After taking stock of the trade picture in the Eastern Conference, we’ll now turn our attention to the West as teams ready themselves for the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Next up is the Northwest Division.
Previous divisions: Atlantic | Central | Southeast
Denver Nuggets
Status: Competitive
Approach: Open to shuffling the deck around
We all know that Nikola Jokić is the best player in the world — and if you don’t know, now might be a good time to get up to speed.
But one great player does not automatically a champion make, particularly if the team he plays for has a tendency to not be proactive in terms of adding talent to the roster from the outside.
Now, the Nuggets have done fairly well developing their own talent, which does have merit, but they’re a far cry from the team that won the 2023 championship.
Fortunately for them, they seem to be aware of this and are reportedly looking at Chicago’s Zach LaVine — which is frankly a great idea — to strengthen their offense and possibly help alleviate their net rating plummeting whenever Jokić sits.
The Nuggets cannot afford to not optimize the prime of Jokić, even if this year’s plan of “one step back, two steps forward” isn’t necessarily bad. Jokić is playing the best ball of his career and is challenging the all-time greats for one of the best seasons in history.
The Nuggets have to embrace the roll that Jokić is on and do everything within their power to get him as much help as possible.
Likelihood of trade: Big
Minnesota Timberwolves
Status: Competitive
Approach: Flexible
Despite an impressive, deep postseason run in last season’s NBA playoffs, the Wolves drastically altered their roster, sending Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks in a deal for Julius Randle, who can become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Naz Reid, last season’s Sixth Man of the Year, can also become a free agent, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker is already on the last year of his deal.
This is all a long-winded way of saying that changes could come this summer, as opposed to this deadline, if the Wolves wish to slow play this.
If they don’t and are willing to fork over some of the aforementioned players to get some quality in return, that, too, would be perfectly prudent strategy.
This team can, in many ways, act as both a seller and buyer, depending on what type of intel they have in regards to retaining some of their own players. That type of flexibility is an asset in and of itself.
Likelihood of trade: Decent
Oklahoma City Thunder
Status: Contenders
Approach: Buyers
There’s no reason to play the usual “OKC is still young and has plenty of time” card. That might be true, but when you are this good already and have such an arsenal of assets, there’s no time to waste.
The Thunder need shooting, and quite a bit of it, and this deadline presents the best possible time to get it. Lu Dort’s $16.5 million deal is a strong card, as are the approximately nine billion draft selections the team has accumulated in recent years.
Who specifically the Thunder should go for is basically up to them, as long as they can get the money to line up. The aforementioned draft selections will help align value, meaning the Thunder can go get quite a few players of note, if they so choose.
It would be interesting to see the Thunder target Bulls guard Coby White, who at 6-foot-5 can play on and off the ball. Chicago might not wish to engage in trade chatter, though, after getting fleeced in the Alex Caruso/Josh Giddey trade during the summer.
Anfernee Simons of the Portland Trail Blazers is another interesting name, and the Thunder might even be able to get him at a discounted price, given that he’s been struggling this year.
Whomever the Thunder identify, it’s time to pull the trigger and go all in on this season.
Likelihood of trade: Big
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Portland Trail Blazers
Status: Rebuilding
Approach: Sell, sell, sell!
There’s no reason to beat around the bush. The Blazers are going nowhere, and they carry four centers, the majority of whom will probably find themselves on different rosters 12 months from now.
Robert Williams is a prime candidate to get moved. While he’s injury-prone, he’s an athletic, defensive-minded center with strong playmaking chops who would fit well on at least a handful of teams around the league.
Should a good offer come in for Deandre Ayton, Portland should listen to clear the runway for rookie Donovan Clingan.
It’s also time to move off Jerami Grant. He’s good, but he’s closing in on 31. It makes no sense to keep him around on a team that still lacks a clear-cut franchise player.
These Blazers should enter the trade deadline open for business, and every outcome that ends with them not doing anything would be a failure.
It’s time to get streamlined, fellas.
Likelihood of trade: Significant
Utah Jazz
Status: Pseudo-rebuilding
Approach: Sellers
The Jazz aren’t too dissimilar from Portland in the sense that they too have players on their roster who make no sense to carry into the summer.
Jordan Clarkson is 32 and remains as inefficient as ever. He’s got another $14.2 million coming next year, so if the Jazz can get him off the books for an expiring deal, they should take it and never look back.
There’s also the matter of Collin Sexton, who is a strong, athletic and efficient scorer on a decent contract of whom the Jazz can extract value. They don’t need to pivot off him now, especially if they do end up moving Clarkson, but he’s a card they can play if an interesting situation opens up.
John Collins is having a strong season, and it’d be interesting to see how Utah plays this. The 6-10 forward has a player option for next season worth $26.5 million, and given his improved play, the possibility exists of him declining that option in hopes of locking up long-term money. Does that make Utah more likely to move him now to get ahead of that situation, or are they interested in perhaps offering Collins an extension, in the hopes of trading him later, while he’s attached to a contract that doesn’t make him a flight risk?
Lauri Markkanen will probably get some play in the news cycle here and there, but keep in mind he cannot be traded this season due to the timing of when he renegotiated and extended his contract. No Markkanen trade can materialize before the Jazz have ended their season, and even if such a scenario should be in play, it’ll probably be a late-summer move. The Finn is here to stay, at least for a little while longer.
Likelihood of trade: Huge
