Summer 2022 Pointless NBA Trade Idea

Celtics get PG Donovan Mitchell, SF Juancho Hernangomez; Jazz get G Marcus Smart, G Derrick White, SF Aaron Nesmith, Celtics 1st rd pick and pick swap

Hornets C Rudy Gobert, Jazz 2nd rd pick; Jazz get F Gordon Hayward, F PJ Washington, PG James Bouknight, Hornets 1st rd pick and pick swap

Celtics get a dynamic ball dominant PG to go with Brown and Tatum, and they'd still have Theis and Williams as defensive back stops, Pritchard off the bench and I'd keep Al Horford (that dude's still good). The Celtics would lose some depth (they'll need to fill 2 roster spots), but they'd still have a strong offensive and defensive identity. Losing Smart stings but Mitchell is going to be such an offensive upgrade, this team would be in championship conversation. And they form a good long term core: Mitchell, Williams and Tatum are signed for 4 more years each (making draft picks less valuable or necessary), Brown and Pritchard for 2 more years each. Grant Williams is an RFA that I assume the Celtics will want to keep, while Horford and Hernangomez would be on the way out next summer (though Donovan bestie Eric Paschall should be available for end of the roster money, seems a perfect addition). The Celtics would have a good nucleus for both ends of the court, a young coach that knows what he's doing and a GM that seems as much like family as Danny Ainge (oh yeah: he's with the Jazz now!). If Celtics could get Mitchell for the package I'm laying out, I think they'd take it in a heartbeat. And I think that's actually a pretty good haul for the Jazz. 

Hornets get a premiere defensive presence in the middle that's signed long term (and would be a lot more popular on the East Coast) and should mesh just fine with the LaMelo-Rozier tandem that runs the place. Gobert allows Miles Bridges to take another leap defensively making the Hornets a serious contender in the East, instead of a play-in. It sucks to lose PJ but getting Gobert should remove all regrets. It sucks to lose Bouknight but they were already giving more time to Isaiah Thomas, so he's probably already in change-of-scenery mode. It sucks to lose Hayward, but he was so injury-prone that its almost like he was never there (just like in Boston). Getting Gobert gives so much focus to your defense that now LaMelo and Rozier have even more room to freelance on offense. This move guarantees them a bankable star defender for 4 more years and allows the rest of your core to mature in a whole new way (and adds some buzz as a free agent destination, like how about bringing Malik Monk back?). This makes the Hornets a better team and while every 1st rd pick is valuable to the Hornets, this is a deal worth attaching one to. 

Jazz would move on from their two biggest stars. But since one of them has to go (as they do not play well together at all), why not split the baby and ship both out for the maximum haul. The Jazz aren't gonna want 1st rd picks (oh, they'll want a few of those), they'd rather have long term contracts, they'd rather have star players or (realistically) rotation guys. So those are the types of players I think they'll be looking for when shopping Mitchell and/or Gobert (and I assume they are shopping both and could actually trade both). The deals I laid out would still give them a good team, signed well into the future, with a bevy of tradeable contracts and while there's enough to continuity to carry forth, I think its a new enough roster that a new coach (*) could craft something totally new. The opening day roster would look like:

PG Mike Conley, SG Marcus Smart, SF Gordon Hayward, PF Bojan Bagdonivic, C PJ Washington

PG Derrick White, PG James Bouknight, SG Jordan Clarkson, SG Nikeal Alexander-Walker, SF Aaron Nesmith, SF Royce O'Neal, PF Rudy Gay, C Udoka Azuibuke

Conley, Bogdanovic, Clarkson, Gay, O'Neal provide stability and continuity, a solid collection of veterans to keep the team humming along. Smart and White are good rotation guys that will play hard, set the tone defensively and become fan favorites. Hayward is already a fan favorite, this is the one fanbase that wouldn't think twice about paying Hayward a shit ton of money. Bouknight and Nesmith are young guys to develop. Washington, Azuibuke, and Alexander-Walker would need to be re-signed next summer, so they've each got a year to earn that next contract (and they're on the clock right away). The two extra 1st rd picks are not likely to be really good picks (top-10 protected, at least, I'd assume) but the Jazz need every talented body they can find (and extra picks do offer a little more wheeling and dealing on draft night). 

Is that a playoff team in the West? They'd be a pain in the ass. If you think you're going into SLC on a Tuesday night and picking up a free W, I'd you be wrong. (**)

I think the Celtics would be better with Mitchell in place of Smart, White and Nesmith. I think the Hornets would be better with Gobert in place of Washington, Hayward and Bouknight. I think the improvements in the Celtics and Hornets would merit giving up a 1st round pick (each) to facilitate these roster moves. 

Are the Jazz better without Mitchell and Gobert? Are they better with Smart, Hayward, White, Washington, Bouknight, Nesmith and 2 1st-rounders? Probably not. But they would have cost assurance built around what I think would be an entertaining team (a fun team to root for). Also, a new coach with the new team brings a whole new vibe around what will be a hard working, pain in the ass squad. 

For the Jazz, either Mitchell or Gobert has to go. Picking which one will not be easy or pleasant. They're assaying the league for offers, I think these offers are realistic and leave Utah with a solid, lovable, rather inexpensive roster that will be a tough out in the West right away. I know: star power in more fun, but more star power just becomes more drama. SLC is a town that would be better served by going for lunch pail basketball lifers that will bust ass for the home fans. Utah has more of a college than a pro vibe, they should build a different kind of team.  

(*) Oh, it is worth noting that this rebuild does not strike me as what Coach Quin Snyder signed on for, so at this point I think it would be mutually beneficial to part ways. Snyder is at a point in his coaching career that does not match the phase the Jazz would be going into with these moves I'm describing. If he wanted to stay, that'd be great, but I don't think he'd want that. So I'd let him walk, pay him handsomely, pat him on the back at the press conference and then I'd go hire Frank Vogel. 

I've long thought about the Orlando Magic that they would be better served by banking on a coach rather than trying to be a free agent destination (for some reason Orlando is NBA poison) and what good is it to be a lottery pick factory if you don't have the culture, the routine, to properly develop the talent? I think the Utah Jazz are in the same boat: free agents don't wanna go but the fanbase is supportive, so do it Pittsburgh Steelers style and just keep bringing the same coach back every year. If Quin Snyder is down with that, then I'd keep Snyder and let him do his thing forever; I'm just assuming that Snyder has had as much success as he thinks he can have in SLC and is probably looking at other spots (San Antonio, for instance, another example of the kinda place that might keep him around for 20 years).

(**) Two summers ago, OKC very briefly had Ricky Rubio, Steven Adams and Al Horford all at the same time. I know that doesn't win a lot of games but I still wanted to see those guys play together. 

2018-19 NBA Pointless Trade Idea

Kings get: Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz, Mike Muscala; Sixers get Bogdan Bogdanovic, De'Aaron Fox, Willie Cauley-Stein

Kings would get a fascinating project on a rookie contract (Fultz), a bonafide gonna-be superstar (Simmons) also still on his rookie deal and an expiring veteran (Muscala). Fultz gets back to the West Coast in a low-pressure media town; Simmons becomes the undisputed king of Kings, the centerpiece of the team for at least the next 5 years; Muscala walks next summer leaving that much more salary cap to dangle for free agents.

Going forward they'd have a core of Simmons, Fultz, Hield, and Bagley and they'd still have a pile of talented youngsters (Yogi Ferrell, Harry Giles, Justin Jackson, Frank Mason, Skal Labisserie) to fill out the roster.  Next summer they'd have roughly $55m to offer for free agents: how about DeAndre Jordan, Nikola Mirotic and Tobias Harris to go with the youth? Or a collection of reasonably priced vets like Patrick Beverley, Ed Davis, Trey Lyles, Elfrid Peyton and Al-Farouk Aminu. The Kings don't have their draft pick for 2019 (1st or 2nd round, if I'm not mistaken), but after that they keep picks for the foreseeable future. This gives the Kings a legit star to build around going forward with an interesting collection of youth that can still bloom and a pile of money for free agents.

Sixers trade away two #1 picks (one a consensus superstar in the making, the other quickly becoming a cautionary tale) but get back a dynamic lovable PG (Fox), a DPOY-esque freak athlete to fit between Butler and Embiid (Cauley-Stein) and an under appreciated ball handler, playmaker and 3-point threat (Bogdanovic). This gives them a core of Fox, Reddick, Butler, Cauley-Stein, Embiid with McConnell, Bogdanovic, Korkmaz, Landry Shamet. Wilson Chandler and Amir Johnson coming off the bench.

In the off-season the first priority would be re-signing Butler, Cauley-Stein and McConnell (and possibly Justin Patton), but parting ways with Reddick, Johnson and Chandler would leave them with about $40 million to spend. They'd be a young team (not unlike the Kings) with a strong core of Fox/Butler/Embiid, a bench with McConnell, Cauley-Stein and Bogdanovic and a nice collection of youth (Shamet, Korkmaz, Zhaire Smith, Bolden, possibly Patton) on the bench.

You may think trading Simmons away is madness, but though he's already a terrific player, his lack of scoring is kinda frightening and I think Fox can be almost as good as Simmons (and probably even more fan-friendly) Bogdanovic and Cauley-Stein are both under appreciated; Fultz has to go and Muscala is not a building block, so those are basically sunk costs, adding Simmons brings back three young players that can thicken the Sixers rotation without skipping a beat.

Who says no to this deal?

2017-18 Pointless NBA Trade Idea

Bucks get:
Elfrid Peyton, Mario Hezonja
Magic get:
Jabari Parker, Rashad Vaughn

Basically its a swap of players that I think these teams don't want to bring back, giving each team a few months to taste test on new players instead.

Parker is clearly unhappy in his (non-)role with the Bucks and while I think he'd be better coming off the bench in Orlando (pair him with Biyombo rather than Vucevic), he would still have a shot to prove himself as a down-low scorer. If the Bucks can get Peyton to be a mini-Giannis off the bench (by which I mean, keeping the ball moving and the tempo high) and keep up his solid on-ball defense, he might fit them going forward. 

Hezonja and Vaughn are like for like: scorers off the bench that have thus far been kinda disappointing, though showing flashes of being worthwhile. Perhaps the change of scenery will benefit both of them (though likely each would have the same problem in their new homes). Hezonja might fit better in the Bucks ball-movement system while Vaughn may get more opportunities in Orlando as more of a spot-up shooter.

The salaries don't quite match up, the Magic would probably have to throw in a 2nd round pick (or perhaps some kind of future pick swap), to even it out. Again, not a great leap forward for either team, really just giving four guys a chance to prove themselves in a different environment before moving on to free agency (which is where it looks all four are headed).  (Of course Milwaukee probably sees Jabari as a much better trade chip than simply the cornerstone of a taste test but they may struggle to move him)

Westbrook Re-signs with OKC

I knew there would be (at least) one more Westbrook-related story coming out of OKC this summer. Either he would be traded or he would sign an extension, one or the other had to happen. Westbrook answered the OKC prayers and signed a 3yr/$85m extension that comes with a raise for this coming year and a player option in the 3rd year. He could still be traded but I think the Thunder would rather add to their newly re-signed PG rather than look to the post-Westbrook future. 

There are still a handful of NBA players rumored to be on the trade block, can any be brought to OKC? Greg Monroe (Bucks) is not an upgrade over Kanter, Rudy Gay (Kings) is not a good fit salary-wise, Eric Bledsoe (Suns) is a bit redundant with Westbrook, and Jahlil Okafor (Sixers) doesn't add enough to the Thunder offense (or much at all to the defense). 

However, Blake Griffin (Clippers) would be intriguing alongside Westbrook and has a salary very close to Kanter's. Will that happen? It could. Griffin is set to make $20.1m this year with an early termination option (of $24.2m) in the following year. With salaries skyrocketing this summer, it is likely that Griffin will opt out next summer in hopes of getting a raise whether he is still with the Clippers or in a new city. I'm not sure but I suspect the Thunder would be more than happy to give Griffin a raise next summer (whereas the Clippers might not able to considering Chris Paul also has an ETO next summer). The Thunder have Enes Kanter at $17.1m and locked in for two more years, which could be attractive to the Clippers. Kanter is not as good as Griffin in general but Kanter is an excellent scorer around the rim and I think would fit between Chris Paul and Deandre Jordan just fine. And though his contract seemed exorbitant last summer, it'll look like a bargain next summer. 

A straight up Griffin for Kanter deal doesn't seem so sexy but tacking on Ilyasova or Oladipo becomes cost prohibitive. And frankly offensively the Clippers would be fine with Kanter, he would save them a coupla bucks and leave them with a $3m trade exception that might come in handy in February. Like I said, it doesn't seem so sexy but I think its actually a pretty good deal for both teams. And I think it could happen. We'll see in the next 6 weeks or so.   

Pointless Trade Idea

Wolves get David Lee (1 yr/$15.5m) and a 2016 1st rd pick (Warriors); Hornets get Pekovic (3 yrs/$35m); Warriors get Williams (1 yr/$7m), Zeller (2 yrs/$9.5m/team option).

Wolves ditch the long term commitment to injury-prone veteran C that has the potential to hold up their future roster construction and the development of their fine young low post talents and replace him with one year of a crafty veteran who knows how to be a good team player (and show Towns how to score, Dieng how to pass, Payne how to maximize his abilities). More salary for them but no matter, they're plenty well below the cap. And since they're taking back more salary than they're sending out, the Warriors should add 2016 1st rd pick (or perhaps 2016, 2017, 2020 2nd rd picks). Seriously, I think Lee wold be great for the Wolves and with this one move the roster would be set. Put the team on the court and let them play. If Bennett/Muhammad or Martin/Budinger can be moved, pull the trigger; if a blockbuster for Rubio comes along, think it over; other than that, put the kids out there and let's see 'em.

Hornets get a long term vet down low on a contract that gets better as the cap rises,if Pekovic stays healthy at all, he's pretty good and defensively an upgrade on whatever the Hornets would've had anyway. They give up on a young big but the Hornets ability to develop players (or draft well in the first place) is not that great and Zeller is not so promising that he's untouchable or anything, whereas Pekovic is at least a reliable veteran. The Hornets would also be giving up on Marvin Williams, a poor free agent signing that hasn't been the replacement for McRoberts that they needed. Not a great deal but a reasonable one, Pekovic probably is better for them going forward than Zeller and/or Williams.

Warriors have got to get rid of Lee and they'd prefer to get absolutely nothing in return. Williams (I think) can be bought out, which is expensive but less expensive than keeping Lee; and Zeller is cheap enough to be flipped for a coupla 2nd rd picks. Might want Zeller: Pelicans need cheap young talent, Celtics might be able to coach Zeller into a nice player, Sixers always love big guys on rookie deals. Repeat: Warriors must get rid of Lee. What they get back is entirely secondary. In my version they need to do more work beyond this deal but its worth it. (2nd rd picks are a great way of looking like you're accumulating promising future assets when really you're dumping toxic current assets)

Pointless Trade Idea

Jazz get Porzingis (#4 pick money), Calderon (2 yrs/$15.1m); Knicks get Favors (3 yrs/$35m), Burke (2 yrs/$5.9m, team options), Trey Lyles (#12 pick money)

Phil hinted that he wanted Frank Kaminksy who went #9 to the Hornets but I think he really wanted Lyles (especially at #12 money).  If Phil could get Favors on a good deal going forward and Burke on his team-friendly rookie deal and ditch Calderon in the process, he might take it. He'd probably want the Jazz's 2016 1st round pick too even though the Jazz would be taking back two years of Calderon (which is a cheaper for them than including a 1st rounder), not sure if that's enough of a sweetener. The Jazz are a draft-built team, they can ill afford to give away a lottery pick. Perhaps a 2017 1st rounder could be added but the Knicks might balk at that. 

Exum, Burks, Hayward, Porzingis, Gobert is your Jazz starting five with Booker, Calderon and Hood (and Olivier Hanlan?) off the bench. Too thin to give up 2016's 1st rounder pick (that's a lottery pick) but perhaps promising enough to include 2017's 1st round pick. (And, man, if the Jazz could lure Paul Millsap back, their only hope of a free agent badass coming to the SLC, then Porzingis could give them for-real punch off the bench)

I think this is a pretty good deal for both teams: Knicks get an established downlow presence on a very good deal (Favors), a top ten talent rookie (Lyles), a cheap low risk/high reward audition at PG (Burke) and they get rid of their least desirable contract for one skinny Euro kid that everyone in New York already hates; the Jazz get perhaps the intriguing rookie talent of this draft, a veteran PG (over priced but the Jazz can afford it) and still have plenty of room to make more moves.