Trade Talks At All-Star Weekend Unusually Slow

[RealGM Wiretap]

Trade talks often gain momentum during All-Star Weekend, but that does not appear to be the case this season.

"(It is) as slow as it's been in a long time," said one executive who has not received a single phone call.

Few teams are willing to trade premium draft picks or take on future salary.

Via Ken Berger/CBS Sports

[the_process]

Most teams in the NBA have the exact same gameplan, stockpile assets and wait for a superstar to come available. The problem is there are very few superstars and they like to play together. Of the rest, the teams that would be willing to make a win now move are out of assets. Hence the market is very narrow. CHA and HOU are the only definites with appealing assets, maybe the Knicks if you like Shump or a 2018 pick. Maybe CLE and/or PHX decides to buy as well, but those teams are more in the group of saving up assets for that elusive superstar.

[ybnd]

Jeff Green and Gerald Wallace to the bobcats

[the_process]

Jeff Green and Gerald Wallace to the bobcats

How many firsts are you adding to move those two together?

[armchairgm]

I would love to see Philly 'pick up' a couple more picks in exchange for Evan Turner, Spencer Hawes, and Thaddeus Young. My personal favorite trade is a 3 team deal: Phoenix gets Young and Hawes; Charlotte gets Turner and Jason Richardson; Philly gets Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, Jeff Taylor, and a pick or two from the Phoenix stash. Now for the why...

Philly gets picks and a young player (Jeff Taylor) on a really cheap contract. Their potentially expensive free agents to be are moved for expiring deals that Philly won't keep long term. Young is a loss, but getting back enough from Phoenix's stockpile should help ease the pain. Next year with the projected salary cap at 62 million, after open roster spot cap holds, Philadelphia would have nearly 50 million dollars in cap space to sign their picks and go after free agents. They could go after veterans like Luol Deng and Pau Gasol. Alternatively, they could use their cap space to take on other teams expiring deals (New York and LAL jump to mind) in exchange for assets of course. Then the rebuild goes on another year and Philadelphia doesn't have to send their 2015 first rounder to Boston (it's lottery protected).

Evan Turner, for all his shortcomings, can ball. Ben Gordon has played one third of the team's games at an average of 14 minutes per game. Turner has played all but 1 of his team's 54 games and he has averaged 35 minutes a night. The contract of Richardson isn't great, but it expires after next year. Losing Jeff Taylor isn't ideal, but he might not come back the same after an Achilles injury and he would have almost no minutes left for him with Turner, Henderson, and MKG ahead of him on the depth chart. Charlotte adds scoring punch without losing the Detroit pick.

Phoenix gets some great pieces for the stretch run. Hawes is a big who can stretch the floor. Young should fit really well with the uptempo attack that Phoenix employs. Phoenix now becomes crazy deep at the 3,4, and 5. Adding 2 talented players for a playoff seeding push, at only the cost of a couple mid-to-late first round picks is a deal that makes sense.

I like this for all 3 teams, but I wouldn't mind getting some feedback. I would be curious to hear any opinions on who is or isn't getting shafted.