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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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Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

H-Town Tosses A-threezas (A Lot)

Okay, that was bad. We’re going to pretend like it didn’t happen.

When D’Antoni came to H-Town, many wondered if his 7SOL offense would be revived. The short answer to that question is yes. The Rockets are currently ranked 13th in team 3PT% (36.5), but you can attribute that to their poor 3PT shooting in January (33%), as they shot 38% in November and December, and are shooting 37% as a team this month.

Oh, and they’re chucking up 39.8 3PA a game. (For reference, the next closest team is the Cavs at 33.4. Golden State is 5th in 3PA per game, but second in the league in 3P% (39.1%); San Antonio is fisrt at 40.3%, but only on 22.5 attempts a game). D’Antoni is more concerned with offense than defense, so I think he can afford to lose one of his better defenders if it meant more 3-pointers.

While Houston is a lock for the postseason, they, like every other team, can never have enough depth.

Nene has been one of the best value-signings of the offseason (sporting a 17.1 PER on a vet. minimum deal), but I think D’Antoni would feel a lot better having a guy that can handle more than 17.0 MPG, and give the vets (Anderson) and young guys like Harrell and Capela a breather.

Tolliver is the definition of a journeyman. He’s played for the Spurs, Warriors, Trail Blazers, Timberwolves, Hawks, Bobcats, Suns, Pistons, and now Kings. Typically guys like that only stick around for one of two reasons:

  1. ‘X’ journeyman player has one really good season and another team bets on that one year’s production and has buyer’s remorse and trades him; or,
  2. ‘X’ journeyman player is really good at one thing; whether it be defense, 3PT shooting, facilitating an offense, etc.

This particular journeyman is currently shooting 40.6% from downtown while sporting a 59.3 eFG%. While he may corral a lot of boards (3.5 for his career) or assist a lot (0.9 for his career), he is a darn good stretch 4. He could backup Ryan Anderson or Clint Capela with ease, and be kicked out to by monstrous rebounder Montrezl Harrell, or by James Harden since he never sits. (Kidding, but he is averaging 36.5 MPG. He’s also 6’5″. Didn’t know that).

When Houston signed Ariza to a 4 yr., $32 mil. deal back in 2014, he was coming off a great campaign with the Washington Wizards. He played and started in all 82 games, shot a blistering 40.7% from distance, and was an integral piece of the Wizards’ playoff berth. He was considered a huge get for Houston who hadn’t had a true impact player on the wing (arguably) since T-Mac.

Fast forward to present day (2 years into his current contract), and Ariza has played and started in all 57 games so far this season. He is shooting 40.9% from 3, and has been a constant for the Rockets with some of Houston’s starters missing some serious time. While losing Ariza would hurt defensively, he’s only averaging 11.8 PPG.

While it may seem more lopsided for the Kings to acquire Ariza after losing Gay to a ruptured Achilles tendon and allow Afflalo to play his natural position of the 2, I still think the Rockets pull the trigger. I think their bench has been exposed in their recent losses to teams like Miami, Milwaukee, and Minnesota; and while they have won their past 4, you can never have too much depth.

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