NBA New Years Resolutions

We have arrived into 2018 and teams across the league has New Year Resolutions of their own. This article will highlight three teams that have to make a deal at the deadline and the respective reasons why. The team just outside of mentioning who badly needs a trade is the Phoenix Suns. Interim coach Jay Triano is a piece of work dealing with his center rotation. Starting the trio of Greg Monroe, Tyson Chandler and Alex Len every other game with no direction on what they are doing is just another thing adding to the Suns problems. The solution is Trade Chandler to a team desperate to make the playoffs like Portland for Maurice Harkless and a second-round pick. Start Monroe and have Len come off the bench and start Marquese Chriss at Power-Forward. This will solve the headache Phoenix has and knabs an extra pick in return for a useless player on this team.

Milwaukie Bucks: After fleecing the Suns in the Eric Bledsoe trade, the Bucks need one more star player to be a serious player in the East. They have the pieces to make it happen where the other team can’t say no. That team would be none other than the Los Angeles Clippers, sporting a losing record and ravished by injuries with a coach almost sunk in Doc Rivers. DeAndre Jordan is an expiring contract and Milwaukie has the right offer to make in Jabari Parker and John Henson in return. This is a win for both sides the Clippers receive a potential star in Parker who is close to returning to game action and John Henson is a young shot blocking center who can fill the DeAndre role good enough on a cheaper contract. Milwaukee would receive a player leading the league in field goal % an average shot blocker but more importantly, he is an unselfish star who doesn’t need the touches like Dwight Howard to feel like he is being utilized. Jordan could be the deciding factor in a playoff series on the boards vs teams like Cleveland, Washington, Toronto and Boston that could put the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Portland Trailblazers: How Portland has managed the salary cap is crushing this team’s ability to be effective in the trade market. Pair that with poor development of their draft picks/young players and you have the position the team is currently in. Time is running out on their best players prime and is in need of a juicy veteran center showing the team and its fan base it’s serious about winning. Two veteran centers come to mind that Portland needs to keep calling these respective teams until they are forced to take there call and that will Be Memphis and Miami. Offer Jusuf Nurkic, Harkless, Myers Leonard and a first-round pick for Hassan Whiteside and Justice Winslow. Second trade would be the same offer but for Marc Gasol and JaMychal Green. Either deal nets Portland a star player that makes a team realize they are for real in a playoff series instead of letting that back court do what they want and shut the rest of the team down and sweep them. For Memphis they are in rebuilding mode and can re-sign Nurkic for less money than Gasol and swallow one season of Harkless and Leonard at the cost of acquiring the first-round pick.

Miami Heat: If the Heat were smart they should trade Whiteside and there is multiple reasons to back this up. Whiteside has two stints missing games due to a knee injury let Portland deal with those headaches. Rookie Bam Adebayo has played well when given the opportunity and Kelly Olynyk has filled in nicely while Whiteside has missed time. By receiving Nurkic in return after re-signing him in the off-season will be for less money than Whiteside combine that with buying out Leonard and play Harkless limited minutes. This will save valuable cap space while acquiring almost equal talent and nab a pick in return who says no? The Heat also need to find a suitor for Goran Dragic Miami gave up a lot to acquire him and now is the time to move on from an aging player who is showing signs of decline. Attach Dragic with Winslow to Utah and welcome Ricky Rubio, Dante Exum and a first-round pick. Utah upgrades at point-guard and get a future player that will mesh well with Donovan Mitchell. Miami receives a one of the best passing guards in the league that doesn’t have to create offense with his shooting and the mystery that Exum can turn into. Miami is close to becoming a talented team that can sustain for multiple years in the league and the deals are out there to put them as a top four team in the East.