The trade deadline is upon us, which means rampant conjecture and excitement for the next 24 hours. Regardless of who ends up where and which franchise gets what, there are three teams that should play better in the second half of the NBA season.
So which squads are poised for a late surge?
Miami Heat
The Heat currently sit eight games under .500 yet still maintain a foothold in the last seed in the Eastern Conference. Lucky for them, the schedule is about to do them some favors. Less than half of their next 30 games are on the road. Of those games, just five are against Playoff bound teams.
Miami has been unlucky when it comes to injuries this season, but Dwyane Wade is expected back soon. Once he returns, the Heat will have him, Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside together and healthy for the first time since January. It will be fun to watch this team at full strength down the stretch.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder are hammering away like Thor to sneak into the Western Conference Playoffs. They currently sit just one half game back from the Phoenix Suns in the standings for the eighth and final playoff spot out West.
Remember, the only reason they are in this hole is because stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook missed significant time early this season. When those two and Serge Ibaka are healthy and firing on all cylinders though, OKC is one of the most dangerous teams in the NBA.
"This season, the Thunder have outscored opponents by 10.6 points every 100 possessions with the floor," ESPN NBA Insider Tom Haberstroh wrote.
Sacramento Kings
George Karl is taking the reins in Sacramento and that is a good thing. Karl is one of the most successful and experienced NBA coaches in the game. Yes, the Kings have look dreadful at times this season. But Karl knows how to craft a fast-paced and effective offense. They may not make a post-season push, but this hire could do wonders for the Kings and star DeMarcus Cousins in the long-term.
"DeMarcus Cousins could benefit the most," Haberstroh wrote. "When Karl took over for Denver interim coach Michael Cooper in 2004-05, the Nuggets were 17-25 and the team's young star Carmelo Anthony was averaging 20.2 points per game on a paltry 39 percent shooting from the floor. The Nuggets went 32-8 the rest of the way, and Anthony cleaned up his act and shot 47.3 percent en route to a more efficient 21.3 points per game. Cousins could sharpen his game as well under Karl."
