5 Potential NBA Trade Deadline Steals - Bleacher Report

Duane Burleson/Associated Press

Malik Beasley, Denver Nuggets

The 19th selection in 2016 has played sparsely, buried behind Gary Harris, Jamal Murray and Will Barton. It's little surprise that The Athletic's Michael Scotto reported the Denver Nuggets have made Beasley available as they go upgrade-hunting ahead of what could be a furious playoff push.

With fewer than 650 minutes on his career ledger, Beasley's trade market is tricky to gauge. He looks like a potential three-and-D wing with explosive athleticism, a package that should interest most of the league. He's unproven, but maybe that mystique inflates his price. He might not be known to casual fans, but the guess is he has enough front-office admirers that Denver won't bite on low-ball offers.

      

Joe Harris, Brooklyn Nets

If Brooklynites haven't dubbed Harris "The Revelation," they're doing nicknames all wrong. Brought in as a developmental project before last season, the 6'6" sniper has rarely missed his target. Harris boasts a 39.4 percent three-point conversion rate from since start of 2016-17, a top-30 rate among gunners with 400-plus attempts over that stretch.

He's a one-category contributor, but contemporary clubs love that category. They'll also appreciate his small $1.5 million salary and lack of financial commitment beyond this season. That probably means there's enough interest to keep his cost from reaching bargain status, especially when the Brooklyn Nets don't have to deal him.

      

Shabazz Muhammad, Minnesota Timberwolves

By trade or release, Muhammad is anxious to find his ticket out of town, league sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. On a related noted, Muhammad has logged 44 minutes total in the new year, effectively demolishing whatever trade value he may have accrued before the calendar change.

The 25-year-old feels less like a clearance item than a posting on the "free stuff" section of Craigslist. Even still, he's not a surefire steal. His Bird rights won't travel with him, per ESPN's Bobby Marks, so there's no advantage to adding him now, especially if a buyout is a real possibility. Besides, as a non-distinguished defender and distributor, he's basically an inside-the-arc scoring wing—a dinosaur in today's game.

       

Justin Patton, Minnesota Timberwolves

Savvy trade-value vultures are circling the Gopher State and waiting for the Wolves to chase a quick-fix option for their broken bench (23rd in net efficiency, worst among the West's top seven seeds). If Minnesota feels it must move, its limited assets might demand at least listening to offers on Patton, the 16th player selected last summer.

It would be dangerously shortsighted on the Wolves' behalf, and it would almost assuredly cost too much to label the deal as larcenous. But it's worth a phone call to find out, especially for anyone rostering one of Tom Thibodeau's former favorites. Patton has yet to make his NBA debut (foot surgery slowed everything down), but he's loaded with two-way, modern-big-man potential.

       

Justise Winslow, Miami Heat

Prior to last season, Winslow divulged his plans of becoming Miami's next franchise player. But injuries and inconsistency have hampered his rise, and ESPN's Zach Lowe recently referred to Winslow as one of the Heat's best realistic trade chips. It's hard to imagine them cutting bait so quickly—especially considering what they passed up to get him—but he's not always the easiest fit on their roster.

"It just seems as if James Johnson and Justise Winslow wind up as an either-or proposition," Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel wrote.

If it comes down to Johnson or Winslow, that decision may already have been made via the four-year, $60 million pact Johnson inked last summer. But it's probably not that simple. Winslow's playmaking is an asset in this positionless offense, and his defensive versatility fills one of today's top needs. There could be so much more to his game if his shot comes around, but the Heat would factor that potential into their asking price.

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