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5 players who should be traded before Thursday's deadline

Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Now that the Sacramento Kings have gone and punched everyone in the face by trading DeMarcus Cousins for some stuff, attention can be turned back towards players who were more expected to be moved by the Feb. 23 trade deadline.

Jimmy Butler

Between now and 3 p.m. ET Thursday, the Chicago Bulls will decide if they are going to blow up their current roster and trigger a full-scale rebuild. They should, because, unlike the pennies-on-the-dollar the Kings received in return for Cousins, the Bulls could score a king's ransom (pun intended in order to make fun of the Sacramento Kings) for Jimmy Butler if they play their cards right.

Butler ticks off all the boxes. Still only 27, he's on a favorable contract through 2019. That, plus his top-10 status as an NBA player, basically make him a unicorn. Sure, the Bulls could keep him, but considering the position their roster is currently in, getting high futures for their franchise player should come out as the more attractive option - assuming that teams known to be interested are willing to play ball.

To wit: The Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves. Boston reportedly inquired about Butler and has draft assets galore - including the probable No. 1 pick in this summer's deep draft. The Bulls are believed to also want so-called "young veterans" as well, with players like Jae Crowder coming to mind.

Can the Bulls at the same time leverage interest from the Timberwolves? Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau loves his former two-way star and reportedly made a play for Butler last summer. It's not far-fetched at all to think that Andrew Wiggins could be on the table, plus other potential pot-sweeteners.

If the Bulls do this right and are lucky, they may be able to create a bidding war of sorts.

Tyson Chandler, P.J. Tucker, and Brandon Knight

The Phoenix Suns are the clearest example of a team expected to be a seller ahead of the deadline. Current holder of the second-worst record in the NBA, they are headed for the lottery and nowhere else for the time being.

In another era, a veteran big man like Tyson Chandler who can defend and provide leadership would be a hot commodity for a playoff team at the deadline. However, the market for centers ain't what it used to be (unless of course it's the best traditional center in the game being traded in exchange for Buddy Hield). If the Suns can find takers for one of - or both of - P.J. Tucker and Brandon Knight, however, perhaps Chandler could be moved as well.

While Chandler and Knight account for approximately $68 million in salary after this season, Tucker is a free-agent-to-be on a paltry $5.3-million contract. He's the kind of defensive specialist who could help any contender's bench and won't come at an overly steep price. He's already reportedly drawn interest from the Celtics, and ESPN's Zach Lowe added Monday that the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers could be teams to watch in courting the Suns for his services.

Reggie Jackson

While Detroit Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy has publicly shot down rumors about trading Reggie Jackson for Ricky Rubio, that doesn't mean Detroit shouldn't trade Jackson. Even though he's their best point guard on paper, the Pistons actually got worse after he returned from injury on Dec. 4.

Detroit is almost three points per 100 possessions better with Ish Smith as opposed to Jackson, and his left knee issue has seemingly slowed his penetration game. Worse, the team's feature duo of Jackson and Andre Drummond isn't clicking any more. Opponents have outscored the Pistons by seven per 100 with the pair on the floor together.

Still, Jackson is only 26 and is on a fair contract through 2020, making him a reasonably attractive trade asset. The Pistons aren't playing like the up-and-coming franchise many expected them to this season, and a shakeup like this wouldn't really be considered a reset depending on the return.

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