The NBA trade deadline is next Feb. 9. Despite all the talk of tanking early on, there is an incredible degree of parity, which makes this trade period among the most difficult to decipher. If the comings and goings impact any of your decisions when it comes to online gambling, then consider our list of five guys who might be moved before the deadline.
Let’s check the latest NBA news, stats, injury report, and NBA lines. We’ve got plenty of NBA picks for you to consider.
John Collins
It’s 2048. Our national sport is Pickleball. The Detroit Lions have won six straight Super Bowls. The pre-eminent power on the international stage is Guinea-Bissau. And the Atlanta Hawks are rumored to be trading John Collins.
Indeed, through what seems like forever (it’s only been a few years), Collins is mired in every trade rumor there is. He is a solid player, providing athleticism on the front line. The Wake Forest product once averaged 20 and 10, albeit in a 41-game season. He electrifies audiences with prolific dunks and powerful blocks.
However, Collins has been with Atlanta for six years and has seen his significance on the roster wane a bit as Trae Young’s has grown and Dejounte Murray has been added. A change of scenery makes sense, and the Hawks have reportedly shown more interest in moving Collins.
Mike Conley
The Utah Jazz burst out of the gate as one of the surprise teams in the league after an off-season overhaul. They’ve since come back to Earth, and while solid they don’t seem to be a title team just yet.
Conley, a seasoned veteran who has been in the playoffs nine times, is definitively well into the back nine of his career. But he would be the perfect addition for a team in need of someone to help run the second unit, perhaps a team like Brooklyn or Denver.
Jae Crowder
He has yet to play for the Phoenix Suns after the sides agreed to find a trade partner for the veteran. Crowder has been linked to the Milwaukee Bucks, who are reportedly close to a deal with the Suns.
It’s just a matter of time before they, or someone else, welcomes the 32-year-old into the fold. If there’s a way to bet online on the Bucks being his destination, go for it.
Eric Gordon
Like Collins, Gordon is on the market every year it seems. He’s been in Houston since 2016, seeing that franchise go from title contender to perennial doormat. At 34, he’s the grandpa (along with Boban Marjanovic) on a team loaded with 19-, 20- and 21-year-olds.
Gordon can still play. He’s posting 12.8 points per game in 44 starts for the Rockets, including 24 points and 25 points in the team’s back-to-back wins this week. He’d make a wonderful addition as a bench scorer for someone like the Bucks, with whom he is linked, or perhaps the Celtics.
The veteran has a pretty big contract and he provides a ton of value for a young Houston team in need of leadership. Maybe he sticks around until the offseason, but it’s more likely he’s hitting a big 3-pointer somewhere in late May.
Nikola Vucevic
The Chicago Bulls and their big man have not been able to come to terms on an extension and he’ll likely be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. The double-double machine is posting his best field-goal percentage since 2014-15, the second-best 3-point percentage since that became a regular feature in his game and is on track to average more than 11 boards per game for the third straight season.
Vucevic would be a massive prize for a team like the Clippers or Mavericks, who can use some interior help but also like guys who can shoot from long-range. Recent reports suggest the Bulls may stand pat at the deadline and forge ahead with what they have, but they’re currently 11th in the East and among the bigger disappointments in the league.
