1 Trade for Every NBA Team a Month Before New Season – Bleacher Report

A month before the 2023-24 season tips off, most rosters feel pretty much set.
But that feeling is often fleeting. Players are almost constantly on the move in the NBA, and there is a player or two (or more) on every team that might make more sense in another situation.
So, we’re going to find those situations for you.
A trade for every squad in the NBA can be found below. There will be some repeat teams and players. To find realistic deals for every organization, that was unavoidable. But rest assured, even if it takes a while to get there, your favorite team is down there somewhere.
It should also be noted that some of these deals won’t be doable at the moment. Due to some restrictions that come with signing a player this summer, a lot of the players discussed below aren’t eligible to be moved till December or January. All of that will be explained in each individual deal.
So, with all that housekeeping out of the way, let’s get wild.

The Deal: Clint Capela and Jalen Johnson for Tim Hardaway Jr., Dereck Lively II and a 2027 lottery-protected first-round pick
The Dallas Mavericks’ interest in Clint Capela has been no secret this summer. And it’s not hard to see why they want him.
Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving are two of the game’s best perimeter creators, and giving them a dynamic screen-and-roll partner to drag opposing defenders into the paint or finish alley-oops would make an already dangerous offense borderline unguardable.
Capela is more consistent as a rebounder and rim protector than the centers of the Dončić era have been too.
This moves checks boxes for Dallas on both ends of the floor, and it eliminates the waiting period for doing so that might’ve been there with Dereck Lively II.
It also gives the Mavs Jalen Johnson, an interesting flier as a small-ball 4 to back up Grant Williams for now (and to potentially replace him later).
For the Atlanta Hawks, they already have 22-year-old Onyeka Okongwu waiting in the wings to start at the 5. He has the potential to be even more dynamic than Capela, thanks to his ability to defend the perimeter.
Having Lively to back him up helps too. As a rim-runner and -protector off the bench, he can develop at a comfortable pace.
The win-now element of this comes from Tim Hardaway Jr., though. This may be a bit of a surprise for a team led by Trae Young, but the Hawks were in the bottom third of the league in both three-point percentage and threes per game last season.
Last season, Hardaway averaged 3.0 threes and shot 38.5 percent from deep. Both marks (or something closer to them) would elevate Atlanta’s offense.

The Deal: Malcolm Brogdon for Robert Covington, Terance Mann and Jason Preston
After a summer in which he was nearly dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers, Malcolm Brogdon is reportedly angry with the Boston Celtics.
Well, they can maybe soothe those ruffled feathers by sending him to L.A., after all.
The Clippers were linked to James Harden for most of the offseason, but that deal obviously hasn’t materialized. And if it never does, the Clippers’ need for playmaking remains.
Yes, Russell Westbrook can help with that, but he’s not as clean a fit with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George as Brogdon would be.
The reigning Sixth Man of the Year has plenty of experience deferring to ball-dominant wings (like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown), played like a more traditional 1 with the Indiana Pacers and has a 38.8 career three-point percentage.
He’s far more malleable than Westbrook and would raise L.A.’s win-now ceiling more than the three players going out in this deal.
For Boston, despite falling out of the Clippers’ rotation last season, Robert Covington could replace some of the multipositional defense it lost when Grant Williams went to the Dallas Mavericks.
Terance Mann would give the Celtics a soon-to-be-27-year-old combo guard who can provide 70-75 percent of what Brogdon does.
And Jason Preston is mostly here for salary-matching purposes, but the 24-year-old wing may have a hint of untapped potential Boston can get too.
For a team that really poured a lot into the center position this summer and is reportedly thinking about giving Tatum some point guard minutes, a little more depth at the guard and wing spots makes sense.

The Deal: Ben Simmons, Cam Thomas, a 2027 first-round pick (via Phoenix), a 2029 first-round pick (via Phoenix) and a 2030 first-round pick for Damian Lillard
Spoiler alert: This isn’t the last time you’ll see Damian Lillard mentioned in this slideshow.
And even though it may not make a ton of sense for the Brooklyn Nets to dive back into the kind of situation from which it just extricated itself, they do have the assets to make an interesting offer.
Ben Simmons is one of the league’s biggest question marks right now, but he also makes enough money to be the salary-matching contract in this deal. The Portland Trail Blazers could try to re-route him to a third team for something else, but playing him as a playmaking 4 or 5 next to Scoot Henderson for the rebuilt Blazers might be necessary to rehab his trade value.
Cam Thomas would give Portland a 22-year-old (in October) heat-check guard who scored at least 43 points in three straight games last season and fits the developmental timeline of Scoot, Shaedon Sharpe and Kris Murray.
For Brooklyn, few teams can surround Lillard with as much three-and-D versatility. Leading lineups that include some combination of Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale would go a long way toward masking Lillard’s defensive shortcomings. It would also give him plenty of catch-and-shoot targets to spray out to when his own scoring opportunities are stymied.
Would this move make the Nets an instant title contender? Maybe, but the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks would still stack up just fine. And for that reason, it’s hard to see Brooklyn offering much more than this, especially after the turmoil of the Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving-James Harden years.

The Deal: Gordon Hayward, Nick Richards and a 2026 first-round pick for Deandre Ayton
In May, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported that “[Deandre] Ayton would be excited about a fresh start with another franchise.” He added that the Phoenix Suns were “expected to aggressively explore the trade market for him this summer.”
After they acquired Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards, a deal that might turn Ayton into a little depth for the star-laden roster felt inevitable, but that obviously hasn’t happened yet.
Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz explained one of the biggest reasons we shouldn’t be shutting the door on that possibility.
“As of now, Phoenix can still trade Ayton and take 110 percent of his salary back in return from one or a combination of players,” Swartz wrote. “Next summer, that will go down to 100 percent, and the Suns will be unable to include cash or aggregate contracts in trades.”
Thanks to provisions in the new collective bargaining agreement, Phoenix is seriously incentivized to turn Ayton into multiple players this season, and the Charlotte Hornets should be interested.
Charlotte has been in need of a consistent 5 for years, and though Mark Williams showed some potential last season, we already know Ayton is a borderline 20-10 guy who’s only three years older than LaMelo Ball. Together, those two could develop into one of the best inside-out duos in the league. And if surrounded by plenty of shooters (like Brandon Miller), the Hornets could push for a playoff spot as early as this season.
For Phoenix, this not only moves a player who may not want to be there (especially when he sees all the shots Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal are about to take), but it also beefs up a rotation currently populated almost entirely by minimum-contract players.
Gordon Hayward is on an expiring contract, so there isn’t a huge commitment there. And with his experience and outside shooting ability, he should be happy to be a gap-filler and floor-spacer for the superstars.
Nick Richards, meanwhile, would give the Suns a young-ish (he’ll be 26 in November) 5 who’ll be more content to do the dirty work for a top-heavy roster than Ayton was.

The Deal: Zach LaVine for James Harden, Furkan Korkmaz and a 2029 first-round pick
A full-scale rebuild is long overdue for the Chicago Bulls, and that would obviously include trading Zach LaVine.
That could be tricky, since LaVine is under contract through 2026-27 (when he has a $49 million player option), but the Philadelphia 76ers are a team that could justify taking on his salary.
James Harden has made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t want to be there, going as far as publicly calling team president Daryl Morey a liar in the wake of an unfulfilled trade request. Moving him for LaVine would slide Tyrese Maxey to the 1 (where his highest ceiling probably is), eliminate the Harden drama and keep 29-year-old Joel Embiid’s window to win a championship ajar (even if only slightly).
LaVine’s shortcomings may have been magnified for the mediocre Bulls, but he would be one of the league’s better second (or maybe even third, given Maxey’s development) options if playing alongside Embiid.
Over the last four seasons, he’s averaged 25.5 points with a 55.8 effective field-goal percentage. With the amount of attention Embiid commands inside, LaVine’s efficiency could get even better in Philly.
For Chicago, this gives it an expiring contract that ends at least two years earlier than LaVine’s and a first-round pick to bolster the rebuild. And if the Bulls are unable to re-route Harden to a third team or find palatable deals for DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vučević, this could be a good situation for Harden to rehab his own value ahead of 2024 free agency.
Furkan Korkmaz, as you might expect, is here for salary-matching purposes. But he’s also a free agent next summer and has hit 36.2 percent of his threes over the last four seasons. This could be a chance for him to earn another NBA contract too.

The Deal: Jarrett Allen, Isaac Okoro, Ricky Rubio, Sam Merrill and a 2030 first-round pick swap for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield
News broke this week that the Indiana Pacers have opened up trade talks on Buddy Hield, which should make every team in the league in need of shooting perk up.
Over the last five years, Hield has hit 3.6 threes per game while shooting 40.0 percent from deep. And his $19.3 million salary for 2023-24 is more than reasonable. That’s less than 15 percent of the salary cap for a game-changing floor-spacer.
After a 4-1 first-round beatdown by the New York Knicks, it’s pretty clear the Cleveland Cavaliers could use that contract and outside shooting.
The Cavs put up just 94.2 points in that series, and the two-big lineup of Evan Mobley and Jarrett looked unsustainably cramped.
Long term, either Mobley needs to develop a three-point shot or he needs to be in the frontcourt with someone who already has one. And of course, that’s where Myles Turner comes in.
With Turner and Mobley, Cleveland could maintain the defensive identity that made it one of the league’s best regular-season teams in 2022-23, but Turner’s ability to hit from the outside would dramatically alter the outlook on the other end of the floor.
A presumed starting five of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Hield, Mobley and Turner checks just about every box (except maybe perimeter defense).
So, why would the Indiana Pacers do this (besides appeasing Hield)?
Well, there’s the chance to move up in the 2030 draft. That may not look all that appealing right now, but a lot can change in seven years.
Twenty-five-year-old Jarrett Allen also turns the clock back two years for Indiana’s 5 spot. He could be an excellent pick-and-roll and alley-oop target for Tyrese Haliburton.
And Isaac Okoro is worth a flier for a young team in need of some depth on the wing.
Ricky Rubio (who’s taking a break from professional basketball to address his mental health) and Sam Merrill are mostly here to make the salaries work, but the latter could use time with a team further from contention as a springboard into a meaningful role.

The Deal: Zeke Nnaji and Reggie Jackson for Daniel Theis
A pretty specific (though not outlandish) set of circumstances has to play out for this one to make sense.
Following the offseason departures of Bruce Brown and Jeff Green, as well as a season-ending injury to Vlatko Čančar, Zeke Nnaji and Reggie Jackson figure to have bigger roles in 2023-24.
If both remain way below replacement level (as they were last season, according to box plus/minus) and the team craters without Nikola Jokić on the floor for the third season in a row, Denver could be in the market for a more traditional backup 5.
It might also be more willing to turn the backup point guard duties over to rookie Jalen Pickett.
If all those dominoes fall, the salaries of Nnaji and Jackson get to Daniel Theis’ number for 2023-24.
Theis barely played for the Indiana Pacers last season, but his career marks of 9.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per 75 possessions are intriguing, especially for a team without much shot blocking after Peyton Watson. Theis also has a decent amount of playoff experience from his time with the Boston Celtics.
He’s certainly past his prime, but if he could just give the Nuggets fundamentally sound center play for 10-15 minutes per game, that’d be a win.
For Indiana, this unloads a player who wasn’t getting on the floor for the Pacers anyway and gives them a look at a 22-year-old big who shot 43.9 percent from three-point range over his first two seasons.
Jackson having a $5.3 million player option for 2024-25 isn’t ideal, but that’s a negligible number as the cap continues to go up.

The Deal: Bojan Bogdanović for Lonzo Ball and a top-five-protected 2028 first-round pick
This is another one that probably wouldn’t come to fruition until after we learn a few things about the teams and players involved.
First, the Detroit Pistons would have to stumble out of the gates, which doesn’t feel like a guarantee this year. With Cade Cunningham back and surrounded by shooting from Bojan Bogdanović and Joe Harris and developing talent in Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, Detroit could be competitive.
Having said that, Detroit has (by far) the worst winning percentage in the NBA over the last four seasons. Breaking out of that kind of funk is hard. And if it’s clear early in 2023-24 that that’s not going to happen, the Pistons may need to move some of their win-now players.
That would include Bogdanović, who could be a boost to the Chicago Bulls offense (assuming they don’t tip off their own rebuild).
Chicago was tied for last in threes per game last season, which contributed to it having a bottom-third offense. Over the last six years, Bogdanović has averaged 18.0 points and 2.4 threes while shooting 40.4 percent from deep.
Is that worth giving up a future protected first and giving up on Lonzo Ball?
The Bulls certainly know more than us about his situation, but the track record for a player missing two full seasons a row with any injury (let alone a knee) is bleak. And that’s exactly what Lonzo is looking at, as he’ll reportedly be out for the duration of the 2023-24 campaign.
Turning a roster spot that’s giving you nothing on the court into a shooter on a short, reasonable contract makes some sense.

The Deal: Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski for Kyle Anderson and a 2028 first-round pick swap
The Golden State Warriors have already started to shy away from the two-timeline approach they flirted with for much of the last few years.
They traded James Wiseman last season. Jordan Poole followed him out the door this past summer. And in both cases, they got veterans back.
If the Warriors aren’t able to stabilize the non-Stephen Curry minutes with Chris Paul (who came back in the Poole trade) and the young players still appear to be in something of a “square peg in a round hole” situation, Golden State could play that card one more time.
And few players around the league seem like more of a hand-in-glove fit with the Warriors than point forward Kyle Anderson.
At 6’9″, he can play some small-ball 5 (he spent almost a third of his minutes there over his last two seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies). He’s a playmaker whose pass-first mentality makes sense in Golden State’s read-and-react offense. And he’s a gritty defender who can take on a wide variety of assignments on that end.
For the Minnesota Timberwolves, this move probably makes them worse in the short term. That’s sort of dangerous, given the apparent star turn Anthony Edwards may be on the verge of. That pick swap makes it even more dicey.
But Jonathan Kuminga is only 20 years old. It’s way too early to give up on his star upside (unless you’re a veteran away from a title, like the Warriors). In time, he and Edwards could be one of the most athletically dynamic duos in basketball. A half step back to take a future leap forward is probably fine, especially since Edwards is only 22 himself.
Incoming rookie Brandin Podziemski is even more of an unknown than Kuminga, but his salary makes this deal work under the collective bargaining agreement, and he was one of the best college guards in the country for Santa Clara last season.

The Deal: Jae’Sean Tate for Jake LaRavia and David Roddy
De’Anthony Melton and Kyle Anderson were fifth and seventh, respectively, on the 2021-22 Memphis Grizzlies in wins over replacement player.
They were key cogs for Memphis’ defense and second unit, but the Grizzlies decided to let go of both last offseason in an apparent bet on youth and their developmental staff.
The jury’s still out on their 2022 first-round picks, Jake LaRavia and David Roddy, but their rookie seasons suggest it may take a while before either is a clearly helpful player.
For the Grizzlies, who have Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. all nearing their prime and getting very expensive to keep on the roster, a while may be too long.
The Houston Rockets, on the other hand, are under no such time constraints (even after the offseason deals for Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks).
They could take their time with LaRavia and Roddy, who may be ready to contribute right as things are starting to jell for Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Şengün.
Jae’Sean Tate, meanwhile, turns 28 in October. He could be on the short end of a minutes pinch in Houston. In Memphis, a team that’s lost Melton, Anderson and Tyus Jones in recent years, his grit and perimeter defense can help now.

The Deal: D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura and a 2029 first-round pick for Kyrie Irving
In May, the Dallas Mavericks reportedly had “no interest” in trading for D’Angelo Russell, but the Los Angeles Lakers signed him to a very movable contract. And if the Dallas Mavericks underwhelm for the second season in a row, you can be sure the rumors of a LeBron James-Kyrie Irving reunion will resurface.
We already know how that partnership looks on the floor. Those two, Anthony Davis and just an average supporting cast would make up a title contender. And with Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent and Taurean Prince still around, that supporting cast can be at least average (even without Rui Hachimura).
For the Mavs, a 2029 pick from the Lakers could be plenty valuable. By then, LeBron, AD and Kyrie will be 44, 36 and 37, respectively. L.A. could be in a tailspin similar to the one it found itself in during the last couple years of Kobe Bryant’s career.
But long-term upside probably isn’t all that interesting to the Mavericks or their fans. It’s time to start pushing toward contention for Luka Dončić now.
Hachimura can help on that front as a floor-spacer and multipositional defender. And Russell can give at least some percentage of what Kyrie does on offense. With him as a shooter and secondary creator playing off Luka, Dallas’ attack will be hard to stop.
Perhaps more importantly, though, the Mavs would have more trade fodder after this move (including that pick) to go out and get a star to pair with Dončić.
But before we move on, it’s worth repeating: This one depends on the Luka-Kyrie connection. It can work, and Dallas would only entertain something like this if it doesn’t.

The Deal: Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kyle Lowry, a 2028 first-round pick and a 2030 first-round pick for Damian Lillard and Jusuf Nurkić
Damian Lillard is still on the Portland Trail Blazers, and that’s probably because of their reported negotiating stance.
“What the Blazers want, if they’re dealing with one team, if it is [the Miami Heat] or nothing, they want what the Nets got from the Suns [for Kevin Durant], which is the Suns literally scrounging. … They want the Heat to literally scrounge into every nook and cranny and produce everything they possibly can,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective (27:40 mark). “The Heat don’t feel a need to do that.”
The deal above obviously doesn’t qualify as scrounging. So, with that perspective, this is a loss for the Blazers. But if the summer-long messaging that Miami is the only destination where Lillard will be happy is true, it’ll be hard for any other team to pony up an offer that will beat this.
Kyle Lowry’s expiring contract would give Portland significantly more flexibility after this season. Tyler Herro could be flipped to a third team for more long-term assets. Jaime Jaquez Jr. has some interesting potential as a wing scorer. And Miami picks that far in the future could be valuable. Lillard and Jimmy Butler are both in their mid-30s.
Could Portland squeeze Nikola Jović and a little more draft consideration out of this? Maybe, but that could be tricky if the Blazers want to get this done before training camp and avoid the potential drama that could accompany Lillard there.

The Deal: Jrue Holiday for James Harden
All right. It’s time to get really weird.
James Harden has made no secret that he wants off the Philadelphia 76ers. On more than one occasion this summer, Giannis Antetokounmpo has talked about leaving the Milwaukee Bucks if he doesn’t feel like they’re as committed to winning as he is.
So, let’s just put the former MVP-race nemeses on the same team. There’s more to it than that, but the idea of Harden and Giannis being teammates is pretty fun (and funny) to think about considering the debates they’ve inspired.
As for why it makes basketball sense in 2023, Milwaukee was right around average offensively last regular season. When Giannis was on the floor for each of the last two postseasons, the Bucks scored at an even lower rate than they did in 2022-23.
The Giannis-centric offense has become game-plannable, especially when opposing defenses have the luxury of seeing it over and over in a playoff setting. Hiring a new head coach may start to address the problem, but new personnel may be necessary for dramatic change.
Say what you will about the number of teams Harden has given up on in recent years and the fact that he’s no longer at his peak, but he’s still one of the game’s best playmakers.
Over the last three seasons, Harden has averaged 22.3 points and 10.5 assists per game. During his career, including the last few seasons, Harden’s teams have almost always scored at a high rate when he’s on the floor.
The other side of this coin is that Milwaukee’s defense could take a massive hit by plugging Harden into Jrue Holiday’s spot. But Giannis and Brook Lopez may be the best frontcourt in the league to hide Harden’s weakness on that end.
It would certainly take some time for Harden and Giannis to figure out how to coexist, but this move would raise the Bucks’ offensive ceiling. And if it doesn’t work, they wouldn’t be tied to Harden long term, as he’s on an expiring contract.
The Sixers’ side of this deal is easier to justify. Holiday isn’t the offensive engine Harden is, but Philadelphia wouldn’t need him to be. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey could collectively fill that role, while Embiid and Holiday would make up one of the game’s best defensive duos.

The Deal: Jonas Valančiūnas and a 2030 second-round pick for Kelly Olynyk
Jonas Valančiūnas puts up bigger raw numbers than Kelly Olynyk. Over the last four seasons, he’s averaged 15.9 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in only 27.4 minutes per game.
He’s a low-post bruiser and double-double machine, but he might also be a subpar fit alongside Zion Williamson on the New Orleans Pelicans.
Because of injuries, the sample sizes with Zion are small, but the on-off breakdown for him and JV is still interesting. In 2022-23, New Orleans was:
Pulling JV from the paint leads to wider driving lanes for Zion to explore, which makes both him and the team more effective. It stands to reason that replacing the paint presence with a ball-moving, three-point-shooting center would amplify that effect.
Last season, Olynyk averaged 12.5 points, a career-high 3.7 assists and 1.4 threes per game while shooting 39.4 percent from deep. If he was sharing the floor with Zion, at least one opposing big would be forced to stay with him at the three-point line, opening up room around the rim.
While you might think Olynyk’s more modern offensive game could come at the expense of the other end, the Jazz actually surrendered fewer points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor in 2022-23. He isn’t a high-end rebounder or rim protector, but he competes on that end and is typically in the right spots.
So, why would Utah do this? That answer begins and ends with the draft compensation.
The Jazz were better than expected last season, but they’re still pretty close to the outset of their rebuild. Moving a veteran on an expiring contract—especially when the player coming back is on one as well—is preferable to the possibility of losing him for nothing in free agency next summer.

The Deal: RJ Barrett, Evan Fournier, Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes, a 2024 first-round pick (via Washington), a 2025 first-round pick (via Milwaukee), a 2027 first-round pick, a 2029 first-round pick and a 2030 first-round pick swap for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Pat Connaughton
What if the Milwaukee Bucks decide to preempt the potential Giannis Antetokounmpo departure and make him available themselves? If he ever does hit the market, the New York Knicks have potential trade packages that could go toe to toe with just about anyone outside of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
This one sends three interesting prospects in RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes; flexibility from Evan Fournier’s contract (which has a team option for 2024-25); and a whole heap of future draft picks, including one that used to belong to Milwaukee and would have a lot more value with Giannis gone.
In the wake of this deal, the Knicks would be left with a core of Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo and Giannis. They could use a little more shooting, but that’s at least the start of a title contender.
For Milwaukee, moving Giannis would obviously be the start of a rebuild. In that scenario, the Bucks will just be looking for as much long-term help as possible. Again, there aren’t many potential suitors who can give more of that than New York.

The Deal: Dāvis Bertāns, a 2024 second-round pick (via Houston) and a 2026 second-round pick for Jusuf Nurkić
Few teams can justify standing pat quite like the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are loaded with both young talent and draft picks. There’s a world in which they just ride the wave of internal development of this core to title contention.
It’ll eventually get too expensive to keep everyone, but a core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Josh Giddey and Chet Holmgren has all kinds of potential.
If there’s one hole, it might be depth inside. Holmgren’s debut should help that, and Jaylin Williams is an interesting innings-eater (and charge-taker), but Giddey leading the team in rebounding in each of the last two seasons is a clear indicator of a need.
Moving Dāvis Bertāns (who likely won’t play much for this team anyway) and a few second-rounders from a seemingly bottomless trove of picks for Jusuf Nurkić’s size, rebounding and experience could help this young OKC roster better compete for a playoff spot.
His usefulness (particularly as a defender) seemed to be coming to an end for the soon-to-be-rebuilding Portland Trail Blazers, but he should still be effective against backups. In 52 appearances last season, he averaged 13.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists in only 26.8 minutes per game.
For Portland, this would just be one small part of the restart. The Blazers aren’t likely to do much better than two seconds and a contract that expires one year earlier than Nurkić’s (which is up after 2025-26).

The Deal: Jonathan Isaac, Markelle Fultz, Jalen Suggs, Anthony Black, a 2024 first-round pick, a 2026 first-round pick, a 2028 first-round pick and a 2030 first-round pick for Damian Lillard
The Miami Heat are the most logical Damian Lillard destination because they have a reasonable trade package for him and would be title contenders as soon as he shows up.
There aren’t many other teams that can check both boxes, but the Orlando Magic could eventually be in that group.
Getting Lillard without losing Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr. would make the Magic a blast right away. They could sneak into the legitimate contenders tier before Lillard’s contract expires in 2027.
Portland would assuredly push for either Wagner or Banchero being in the deal, but it wouldn’t make much sense for Orlando at that point.
This package still sends multiple young playmakers who are big enough to play alongside Scoot Henderson in Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black, Markelle Fultz’s expiring contract and four draft picks. Isaac has no guaranteed money left on his contract beyond this season, so he’s salary filler who could provide long-term cap relief.
Depending on how Portland feels about Suggs and Black, it might prefer this deal over Miami’s.

The Deal: Davion Mitchell for Killian Hayes
Consider this something of a prove-it deal for both Davion Mitchell and Killian Hayes, both of whom had well-below-replacement level box plus/minuses last season.
This move would give the Sacramento Kings a more natural ball-mover who’s three inches taller and three years younger than Mitchell. It also fills a need at backup point guard, where Mitchell is currently slotted, even though he often plays more like an off-ball guard.
The Detroit Pistons already have plenty of playmaking from Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and now Ausar Thompson. Plugging Mitchell’s tenacious defense into the rotation would make sense.

The Deal: Doug McDermott for Lonzo Ball and a 2030 second-round pick
This is another trade that requires some assumptions.
First, the Chicago Bulls would have to give up entirely on the idea of Lonzo Ball returning to full health. At least to some extent, this is a salary dump.
Doug McDermott makes less than Ball this season, and his contract expires in 2024, while Ball’s runs through 2024-25.
The other assumption is that Chicago isn’t about to rebuild. In that case, the Bulls, who were tied for last in threes per game in 2022-23, could use some additional shooting.
McDermott certainly provides that. There only 10 players in NBA history who match or exceed both of his career marks for threes per 100 possessions and three-point percentage.
Given his age (he turns 32 in January) and lack of defensive upside, a second-round pick is likely all it’d take to get him. However, the San Antonio Spurs might insist on more since they’re taking on Ball’s contract through 2024-25.

The Deal: Pascal Siakam for De’Andre Hunter, Bogdan Bogdanović, a 2024 first-round pick (via Sacramento) and a 2030 first-round pick
Another one of this summer’s seemingly open secrets was that the Atlanta Hawks were interested in Pascal Siakam. That rumor made even more sense after the Utah Jazz acquired John Collins.
This deal is expensive for Atlanta, but Siakam would slot in naturally at the 4 in lineups with Trae Young and Dejounte Murray.
Spacing with Siakam, Murray and either Clint Capela or Onyeka Okongwu wouldn’t be great, but that’s a lot of raw talent. And Quin Snyder may be the right coach to piece it together.
For the Toronto Raptors, getting more than one first-round pick for Siakam’s expiring contract would be huge, especially if Siakam isn’t willing to give his next team any assurance that he’ll re-sign there. Replacing him with Bogdan Bogdanović and De’Andre Hunter would improve the Raptors’ depth and three-point shooting.
Bogdanović and Hunter probably make more sense for a Raptors team built around Scottie Barnes, whose playmaking needs to be surrounded by as many floor spacers as possible.

The Deal: Delon Wright for Pat Connaughton and a 2027 second-round pick
When you’re a title contender with multiple players making max or near-max money, it’s hard to maintain any depth. It’s therefore not surprising that the Milwaukee Bucks’ bench is pretty thin at both the guard and wing spots.
At point guard, specifically, their need is borderline dire. The backups right now are AJ Green, Lindell Wigginton and Andre Jackson Jr. The chances of any one of those players becoming a long-term rotation piece are slim.
Delon Wright would address that need without depleting wing depth, since he’s a natural 1 with wing size and the ability to defend multiple positions on the perimeter.
For the rebuilding Washington Wizards, taking on Pat Connaughton and his contract that runs through 2025-26 may not be ideal. But he’s earning less than $10 million in each of those seasons, and he could be redirected to a team in need of some help on the wing.
Taking him on and losing Wright, who doesn’t figure to be a long-term part of the Wizards’ rebuild, for a future second-round pick from a team that could be nearing a cliff would be a fine piece of business.

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