Four Trades That Need to Happen
Vince Carter to the Clippers
I thought this deal needed to happen before the Clips got Marcus Camby but I think it's even more imperative now. The two best players on Southern Cal's other team are both north of 30 so the window for winning is small (if it even exists in the Western Conference). The team isn't going anywhere as is and probably just succeeded in getting themselves a worse lotto pick. True, Camby's contract is off the books before the Great Free Agent Class of 2010 but how many players do you know that are going to be interested in placing the prime of their careers in the hands of Elgin Baylor?
The Clippers one chance to make some noise this offseason is to deal package the contracts of Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley along with Eric Gordon and a future pick to get Vinsanity. The lineup of Baron Davis, Vince, Al Thornton, Marcus Camby, and Chris Kaman could make some noise in the West and gives the Clippers their best chance at being a relevant franchise. The Nets get a young prospect in Gordon, future pick(s), and cap space for LeBron in 2010. A supporting cast Devin Harris, Gordon, Yi, Sean Williams, Brook Lopez isn't a bad start and that's not including what's sure to be another lotto pick this year.
Jason Kidd for Allen Iverson
Two experiment gone mediocre, it's time to try to fix things a bit in Dallas and Denver. The Iverson/'Melo tandem is fun but it's gone about as far as it could possibly go (especially with Camby no gone). The best thing for 'Melo, K-Mart, and JR Smith (whom they should re-sign) is to team them with the consumate running PG in Jason Kidd. Martin had his best seasons running alongside Kidd and I could see Smith blossoming by feeding off of him.
As for the Mavericks have been in dire need of some toughness and cajones and that's always been Iverson's greatest strength. I might even go for an overload of cajones and deal Josh Howard for Ron Artest and Shelden Williams while I was at it.
Tracy McGrady for the Pistons backcourt
In the Conference Finals, the Pistons played with a been there, done that attitude that made it seem like they didn't really care whether they won or lost. If there's one guy out there who could change that attitude, it's the still-never-won-a-playoff-series Tracy McGrady. The Rox and Stones make a huge swap, with Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince heading to H-Town while the Motor City welcomes T-Mac, Shane Battier, and a sign & trade of Carl Landry Houston adds a championship caliber backcourt alongside Yao, Scola, Landry, and friends while the Pistons trot out Stuckey, T-Mac, Battier, Landry, and Rasheed Wallace. I'm not sure if it would bring these teams the titles but it's better than maintaining the status quo.
Chi-Town Shaq
The Suns give up on the Shaq experiment and, while they don't get anyone the caliber of Shawn Marion, they do get three solid backup pieces in Larry Hughes, Andres Nocioni, and Joakim Noah. Chicago teams the #1 pick (whom some have compared to Dwyane Wade) with the man that helped Wade win a ring. Diesel might not be the player he once was but the lineup of Rose, Hinrich, Deng, Gooden/Thomas could be good enough to help him make a run at one last ring. If the Bulls could sign & trade Ben Gordon and Ty Thomas for a starting power forward, even better.
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And if we need one more to make it five, I'd deal Shawn Marion to the Bobcats for Gerald Wallace. Someone else might have to be added to make it work but if I'm the Heat, I'm happy to add a defensive minded player to complement Beasley (and one who's not a free agent next year). I might even be willing to take on Matt Carroll's terrible contract. As for the Bobcats, they get a veteran who could help the team take it to the next level (which is still a level below the playoffs). The last person the Heat need to get on their team (especially for Marion) is Lamar Odom. Why would you team a crazy but uber-talented kid like Beasley with one of the biggest wastes of talent of the last decade?
