The Thunder cashed in on James Harden, after they were not able to agree upon an extension earlier this week. Will other teams do the same with players on expiring deals? Here are 3 potential trades that could happen near the trade deadline.
*note: None of these deals have been rumored, but they make sense financially and from a basketball standpoint.
1. Detroit receives: Al Jefferson
Utah receives: Rodney Stuckey, Andre Drummond, Will Bynum, Lottery protected rd. 1 pick.
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=8obwn74
With the recent emergence of Enes Kanter, Utah should look to get something in return for Jefferson, who is likely to leave after the season via free agency. Detroit can speed up their rebuild by getting Jefferson to pair with Greg Monroe in the front court, while allowing Brandon Knight to take the reigns at the point. Drummond is a bigger project than Detroit fans may realize, and he could prosper fully if he were allowed to develop behind Kanter and Favors. Stuckey has not been the player Detroit thought he would be, but as a backup to Alec Burks he could flourish.
2. Dallas receives: Josh Smith, Johan Petro
Atlanta reeives: OJ Mayo, Chris Kaman, Roddy Beaubois, Brandan Wright, future rd. 1 pick (lottery protected)
*Trade has to occur after Dec. 15 because of trade restrictions
Smith is going to leave ATL after the season. Dallas will struggle this season, and, having missed out on Howard and D-Will, Dallas will make a big push for Smith to stay in the playoff hunt. Smith would pair well with Dirk, as he has athleticism at a level Dirk does not. For Atlanta, OJ Mayo and Rodrigue Beaubois have underwhelmed thus far in their careers, but the change of scenery (while Dallas is new for OJ anyways) could be a positive factors towards reaping benefits from the players. Both guards would be improvements over players like Teague and Stevenson. The acquisition of Kaman would also allow Horford to play his more comfortable position of power forward. If Mayo would commit to resigning with ATL, the Hawks may pull the trigger on a trade.
3. Orlando receives: Tyreke Evans, Chuck Hayes
Sacramento receives: JJ Redick, Andrew Nicholson, Kyle O'Quinn, 2 rd. 1 picks (from Howard trade)
Remember when OKC was chastised for drafting Harden over Evans? Hindsight... The Evans experiment in SAC has not gone according to plan, and, they should move him and look to rebuild the future around DeMarcus Cousins and Thomas Robinson. In Orlando, Evans has one last shot to be "The guy." Sacramento gets a solid role player on an expiring deal in Redick. He is much more efficient than Marcus Thornton, and could be valuable if Sacramento contends for a low playoff seed in the West. He will probably opt for free agency as well (Is Portland a possible destination?). Nicholson has an intriguing skill set, and O'Quinn could be a decent role player down the line. The first round picks may not be high (as they come from the Lakers), but they will allow Sacramento to continue to add youth to the roster.
These trades are all hypothetical, however, if the Thunder have success, even after dealing James Harden, other teams may look to follow their lead.
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