Time to make trades

IT’S already December, which means the NBA is about to go nuts with trade rumors. On December 15, almost all of the free agents that signed in the last offseason will be eligible for trading, so this is the unofficial start of the trading frenzy which will peak on the February 10 deadline.

We have dedicated too many columns on Ben Simmons in the past, and the standoff with the Philadelphia 76ers continues. Ben Simmons is losing money, a possibility that he was prepared to face, and the Sixers are wasting one of Joel Embiid’s prime years. A trade is the best scenario for him but until now, no team is willing to pay the price to get him.

Here are possible trades involving other star players:

Kemba Walker and John Wall

The new practice in the NBA today is making everything official. In the old days, if a coach didn’t want to field a player, they would simply leave him sitting on the bench. The Houston Rockets have officially declared that they will not play John Wall and wait for the best possible trade offer. He will be paid over $43 million dollars to hang around and not play a game. He is not even being required to go to practice. Does that make you want to reassess your career goals?

Kemba Walker of the New York Knicks is the latest addition to the high-roller hangout. The Knicks just announced that Kemba, who was taken out of the starting lineup, is now out of the rotation as well. He will take north of $34 million dollars to the freezer. Walker struggled to keep up defensively, a mortal sin in Coach Tom Thibodeau’s book.

The easy fix would be to trade them for each other, in an Occam’s

Razor-esque approach. That makes sense since Wall is a better defender than Walker, and Walker would be unleashed in the Rockets’ free-wheeling offense. This will not bring much improvement to the teams, but they are both on salvage mode, and no other team in their right mind would involve themselves with such albatross contracts. Except..

LA Lakers trade options

The Russell Westbrook trade is so polarizing, since he would display his tenacity in one game, and that same energy will lead to bonehead decisions that will cost them the game. He has been traded by the Rockets already, so I think a John Wall trade is not going to happen. Kemba’s problems, on the other hand, will only get worse with the Lakers.

Westbrook has talents, he only needs to be consistent. Somehow, he has thrived when LeBron missed many games. It seems like the Lakers are showcasing him, and a desperate team at the bottom may take a flyer on him if the Lakers could add high value-return players like Talen Horton-Tucker.

The only chance for the Lakers is the buyout market, and they aren’t even a title-chaser destination anymore. It would take a miracle for the Lakers to make a worthwhile trade for Russ.

Big man logjam

The big man is often claimed to be on the verge of extinction in the NBA. But having a skill at the slot gives a team a worthy advantage especially during the playoffs. The Indiana Pacers have the luxury of having two — Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner — except that they are hardly beneficial when they are fielded at the same time.

Trading away one could bring back a worthy package. One of the more popular ideas concerns Sabonis being sent to the Golden State Warriors. His talent and skill could benefit the Warriors, who are now title contenders. They could offer James Wiseman — the fallen sophomore who has mad potential just like Turner when he was younger.

The Pacers could have the patience to develop Wiseman, and he would play behind Turner, who will be their full-time center. The Warriors have many young players to add, from Damion Lee or Juan Toscano Anderson — since they are likely to keep Jordan Poole and Gary Payton 2nd. And oh, Klay Thompson is coming back in one or two weeks.

Tanking and timelines

The Houston Rockets are due for a fire sale. It’s a question of “when” and not “if.” They wanted to see what their young core could bring, and as expected, it wasn’t much in a more competitive NBA. It is already a given that Eric Gordon would go, and Wall is already mentioned here.

The big surprise would be Christian Wood. He is their best asset in terms of value, and they could get quality picks in return for him. He could easily help a would-be contender — the Chicago Bulls is an option, but division rival Charlotte Hornets are also buzzing. He would easily fit in with the Blazers, too.