The NBA trade deadline is right around the corner and contenders around the league are looking to add that final piece to mold a championship roster. We have already seen impact players such as O.G Anunoby, Pascal Siakim and Terry Rozier get dealt, but there are still many other players across the league that have been linked to trade rumors. Here are three impact players that I believe will be dealt before 3 PM on February 8th.
1. Dejounte Murray, Atlanta Hawks
Stats: 21.5 PPG, 5.2 APG, 5.0 RPG
When the Hawks originally inked Dejounte Murray to a 4 year 120 million dollar contract, they thought coupling the star point guard with Trae Young would make them contenders for the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, it has not worked out this way for the Hawks, as they are just 19-27 and sitting on the outside of the playoff picture. Dejounte has had a really solid year despite the Hawks sitting well below 500. For the third consecutive season, he is averaging over 20 points per game and over 5 assists per game. One team that has lacked production from the point guard position is the Los Angeles Lakers, who have been searching for a third star to pair with LeBron and AD. The Lakers starting point guard, D’Angelo Russell, has actually had a quality season averaging over 17 points per game and 6 assists. However, the lack of depth at the point guard position has hurt the Lakers this season. Adding Murray, would add much needed depth.
2. Kyle Kuzma, Washington Wizards
Stats: 22.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 4.3 APG
The Washington Wizards have been one of the worst teams in the NBA this season with a 9-38 record. While the record doesn’t show it, the Wizards do have good players that gauge trade interest, one of those guys is Kyle Kuzma. Kuzma has become the guy in D.C, with him averaging over 20 points per game in 111 games with the Wizards over the past 2 seasons. One team that really could use a scorer down low like Kyle Kuzma are the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks get most of their scoring from guards and have struggled to get points from the PF position. Kuzma would give Dallas that third piece to build a legitimate big 3 and really enhance their chances in the Western Conference. Other teams to look out for in this sweepstakes are the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Golden State Warriors.
3. Malcolm Brogdon, Portland Trail Blazers
Stats: 15.8 PPG, 5.5 APG, 3.7 RPG
Although Malcolm Brogdon may not be considered the missing puzzle piece to a champion contender, Brogdon has been an above average point guard his entire career. Throughout playing for 4 NBA teams, he has averaged 15.4 points per game, 4.7 assists per game and has shot 39.1% from three for his career. There is also a huge market for backup point guards at the moment. Every contending team can use a backup point guard like Brogdon, but a team that stands out among the rest are the New York Knicks. The Knicks have been sensational since the acquisition of O.G Anunoby and have looked like serious contenders for the Eastern Conference. The one piece that the team is missing is a backup point guard that can score when Brunson is on the bench. I think Brogdon is the most likely to move out of these three because of the demand for his position, and I think the Trail Blazers will get a nice return for Brogdon.
The trade deadline is right around the corner and pressure is building for teams to make moves to improve their rosters. There is plenty of talent still available outside of this list and it will be interesting to see who is willing to go all in on this season. Be sure to have Twitter notifications on throughout the rest of the day, because we should see some pandemonium brewing as the clock draws closer to 3:00 PM.
