4 Trades We Want To See Happen

[Bowtothebill23]

1) Kings/Raptors

Kings Send:
Jeffrey Duren
Reggie Jackson
Chad Koester
Brian Curl

Raptors Send:
Hassan Whiteside
Phil Milburn
Warriors 2019 First Rounder

Why Kings do it: The Kings just traded for arguably the best point guard in the league right now and sure-fire top-7 player Derrick Rose. With Rose, they have all the offense they need and boost themselves into immediate relevance. I've heard whispers that they are planning on building to make a run around Rose while Duren develops then letting Duren take over when Rose is over the hill. But, it would be so tantalizing to go all in right now. Hassan Whiteside gives the Kings a top-2 defensive player, not just at center, but in the entire league. Pairing Whiteside and Noel at the 4 and 5 would give this team an absolutely elite defense. We've seen countless times that elite point guards and elite centers make excellent combos, and this pair would boost the Kings into title contention for the next 5 years. Now, there's the age difference. Sure, Whiteside lets you compete for 5 years, but what about Duren? If you can build a team around Rose now and have a contender now then have a contender with Duren when Rose is gone, isn't that the best of both worlds. Well, that's taking a big risk. Nearly every team would kill for a guaranteed 5 year title window around 2 of the best players in the game. But I do believe Duren has more trade value in a vacuum than Whiteside. Plus the Kings have to give up Reggie Jackson, who's been excellent for them, for salary reasons. Well with Jackson less needed with Rose in the fold, the Kings get supplementary pieces in Phil Milburn and a future first rounder. The Kings basically go all in right now and try to bring championship #2 back to Sacramento.

Why the Raptors do it: The Raptors made it pretty clear they preferred a rebuild this season. Due to a deflated trade market, they weren't able to send off their entire big 3, and only one of the 2 they did trade returned a rebuilding package. They've walked into a playoff team as Steph and Whiteside make a combo that's easily playoff-caliber. But looking beyond this season when Steph, Ellis, and Mayo fall off, it's hard to see how this team gets back to championship contention aside from trading Whiteside. So if we're ok with trading Hassan, what better asset is there to receive than Jeffrey Duren? Duren is probably a top 10 asset overall in sim league right now, and he still hasn't even set foot on a court so he maintains his rookie status. Duren will bring an elite combination of scoring, handling, defense, size, and athleticism. He's one of the few players in league history who bring all 5 to the table. The Raptors couldn't ask for a more perfect player to start their rebuild with. They also get Reggie Jackson and his incredibly sweet contract that they can keep or flip down the line. They do have to give up a couple of extra assets in Milburn and the Warriors First, but if you can start your rebuild with Duren and keep your important future picks, you take that chance.



2) Celtics/76ers

Celtics Send:
John Wall

76ers Send:
Kemba Walker (in 60 days)
Van Grimaldi (Chet Dooley could also work in this case)
76ers 2017 First

Why the Celtics do it: It's time for the Celtics and John Wall to part ways. This team has a worse record than the Charlotte Bobcats right now, and they are nowhere near contention. Wall is just 26, but this team is at least 3-4 years away from properly putting together a contending team. In this deal, they send Wall in 60 days for Kemba Walker for mostly salary reasons, Grimaldi (or Dooley) as the centerpiece, and a first rounder on top. Kemba gives them a solid point guard in case they want to be a competitive team sooner, but likely, Walker is flipped over the offseason for more pieces. The key piece of this deal is Van Grimaldi. Grimaldi was a top 5 pick a year ago and has the potential to be a 20 PPG scorer. He still has 3 years left of his rookie deal, blue potential, and plenty of room to grow. Combining Grimaldi with whoever the Celtics draft this season is a nice start to a rebuild for Boston. And an extra pick, no matter where it is in the draft, is always valuable to a rebuilding team.

Why the 76ers do it: The 76ers have missed the playoffs too many years in a row. This team belongs not only in the playoff picture, but in the championship picture. This deal gives them a superstar point guard to pair with Hayward, Simmons, and Dooley for an elite future. That's 4 guys 26 and under who are all not only blue potential, but high blue potential. Imagine Simmons growing into himself with that inside game and athleticism having Wall set him up. Wall also gives the 6ers an elite defensive stopper at point guard. This team would fit so well together, and it would run a motion offense with Wall, Dooley, Hayward, and Simmons incredibly well. If they wanted, the 76ers could turn into a buyer this offseason and move Dooley for someone more ready to play now and become a championship contender overnight. Losing Grimaldi hurts a bit, but the upgrade from Walker to a guy like Wall is so significant, and Wall just fits in so nicely with Gordon's timeline.


3) Suns/Lakers

Suns Send:
Kevin Love
Marcus Banks
Phil Pressey
Steve Novak

Lakers Send:
Gustave Lecroix
Joel Embiid
DeMarcus Cousins
Wizards 2017 First

Why the Suns do it: The Suns went all-in on cap space this offseason to try and lure at least one of Rose, Durant, or Jordan to Phoenix to pair with megastar, Kevin Love. That obviously didn't work, and now the Suns are back in the same position they've found themselves in far too often with Love: a solid team with a couple of nice pieces around him, but not enough to contend for a title. With Love, the Suns will always be a playoff team, and they'll always likely be a top 10 team in the league. But it still takes something extra to go that extra mile and win it all. And the Suns pretty clearly don't have that this season. Next offseason, they will likely try and run it back with nothing on their books heading into the offseason, not even Love. But that's incredibly risky, as the Suns found out this year. The Suns are doing the right thing at the moment in opening their ears for Love in case something sweeps them off their feet. Here's that deal. Gustave Lecroix was the #1 pick in the draft last season, and he's probably a top 10 asset in sim league. He still has 3 years on his rookie contract and again is a guy who's a great scorer and defender, and he combines that skill set with elite size and athleticism (especially quickness). He's an absolute haul no matter who you're trading. But this is Kevin freaking Love. It takes more than a great deal to get him. So we throw in Joel Embiid. Embiid's not who we thought he might be when he was drafted, but he still has great athleticism, and he's a blue potential rookie contract center who can defend and rebound well. Cousins is purely thrown in for salary reasons, but that's a pill that can be swallowed. And the Suns also get a solid pick in the Wizards pick this year which looks like a decent mid-teens pick which never hurts. Overall, if Love were going to be traded, this is about as elite a package as you could hope for.

Why the Lakers do it: The Lakers are on the way to missing the playoffs for the 6th straight year. For the second straight year, they're doing so without their own pick. This changes everything. Immediately, the Lakers have the best 2 man combo in league history. Think about next season with this Kevin Love and Giannis if he takes another step towards purple. They'd easily have one of the top 3 players and 2 of the top 5. That's instant contender status. The Lakers go from a team that can't get out of the basement to one of the top 5 teams in the league. And I know Love is 28 compared to Lecroix who's 21. But damn, Lecroix will never be close to Love. And let's be honest. Love is going to be purple until he's at least 33 or 34, and he'll be blue until after he's 35 or 36 at the earliest. He's nowhere close to being done.



4) Pacers/Bulls

Pacers Send:
Deron Williams

Bulls Send:
Goran Dragic
Zach Lavine

Why the Pacers do it: The Pacers have taken a major step back this season. They were the #1 team in the regular season last year, and have stumbled out of the gates to an 8-14 start. Is it time to blow it up? Not necessarily, but it doesn't hurt to listen. This team is in a situation where it's going to be hard to get much better because Deron will continue to decline each season. This deal allows them to take a small step back now and pick up a great asset while doing so. Let's be clear, there's a definite gap between Dragic and Deron, and a sizeable one at that. But it's not THAT big. If Pauly still wants to contend for the playoffs, the step back from Deron to Dragic won't prevent that. But the heart of this deal is LaVine for the Pacers. It's hard to let go of a guy like Deron. But the problem is with each passing season, his trade value plummets. Quite frankly, with the state of our cap situation, it's hard to get a ton for a 32 year old guy making over 30 million dollars. LaVine has the size, skills, and athleticism to be a future borderline all-star at the point or the 2. He's still only 21 and has 2 years left on his rookie deal. Overall, this lets the Pacers take a small step back now and receive a blue potential rookie contract for doing so.

Why the Bulls do it: The Bulls are ready to take flight. They've stormed out to a 19-3 start. Imagine what they could do if they upgrade their point guard to one of the best in the NBA. Deron isn't what he was a few years ago, but he's still absolutely elite, averaging almost 25-10. The Bulls are contenders right now. And when you're a contender, it's never a bad idea to go all-in. At the end of the day, you don't remember the young pieces you have on your team. You remember how far you get, and you DEFINITELY remember the championships. Adding Deron Williams to the Bulls makes them arguably the best team in the NBA and might propel them to a championship this year. Making this trade sacrifices a bit of the future, but it makes that 2 year window this year and next incredibly reachable. This would be a pure homerun swing for the Bulls, and if he hits, it could boost the Bulls to the Finals.

[NOLa.]

Great read, really enjoyed it, and there's only 3 players I would trade Duren for.


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[ballsohard]

Great read. Think that's a lot for Wall but I liked the rationale.

[garbageman]

Great read, really enjoyed it, and there's only 3 players I would trade Duren for.


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If one of them is Mr. 35.9 PER, Reggie Bullock, throw in some points and we'll talk.

[ballsohard]

Just a FYI there are no players that'd I'd trade ben hen for

[digiskunk]

Excellent job homie

[NOLa.]

Great read, really enjoyed it, and there's only 3 players I would trade Duren for.


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If one of them is Mr. 35.9 PER, Reggie Bullock, throw in some points and we'll talk.

[Conroy]

Great read. Think that's a lot for Wall but I liked the rationale.

[Inner_GI]

You can claim 5 points.