Welcome to a special trade-deadline edition of my weekly NBA mailbag.
You can tweet your questions using the hashtag #peltonmailbag or email them to peltonmailbag@gmail.com.
Are new rules lowering the prices for superstar trades around the league? Can the Wizards become real title contenders with a move? We answer those questions and more.
@kpelton #peltonmailbag How good are the Wizards really? Is there a realistic trade they could make to be a legit Finals contender?
- Anthony Smith (@antsmith777) February 16, 2017
With apologies to my friends in the DMV, I'm a bit of a Wizards skeptic. There has understandably been a lot of focus on how well Washington has played at home and since its slow start, which has obscured how poorly the Wizards started the season and their relatively poor road record.
By point differential, Washington is tied for third in the East with the Boston Celtics and not all that close to the Toronto Raptors despite a two-game lead in the standings. While there should be some extra weight on recent performance, I don't think that's enough to make up the gap between the Wizards and the Raptors on paper. And Toronto's addition of Serge Ibaka means a better chance of catching Washington in the standings with the Wizards playing 17 of their last 27 games on the road.
If Washington does drop to the fourth seed, I don't see a pickup that would allow the Wizards to compete with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round. And even if Washington stays in third, I'd favor the Celtics in a possible matchup in the conference semifinals.
Now for a bit of positivity: The good news about the Wizards' bench playing so poorly is that it's easy to improve. Darren Collison or Brandon Jennings would be a huge upgrade from Trey Burke and Tomas Satoransky, and a healthy Ian Mahinmi could strengthen Washington's frontcourt the rest of the way. So I do think this will prove to be the best Wizards team in decades.
Boogie's price lowered also by new cba? Once traded the free agency $$ is level for teams with cap space #peltonmailbag
- Fabien Tehrani (@FabienTehrani) February 22, 2017
Well, that's not new. What I'd say lowered his value is that the designated veteran extension gave Cousins incredible incentive to avoid being traded, above and beyond his fondness for the city of Sacramento. When Vlade Divac says that Cousins' agent scuttled a better offer than the one the Kings ultimately took, this is why. It's unclear how many teams were scared off by the (possibly empty) threat that Cousins would sign elsewhere as a free agent no matter what.
Consider this the first unintended consequence of the designated veteran rule of the new NBA collective bargaining agreement, and we saw it before the CBA even took effect.
@kpelton #peltonmailbag who are some reserve wings on non-playoff teams that could help playoff teams?
- hutch (@HutchNGo) February 22, 2017
Among teams we can reasonably conclude aren't trying to make the playoffs, here are expiring wings of note ranked by my order of preference in a vacuum.
1. P.J. Tucker | Phoenix Suns
Tucker is probably more of a 3/4 than a 2/3 at this point; the Suns have had him defending power forwards to finish games on a regular basis. He's a decent 3-point shooter and the best defender of this group.
2. Nick Young | Los Angeles Lakers
I know, I'm as surprised as you are, but Young is making 41 percent of his 3s (a little better than I'd expect going forward) and has been a capable defender. He could really help a contender.
3. Langston Galloway | Sacramento Kings
It's doubtful Galloway is in the Kings' long-term plans after his inclusion in the DeMarcus Cousins trade. I prefer him defending 1s to 2s and despite 37.7 percent 3-point shooting, he's not a particularly efficient scorer, but Galloway could help someone.
4. Shabazz Muhammad | Minnesota Timberwolves
He has developed into a legitimate scoring threat off the bench this season, but his defensive limitations still make him about a replacement-level contributor overall in my mind.
5. Ben McLemore | Sacramento Kings
I continue to believe McLemore could reinvent himself as a useful role player somewhere else despite his ineffective play in Sacramento. There's some uncertainty whether he's actually available despite the Kings loading up on shooting guards.
6. Jodie Meeks | Orlando Magic
If Meeks were healthy, I actually think he'd be a really interesting rental option and fourth on this list. He's probably the best shooter of the group and an OK defender. But it's unclear when he'll return from thumb surgery, and his $6.5 million salary is pricey.
7. Bojan Bogdanovic | Brooklyn Nets
Even in a season in which he's scoring with above-average efficiency, Bogdanovic has rated below replacement level by real plus-minus. And last season he was near the bottom of the league.
8. Jeff Green | Orlando Magic
Green's $15 million salary makes him a tough fit as anything but salary-filler in a bigger trade.
"All of the attention in Philly is directed towards Jahlil Okafor, and rightfully so. I'm not sure that I've seen Ersan Ilyasova's name out there, but he has played well at times and has rebuilt his value. Do you think there is any interest out there? Would the potential return be any higher than a mid second-round pick? I'd love to get some value now in addition to reducing the chance Colangelo resigns him this summer."
Ilyasova's regression to the mean (a topic recently explored by the great Derek Bodner) has probably dimmed his value. I don't see many teams having interest. Ilyasova would be a good fit for the Indiana Pacers, but they seem to have their sights set much higher in terms of adding at the deadline. So I'd be surprised if he goes anywhere.