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3 fringe teams that can become contenders with a deadline move

Rob Carr / Getty Images Sport / Getty

With the Feb. 8 trade deadline looming, it's getting to that point in the season when some teams will either go all-in, with the hope of making a playoff run, or resign to the fact they are simply not good enough to contend.

Here are three teams that should opt for the former and thrust themselves directly into the title picture.

Washington Wizards - Added depth and a stretch big

The combination of John Wall and Bradley Beal would give any team a chance to compete, but add Otto Porter Jr. to the mix and you have three players who can make a difference at both ends of the floor. The trio posts a net rating of 13.4 when playing together.

However, the Wizards lack the necessary depth to take that next step, from just another Eastern Conference playoff team to genuine contenders. Outside of Kelly Oubre Jr., Washington has no consistent player off the bench. The heavy investment in the Big Three has left gaping holes in the rest of the roster and there are only six Wizards playing 24-plus minutes per game.

Tomas Satoransky and Jodie Meeks are the current backups at the guard positions and fail to provide much on the offensive end. Even a minor addition to the bench will make a drastic difference as the season progresses. Wayne Ellington is perhaps the best option to fill this void.

The Wizards cap situation does make life a little more difficult for them. With no expiring deals, the top-heavy roster has six players eating up much of the salary cap for the next three seasons:

Player Years Total $
J. Wall 6 $207 million
O. Porter Jr. 4 $106.5 million
B. Beal 4 $105 million
I. Mahinmi 3 $48 million
M. Gortat 2 $26 million
M. Morris 2 $16.5 million

When it comes to the team's second problem - the lack of a quality stretch big man - they can go in a couple different directions. The Wizards can go for the home run and replace Marcin Gortat or Markieff Morris with another star player, such as Marc Gasol or DeMarcus Cousins. But that comes with the possibility of giving up either Beal or Porter in return, which is obviously less than ideal.

Related: 3 fun NBA trades that could happen before the deadline

If Washington is looking for other, cheaper big man options, it may want to explore trades for either Julius Randle or Nikola Mirotic, who have both been involved in trade rumors for much of the season.

Milwaukee Bucks - Interior presence

Here's another Eastern Conference team with all of its eggs in one basket. Mind you, that basket is MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the Bucks would still benefit greatly from another addition after trading for Eric Bledsoe in November.

Enter DeAndre Jordan. The Bucks' 107.7 defensive rating is 23rd in the league they sit in the bottom five in both opponent field-goal percentages, allowing 47.2 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from three. Jordan's size, speed, and penchant for blocking shots would certainly improve their play on that end.

If the Bucks aren't ready to invest so heavily in Jordan, they can make a lower-level move that would still shore up many of their defensive issues while not giving up any offensive production. Much like the Wizards, Milwaukee could look at a trade for Randle, who is capable of helping off screens and is averaging just over 13 points per game in what has mostly been a bench role for the Lakers.

When Jabari Parker comes back, the Bucks could have a young, explosive lineup of Bledsoe, Malcolm Brogdon, Antetokounmpo, Parker, and Randle. That's a terrifying thought for the rest of the Eastern Conference.

Denver Nuggets - Secondary ball handler

The Nuggets are in a bit of a tough spot when it comes to deciding whether to make that big trade at the deadline or to stand pat with their current squad. If a move is made, Denver would benefit from adding another point guard.

Nikola Jokic currently leads the team with five assists per game, and while it's great when your big man can see the floor as well as he does, it's also important to have other plays who can make a pass.

Denver is getting over 16 points per game from starting point guard Jamal Murray, but he's producing less than three assists to go with that scoring. With Emmanuel Mudiay as his backup, the Nuggets' point guards are averaging 5.8 assists.

And while Murray may not necessarily be suited for the role, the team should look to complement his play rather than to replace him. The numbers show it's important to stick with Murray, Jokic, and Gary Harris as much as possible - the Nuggets are 10 points better with any one of them on the floor at a time.

Mudiay is not the answer, and if Denver is prepared to move on entirely from him - and there's no reason it shouldn't be - it could invest more in a traditional point guard and shift Murray into a combo guard role.

The best option may be to trade for George Hill and pray he performs as he did last season. Hill would provide the Nuggets with the secondary ball handler they need, and allow coach Michael Malone to sit Jokic more regularly and have another player capable of running the offense. When Millsap returns, they could have enough depth to become a legitimate threat to some of the top teams in the West.

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