By Dylan Ryan
It’s every NBA fan’s’ favorite time of year, the trade deadline. We have already seen Demarcus
Cousins traded and there is still a day left to make deals. NBA teams have till 3 pm eastern time
on Thursday to make trades, so expect a lot of action over the next 24 hours. This means that
lots of NBA fans, including myself, will be constantly refreshing twitter to see what happens.
Over the last couple days lots of rumors have popped up and I will give my predictions on what’s
going to happen.
Jimmy Butler staying or going?
The Chicago Bulls star has been involved in trade rumors for months now and this will continue
to happen until the Bulls decide on what direction they are taking the franchise. The biggest
contender for the all star shooting guard has been the Boston Celtics. The Bulls have been in
and out of discussions with the Celtics since the draft , so you think something is going to
happen…. probably not. The Bulls are not actively looking to get rid of Butler, so it would take
quite the package to pry him away. Boston definitely has the assets to put this package
together, but has been reluctant to do so. Recent reports have indicated that the big thing
holding up the trade is the Bulls want Jae Crowder and the Celtics refuse to give him up.
Crowder is on a great contract and brings a lot to team both on and off the court, so it would
make sense that Boston wouldn’t want to part with him. Boston is currently only three games out
of first in the east and have a real chance to overcome Cleveland with the recent Kevin Love
injury. There isn’t a good reason for Boston to lose future assets in the Brooklyn picks as well as
a key guy that is loved by fans and his teammates.
Prediction: Butler stays in Chicago
Paul George on the move?
Only four years ago Paul George lead the Pacers to seven games against the Lebron James
led Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. Now he is on a team that is one game above 500
and with no clear path to the finals in sight. This recent stretch of losing has caused Paul
George to be noncommittal on his future with the team. This has caused teams like the Lakers
and Celtics to make bids for the all star forward. If the Pacers were to trade George tomorrow it
would be a mistake, barring they received a ridiculous package in return. The Pacers are
currently 29-28, so if they decided to tank the pick they would get wouldn’t be that great. They
are also actively looking for pieces to get George to stay. The smart move would be to wait until
the summer, so they can better assess their future. If they do decide to trade him in the summer
they could expect the same return or possibly even better returns.
Prediction: George stays a Pacer for now
Will Carmelo Anthony Finally leave New York?
The New York Knicks organization as a whole has been a dumpster fire the last few years. They
made an attempt this season to be relevant by adding washed up stars like Derrick Rose and
Joakim Noah to their team and obviously this hasn’t worked out. The one constant in this terrible
franchise has been Carmelo Anthony and he has to go. I am not suggesting that Melo a bad
player he just hasn’t been able to make it work in New York. A change of scenery could benefit
Melo and the Knicks long term. The Celtics seem like the perfect place for Melo to go. It works
for the Celtics because they can add a dynamic scorer for much cheaper than Butler and
George. Not to mention that in late game situations they won’t have to rely on only Isaiah
Thomas who occasionally tries to play hero ball and just heaves up crazy threes. It works for the
Knicks because they can finally give Porzingis the chance to be the star of team. This will let
him grow and develop into a potential superstar.
Prediction: Melo gets traded to the Celtics
Derrick Rose Thibs reunion?
The Knicks traded for the former MVP this summer in order to contend for a playoff spot. Rose
then went on to call the Knicks a “Superteam”. Eight months later it has become very clear that
Rose was wrong. The Knicks are 23-34 and there is no end to the losing in foreseeable future.
Recent reports have indicated the his former coach Tom Thibodeau is looking to do make point
guard swap with New York. This would mean that Ricky Rubio would go New York and Derrick
Rose would go to Minnesota. This trade is probably most likely to happen out of everything I
have talked about. This trade would have the same effect as Melo getting traded. This would get
rid of the ball dominate Rose and give Porzingis a point guard that looks to set up others rather
do it all by himself. This would give Minnesota a clear path to have Kris Dunn take over as the
everyday point guard, since Rose’s contract expires after this season. It also helps replace the
scoring lost when Zach Lavine tore his ACL. This scoring could really help the T-Wolves make a
playoff push. Adding D-rose to the young core of Wiggins and KAT could give this team a real
chance to break their 13-year playoff drought.
Prediction; Thibs and D-Rose are reunited in Minnesota
Smaller Predictions
The Bulls will attempt to sell off rotation players like Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott, but
both will remain on the team.
Even though the Wizards just traded for Bojan Bogdanovic they will add one more bench piece.
Jahlil Okafor will remain a 76er at least till the summer.
Deron Williams will have a homecoming when he is traded to the jazz.
This will be one of the most active trade deadlines in years.
