NBA Roundtable: What Will And Won’t Happen At The Trade Deadline

Which team will make the biggest splash on deadline day?

Saenz: My guess is the Cavs. They’re almost interested in every player and have one big trade exception to use as an asset. Plus, if they’re even entertaining the idea of Kevin Love, it could be one crazy NBA Trade Deadline.

Gonzalez: The Cavaliers. I see them making a move for someone that could help them in the postseason and that makes the playoffs and potential Finals very interesting. The Rockets and Knicks are right behind them as far as looking very different going forward.

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Coldiron: New Orleans. Omer Asik, Tyrke Evans, Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon are all in play and any or all might be leaving the underachieving Pelicans.

Murray: Might as well say the Hawks, leaving their stamp next week is a possibility. So many reports on that core going elsewhere that other teams having their fortune is inevitable.

Lederman: A deadline like this one is the type that Pat Riley loves, and the type that every Riley-hater fears. He’s like the lunch lady in the middle of a food fight. He’s watching a bunch children flinging food all over the place at each other, but through all of the chaos, he sees exactly what he needs to do, and gets the job done. There’s going to be a lot of crazy stuff going on during deadline day this year, and I just feel like he knows more than me, and every single one of the 29 other GMs around the NBA.

I can’t tell you exactly what the move or moves will be, but it wouldn’t stun me if the Heat walked away from the table on Thursday with a Dwight Howard/Mike Conley combo, or something like it.

Hughes: The Atlanta Hawks are my pick to make the biggest splash this deadline, but it won’t be about who they bring in but rather who they send else where. I expect to see the Atlanta Hawks make a major roster overhaul in the coming days. Rumors are swirling around nearly all of their contributing pieces, and they might look to get a head start on a rebuild that seems inevitable. Al Horford and Jeff Teague are undoubtably the two most sought after players on their roster, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Hawks part ways with either for younger talent or future draft picks.

Next: NBA Power Rankings: Where Every Team Stand After The All-Star Break

Piers: The Toronto Raptors. Canada’s team might think they have a chance of upending the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have shown some vulnerability. To do so, they’ll need a big man. And players like Howard, Al Hortford and Kenneth Faried are reportedly available. So if someone is going to pull the trigger, it’s the Raptors.

Armstrong: Los Angeles Clippers.

Baranko: I think the Rockets are planning on blowing up their roster. Mired in a disappointing season with an unhappy star, Dwight Howard, look for Daryl Morey to make some trades with an eye towards next season.