Who Are The Five Potential Trades To Watch In The NBA?

By: Will Wood

Published on:

Coronavirus continues to spread among NBA teams

Despite the games coming thick and fast in the NBA, it is still hard not to look ahead to the trade window that is coming up. 

Here we look at five players that look set to be on the move.

5. Kevin Love

We kick off our list of potential players trades with Kevin Love and, before you say it, we know we have been talking about him being on the move for what feels like years now. This year, it could well be a genuine possibility this time round. 

Love hasn’t been recognised as a star in this league since LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers but there is no doubt he could still contribute somewhere. He has no place on a rebuilding Cavs team but the organisation refuses to move him. Teams have been calling for the veteran forward for a while and maybe this is finally the year he gets to play for a contender again.

4. Goran Dragic

We don’t know about you but we definitely thought that the whole Goran Dragic situation was getting handled. Evidently, we were wrong as that isn’t the case right now. Dragic is still a member of the Toronto Raptors, which is a team that he clearly doesn’t have any intention of playing for now that he is entering the back end of his career. He wants to be with a team that competes. Is he good enough to demand that? Of course, he is. On top of that, he is currently away from the team for personal reasons, which makes it all the more likely he gets moved.

3. Marcus Smart

The Boston Celtics management consistently says that the team won’t trade Marcus Smart. We’re not sure we believe them for a few reasons. Firstly, Smart has been rumoured to get traded for years now. Eventually, the team might get desperate enough to make deal somewhere, which is what we see happening here. 

On top of that, Smart has always been the odd man out of the Celtics core with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown getting much of the attention but, boy, is he a desirable roster player. Everybody wants a hard-nosed, physical defender making him a top priority at the deadline. To cap it all off, Smart hasn’t exactly toed the company line after openly talking about how Tatum and Brown don’t like to pass the basketball and that they just aren’t playing like a team. 

2. Buddy Hield

Everybody thought that Buddy Hield would be on the Lakers right now instead of Russell Westbrook but a trade never materialised. Hield has talked about growing apart from the Sacramento Kings and it has been known that he just doesn’t have much of a place with them anymore. 

The team has De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton and Davion Mitchell in the backcourt; it makes Hield the odd man out. It’s not known who interest in the three-point sharpshooter may have but the odds are he won’t be on the Kings much longer. You can check here the current trade rumors and odds: edge.twinspires.com/nba/trade-rumors/

1. Russell Westbrook

At the top of our list is a trade deal that would raise eyebrows across the nation. As disappointing as it may be, Russell Westbrook very well could find himself on a different team by the end of the season. The new Los Angeles Lakers point guard isn’t likely to be moved at the moment, but he is proving to be an awkward fit on a team that’s supposed to be championship contenders. 

Westbrook has struggled a lot with his shooting efficiency, and, with hindsight, he is almost the opposite of what the Lakers need. This group needs consistent jump shooting with Anthony Davis struggling; with Westbrook shooting low averages beyond the paint change is looming.

There you have it, five player trades to keep an eye on. Who do you think we are missing?