The calendar has turned to March, which means -- for this season at least -- it's time for trades.
There have been only three in-season trades so far in 2021: the move that sent Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks, the Houston Rockets' acquisition of Kevin Porter Jr. from the Cleveland Cavaliers, and, of course, the four-team megadeal that sent James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets.
The NBA trade deadline is a little more than three weeks away, and while league insiders are predicting a quiet deadline, there is still plenty of time between now and March 25 for things to change.
Teams that are on the fringes of the playoff race could slide in the standings, turning them into deadline sellers. Contenders could decide they need to make one big move to chase a championship. Players such as Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin, who've been held out by their teams in advance of the deadline, could suddenly find themselves in demand.
With that in mind, our NBA experts took a swing at playing GM, setting up five big trades they'd like to see go down this month, starting with a shake-up at the top of the Eastern Conference.
MORE: 2021 and 2022 free agents | Draft assets for every team
Kyle Lowry's homecoming
Philadelphia 76ers get: Kyle Lowry
Toronto Raptors get: Andre Drummond, Tyrese Maxey, 2021 first-round pick from Philadelphia (unprotected), 2023 first-round pick from Philadelphia (lottery protected, becomes two second-round picks if not conveyed)
Cleveland Cavaliers get: Danny Green, Mike Scott, Terrance Ferguson, 2024 second-round pick from Miami (via Philadelphia)
The details: In an Eastern Conference race that is wide open, the 76ers could desperately use another dynamic two-way player. Bringing Lowry, a North Philadelphia native, back home could be the difference-making move that results in the 76ers' return to the NBA Finals for the first time in 20 years.
Yes, Lowry, a pending free agent, is going to turn 35 the day of the NBA trade deadline. And yes, giving up multiple first-round picks and a young player in Maxey would be difficult.
But it's a move Philadelphia should make. The 76ers add a proven playoff performer who would give coach Doc Rivers flexibility in how he deploys Ben Simmons. With Lowry's Bird rights, the Sixers could either extend him before the season ends or re-sign him this summer.
For other contenders, like the LA Clippers, the difficulty in trading for Lowry comes with both making the cap math work (Lowry makes $30.5 million this season) and giving Toronto something it needs in return. This trade accomplishes both.
Maxey and the picks will help Toronto add to its core of Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby moving forward. Green, Scott and Ferguson all have expiring deals that can be rerouted to Cleveland so the Raptors can add Drummond, shoring up their center position without taking on long-term money.
The Cavaliers would recoup the second-round pick they gave up to acquire Drummond last season.
-- Tim Bontemps
Brooklyn nets a shooter
Brooklyn Nets get: JJ Redick
New Orleans Pelicans get: Spencer Dinwiddie, Atlanta's 2021 second-round pick
The details: OK, that previous trade was complicated. This one is simple.
It boils down to Brooklyn pushing to go all-in for a championship run.
The deal would put Redick on a roster designed to compete for a championship this season and get him closer to his family, who are living in Brooklyn and are not with him in New Orleans this season.
After a slow start to the season, in which he shot below 30% from 3-point range, Redick has bounced back. He was held out for three games as the Pelicans tried to trade him before the reaggregation deadline last month. Since returning to the lineup after a move didn't come together, the veteran has looked more like himself, shooting nearly 47% on 3s in his past 13 games.
Still, Redick's minutes (18.2) and shot attempts per game (6.6) are the lowest they've been since 2008-09, his third year in the league, because of the Pelicans' crowded backcourt situation. This move would free up minutes for rookie Kira Lewis and second-year man Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
As for Dinwiddie, who is out for the season after tearing an ACL in December, the Pelicans would retain his Bird rights if he decided to decline his $12.3 million player option for next season. If he opted in, New Orleans could work him into next year's lineup or use him as another piece in a bigger trade this summer.
-- Andrew Lopez
Magic move on from Gordon
Charlotte Hornets get: Jake Layman, 2025 second-round pick (from Minnesota)
Minnesota Timberwolves get: Aaron Gordon
Orlando Magic get: Jarrett Culver, Juancho Hernangomez
The details: This trade is more about the 2021-22 season and less about now, considering Orlando and Minnesota sit at the bottom of the standings in their respective conferences.
The addition of Gordon gives Minnesota a legitimate power forward to pair next to Karl-Anthony Towns. Although he has struggled this season with injuries, Gordon has still managed to shoot a career-high 36.9% from 3 and average 13.8 points and 7.2 rebounds.
The downside to this type of trade is that it puts Minnesota in the luxury tax for a second consecutive season (a scenario a lottery team should not be in) and close to the tax in 2021-22.
Gordon would also be on an expiring contract next season. Although he is eligible for an extension in the offseason, he is projected to be one of the top free agents in 2022 and would likely be in line for more money by waiting, bringing in the risk that Minnesota would lose him for nothing after next season.
Minnesota would also be waving the white flag on a player selected sixth overall in the 2019 draft. The selection of Culver was the first big move for head of basketball operations Gersson Rosas. Culver and Hernangomez are on team-friendly contracts (both will earn less than $7 million next season) and would give the Magic much-needed depth.
The Hornets enter the picture as the third team because Orlando cannot do a three-for-one type of trade because of roster restrictions (the Magic would still need to waive a player for this trade to work). Layman fits into the Hornets' $4 million cap space and gives them scoring off the bench. The Hornets would also pick up a future second-round pick from the Timberwolves (one that could be high in the round if Minnesota's playoff drought continues).
-- Bobby Marks
Changing of the guard for contenders
Charlotte Hornets get: Terrance Ferguson, cash (from Philadelphia)
LA Clippers get: George Hill
Oklahoma City Thunder get: Tony Bradley, Mfiondu Kabengele, Mike Scott, 2021 first-round pick (from Philadelphia)
Philadelphia 76ers get: Lou Williams, Mike Muscala
The details: The crux of this four-team trade is the Clippers adding more of an organizer type at point guard and the 76ers upgrading their second-unit scoring.
I've been enamored of the idea of the Clippers dealing for Hill since he landed in Oklahoma City. The veteran guard, who has NBA Finals experience, would be able to get the team into its offense without sacrificing spot-up shooting. Because the Clippers can't trade a future first-round pick, having already sent them all to the Thunder, I think they'd have to give up Williams to get a player of Hill's caliber. That necessitates involving a third team.
A return to Philadelphia for Williams could be a fit if a bigger deal for Lowry doesn't work out. The three-time Sixth Man of the Year would help carry the Sixers' offense with Joel Embiid on the bench and is capable of being a late-game playmaker, too.
Dealing Kabengele creates enough flexibility for the Clippers to fill that roster spot with a buyout candidate, while Philadelphia cuts its luxury-tax bill and gets a stretch 5 option off the bench by bringing back Muscala. Since Oklahoma City can't reacquire Ferguson, he heads to the Hornets, who would be paid off to take his salary into their cap space.
-- Kevin Pelton
Warriors cash in on Wolves' pick
Golden State Warriors get: John Collins, Kevin Huerter, Cam Reddish and 2021 first-round pick (from Hawks)
Atlanta Hawks get: Eric Paschall, Kent Bazemore, Damion Lee, Jordan Poole, Marquese Chriss, Mychal Mulder, 2021 top-three protected first-round pick (from Timberwolves)
The past two seasons have shown us that the Warriors have a strong need for young talent and quality depth to supplement their aging championship core. Collins is a young, starting-caliber and potentially impact big man capable of volume scoring, solid rebounding and stretching the floor from the perimeter. He fits in lineups next to either Draymond Green or James Wiseman, could help the Warriors get into the playoffs this season and could be a major contributor on a team with championship aspirations once Klay Thompson returns next season.
Collins is set to be a restricted free agent this summer, but the Warriors would have the ability to match any offer he receives if they decide he's a cornerstone piece for their future. Reddish and Huerter are both long, young wings drafted in the first round of recent drafts who fit the mold of the off-ball shooters who thrive in the Warriors' system. The Hawks' pick looks to be a mid-first-rounder, which could provide more young depth moving forward.
The Hawks are rumored to not have Collins in their future plans after this season, and are said to be looking for a first-rounder/potential lottery pick in exchange for him. The Timberwolves currently have the worst record in the NBA, after having the third-worst record last season, yielding a very real possibility that the pick lands in the top five.
The pick is top-three protected, so if it didn't convey this season, it would still be a valuable piece moving forward as an unprotected first rounder in 2022. The Hawks have a lot of young talent on the wing, including big free-agent signee Bogdan Bogdanovic and 2019 No. 4 overall pick De'Andre Hunter, making Reddish and Huerter movable in this type of deal. The players they'd receive back are a mixture of young players on rookie deals and contributing veterans on expiring contracts, but it's the Minnesota pick that makes this deal worth doing for Atlanta.
-- Andre' Snellings