Sports
Realistic Trades That Would Shock the NBA In 2023-24 – Bleacher Report
The NBA is predictably unpredictable.
Just when you think you know what’s coming next, the basketball gods unleash a wicked curveball and keep everyone off-balance.
Who saw the Boston Celtics sending away Marcus Smart and bringing back Kristaps Porziņģis? How many offseason Bingo cards had the Phoenix Suns landing Bradley Beal? What were the odds of Chris Paul and his old nemesis, the Golden State Warriors, ever joining forces?
But all of this—and so much more—happened in a single summer, proving yet again that chaos reigns supreme in the hoops world. Imagining what’s coming next is almost impossible, but it sure is fun to try.
So, we’re firing up the trade machines, cranking up their chaotic setting and brokering hypothetical blockbusters that would bring this league to a standstill during the upcoming 2023-24 campaign. The realistic angle of these shocking swaps is less about predicting what will happen and rather focusing on the value each side would be sending out.
Chicago Bulls receive: Trae Young and Garrison Mathews
Atlanta Hawks receive: Lonzo Ball, Patrick Williams, Coby White, Dalen Terry, 2027 first-round pick, 2029 first-round pick and 2028 first-round pick swap
Despite being a two-time All-Star with more room to grow his game, Young doesn’t feel totally untouchable in a trade. The front office had the green light to consider offers for the prolific point guard this offseason, per The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor. More recently, The Athletic’s Jovan Buha mentioned how the Los Angeles Lakers have kept eyes on Young to see “how his situation unfolds in Atlanta.”
In other words, Young might be one of the most productive players in the Association, but he hasn’t been spared from the rumor mill. Those rumblings could increase in volume if the Hawks are slow out of the gate this season, especially if coach Quin Snyder concludes this defense, which hasn’t posted an upper-half efficiency ranking during Young’s tenure, can’t be fixed so long as the undersized point guard is on the roster.
If Young ever hit the trade market, the Bulls should be all over him. They’ve never been the same since losing Ball to a knee injury in January 2022, and it’s entirely possible that newcomer Jevon Carter won’t be able to cure what ails them at the lead guard spot.
But bring Young to the Windy City, and the Bulls might bury the opposition under a pile of points. How many offensive quartets could even hope to match the combined potency of Young, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vučević? There may not be much defensive prowess between the four, but offense-first clubs can rule the modern NBA. Just ask the reigning champion Denver Nuggets, who were fifth in offensive efficiency but only 15th at the other end this past season.
Now, that’s not to suggest the Bulls would suddenly be championship favorites by adding Young and Mathews (a shooting specialist who could alleviate some of their spacing issues), but if they’re aiming to compete with this core, why not make a serious push for maximum competitiveness? This sure seems more exciting than Chicago’s current plan of essentially running back the same squad that’s been a sub-.500 team since Ball went down.
The Hawks, meanwhile, might envision their highest two-way ceiling coming by way of a deal that moves out Young and his defensive deficiencies while making Dejounte Murray, a dynamic defender with near-star numbers on offense, the franchise centerpiece. If they’re big believers in Williams’ potential, they might see him as the star two-way wing this roster has so long been without.
If its young players developed quickly enough, Atlanta could remain in playoff contention while loading up on long-term assets to develop or deal. Williams still retains a towering ceiling on both ends, White packs the offensive punch of a star sixth man, Ball is an incredible connector if he ever gets healthy and the Hawks would have four wild cards in Terry, a 2022 first-rounder, the two future firsts and the pick swap.
San Antonio Spurs receive: Karl-Anthony Towns
Minnesota Timberwolves receive: Keldon Johnson, Devonte’ Graham, Cameron Payne, 2024 first-round pick (top-six-protected, via TOR) and 2025 first-round pick (via ATL)
While the Spurs don’t need to rush anything as they build around No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama, they could feel some urgency to act if their new centerpiece is an impact player from opening night. Granted, that’s a lot to ask of a 19-year-old, but remember, this is a 7’5″ player described as an alien with an 8’0″ wingspan and greatest-to-ever-lace-’em-up potential. He might be an instant star.
San Antonio should be open to everything with Wembanyama—including aggressively pursuing a legitimate co-star if his play demands it. Towns could be a fantastic fit for myriad reasons, not the least of which is that the Spurs should be able to land him without doing serious damage to their asset collection.
Towns, a career supplier of 23 points per game on 52.6/39.5/83.5 shooting, could check whatever box Wemby needed at the offensive end. It might be as simple as spacing the floor, splashing spot-up triples and setting him up with on-time and on-target deliveries, but Towns would have the entire offense funneled through him at times, too.
Having a pair of premier scorers like this would enhance the coaching of Gregg Popovich and the playmaking of Jeremy Sochan. Opposing defenses would be stretched so thin focusing on the bigs that support scorers like Devin Vassell, Doug McDermott and Malaki Branham could feast buffet-style on open shots.
As for San Antonio’s own defense, it has more than enough stoppers to cover up Towns’ shortcomings. Vassell or Sochan could split the toughest assignments with Wembanyama protecting the paint and Towns hiding out on the least threatening frontcourt option. With a grandmaster like Popovich moving all the chess pieces around, the Spurs would always have a way to scheme themselves around Towns’ weaknesses.
Minnesota, meanwhile, would be accepting what seems to be the inevitable: a Towns-Rudy Gobert pairing doesn’t work in the modern game. While the Wolves could theoretically trade either big, a Gobert deal would do little, if anything, to address their asset shortage.
This swap, on the other hand, would add a potential building block in Johnson, who, at 23 years old, syncs up perfectly with Minnesota’s rapidly ascending Anthony Edwards-Jaden McDaniels duo. Graham and Payne would primarily serve money-matching purposes, though with 35-year-old Mike Conley entering the final season of his contract, it’s possible one of those players could factor into the team’s long-term plans at point guard.
Toronto Raptors receive: Damian Lillard
Portland Trail Blazers receive: Scottie Barnes, Gradey Dick, Dennis Schröder, Chris Boucher, Thaddeus Young and 2028 first-round pick
The most logical ending to the lengthy Lillard saga would put him in his preferred destination of Miami. Of course, that also means it wouldn’t be the least bit shocking.
But the Raptors elbowing their way into the Lillard sweepstakes and winning them by letting go of Barnes? That would be an internet-breaker, folks.
This isn’t on here simply for the shock value, though. While Toronto has split from head coach Nick Nurse and floor general Fred VanVleet this offseason, the organization still doesn’t seem super keen on rebuilding. If the Raptors are going to push forward with the likes of Pascal Siakam and O.G. Anunoby, though, they have to find a difference-maker who could give this core a chance to compete at a high level.
Lillard would simultaneously scratch itches for spacing, scoring, shot-creation and star power, all while giving the organization clarity. Add him to the fold, and now re-signing both Siakam and Anunoby becomes a no-brainer. Lillard would lift this offense in all facets, and Toronto’s supporting cast would provide the defensive protection he has all too often been without in Portland.
The Raptors would need to develop some depth, but a starting five of Lillard, Anunoby, Siakam, Gary Trent Jr. and Jakob Poeltl looks plenty formidable on paper. The trio of Anunoby, Siakam and Poeltl alone might deliver a top-five defense, and a Raptors offense that finished 13th in efficiency last season might jump an entire tier with a talent like Lillard, who just spent his age-32 season posting personal bests in points (32.2), threes (4.2) and true shooting percentage (64.5).
The Blazers, meanwhile, would significantly brighten their future with Barnes, a jumbo playmaker, all-purpose defender and athletic finisher who would be an effortless fit alongside Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe. Dick might hold building-block status in Portland, too, since his fiery outside shot would open things up for the young Blazers to attack.
Schröder, Boucher and Young would be around mostly to make the money work, although Schröder’s presence might help Portland ease Henderson into the mix if the franchise is at all cautious of throwing too much at him too quickly. That future first could be a real gem, too, since Lillard, who turned 33 in July, might create more questions than answers for Toronto’s long-term outlook.
Philadelphia 76ers receive: Kyrie Irving
Dallas Mavericks receive: James Harden
The 76ers can’t feel great about their future with Harden. He has requested a trade out of town and publicly skewered Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, calling him a “liar” and vowing to “never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of.”
The Mavs also may not feel great about their present with Irving. Yes, they just gave him a three-year, $120 million deal, but they may have felt they had no other choice after losing Jalen Brunson for nothing last summer. They certainly couldn’t have been motivated by how they played with Irving, as they flopped to a 9-18 finish once he debuted.
Philly might be further uneasy about how the handling of Harden will impact Joel Embiid, who recently frightened the faithful by wondering aloud about winning a title “in Philly or anywhere else.” Meanwhile, Dallas might be unsure if it’s done enough to satisfy Luka Dončić, whose future feels far from certain.
What if the Sixers and Mavericks tried scratching the other’s back in a one-for-one swap of scoring guards? It would certainly be an interesting plot twist in the Harden sweepstakes and the latest of many surprises in Irving’s career.
It just might work, too.
Irving’s superior scoring punch and ability to deliver on the playoff stage could be more appealing to Philly, since it won’t want to run Embiid ragged and could want to increase Tyrese Maxey’s playmaking responsibilities. Dallas also might covet Harden’s distributing and ability to get to the free-throw line. Both could ease the offensive burden on Dončić, whose 35.6 usage percentage is tops all-time among players with 2,000-plus career minutes.
Each club could be convinced that it can squeeze a little more out of the incoming player than the other team has. Who knows if either would be proven right, but it would be fascinating to see them take the challenge.