NBA Trades That Should've Happened In July
The full benefit of hindsight won't become available until later in the 2023-24 NBA season.
Already, though, we've seen some instances where teams could have—and arguably should have—handled things differently this summer.
It might be early to make many judgements, but it's not too soon to say we wish we could've seen these four swaps go down during this past offseason.
Magic Find Their Offensive Upgrade
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Orlando Magic receive: Anfernee Simons
Portland Trail Blazers receive: Gary Harris, Jalen Suggs, Chuma Okeke and a 2026 first-round pick (top-five protected)
While the Magic maybe didn't see their 10-5 start coming, they should've at least sensed they could level up this season. Throw away their 5-20 start to last season, and you're left with a winning record (29-28) and a competitive net rating (minus-0.5 points per 100 possessions).
They also likely knew their group needed more offense. Even excluding that turbulent start only bumped them to 26th in offensive efficiency and 24th in true shooting percentage.
That's why Simons should have been firmly on Orlando's radar. Even with Portland pivoting toward a post-Damian Lillard rebuild, it doesn't feel like Simons should've been off-limits. Not when the Blazers need all the touches they can get for Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe. Portland could have concerns with the defensive potential and skill overlap of that group.
If the Magic could've gotten their mitts on Simons, though, their ceiling might have climbed a level or two. He would've instantly become one of their best shooters and one of their top options to pressure the rim. He could've pulled defensive heat away from Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Simons could've created some looks for Orlando's star forwards as a secondary playmaker.
The Blazers would've launched themselves deeper into a youth movement, which is exactly where they should spend the first chapter of their post-Lillard era. Harris would've spent as much time in the Pacific Northwest as it took Portland to find a trade suitor for him. Okeke's utility to the Blazers likely would've stopped with making the money in this deal work.
Portland's motivations, then, would've been simple: Suggs and the pick. Suggs' superior size, strength and defense could've made him a better long-term fit with Henderson and Sharpe. All three could've grown together as the Blazers built their frontcourt of the future around them, perhaps finding a fixture when making that draft choice or trading it away.
Hawks Make a Frontcourt Splash
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Atlanta Hawks receive: Pascal Siakam and Otto Porter Jr.
Toronto Raptors receive: De'Andre Hunter, Clint Capela, Kobe Bufkin, a 2024 first-round pick (lottery protected, via SAC), a 2027 second-round pick (via LAC) and a 2028 second-round pick (via HOU)
The Hawks were historically mediocre last season and fittingly open to an offseason shakeup. They even discussed a Siakam deal with the Raptors only to balk at Toronto's request for Bufkin, per HoopsHype's Michael Scotto.
Atlanta has entrusted Bufkin with all of four minutes over two games since. While the Hawks clearly value his future, they shifted their priorities firmly to the present the second they paid a premium to pair Dejounte Murray with Trae Young. They've needed a third star ever since, so the idea of letting Bufkin block that pursuit is questionable at best.
Give Atlanta a mulligan, and it could travel back to pick up both Siakam and Porter. Siakam would give this roster its third star, and while his arrival may have blocked the ascension of Jalen Johnson, this trade would've cleared the runway for Onyeka Okongwu to take flight. A frontcourt rotation featuring all four of these players would've given Atlanta more offensive firepower and more flexibility on defense.
It would have been a risk, sure, with Siakam unsigned beyond this season and reportedly unwilling to extend with any team but Toronto, per Marc Stein. But would it have been any riskier then spending another year of this backcourt's prime on the treadmill of mediocrity? The Hawks have been as mid as mid can get, splitting their first 14 contests and sitting a perfectly average 15th in net rating.
The Raptors, meanwhile, would have actually picked a direction for their organization and brightened their future at the expense of what's already a pretty underwhelming present.
If Toronto embraced a roster reset around Scottie Barnes, it would have as much time as needed to help Bufkin, this year's No. 15 pick, find his NBA footing. He could play through his mistakes and learn when, where and how to apply his two-way versatility. Toronto could've started forming a young nucleus with those two and No. 13 pick Gradey Dick (and, if it wanted to re-sign him, OG Anunoby) and used the incoming draft assets to supplement it.
Capela wouldn't have stayed with the Raptors long, but a win-now shopper in need of a center could have sent some draft considerations north of the border to get him. Toronto also could've shopped Hunter—6'8" three-and-D wings will always have a market—or held onto the 25-year-old if it envisioned a quick turnaround.
Dubs Add a Difference-Making Wing
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Golden State Warriors receive: OG Anunoby, Chris Boucher and Otto Porter Jr.
Toronto Raptors receive: Chris Paul, Jonathan Kuminga, Trayce Jackson-Davis, a 2026 first-round pick and a 2028 first-round pick
While the Warriors made the conference semis last season, the shortcomings of their roster were hard to hide.
They looked old and slow in the opening round against the Sacramento Kings, a series they probably don't win without De'Aaron Fox fracturing his finger and definitely don't escape without Stephen Curry popping for 50 points in Game 7. Then, they looked undersized and undermanned on offense against the Los Angeles Lakers, who ousted them in six games.
They recognized that change was needed, but they didn't react to that knowledge enough. They still could do this deal now, but they've already put themselves into a 7-9 hole. Maybe things would've played out differently had they found a top-tier two-way wing like Anunoby, plus usable depth pieces up front in Boucher and Porter (both of whom have passed through Golden State before).
If nothing else, an aggressive trade for Anunoby would've communicated to Stephen Curry that they'll do whatever is possible to maximize the remainder of his prime. Anunoby isn't quite a star, but he is an elite defender who has become a rock-solid support piece on the offensive end.
Given the struggles of Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins, it's possible Anunoby could've found even more chances to grow his game in Golden State than he's had in Toronto. If nothing else, playing alongside a gravitational force like Curry would've given Anunoby more room to operate. This system could also have generated cleaner looks than the ones he's found with the Raptors.
At times, the Warriors have appeared in need of even more help than Anunoby could provide, but the defensive potential for an Anunoby-Wiggins-Green frontcourt would've been through the roof. And this offense, which ranks 13th in efficiency despite the slow starts from Thompson and Wiggins, will always have a non-zero chance of cracking the top five as long as Curry is around.
As for the Raptors, their best path forward still seems like a rebuild around Scottie Barnes, and this deal would've netted plenty of tools for the project.
Kuminga could still have an awesome future in front of him. Jackson-Davis already looks the part of a reliable rim-runner. The picks could be absurdly valuable given the collective age of Golden State's roster. And Paul could have at least passed on plenty of playmaking tricks to Barnes, if not have offered a hint of trade value to a point guard-needy contender.
Heat Finally Find Their Scoring Guard
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Miami Heat receive: Zach LaVine
Chicago Bulls receive: Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin, Nikola Jović and 2028 first-round pick (top-three protected)
While the Heat spent their summer chasing Damian Lillard, they maybe should've known early on he wouldn't be landing in South Beach. That seemed obvious once the Portland Trail Blazers "asked the Heat for Jimmy Butler or Bam Adebayo" in a Lillard deal, per The Athletic's Shams Charania and Sam Amick, convincing Miami that Portland "had little to no interest in engaging in a deal with them."
If the Heat had a strong hunch Lillard wasn't coming, why didn't they shift their focus to someone else who could address their longstanding need for perimeter shot-creation? Beyond hopes of a leap year from Tyler Herro, Miami had no other obvious reason to believe its offense would improve.
Getting LaVine would've changed that. Prior to this season, he'd gone four consecutive campaigns posting at least 24 points, four assists and 2.5 threes per outing. Only four other players matched that production. The aforementioned Lillard was one. The others were Luka Dončić, Donovan Mitchell and Kyrie Irving.
By adding LaVine without subtracting Herro, the Heat could've shifted their offensive into overdrive. And while the pair wouldn't have provided much defensive resistance, they still would've been covered by having the likes of Butler, Adebayo and Haywood Highsmith around them.
That version of Miami could've been a two-way force. The actual team the Heat are fielding—the one that doesn't have Lillard or LaVine—has been statistically fine on offense (13th in efficiency), but it feels like the bottom could fall out at any moment given its lack of off-the-dribble verve and limited number of shot-makers.
The Bulls, meanwhile, clearly should've been open to a reset this summer. They ostensibly were gearing up to be more competitive, but they've managed to backtrack instead. They've dropped 11 of their first 16 games and sit 23rd in net rating. They may not even snag a play-in invite at this rate.
Had Chicago signed off on a tear-down sooner, it could've started finding pieces for whatever it plans to build next. With consistent minutes, Jović may have already been on his way to establishing himself as a building block. And given the uncertainty around the Heat's post-Butler plans, the Bulls could've had one of the trade market's more intriguing picks with this lightly protected future first.
Lowry would've offered nothing beyond salary relief, but that's still helpful to have when redesigning a roster. Chicago could've also dangled Martin to anyone in need of an energetic wing who contributes on both ends, an archetype just about any contending club could use.
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