With the NBA trade deadline approaching, a few players are said to be on the verge of being bought out. Derrick Favors, a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, is one of those players.
While Derrick Favors isn't the ideal choice for many teams, his 6 foot 9′ height allows him to be more than adequate. This season, he's only playing a little part for the Thunder, which is fine since he'll be doing the same thing for many other teams that decide to take a chance on him. Favors will not be asked to play more than 25 minutes per night for any team; instead, they will be looking for a serviceable player who can chew up minutes for them.
Because a few competitive teams will be seeking for a center and a big body, he will almost certainly be picked up from one of them.
Let's look at three teams that may benefit from acquiring Favors via trade or buyout.
While all of these deals may be difficult, some contending teams will overspend and will be forced to give back a big package owing to the players' salaries. Not all of these moves are likely, but competing clubs will try everything possible to improve, which might lead to some unusual deals, as we have seen in the past. In a rebuilding situation, teams will try to trade certain players for less than they are worth.
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*
Derrick Favors
3. Bucks
The most obvious thing Milwaukee is lacking this season is a center. They would have had perhaps the best record in the NBA if they had been healthy this season, but it isn't a big problem for them because Lopez is anticipated to return for the playoffs and they're still the Eastern Conference's second seed.
Derrick Favors has been mentioned a couple of times in Milwaukee Bucks trade negotiations, and it makes sense from the Bucks' standpoint. The Bucks will not be seeking for a center to replace Brook Lopez, as previously said in a few other trade speculations involving centers. Perhaps the scenario would be different if they could sign a player like Myles Turner, but for now, they are sure that Brook Lopez will return before the playoffs and still be able to play at a high level.
Milwaukee fans aren't likely to be overjoyed when they hear the name Derrick Favors, but they must keep in mind that they won't need much from him. He's just one of those guys that are going to have to come in for this squad in both the playoffs and the regular season and play limited minutes. He's one of those players who can play a significant amount of minutes during the regular season so that they don't have to worry about overworking Giannis Antetokounmpo or Bobby Portis.
It would be extremely difficult for Favors to play for the Bucks in the playoffs because he is unable to stretch the floor, and whenever you are playing next to Giannis, Milwaukee will be seeking for a three-point shooter around him. Milwaukee might not be concerned about this right now and instead focus on finding a player who can protect the rim while also grabbing rebounds, which is something they plainly need.
2. Bulls
Derrick Favors, like the Milwaukee Bucks, may not be the best match for the Chicago Bulls since he can't hit the three-point shot. He'd also have to play a bigger role for the Bulls. The only scenario in which the Bulls should consider obtaining him is if they don't have any other options and can't find another trade to get a rim protector. Derrick Favors isn't the best rim protector in the world, but neither is anyone the Bulls have.
If Chicago does not make a move to get another center, they will have to go out and acquire a player like Derrick Favors on the buyout market. There's no disputing that if they don't fix their rim protection issues, they're going to have a postseason that isn't going to go as they hope.
No matter how terrific Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are in the playoffs, the Chicago Bulls are going to have a tough time with Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Kevin Durant because they don't have anyone who can be thrown at any of those three stars to make it difficult for them. For a team with title ambitions, these would be extremely unfavorable matchups, and the front office must go out and find someone who can defend the 4-5 position.
1. Sixers
This is an intriguing scenario for the Sixers, but only if they trade Ben Simmons to the Brooklyn Nets, because the Nets are said to be interested in reclaiming Andre Drummond as part of the deal.
Andre Drummond is a fantastic fit for the Sixers because he's just a guy who fills in for Embiid when he needs a break and gets the job done.