Going into the All-Star Break…Which team is desperate for a roster change?

Man, it seems like this month of January will never end. It has been a looooong and cold month and I must be honest and say that I can not wait for it to end. Another reason that I want this month to be over is the NBA All-Star Break that will be held in Toronto, Canada from the 12th-14th of February 2016. For the first time in the NBA history, it will be played outside the USA borders. For sure we are going to witness another fun weekend and I am sure that most of the players are also looking forward to it.

But not all of the NBA players are looking forward to the All-Star weekend. The reason for that is the fact that some players are being traded right after the All-Star weekend. This year the trade deadline is February 18th, 3 p.m. E.T.

Before I go into trade speculations and rumors on who might be traded, I want to go back to the last season All-Star Break trades and name couple of trades that turned out perfect for the players.

Goran Dragic (29) has definitely profited from the Phoenix-Miami trade last year. Even though his numbers have slightly dropped compared to his last two seasons with the Suns, he is now on a team with two future Hall of Famers (Bosh and Wade). Even better from playing with Wade and Bosh, is that Dragic got a 5-year $ 90 mill. contract which means that he can now relax and enjoy the game of basketball.

Reggie Jackson (25) is another player who profited big from the OKC-Detroit trade last year. After playing several season as a backup guard on the Thunder team, he got traded to the Detroit Pistons, and suddenly now he is in a position to show his full potential. His numbers this season are very impressive and the reason for this could be in the fact that last July he signed a new 5-year contract with the Pistons worth $ 80 mill.

Other notable players that were traded during the last years All-Star Break and that had a positive impact on their new teams, were Isiah Thomas that got traded from the Kings to the Celtics, Michael Carter-Williams who got traded from the Sixers to the Bucks, and Brandon Knight who eventually landed in the Suns.

ANDERSON, GAY, MORRIS AND MARTIN COULD BE WEARING NEW JERSEYS AS OF FEBRUARY 19TH 2016 !!!!

According to sources all over the world, Ryan Anderson is the most likely player to be traded before the trade deadline (February 18th.). Considering that Anderson is in the last year of his contract with the Pelicans, the New Orleans Pelicans (17-28) executives have announced that they are willing to listen to offers for the PF who, ever since the announcement, is playing great. Ryan Anderson (28), is putting up some serious numbers this season (17.1 pts and 6.1 rebs per game) considering the fact that in 43 games so far he has started only 6. Inside sources are reporting that the Detroit Pistons are eyeing Anderson as he would be a perfect fit for their system. The only issue with this trade is that the Pistons would rather acquire Anderson as a free agent this summer as they are not prepared to give any assets for him now.

Rudy Gay (29) is creating some serious buzz around the league as he is considered as the next big candidate who might be traded. The Sacramento Kings (20-26) are willing to trade Gay if the right offer comes. On a team where only Demarcus Cousins is not for a trade, the Kings executives are looking to refresh their offensive power, since Gays points per game are constantly dropping. As potential new destinations, Gay has been linked with the Miami Heat (in a trade for Luol Deng), the Boston Celtics (Sullinger and Crowder) or the New Orleans Pelicans (Eric Gordon or Ryan Anderson). Even though he has been linked with many teams, I believe that the Kings do not receive a super offer, Gay will stay put on the Kings roster, especially, considering the fact that the Kings are not too far from the 8th spot in the West.

One of the most disappointing teams so far this season, the Phoenix Suns (14-34), are in need of some serious fresh blood. In order to acquire some new player(s), they are willing to trade Markieff Morris (26). Markieff has been a problem for the Suns ever since they traded his twin brother Marcus to the Detroit Pistons. The latest outburst he created was when he threw a towel towards head coach Jeff Hornacek. As Markieff has pointed out several times so far, he would prefer to be traded to the Houston Rockets, or the Toronto Raptors. Either way, I do not see Morris with the Suns past the All-Star Break.

Kevin Martin (33) is a scoring machine and we all know that. He, like the three players I have named before, could be a game changer for any team he is on. This year his numbers have significantly dropped (only 11 points per game) mostly due to the fact the Zach LaVine and Andre Wiggins are the main focus of the young Timberwolves team (14-34). Several teams have shown interest in the veteran shooting guard, Clippers, Bulls and as of late the New York Knicks are showing some interest as well.

It has been a very quite market so far, maybe everyone (like myself) is waiting for the month of February to come, and then we might see some big time trades happen. I am sure there are plenty of teams looking to strengthen their rosters and to shift some things around. Nevertheless, we are looking for an exciting All-Star Break and for some big trades to happen.

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