Warriors Blockbuster? OG Finally Dealt? 5 NBA Trades That Should Happen ASAP
The NBA's trade season never really seems to end these days, but it usually warms up in mid-December.
That should be true of 2023-24, as dozens of players who signed contracts this past summer become trade-eligible on December 15.
That doesn't necessarily mean the players who can or should be moved between that date and the trade deadline will be on that list, though.
Sometimes, just passing that mark on the calendar can loosen things up for the rest of the trade market, and there are a number of teams and players who shouldn't wait much longer for shakeups.
Making deals now gives teams and players more time to come together for possible playoff runs. Below, check out the teams that should strike quickly on a deal.
Warriors Get Size and Defense
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The Deal: Nikola Vučević and Alex Caruso for Chris Paul, a 2026 first-round pick and a 2028 first-round pick
This feels like the biggest swing of the slideshow so far.
Poor shooting aside, Chris Paul has actually been solid for the Golden State Warriors. As intended, he's stabilizing minutes without Stephen Curry on the floor, and he's elevating the superstar when they're playing together, too.
But the Warriors are dreadfully small, including in a starting lineup that has been awful this season.
There's still time to turn things around with what's in place, but being below .500 more than a quarter of the way into the season invites the possibility of change.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls look primed to be hosting a fire sale this trade season.
Chicago is reportedly "shutting down" calls from teams interested in Alex Caruso, but it might have to rethink that stance if someone offered multiple first-rounders, as Golden State is here.
The opportunity to unload Nikola Vučević's contract (he's on the books for $41.5 million over the two seasons after this one) would have to be enticing, too.
For the Warriors, a team in desperate need of size and rebounding, Vučević makes more sense than he does for the Bulls. His passing ability could also be reminiscent of what Andrew Bogut once provided near the height of the dynasty.
His presence on the roster would create some new defensive challenges, but getting Caruso would offset that. He's one of the best guard defenders in the NBA, and his willingness to pass and move without the ball would make him a natural fit on the other end.
For Chicago, this is obviously mostly about the picks. It needs a reboot about as badly as any team in the league, and picks are critical at the opening stages of a reboot.
CP3's contract would also add some flexibility. His $30 million salary for 2024-25 is completely non-guaranteed, making him essentially an expiring contract.
Atlanta Finally Lands Siakam
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The Deal: Pascal Siakam for Clint Capela, De'Andre Hunter, AJ Griffin and a 2029 first-round pick
It feels like the Atlanta Hawks and Pascal Siakam have been circling each other for months, and it feels like both teams might now be desperate enough to do the deal.
"Teams such as the Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers are expected suitors for Siakam or [OG] Anunoby but believe Siakam appears to be the likelier player to be dealt," Shams Charania wrote for The Athletic. "The Hawks held intense conversations with the [Toronto] Raptors surrounding a Siakam deal over the offseason."
The Hawks and Raptors continue to slide further down the standings and below .500, and each has players who could help the other.
Siakam's utility for Atlanta would go beyond adding another reliable 20-point-per game scorer. He can also create a little, which could shift some of the balance away from a ball-dominant backcourt that includes Trae Young and Dejounte Murray.
This move also forces Quin Snyder to start Onyeka Okongwu and would give the team one of the league's more versatile and switchable 4-5 combos with him and Siakam.
Toronto would likely insist on Bogdan Bogdanović being included in the deal. It needs as much shooting as possible to surround Scottie Barnes, but having him in Clint Capela's place simply makes this too rich for the Hawks. Bogdanović is a significantly better shooter than Capela and has arguably been just as good overall this season.
Getting a veteran, multipositional three-and-D wing in De'Andre Hunter, an intriguing young shooter in AJ Griffin and Capela—who could later be re-routed for talent or a pick to help with a rebuild—makes sense on the player front.
Getting a first for Siakam is decent value on the picks front. Siakam is a solid defender and playmaker, but he turns 30 in April and hasn't had an above-average true shooting percentage since 2018-19.
Indiana Adds Some Defense
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The Deal: OG Anunoby for Buddy Hield, a 2028 first-round pick and a 2030 first-round pick
It would be a lot easier for Toronto to justify keeping Anunoby. He's only four years older than Scottie Barnes, and a 38.5 three-point percentage since the start of 2019-20 suggests he can space the floor around Barnes' playmaking.
Those two also make for one of the league's stoutest defensive combos on the perimeter.
But Anunoby has a $19.9 million player option for 2024-25 that feels likely to be declined. If he opts out, it will cost a lot more than that to keep him.
Passing on his free agency and getting multiple picks and a few months of volume shooting from Buddy Hield would be pretty easy to sell as a win to Raptors fans.
Even if the fit between Barnes and Hield—who's averaged 3.5 threes and hit 40.0 percent of his threes since the start of 2018-19—is seamless, the Indiana Pacers sharpshooter is likely to cost less in free agency this summer.
For the Pacers, their all-time offense is a blast to watch, but they're also surrendering points at an historic rate. They have the sixth highest average of all time for points allowed per game.
Anunoby wouldn't be able to turn that around by himself, but he's one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. He's big enough to defend 4s, and he'd be a reliable catch-and-shoot option for Tyrese Haliburton (even if not quite as reliable as Hield).
Thunder Finally Make a Win-Now Move
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The Deal: Bojan Bogdanović for Dāvis Bertāns, Ousmane Dieng and a 2029 first-round pick
The Bulls aren't the only team that needs to shed its veterans in some win-later moves.
The dreadful Detroit Pistons have lost 20 in a row, and there simply isn't a reason to keep Bojan Bogdanović around any longer. If he can fetch any value, Detroit needs to go for it.
He's not going to help the Pistons compete for anything more than slightly fewer ping-pong balls in the 2024 lottery, which is the opposite of what they should be after right now.
One team that can justify giving up real assets for a 34-year-old with some injury concerns is the Oklahoma City Thunder. Their trove of future draft assets is absurdly deep.
One pick, Dāvis Bertāns' contract as salary-filler and Ousmane Dieng (a fun flier for Detroit) is a decent amount to give up, but flanking Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams with Bogdanović's shooting (he's hit 2.4 threes per game with a 40.3 three-point percentage since the start of 2017-18) would make them even more dangerous.
He could be a Sixth Man of the Year candidate as a shooter off the bench for that squad.
Dallas Adds Size and Playmaking
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The Deal: Kelly Olynyk for Richaun Holmes and Olivier-Maxence Prosper
The Dallas Mavericks have tried a number of bigs over the years, but they always seem to drift back to Dwight Powell. He's fine, but he's not exactly the key to contention, either.
They also have a good-earlier-than-expected Dereck Lively II to probably hold down the position in the long term.
But the Utah Jazz, like Detroit and Chicago, aren't likely to sniff the playoffs this season. They also have a difference-making veteran who makes a lot more sense for Dallas than he does for a team that should realistically be in the market for losses.
Kelly Olynyk has never been known as a dominant rebounder, but he'd still be a help for a team in the bottom 10 of both offensive and defensive rebounding percentage. He's also an underrated playmaker who's averaged 5.0 assists per 75 possessions since the start of 2021-22.
What may make him most interesting for Dallas, though, is his outside shooting ability.
Lively is an excellent receiver for Luka Dončić, Kyrie Irving and Dante Exum as a roll man, but a reliable pick-and-pop option would be a nice change of pace. Olynyk would command attention beyond the three-point line, widening driving lanes for the aforementioned guards.
