Spitballin': Charlotte Bobcats
Joe Dumars shook up the NBA with his deal for Allen Iverson but perhaps that move shouldn't be an isolated incident. There are a lot of teams looking to move some bodies and it doesn't make sense to wait until the trade deadline to do something you could accomplish today. So who else might be on finding themselves in a new zip code soon?
Raymond Felton & Gerald Wallace: It didn't take long for Felton to fall out of favor with Larry Brown while Wallace has been on thin ice since day one of the Brown Era. It's pretty obvious that the 'Cats are going to need to move both players but who can they get back that won't fall right into their spots in the doghouse? Al Harrington's name has been mentioned but I can't see that working out. Ditto for Travis Outlaw. David Lee could fit but the Knicks don't want Wallace's contract eating up their 2010 cap space. I keep coming back to a Wallace for Luol Deng deal but I can't imagine Paxson agreeing to that. A couple options for Wallace could be:
Wallace and Adam Morrison for Mike Miller and Ryan Gomes. Wallace helps out the Wolves on defense while Gomes and Miller could step in immediately to the Bobcats starting lineup. I'm not a huge fan of Gomes but he's a smart player and would be a decent enough complement to Emeka Okafor.
Wallace and Morrison (or filler) for Andrei Kirilenko: I'm not sure how Wallace fits with Jerry Sloan but personnel wise, this trade moves Wallace to the SF (where he'd rather play) while AK-47 gets to move back to PF in Charlotte (where he's better).
Wallace and Felton for Shane Battier, Luther Head, Carl Landry: Probably selling low on Felton here but Battier would be perfect for Larry Brown while Luther Head is a solid backup and Landry is a promising young PF. The Rox might have to give up a pick to make it happen but they'd also have to think about whether they want to move one of the steadier heads in Battier.
Wallace, Felton, Nazr Mohammed, and Matt Carroll for Shawn Marion and Udonis Haslem: The Bobcats get a couple of veterans in Marion and Haslem and dump a couple of bad contracts in Mohammed and Carroll. Miami probably doesn't do it, opting instead of go after someone in 2010 but this wouldn't be a bad haul for Marion.
Wallace and Felton for Antawn Jamison and Antonio Daniels: Another deal which will never happen but the Wizards desperatebly need to mix things up and this deal could help both squads.
Felton for Rajon Rondo and Brian Scalabrine: The biggest issue with this deal is defense. Felton's isn't much to write home about. While he's a much better offensive player, I'm not sure the difference on that end makes up for the difference on defense. Also, Felton is a free agent at the end of the year so the C's would have to know what he's asking for before they make the deal. As it is, while I still have some concerns about Rondo, he fits the Celtics, the Celtics are winning, and I wouldn't shake things up for someone who Rajon might actually be better than.
In the end, the move that definitely should happen is for Larry Brown to see if he can't woo Lindsay Hunter to Charlotte to mentor DJ Augustin. Not sure if Hunter wants another go-around with Larry but he could help the Bobcats.
