Hype or Bust: Trade deals that could happen before the deadline
The trade deadline is around the corner, 8th February 2018 (3 pm ET to be more specific). This has been quite a silent trade window so far, with not much happening in the NBA regarding player exchanges. A few interesting rumors are floating around, some for role players off the bench and make an impact, some for star additions so as to vault them towards championship glory.
We will look at a few trade deals that are floating around for the past few weeks and rate them on their feasibility and whether they will turn out to be an addition worthy of the hype surrounding them and their trade:
1. Nikola Mirotic (Chicago Bulls)
All was not well with the Bulls at the start of the season. Their star forwards Nikola Mirotic and Bobby Portis got into a scuffle at training camp, which led to a broken jaw for Mirotic and an 8-game ban for Portis. They also were without their newly acquired star Zach LaVine, who was recovering from a torn ACL and hence they were expected to be awful and were awful, winning just 3 of their starting 23 games.
Mirotic returned to the court on December 8th and since has inspired a 15-12 run which has lifted the Bulls to 12th. Since the Bulls are looking to tank and build a new roster, they cannot, unfortunately, hold on to Mirotic and since his no-trade stipulation has expired, he is on the market.
The team considered to be a leading candidate for Mirotic is the Utah Jazz, who desperately need a star Power Forward who can space out the floor. The Bulls in return are looking for a first round pick with any player that they get for Mirotic and so far, the Jazz seemed hesitant to give them that. A possible deal if Utah is willing to part with their first rounder to could be:
Nikola Mirotic to Utah Jazz for Derrick Favors and a 1st round pick.
This deal seems the likeliest to happen since Bulls are willing to hold on to Mirotic until deadline day to see which another team might want to take their chance on Mirotic. Outsiders include the Detroit Pistons, who are willing to get rid of Avery Bradley and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are linked with just about every player this trade window.
This could potentially be a great deal for Utah if they go for it, Mirotic has been averaging 16.8 points per game, shooting at a great 42.9% from beyond the 3-point line. He could turn out to be the missing piece in the frontcourt next to Gobert for the Jazz.
HYPE: 7/10