Jerry West says you may not see trade activity until deadline

Here’s another thing you can blame on the condensed NBA schedule.

We are just about a month out from the NBA trading deadline (March 15) and now is when you start to hear the buzz of moves bubble up and soon a few minor trades go down as we get closer.

But maybe not this year.

Jerry West, former Lakers and Grizzlies GM and now consultant to the Warriors, told Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated that we many not see moves until close to the deadline.

I think you’re probably going to see very little player movement for a while, right until the trade deadline. Because the way the season has been condensed, I think people in the front office are really at a disadvantage when you’re trying to add players of caliber who can make a significant difference in your team.

Less practice time will make integration of players harder, and anything that messes with team chemistry can make GMs gun-shy.

So are the Warriors going to make a move? Watch West tap dance with the best of them.

“We need to have -- every year going into training camp -- seven players that you feel pretty assured that the coach is going to play on a nightly basis. That’s where we need to get. Does it come through trades? Does it come through free agency? I don’t really know, because I’m not involved in the day-to-day operations in terms of talking to other teams and finding out what’s available, but that will be a focus going forward for Larry (Riley, GM) and Bob (Meyers, assistant GM).”

By the way, just like the rest of us, West thinks the Bulls, Heat and Thunder are very good. Read the rest of the article to find out more.