The NBA All-Star break has arrived, with most of the league getting some time off before the action resumes next week and this is the time for a big trade.
There will be a few front offices, however, that will not have a whole lot of time to rest.
A number of teams around the NBA are likely to position for a trade ahead of the March 25 deadline later this month. Some franchises are sort of dangling between buying and selling. Others will most certainly be in the buyers market.
Here are five teams that absolutely need to make a move in order to make something happen after the All-Star break.
Los Angeles Lakers
Let's start with the reigning NBA champions.
The Lakers have obviously had a tougher time getting wins without Anthony Davis. He is, after all, one of the best players in the NBA. Still, L.A. could just generally use more frontcourt depth.
Montrezl Harrell remains a spark plug off the bench and can provide some scoring and rebounding. Marc Gasol is a defensive stopper who can step out and step the three-ball, and he is still one of the better passing bigs in basketball.
Still, someone like P.J. Tucker could be perfect for the Lakers. Tucker has been minimized on an atrocious Houston Rockets team. But he can fill an undersized forward role, spacing the floor with his ability to shoot from the corners and banging the boards underneath.
Perhaps the Lakers will prefer to look at buyout candidates. They already reportedly have interest in Blake Griffin after the six-time All-Star agreed to a buyout with the Detroit Pistons on Friday.
Regardless, it wouldn't hurt to add frontcourt assets. Added depth at the forward spots would also allow L.A. to ease Davis back into things whenever he is ready to return.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics are another team in need of some frontcourt scoring. Boston is also in an interesting position in terms of having a trade exception.
Danny Ainge and Co. obtained a $28.5 million trade exception in the Gordon Hayward deal, the largest TPE in NBA history. They might be more inclined to use it after a disappointing 19-17 start to the season.
The Celtics have a pair of elite guard/wing types in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, both of whom made the All-Star team. But Boston too often relies on its young stars to create offense, and it struggles when Tatum and Brown have off nights. Kemba Walker is starting to get back on track but has generally been disappointing.
All told, the C's could use a more offensive-minded frontcourt player. Daniel Theis, Tristan Thompson, and Robert Williams are all solid for what they provide, but they lack the ability to go get a bucket or operate in the post. None of them have much potential as stretch-bigs, either.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Boston is interested in both Pistons forward Jerami grant and Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic. The Celtics would have to sell high to land either player (especially in Vucevic's case), and Grant's usage in Boston would not be anything close to what he is producing with the Pistons. That said, it could be worth exploring, as might a buyout guy like Blake Griffin.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers also reportedly have an interest in Blake Griffin. Although the former Clipper would certainly make for an interesting fit in L.A., I still can't help but think the Clippers need more in the way of scoring and playmaking at the point guard position.
I was of the opinion the Clippers should go out and get Derrick Rose. That didn't happen. Can they somehow scrounge together assets to make a run at someone like Kyle Lowry?
Patrick Beverley scraps and is shooting the three well. Lou Williams has gradually turned his season around, and Reggie Jackson has been a surprisingly decent option off the bench. But are any of these guys capable of putting the Clippers over the top in a loaded Western Conference? No.
Lou Will is on an expiring deal. Pat Bev is under contract through next season. Might L.A. try to flip either or both of these guys for someone like Lowry? What about Lonzo Ball?
The former No. 2 overall pick has really picked up the momentum over the course of the last month. He averaged 16.5 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.5 rebounds in February, with a .625 true shooting percentage. Ball might also excel alongside a pair of elite shooters and shot-creators like Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Los Angeles should determine whether it feels comfortable with its current backcourt, or if the likes of Lowry or Ball would provide a sizable upgrade.
Miami Heat
Don't look now, but the defending Eastern Conference champions are starting to get it together.
The Heat were decimated by health and COVID issues early in the season. They were a woeful 7-14 on Feb. 3, and things looked fairly dire. Since then, however, Miami is 11-4. The Heat won seven of eight games heading into the All-Star break, and head into the second half with a lot of momentum.
Miami needs more scoring and more shooting. The Heat rank 25th in offensive rating. They are dead-last in three-point attempts, which might not be the best formula considering the explosion of three-point shooting around the league this season.
Shams Charania reported Sacramento Kings forwards Harrison Barnes and Nemanja Bjelica are possible trade targets, with Bjelica, in particular, having interest from the Heat.
The 32-year-old was essentially benched for a stretch of the season as the Kings pursued trade avenues. But he is back in the rotation. Bjelica is very underappreciated as a passer and on the offensive boards. He is also a career 39 percent shooter from beyond the arc.
Lowry would be an interesting target for the Heat, as well. He fits Miami's defensive identity and can make plays off the bounce or space the floor and knock down triples. The Raptors guard actually has the second-highest three-point percentage of his career this season.
The Heat are getting it together. But they need more firepower.
Indiana Pacers
We don't need to spend too much copy on the Pacers. They are one of the teams caught in between a rock and a hard place.
Indiana is 16-19 and barely hanging to a play-in spot. The Pacers might also get a boost from the eventual return of Caris LeVert, which could be huge considering they need more scoring and playmaking.
Simultaneously, guys like Doug McDermott and Myles Turner are sure to have plenty of trade value around the league. The Pacers need to decide whether they are going to really go for it or reposition a bit for next season.
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