3 NBA Trade Rumors I Wish Had Come True
Throughout the entire year, everybody hears all sorts of rumors regarding “potential” trades in the NBA. (Check out some of the best NBA trade rumors of the past 15 years here). I’m just as guilty as the next person of throwing all rational thinking out the window and becoming euphoric about a potential deal getting done that would change the course of the NBA as we know it.
Generally speaking, there are three phases we go through when we first learn of a specific trade rumor.
Phase 1 - Shock/Excitement: After first hearing about the rumor, the excitement could be that your team could possibly gain that missing piece you’ve been searching for, or your rival team just gave away the farm. Though, you don’t have to be a fan of the rumored teams or players; it’s just fun to think about what that team would look like.
Phase 2 - Wonderment: Sanity is an afterthought as, for whatever reason, your mind actually entertains the notion and potential of such a deal. You already have crowned your team champions for the upcoming year as you think, “Holy hell - maybe this could really happen! Maybe the Grizzlies could actually get Lebron for expiring contracts?!”
Phase 3 - Realization: The process usually culminates with a statement like, “I’m an idiot. This could never work.” This, of course, comes after spending about 30 seconds researching the quantifiable evidence for such a trade, and figuring out that there is no chance it could be done without an owner paying an insane amount of money as the deal would inevitably put them over the luxury tax.
We’ve all gone through these emotions, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing so. It’s what makes basketball the greatest sport on the planet.
However, roughly speaking, about 99% of these rumored deals are so off base and completely false it’s barely worth spending the energy to talk about them.
Until now.
I got to thinking the other day about how funny (or horrific) it would be if some of the rumors we’ve heard this past season and off-season actually came to fruition. Here are my top 3 trades I wish would’ve happened (or still would happen) for purely selfish reasons.
3. Carlos Boozer to Chicago, Kirk Hinrich to Blazers, Tyrus Thomas to Utah
I’m not going to harp on the Bulls for letting Ben Gordon walk and I’m also not going to fault the Pistons for signing him (though I’m not sure he’s worth 11 million a season). Sure, he was Chicago’s leading scorer last year (and they’ve made a habit of getting rid of their leading scorers) but he also didn’t make the Bulls a better team per se. Hence, If Boozer headed to Chicago, he and Derrick Rose would make an incredible 1-2 punch in the Central Division and Chicago wouldn’t miss Gordon one bit. With a healthy Luol Deng, a much-improved John Salmons, and a more mature Joakim Noah, that team would be fun to watch in the East.
The only piece in this rumored trade I ever cared about is Boozer to Chicago. Hinrich isn’t much better (if at all) than Steve Blake and Tyrus Thomas being coached by Jerry Sloan is just comical. Boozer would immediately make an impact on that Chicago team, and I’d take Boozer’s points and rebounds over Gordon’s points and inconsistency any day of the week.
2. Vince Carter to San Antonio
I admit, this trade would’ve brought so much joy to my life simply by seeing the Spurs slowly fade away from relevancy. Is there any doubt this would’ve been a terrible deal for San Antonio? In his best impersonation of former Spurs Assistant Coach P.J. Carlesimo, we almost certainly would’ve seen an epic meltdown from Gregg Popovich attempting to rein in Carter’s ill-advised shots on offense. Simply put, he’s just not a good fit for the Spurs. Carter needs to shoot the ball a considerable amount every game to get his points and he is a big liability on defense. And that’s exactly why I wanted the Spurs to get him.
Instead, they waited and made the right move bolstering their entire squad with the additions of Richard Jefferson and Antonio MyDyess - both perfect “Spurs” players.
Damn.
1. Suns’ Expiring Contracts to New Orleans for Tyson Chandler
I should preface this by reminding everyone that it’s looking more and more like the Suns are keeping Amar’e Stoudemire for next season. If that’s the case, of all the rumored deals we’ve heard regarding the Suns, I loved this one the most. Phoenix, essentially, wouldn’t have given up anything and they’d have received a still solid center to play alongside Amare.
Tyson Chandler may have some chronic foot issues (I suspect it’s the main reason why this trade didn’t happen) but I would’ve loved to see a healthy Chandler play with Steve Nash, setting the record for most alley-oops received in a NBA game. The Suns would’ve finally had a mobile, athletic center that fit their style of play to a “T” and someone who understands his role on the team fully. A starting lineup of Nash, Richardson, Hill, Amar’e, and Chandler would certainly be nothing to scoff at, and I’d argue that it would’ve been one of the best in the West; perhaps even making the Suns relevant again.
In the end, Chandler’s somewhat bloated contract (along with his health) was a big deterrent for the Suns who ended up passing on this deal.
What trade rumors would you have loved to see come true? It could from this year or year’s past…
July 29th, 2009 at 10:18 am
GayforRudy says:
Thanks for “explaining” my thought process to me when I hear about a trade rumor… not condescending at all!
July 29th, 2009 at 10:19 am
CL says:
Vince Carter for Allen Iverson.
July 29th, 2009 at 10:25 am
the_don_mega says:
“Hinrich isn’t much better (if at all) than Steve Blake”
really???
July 29th, 2009 at 10:48 am
IGP says:
A reader the other day said that he reads the articles then who writes them. I always know when an article is written by Austin and when an article is written by someone else. No offense to any of the other writers at Dime, but Austin is miles ahead of the rest. Again, not that any of the articles are bad, but you can tell when AB writes something and when another staff does.
July 29th, 2009 at 10:52 am
Arrogant says:
I’m a bulls fan… and i wouldn’t mind seeing boozer come fro those guy, even though it would be hard to say goodbye… but Kirk is a better player than Steve Blake… especially defensively….
July 29th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Ben York says:
@GayforRudy - I was being facetious bro.
@the_don_mega - yes, and stats back it up. Though they are similar, Blake averaged more points, assists, better 3pt %, better ft%, less turnovers, and more rebounds last year.
July 29th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Chicagorilla says:
Blake better than Kirk? Stop looking at stats in a year when Kirk was the back-up and was hurt most of the season. He has always been forced to have the ball when the shot clock is running down which is why his FG% is so low as a shooter and a PG. He had a much better shooting year last year because he didn’t have to handle the ball at the end of the shot clock, he had Salmons, Rose, plus Gordon. Not to mention his defense is top tier for NBA players (not just PGs) Any GM who would pick Blake before Kirk would not have a job for long.
July 29th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Me says:
@ #3:
Is that a surprise to you? Nothing against Hinrich but i’d take blake over hinrich in a heartbeat. Very underrated player, Blake is. He’s not great per se and on a championship squad starting either of them would have to be your weak spot, but he would be my first pick for backup pg, maybe 1st-2nd off the bench.
July 29th, 2009 at 11:12 am
Chicagorilla says:
Oh and your trade ideas where terrible. Calling VC an ill-advised jacker who needs shots? watch more games of his and pay attention to his passing ability. Jefferson is an ill-advised jacker who CAN’T shoot. McDyess is as productive as a nuttless monkey.
Boozer may be better than Gordon, but as I’ve said many times before. Putting up 20-10 is not productive if you are giving up 25-15 every game. Boozer is a useless NBA back-up. He should probably stay in Utah and use the pick n roll to get him a big pay check again. Boozer’s lack of a real post game is the main reason why he’s a bad fit in Chicago. The Bulls needs points from the post, and since Boozer can’t do that, I’ll take Tyrus Thomas’s drives to the basket and help side (2bpg and 1 stl) blocks any day over boozers top of the key jumper and 0.5 blks per game.
July 29th, 2009 at 11:13 am
SEANY_T says:
I second Chicagorilla on the Blake Vs Hinrich. Hinrich missed like 2 3rds of last season then came in as back up. Did a pretty good job too, if not for D-Rose Hinrich is a starter. It would be wise for the bulls to keep him as back-up for 1 & 2 spots. I’d be happy to see Hinrich in Nyk as it has been rumoured in the past.
July 29th, 2009 at 11:13 am
Chicagorilla says:
Blakes greatest highlight… getting crossed up by Nate Robinson 3 times and 3 times falling on the floor. Sure he got him back once, but that doesn’t eliminate the others.
July 29th, 2009 at 11:16 am
Kobeef says:
Ben, all of those trades are horrible.
How could you wish Boozer on the Bulls? The Bulls are a great young team that has no need for a self-centered jackass like Boozer.
I think the jury is still very, very much out on Chandler. There was probably a good reason why OKC (one of the best front offices in basketball..minus Clay) refused the trade.
Here are my top 3 trades I wish happended
1. Chris Bosh to Golden State for Anthony Randolph, Andrins Biedrins, Marco Bellinelli (reportedly offered to Toronto at last year’s trade deadline).
Randolph is looking like a bigger, more athletic version of Bosh and basically comes as a throw-in in this deal The Raps get a young and huge frontline of Randolph, Bargnani and Biendrins. Golden state gets a 20-10 guy who can help Monta, S-Jax and the rest of the Warriors turn the ship around.
2. Memphis trades 2nd Pick in 2009 Draft + Hakim Warrick to NY for David Lee and the 8th pick (Jordan Hill). Rubio would be ruling NY right now and Memphis would be happier because they would not have used the 2nd pick to draft a guy (thabeet) who averaged about 7 points and 4 boards in SUMMER LEAGUE.
3. Steve Nash + Marion to Dallas for Josh Howard and Devin Harris
This was rumoured to be rejected by Kerr before Marion was sent to Miami for Shaq. Josh Howard and Devin Harris would have made the Suns a young, running, gunning team and Nash would have paired with Dirk to make the Mavs a legit contender.
July 29th, 2009 at 11:20 am
ab_40 says:
last season? vc going to orlando mid season, or going to cleveland.
shaq to cleveland last season would’ve been good.
sheed to ghe spurs
whicever trade was in the works involving CP3 to a contender… NO is DONE they peaked in 07/08.
And there was a rumor of Amar’e maybe going to the cavs…
July 29th, 2009 at 11:23 am
Ross says:
I agree with Kobeef. I don’t think any of those trades are really all that exciting, unless you’re a Suns or Bulls fan.
July 29th, 2009 at 11:25 am
the_don_mega says:
@ Ben York - sometimes it’s just not about stats man… there are centers in the history of the L that averaged more points than Bill Russell… would you dare call them better than him? sometimes it’s about the intangibles as well…
July 29th, 2009 at 11:28 am
sh!tfaced says:
Not a Knicks fan and not a Ricky Rubio fan either. But Ricky going to New York and playing under D’Antoni’s system would have been nice. So we can make fun of Rubio if he turns out to be a dud. And still make fun of him if he lives up to the hype.
July 29th, 2009 at 11:32 am
Arrogant says:
i personally like the break down of the phases… those were the phases i went through when Kobe was talking bout coming to the bulls…..
Yea to agree with chicagorilla… Kirk was injured and had to play behind derrick BG and Salmons @ times while Blake was starting every game, and ppl don’t look at him as a focal point on their offense. most people only look at offense but kirk often defended the teams best guard or forward which can decrease ur offense when ur doing ur job on both ends… steve blake would get lit up.
Kirk 08-09- 9.9 points 3.9 assist 2.4 rebound and 1.3 steals(and defends the best player)in 26 mins
Blake08-09 11 point 5 assist 2.5 rebounds 1 steal. in 32 mins
if u start Kirk and hes healthy he will have better number than Blake offensively and defensively…
July 29th, 2009 at 11:34 am
The Real Deal says:
Eddy curry for Tyson Chandler during the last season
Knicks would get a running big who can run the floor and block shots. A poor man’s Amare for D’antoni’s system.
New Orleans would get well, a boost to the economy. how much jambalaya do you think eddy could eat in a year?
July 29th, 2009 at 11:37 am
Posterboyforflyness says:
Prediction 2 doesnt seem well thought out considering vince is a all around player at this stage in his career and is 1 of 4 players that averages 20 5 5 for the past 5 or 6 seasons. If anything he would have gave the team a new demension cuz people already know wut the Spurs are about…and adding Vince would throw team’s perception of the spurs way off especially if Ginobli and Vince taking it to the rack…that would be just sickening for defenders. Jefferson and Antonio were great additions but wouldnt bring the same spark that vince would have. Its really good that Vince is going to be able to showcase his talent on the national stage again…people dont know but vince has been a flat out stud in New Jersey…its alot of players in this league u cant even compare to vince now..check the stats…”Men Lie, Women Lie, Numbers Dont”.
-Jay Z
July 29th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
GayforRudy says:
@ Ben York
Don’t “Bro” me prick. I just wanted to start the bashing of how crappy your articles are.
July 29th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Ben York says:
Okay, maybe a better question is who would fit best on the Blazers - Hinrich, Miller, or Blake? I’d argue that they are all fairly interchangeable.
July 29th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
YOUNGFED says:
^^^^Miller
And the trade I wanted was Rip for Boozer.
July 29th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
YOUNGFED says:
Im sorry I meant Carlos (Broke Legs) Boozer. lol
July 29th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Arrogant says:
I would still go Hinirich because of his defense… possibly miller cause or his court vision… i feel they can start on multiple teams.. i see blake as a great backup
July 29th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
doc says:
I wouldnt call Vince a ballhog at all.But I would like to see Willie Green and Sammy in a package deal for whatever.I dont care if its for some cheerleaders.
July 29th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
QQ says:
Dime, please fire Ben York. His articles are garbage and his logic is faulty. Put this dude on the curb, please.
And remember, I’ve been a loyal reader for a while, so it bothers me to see morons working for this magazine.
July 29th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Jean says:
You’re certainly entitled to your personal opinion as to who is a better PG, but you should also know better than to back up your opinion with per game stats for guys who played different minutes. Per 36, Blake had 12.5 points, 5.7 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 1.1 steals, .1 blocks, with 55.7 TS%. Hinrich had 13.5 points, 5.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals, .5 blocks, with 55.1 TS%.
So even if you completely ignore defense, you don’t have a good statistical argument that Blake is better than Hinrich. Throw in defense, and you should understand why pretty much everyone disagrees with you.
July 29th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Luigi says:
uhhh wiz 5th pick + expiring contracts/role players for Amare.
July 29th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Mack Brownee says:
I wanted to see Amar’e traded for Erica Dampier and Jerry Brickhouse; go mavs!
July 29th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
GrizzTimmy says:
Any trade where the Grizzlies actually spent money and didnt get money in return and actually used some of their assets to trade for talent and good players that come from winning teams.
July 29th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Brown says:
That Bosh-to-the-Warriors rumour was one I was really hoping for. Bargnani and Bosh are both talented, but shouldn’t be on the same team. Their games don’t complement each other at all. Colangelo won’t get anything close to this deal when he’s forced to trade Bosh in a sign-and-trade deal next summer.
July 29th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
sure says:
Blake better than Hinrich when. In what sport? It’s like saying. I can’t even think of a comparison that bad. That statement ruined the whole article. Kirk Hinrich would be the best fit because he’s the best all around pg. His promblem is his motor. Also we don’t know if he could handle the load we’ve seen miller due for the past years. Blake is lucky to be in the league. He isn’t bad but sure isn’t good. The team makes him fit in. Anbody could play with Roy and Aldrige. I would’ve like Skip to go to Portland or Atlanta talk about exciting. Mal Tinsley to Miami and throw a wrench in the East with Bosh/Boozer. That Steve Blake comparison game me a headache.
July 29th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
doc says:
And I wouldnt say Blake better than Hinrich either.
July 29th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Neal Sardana says:
I like the Amare to the Warriors trade that was supposed happen on draft night. I think it was Amare and Earl Clark for Steph Curry, Biedriens, A. Randoph, Barenellie. It would have been pretty good to see Monta STAT Steph Jackson togther and Steve Nash playing with Steph Curry.
July 29th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Neal Sardana says:
I also like the Iverson to Grizzlies rumors. That would be a great team locker room and chemistry with Zack Randolph and Iverson together mentoring the youngsters like OJ and Gay. Also Iverson in Miami could be interesting with him, Wade, J. Oneal, Haslem, and Beasly. That would make the East very interesting.
July 29th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
The Oracle says:
even though it was short lived I remember 2 years ago the Warriors were briefly players in acquiring Garnett. Imagine KG with Baron (if he stayed), Monta, Jackson and serving as a tutor to Randolph
July 30th, 2009 at 2:03 am
rick773 says:
First let me be clear I am a Bulls fan so I am biased and with that said I don’t make a habit of bashing writers articles so I won’t. But saying Hinrich isn’t much better than Blake I can’t rock with that. Nevermind the fact that Boozer doesn’t make the bulls that much better if at all. First boozer may run the pick and roll but is he really a post player. Second if Kirk leaves then whos the back up point Pargo. Don’t get get me wrong he can get buckets but is he really a point.
July 30th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Sambaman says:
I feel for you Ben. The Spurs did the right thing in signing RJ and McDyess plus ensuring a 3rd string center shot blocker in Theo Ratliff. But what will really depress you is the recent signing of possible rookie of the year in DeJuan Blair, the clear steal of the draft. He will dominate the paint coming off the bench and show what the art of offensive rebounding is all about. Just picture Manu, McDyess and this rookie beast coming off the bench and you will cringe at the thought of another NBA championship in San Antonio. Sorry Ben.