NBA Trade Targets In The East

With the NBA Draft less than a month away, the 2017 offseason is coming up for teams to alter their direction with different roster moves and find pieces to add to the puzzle.

The Western Conference has plenty of solid names to look at, but the Eastern Conference takes the cake with really big names that are probably up for grabs with the right offer.

Paul George

Perhaps the most valuable player and well-known option on the trade block, George is entering the last season of his contract with the Indiana Pacers before likely hitting the open market in 2018.

It was a year of disappointment for both parties involved, as the new-look roster led by brand new head coach Nate McMillan did not live up to expectations. The positive takeaway was a strong end to April that led to a seventh-seed berth in the postseason for Indiana, but it ended quickly with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers sweeping them right out.

Individually, the All-Star forward’s frustration with the organization is notable. The direction of the ball club could be a major reason, as then-president Larry Bird decided last summer to part ways with Frank Vogel and try out a new offensive philosophy. The plan backfired as Indiana was one of the bottom defensive teams in the entire league.

Off the floor, George’s relationship with the franchise wasn’t much better. At the trade deadline back in late February, George knew that other teams were interested in him, but he wasn’t hesitant to fire off at the Pacers’ front office for not keeping him informed with what was going on.

Since the season had started, George was linked to multiple teams like the Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, and most popularly, the Los Angeles Lakers. A couple of weeks ago, All-NBA teams were announced. George was not selected to make any of the three. Since he didn’t qualify for the designated player exception, Indiana will not be able to propose a super maximum contract offer unless he makes an All-NBA team next season.

With how talented the league is, it would be extremely risky to wait out, and would be costly to the Pacers to lose George without getting anything in return for the future. Any team in the NBA that’s one piece away or in need of a small forward or superstar should pick up the phone and dial up Kevin Pritchard as soon as possible.

Whoever ends up with George will be more than happy to have him. Offensively across the board, he was spectacular, setting a career-high with 23.7 points per game and delivering the best true shooting (58.6) and effective field goal percentage (53.3) in his seven years as a pro.

Carmelo Anthony

Similar to the player previously mentioned, the rumors surrounding Anthony have been well documented, but in his particular case, they’ve been around for years.

But it’s never been clearer than now what fate will have in store for the 10-time All-Star. There’s a big mess going on in the Big Apple with Phil Jackson at the helm of the New York Knicks organization, and it’s not getting better anytime soon. After another unsatisfactory season, Anthony could use a change of scenery for sure.

Making him the scapegoat for the Knicks’ failure of a year is nonsense. Sure, he’s gotten older and has been a step slow defensively, but he’s still one of the top scoring threats this league has to offer. Now 33 years old, Anthony has also matured off the floor as a veteran, which is why it’s ridiculous for the Zen Master to question his nightly efforts. Jackson’s been trying to move him for a while and Anthony is quite aware of it.

Looking at potential fits, it again comes down to whoever needs a reliable starting wing. The Clippers could be a great place to go, but could they offer anything significant in return? Adding him to the mix with Isaiah Thomas might be an interesting thought, but would the Boston Celtics risk what already is a great situation with young talent? Expect a team that’s near contending to try and nab Anthony away from the toxic situation in the Mecca.

Elfrid Payton

The Orlando Magic organization is currently undergoing a major makeover. Recently, they’ve hired former Toronto Raptors general manager Jeff Weltman as their president of basketball operations, lured away John Hammond from the Milwaukee Bucks to be the general manager under him and brought in John Gabriel as a consultant.

Turnover in the front office could mean turnover on the current roster. With the NBA Draft fast approaching, rumors are running rampant about the Magic’s interest in Dennis Smith Jr. as the sixth pick. If that selection goes through, the writing will be on the wall for Payton’s career in Orlando.

After three years in the league, Payton displays a number of strengths, but shooting isn’t one of them. He’s an excellent all-around player who is unselfish and has plenty of room to grow. Despite his limited ability on the perimeter, he’s already in select company.

Among names like John Wall, Ricky Rubio, Russell Westbrook and LeBron James, Payton is the 20th player in NBA history to average 10 points, over six-and-a-half assists and four rebounds per game in the first three years of their career. It’s hard to believe a team looking for a floor general with the youth and potential he has wouldn’t engage Orlando in talks.

Jahlil Okafor

Shockingly at the deadline, the 2015 third overall pick was not moved by the Philadelphia 76ers, contrary to what nearly everyone expected. Instead, the team went its separate ways with Nerlens Noel in a transaction with the Dallas Mavericks.

In his rookie season, Okafor showed plenty of promise in the back-to-basket game with his polished footwork, but he needed to improve his rebounding. Believe it or not, it regressed a ton this year—ranked dead last in the league in defensive rebounds per game with only 3.2 per game. He also produced a -14.5 net rating per-100-possessions for the Sixers.

On the court, the former big man out of Duke just looked lost and confused. Whether it was the knee injury and minute restriction, the emergence of Joel Embiid or something else, it’s obvious Okafor needs to do something different. Philadelphia may not be able to get much value out of a deal with a team that’ll gamble on him, but maybe the fact that he was a top three pick in the last two years will help the case.

Reggie Jackson

With the latest news of Stan Van Gundy’s desire to acquire a veteran, “win-now” player in exchange for the 12th overall pick in the draft, a potential deal could have Jackson’s name attached to it.

Since he started the season recovering from surgery on his knee, Jackson wasn’t able to play like his usual self for the Detroit Pistons. He had problems on the defensive end and wasn’t quite as aggressive as he was the previous year.

At 26 years old, Jackson still has plenty of potential and room to grow as a point guard in the NBA. The injury issues could be a concern and keep teams away, though.

Terry Rozier

It’s all but certain that if the Celtics keep the number one overall pick, they will select Markelle Fultz out of Washington to be the future of the franchise. This would create a logjam at that point guard position in Boston, so it’s likely to see somebody in the backcourt get moved.

Marcus Smart has a real chance to be something special for Brad Stevens. Danny Ainge has expressed his feelings about keeping both Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley, even with Fultz entering the mix. Rozier becomes the odd man out and will get the chance to shine elsewhere, just like he did for the majority of his first playoff experience.