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NBA: 13 Western Conference Trades That Need To Happen Before The Deadline

By Mason McFee

Jan 21, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic (23) in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 123-98. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic (23) in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 123-98. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Sweet Lou-sic

It can be really hard to come up with trades sometimes. While the casual NBA fan may just try to come up with a trade that works financially to bring whoever their favorite player is to their favorite team, you can’t do that. I mean, you can, but it’s not smart.

When you’re trying to come up with a trade, a host of factors should be considered; but namely coaching style, how many of ‘x’ position are on the team you want to send that player to (seems simple, but trades are typically done to clear logjams, not create them), and how long the contracts you’re swapping are for.

While it’s obviously more complex than that, I’m just providing a few tidbits of information for you to keep in mind for you to understand my over analytical mind a little bit better.

So how do you justify a trade involving a guy that’s only played in 19 games this season, and another that’s sporting a 23.5 PER coming off the bench? When it involves a team desperate for draft picks, anything is possible.

Even as a Celtics fan, I feel bad for the Lakers. If their first-round pick doesn’t land in the top-3, they send it to Philadelphia as a part of a trade that went down during the Hinkie regime. If that happens, they won’t have any other draft picks in this year’s class. In a loaded 2017 class, every NBA team wishes they had a first round pick to nab a talent from one of the greatest draft classes in a long time.

It’s a shame that the Lakers pretty much have to tank, especially since they showed promise at the beginning of the season under the tutelage of new head coach (and former Laker) Luke Walton. While I think their future is bright, they need to be thinking long term as they are currently 19-37 and 14th in the Western Conference with no picks of their ‘own’ until the 2018 draft. Luckily, the Jazz have a few draft picks to spare.

The Jazz (from my understanding) are set to receive up to three second-round picks in this year’s draft, but really have no need for them.

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While the Jazz could very well lose Gordon Hayward and/or George Hill in free agency, chances are they won’t find either of their replacements in the second round. They will most likely retain RFA sharpshooter Joe Ingles, and let go of Shelvin Mack and Jeff Withey if they don’t trade one or both of them at the deadline.

What the Jazz should be doing is trying to go all in with the team they have now, and they should be targeting teams that are desperate for draft picks, a la the Los Angeles Lakers.

While Lou Williams is the best 6th man in the league (not even close IMO) and has been a bright spot in a pretty dismal season for the Lake Show, his value will never be higher. He’s currently the Lakers leading scorer, pouring in 18.4 PPG… off the bench….. on a .440/.382/.883 line. He could nab a first, but I think the Lakers need to lower their expectations and take shots on guys in the second round. That’s where they found Jordan Clarkson after all.

The Jazz may give up the potential to nab the next *insert superstar that was taken in the second round no analyst ever actually predicted being this good* blah blah blah. They are a playoff team who could use more scoring help and 3PT shooting. Lou Williams would be a seamless fit and an instant upgrade over Dante Exum and Alec Burks. Speaking of Burks….

Alec Burks is like Kyle Singler – I don’t really get the point of him. He’s obviously good enough to get to the NBA (and stick around in the NBA), but he’s always injured; and hasn’t done much on the court when he’s been healthy. The Lakers would definitely be taking a risk by bringing in Burks, but if they want to be competitive in the near future, they may need to sacrifice talent for guys that will want to leave when their contract is up.

Burks could pan out, he holds a 36% from 3 for his career, and is under contract for 3 more years as opposed to Lou’s 2. While a risky move for the Lakers, it’s about the young guys with Magic Johnson in tow now, and Lou is 30.

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