It is becoming more and more obvious which way each NBA team is going with the deadline, which is
only three weeks away, as trade season has already started and half of the regular season has already been completed. Furthermore, the upcoming month is a crucial time frame for decision-making for individuals for whom it is still unclear.
Following up on part one and the Eastern Conference, the Western Conference clubs are broken down here, along with some of their possibly available players and whether or not we should anticipate each team to be active prior to the deadline.
The Mavericks are currently in a pretty wonderful place, and it may be to their advantage that they have such definite needs after a few turbulent seasons.
To be more precise, it is currently well known that they are searching for frontcourt reinforcements to complement Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, who form the core of the team. Although rookie Dereck Lively is doing a great job clearing the glass and protecting the paint in his first season, he is left too often on his own due to Maxi Kleber’s and Dwight Powell’s ailments and declines. Respect to the reliable Derrick Jones Jr. notwithstanding, the power forward position is still being worked on, both now and in the future.Dallas doesn’t have the greatest collection of possible trade assets at its disposal to enlist this assistance. They owe other teams a significant amount of future draft capital, and at most they could offer Toronto’s 2025 second-round pick and their first-round picks from 2026 or 2027. This is not a good foundation around which to create a trade. While they have had their moments, Josh Green, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Jaden Hardy, and Richaun Holmes have not solidified their positions on the team and have disappointed. Consequently, even though Dallas will not want to part with the seasoned shooter Tim Hardaway Jr., he and his $16,193,183 salary for 2024–2025 could end up being key components of a trade.
Even though the Mavericks lost out on Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, they are still making trades. Anticipate something more significant and fruitful than Grant Williams’ purchase to cross the finish line ahead of schedule. The draft capital may not be there, but the money is.
The Nuggets have given the young players more of a chance than most, if not all, of the reigning champions. Due to several factors like as opportunity, budget, and possibly a deliberate attempt to avoid “the disease of more” that sometimes befalls seasoned winners, Denver’s squad consists of 11 players, including four rookies, with four less years of experience.
They both represent and validate the Nuggets’ emphasis on youth, which may help to avoid the necessity for a second mid-season deal.
This tactic has a great deal of potential to maintain a championship window if it succeeds. Keeping things young and new around the edges of the roster has the extra benefit of being less expensive, which is in and of itself a crucial component of remaining at the top. Many potential dynasties are cut short early by greed, indifference, rising prices, and internal politics. There hasn’t been much talk about the Nuggets in the rumors market; they would obviously want to sign Bruce Brown, who was recently acquired by the Toronto Raptors, back, but they can’t realistically match his $27.2 million salary given their current financial situation. Maybe this is because they don’t need as much given their young strategy.
Any team would benefit from having an additional shooter, huge wing, defense, experience, and transition athleticism. However, nothing is really that much needed, and Denver has more room for internal growth than its competitors.
After a decade in and around the top, the Warriors are broken in a way that might not be fixable. The core of Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Stephen Curry grew aging, costly, and injured; their mystique has long since vanished, and unavoidable boos have taken its place. Furthermore, figuring out how to correct all of this is very difficult.So, the Warriors have an option. As the LA Lakers decided to do with the late great Kobe Bryant, let the Steph Curry era come to an end naturally, even with injuries. Conversely, as the Portland Trail Blazers did with Damian Lillard, they could take the other route and seize whatever opportunity presents themselves. In terms of basketball and business, each route they take will have advantages, but one or the other may become more important than the other in order to save money. The kind of talented role players with mid-range wages that are required to support the next competitive Warriors team are players like Kevon Looney, Dario Saric, and Gary Payton II. However, if that team never materializes, those players end up being surplus players who are taxed.
Therefore, it wouldn’t be shocking if the Warriors decided to minimize costs, retain the youth, and go in a different direction instead of keeping looking for a “fourth guy.” This was intended to be enforced by the punitive consequences of the repeater tax and the new second apron; very rare situations will let a team to avoid them. Those are no longer the circumstances for the Warriors.
Over the summer, Houston made no secret of its desire to climb out of the basement, and the team’s near-.500 record at the nearly halfway point is proof that their efforts have paid off. The feared middle ground, however, is about to replace it. High draft picks like Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., and Jalen Green won’t just happen to pop up every year. The Rockets are now having more difficulty moving in any direction.
Even yet, the general trend is upward, even with challenging road trips. The Rockets’ future draft pick status is murky and unclear due to the transactions of Chris Paul and James Harden in the distant past, but beneficial overall at this point. The Rockets still have a lot of room for internal development with that, the aforementioned trio, the gifted Alperen Sengun in the middle, and the youthful forward tandem of Cam Whitmore and Tari Eason. It is OK to be in the middle ground as long as the direction of movement is ahead.
However, those actions have left the Rockets in a somewhat erratic situation. While they should be viewed as available, players like Jeff Green, Victor Oladipo, Jae’Sean Tate, Aaron Holiday, Boban Marjanovic, and Reggie Bullock disagree with the dominant timeline and don’t offer much right now. As a result, their value may be minimal or nonexistent.
On the other hand, opportunities for mid-level trades can be observed when considering only financial aspects. Oladipo’s $9.45 million deal is about to expire, and if Green’s $9.6 million team option is turned down, it will also expire. These two combined with any number of the several excellent selections might be packaged for a respectable, if not particularly disruptive, upgrade, similar to what Brooks was back in the summer.
Houston’s name being linked to Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes as a possible target is therefore not shocking. The Rockets are able to strike a deal for a player with that kind of compensation.
