Cooking Up Last-Minute Trades Before the 2015 NBA Draft

With the NBA's June 25 draft almost here, it's high time we scamper into the kitchen and fry up some last-minute trade scenarios.

Rumors are flying off the cuff in advance of this year's prospect pageant, the majority of which will never be more than pressing water-cooler topics. But to heck with that empty speculation. Let's turn all this predraft chatter into totally hypothetical, not-at-all real trades.

These deals will be based off rumors, but the scenarios are our own. They take into account team needs, player values and, of course, the sensibility behind each suggestion. 

Is there a case, on some level, to be made in favor of every trade for all the included parties? Can they be justified to a team's fanbase? Those are the questions we'll keep in mind throughout the process.

Next season's salary scale, which doesn't kick in until July 1, will be our guide. Teams have more financial flexibility leading into the offseason, and player salaries change from one year to the next. Certain squads also cannot deal their first-round picks; they must trade the actual player, since, by rule, teams cannot ship out consecutive first-round selections. 

So while the draft is our trigger, many of these deals cannot be completed before or even on draft night. Worry not, though, because they're still draft-pick dependent. 

And, most importantly, we're still in line for another round of Keyboard GM.

Cleveland Shops at K-Mart

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Cleveland Cavaliers Get: SG Kevin Martin

Minnesota Timberwolves Get: C Brendan Haywood and No. 24 pick

Might as well test your ability to digest the introductory rules right off the bat.

Haywood's salary will jump to a non-guaranteed $10.5 million for 2015-16 on July 1, making him, in theory, a valuable trade asset. The Cavaliers can take back players with larger salaries—north of $13 million, in fact—and their trade partner will save a ton of money if they waive Haywood by August 2. 

This is an avenue the Cavaliers fully intend to explore, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst. And though sources told Grantland's Zach Lowe the market for this exact package isn't setting the rumor mill on fire, this deal is right up Minnesota's alley.

Martin is a lights-out shooter and led the Timberwolves in points per game last season. But, even when he's at his best, he forces younger players to cede valuable touches and, thus, experience.

Andrew Wiggins, Shabazz Muhammad, Zach LaVine, Ricky Rubio and, inevitably, Karl-Anthony Towns (or Jahlil Okafor) shouldn't be put in a situation where they must defer to someone like Martin. Netting what amounts to a late first-round pick and some financial relief is an adequate return under the circumstances.

The Cavaliers, meanwhile, won't do much better than Martin. He doesn't break the bank at $7.1 million and owns a $7.4 million player option for 2016-17—much less than J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert will command in free agency.

That doesn't mean the Cavaliers need to get rid of Smith or Shumpert. They could push forward with all three, deepening what will be an even shallower perimeter platoon without Shawn Marion collecting dust on the bench.

Catch-and-shoot assassins are also the best possible weapons to place around LeBron James. Martin's defense is J.R.-esque, and he's not much of a passer, but he doesn't need the ball in his hands to be effective; he found nylon on 39.5 percent of his spot-up threes last season.

At 32, with two years left on his deal, Martin shouldn't be part of an extensive rebuilding contract. He belongs on a contender.

He belongs in Cleveland.

Sam Hinkie's Sixers Break Bread with the Lakers

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Los Angeles Lakers Get: No. 3 pick and top-10 protected pick in 2016 (via Miami)

Philadelphia 76ers Get: No. 2 pick

Don't put anything past Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie.

League sources told CBS Sports' Ken Berger that Philly is enamored with Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell and willing to trade up just so the Lakers cannot draft him.

Most mocks—including that of Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman—have the Lakers taking Duke's Jahlil Okafor at No. 2, so the Sixers shouldn't have any reason to worry. But you can't put a price on sure things.

Then again, maybe you can.

Jordan Clarkson isn't necessarily the Lakers' point guard of the future, and at 6'5", Russell projects as a tantalizing combo guard who can create for himself and his teammates off the dribble, or stroke threes as a glorified spot-up shooter.

If the Sixers are truly smitten by Russell—or, less likely, worried that the Lakers will come between them and Latvia's Kristaps Porzingis—a mid-end first-rounder is a small price to pay for moving up and getting their guy.

Hinkie has set the Sixers up to have as many as four first-rounders next summer. He could try enticing Los Angeles by dangling the Oklahoma City Thunder's top-15 protected pick, but the Miami Heat selection holds more value and pretty much guarantees Philly's overtures won't be for naught.

Sliding down to the No. 3 spot still leaves the Lakers in play for Okafor, Russell or even Porzingis, depending on whom the Sixers choose. More importantly, this package ensures they won't miss out on the first round in 2016.

Next year's pick is under top-three protection and owed to, you guessed it, the Sixers. Although the Lakers could be bad enough to retain that pick, they secured 21 victories while fielding a D-League-ian roster. A healthy Kobe Bryant and Julius Randle, as well as a top-three pick, only stands to drum up their ring count.

Snagging that potentially top-11 pick for 2016 is also a nice way to enhance any current or future DeMarcus Cousins trade proposals. Just saying.

Ryno Sighting in Houston

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Houston Rockets Get: PF Ryan Anderson

New Orleans Pelicans Get: F Terrence Jones, F Kostas Papanikolaou and No. 18 pick

Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders says the Pelicans are looking for a way back into the first-round festivities.

What better way to do that than by reacquiring the pick they sent to Houston as part of the Omer Asik trade last summer?

Losing Anderson stings insofar as you believe he's the Pelicans' only stretch 4. Which he's not. There's Anthony Davis, the soon-to-be doer of everything—including three-point shooting.

"'I want you to continue to work and expand your range,'" said Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry, recalling a conversation he had with Davis, per Pelicans.com's Jim Eichenhofer. "'You should be a good corner three-point shooter.'"

Stretch center-dom is likely in Davis' future. For now, though, he's still a power forward. More than 80 percent of all his minutes have come at the 4, and that makes Anderson expendable for the right return.

Grabbing a first-round pick and prospect in Jones is the right return. Jones has flashed some three-point range through his first three campaigns and, like Davis, is gradually trying to expand his offensive arsenal. At only 23, there's hope yet that he'll develop into a stretch 4 himself—enough to justify flipping Anderson.

And after shooting just 39.9 percent from the floor last season—his lowest mark since 2008-09—Anderson could use a change of scenery. Still searching for a stretch 4 of their own, the Rockets should be prepared to give him one.

Power forward was statistically the Rockets' second-worst position, according to 82games.com. And, really, it was the worst. The numbers say center, but that's only because Dwight Howard missed more games in 2014-15 (41) than he did through his first 10 go-rounds combined (36).

With the exception of last season, Anderson has never shot below 36.5 percent from beyond the arc. He is a 37.9 percent shooter from long range for his career, and he still drained a respectable number of his spot-up treys while laboring through 2014-15 (36.1 percent).

Rockets general manager Daryl Morey won't balk at the prospect of paying Anderson $8.5 million. He's still an impact player when healthy, and with him in tow, Houston's frontcourt rotation would consist of Anderson, Clint Capela, Howard, Donatas Motiejunas and probably Josh Smith.

That's more than enough depth for the Rockets to build upon their 56-win crusade and Western Conference Finals appearance.

Three-Team Brain-Buster

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Denver Nuggets Get: PG Darren Collison, F Rudy Gay, SG Nik Stauskas, PF Jason Thompson and No. 4 pick (via New York) 

New York Knicks Get: No. 6 pick (via Sacramento) and No. 7 pick (via Denver)

Sacramento Kings Get: SF Wilson Chandler, PF Kenneth Faried and PG Ty Lawson

Let's make one thing clear: It's not Christmas in New York. The Knicks are not being unjustly—or deliberately unrealistically—rewarded because they're working off the worst season in franchise history.

The Nuggets could have four total first-round selections coming their way in 2016 and, per Berger, might be willing to build a package around the No. 6 and 7 picks in this year's draft for a chance to snag New York's No. 4 slot—provided they trade Lawson to the Kings. This is an extension of that idea.

Everyone on Sacramento's roster is available, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, most notably Gay and, depending on the day, Cousins. Not only that, but Kings head coach George Karl is caught up in one of the most powerful nostalgic episodes ever.

Berger expands:

"

Karl's former team, Denver, also is a possibility -- with Malone and D'Alessandro there and with Karl pushing the idea of "putting the band back together" from his Nuggets tenure, a person with knowledge of the situation said. League sources say Karl is enamored with the idea of a deal that would send Kenneth Faried, Ty Lawson and Wilson Chandler to Sacramento.

"

OK, so, here we are.

Karl gets all his guys in Chandler, Faried and Lawson without giving up Cousins. That No. 6 pick is incredibly valuable, but at 64 years old, Karl isn't winning any rebuilding marathons. His Kings very clearly want to compete now.

There's not much to gripe about on the Nuggets' behalf either.

Gay is a combo forward, scores like a No. 1 option and comes super cheap; Collison at least begins to replace Lawson's scoring and playmaking; Stauskas is a legitimate prospect to evaluate at shooting guard; Thompson is owed $6.4 million and shouldn't see the floor, but his $6.8 million salary in 2016-17 isn't guaranteed; and a top-four pick puts the Nuggets in play for high-end talents they otherwise wouldn't sniff.

This deal only makes sense if the Nuggets are super high and hopeful on Porzingis, Russell or Okafor. If they are, there's enough of a gap between the star prospects inside and outside the top five to argue in favor of moving up.

Not to go unnoticed is Faried's departure. He's owed $50 million over the next four seasons, a contract that doesn't even look good with the salary cap set to explode in 2016. He isn't a premier shot-blocker or defender, and his offensive touch peaks inside the paint. The Kings are doing the Nuggets a favor by absorbing his deal, granting them more long-term flexibility.

As for the Knicks, there is only one word: duh. They move down in the lottery order but gain the chance to leave this transaction with two of Willie Cauley-Stein, Justise Winslow, Mario Hezonja and Porzingis. 

Team president Phil Jackson could also have the option of turning one pick into Eric Bledsoe. The Phoenix Suns have offered the Knicks Bledsoe and the No. 13 pick for their No. 4 slot, according to Sporting News' Sean Deveney. They might be willing to accept, say, No. 7 if they can also retain No. 13.

Either way, a trade of this magnitude would put the Knicks on track to, by their own standards, win the offseason. 

Boogie Hits Boston

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Boston Celtics Get: C DeMarcus Cousins and PF Carl Landry

Phoenix Suns Get: PG Marcus Smart, G/F Evan Turner and No. 28 pick

Sacramento Kings Get: PG Eric Bledsoe, C Kelly Olynyk, SF Gerald Wallace, No. 16 pick and top-seven protected pick in 2016 (via Dallas)

Despite the public flip-flopping, Cousins is thought to be available, according to Wojnarowski. That doesn't mean the Kings will get back enough value in return for his services. They won't.

For starters, this divorce, if it comes to fruition, will be messy, potentially driving the price down. Mostly, Cousins is just too important.

As SB Nation's Tom Ziller writes:

"

The Kings have been in the lottery every year since 2007 and have one star to show for it. He is a rare breed of big man. If you trade him, you will spend the next five years praying to land some approximation of him in the draft. Don't do it. Sacramento has such trouble attracting and acquiring stars. When the Kings have one, giving it up needs to be a last resort only.

"

Reaching that last resort is a tricky process. The Kings, per Wojnarowski, are said to want established players in return, but they're also rebuilding. Picks and prospects need to be a priority as well.

Dealing with Boston—one of Cousins' preferred destinations, according to Berger—can deliver the Kings a mixture of everything. They land two valuable first-rounders, a lottery talent in Olynyk and shed Landry's albatross of a contract for Wallace's expiring pact.

Bledsoe is the meat and potatoes of this particular scenario. If the Suns are open to moving him, as Deveney posits, the Celtics can give them a top-tier point guard talent in Smart and valuable wing depth in Turner. They also get yet another first-rounder for their asset cupboard.

Sending Bledsoe to Sacramento could then push the Kings over the top, awarding them a fringe star who can help them compete now—especially if they complete the three-team brain-buster from before.

In the end, the Celtics are forking over six first-round talents (Olynyk, Smart, Turner and three picks) for the rights to Cousins. It's a steep price to pay, and one that could rise if, in our world, the Suns and/or Kings demand for Jared Sullinger and/or the Brooklyn Nets' 2016 first-rounder to be involved.

But transcendent superstars on the right side of 25 aren't available via trade that often. This is why Celtics president Danny Ainge has made so many trades and acquired so many first-rounders.

This is why he's amassed so many assets: to put the Celtics in position to take advantage of long-shot opportunities just like this one.

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com unless otherwise cited. Salary information via Basketball Insiders. Draft-pick commitments from RealGM.

Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @danfavale.