The NBA trade deadline can transform great teams into contenders. Let’s rank who the best available players are this year.
As Dwane Casey is fond of saying, there’s more than one way to skin a cat. A trade hasn’t always been how champions have built their teams, however.
In the NBA, teams can build contenders in a variety of ways. Champions like the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors can draft talent and grow it all in-house, or champions like the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors can sign superstar free agents to an already hyper-talented core. Both were viable ways to win championships.
The 2018-19 Raptors, however, re-established the value of trades, adding Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green to the roster during the off-season, and then trading for Marc Gasol at the trade deadline. Those three players comprised 60 percent of the Raptors’ most-used starting lineup en route to their championship. The 2007-08 Boston Celtics did the same, trading for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen before eventually winning the franchise’s first championship in decades. Trading either for stars or for the right rotation piece, whether in the offseason or at the deadline, can pay off big.
This year, there are plenty of stars who could be available at the trade deadline. There are even more available rotation pieces who could boost the right team. Let’s dig into who might be available, what they could add to teams, and which teams could be angling for which players.