ORLANDO, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 27: Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Orlando Magic between plays against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second quarter at Amway Center on December 27, 2019 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry Aaron/Getty Images)
2021 NBA Trade Deadline: 5 big men teams should target
NBA Trade Deadline Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
The NBA Trade Deadline is just a few short weeks away. The trade market has been relatively quiet in recent days, but it’s only a matter of time before it sparks up once more.
There’s a large number of high-caliber shooters that will be available to buyers on the trade market and those players should be in demand. But what about big men who will be moved at the deadline?
Teams have already started the process of revealing who is available. One name is Andre Drummond, who the Cleveland Cavaliers are benching until they can find a suitable trade partner for the center.
Big men are in demand at the NBA trade deadline
Another one is Blake Griffin. Well, he was a trade candidate before agreeing to a buyout with the Detroit Pistons on Friday, allowing him to sign where he pleases, aka the Brooklyn Nets. That takes one name off of the trade market and may also remove one buyer, at least one seeking a big man in the coming days and weeks.
Still, there will be plenty of big men available. The All-Star break is when general managers take (extra) stock of their team and figure out how they want to move forward. A flurry of moves could be coming after the game is played.
The NBA Trade Deadline is on March 25. By the time the dust settles that evening, the landscape of the league could be very different.
Which big men will be on the move before then? Here are five big men trade targets, as well as the teams that may be on the hunt for them.
!["Detroit](https://hoopshabit.com/2021/03/09/2021-nba-trade-deadline-5-big-men/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fimagn-images%2F2017%2F07%2F15327835.jpeg")
are conducting a fire sale</a> – and by all accounts, they appear to be – getting rid of Mason Plumlee is an obvious move. There’s no way the veteran center is part of the team’s long-term plans.</p>
<p>Plumlee is having a career-year, averaging 10.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. He’s even shown a propensity to step back and attempt the occasional three-pointer, averaging a career-high 0.2 attempts this season (that’s a joke).</p>
<p>There are no areas of the game where Plumlee is elite and there’s nothing wrong with that. He’s incredibly dependable and steady in the middle and having that kind of consistency is invaluable come the playoffs.</p>
<p>Plumlee’s contract doesn’t do him many favors. He signed a three-year, $25 million deal with the Pistons in the offseason, a likely overpay and one that keeps the center on the books through the 2022-23 season, by the end of which he’ll be 33 years old.</p>
<p>That also complicates matters because he’s not purely a rental. Detroit will be expecting some draft assets or young players in return for a player whose regression could be close-at-hand, despite his suddenly newfound ability to pull triple-doubles.</p>
<p>Someone will likely take their chances anyway. Two teams to look out for in the chase for Plumlee are the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/03/09/2021-nba-trade-deadline-5-big-men/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 4 </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">NBA Trade Deadline Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>4. JaVale McGee</h2>
<p>The fact that JaVale McGee makes this kind of list every year is a testament to how valuable he’s become around the league. The place he may be most valuable, however, is a place with some familiarity.</p>
<p>McGee is currently languishing along with Andre Drummond on the Cleveland Cavaliers, but he’s playing well in limited minutes. The veteran big man is averaging 7.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, despite playing in less than 16.0 minutes per contest. That looks like 17.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per 36 minutes.</p>
<p>His best asset is his ability to block shots, something he can still do with his playing time. McGee’s block percentage is at 7.3 percent this year, directly in line with his rate over recent years. If McGee qualified, his block percentage would rank fourth in the NBA, ahead of Rudy Gobert.</p>
<p>The Cavs acquired McGee and a pick from the Los Angeles Lakers before the season. He has a $4.2 cap hit and there’s a chance he gets bought out if Cleveland can’t find a suitable trade offer in the next two weeks.</p>
<p>They might find a suitable trade partner in the Lakers, though, and those rumors of a reunion are already running rampant. McGee isn’t as good as Montrezl Harrell, but he provides another option, especially as Marc Gasol continues his slide.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/03/09/2021-nba-trade-deadline-5-big-men/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 3 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-419098" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/03/09/2021-nba-trade-deadline-5-big-men/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2285,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1206307863.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2285" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1206307863.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1206307863-768x548.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">NBA Trade Deadline Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>3. John Collins</h2>
<p>All of the offseason moves the Atlanta Hawks made last year seemed to spell the end of the road for <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/03/09/2021-nba-trade-deadline-5-big-men/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/collijo01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">John Collins</a> in Atlanta. While the Hawks haven’t lived up to the promise of their aspirations yet – resulting in Lloyd Pierce’s firing – one thing that hasn’t changed is the rumor mill surrounding Collins.</p>
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<p>The power forward is having a solid season, albeit with slight signs of regression from a year ago. He’s averaging 18.0 points and 7.6 rebounds, neither bad, yet both the worst marks since his rookie season three years ago. Collins ranks in the top 20 in total rebounds and field goal percentage (53.6 percent).</p>
<p>Collins’ big bugaboo is his inability to stay out of foul trouble. He has committed 118 total fouls this season, fourth in the NBA. He’s a valuable player when he’s on the court, but it’s hard to trust he’ll be available at the end of games.</p>
<p>Collins is just 23 years old and his best days are likely still ahead of him. Because of this, his trade market will be much different than some of the rentals out there, with teams out of the playoff picture potentially in on the power forward as well.</p>
<p>The Minnesota Timberwolves are a team constantly the fodder for rumors involving Collins and there’s a good fit there. Another interesting option, however, would be the Boston Celtics.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/03/09/2021-nba-trade-deadline-5-big-men/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 2 </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">NBA Trade Deadline Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>2. Al Horford</h2>
<p>A trade to the Oklahoma City Thunder may have been just what the doctor ordered for Al Horford. The only question is how long his tenure will last there, as GM Sam Presti has no problem dealing players for as many assets (read: draft picks) as he can.</p>
<p>Horford is quietly having a solid season, averaging 14.0 points per game, his most since the 2016-17 season. He’s also grabbing 6.7 rebounds per game and making an average of 2.0 three-pointers for the first time in his career.</p>
<p>The big man is making a late-career push at protecting the ball better than ever before. He’s averaging a career-low 1.1 turnovers per game and his 7.8 turnover percentage ranks 17th in the league among qualifying players.</p>
<p>Now a trade for Horford is complicated by his age, as he’ll be 35 years old by the end of the year. He’s also set to earn an average of $26.75 million over the next two seasons following the 2020-21 campaign, a tough sell for a player his age.</p>
<p>Still, his ability to pop threes makes him more fit to withstand the typical center wear-and-tear. A reunion with the Celtics makes a lot of sense, but the Dallas Mavericks would be a good fit as well.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/03/09/2021-nba-trade-deadline-5-big-men/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 1 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-424151" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/03/09/2021-nba-trade-deadline-5-big-men/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2467,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1302043256.jpeg" alt="Orlando Magic" width="3200" height="2467" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1302043256.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1302043256-768x592.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">NBA Trade Deadline Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>1. Nikola Vucevic</h2>
<p>It’s <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/03/09/2021-nba-trade-deadline-5-big-men/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/03/08/orlando-magic-3-trade-nikola-vucevic/">fair to wonder</a> if the Orlando Magic would be willing to move Nikola Vucevic, their best player by leaps and bounds, fresh off his second All-Star appearance. Vucevic isn’t getting any younger, though, and the Magic appear destined to miss the postseason this year.</p>
<p>Vucevic is having a career year across the board. His 24.6 points per game, 9.7 defensive rebounds per game, 85.1 free throw percentage, and 41.2 three-point percentage are all the best of his career, not to mention his 1.7 fouls per game are the lowest of his career.</p>
<p>Basically, Vucevic is the rare player who seems to be hitting their peak despite already being 30 years old. A team that chooses to acquire the big man from Switzerland will be banking on the fact that his surge this year isn’t just a flash in the pan.</p>
<p>Vucevic signed a four-year, $100 million extension with Orlando in the summer of 2019, meaning his deal will last as long as Horford’s, but with its structure, will actually cost slightly less at just $46 million over the final two years. That will make his market much more robust.</p>
<p>As with every big man on the market, expect the desperate Boston Celtics to at least put out some feelers. Two other teams that might be a good fit for Vucevic are the San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns.</p>
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