NBA Trade Watch: Power Forwards

Basketball Insiders continues its daily trade watch series, breaking it down by position. As we’ve seen in the past, the trade market is wide open for teams looking to get better and that won’t change this year. The block is full of big men with either expiring contracts or those desiring a more prominent role, so let’s start with power forwards who could fit the bill.

1. Nikola Mirotic –$12,500,000

With the way his season began, it’s no surprise that Mirotic was a hot name on the trade block. He missed the first month and a half of the year due to an altercation in practice with Bobby Portis and watched the Chicago Bulls go 3-20 in his absence. But since then the chatter has simmered down, as the team has won 15 of its last 25 games.

Still, Mirotic reportedly prefers to be dealt due to his off-floor relationship with Portis, despite how well the two compliment each other in games. The fourth-year forward has exemplified professionalism and it’s resulted in what has been the best year in his career. A real candidate for both Sixth Man and Most Improved Player, he’s averaging 17 points per game on a 62.2 true shooting percentage. With him on the court, the Bulls are scoring 127 points per 100 possessions, which according to Cleaning The Glass ranks him in the 99th percentile. The Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons have been the interested parties. Chicago’s front office is expecting at least a first-round pick in return.

2. Ersan Ilyasova –$6,000,000

Having played for five teams in the past three seasons, Ilyasova has been quite the journeyman since exiting Milwaukee via trade, but he’s been a pretty consistent role player for the majority of his career. If you need somebody to stretch the floor and shoot the basketball, the 30-year-old Turkish forward is your guy.

Currently with the Atlanta Hawks, Ilyasova has been in a little bit of a shooting slump in the month of January, but in December shot the ball extremely well when he had a higher usage. It’s been a little tough for Mike Budenholzer to balance the minutes between his veterans and the younger guys he’s trying to develop (e.g. John Collins), so that makes for pretty good odds to execute a trade. Our own Michael Scotto reported a couple of weeks ago that the Hawks are looking for a high second-round pick in return. If Ilyasova does get dealt, it’d be the fifth time he’s been moved in less than two years.

3. Marvin Williams –$13,168,750

Another veteran who’s flown under the radar with the Charlotte Hornets, Williams has gotten better as a more efficient scorer. While he’s seen a dip in both playing time and usage, it’s actually helped him in terms of shooting. The former second overall pick is knocking down 48 percent of his attempts, including 44 percent of his threes. Both numbers are career-highs, and the perimeter percentage is by far.

Williams is a target for teams that want a smart veteran that can offer versatility either in the starting lineup where he’s slotted now or off the bench for a contending team. According to ESPN, he along with Nic Batum, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Dwight Howard have been made available, but hefty contracts have made interested parties reluctant.

4. Kenneth Faried –$12,921,348

The Denver Nuggets are getting younger and going positionless, so Faried has been phased out of the rotation. The truth of the matter is other players offer more abilities on the floor. Whether it’s adaptability on defense or the production offensively, there are simply better players for Michael Malone to throw out there at this point.

Don’t get it twisted — “The Manimal” still has plenty of his career to go at 28 years old. He’s a menace on the glass and can run the floor in transition. All he needs is an opportunity and the right situation to thrive. His most suitable role would probably be that of a Kyle O’Quinn or Marreese Speights, coming off the bench and providing a spark. Whatever team needs rebounding and an interior presence should give the Nuggets a call.

5. Channing Frye –$7,420,912

For some odd reason, the Cleveland Cavaliers refuse to give Frye any semblance of playing time. During their 13-game winning streak, he was an integral part of the success, but the return of Tristan Thompson has completely changed Tyronn Lue’s lineups. Unless he starts getting some playing time, it’s likely he’ll be traded.

As far as effectiveness is concerned, it goes beyond the stat sheet. Frye is a player that opens up lanes and draws attention from defenders because he’s always a threat to hit the three. The Cavs were at their best when he and Korver were on the floor together and it resulted in a ton of good looks. Recently, Frye’s been involved in a rumor along with Iman Shumpert regarding George Hill, but nothing can be done until a roster spot is cleared on the Sacramento Kings’ end.

6. Skal Labissiere –$1,312,611

Continuing that same conversation with Frye, the Kings have reportedly targeted moving either Malachi Richardson or Labissiere to open up that spot for Shumpert. There’s a lot of upside to the sophomore big man, which makes it head scratching why they would think about dealing him away in what would essentially be a salary dump.

Perhaps it’s the abundance of frontcourt players, but giving up on Labissiere would be a mistake. Sure he’s been inconsistent, but so has his playing time until now. With multiple 20-point performances, he’s shown flashes of brilliance in multiple instances and he’s only 21 years old, so whether it’s in Sacramento or elsewhere, his development will surely come along nicely.

Clearly, there are plenty of players at the four available, so keep an eye out for those names. Our trade series will conclude on Saturday afternoon when Dave Yapkowitz tops it off with centers to look out for.