Every year, the week leading up to the NBA's All-Star break stirs up arguments of who should or shouldn't have made the team. But this year, as the league's finest gear up to head to Phoenix for a weekend of fun in the desert, one of the most significant trade deadlines in NBA history is looming just two weeks away.
In seasons past, the trade deadline has been a tool for teams who need to add one more piece to their puzzle to make a championship run in April. This year, teams completely out of contention are still major players in trade rumors as general managers around the league are desperately scrambling to make any deal they can to open up salary cap room for the summer of 2010.
Although the top-ranked free agents like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and Amar'e Stoudemire are the most talked about, franchise players like Joe Johnson, Manu Ginobili, Dirk Nowitzki, Tracy McGrady and Josh Howard will also be on the block. More than ever before, teams are making trades not just to improve in the present but to prepare for the future.
Last week, the Los Angeles Lakers traded swingman Vladimir Radmanovic for 2006 NCAA Player of the Year Adam Morrison and Shannon Brown from the Charlotte Bobcats. Morrison has decent size for a shooter of his ability and will complement Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol's deadly two-man game very well. Additionally, the Lakers freed up almost $7 million in salary cap space and will undoubtedly be in the mix to grab another stud to add to their already stacked lineup.
One of the biggest names on this year's trading block is Stoudemire, the Phoenix Suns' All-Star power forward. Stoudemire brings a unique and irresistible package of size, athleticism, basketball IQ and defensive ability that makes him a fit on nearly every team. His 6-foot-10, 250-pound frame makes him a daunting inside presence, and this year he has diversified his game by developing a sharp 18- to 20- foot jump shot that creates mismatches for other teams on a nightly basis. More importantly, his $15 million-per-year contract expires after next season, so teams who wish to trade for him will have a season and a half to determine whether he can be a good fit for their franchise.
Stoudemire would most likely go East, possibly to the Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, Chicago Bulls or Miami Heat, but to acquire him, teams will have to be willing to give up significant young talent and possibly a future first-round draft pick. Stoudemire is blinking fiercely on the Knicks' radar, but they would probably have to surrender power forward David Lee and guard Nate Robinson, whose youth and energy make them attractive acquisitions. Still, the investment in Stoudemire would be a smart move for the Knicks, as they could not only acquire a perennial All-Star but also a talent that would help in their courting of LeBron James next summer.
The Nets are also potential players, and if they could land Stoudemire before the deadline, they could become immediate contenders for the Eastern Conference title. The Nets, who flaunt the NBA's highest-scoring backcourt in Vince Carter and All-Star point guard Devin Harris, would add a huge inside threat that could allow them to contend with the East's powerhouses like LeBron's Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics.
Yet another big name that is floating around in the trade waters is Toronto Raptors' center Jermaine O'Neal. Though O'Neal signed this offseason with the Raptors in hopes of creating a David Robinson/Tim Duncan-like twin tower threat in the East, the Raptors are falling fast and O'Neal could be on the move. The Heat seem to be the most interested, as they need that inside presence that they haven't had since Shaquille O'Neal left in 2007. Perhaps a bigger reason for the trade, however, would be for Miami to add a solidified star to attract Dwayne Wade to re-sign a long-term contract with the team after next season.
This year's trade deadline will prove to be one of the most newsworthy in the league's history because teams may trade for a lesser talent if their contracts expire at the right time. The buzz around the 2010 free-agent class is already electrifying the NBA, and it is still 18 months away. Until then, fans will have to wait patiently for what promises to be one of the biggest offseasons in the history of American professional sports.
