5 Realistic Trade Ideas After 1st Week of 2018 NBA Free Agency
Apart from LeBron James' filling out a change-of-address card, and maybe DeMarcus Cousins going to the Golden State Warriors, there hasn't been a whole lot of excitement this offseason.
A confluence of events is responsible. The relative lack of spending money teams have as a result of the cap hike in 2016 is buttressed against the cap hike of next summer.
Space-strapped teams are hoping to have some available next summer. Teams that have no space now want to ensure they have it next year.
Players are also eyeballing next summer, when they should have a much better chance of getting good deals. As a result, players who would typically sign longer-term deals in exchange for less money are inking one-year contracts.
That stagnancy has bled into the trade market. Teams don't want to make room for players who don't want to be around for the long haul, and teams with space don't want bad contracts that are going to lock them out of next year's free-for-all.
So, let's have a little fun and speculate on trades, even if they're not rumored to be in the cards. Here are five (realistic) trade ideas.
Jabari Parker to Sacramento Kings
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Jabari Parker is one of a handful of restricted free agents who remains unsigned. The 2014 No. 2 overall pick is available, in part, because he's torn two ACLs, but that's not the only reason.
It can be almost pointless to offer RFAs contracts since their teams can match them (see the Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls and Zach LaVine). What's worse is once that happens, the player's team can't trade him to the offering team for a year.
In other words, trying to sign a restricted free agent can almost prevent a team from landing said player. So why not try to work a sign-and-trade? Especially considering Parker may be had at a bargain price.
The Kings could send the Milwaukee Bucks Iman Shumpert and top-three protected swap rights in 2021 for Parker, with Parker getting a deal starting at $12 million.
The Bucks would get a three-and-D wing who fits better than Parker and the salary relief to retain Khris Middleton next offseason along with a better pick in 2021.
Kevin Love to Houston Rockets
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The Cleveland Cavaliers say they won't deal Kevin Love, but there are reasons to believe those denials aren't genuine.
According to The Athletic's Jason Lloyd: "The first roster decision will be determining Kevin Love's future. He has one year left of team control, and despite the Cavs' insistence they aren't interested in trading him, multiple sources around the league have told The Athletic the Cavs are indeed shopping him."
Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets have been unusually quiet this offseason.
Is there a way for them to get Love? It should be impossible, but with Daryl Morey, all things are possible. The Rockets don't have much in terms of trade assets, but they could offer their 2021 first-round draft pick along with Chinanu Onuaku and the rights to a handful of stashed players, including Sergio Llull.
They could use Ryan Anderson's contract as the ballast to get things done.
This package likely isn't good enough for Cleveland unless Love demands a trade. In that scenario, the Cavs would have less leverage and have to entertain less impressive offers.
For Cleveland, getting worse would probably be a good thing, so having Anderson instead of Love wouldn't be as unpalatable as it seems.
Damian Lillard to Los Angeles Lakers
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It's pretty unthinkable that the Trail Blazers would trade Damian Lillard anywhere, but that hasn't stopped people from speculating about it.
Nor has Lillard discouraged that speculation. When a fan asked him on Twitter whether he would be happy in Los Angeles, Lillard implied in his reply that he would be a happy anywhere.
It would take a lot to get that deal done. Indeed, the Lakers would have to be willing to part with at least two players from their young core. Lonzo Ball would make sense since he's a point guard. Perhaps Brandon Ingram as well.
The idea would probably have to be run past LeBron James, the new president of basketb—erp...superstar free-agent acquisition, as Klutch Sports Group announced.
But if something did happen here, the tandem of Lillard and LeBron would be able to do some serious damage—arguably more than James and Kyrie Irving did.
Jimmy Butler to Boston Celtics
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Jimmy Butler is (allegedly) unhappy in Minnesota, per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. He also wants to play with Irving (also allegedly). With such rumors, you have to consider the source, but if ESPN.com's Zach Lowe is confirming it, you have to give it some credence.
Lowe reports:
"The Boston Celtics haven't included Jaylen Brown, sources say. As I wrote here, it might make more sense to offer Kyrie Irving or Gordon Hayward before Brown, but I don't see either happening. Boston is confident it can re-sign Irving despite chatter -- credible chatter -- that Irving and Jimmy Butler would like to play together, per league sources. They've earned such confidence."
So this presents an intriguing situation in which both teams are trying to avoid losing a player for nothing.
Why not put the two superstars together by working out a trade in which both teams can get something out of it? Marcus Smart is still a free agent. Jaylen Brown is a budding star.
Why not sign and trade Smart—and include Brown in the deal—for Butler?
The Timberwolves do it because it doesn't leave them empty.
The Celtics do it because it makes them a perennial Finals favorite the next three years.
Kawhi Leonard to Philadelphia 76ers
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Let's all pause for a moment to remember how good Kawhi Leonard can be. When he's at his best, he's one of the top five players in the league. Just think how good he would be on the Philadelphia 76ers.
Not only that, but he's also the perfect fit at the 3 between Ben Simmons at the 1 and Joel Embiid at the 5.
According to NBA.com, when he was healthy in 2016-17, Leonard shot 43.0 percent on catch-and-shoot attempts from beyond the arc, making him a potentially exemplary outlet for Simmons on drive-and-kicks.
Beyond that, though, his lengthy frame and massive hands would make the Sixers defense one of the best, if not the best, in the league. Having a 6'10" point guard and small forward with a 7'3" wingspan, both with the ability to switch to anyone on defense, is a massive enough advantage.
Then add Joel Embiid's rim protection. He held opponents 12.1 percentage points below their normal field-goal percentage within six feet of the bucket.
There are questions, though. Can Leonard return to his 2016-17 form? Will the Spurs trade him for less than a king's ransom? Would Leonard commit to re-signing with the 76ers?
Trying to find the perfect trade can be dicey because of all those questions. The Sixers have their own player with question marks in Markelle Fultz, who could have a brilliant career in spite of an ominous beginning.
Fultz has been working with noted trainer Drew Hanlen, who told the Talking Schmidt Podcast:
"We've been working hard every day, working on rewiring his body and getting kind of a smooth stroke back in his shot. We're way ahead of pace where I thought we were gonna be. I thought it was gonna take me at least six weeks before we had kind of a serviceable jump shot. We already started to shoot with a jump in Week 2."
A fair trade would be Leonard for Wilson Chandler, Fultz and the 2021 Miami Heat first-round pick the Sixers have the rights to. Whether either team would agree it's fair, though, is the sticking point that might prevent this from getting done.
