Ahead of the 2022 NBA trade deadline, it appears the market for big men is going to be quite robust.
One league agent told The Painted Lines that he believes Mitchell Robinson will be on the move. The big man, who will turn 24 years old before the season ends, is in the final year of his contract with the New York Knicks.
He also re-affirmed what has been speculated for some time, opining that the Portland Trail Blazers will likely move on from Jusuf Nurkic. The Blazers are ostensibly heading for a rebuild and theoretically should be looking to turn contributing veterans into capital for a reset. The 27-year-old big is also in the final year of his deal with the Blazers. The team has already met its ceiling with him as its rim anchor. So, it makes sense that the Blazers would pursue some long-term value instead of likely losing him for nothing in free agency.
Another agent re-affirmed what has widely been reported — the Pacers will probably move Myles Turner. The Texas product is still quite young and has another year left on his deal. However, the Pacers are reeling and the twin-tower combination of Turner and Domantas Sabonis has met its ceiling.
Owner Herb Simon recently told reporters that he does not intend to undergo a rebuild. However, Indiana has failed to make it out of the first round of the playoffs in any of the years since trading Paul George in the summer of 2017. Last season, they lost in the Play-In tournament. This season, they’re 14 games below .500. The heliocentric offense featuring Domantas Sabonis is simply outdated. Turner’s defense is quite strong. But, Indiana just isn’t getting anywhere with his playing Robin to Sabonis’ Batman.
The 2022 trade deadline is approximately 3 weeks away. Make sure your phone notifications are turned on.
