Let’s talk about some All-Star players that could be traded this season.
We’re about 25 games through the 2018-2019 NBA season. Teams have a feel for who they are/how good they are and might be looking to improve their roster. Now that it’s trade season, teams take the roles of buyers or sellers. Let’s go through four All-Star caliber players who are on teams that might be looking to move on from them.
Kevin Love
Who would’ve thought Kevin Love would outlast both LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in Cleveland? Love is in the last year of his previous contract before his four-year $120 million extension that he signed with the Cavaliers last offseason kicks in. This extension prevents Love from being traded until January 24, 2019. He is currently out with a toe injury, and he is targeting a mid-January return according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. The Cavs should trade Love when he is eligible since having him back in the lineup can help the team win which would in turn ruin the tanking strategy. Due to his three-point shooting ability, Love can fit in on a bunch of teams in the league including the Houston Rockets where he could slide into the old Ryan Anderson role with the difference being Kevin Love is much better at basketball than Ryan Anderson.
Bradley Beal
The Washington Wizards have an All-Star backcourt, yet if the playoffs started today, they would be watching from home. Through 26 games, they are 11-15. This isn’t all the fault of the star players since the front office and head coach have also played their part in the team’s pathetic start. The chemistry between John Wall and Bradley Beal has never seemed to be there, and for their lack of achievement as a duo (never made a conference finals) this Wizards core has been together a little too long. Washington played better last season when Wall was out of the lineup. John Wall’s upcoming four-year $170 contract, which doesn’t start until next season, is untradeable. This makes Beal the star that Washington would have to trade. He’s also three years younger and a better three point shooter than Wall which makes him more desirable to teams from a basketball perspective compared to his backcourt mate. Any team that is looking to improve and be a bigger threat in the playoffs would want Beal on their team. The flip side of this is now that the Wizards are only one game back from a playoff spot the chances of a Bradley Beal trade may have been lowered……………for now.
Goran Dragic
Dragic is currently on year four of a five-year $85 million contract, with a player option for the fifth year, that pays him an average amount of $17 million. He recently returned from a knee injury, and he’s the type of established point guard who can help a team win. It’s time for Miami to hit the reset button. They are currently 11-14 which is 9th in the standings with an average roster from a talent perspective. As much as Pat Riley might not want to rebuild, it is time to start one, and the best way to begin is by flipping your best player for good young players and draft picks
Anthony Davis
It seems now days in the NBA you can’t talk about All-Stars being traded without mentioning Anthony Davis. With all due respect, to the other three players discussed Davis is in a much higher tier. Davis has made All-NBA first team in three of the last four seasons. He is the perfect center in the current NBA with his athleticism, skill, size, and defensive capability. It’s in the Pelicans’ best interest to do everything they can to keep Davis. They should probably wait until the offseason and offer him the supermax contract extension that would be worth around $230 million over five years. If he declines to sign it, then the Pelicans should trade him. The return for Davis would and should be massive. The Lakers can offer a good trade package for Davis with their young players such as Ingram, Kuzma, Ball and Hart. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are both clients of Klutch Sports which could mean something or it could mean absolutely nothing regarding the chances of Davis going to the Lakers. Boston can also make a great offer for Davis with their young players like Smart, Brown, and Tatum (who is the one player as a Celtics fan I would HATE to depart with). The Celtics could also have four first round draft picks in 2019 (Kings top 1 protected, Clippers top 14 protected, Grizzlies top 8 protected, and their own) that they can work into a trade package. The bad news for the Celtics is they’re prevented from trading for Davis until the offseason when Kyrie Irving opts out of his current contract since both Irving and Davis signed extensions through the Derrick Rose Rule, and it is not allowed to trade for two players on that type of contract. New Orleans should do everything in their power to keep Anthony Davis, but the team has not had much success during his time with them. We’ve seen star players over and over again demand trades due to discontent with their current situation. In the case of Anthony Davis, that discontent might arise from not much team success in New Orleans and a lack of other stars around him. If Davis does go on the trading block, we could see another battle between the Lakers and Celtics on who will obtain his services.