The NBA trade deadline is right around the corner and rumors have been heating up as of late. With teams looking to add talent as they look to further solidify their rosters, we at the Fadeaway World got you guys covered with what’s going on in the league.
Here are the most important NBA rumors right now.
Miami Heat Eyeing DeRozan And Aldridge
The Miami Heat have surprised many this season with their superb play. After an eventful offseason, many looked at this team as a borderline playoff team but they currently sit as the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference with a 30-13.
Miami’s hot start has been thanks to Jimmy Butler, improved play from Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic, and great shooting from rookies Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn. Even with this hot start, the Heat are not seen as serious title contenders and seem to be “one move” away from changing that.
According to Zach Lowe, the Heat “know that they are one player away from being really dangerous and are looking.” The Heat have reportedly been monitoring the situation in San Antonio as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald has stated: “Spurs stars DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge could potentially be involved in a deal with the Miami Heat should San Antonio move toward selling.”
Any trade with the Spurs would see the Heat parting ways with one of their core players and with DeRozan and Aldridge’s best years behind them, it may not be smart to pursue this trade.
Clippers Should Trade Beverley And Harkless For Chris Paul
Despite their amazing start to the season, the Clippers are amongst teams expected to be active during the trade deadline as they look to acquire a facilitator. The Clips are one move away from seriously improving their title chances and one player they could look to add is Chris Paul.
Paul and the Thunder have had a surprising start to the season but if they have the ability to move Paul, they should do it. Nico Martinez gives us a potential trade that sends Chris Paul to the Clippers and Moe Harkless, Patrick Beverley, JaMychal Green, and Jerome Robinson to the Thunder.
This trade clears up a ton of cap space for the Thunder and allows Shai Gilegous-Alexander to take full reign of the team. Chris Paul with the Clippers could create Lob City 2.0 and could be missing piece for the Clippers.
Clippers Could Land Steven Adams
The Los Angeles Clippers had an eventful offseason in which they were able to acquire superstars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. These moves made them title favorites by many and so far, they are living up to expectations.
Currently sitting at the 2nd seed in the Western Conference, the Clips have been playing excellent basketball despite both of their superstars missing some time. Even though they are cruising through the league, a team can always get better and the Clips are expected to be active during the trade deadline, per source.
In an article by Bleacher Report, Eric Pincus looked at Steven Adams as a potential trade target for the Clippers.
A trade for Adams would include Montezl Harrell and this trade could be beneficial for the Clips. Harrell doesn’t have the defensive abilities to guard a player of Anthony Davis’s caliber due to his size and Harrell’s lack of outside shooting can be a burden on the team. Harrell is also an unrestricted free agent and may look for a huge pay-day this offseason. This move could be the aggressive one that put the Clippers over the Lakers and ultimately leads to them winning a championship.
Boston Celtics Could Look To Acquire Andre Drummond
The Boston Celtics have been playing very well with the contributions from their big-4 of Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, and Jayson Tatum. Currently sitting as the 4th seed in the East, the Celtics look like a team poised to make a deep playoff but they must address one glaring need.
The Celtics lost a cornerstone player in Al Horford this past offseason and his presence is certainly missed. If the Celtics want to contend with the Bucks or the Sixers, they must look to acquire a big body. A name that has been thrown around is Andre Drummond and in a recent article from Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, he stated a Drummond-to-Boston trade as one to look out for.
This trade would include Hayward going to the Pistons alongside a future first-round pick. Hayward could then be moved again if the Pistons don’t see him as an important player which would then get them even more assets. Drummond could solidify the paint for the Celtics and gives them a player who could give Embiid, Giannis, and any other big men in the East some problems.
Realistic Trade For The Timberwolves And Warriors
The Timberwolves looked to make a franchise-altering move this past offseason as they were almost able to snag D’Angelo Russell. Russell decided to sign with the Warriors instead and participate in a sign-and-trade but, it looks like he may end up on the Wolves after all.
A potential trade would be D’Angelo Russell and Alen Smailagic for Andrew Wiggins and a first-round pick. This trade sees the Wolves adding a scoring-point guard and the Warriors getting a score-first forward. The first-round pick that they would receive could be used to acquire more depth or used to acquire more star power.
The Raptors Could Trade Key Veterans For The Right Price
The Raptors are fresh off an NBA title-winning season and are looking like a team poised to make another deep playoff run. With the emergence of Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet, this team has the firepower to compensate for the loss of Kawhi Leonard and have been firing on all cylinders as of late.
A glaring problem that the Raps have faced this season has been the inconsistent play from veterans Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol and the Raptors could look to move them for the right price. According to Dan Woike, the Raptors may listen to calls on these two players and he also throws out Kyle Lowry as another player who could be moved.
The Raps are known as an aggressive team and one that will make gut-wrenching decisions if it means improving their championship odds. With Siakam already solidifying himself as one of the best forwards in the league, the Raps may look to make a splash move that gets Siakam a second-option.
