Seven big NBA trades we want to see this week
Will
James Harden,
Bradley Beal,
Andrew Wiggins,
Blake Griffin and
Marcus Smart have new teams soon? Could the No. 1 pick be in play? Could the Warriors use the No. 2 pick to trade their way back into championship contention?
As we've already seen this week, NBA teams are ready to make deals. Wednesday's
NBA draft (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) could bring a flurry of activity, including lottery picks flying around. Which draft-day deals should teams pursue? Who will trade up and which contenders will find new ways to stock up?
Our NBA experts provide seven trades that could work, including multiple All-Stars and top picks.
Beal for the No. 1 pick and Culver
Minnesota Timberwolves get: Bradley Beal
Washington Wizards get: No. 1 pick in 2020,
James Johnson,
Jarrett Culver and
Jake Layman
André Snellings: The Timberwolves have two cornerstones in
Karl-Anthony Towns and
D'Angelo Russell, but they need a third star to truly build a contender. Beal has proved to be one of the better shooter/scorers in the league, and could match with Towns and Russell to build a potent outside-in offense. Plus, Beal is young enough, at age 27, to remain at his peak as Towns (25) and Russell (24) reach theirs, giving the Wolves a shot at both immediate and long-term success.
The Wizards are in need of a rebuild, which requires young talent and financial flexibility. This deal gives them the No. 1 pick in this year's draft and Culver, the sixth pick from last year's draft, to play alongside with their own ninth pick in 2020 and 2019 No. 9 pick
Rui Hachimura. Johnson's contract is expiring and Layman's ends after next season, giving the Wizards cap space -- despite
John Wall's supermax deal -- in addition to a raft of young potential to build around.
Warriors roll the dice; Pistons trade up
Golden State Warriors get:
Blake Griffin, No. 7 pick in 2020
Detroit Pistons get: No. 2 pick in 2020,
Andrew Wiggins,
Kevon Looney
Jonathan Givony: If healthy after knee surgery, Griffin could be the player the Warriors need to return to Finals contention. He was an All-NBA player in 2019, averaging a career-best 24.5 points to go along with 5.4 assists and 36% shooting on 3-pointers on nearly seven attempts per game. And with
Klay Thompson and
Draymond Green both under contract until 2023-24 (Green has a player option for his final year), shedding the final year of Wiggins' deal ($33.6 million in 2022-23) for Griffin's contract, which expires in 2022, could be helpful in balancing the Warriors' books long term, especially from a luxury-tax perspective.
The Pistons would get a player six years younger than Griffin who plays the most difficult position to find in the NBA -- a playmaking wing who can shoulder significant ballhandling and shot-creation responsibilities. While Wiggins' contract is long and potentially odious, he is a 20 points per game scorer for his career, and there is still reason to hope his significant talent can be groomed. At 25, he is coming off his most efficient and arguably best NBA season.
I would expect Detroit to take either LaMelo Ball or James Wiseman at No. 2, depending in part on which one is available. The Pistons were one of four teams (and the only one outside the top three picks)
granted access to watch Ball work out last week, indicating they might intend to move up. Ball would bring a huge amount of excitement to a franchise that badly needs to generate buzz, while Wiseman would plug a major hole inside and is the type of upside-laden big man new general manager Troy Weaver has historically gravitated toward.
Huge lottery swap for Warriors and Knicks
Golden State Warriors get: Mitchell Robinson and No. 8 pick in 2020
New York Knicks get: No. 2 pick in 2020
Tim Bontemps: While it seems unlikely the Warriors will do anything but take a player with their pick this week, this would be an intriguing move that would allow them to get a young player at a position of need in Robinson while also allowing them to pick up another player in the middle of the lottery.
The Knicks, on the other hand, would move up in this scenario -- presuming Anthony Edwards goes No. 1 overall to Minnesota as
ESPN's Jonathan Givony is projecting -- to take LaMelo Ball, who would give the Knicks a chance at a high-upside guard to light up Madison Square Garden.
The Beard to BKN
Houston Rockets get: Jarrett Allen,
Spencer Dinwiddie,
Rodions Kurucs,
Caris LeVert, No. 19 pick in 2020, 2021 swap, 2024 first-round pick, 2025 swap
Brooklyn Nets get: James Harden,
Ben McLemore
Kevin Pelton: As the Nets and Rockets ponder the possibility of a Harden deal, I think this is a reasonable endpoint that both sides could accept.
From Houston's standpoint, I wouldn't be surprised if two first-round picks and two swaps is an important target because that's what the Rockets are out from the
Russell Westbrook trade. Brooklyn would want to give those up now, while the team is likely to be a contender, and Houston would like to push them out in the future.
This pretty much splits the difference, creating swaps in years where the Houston pick might already be swapped from the Westbrook trade -- making it all the more likely the Nets will have a better one -- and a single unprotected first-round pick in 2024, when Houston's pick is headed to Oklahoma City if it lands outside the top four.
Because McLemore is making the veterans minimum, Brooklyn could acquire him in a trade without needing to match salaries. He would provide useful depth with four Nets rotation players headed to the Rockets.
Sixers and Nets find better fits at guard
Philadelphia 76ers get:
Spencer Dinwiddie
Brooklyn Nets get:
Josh Richardson, Nos. 21 and 34 picks in 2020
Bobby Marks: There will be a moment of truth either the night of the draft or before the trade deadline in which Brooklyn will have to decide on the future of Dinwiddie. The Nets guard is the ultimate insurance policy to
Kyrie Irving, but Dinwiddie will likely be on another team next season (he has a $12.3 million player option), and Brooklyn runs the risk of losing him for nothing.
While there are certain unwritten rules when it comes to trading within the division, a Dinwiddie-Richardson swap makes sense for both teams.
First, the money is cap neutral, with Dinwiddie earning $11.4 million and Richardson $11.6 million. Second, both players fill a need: Dinwiddie, an All-Star-level guard, can serve as the primary ball handler or play off the ball when
Ben Simmons returns from injury, while Richardson would give the Nets another team player who knows his role on offense and defense in addition to
Bruce Brown, who was
acquired from Detroit on Monday.
As for the draft picks, Brooklyn would now have Nos. 19, 21 and 34 -- possibly enough to move into the lottery and target a player such as Alabama's
Kira Lewis Jr. or RJ Hampton.
Celtics find tax relief
Portland Trail Blazers get: No. 26 pick in 2020,
Enes Kanter,
Vincent Poirier
Boston Celtics get:
Mario Hezonja
Pelton: So far, reporting has indicated the Celtics have been more aggressive using their three first-round picks to move up in the draft than to cut their luxury-tax bill. If that changes, the Blazers would make logical trade partners. They'd bring back Kanter -- who, like Hezonja, is expected to pick up his 2020-21 player option -- to give them a reliable backup to
Jusuf Nurkic, who was overworked in the bubble. Kanter could fit in the
Kent Bazemore trade exception, while Hezonja is swapped for Poirier.
Moving three guaranteed salaries (Kanter, Poirier and the pick) would save Boston $7.7 million and up to $16.5 million more in possible luxury-tax payments, pending a reduction of the latter amount based on this season's Basketball Related Income (BRI). It also would free up precious roster spots for the Celtics. Meanwhile, Portland could make this trade and still use the non-taxpayer midlevel exception to add depth.
Celtics in mix for Okongwu; Hawks get defense
Boston Celtics get: No. 6 pick in 2020,
Dewayne Dedmon
Atlanta Hawks get:
Marcus Smart, Nos. 14, 26 and 30 picks in 2020
Mike Schmitz: Moving up to No. 6 would allow the Celtics to address a gaping hole at center by selecting Southern California big man
Onyeka Okongwu. Okongwu's rim protection, defensive versatility in the pick-and-roll and efficient, low-usage offensive game is exactly what the Celtics missed during their playoff run in the Orlando, Florida, bubble.
Okongwu's strengths will be most pronounced on a winning team for which defense matters, and he would fit Boston's culture perfectly while giving them a third franchise pillar alongside
Jayson Tatum and
Jaylen Brown. If the Celtics get the sense that Okongwu will be gone by the sixth pick, they could use that Hawks pick and a young player such as
Romeo Langford to move up to the Bulls' pick at No. 4, where Okongwu is likely to be on the board.
For the Hawks, Smart, who is still only 26, would immediately improve their woeful perimeter defense and give them a much-needed veteran voice who knows what it takes to win at a high level. The Hawks also would be able to move Dedmon's contract and snag three first-round picks, which they could use in additional draft-day deals. Furthermore, the Hawks would have no shortage of options at No. 14, from
Saddiq Bey to
Aaron Nesmith to
Jalen Smith and other impact players.
A Kemba/Lavine backcourt probably gonna give up just as many points as it scores too
I might have to be done with these nikkas ...I cant take 10 more years of Gar/Pax level incompetenceOn his Greg Popovich shyt ...these dumb asses will never learn ...feel bad for Rockets fans ..they'll never be winners under this clown
