Assets available on fire-sale teams
— -- Monday's three-team deal (are we calling this the Dion Waiters trade, or the J.R. Smith deal?) gave us two teams looking to upgrade their rosters as they push toward inclusion in their conference playoff pictures. However, the third team, the New York Knicks, did something that's become all too familiar in the NBA -- a team with a season going nowhere selling off its spare parts. None of the players the Knicks acquired in exchange for Smith and Iman Shumpert survived the waiver wire ax ( the Knicks announced on Wednesday), so in essence the Knicks dumped two reasonably productive players for a second-round pick four years away from being fulfilled.
Normally, the fire sale puts the divesting team in a position of advantage: finding teams desperate for help, and squeezing them to mortgage their future in the form of picks or players not yet ready to contribute. Some of these teams were mentioned in Bradford Doolittle's Insider Daily column on Wednesday, but let's take a look at some of the assets that will be peddled by the fire-sale teams.
There probably isn't a team in the league as well set up to divest all assets as the Denver Nuggets . The combination of a deep roster of mismatched parts and an underwhelming win-loss record makes almost everyone on the team expendable. If you have a need, chances are the Nuggets have a player who can (somewhat) satisfy it. We've already seen this with the Cavs' acquisition of Denver big Timofey Mozgov for the tantalizing price of two future first-round picks.
Arron Afflalo's not the wing defender he was during his previous go-around in Denver, when he was one of the best 3-and-D guys in the league, but I'd compare him to Trevor Ariza in that he became infatuated with the shinier things but still retains the ability to return to what made him a valuable player. He's had a terrific shooting year off the dribble in midrange (46 percent on non-rim 2PA), and a solid 3-point percentage, and if he can be cajoled into focusing more energy defensively, he could be a big-time asset for a team looking to fill in a hole at wing defense. There's a bit of urgency for Denver to deal Afflalo because he has a player option for next year ($7.5 million) that he's expected to decline to test free agency, so the Nuggets are in a bit of a use-it-or-lose-it scenario with regard to recouping value.
Wilson Chandler doesn't have the defensive reputation of Afflalo, but he still can give a team some much needed length and athleticism, and sometimes that alone can make a difference (although his penchant for missing rotations can be a curse). Chandler's been a consistent, although not stellar, 3-point shooter throughout his career (35 percent this season), and has rebounded well defensively for a wing (16.7 DREB percentage this season). He's on the pricey side ($6.7 million this year, $7.2 million next), but he's guaranteed only $2 million next year, so there's some flexibility there. Elsewhere, the emergence of Jusuf Nurkic has made the other bigs expendable. J.J. Hickson has fallen from his athletic peak from a few years ago, but still brings rebounding to the table, although he's on the books for $5.6 million next year.
On the Boston Celtics ' roster, Jeff Green has to feel like a man on borrowed time as one of the few vets on this team who is legitimately in the prime of his career at age 28. He's enjoying a career year scoring the ball at almost 18 a game, but probably is operating at a usage rate (23.8 percent) that's above his capability, leading to some less-than-stellar efficiency.
He can help a team looking for scoring off the bench from the wing, with a reduced role on a better team giving him a better chance of being more efficient. However, it comes at a price: two years and more than $18 million remaining on the books, even though his second year is a player option. Green's teammate, Brandon Bass, has also been mentioned as a man possibly on the move; he'll be wanted for his pick-and-pop ability (48 percent from long 2-point range) and short contract (expiring $6.9 million), but his lack of size and rebounding make it hard to envision a role greater than backup 4.
The Charlotte Hornets have reportedly had Lance Stephenson on the block for the past month or so, and there has to be some caution given he's on the books for at least this year and next to the tune of $18 million, with another $9.4 million team option in 2016-17. But he's still 24 years old, with a strong defensive foundation and frame and some marketable offensive ability.
The question (besides cost) is whether Stephenson is willing to subjugate to a lesser role, especially in light of his failure to take the next step forward and be a lead player. Another Hornet who might have fallen out of favor is third-year pro Jeff Taylor, who is still recovering from a torn Achilles.
He's appeared in only three games this season (total of 18 minutes), and has the dark cloud of an offseason domestic violence charge hanging above him, but Taylor is a strong, versatile defender who can create off the dribble and knock down catch-and-shoot 3s from the corner. In the last year of a deal that pays him less than $1 million this year and keeps him in restricted free agency this summer, Taylor represents an opportunity for a value acquisition.
News and notes:
• Fun factoid from the folks at Suns.com: Entering Wednesday night's game in Minnesota, Markieff Morris has led the NBA in field goal percentage under two minutes in one-possession games, shooting 10-for-15 (67 percent). He added another two made shots in two attempts Wednesday night under the two-minute mark, both in one-possession situations.
• A nice piece of work from Grantland's Zach Lowe on how the Toronto Raptors have been so successful offensively, and why they've struggled defensively. With DeMar DeRozan still shelved with a groin strain, but reportedly pain free, Toronto has been able to weather the storm of his absence and should try to make a push to keep pace with the surging Atlanta Hawks in the East. There are rumblings that they have not ruled out making a trade that helps bring them closer to true title contention, but in the words of Charles Oakley, "If it ain't broke, don't break it!"
• Another team rumored to be considering tinkering with a successful formula is the Memphis Grizzlies, who ESPN's Marc Stein reports might be looking to add Jeff Green or Luol Deng via trade to boost their offense. While we talked about Green as a fire-sale asset, I doubt the Heat would throw in the towel this early, especially since they're still in the top eight out East with no real threats below them to take their spot.
• Stein also is reporting Thursday the Milwaukee Bucks will sign 14-year veteran Kenyon Martin. The Bucks have been short of frontcourt bodies in the wake of Jabari Parker's blown ACL, Ersan Ilyasova's concussion and Larry Sanders' absence due to personal issues. While Martin will likely sign a 10-day contract initially, it's really a bigger commitment than that as the Bucks will have to jettison someone from their fully-stocked 15-man roster to accommodate Martin. That someone could be second-year guard Nate Wolters, who has played little this season after spending most of his rookie campaign as a rotation player. As a recent second-round pick, Wolters' deal is small enough to limit the guaranteed money Milwaukee would have to eat by waiving him.
Martin had other suitors, and it's likely that Jason Kidd's personal relationship with him played heavily into Martin's decision to sign with the surprising Bucks. In jettisoning Wolters, who showed potential of becoming something like a poor man's Goran Dragic, it seems clear the Bucks are at least in part re-focusing their strategy on the short term, a mistake made too often in years past. What's not clear is whether this course is being charted by the team's front office or by Kidd. Either way, Martin is about four or five years past the point when his acquisition would justify the displacement of a future asset.
• Tweet of the week goes to ESPN's Arash Markazi -- who had a wealth of award-winning tweets this week -- but I have to go with this Vine of Clippers owner Steve Ballmer ... Uh, I guess, dancing?
Steve Ballmer dancing to Fergie. https://t.co/SR1vi1dy89
- Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) January 8, 2015
Steve Ballmer dancing to Fergie. https://t.co/SR1vi1dy89