With the NBA 2020-2021 Season Trade Deadline approaching March 25th, there’s much to unpack about roster changes and what teams are going to look like on the back half of the season. There have already been several reports of players being moved to new organizations, most recently that come to mind would be Blake Griffin to the Brooklyn Nets and P.J. Tucker to the Milwaukee Bucks. Here we will be looking at 10 different players and trade headlines that have been in talks of speculation as the Deadline draws near.
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1. Victor Oladipo, SG Houston Rockets
With the acquisition of Oladipo during the season after James Harden’s great departure from Houston, the Rockets had high hopes for the team do well. Unfortunately that hasn’t been quite panned out, with an 11-29 record leaving them as second to last in the Western Conference. Oladipo in Houston also doesn’t seem like it will pan out either, with him denying his extension that was offered by the Houston front office.
Potential Destinations:
- Miami Heat
- Denver Nuggets
- Philadelphia 76ers
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2. Lonzo Ball, PG New Orleans Pelicans
There has been a lot talk regarding Lonzo Ball and his status as a Pelican. Many media outlets chipped in the conversation, determining whether or not Ball should stay in New Orleans. Fellow teammates have also spoke out upon the subject, like star Forward Zion Williamson hoping for Lonzo to continue his career alongside him. Ball has been doing exceptional thus far as well, which both helps him make his claim to stay but also make him a target for other teams as one to potentially trade for.
Potential Destinations:
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Charlotte Hornets
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3. LaMarcus Aldridge, PF/C San Antonio Spurs
LaMarcus Aldridge seems to always been an under the radar player in the league, never not being able to provide for his team. So it was somewhat of a surprise when he and the San Antonio Spurs decided to part ways. Aldridge has always had a talent for scoring, which makes him a commodity to many teams. His ability to both play as a stretch and a traditional big is exactly the kind of versatility that teams would be interested in having on their roster.
Potential Destinations:
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Atlanta Hawks
- Charlotte Hornets
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4. Lou Williams, SG Los Angeles Clippers
Lou Williams has been quite the household name in Los Angeles for the Clippers ever since he came many years ago. His pure ability to score could be useful to a whole lot of teams, and surely a trade could potentially be equally beneficial for the Clippers and whomever wants Lou Williams.
Potential Destinations:
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Orlando Magic
- Golden State Warriors
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5. John Collins, PF Atlanta Hawks
John Collins has made strides in his young career thus far. He’s become a versatile player on both ends of the floor, athletic, finishes well, has become a decent shooter, and could really guard 1-5, something a bunch of teams could use. Although the Hawks are currently holding a .500 record at 20-20, they could potentially be looking for additional pieces that could propel them up even further.
Potential Destinations:
- Portland Trailblazers
- Detroit Pistons
- Golden State Warriors
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6. Orlando Magic
Despite making a Playoff run last year in the NBA Bubble, the Magic have struggled to get wins this season, standing with a record of 14-27. The question bares whether or not they’re short a couple of pieces or the Magic front office need to blow up the team and look towards a rebuild. There really is no speculation on who would go where or what they need exactly, but one of the two outcomes seems more likely than naught.
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7. Boston Celtics
By no stretch of the imagination should the Boston Celtics ever even think about trading away their core pieces, but need to consider who exactly they surround their core with. With the their signing of Tristan Thompson over last year’s off-season, things haven’t quite panned out for the C’s. They’ve seem to be having a season they didn’t necessarily expect, with a record of 20-21, despite having incredible individual seasons from Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. The Celtics would more than likely benefit from a rebounding big, only averaging 43.3 a game, ranking 17th league wide.
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8. Warriors’ Aggressive into the Deadline
There have numerous reports of the Warriors’ front office stating that they’ll be approaching the Deadline “aggressively”, which seems more apparent than ever while the Warriors sit just outside the Playoffs with a record of 22-20. Although the roster has begun gelling and coming together, with Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andrew Wiggins both coming into form, they may be a piece or two away from making quite the Playoff push on the back half of the season.
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9. Cleveland’s Bigs
James Harden’s departure from Houston shook up the league in more ways than people may realize. In Cleveland’s case, the Cavs acquired another big in Jarrett Allen, and with said acquisition it would seem that there may be quite a bit more bigs than needed. This leaves Drummond and McGee up for trade talks, which is also something that teams league wide are heavily interested in. It remains to be seen where exactly each of the bigs will land come March 25th, but surely teams are looking towards Cleveland to make some trades.
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10. Los Angeles’ Championship or Bust?
Last but not least, we have the Los Angeles teams. Both teams are doing just fine with their current rosters having been in the top of the rankings since the beginning stages of the season, but with injuries and other factors, surely the organizations have been exploring their options in bolstering their rosters come Playoff time. There clearly has been some apparent issues for both teams as we’ve seen throughout the course of the season thus far, and said issues can be addressed with this deadline. The Lakers went into the season more so taking strides towards small ball, acquiring more shooting than last year’s multitude big rotation. As for the Clippers, they too have been yearning for a reliable big, which originally was found in Serge Ibaka but due to injury has been away for some time now. It would come as a surprise of either team makes no changes to their roster before the deadline.
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Although there are many more potential trades that can occur before March 25th approaches, this was merely a small glimpse into how things may unfold. With further coverage of the NBA Trade Deadline and all things sports, sneakers, and lifestyle related, be sure to check in with SneakerReporter.
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