Each season, the Week 15 trade deadline looms like an overbearing parent at a slumber party coming in to turn off the lights, turn off the music and just be a massive buzzkill to the frivolities and delights of trading. It is a necessary evil, as some teams do some outlandish things when the team’s outcome is fully realised.

Below, we will speculate as to which players, and perhaps teams, are very likely to be involved in the trade deadline deals. The lower teams tend to be the sellers of players and the higher teams tend to be the sellers of picks. Does this trend hold up this season?

Tim Hardaway Jr. – Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers’ fans haven’t had much to cheer about due to the total ineptitude of the previous two front office regimes and the latest strategy of selling every decent player and avoiding wins as much as possible. This has left a huge chunk of usage for a player who loves to shoot, and that’s Timmy. He has put up 20+ points for the Lakers, takes and makes threes and can get to the line and would genuinely be a great sixth man on a good team. However, his salary is steep, making potential deals tricky.





Bojan Bogdanovic, Kevin Love, Will Barton – Utah Jazz

You heard that the Utah Jazz are shopping their veterans? Oh yeah, me too. They want a lot for their guys and that’s fair enough – all players are positive 2k contributors, can shoot and are on multi-year deals. The most likely player to move in a deal is Barton, due to his lower salary and more versatile, complementary skillset. Kevin Love would be an NSL All-Star on the right team, but that contract is more frightening than the Bulls’ luxury tax bill. Bojan has been a steady presence for the Jazz all season and might be good to keep around to usher in the new era.






Picks – Memphis Grizzlies

Memphis continue to do well in trades and recently added a future first for a broken-down ex-star player who isn’t even on a contract. Goddamn that’s impressive. They now have nine firsts and 12 second rounders in the war chest, and Rootsey should be doing his best to find that condensing, upgrade deal to elevate his good team to a great one for the playoffs. Rootsey is pretty shrewd and tends to throw out some less-than-inspiring offers sometimes, but if he is keen to land that big piece, he definitely has the tools. Open that wallet!

LaMarcus Aldridge – OKC Thunder

Aldridge’s decline this season has been steep, in both his NBA impact and NSL impact. However, in his first game with the NBA Nets, he showed off the offensive skill, versatility and intelligence that was responsible for a very successful, All-Star career. He hasn’t lost any of the skill and on a contender where he could play off the bench, or even as the fourth best player, he could very well thrive and regain his form. The pitch from OKC is tough, though: He is 35, a free agent to-be, and declining in ability. Oh, and he makes almost 30 million dollars. Where’s Glenn Mellow?





Dennis Schroeder – Dallas Mavericks

The man who has been traded, untraded, lost trace of, asked about more than any other in the NSL, Dennis ‘The Menace’ Schroeder. LJ has seemingly declared him traded on multiple occasions now, only to disappear for a few days and then Schroeder staying put in Dallas. He rebuffed a long-term extension in the NBA, so he is set to hit NSL free agency. Is this holding up deals? He is a quality scoring point-guard and has been positive consistency for the Mavericks. Will he be traded? I’m guessing it will take a late first or some young players.

Mitch Robinson – Toronto Raptors

Dang, the Raptors cop another injury? This one is as equally brutal as any of them, as Robinson was specifically the reason the trade occurred in sending out LaVert and Bryant, only for Big Mitch to break his foot within 24 hours of arrival in Canada. The Raptors aren’t too sentimental, and are wanting to give the playoffs a real shake, so the need is still there for an inside presence; they have kicked the tyres on a few deals, but haven’t heard of anything they like yet. A veteran big and a first for Robinson seems reasonable. Possible?





Marcus Morris – Phoenix Suns

Disclaimer: Marcus was going to feature heavily in the article, as a key piece for a contender, but during the time of writing he has been shipped to the lowly Lakers. Plenty of shots for Mr Morris. Gee, I’m perceptive.

Terrence Ross, Andre Iguodala, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – Orlando Magic

Concluding the piece, we finish with the Orlando Magic, fresh off a pretty impactful trade, as they gave up on Andrew Wiggins as a core player for the team and turned him into first rounders and helpful wings. Trae will have even more responsibility for the Magic, but I don’t think the playoff run this season. If I am Gavin, and boy would I love to give that car a spin for a day (the places I would go, the people I would let in), I am shopping each of these wings for any youth or picks I can get, and keeping one of them to start going forward. KCP has the most miles left on the tires, but Ross might have the best 2k upside. If you can get 2nds for Iggy at this point, it’s worth a look.