I’m not usually a big proponent of blowing it up.  I understand the recent development in the NLL of going for picks if you aren’t a high playoff contender, but we all can’t win every year right?  As a big fan of the Indiana Pacers in real life, I am well aware that my team usually doesn’t have what it takes to win the championship.  That being said, I still enjoy watching them, and hope they make the playoffs ever year.  The Pacers haven’t had a draft pick in single digits since 1989, that’s right, 1989.  Even with this, they have won at least 32 games every year in that span and made the playoffs 21 out of the 27 times.  As a fan, I love knowing that my team is going to be competitive every year, and we will most likely win more games than we lose.  I hate the idea of blowing it up and hoping to hit the draft lottery and get the next Joel Embiid or Andrew Wiggins.

Now, I know I’ve been talking about my NBA crush, but let’s put this in perspective in the NLL.  Each team literally has 1 fan, it’s GM.  There are no fan bases to please or owners to impress.  We are our own markets.  This makes for a different type of market than the NBA.  What are the driving factors in the NLL?  Some guys love rookies, some guys will sell it all to win now.  Some GMs are great at the long game and are patient as hell.  It has appeared recently though that GMs are deciding if they can’t win it all, they are just gonna blow it up.  This makes sense if you think your team has reached it’s potential with the current roster, and that isn’t good enough for you.  So who are the teams that have already decided to blow it up this season?

Indiana Pacers – with Blake Griffin out for an extended amount of time, they decided to cash in on their vets and hope to rebuild around Blake in the future.

Dallas Mavericks – GM Smokey decided he had a good run and wants to move away from his aging roster for draft picks and young guys.

Toronto Raptors – Carl has made it obvious that he wants to move anyone over the age of 26 for some draft picks and develop his rookie talent.

Memphis Grizzlies – With Bosh out, they are pretty limited and have been selling assets off all season.

The rest of the teams have already decided to tank for youth, see the Clippers, or are trading for the assets from the above teams.  This article is about those few teams who haven’t decided to blow it up, but maybe should.  These are the guys that are fringe playoff teams, or just don’t have the right roster composition yet.  I will try to suggest some options, and we will see if any of this happens in the future!

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Miami Heat

I think this one was obvious at this point in the season.  The Heat have made the playoffs 6 years in a row, and the recent decision to move towards old guys and free agents has worked up until now.  They have sold their soul for these players, and don’t currently have a pick until 2019.  Their best player is Rudy Gay who is about to opt out of his contract, JR Smith is hurt, and they just got aging vet Monta Ellis.  The average age of this team is 3^rd oldest in the league at 27.8 years old.  I’ll give it to Craig, he’s done a great patchwork job of getting these guys to come in meld well together and win, but the wheels have fallen off now.  Who should they consider moving?

Rudy Gay would be my first target on this list, it might be hard to move him for his value because he is going to opt out and may leave at the end of the year.  Surely a playoff team would give up a couple of first for him though right?  Here are a couple ideas:

Trade Idea #1

Atlanta Gets: Rudy Gay

Miami Gets: Jared Dudley, Atlanta Hawks 1^st in 2017 & 2019

With Justice Winslow’s injury, the Hawks are really hurting.  Would it be worth trading a couple of future firsts for one of the best scorers in the league?  I’d certainly do this if I was Miami, but it’s easier to make trades when you have no emotional connection to your players.

Trade Idea #2

Chicago Gets: Rudy Gay

Miami Gets: Meyers Leonard, 2018 Chicago 1^st

In this trade, Miami gets a young guy who can still develop into a good starter, and a future 1^st.  Chicago is clearly trying to make a playoff run and needs to cash in while Steph still has that cheap contract.

Trade Idea #3

Golden State Gets: Rudy Gay, Alan Anderson

Miami Gets: Jon Leuer, Demetrius Jackson, 2017 GS 1^st

Golden State is a fringe playoff team that could use some veteran leadership.  If they think they will be able to make a push, trading some good assets and a 1^st may be worth it to them.

The second guy I would look to market would be Tyson Chandler.  He is still capable of playing at a high level, and would be a great plug in for any team in need of some interior defense and rebounding.  Here are some ideas:

Trade Idea #1

Another Atlanta one, Atlanta gets: Tyson Chandler, Kyle Wiltjer

Miami Gets: Josh McRoberts, Andrew Nicholson, Atlanta 2019 2^nd and Atlanta 2017 1^st

I like this because it can move Greg Monroe to a more natural position of PF, and gives them a top caliber defensive center.  Miami gets a good player in Nicholson, and a possible lottery pick.

Trade Idea #2

Utah Jazz Get:  Tyson Chandler

Miami Gets: Willie Cauley-Stein and Sergio Rodriguez

Hard to tell if Utah would do this because they seem to love WCS, but starting Tyson next to LaMarcus and bringing Faried and Randle off the bench would be awesome for them.  Miami gets a young guy with a future in WCS, and a serviceable PG in return.

Trade Idea #3

Orlando Magic Get: Tyson Chandler

Miami gets: Miles Plumlee, Detroit 2019 1^st, Timberwolves 2019 1st

In this trade, Orlando gets a great starter next to K-Love who won’t demand the ball.  If Miami is patient, it will get 2 1sts in 2019, pretty good return for an aging vet.

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Cleveland Cavs

This may surprise some people.  I’m not saying trade Lebron.  You never trade Lebron.  However, they have gotten a little stale with the same starting 5 they have had for a couple of years.  Terrence Ross is not the answer at shooting guard despite what the Cavs have tried for years.  Serge Ibaka is going to try to leave and demand big money at the end of the year, it might be time to try to get what you can for him now.  Tony Parker is old and way past his prime.  This bench is just sad right now despite their record.  Here’s some guys I would look to move:

The first guy I would look to move is Serge Ibaka.  He’s going to leave unless they spend a large amount of GM points on him.  Do you really want to pay him max money along with Lebron and Drummond?

Trade Idea #1

Portland Gets: Serge Ibaka & Brandon Jennings

Cleveland Gets: Larry Nance Jr. Austin Rivers, Luis Scola

This trade is interesting because Portland gets a guy who can be a star on their team.  They can afford to pay him a ton of money next year and they don’t really need Rivers if they get Jennings back.  For Cleveland, it helps their bench out a ton, and gives them an up and coming PF in Nance.  It’s a reload for the Cavs and Portland will get better too.

Trade Idea #2

Sacramento Gets: Serge Ibaka

Cavs Get: Dwight Powell & Gerald Green

You know the Kings would do this in a heartbeat, they are in a win now mode and would trade away a young guy like Powell in a heartbeat.  For the Cavs, they get a young PF under contract that is playing great in the NLL and another good wing for them to bring off the bench.  Makes sense for both teams imo.

Trade Idea #3

Milwaukee Gets: Serge Ibaka

Cavs Get: Aaron Gordon & Jakob Poetl

I doubt this happens between division rivals, and on top of Badwolf hates old guys, but he can move KAT to the 5 and have Ibaka at the 4.  This might put the Bucks over the top to win it all.  For the Cavs they get a lot of youth and potential to reload this lineup, and Gordon could start right away.

The next guy to move is Tony Parker.  He’s old, hasn’t really been producing for them, and seems to rest every other week.  The only saving grace is that he’s on a 2-year contract, so he might be attractive to some teams.

Trade Idea #1

Orlando Gets: Tony Parker

Cavs Get: MCW, Amir Johnson, 2017 Orlando 2^nd

Orlando gets a point guard they have been searching for while the Cavs get some depth and a young point guard to lead them to the future.  This honestly is a no brainer to me and I do it if I’m both teams.  I guess it depends on how high you are on MCW, but he is starting in Chicago in the NBA now.

Trade Idea #2

Golden State Gets: Tony Parker

Cavs Get: J.J. Barea, Jon Leuer

I know the Warriors just got Leuer, but I move him for Paker in a second if I’m the Warriors.  If I’m the Cavs, J.J. is a highly capable scorer next to Lebron, and I can plug Leuer right in to help my 2^nd stringers.  This trade probably makes both teams better right away.

Trade Idea #3

Philly Gets: Tony Parker

Cavs Get: Deron Williams, Kelly Oubre

I don’t know if either guy would do this, but Deron and Tony are comparable right now in the NLL, but getting Oubre back would be a big win for the Cavs.  The reason Philly does this is because Tony is on a 2-year deal, and they won’t have to spend points to keep him in the offseason. 

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Phoenix Suns

The Suns have made some trades to try to stay relevant, but they have fallen off of late.  They have two legitimate stars in Al Horford and Kemba Walker, but the rest of the team is a collection of cast-offs from other teams.  I wouldn’t move Kemba for anything if I was them, but everyone else is disposable.  They just moved Monta Ellis, and that was smart, he has fallen off pretty far from his leading scorer days a couple of years ago.  Their best trade asset right now is probably Horford, but he makes a pretty penny.  Here’s some ideas:

All Horford is a great player, but he might be the easiest to move.  Do you  need a 30 year old all-star who makes 27 million on a team that may not make the playoffs? 

Trade Idea #1

Denver Gets: Al Horford

Phoenix Gets: Alex Len, Kent Bazemore, 2018 Denver 1^st

This may seem like a steep price for Al, but Denver could pay it, they would be trading two young bench guys and a 1^stfor an all-star big man to put next to favors.  Gortat has been playing well for them, but Al put this team over the top.  For Phoenix, they get more youth and depth and a pick for the future.  I like it for both guys.

Trade Idea #2

Golden State Gets: Al Horford, Ian Clark, Anthony Brown

Phoenix Gets: Dario Saric, Luol Deng, Joffrey Lauvergne, Golden State 2017 1^st

Wow this would be awesome for Golden State, but they are a struggling playoff team right now and could fall of the edge at any moment.  A 2017 1^st and Dario Saric is a great deal for a team looking to rebuild, and Deng is no stiff either.  Lauvergne is a nice young player too.  These guys set up Phoenix for the future, and makes Golden State a scary scary team.

Trade Idea #3

Houston Gets: Al Horford, Wesley Johnson

Phoenix Gets: Enes Kanter, Al Jefferson, Rockets 2019 1^st. 

This trade is interesting for both teams.  Houston has been struggling and needs to make a move of some sort.  Enes is a young guy that may still turn out to be an all-star if he gets the chance to blossom.  Big Al is a nice bench piece, and a future 1^st to boot!  I like this for both teams, but it depends on how much these guys value their own players.

Next is CJ Miles , he's a pretty underrated shooter.  He’s one of the best 3-point shooters in the league and is hyper athletic.  He’s been shopped around, and they don’t have a huge need for him right now with Casspi and Johnson back there.  He has a pretty cheap contract, but he’s easily worth a 1^st rounder right?  He is likely going to opt out of that contract and move on at the end of the year, so why not move him now?

Trade Idea #1

Chicago Gets: CJ Miles

Phoenix Gets: Bulls 2018 1^st rounder.

With Chicago’s trade exception this deal works out.  Phoenix gets an unprotected 1^st that may be a lottery pick next year.  Phoenix gets another legit scorer to help their playoff run.  Not the best deal for Chicago, but depends how much they wanna win now.

Trade Idea #2

New York Knicks Get: CJ Miles

Phoenix Gets: Bobby Portis, Sam Dekker

Phoenix gets some young blood that may turn out to be good, but it’s hard to tell now.  NYK get a guy to start at SF for them that isn’t a giant stiff (see Luc).  The Knicks aren’t even playing Portis right now, and they don’t need Dekker if they get Miles.  This could put the Knicks solidly in the drivers seat in the East.

Trade Idea #3

Orlando Gets: CJ Miles

Phoenix Gets: Malachi Richardson, Kyle Singler

Orlando has been bouncing lineups all year and needs a good starter at the 3-spot.  Phoenix gets a rookie that was a high draft pick, and Singler may still turn out to be an ok pro, we don’t know enough yet.  It’s not flashy, but it helps both teams.

Well, these are the 3 teams I think could use some blowing up/mixing up.  Everyone else has already done it already, or has title aspirations right now.  I’m sure everyone has their own opinions, I would love to see some comments on other potential trade ideas, or if I missed a team that we should consider.  I tried to keep my team out of trade ideas because I was trying to look at it impartially.