Do you know what is one of my favorite things to do on the internet (besides looking at porn, obviously…)? It’s a little thing called the NBA Trade Machine on espn.com. If you are unfamiliar with the Trade Machine, then you have a void in your life and I will help you fill it. The Trade Machine is a webpage that you can use to do hypothetical trades with various NBA teams. Want to trade Lebron for D-Wade? Well you can do that if the salaries match up (they do) and then ESPN NBA annalist John Hollinger will predict how many wins gained or lost as a result of the trade (for the Lebron D-Wade Trade, Cavs projected wins decrease by 7 and Miami’s increase by 6) and so on.
I’ve had a lot of fun this this in the past, making the T-Wolves a NBA Juggernaut but it’s time to get serious. Sort of. Here are few NBA trades that could happen and the reasoning behind such trades in my eyes.
Milwaukee trades Luke Ridnour and Joe Alexander to Golden State for Corey Maggette and CJ Watson (http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yfkmy55)
Why: Milwaukee is on the cusp of a playoff birth for the first time in years with an electric, yung point guard and a solid big man that is finally playing up to his potential. What do they need? Someone to score the ball. Corey Maggette has proven that he can do that and it’s not like Golden State has anything to play for. Golden State gets Ridnour’s expiring contract and Milwaukee picks up another young point guard to back up Brandon. Easy.
Wins Projections: Milwaukee +4, Golden State –5
Cleveland trades JJ Hickson, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Delonte West to the Toronto Raptors for Chris Bosh and Marco Belinelli (http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yl4xwbx)
Why: Everyone thinks that Cleveland is going after Amare when they should really be focusing on Chris Bosh. Bosh may be harder to pry from Toronto because he apparently likes it there but what Toronto needs to realize is that they aren’t going to get out of the first round of the playoffs, no matter who they face (as of right now it would be Boston) so they should save some cash and try and get players for Bosh before he walks and they get nothing. JJ Hickson and Delonte West are nothing special but they are better then nothing.
Wins Projections: Cleveland +5, Toronto –13
Boston trades Jesus Shuttlesworth and Big Baby (or Uno Uno as he wants to be called) to Phoenix for Amare Stoudemire and Jared Dudley (http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yjxz8f8)
Why: Boston isn’t getting any younger and while trading for another big man doesn’t make much basketball sense for the Celtics to do, Amare would be a welcomed addition to the lineup with an aging Kevin Garnett being able to take longer rests to be ready for what could be a final playoff run. Also, can you imagine a lineup with a healthy KG and Amare in it? Not much D but watch out for the oops raining down on the opponents. Perkins would obviously work his way in somehow to pick up the defensive slack. Also they would get rid of Jesus’ huge contract while picking up a good shooter in Dudley. Phoenix turns Amare into Big Baby and cap space.
Wins Projections: Boston +3, Phoenix –5
Houston trades Tracy McGrady to Sacramento for Kevin Martin and Kenny Thomas (http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yz82qxe)
Why: Houston has been looking for a team to dump McGrady and his contract on and Sacramento could be that landing spot. Houston gets a scoring guard to replace McGrady and also Thomas’ expiring contract. Everybody wins.
Wins Projections: Houston +4, Sacramento –5
San Antonio trades Richard Jefferson to Golden State for Monta Ellis and Devean George (http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yg7y4tb)
Why: The Richard Jefferson experiement isn’t working in San Antonio so why not swap him with a young and exciting player that is having his own problems in a system? Monta may not play any defense or shoot all that well, but he can push the tempo for the Spurs and give them a slasher scorer that they do not have when Tony Parker is hurt (which he is quite often). Who knows, maybe Monta will even learn how to play D in Popovich’s system and having Tim Duncan there to teach him. I’m sure we’ll never know either…
Wins Projections: San Antonio +2, Golden State –2
Memphis trades Rudy Gay, Mike Conley, and Sam Young to Portland for Andre Miller and Martell Webster (http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ykbr3cr)
Why: There has been a rumor all season that Andre Miller is not happy with his role with the Blazers and that he and coach Nate McMullen have not gotten along. Memphis wants a point guard as bad as I want this snow to go away and they are getting a good one in Miller but in return they are losing a promising young player in Gay in the process. Portland gets athletic and adds to their stable of tweeners that they already have on the roster.
Wins Projections: Memphis +4, Portland –4 (apparently Hollinger doesn’t like this trade. I bet Portland would be better off with Gay)
Detroit trades Kwame Brown, Chris Wilcox and Chucky Atkins to New York for Jared Jeffries and Jordan Hill (http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ylq4bw6)
Why: Can anyone say cap space? New York has done everything possible to get Lebron and this is no exception. At this rate, the Knicks will have two players under contract for next year (the immortal Toney Douglas and Danilo Gallinari). Let the sweepstakes begin.
Wins Projections: No change for either team because both are worthless this season
Bulls trade Kirk Hinrich to Los Angeles for Derek Fisher and Adam Morrison (http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yksxnhc)
Why: Derek Fisher isn’t getting any younger and Adam Morrison rots at the end of the bench. Kirk Hinrich is under contract for a few more years and is basically the same player Fisher is, only younger and better. Chicago gets about $10 mil in cap space to try and sign D-Wade.
Wins Projections: Chicago –1, LA +1
And finally…
Minnesota trades Mark Blount and Brian Cardinal to Cleveland, Al Jefferson, Ramon Sessions, Sasha Pavlovic and Oleksiy Pecherov to Orlando and Damian Wilkins to New Orleans for Lebron James, Dwight Howard Matt Barnes and Chris Paul, Cleveland sends Boobie Gibson to New Orleans (http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yjnte5a)
Why: Because then I would be a T-Wolves fan again
Wins Projections: Minnesota +17, Cleveland –8 (really? that’s it? Trading Lebron for Brian Cardinal and Mark Blount and you only are 8 games worse…?), Orlando –11, New Orleans –13
Boom goes the dynamite.
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