The NBA will create some drama going into Thursday’s trade deadline that makes everyone talk about them. Instead of learning about those things then, here’s what you need to know to sound smart.
Victor Oladipo Will Be Moved: It was just a couple of months ago when Oladipo was still on the Pacers and disgruntled with the entire Indiana organization. Then the James Harden trade shook the entire NBA world. For some reason that I still don’t know, the Rockets traded away Caris LeVert for Oladipo. Maybe they thought that having a more veteran guard will help John Wall and the Rockets make it to the playoffs. Well, they were wrong, as Houston has lost the last 20 games in a row. Oladipo turned down a 2 year $45.2 million extension from the Rockets. So either Houston will need to move him before Thursday, or they will walk away with nothing as he leaves to join the Sunshine State.
Aaron Gordon Has Asked For A Trade: The Magic will lose their high flying dunker, and that’s okay. Gordon has all of the athleticism in the world, as he has shown off in multiple dunk contests.
The thing with Gordon is that he believes that he is a dynamic scorer like Kevin Durant or LeBron James, and that’s not the case. His career-high in scoring came in 17-18 when he only averaged 17.6 points on 43% shooting. If Gordon turned himself into a dynamic defender, he could be a Draymond Green type of player. He could be a small-ball center as he is 6’9″ and would stretch the floor as he shoots 40% from 3 this year. I imagine him on the Celtics as a center surrounded by Kemba, Smart, Tatum, and Brown. That would never work, though, as he would need to be the anchor for that defense, and that is the opposite of who Aaron Gordon is.
The Buyout Market Is Going To Be Very Interesting: Blake Griffin already started the buyout market, and unfortunately, he went to the Nets, but he won’t be the only player that will be bought out. These players were in their prime when I first started to be a super fan of the NBA. It’s strange for these players to be bought out and know that their prime is no longer. LaMarcus Aldridge, in his prime, was a walking 20 and 10. He and Dame were supposed to lead the Blazers to the promised land. Instead, Popovich’s magic lured him towards the Spurs. Tim Duncan was gone, and Aldridge and Kawhi were supposed to take the Spurs’ mantle. The closest they got was a Western Conference finals where Zaza hurt Kawhi. Everyone knows what happened with Kawhi and the Spurs. The two favorites for Aldridge are the Heat and the Blazers. Aldridge said that he would retire in Portland. Could this buy-out give Aldridge a run to the Finals with Dame before he retires? Or will he join South Beach with Jimmy? Andre Drummond, who is 8 years younger, is also rumored to be bought out. The Cavs are hoping that somebody will trade for Drummond, but it looks like teams that are actually interested in the big man are waiting for him to be bought out. The Knicks and Lakers lead the charge for Drummond, and as a Knicks fan, I pray to God we don’t get him. If you’re looking at his stats, then why wouldn’t you want Drummond? He can put up points, and rebounds but he’s bad on defense. A center needs to be your anchor, and Drummond is the opposite of that. If the Knicks were to trade for Drummond, they would need to pay him, and if his last contract is an indicator of what he might make, it’s going to be a shit ton.
The Miami Heat Are Rumored To Get Everyone: From buyouts like Aldridge to big trades involving John Collins. I don’t know if it’s the lure of Pat Riley or the beautiful weather of Miami. If the Heat actually wants to do anything big, they will need to throw in either Herro or Duncan. Duncan and Herro’s dynamic shooting helped the Heat get to the Finals last year, but was the just a blimp? Herro and Duncan’s shooting has fallen away from what it was last year. Last year Herro averaged 38% from 3, and this year he’s averaging 31% from deep. Duncan averaged 44% from 3, and this year it’s down to 38%. Another player that is rumored to go to Miami is Kyle Lowry. The Raptors aren’t the same Raptors that won the finals. Kawhi is gone, Siakam isn’t the first option, OG is a good, not great two way player, and it’s the last year of Lowry’s contract. The Raptors are going into full rebuild mode, so why not get an asset for Lowry. The only thing is that the Raptors want either Duncan or Herro. The Heat will have to give away one of their young studs or miss out on Lowry.
John Collins Can’t Stand Trae Young: It was reported that Trae Young got into it with Collins about how the offense was running.
I mean, can you blame Collins. Trae shoots about 17 times a game, and 7 of those are threes. This isn’t in the rhythm threes either there’s a lot of almost half-court shots. These are cool when they go in, but it’s just a wasted possession when they brick off the rim. The Kings are the favorite to land Collins, but the Kings are the Kings, and they will somehow either miss out on Collins or grossly overpay.
If there’s one thing that I know is that the NBA will find some way to make the trade deadline the biggest story of the week. There can be giant upsets during March Madness, and somehow the NBA will dominate ESPN.
