Realistic NBA Trades We Could See This Season
NBA franchises and front offices always face the tricky task of determining how early is too early in a new season to properly gauge their teams. They don't want to rush to judgement, but they also don't want to wait too long to address any issues that may arise.
Fortunately, trade-machine enthusiasts aren't forced to make that tightrope walk. We can—and do—discuss potential swaps all the time, including right here, right now.
We may not know for sure what's real and what's not from this small sample-size theater, but we have enough hunches of who might be buying or selling to throw together five realistic trade packages we could see coming to fruition over the course of this season.
Sixers Expand Rotation, Pistons Add Picks
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Philadelphia 76ers receive: Alec Burks
Detroit Pistons receive: Nicolas Batum, Jaden Springer, 2024 second-round pick (via NYK), 2028 second-round pick and 2029 second-round pick (via LAC)
It's possible Philadelphia pools its top trade chips together and goes big-game hunting—Zach LaVine and OG Anunoby are on the radar, per SI's Chris Mannix—but this may not be the time to make a major move. LaVine isn't a great fit, since he needs a lot of touches and wouldn't add anything defensively, and Anunoby might be out of the price range.
The Sixers could instead maintain their depth now and go star-chasing next summer, when they could have between $50 million and $65 million in cap space, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
If Philly thinks it's fine without another star (for now, at least), then adding a cost-effective role player would help. Getting someone like Burks, a 32-year-old on an expiring contract, wouldn't break the bank but would beef up the club's ball-handling, shooting and perimeter defense.
He is out of place as a veteran on the rebuilding Pistons, but his skill set could really boost a contender like the Sixers. Even if he primarily functioned as a three-and-D swingman, he could ace that role. He compiled a 41 percent three-point splash rate over the past three campaigns, and his defensive box plus/minus was in the green for two of those seasons.
Detroit, which should be solely focused on improving its long-term outlook around 22-year-old centerpiece Cade Cunningham, should absolutely be open to a deal like this.
No, it doesn't deliver a first-round pick, but it would net the team three second-round picks, including two way down the road from teams following the lead of 30-something stars. Springer has barely hit the hardwood, but maybe an opportunity is all the 2021 No. 28 pick needs to find his footing. Batum, included for money-matching purposes, is on an expiring contract, so he'd add nothing to the books going forward.
DFS Back to DFW, Brooklyn Gains Assets
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Dallas Mavericks receive: Dorian Finney-Smith
Brooklyn Nets receive: Jaden Hardy, Richaun Holmes and 2026 first-round pick (top-five protected)
Dallas carries the league's last unblemished record into Friday night, which is remarkable for myriad reasons, not the least of which is the fact Kyrie Irving missed two of the team's first four games and wasn't especially efficient in the ones he played. But with Luka Dončić playing at an MVP level, Grant Williams making his case as the offseason's biggest steal and Dereck Lively II filling the void on the interior, the Mavs have had enough to make mincemeat of their early competition.
Still, it's fair—and arguably advisable—to wonder whether this team has enough defense to compete at the highest level. That's been the concern since Dallas first linked Dončić and Irving at last season's trade deadline, and nothing that has happened so far suggests that worry has gone away. The Mavs sit just 19th in defensive efficiency, which history has typically held as being nowhere near stingy enough to contend for the crown.
That's why a reunion with Finney-Smith—one of the primary pieces in that Irving exchange—could be in the works. He is an all-purpose stopper with the kind of low-maintenance, catch-and-shoot-heavy offensive game that would fit perfectly with Dallas' high-scoring guards. He's also perhaps expendable on a wing-heavy Brooklyn team that isn't quite ready to contend.
If the Nets move on from Finney-Smith, the goal would be getting assets to either keep and develop down the line or maybe deal away sooner if this core plays well enough to justify such an acceleration. They'd get two good ones in this swap with a lightly protected first and Hardy, a 21-year-old who's already a career supplier of 21.4 points per 36 minutes on 43.6/40.7/82.7 shooting.
There would be some overlap between Hardy and Cam Thomas—two scoring guards without a lot of size—but Brooklyn's need for self-sufficient scorers is great enough to at least see if they can coexist. The Nets have been just a 28th percentile offense on isolation plays, so they could use more off-the-dribble zip. Holmes would merely make the money work, but he could be useful as an emergency backup big.
Heat, Blazers Actually Get a Point Guard Deal Done
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Miami Heat receive: Malcolm Brogdon
Portland Trail Blazers receive: Duncan Robinson, Nikola Jović and 2027 first-round pick
While the Heat and Blazers couldn't come together on a Damian Lillard summer blockbuster, they should still recognize each has something of value to offer the other.
Brogdon isn't Lillard, but he'd still be a massive backcourt upgrade in South Beach. The Heat need more offense (26th in efficiency—one spot behind where they finished last season) in virtually every way imaginable, and Brogdon can help scratch that itch. He's helpful to have both on and off the ball, and he can operate as anything from a go-to option to a do-it-all role player.
Brogdon may not be a star, but his impact could be similar based on how much more he could give Miami than it's gotten out of Kyle Lowry.
If Portland did this deal, the draws would be Jović and the draft pick. You could debate how much either is worth now—Jović hasn't played a ton, and Miami almost never has an early draft pick—but they could be worth a fortune in the future. Jović is a 6'10", 20-year-old with a wealth of budding face-up skills, and the Heat haven't exactly saved up a ton to guide them through their post-Jimmy Butler chapter.
Robinson would be in the deal to make the money work, but his utility to the Blazers could extend beyond that. His shooting threat alone would help widen attack lanes for up-and-comers like Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons, and the hope would be Robinson posts a high enough perimeter conversion rate to eventually draw interest from a shooting-needy shopper.
Bulls Find Their Floor General, Wizards Lean Further into Youth Movement
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Chicago Bulls receive: Tyus Jones
Washington Wizards receive: Ayo Dosunmu, Dalen Terry, Julian Phillips and 2024 first-round pick (lottery-protected, via POR)
Chicago has tried using a number of point guards with unique skill sets to cover up the ongoing absence of Lonzo Ball. The Bulls have tried a scorer (Coby White), a dogged defender (Jevon Carter), a jack-of-all trades (Dosunmu) and a three-and-D point guard (Patrick Beverley, who's now in Philadelphia).
What they've yet to find, though, is anyone who's close to Ball's level as a passer, which you could argue is the most important skill for a Bulls lead guard to possess, since touches must be carefully and correctly split between Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vučević.
That's why if Chicago is still treading water when Dosunmu becomes trade eligible in mid-December, it might be time for another changing of the guard. Jones cracks the short list of the Association's best decision-makers, as evidenced by the canyon between his career averages in assists (4.0) and turnovers (0.8). He could be the quarterback that rallies this group in ways it hasn't seen since Ball first went down with his knee injury in Jan. 2022.
Some will argue the Bulls should be blowing it up, but that still doesn't seem to be the plan in the Windy City. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reported the club has "no intention" of moving LaVine "anytime soon," and it feels safe to assume that logic applies to all of the team's veterans. The Bulls want to compete with this core, and if last season's struggles didn't convince the front office that's impossible, it's hard to imagine a rocky start will.
As for the Wizards, who are finally prioritizing their future after trading both Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porziņģis this offseason, this trade would follow with their new direction.
Dosunmu's upside isn't enormous, but his floor is high enough to think he could spend a half-decade or more with the franchise. He could also be a snug backcourt fit with Jordan Poole, since Dosunmu doesn't dominate the ball and routinely gives his all defensively. Terry and Phillips are question marks, but if even one develops, that's a win for the Wizards. And finally, while the pick is lottery protected, it maintains that protection through 2028, meaning Washington would almost certainly get a first-round pick at some point.
Grizzlies Get Their Wing, Raptors Plan for Future
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Memphis Grizzlies receive: OG Anunoby and Otto Porter Jr.
Toronto Raptors receive: Ziaire Williams, Brandon Clarke, Jake LaRavia, Kenneth Lofton Jr., 2024 first-round pick, 2026 first-round pick and 2028 first-round pick (top-three protected)
The Grizzlies surely knew this early stretch would be tricky with Ja Morant suspended and Steven Adams on the shelf, but they probably didn't see this coming. They are the last team searching for its first win and have the Association's least efficient offense.
A trade for their missing two-way forward is long overdue, and they're previously identified Anunoby as someone capable of filling that void. They chased him with a pick-heavy package at the last trade deadline and should see if the Raptors might be more receptive to this kind of future-focused return now that Fred VanVleet has moved on.
Anunoby would be a dream in Memphis. He is about as tenacious and versatile of a wing stopper as you'll find, and he has always found ways to sharpen his offensive game. He may not fill the Morant-less Grizzlies' playmaking void, but Anunoby would be a strong support scorer and a reliable floor spacer.
Toronto, which feels like it could tilt toward a Scottie Barnes-centered rebuild at any moment, would be mostly drawn to the picks here, but it could nab a few contributors in the deal, too. Williams has long intrigued with his physical tools and is young enough (22) to still make good on his potential. Clarke is working his way back from an Achilles tear, but when healthy, he is an active, athletic presence around (and above) the rim.
LaRavia and Lofton are merely wild cards at this point, but if the Raptors go the rebuilding route, they'd have the time to see whether either could pan out. Plus, they wouldn't have to keep waiting and hoping (and spending $6.3 million) to see if Porter could ever finally stay healthy.
Statistics courtesy of Basketball Reference and NBA.com and current through games played on Nov. 2.
Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on X, @ZachBuckleyNBA.
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