There appears to be a rash of big man injuries running through the NBA right now which leaves a lot of teams scrambling at the trade deadline to get bodies on the roster. Several bubble teams in the playoffs are dealing with size issues after injuries and will make trades to compensate. As Blake Griffin, Dwight Howard and Tyson Chandler all go down, who gets traded after the All-Star break?
The Los Angeles Clippers are one of the Western Conference's top teams, but they just lost one of their best players for an unknown amount of time which could hurt heading into the second half of the year. Blake Griffin has been ruled out indefinitely after undergoing shoulder surgery and now the Clippers are scrambling for help at the trade deadline. According to ESPN.com, the Clippers are keeping a very close eye on both Amar'e Stoudemire and Kevin Garnett as both players could be available very soon.
Both Stoudemire and Garnett are rumored to be having their contracts bought out by their respective teams. Both big men are high cap hits with tax implications as they play through the final year of their deals and the Knicks and Nets are considering buying out the contracts since trades are not developing. The Clippers could make a run at either player given they can be acquired for cheap once on the free agent market. Garnett might have the upperhand considering Doc Rivers is very familiar with what the power forward is capable of.
The Houston Rockets are also looking for size help as Howard is expected to miss the next month of the season after undergoing a bone marrow aspiration injection. The team confirmed he will miss the next 6 to 8 weeks due to the knee injury. That is a lot of time to be out as the Rockets continue to try and keep pace in the competitive Western Conference. James Harden can only do so much. They could end up seeking out a trade for Stoudemire or Garnett while looking at someone like Andrea Bargnani as well.
The Dallas Mavericks have Chandler out with an ankle injury. The team has already been linked to a deal for Stoudemire and will chase him if released by the Knicks. Dallas gave up key assets in the trade for Rajon Rondo and now need Stoudemire to help with depth behind Chandler.
The NBA trade deadline could be pretty busy this season with the number of injuries taking place prior to the All-Star break. Several teams need one more addition to make a title run and a trade could be the best way to make things happen.
