I wonder if Neil would do that. We would really have to be struggling IMO for a big trade to happen. For the most part, trade deadline deals hurt teams short term, more often than they help teams in that particular year. So yeah if things are going bad and you have nothing to lose then you do it. But there is a reason why you don't see a lot of big trades at the deadline. Yes there are exception, but 25 games is not enough time to build enough chemistry that will help in the playoffs.
Teams who suck or who have lost a key player to an injury, benefit most.
I never said wait until the deadline. That won't be until late February, after the all star break. In fact, the sooner Neal acts, the better. I believe everyone on the roster, except for Crabbe can be traded on 12/15. C.J. isn't likely to be traded this season, due to the poison pill provision.
So, Neal should start shuffling pieces on, or before, 12/15 to put things in place for the possibility of a bigger trade on 1/15. That can be a series of small moves, like jumping into a 3-way or 4-way trade to pick up a minor asset, like a future draft pick. Or, it can be a trade of one of our bench players to re-balance the roster in anticipation of a future move.
In any case, I don't see any reason to wait until late February to make any of this happen. Neal knows what the team's weaknesses are, who is available now and who is likely to become available one or two months from now. We know Nerlens Noel is available now. There are strong rumors that Cousins will be traded, and the price won't be nearly as high as some posters think. There will be others, and I'm sure Neal knows a LOT more about who may become available, and what the asking price will be, than anyone on this forum.
The earlier an in season trade happens, the longer the roster will have time to adjust before the playoffs, but even deadline trades can work (Sheed to the Pistons, Clyde to the Rockets, Pau to the Lakers, Mutombo to the 76ers, Camby to the Blazers, etc.).
So yeah, the earlier the better, but what's important is this team has glaring holes that need to be filled. We supposedly matched BRK's offer sheet to Crabbe and retained Leonard and Harkless because we didn't want to lose assets that could be used in future trades. We basically came within pocket change of the luxury tax so we would have a very deep roster with many interchangeable pieces that could be combined to land a quality piece or two that we couldn't get via free agency. Resigning those guys was easy. Neal held all the leverage. So, it came down to a simple math exercise. Now comes the time where Neal earns his paycheck - turning those retained assets into something of quality that addresses the teams needs and takes us to the next level.
BNM
