Surprise Landing Spots for NBA's Most Rumored Trade Targets
Every year, the NBA's biggest-name trade candidates seem to be attached to many of the same teams.
Marquee franchises like the Los Angeles Lakers can get attached to a trade rumor for seemingly no better reason than simply existing.
But every once in a while, a star will surprisingly wind up on a small-market team or one that wasn't a rumored destination.
While something like the 2017 trade of Paul George from the Indiana Pacers to the Oklahoma City Thunder may not be likely, we still have some possible surprise destinations for some of this rumor cycle's biggest names.
Damian Lillard
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Utah Jazz
If the Portland Trail Blazers do end up moving Damian Lillard, it'll almost certainly be for a rebuild-ready package rich with draft consideration.
And while at least one of the teams he's been connected to (the Brooklyn Nets) can offer such a deal, small-market clubs like the Utah Jazz or Thunder could pony up some over-the-top hauls.
Thanks to the trades that unloaded Donovan MItchell and Rudy Gobert in 2022, Utah has several picks in addition to their own over the next several years. Four or five with salary filler might make Portland think (again, if Dame actually asks out).
And while it's hard to imagine plenty of superstars wanting to stick around Utah, Lillard has already spent over a decade in a smaller market. He played his college basketball at Utah's Weber State University, and he's an expressed an openness to playing for the Jazz.
Perhaps most importantly, If Lillard wound up on a Utah roster with Lauri Markkanen (an All-Starter in 2023) and Walker Kessler (one of the game's best up-and-coming rim protectors), the Jazz could push for homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs as early as 2024.
Deandre Ayton
2 of 4
Toronto Raptors
The Phoenix Suns have already shared a desire to see what Deandre Ayton looks like alongside the trio of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.
That news came by way of Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes.
But that feels an awful lot like "we gauged Ayton's value around the league and didn't like what we were told," rather than "we're stoked to pay $162.9 million to four players in a season in which the salary cap is $136 million and the luxury tax line is at $165 million."
Filling out the rest of the roster from that starting point would be nightmarish, and the Suns almost have to take any decent offer that turns Ayton into a little more depth between now and the trade deadline.
One team that can offer a more cost-efficient big (like Chris Boucher) and perhaps another wing is the Toronto Raptors.
And while they were big on positionless basketball under Nick Nurse, he's now gone, and the midseason addition of older-school big Jakob Poeltl dramatically improved the Raptors in 2022-23.
A long-term trio of Scottie Barnes, O.G. Anunoby and Ayton could lead an intriguing soft restart for Toronto.
Tobias Harris
3 of 4
Charlotte Hornets
Under the incoming and more restrictive collective bargaining, expiring contracts could hold more value over the next couple years.
Paying a big sum now for someone whose production may not live up to the money could make sense, if it means you don't have to keep him on the books after that single season.
That's probably why several teams (including the Suns, Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons) have already been linked to Tobias Harris.
His $39.3 million salary and expiring deal could come in handy for a lot of the above, and they're not alone.
The Charlotte Hornets are another organization that could benefit from taking on that money for just 12 months as they embark on a potential retooling around LaMelo Ball and incoming rookie Brandon Miller.
And Charlotte's Terry Rozier might make some sense as a second or third guard for the Philadelphia 76ers in the event James Harden leaves in free agency.
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Paul George
4 of 4
Atlanta Hawks
Buzz about Paul George potentially being moved picked up a little steam recently, following an FnA Podcast appearance by veteran NBA reporter Howard Beck, in which he said the eight-time All-Star is "certainly available."
"They're not trying to give him away, but they are trying to pivot, and they do have, I think, a franchise-wide frustration with the way that this era has gone," Beck added.
Lack of availability is a concern with George, and there's a good chance that impacts his trade value, but he could still be a difference-maker for a number of teams.
Over the last five seasons, he's tied for 16th in the NBA in box plus/minus ("BPM is a basketball box score-based metric that estimates a basketball player's contribution to the team when that player is on the court," according to Basketball Reference's Daniel Myers).
And in the same stretch, his teams are plus-7.3 points per 100 possessions when he's on the floor, compared to minus-2.3 when he's off.
His outside shooting (he's 12th all time in career threes per game), underrated playmaking (5.3 assists overt he last three years) and perimeter defense could go a long way for the Atlanta Hawks, whose Trae Young-Dejounte Murray experiment may not have gone quite as smoothly as desired.
A deal centered on PG for Murray and De'Andre Hunter would give the Hawks a second star who might fit better with Young, while giving the Clippers a wing to replace a little bit of PG's production and a better setup man for Kawhi Leonard.
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