The 2016 NBA off-season has provided tons of excitement, but the only transactions involving stars have been free agent signings. Jeff Teague, Thaddeus Young, and Andrew Bogut are fine players, but the trades involving them don’t exactly qualify as “blockbusters”. Unfortunately, the trade market doesn’t look to bring much more excitement for the rest of this off-season. The 2017 NBA trade deadline, though, will be a very different story.
Those waiting on huge trades in the Association will have to wait until after this summer ends. There are many names floating in the NBA’s rumor mill nowadays as possible trade targets, but it’s hard to believe that any huge names will be traded before the season, given the specific circumstances surrounding each player. Let’s examine the situations that a few of the league’s stars find themselves in.
Expect Blockbusters at 2017 NBA Trade Deadline, but not Before Season
Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler has found himself in tons of trade rumors, especially on draft night, but why would the Chicago Bulls trade him before training camp? The Bulls’ (misguided) plan is clearly to see if a big name backcourt can lead them back to the playoffs. If they wanted to trade Butler for younger pieces, which very well may have been the right call, why sign 30-year-old Rajon Rondo and 34-year-old Dwyane Wade? What’s more is that Butler’s contract runs through the next four seasons, and the Bulls know that there’s no reason to panic-trade him now.
Could he be dealt during the season, though? Absolutely. If he can’t get along with Rondo and Wade, who are already very likely to not get along with each other, the Bulls will absolutely look to trade him in February. It seems like he, Fred Hoiberg, and Chicago’s front office don’t have a Tim Duncan–Gregg Popovich–Peter Holt type of relationship. If it all goes sour, a trade in February would shock no one.
DeMarcus Cousins
DeMarcus Cousins has seemingly been in trade rumors since the last time that someone with the last name “Clinton” was the Democratic nominee for U.S. President. Fans who think he’s getting dealt this summer may not know a key mitigating factor; the Sacramento Kings are moving into a new arena this season. The organization is constantly battling low attendance. It’s important for the Kings to move into that new arena with a superstar as good as Cousins.
But after this summer, Cousins may not be on the Kings much longer. The end of his contract is now truly in sight. Boogie will be heading into his contract year at this time in 2017. Cousins hasn’t been shy about voicing his displeasure over the Kings’ draft choices and coaching hires. The Kings may soon decide to maximize Cousins’ value and not let him leave for nothing in free agency.
Blake Griffin
Blake Griffin’s name has often found itself in trade rumors since his infamous fistfight with a man half his size. That doesn’t mean he’ll get traded soon, though. The Clippers, in superstar point guard Chris Paul’s contract year, have no desire to take a step back and rebuild, and it’s hard to find any package for Griffin that would still keep the Clips in the hunt for a title.
During the season, though, what would happen if Blake’s relationship with the Clippers heads south? If head cocach and team president Doc Rivers feels that they can’t win a title with Griffin, Paul, and DeAndre Jordan leading them, then Griffin is as good as gone. In such a scenario, Rivers would quickly look for a trade package for Griffin that would bring back at least one win-now piece in order to keep Paul in L.A.
Russell Westbrook
Finally, Russell Westbrook has been hypothetically traded by approximately 17 million bloggers and sportswriters since Kevin Durant left town. Here’s the problem with those trades: Westbrook is going to be AMAZING at the start of the season. Westbrook finished fourth in MVP voting. He led the league with 28.1 points per game in 2014-2015, when Durant missed 55 games. Westbrook will be 28 years old by the start of the season, his contract year. He’s as competitive as any human on the planet and will have a chip on his shoulder after Durant’s departure. Westbrook will once again play as he did when he was a 2015 MVP candidate. Thunder general manager Sam Presti knows this. He also knows that Westbrook could produce a king’s ransom in a mid-season trade if he’s an MVP candidate.
While these potential trade targets are in a unique set of circumstances, there is a common denominator: their current general managers realize how much they can demand for each superstar. Butler and Cousins’ contracts run past the 2017 off-season that will see record prices in free agency. Teams that would acquire them know how much of a bargain their contracts will be in 2017-2018. Griffin and Westbrook’s teams both need to see how their rosters play as currently constituted. Those two players have shown the ability to be top ten players in the league. Teams will gladly scrape together more assets; in order to be able to offer them more money than anyone else next summer.
Be prepared for the 2017 NBA trade deadline. Unlike the rest of the 2016 off-season, it promises to feature at least one trade that will send ripple effects through the league.
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