5 Common Sense Trades That Probably Will Never Happen, TMA*

*= Trade Machine Approved

We're at a very interesting point in the NBA season, in that, it's the very beginning of a period of time in which we'll be able to get a real handle on the identity and ability of certain teams. Now granted, it's still very early so there's no way of forecasting injuries and roster moves but if you pay close enough attention you can begin see what road lies ahead for your favorite NBA team. For fans like me, this is a great time to really let my imagination run wild with the NBA Trade Machine. So I figured for the first post, it would be fun to look at 5 Trade Machine approved deals that make total sense but probably won't happen.

Now, there are a couple factors that go in to coming up with imaginary trades. It's important to really ask whether or not a team is going to think it has a chance to compete, if so you want to look to address a blatant weakness on the team without hampering their ability to contend. If they look like they do not have a chance to succeed you want them to ship off players than can help those contenders address weaknesses while they obtain well priced assets in return. You want to improve their future without impeding upon their ability to participate in Riggin' for Wiggins, Scandal for Randle, and Sorry for Jabari. And lastly you want to take note of their salary situation. A team built for now is more likely to take on an overpaid vet on a multiyear deal than a team positioning itself for the future. Keep all theses things in mind and you can have limitless fun fictiously manipulating NBA franchises.

So without further adieu…

Trade 1: Suns send Goran Dragic to the Lakers for Steve Nash and Steve Blake

Why This Deal Makes Sense: It comes with the caveat that Steve Nash retires at the end of the year. Listen, I love and respect Steve Nash as much as the next guy but I don't need to spend the season depressingly watching his corpse run up and down the floor on a team with a very limited ceiling. Time to hang it up, Steve. Aside from Nash being able to retire with the team he was once great with, the Suns also get in return Steve Blake's 4 million dollar expiring deal while giving up having to pay Dragic $22.5 million over the next 3 years. It also passes the test for Phoenix of bolstering their chances to get one of the Super Freshman in the upcoming NBA draft. For the Lakers it gives them a much needed legitimate NBA point guard. They've gotten off to a start this season that would seem to indicate that once Kobe comes back they're going to try and make a legitimate playoff push. As ill advised as that may seem, there's no arguing with the inevitable. So a core of Kobe-Pau-Dragic in a D'Antoni offense certainly makes them a better team. Plus, if Kobe comes back and struggles and they do a complete 180 at the deadline and try to set themselves up for the future by trading Pau, having Dragic for $7.5 mill a year for the next few years isn't a bad place to be. And can I reiterate how cool it would be for Nash to retire a Sun?
Why It Probably Won't Happen: I'd imagine the biggest thing here is pride. I can't imagine Nash being in love with the idea of going back to Phoenix after a miserable attempt to get a ring in LA. Also, Dragic is a good NBA player who does't have a bad contract and the Suns could probably get a draft pick for him, or at least a better deal than the one I have LA offering.

Trade 2: Rockets send Omar Asik and Jeremy Lin to the Knicks for Andrea Bargnani and Iman Shumpert

Why This Deal Makes Sense: First let's start with Houston. It has been well documented that Omar Asik is unhappy with his role in Houston and has repeatedly asked for a trade. Plus, Jeremy Lin isn't a great fit on that team and has already lost playing time to Patrick Beverly. The Rocket's biggest two weaknesses are lack of perimeter defense and lack of a 4 who can stretch the floor, this deal addresses both. Shump automatically becomes their best perimeter defender and Barg gives them a power forward who can create a nice inside out game with Dwight. For the Knicks it solves their greatest need, rim protection. Without Tyson Chandler this team cannot protect the rim and has an awful defensive front court. Asik solves that problem for the Knicks dramatically. Plus, Lin gives them more offense in the back court when Melo isn't on the floor. Whether as a starting guard or as their 6th man, Lin could actually help his former team. This deal is a classic win-win…win!
Why It Probably Won't Happen: More pride. The Linsanity-Knicks marriage had an ugly divorce and I can't imagine either one of those parties wanting to hop back into bed with one another anytime soon. It would be like if your girlfriend left you for a guy with more money and a nicer family and on the way out you told everyone you knew that she didn't deserve a guy that good and was never really that great to begin with. Doesn't seem like the remedy for a successful reunion, does it?

Trade 3: 76ers send Spencer Hawes to the Thunder for the rotting corpse of Kendrick Perkins and Dallas' top 20 protected 1st round pick in 2014

Why This Deal Makes Sense: If you think Steve Nash is done than Kendrick Perkins is well-done. There aren't many players currently in the NBA who do less for their team than Perk, especially if that team has a chance to win a title. So this deal allows the Thunder to rid themselves of that while simultaneously acquiring a much needed post scorer. Hawes is a 7 footer who can put the ball in the hoop in a variety of ways, something the Thunder very much need. He would automatically turn them into a very well rounded offense and give them a big for other teams to worry about. Listen, I like the 76ers story as much as the next guy but look at that roster for a second. They're not going to compete for a playoff spot as the season goes on and this deal would just expedite that. The best model for Philly's future is to suck this season and get one of the top players in next years draft, this deal helps them with that while giving them another first.
Why It Probably Won't Happen: I can't think of a good reason why not. For some reason though, OKC seems to have some sentimental attachment to Perk in the same way a family might keep the remains of a diseased loved one in an urn above their fireplace.

Trade 4: Indiana gets Kyle Lowrie and Anderson Varejao, Toronto gets Ian Mahinmi, Dion Waiters, and a future Indiana 1st, and Cleveland gets Rudy Gay and Terrance Ross

Why This Deal Makes Sense: Indiana is a good enough team that they can really go for it this season. Miami threepeting is a lot to ask and aside from the Spurs, the West is filled with a bunch of very flawed teams.By acquiring Lowry and Varejao they dramatically improve their back court and give themselves a great big to back up Hibbert. This deal would make them, in my opinion, the favorite to win the title. Toronto turns a former lottery pick who has struggled to get himself onto the floor into a former lottery pick who has shown offensive potential, albeit in a system not very conducive to his abilities, and gets to ship off Lowry, who they probably won't bring back next year, for a future first. For Cleveland this feels like a bit of a panic trade but it does make sense. Granger gives them a scoring option that fits well with Kyrie and turns the failed Dion Waiters experiment into Terrance Ross who would fit much better on that team. Plus, Granger being a $14 million expiring would give them more cap flexibility heading into the off season. Not to mention that Varejao can't seem to tie his shoes without getting hurt so shipping him off while healthy is always a good thing.
Why It Probably Won't Happen: This deal admittedly seems a little ambitious. I love it for Indiana but have to imagine Cleveland and Toronto would be hesitant to ship off guys they drafted so high just a year ago.

Get ready for this one….

Trade 5: Knicks receive Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace, Shawn Marion, Charlie Villanueva, Rodney Stuckey, Brandon Bass, Andre Drummond, and the Pistons 2014 1st round pick. Pistons get Carmelo Anthony. Mavericks get Tyson Chandler. And the Celtics get Amar'e Staudemire and Vince Carter.

Why This Deal Makes Sense: Ok, this is a ridiculous and unrealistic multi franchise altering deal that will never happen. There are, however, some themes in this deal that make sense though. Let's start with the Knicks. I'll be honest, I don't see this Knicks team winning a title any time soon the way it is constructed, and that's not a shot at Melo! That's a shot at the Knicks. They don't make sense, they don't gel, and they're poised for mediocrity. Ask anybody who knows ANYTHING about the NBA and they'll tell you, there is nothing worse than being average. This deal allows them to ship off all of their big contracts, acquire a bunch of expirings, a player to build around (Drummond), and a first round pick this season to get them headed in the right direction. It would be the ultimate act of blowing up a team and starting from scratch but it would work. And THAT is the only way I see the Knicks winning a title in the next 5-10 years. For the Pistons it gives them an elite player to go with Monroe, Smith, and Jennings and makes them a contender for one of the top seeds in the East. Dallas gets Tyson Chandler back to go along with Dirk and Monta Ellis, who is having a bit of a career renaissance in case you hadn't noticed. All of a sudden they have a very interesting team with a great coach that could potentially compete in the West. Boston gets rid of Gerald Wallace's awful contract (Way to go, Billy King!) acquires the equally awful but shorter Amar'e contract (Way to go, James Dolan!) and sets themselves up nicely for a top draft pick in this years draft.
Why It Probably Won't Happen: It's just an insane deal. Plus, the Knicks have a franchise player so it's hard to imagine a situation in which they'd give him up to start from scratch. Not to mention, there is just so much going on here it's impossible to imagine it happening. This insane deal is more of just an advertisement of how much fun you can have with an imagination on the Trade Machine. It's also a personal indictment on my part of the way the Knicks have built their team. Plus, you have to admit it's moderately impressive that I came up with this atrocity.

Thanks for reading and for more of my thoughts on the NBA (and other irrelevant things) follow me on twitter @_chrisruggiero.

Later.

Introduction

The SOS:FCP (Student of Sports: Full Court Press) will be a place for me, Chris Ruggiero, to chronicle my opinions on the National Basketball Association for the ginormous audience of what most likely consists of my family and maybe some close friends. If you do not fall into one of those two groups than I hope you enjoy what you read here and thanks for stopping by.

Basketball is my favorite sport. But for me, it's so much more than just the way they dribble up and down the court. Now don't get me wrong, I like slam dunks, take me to the hoop. My favorite play is the alley-oop. And yes, I know what you're asking yourself! And the answer is, I like the pick and roll, I like the give and go! Cause it's basketball, uh, Mr Kurtis Blow.

Now I could sit here and quote 1980s hip hop all day! (Actually, I can't. Above is about the extent of my 1980s rap knowledge.) But my point is that my love of basketball goes so much beyond slam dunks, alley-oops, pick and rolls, and give and goes. Don't get me wrong, all that stuff is great and a large part of it but I also like the business aspect of the sport and the personalities that go with it. I enjoy thinking about how a team is going to gel together and whether an organization is going to be able to build a contender with their salary cap restrictions. I spend large parts of my day toying with the NBA Trade Machine trying to figure out potential deals and thinking about a team positioning itself for the draft. It's the organizational complexities that make the NBA special to me. I hope to use my interest in those topics to make this a fun and interesting page, and I hope you enjoy it.