The most exciting time of the NBA regular season is here. Here are our top five most anticipated NBA trades to look out for before the February 9 trade deadline.
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The Houston Rockets were ahead of the curve this season when it came to trades. It appears that the head office is eyeing offloading Rockets veteran Eric Gordan. Gordan, who is one of the best beyond-the-arc sharpshooters in the NBA, gained a lot of interest from teams last season. As of the 2022-23 season, The New York Knicks and Houston Rockets had engaged in trade talks for the year old. Gordon has played 35 games for the Rockets and started each of those games. He is averaging 11.1 points per game which is five points below his career average. Earlier this season, The Houston rockets were willing to part with the rockets star for a pricey first-round pick. Adding a first-round draftee to a young team of Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr, Alperen Sengun, Kenyon Martin Jr., and Jabari Smith Jr. would provide future dividends to the youthful team. The Rockets need to move this star as soon as possible to offload the $ 19.1 million in the salary cap. Any contending team would be more than willing to take Gordan away from the hands of a rebuilding Rockets.
This season has been disastrous for the Atlanta Hawks. They are 11th in the league in points per game and rebounds per game. The Hawks are holding on to a 9th seed position in the NBA and are below .500. As Trey Young and the Hawks flirt with the play-in spot, John Collins’ underwhelming season seems to be a sour topic. Averaging career lows in field goal and three-point percentages, the star is surely struggling. A new team more willing to feature Collins’s talent could unlock some potential. Collin’s poor shooting is not here to stay since he is one of the better shooters in the NBA. With added backcourt depth in Dejounte Murray, Collins is virtually not adding anything to the Hawks roster. Collins is in the second year of a five-year, $125 million contract. Ahead of this season, Collins has two guaranteed years and a player option. Potential destinations include Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, and Phoenix Suns.
The Jae Crowder situation is fairly peculiar as compared to others on this list. Crowder has not played a single game this season for the Suns. It was reported that in August, the star player requested a trade from the Suns. Sources say that his trade is being held up due to the suspension of Robert Sarver from running the Phoenix Suns, and minority owner Sam Garvin is the acting governor running the team day-to-day while a sale of Sarver’s share of the team to Mat Ishbia is finalized. Suns would not give the 32-year-old power forward a contract extension which commenced his exit plans. Trade destinations for Crowder include Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Sacramento Kings.
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Detroit Pistons are a team that is forever rebuilding; Cade Cunningham is the obvious candidate for centering the team for the future. Since Cunningham is out for the season, teams are listening to offers for Nerlens Noel and Saddiq Bay. Bojan is likely to be a part of one of these trade packages. Sadly, Bojan Bogdanovic’s exceptional rise is not enough to keep him around, and he is likely to be sent to a championship contender with his stock at an all-time high right now. Teams like the Warriors, Lakers, and Bucks could use his hot shooting and experience to elevate their roster. Bogdanovic is averaging 21.1 points per game, shooting 43.2% on 3-pointers, and is a solid defender.
Every season Myles Turner trade rumors gain traction, but nothing comes to fruition. The Los Angeles Lakers were the frontrunner in landing Turner, but they lacked the assets that Indiana Pacers were looking for. Following Domantas Sabonis’ exit, the expectation was that Turner’s days are numbered in the Pacers jersey. Turner, on the contrary, solidified his spot with a breakout season. He is averaging 17.6 points and 7.7 rebounds a game, shooting 43.2% from 3 while blocking 2.3 shots a game. He is a fantastic fit as a five in the modern game. The upside for losing Turner is far greater than keeping him around in a rebuild. Turner could potentially bring several second-round, and first-round picks to kickstart the Pacers’ rebuild.
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