Coming down to the last week for trades and we are seeing the Mavericks make the big time move bringing in Kyrie. Now they have to tinker with the roster to find the perfect fit around Irving and Doncic. Elsewhere, we are seeing teams start to get desperate as they want to secure their spot as a contender come playoff time. Look for the Jazz and Spurs to be big time sellers this week.
1) The Mavericks trade Reggie Bullock, Frank Ntilikina, and a 1st round pick to the Pistons for Nerlens Noel and Saddiq Bey
At this point, the Mavs need to shore up their defense and rim protection. Bringing in Noel as either a starter or a bench piece is big time for them. Dallas can also grab a streaky scorer in Bey which would provide depth and potential down the line. I think the Mavs would be willing to give up another first since Bey is a young scorer with potential and has been talked about being a trade candidate all season.
2) The Knicks trade Obi Toppin, Evan Fournier, and a 1st round pick to the Jazz for Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt
The Knicks are looking for a backup big who can come off the bench and do the dirty work. That is the bread and butter of Vanderbilt’s game. Adding a scorer like Beasley provides a higher ceiling for New York come playoff time. The Jazz get Toppin in return as a low risk/high reward player who can develop with more consistent minutes next to Markkanen and Kessler. The 1st round pick has to be added for the Jazz to take on Fournier’s contract.
3) The Blazers trade Jerami Grant to the Jazz for Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley
The Blazers have been linked to Vanderbilt in the past few weeks and it would make sense since they are looking for defense. I think Portland can also look to move off of Grant as he brings scoring and not much else which isn’t exactly what Portland needs at this point. For the Jazz, I wonder if they would like a pick attached to Grant, but obtaining this expiring could be enticing as it provides Utah even more flexibility going into the summer.
LG Hoops 