(The original text was published on January 11, the author is Rohan Nadkarni of Sports Illustrated
do not represent the translator’s point of view)
Halfway through the season, and with the trade deadline looming, you might be wondering, “Why haven’t the Lakers made a move yet?” Sports Illustrated’s Rohan Nadkarni rounds up the top five players who should be traded before the trade deadline:
Pascal Siakam
It’s a tough choice, but even after the Raptors’ two-game winning streak, the team’s winning percentage is still less than .500.
Will this injury-riddled season lead to the departure of the Raptors’ best player Siakam?
The argument in favor of Siakam’s departure is the seven-year difference between him and Scotty Barnes.
If the Raptors trade Siakam back for draft picks and some players, the management can keep the current and future competitiveness while completely handing over the team to Barnes.
Think about it, if the team is built around Barnes in the future, wouldn’t it make more sense to keep Anunoby, who is only 25 years old?
After this season, Siakam’s contract has only the last year left.
Trading away Siakam can also get a huge return, which may be close to the return of the Jazz trading Mitchell.
Will the Nuggets make an enticing offer around Michael Porter Jr.?
Will the Thunder be willing to give up some first-round picks to find a partner for Alexander?
If Siakam appears in the trading market, the situation will become very chaotic, and to a certain extent, it will increase the chances of both parties to make a profit.
Siakam is a player who can influence this season’s title race, and the reward for sending him away will set the Raptors up for future success.
Alex Caruso
Although the Bulls have recently achieved a good record of 8 wins and 4 losses since they suffered a wave of four-game losing streak in December last year.
Take some action before the deadline.
The Bulls currently have a low roster ceiling, in part due to the health of Lonzo Ball, which is unfortunate.
Before accumulating players and draft picks for the team’s next rebuild, the Bulls’ first step should be to send Caruso away.
Caruso is helpful to any championship team, is the ultimate glue player, and his contract is very cost-effective.
Caruso can provide a very good perimeter defense, the offensive end is a stable connector, and he can hit three-pointers to make the opponent’s defense pay the price.
The Warriors are an excellent next home, and it is also very interesting to return to the Lakers. The Nuggets have always needed to increase their outside options, which is also very attractive to the Cavaliers.
Every team needs Caruso, which means trading him could bring good returns to the Bulls.
John Collins
In his previous career, Collins has never shot less than 52.6% from the field and 34% from three-point range. However, these two data are career lows this season, 49.8% and 22.9% respectively.
Collins seems to have been put on the shelf by the Eagles for many years, and no team has really made a move.
I don’t understand this point. In my opinion, many teams should be scrambling to acquire Collins at a low price.
Something has gone wrong for the Hawks this season, with Trae Young shooting poorly and the drama surrounding him and coach McMillan constantly unfolding.
Collins could thrive on other teams with his athleticism and shooting touch.
He has all the skills of a high-efficiency player, and I wonder if playing with such a high-usage guard takes away some of Collins’ potential.
A team more willing to let Collins play his talents may unlock some of his potential, and it’s hard to believe that his shooting touch will continue to be this bad.
The whereabouts of Collins may not affect the championship this season. In the long run, no matter which team he goes to, I believe he can succeed.
Eric Gordon
Please take this sharpshooter away from the Rockets and join a team with teammates his age.
Not much to explain about Gordon, a shooter of this caliber has a place on any team that wants to win as long as the defense isn’t disastrous, and Gordon is stuck on a team that doesn’t want to win
in the team.
Gary Harris
As a veteran Harris fan, I would like to take this opportunity to urge all competitive teams to inquire about trading this player.
Harris is an underrated veteran who can make the playoff team that traded for him happy this spring.
Harris has always been a tenacious defender, and his outside shooting touch has recovered in recent years. The sluggish touch in the middle of his career may be caused by injuries.
Harris shot 38.4 percent from three last season and 39.6 percent this season.
Harris also has rich experience in the playoffs and has followed the Nuggets in the playoffs many times.
Without Harris, any comeback from a 1-3 deficit in the Nuggets rematch zone would be impossible.
Harris’ contract for the season is only $13 million, making it easy to pick up.
Harris is useless for the Magic’s reconstruction plan, but for competitive teams, he is a player who can play at critical moments in the playoffs. This kind of player should be the object of discussion before the trade deadline.
Original: Rohan Nadkarni
Compiler: Li Taibai