No-Brainer Trades for 2024 NBA Title Contenders
NBA championship contenders should leave nothing to chance.
Greed is not only forgivable with this group at the top, but it's also often what separates championship hopefuls from full-fledged titleholders.
The 2020-21 Milwaukee Bucks already had a great thing going, but the November 2020 trade for Jrue Holiday took them over the top. The 2019-20 Los Angeles Lakers only joined the championship conversation after an offseason mega-move for Anthony Davis. The 2018-19 Toronto Raptors can trace their title run to their acquisition of Kawhi Leonard the previous summer.
When you're this close to the mountaintop, there's no such thing as pushing too hard in pursuit of basketball bliss.
So, the following four contenders—all teams which reached at least the conference semifinals this season—should all be willing to throw caution to the wind and chase these blockbuster trades for a chance to break through and capture that elusive trophy.
Golden State Warriors Build Balance, Depth
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Golden State Warriors receive: Terry Rozier and Cody Martin
Charlotte Hornets receive: Jordan Poole
When the Warriors went down in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers in the conference semis, they looked like they'd simply run out of gas. They couldn't find consistent offensive production from players other than Stephen Curry, and it showed. While they cleared 120 points in each of their two victories, they averaged just 102.8 points in their four defeats.
Jordan Poole, who inked a four-year, $123 million extension in October to help provide their non-Curry creation, came up empty in his search for support scoring. He managed only 8.3 points in his 20.7 minutes per night while shooting a woeful 34.5 percent overall and 25 percent from three.
Considering this came on the heels of a generally disappointing campaign for the scoring guard, some might assume the Warriors are eager to move him. That may not be the case, though. They aren't "actively" shopping him, per The Athletic's Anthony Slater, but you can argue they should be.
They'll only get so many cracks at the crown with Curry still in his prime, so they shouldn't feel compelled to live with Poole's production swings any longer. Sending him to Charlotte, where the good version of Poole could add support scoring and playmaking to an offense that needs more of both around LaMelo Ball, could make Golden State deeper and better balanced.
Terry Rozier could replace all of Poole's offensive production—their numbers were strikingly similar this season—while significantly improving this group's perimeter defense. Cody Martin, meanwhile, could fill a niche three-and-D role as a depth piece on the wing.
The Warriors might be losing the best player in this deal—that would be the Hornets' wager, at least—but they could still come out of it with a more complete roster.
Boston Celtics Find Their Floor General
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Boston Celtics receive: Chris Paul
Phoenix Suns receive: Marcus Smart and Grant Williams (sign-and-trade)
The Boston Celtics have boatloads of talent, tremendous depth and quite possibly the Association's best roster on paper. What they don't always have, though, is a sense of purpose on the offensive end.
Too often, they seem aimless on the game's biggest moments. While they had this postseason's fourth-most efficient offense, that ranking tumbled to ninth in clutch situations (final five minutes with a margin of five points or fewer). Their turnover rate spiked (12.9 to 14.9) and their pace slowed to a crawl (95.8 possessions per 48 minutes down to 86.8).
They either didn't have direction, or they lacked the playmakers needed to steer the ship. Either way, their need for a calculated, high-end decision-maker like Chris Paul became glaring.
There are multiple paths to get Paul to Boston, and this would admittedly rank among the most expensive. The Celtics could wait and see whether the Phoenix Suns waive Paul before his $30.8 million salary becomes fully guaranteed on June 28, but that would add a host of other suitors to the equation. Sure, he could pick Boston, but what are the chances he actually would?
The Shamrocks could sidestep that guessing game entirely by trading for Paul ahead of the guarantee date. His salary is steep, but if it's offset by the money owed to Marcus Smart and whatever Grant Williams gets in restricted free agency, Boston might break even here.
Move past the finances, and it's all too easy to get giddy about Paul's on-paper fit. Getting him to Boston means immediately lightening the offensive load shouldered by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, neither of whom should be a team's primary playmaker. Paul, 38, may have lost some layers of his game over time, but that part remains elite. His 8.9 assists per outing this season looked all the more impressive when weighed against his 1.9 giveaways.
The Suns, meanwhile, could certainly be on board with the idea of flipping Paul and his cost-prohibitive salary for a pair of plug-and-play contributors. Smart's offensive limitations would be easier to mask with offensive focal points like Devin Booker and Kevin Durant on the floor. Williams could scratch Phoenix's itch for frontcourt depth while providing a reliable three-ball and defensive versatility.
Los Angeles Lakers Add Size, Shooting, Playmaking
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Los Angeles Lakers receive: Myles Turner and T.J. McConnell
Indiana Pacers receive: Malik Beasley, Mo Bamba, Max Christie and No. 19 pick
The idea of sending Myles Turner to the Los Angeles Lakers is by no means a novel one. The two have been connected in the rumor mill so often, that Indy's shot-blocking, three-point-shooting center even offered his assessment of the fit early last season.
"If I'm the Lakers, I take a very hard look at this with the position that you're in," Turner told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski in October. "I know what I can provide for a team—my leadership, my shot-blocking, my three-point ability and just my ability to make plays out there on the floor."
The Turner-to-L.A. talks have had such a long shelf life, because that fit looks so intriguing on paper. He could keep the floor spaced for LeBron James and Anthony Davis to attack. On defense, Turner would make the Lakers massive without greatly sacrificing their mobility. Assemble the right supporting cast around them, and you could be looking a top-five defense and top-10 offense.
That's championship-level basketball, which should be L.A.'s lone concern with James nearing the end of his legendary career. The Lakers would lose a few long-term assets here, but if anyone should prioritize the present over the future, it's the Purple and Gold.
While Turner would be the headline pickup, T.J. McConnell could be a sneaky-good get, too. He rarely hoists from distance, so he isn't an ideal fit, but he takes care of the basketball (career 5.0 assists against 1.6 turnovers) and is a defensive pest both on the ball and in passing lanes.
The Pacers, on the other hand, can afford to look ahead, as 23-year-old Tyrese Halibuton will be front and center of their next chapter. The No. 17 pick would add to the Pacers' impressive amount of selections—they already have Nos. 7, 26, 29, 32 and 55—which could free them to move up for the right prospect, flip several for a young player or even move a few for future selections.
If Indy sees Max Christie as a keeper, it could expand its young core with this swap. And that's before accounting for the chance one or both of Malik Beasley or Mo Bamba plays their way into consideration for inclusion.
New York Knicks Land Star Wing in 3-Team Trade
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New York Knicks receive: Paul George
LA Clippers receive: Damian Lillard
Portland Trail Blazers receive: RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin, Jericho Sims, Evan Fournier, 2025 first-round pick (top-four protected, from MIL via NYK), 2027 first-round pick (via NYK) and 2029 first-round pick (via NYK)
The New York Knicks are trending up, but they still seem a two-way star short of making a championship run. They could try waiting to see if one of their young players becomes one, but with Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson in the heart of their primes, this front office could feel the urgency to act.
Especially if it meant getting Paul George, who, when healthy, looks like the ideal addition to this roster.
"His outside shooting is equal parts high volume (almost nine attempts per 36 minutes since 2018-19), super efficient (38.8 percent) and scales to many forms," B/R's Dan Favale wrote of George. "He can generate his own triples but has experience playing off more ball-dominant teammates."
Availability has been an issue for George, who has averaged just 47.3 appearances over the past four seasons. As long as he's healthy at the right time, though, New York wouldn't have any complaints. They have enough depth to survive regular season stretches without him, especially if they could land him without losing Immanuel Quickley or Quentin Grimes, as would be the case here.
George would immediately address New York's spacing concerns in a major way, while stepping into the featured role on offense. He isn't so ball-dominant that he would limit Randle or Brunson's chances to create, though. If coach Tom Thibodeau could strike the optimal balance of touches between them, the hope is that each would make the others more efficient.
The LA Clippers, meanwhile, could use an impact point guard, but their options of landing one are limited. They have a good chunk of mid-sized salaries, but they lack the sweeteners needed to snag a star. So, rather than sacrificing depth for a solid-but-not-elite player, they'd give up George to bet on the championship chances of a Damian Lillard-Kawhi Leonard tandem.
As for the Portland Trail Blazers, this feels like the right time to split from Lillard, even if neither side wants to admit it. Portland already has a young core brewing with Anferee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe and whomever it gets with the No. 3 pick. It would enhance that collection here with RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin and Jericho Sims all looming as realistic long-term keepers.
The Blazers would further brighten their future with three first-round picks, only one of which is protected (and lightly protected at that). Evan Fournier would strictly be a money-matcher in this exchange, but if Portland decided to play him, he'd help keep the offensive end spaced for the up-and-comers to attack.
Statistics courtesy of Basketball Reference and NBA.com. Salary information via Spotrac.
Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @ZachBuckleyNBA.
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