The Knicks have been a solid playoff team for a few weeks now, never dropping out of the playoff picture. As of today, they are half a game behind the fourth-seeded Miami Heat, as these few spots are currently hanging by a thread.
Julius Randle just earned his first career All-Star nod and is leading the Knicks to their best season since the good ol’ Carmelo Anthony days in 2012-13. He and RJ Barrett are respectively putting up good cases for the Most Improved Player award.
Most of the credit, however, has to be allocated to Tom Thibodeau who has transformed a tanking team to a solid playoff contender, all within the span of a few months. To sum up, things are sailing smoothly in New York City.
So why mess with that? The Knicks have been struggling with some injury issues, though it hasn’t really shown out on the court. Even with Nerlens Noel playing 40 minutes per night at center and Immanuel Quickley and Alec Burks handling the point guard rotation, the Knicks keep being competitive.
There are so many trades that could be made with this roster. Perhaps a package of the young guys to fetch a superstar like Beal or even several minor trades to get rid of the veterans, in exchange for future assets.
However, for the first time in a few years, the New York Knicks are living in the future that they were preparing themselves so much for. There’s no need for future assets, just time and experience to keep on building on this special project.
Team to stay put No. 2: Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers have been struggling with injuries this season. The most noticeable one is by far the Achilles injury that has kept Anthony Davis sidelined for about a month now. Thankfully, he is set to return to action in about two weeks from now.
It hasn’t been an easy ride without AD. The team has a record of 4-6 since his mishap and is not playing at the same level as before. But is there any need for urgent change? The obvious answer is no.
The current financial situation does not leave the Lakers with much room to wiggle, meaning that they lack the flexibility when it comes to trades. If they were to target one of the big names that have been orbiting the news, like DeRozan, they’d have to give up multiple rotational pieces for him.
When you have two of the world’s top five players on your team, there isn’t much need for anything else, apart from some hustle guys and backup options in case an injury strikes at your door.
Anthony Davis will soon be back and the Lakers will once again be steamrolling. Even though many things changed during the summer, this is still the same team that won it all during the 2019-20 campaign and is on the hunt for a repeat.
Throughout the history of the league, we haven’t seen many ball-dominant players like LeBron James. If the past is any indication, LeBron will manage to find a way and bring success to his team, no matter his surroundings.
Team to stay put No. 1: Brooklyn Nets
Oh God, please stop. Enough is enough.
Imagine living in 2013 and doing a time-travel in 2021, where you’d stumble upon Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan all playing for the same team. Shocked? Now imagine hearing trade rumors about them potentially adding even more help.
At the moment, the biggest name that seems to be linked with the Brooklyn Nets is Andre Drummond. Trading for him is completely impossible, though the scenario of a buyout is starting to look all but more certain and the Nets could capitalize on that.
Apart from Andre, some rotational pieces that the Nets could target via trade are J.J. Redick, George Hill and Nemanja Bielica. Now the million dollar question is, should they?
By adding Blake Griffin and perhaps Andre Drummond, the Nets are approaching dangerous territory. Never in the history of the league has this much talent coexisted at the same time. Durant’s stint with the Golden State Warriors came really close to that and we all remember what happened once they added DeMarcus Cousins into the mix.
The roster is fine as it is. With that much quality in the starting lineup, it is only logical that the bench unit will be below-average. The Nets are on the right track towards the championship and there is no reason to risk overflowing their tank.