College Basketball Stars We Wish Were on the Same Team in 2015-16

Pro sports have trading deadlines. Wouldn't it be great if college basketball had one, too?

What if by, let's say, August 15—before school starts virtually everywhere—we could pair up interesting talents?

It sure would make the seemingly never-ending transfer game that much more fun.

It's not necessarily about trying to get twin towers or dueling three-point threats. But there are interesting skills, sizes and styles all around that would make for a fun NBA jam session: inside forces or terrifically accurate shooters, among other scintillating yin-and-yang combos.

This is summertime daydreamer's work. We've compiled 10 one-two punches we wish we could see together for the 2015-16 season.

Kahlil Felder and DeAndre' Bembry

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Let's hand it to the guys who never tug on their jerseys, who never seem to ask out of the game.

Kahlil Felder (Oakland) and DeAndre' Bembry (Saint Joseph's) would make for an interesting combo. Felder is a point guard who dominates the ball but also has a sparkling assist rate. Bembry is a multifaceted type who can dish or drive.

Last year, as a sophomore, Felder was the only player in the country to post at least 17.0 points and 7.0 assists per game. He was a finalist for the Lou Henson Award (for the mid-major player of the year) and posted 7.6 assists for a team that didn't even have a winning record (16-17). He did have 37 points and 11 assists in the first round of the CIT against Eastern Illinois (though Oakland somehow still lost, 97-91).

So imagine if we could pair him with Bembry, who also plays big, sturdy minutes.

In 2014-15, the 6'6'' sophomore was the Atlantic 10’s leading scorer in both overall scoring average (17.7 points per game) and in conference games (19), becoming the first SJU player to win the league's scoring title. He played 95 percent of the minutes available to him, according to KenPom, only 0.7 behind first-place Felder.

Those two could probably push each other to even greater heights and have plenty of time to get acclimated—while never wearing down.

SJU also had a losing record (13-18) last year, and both bottomless pits of energy deserve better return on their investments.

Kyle Wiltjer and Cornell Johnston

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

You know who Gonzaga's Kyle Wiltjer is, and so you should.

He could again be one of the nation's top players. He's a versatile dude who, at 6'10'', is wildly accurate at three-pointers. He made nearly 47 percent of them last year.

So what if we paired him with another accurate gunner of a different body type?

That's where we bring in Eastern Illinois' Cornell Johnston, who set the Ohio Valley Conference on fire by making a gaudy 51.9 percent of his tries.

And that's while checking in at 5'7", 160 pounds.

Johnston was the Ohio Valley Conference's top new freshman. He shot 42 percent from the field and was money (86 percent) from the foul line.

But what a dynamic that would be: the tall and the short of it bombing away on teams.

Johnston can even hold his own on the glass, registering nearly two rebounds. Wiltjer (who, to be fair, is under a different role and expectations than many big men) had just above six.

Amida Brimah and Gary Payton II

Jessica Hill/Associated Press

What fun would this game be if we didn't produce a truly dominant pair?

Our impenetrable-fortress combo is UConn's Amida Brimah and Oregon State product Gary Payton II—a swatter with a swiper.

Brimah is a relatively raw offensive talent who will make his NBA money someday on defense. The 7-footer would've averaged 5.3 blocks and 0.3 steals per game last year if he played all 40 minutes. He draws fouls at a 3.8-per-40 rate.

So imagine if he had Payton in front of him, either getting a theft (3.4 steals per 40 minutes last year) or funneling a ball-handler at precise angles that benefit the help defender?

Oh, by the way: The 6'3'' Payton still had 37 blocked shots last winter.

Ruining around 10 possessions per game for an opponent would be some serious damage. And they are both mature guys who would thrive on each others' personalities.

Payton, for starters, doesn't have nearly the braggadocio his father carried. He's also inclined to do the dirty work, especially on the defensive glass. As a senior, that will be critical in getting Oregon State to the NCAA tournament for the first time since his dad did it in 1990.

Brimah, for all his youth, was a co-captain last year as a sophomore. He's looking to improve his on-court game after averaging 6.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and nearly three blocks in his 75-game career. He's a 67 percent shooter from inside the arc (sixth nationally) with plenty of fanciful room to grow.

The beauty of their merger would be their difference in lifestyles, too. Payton obviously grew up around the NBA game. Brimah, from Ghana, has only been playing ball for about five years.

Egidijus Mockevicius and Devin Williams

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

This one's for the productive but extremely undervalued.

Evansville's Egidijus Mockevicius recorded 20 (yes, 20!) double-doubles last winter and basically didn't get a whole lot of attention—except first-team All-Conference in a Missouri Valley Conference dominated all season by Wichita State.

Devin Williams was a big part of how a shooting-challenged West Virginia could still manage to reach the Sweet 16. But he was only an honorable-mention selection in the ultra-talented Big 12.

Put these two together, and there wouldn't be a whole lot of offensive rebounds strung together by opponents.

Mockevicius had the No. 1 defensive rebound rate in the country. The 6'10'' senior even stepped up his game in the CIT (you may not have heard...) by averaging 14.8 points and 10.4 rebounds. He's led the MVC in rebounding two straight years, and his double-double capacity last year was fourth-best all-time in NCAA history.

He averaged about two more minutes compared to the 2013-14 season, but (follow along) doubled his double-double output.

Williams had the fourth-best defensive-rebounding rate in the country and was also great at drawing fouls (7.2 per 40) to set up free points, all of which the Mountaineers—a brutal scoring team—needed every little bit thanks to a talented guard lineup that was nonetheless more about steals than points.

The 6'9'' junior averaged 11.6 points and 8.1 rebounds, producing nine double-doubles. He did it against Maryland, too, getting WVU to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament.

Evan Bradds and Domantas Sabonis

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

In the last few years, it seems college basketball fans have forgotten—and we've been made to forget—that there are beautiful pure scorers out there.

There are also guys who, as the scouting report goes, "play the right way."

Consider Evan Bradds of Belmont and Gonzaga's Domantas Sabonis as two who have had their skills and basketball IQ instilled and inherited.

Bradds will be the most effective returning shooter in the country (Wyoming's Derek Cooke graduated). Mike Organ of the Tennessean noted at the end of last season, as Belmont made an NCAA tournament push, that grandfather Gary is a former national Player of the Year—and Bradds' dad wasn't so bad either.

It was Bradds' dream to experience the NCAA tournament as his family did. Belmont had its shot last year, and the Bruins return most of their rotation.

On the flip side, Sabonis is living his father's dream.

Sabonis was a top-10-effective shooter inside the arc and made the most of his relatively limited playing time in a powerful Zags rotation.

Neither was a top-shelf option for their respective teams this year. But both are still young (Bradds will be a junior; Sabonis a sophomore) and do the little things right across the board to put themselves in position to take advantage of playing time.

Kyle Collinsworth and Jakob Poeltl

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You may have noticed the picture at the top of the slideshow. Here's one that's pretty similar.

A versatile scoring threat who does things effectively at both ends of the floor against...a versatile scoring threat who does things effectively at both ends of the floor.

In the same state, about 45 miles apart.

Yet what an amazing match they would make, if Utahns could be granted two awesome talents in a rivalry that encompasses most of the state (even as the schools are no longer in the same conference).

Collinsworth is college basketball's triple-double king. He had six last year. "Big Russia"—he's called that for his 6'6'' height and for serving his two-year Mormon mission in a fairly remote area of that country—needs one more to set the career NCAA record.

He can take care of the 10 points pretty easily (especially as he became a better foul-shooter last year). Same goes for rebounds, as he's tenacious at both ends of the floor on caroms. He averaged nearly 14 points and nine rebounds.

But assists require, well, assistance. And BYU doesn't really have any go-to scorers this year. Though local legend Nick Emery will certainly help, an easy setup to someone like Poeltl sure would, too.

The 7-footer went from Austrian unknown to potential first-round NBA pick but decided to come back for a second season.

Poeltl was ferocious on the offensive glass and should be a better offensive player this year. He'll have to be since, Delon Wright is off to the NBA.

Surely, Poeltl's game could mix with Collinsworth's, as the BYU star's is very similar to Wright's. Both are point guards of above-average height who can make things happen for themselves or teammates.

This would be a brilliant mix, even if many BYU or Utah fans would rather cancel Pioneer Day or eliminate fry sauce than let them join forces.

Melo Trimble and Kris Yanku

Nati Harnik/Associated Press

This one might be a little too cruel.

For fans. For referees. For DVR systems. For just about anyone, or anything, that would like a decently paced game.

Kris Yanku (Northern Arizona) and Melo Trimble (Maryland) will be among the top returning players in fouls drawn per 40 minutes, according to KenPom.

Yes, this is twisted. But there's something to be said for getting to the foul line.

The top-20 list of those who had the most attempts is loaded with reasonably big names. Trimble came in at seventh and should be among the country's top players this year. Yanku won't reach that popularity, but it's hard to argue with 289 attempts and 230 freebie points.

The only disappointment—that is, if you're into this sick game—is that Jerome Hill opted not to return for his senior year at Gardner-Webb. Yanku was second nationally in foul attempts.

Hill shot 55 more attempts.

Holy add-a-half-hour-to-record-the-game, Batman!

Fred VanVleet and Grayson Allen

Nati Harnik/Associated Press

Alright, we know—the truth is that neither of these guys really needs the other.

Fred VanVleet has been to a Final Four with Wichita State. Grayson Allen won a national title as a freshman with Duke.

But, oh my, what if we could team up the stud point guard and the lightning-quick shooting guard?

Allen was a hot-shot recruit but otherwise came out of nowhere. Remember, he didn't even play in the regular-season meeting at Wisconsin. But in the national championship game he dissected the Badgers in a rally for the ages, especially considering he was a relative newcomer operating on a very experienced unit.

Rasheed Sulaimon's dismissal set up an opportunity. Allen took advantage.

That's also the name of VanVleet's game: seeking edges and sharpening them to his own advantage.

Oddly, he had the opposite type of season.

VanVleet was widely considered a first-team preseason All-American for 2014-15 but then wasn't around come end-of-season honors. Here's a guy who doesn't really seek out his own shot but still made 43 percent of his treys in conference play.

And he opted to come back for another season, as did Allen—who seemed to have NBA options after his master-blaster finish.

What fun it would be to link them up for their collegiate curtain calls?

Martin Breunig and Jameel Warney

Stephen Brashear/Associated Press

We just hit on a couple of huge names in the college game.

Here are two guys who should become more well-known this season and make the NCAA tournament. At least they deserve to.

Montana's Martin Breunig and Stony Brook's Jameel Warney would be a tough one-two punch inside.

Both have had to bide their time amid very solid 2014-2015 seasons that turned out disappointing.

The German Breunig originally attended Washington (after signing with Maryland, but getting his release when Gary Williams resigned). He arrived the year after the Huskies last made the NCAA tournament, 2011, then sought more playing time and got to Montana for his final two seasons, the year after the Grizzlies last made the NCAA tournament (2013).

He started making up for lost time and could be considered a KenPom All-Star, as the 6'8'' junior made a difference across the board.

Montana won the Big Sky's regular-season title but lost to Eastern Washington by four points in the tournament title game.

Warney, unfortunately, knows that feeling all too well. Stony Brook was a No. 3 seed but blew a late lead at Albany. Arguably his league's most statistically significant player, the 6'8'' junior had 20 points and 14 rebounds while trying to reach the NCAA field. Breunig had 23 and 17, respectively, in his title game.

Last year Warney averaged 16.4 points and 11.7 rebounds per game—one of 17 players in Division I to average a double-double. Two dozen of 'em in a 35-game season is formidable.

These guys obviously deserve better when it comes to postseason attention. That makes them, somewhat sadly, a perfect pair.

Buddy Hield and Ben Simmons

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

Let's face it: The college game is built in large part on freshmen. None seem better than LSU's Ben Simmons.

What if we put some incredible experience around him? Oklahoma's Buddy Hield, arguably the country's best senior this season, would be a great fit.

Both are charismatic and raised the profiles of football-first schools.

Simmons has the reputation for being quick with good footwork, a flashy scorer in the open court. He'll be working on his muscle and back-to-the-basket game in Baton Rouge.

Hield loves transition, too, and can either shoot or drive. He doesn't do anything particularly spectacularly but is a leader who likes to talk and never stops attacking. Though without the same amount of NBA-level talent, he surely could teach Simmons a thing or two on how to get the most out of his likely briefer college experience.

And who would dare want to mess with a combo of Buddy and Ben?

Stats courtesy of KenPom.com.