NBA GMs: Trade for One of These Guys

Aaron Brooks

Brooks was the victim of a dirty Manu Ginobili play leading to a sprained ankle, and it ended up having worse consequences than the 5 weeks of missed games the injury caused. Kyle Lowry took the reigns of the starting point guard job and has run with it. He turns the ball over much less than Brooks and is a pass-first point guard. Clearly, Rick Adelman prefers these attributes in his point guard for this team than a score-first player like Aaron Brooks. But let’s not slight the little fella. He was the most improved player in the league last year averaging nearly 20 points a game. And don’t forget about big he was in the playoffs against the Lakers a few years back.

The one problem with trading for Aaron Brooks is you’ll have to go through Rockets GM, Daryl Morey, to get him, which means you’ll have to give up an arm and a leg, two future 1st round picks and possibly your first-born child to get him.

O.J. Mayo

Here’s another possible 20 point a game scorer if he gets full-time minutes. There are plenty of teams in the league who could use his big-time scoring ability. The Grizzlies seem to prefer to have the more defensive-minded Sam Young next to the dynamic Rudy Gay at their wing spots. While the Grizzlies really need the depth Mayo provides off the bench, he may be of much more value in trade, even if it means just getting high draft picks back.

Anthony Randolph

Randolph was supposed to be a huge hit with the Knicks under Mike D’Antoni. He’s been the opposite, a total disaster and a complete non-factor in his first and possibly only season in New York. Randolph is long and has a ridiculous wing-span and untapped offensive ability and could be another team’s gem. His tools for his height are rare. I have to think the Knicks will cash in on this asset and try to replace some of those draft picks they gave away to get cap space for Amare Stoudemire last trade deadline.

Carl Landry

Landry hasn’t impressed coach Paul Westphal enough to nail down the starting job and his minutes dwindle as the season goes on. Once an up-and-coming stud off the bench for the Rockets, Landry a free-agent-to-be, could be the answer to a team desperate for a scoring power forward. With the motivation of his pending free agency and, I’m assuming, a burning desire to prove Westphal wrong, Landry could be a sneaky trade target for a lot of teams.

Chris Kaman

Despite already making a lot of money (unlike everyone else on this list) and recovering from a sprained ankle, Kaman could be the answer at center for probably two-thirds of the league. He can score in the post, rebound with the best of them and block shots. A sprained ankle doesn’t usually have long-term effects, so there shouldn’t be severe health concerns. His 12 million-dollar salary this year will be tough to match under the cap, but if it can be swung it should be done. The Clippers, meanwhile, officially turn the center reigns over to DeAndre Jordan for the long-term

- Ben Layman