Trade season is here in the NBA as 81 players became trade eligible on December 15th and there are a lot of teams who need to make decisions around the NBA and I want to talk about what a few teams may do.
Cavaliers
After this season Donovan Mitchell has one year left on his contract before he can opt-out and become a free agent and the feeling around the league is that he won’t sign an extension in Cleveland. Now, I do not think he will be traded during the season but with Darius Garland and Evan Mobley out for multiple weeks, Cleveland’s season could go sideways. If it does, the New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and Brooklyn Nets would be the best destinations because that is where Mitchell would most likely sign an extension. Miami’s offer is Tyler Herro, Nikola Jovic, Haywood Highsmith, first round picks in 2028 and 2030, and pick swaps in 2027 and 2029. Of course this is built around what Cleveland thinks of Herro, which I do not have the answer to. This is a fine offer but New York and Brooklyn can beat it. A Knicks offer could be RJ Barrett, Donte DiVincenzo, the 2024 top 10 protected Mavericks pick, and their own picks in 2025, 2027, and 2029. The Knicks have a lot to offer and if Mitchell becomes available and they decide they want him, they’ll likely land him but I don’t know how interested the Knicks would be since they already have Jalen Brunson on their team and that is a very little backcourt. However, when you can acquire a player like Mitchell, sometimes you can throw ‘fit’ out of the window and get as many elite players on your team as you can. The Nets are the destination that make the most sense to me. A Nets offer could be Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Cam Thomas, the Suns’ unprotected picks in 2025 and 2027, the Sixers top 8 protected pick in 2027, and the Mavericks unprotected pick in 2029 for Mitchell and Georges Niang. A duo of Mikal Bridges and Mitchell would be a lot of fun and a good starting point for the Nets. I do not expect Donovan Mitchell to be traded by the trade deadline in February but who knows what the Cavs will look like over the next couple of weeks.
Raptors
We have been talking about the Raptors making trades for years it feels like and they still have yet to trade away one of their core players for a bevy of assets. With Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby both entering free agency, Toronto either has to make a move now or potentially lose both players for nothing, like they did Fred VanVleet. Anunoby is easier to trade because everyone needs a player like OG Anunoby, a big wing, who is elite defensively, and does not need the ball in his hands on offense. The 76ers, Thunder, Knicks, Pacers, Kings, Pelicans, and Warriors are all examples of teams that would likely line up to make offers for Anunoby. Siakam is more complicated. His numbers are down across the board and he just has not been the same player this season as he was in years past. The Pacers have talked about wanting a power forward to play with Tyrese Haliburton so they could step up and make an offer but what is the price? Is it worth the Pacers while to trade for Siakam, who is having a down season and is a free agent at season’s end, and what would it cost them? If I were the Raptors, I would want to trade Siakam and try to sign Anunoby but I also think it is way too risky to keep both going into free agency. With the difficulties of trading Siakam, I think they should take the best offer they can for OG Anunoby.
Bulls
I have talked about a Zach LaVine trade last month and how the Bulls would like to move him. However, that is a huge challenge and the return I talked about then seems crazy now. That contract is really bad and the Bulls keep winning with LaVine not playing. There are also reports on Wednesday that LaVine to the Lakers is likely which, to me, feels like a mistake for the Lakers but maybe they think they can get LaVine back to that All-Star form. Chicago has other players they can trade as well. Their most coveted asset is Alex Caruso. He is one of the best defensive players in the league who would fit on any team and has a very favorable contract for this season and next. I think they can get 2 first round picks for him because all sorts of contenders will be lining up to trade for him. DeMar DeRozan will be a free agent in the summer and if the Bulls continue to struggle, I could see a world where he gets traded. I like a DeRozan fit in Brooklyn but finding a deal is hard unless they are willing to put 2 of Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Royce O’Neale along with a draft pick in a deal and I do not think I would do that for half a season of DeMar DeRozan. Would Golden State ever put Andrew Wiggins in an offer? Would the Magic ever get involved to try and improve their offense around Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner? What the Bulls do over the next month and a half will be fascinating even if it results in no trades like it did last season.
Jazz
The idea that the Utah Jazz are going to trade Lauri Markkanen is insane to me. Why would they do that? He is 26 years old, has become an All-Star level player for them, and is likely to sign a contract extension this offseason. Trading him would be really silly unless they got a Rudy Gobert level offer and that feels unlikely. However, they do have other pieces to trade if they so choose. John Collins is reportedly available after they traded for him this summer, Collin Sexton is not someone who they should consider a part of their future, Jordan Clarkson is reportedly on the table, and they have expiring contracts like Kelly Olynyk and Talen Horton-Tucker. They can make moves and add future assets if they so choose. However, they already have a bevy of assets from the Gobert and Mitchell trades last offseason so they don’t need to make moves. Which is why trading Markkanen is something that seems very silly to me unless he told them he won’t re-sign with them or they get a Gobert-esc offer, both of which seem very unlikely.
76ers
The 76ers are really good. They are 2nd in offense, 2nd in defense (the gap from 2 to 6 is crazy close so this fluctuates), and 1st in net rating and though they are playing teams that are not very good, it is still impressive to see them playing this well. Joel Embiid looks like back to back MVPs is within his grasp and Tyrese Maxey looks like he is the real deal. They have the expiring-medium sized contracts to be able to pull off a trade to add another piece to their team. I still love a Malcolm Brogdon fit but if they are prioritizing cap space this summer, that seems like a deal breaker. DeRozan is an option but does he mess up what they have right now? Could they maybe try and trade for one of Brooklyn’s wings, Dorian Finney-Smith or Royce O’Neale to sure up their rotation? I am not sure what the Sixers are going to do but the James Harden trade gave them a lot of flexibility and that is something that is really important for them to have right now as they can upgrade their roster very easily.
Other thoughts
The Nets should trade Dorian Finney-Smith for a draft pick. They have so many wings behind him, while not as good, that are serviceable like Lonnie Walker and Dariq Whitehead who they could play in his spot and they can get another first round pick. I don’t think the Nets are competing for a championship this season and trading Finney-Smith for a first round pick is something that makes a lot of sense to me. Look for the Celtics to do something small by the deadline because they are all in. They could add a wing like John Konchar, Simone Fontecchio, or Isaiah Livers or maybe a big like Andre Drummond. I think that the Clippers are going to look to dump P.J. Tucker. Tucker has not gotten onto the court since November 27th and I think a team could use him. Look for teams like the Pacers, Bucks, Mavericks, and Kings to make offers for Tucker.
One sentence notes
The Minnesota Timberwolves can win the championship, they might look to make a move on the margins to improve their team. Denver could also use another playoff body, in my opinion. The Pistons are a sneaky LaVine team to watch out for. The Spurs need a point guard to help them get through the season and Killian Hayes is french, could there be a trade? The Grizzlies look like an actual basketball team with Ja Morant and that is something to keep an eye on. What are the Warriors going to do with Klay Thompson’s expiring contract? Would the Hawks ever trade Dejounte Murray? How can Miami get better? Lastly, because of course, the Lakers are going to be a team to watch out for.
Trade season in the NBA is here so let the rumors begin leading up to the trade deadline.
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