Realistic Trades to Rescue NBA's Top Young Stars
As obsessed as we are with NBA stars, we might be even more tantalized by up-and-comers.
When these budding ballers aren't dominating today's highlight reels and talking-head debates, they're reshaping tomorrow's hoops landscape.
That's why we don't want to leave anything to chance in terms of their development. Having a skyscraper's ceiling only matters if you have a legitimate shot at realizing that potential.
The following five trades are all realistic ways of moving these youngsters closer to their upside.
Whether bringing on-court assistance to their current digs or rerouting them to greener-grass situations, all of these deals would increase the odds of these players becoming the best versions of themselves.
Atlanta Adds an Anchor
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Atlanta Hawks receive: Hassan Whiteside
Miami Heat receive: Kent Bazemore and Alex Len
The Hawks are almost ready to take flight.
Rookie point guard Trae Young took a superstar turn after the All-Star break (24.7 points and 9.2 assists per game). Sophomore big man John Collins could've been the East's biggest All-Star snub. Rookie Kevin Huerter drilled more three-pointers than Klay Thompson did in his first year (136 to 111) and buried them at a 38.5 percent clip. Taurean Prince continued pining for an Elmer's sponsorship with his glue-guy game.
But Atlanta isn't getting back into playoff contention without fixing its defense, especially on the interior. The Hawks finished 28th in defensive efficiency, 24th in defensive rebound percentage and 20th in shooting percentage allowed within five feet.
Whiteside would help. He had the league's fifth-best defensive real plus-minus this season per ESPN.com, and his 12.0 defensive rebounds per 36 minutes paced all qualified players. He swatted the seventh-most shots and surrendered the lowest point-blank shooting percentage among high-volume interior defenders.
Whiteside should be the ideal defensive counterpart for Collins, whose expanding offensive range would keep the paint from getting overcrowded. Whiteside's pick-and-roll finishing (85th percentile) would also collapse defenses, giving Young and Huerter cleaner shooting windows.
And to top it all off, the big fella should essentially be free. Assuming Whiteside picks up his $27.1 million player option—which isn't as certain as you'd think—the cash-strapped Heat would be eager to unload him. They'd get a bit of salary relief from the expiring salaries of Bazemore and Len, whom the Hawks could easily replace with as many as two top-10 picks in the upcoming draft.
Orlando Accelerates with New Point Guard
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Orlando Magic receive: Jrue Holiday
New Orleans Pelicans receive: Mohamed Bamba, Markelle Fultz, Timofey Mozgov, 2019 first-round pick
The Magic are headed toward a crossroads this offseason. They can either rally around their playoff appearance and keep their primary contributors in place, or they can shift the focus forward by letting veterans like Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross walk in free agency.
Since Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman called keeping Vooch "a priority," per Roy Parry of the Orlando Sentinel, they probably want to win sooner than later. The first step in that process is using some of their frontcourt glut to address an obvious problem at point guard.
Orlando needs more shot creation and tighter defense from the position. If the Pelicans make Holiday available, the Magic want in on the bidding, per Sporting News' Sean Deveney. And why wouldn't they? He'll push the pace and break down defenders, all of which should make it easier for Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac to attack. Holiday's willingness to play off the ball also allows the youngsters room to develop.
This trade package should be easy for the Pelicans to sell their potentially anxious fanbase. Between Fultz (No. 1 in 2017) and Bamba (No. 6 in 2018), you have top-10 picks from each of the past two drafts, plus the 16th selection in this year's edition. And Mozgov is entering the final year of his bloated contract, so the Pels may be able to flip his $16.7 million salary for another asset down the line.
If Fultz's body ever cooperates, his combination of size, athleticism and vision could flourish in Alvin Gentry's uptempo offense. The skipper's offensive creativity would also be fun for Bamba's development, as he's a skilled 7-footer with impossibly long arms, hops and intriguing shooting touch.
But the Magic may feel they aren't giving up as much as it seems. If they bring back Vooch, they'd be blocking Bamba for the foreseeable future. Fultz is a wild card with decreasing odds of hitting the jackpot. This year's pick is a non-lottery selection in what looks like a shallow draft, and Mozgov's expiring money doesn't help a non-destination franchise.
... Or Phoenix Accelerates with New Point Guard
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Phoenix Suns receive: Jrue Holiday
New Orleans Pelicans receive: T.J. Warren, Josh Jackson, Elie Okobo, 2020 first-round pick (via Milwaukee)
The Magic aren't the only team eyeing Holiday as their possible accelerator.
"League sources say the Suns are considered a top contender should Holiday be made available, the ideal fit for a team badly in need of a multifaceted veteran at the point," Deveney wrote.
Just think how good Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton would be with a competent point guard. They spent 2018-19 without one and still dazzled in everything other than winning. Booker was one of three players to average 26 points, six assists and four rebounds; LeBron James and James Harden were the others. Ayton joined Blake Griffin and Karl-Anthony Towns as the only rookies in the 2000s to average at least 16 points and 10 boards.
The Booker-Ayton foundation moves Phoenix much closer to competing at a high level than its 19-63 record indicates. Holiday's two-way versatility and veteran leadership would both help the Suns skyrocket toward their towering ceiling.
Holiday's scoring and table-setting can both ease the burden on Booker, but the former isn't so ball dominant that it would keep the latter from spreading his wings. Holiday, who tallied the ninth-most assists off drives, can bend defenses his direction to give Booker breathing room outside or help Ayton slip to the basket. Holiday's on-ball defense would also give Ayton one less perimeter leak to worry about.
The rebuilding Pelicans lean mostly into a forward-focused package, although Warren is established as a near-20-point scorer. Jackson should get a large enough role to show whether he can maximize his physical gifts, while Okobo is a longer-term play as a lanky lead guard. New Orleans must wait a year to collect its draft pick, but that patience should be rewarded with a stronger rookie crop.
Jazz Finally Get Their Floor General
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Utah Jazz receive: Mike Conley
Memphis Grizzlies receive: Derrick Favors, Dante Exum, Tony Bradley, 2019 first-round pick (No. 23 overall)
Donovan Mitchell needs help. That was painfully obvious all season—Utah's second-best scorer, Rudy Gobert, made only 45 field goals outside of three feet—and remained that way through the team's unceremonious first-round exit. Mitchell's 31.6 usage percentage was the second-highest ever for an NBA freshman or sophomore, and it climbed to 32.5 in the playoffs.
"Utah needs more bullets in its chamber and more options for Quin Snyder to play with," The Ringer's Paolo Uggetti wrote. "Mitchell, a second-year player, cannot carry the burden on his own."
But that request shouldn't even be made. Utah nearly had its second scorer at the deadline in Conley, only to balk at Memphis' asking price of Exum, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic (via John Martin of ESPN 92.9 FM). The Jazz never landed their No. 2 option, Exum got hurt (as per usual) and a potentially promising playoff run flamed out in five games.
This is their chance to get it right.
Conley would be such a good fit in Salt Lake that even his concerns aren't particularly concerning. So what if he's 31 years old? His best two seasons in points and player efficiency rating each came within the last three years. And even if he's a bit overpaid ($32.5 million next season, $34.5 million the next), that's cancelled out by Mitchell being on his rookie contract for the duration of Conley's deal.
Maybe the biggest question here is whether Memphis would be interested. It should be.
The 27-year-old Favors could share a frontcourt with Jaren Jackson Jr., or his nonguaranteed $16.9 million salary could be wiped off the books. Exum is injured now (knee), but he's eyeing a return by training camp and could still become the Grizzlies' floor general of the future. Between Bradley (28th pick in 2017) and Utah's selection (23rd), Memphis would get two dart throws to add at least one interesting prospect.
AD to Boston, Tatum to the Spotlight
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Boston Celtics receive: Anthony Davis
New Orleans Pelicans receive: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, 2019 first-round pick (No. 22 overall)
This was by far the season's most-discussed deal, even though it hasn't gone down yet. Most of the attention inevitably goes toward the Celtics' end of the exchange, which makes sense considering they are the better team and are landing the best player.
But we'll focus instead on the Pelicans, since their side of the swap is the one directly impacting two of the Association's top youngsters.
These talks start and stop with Tatum, the player who convinced New Orleans to hold a disgruntled Davis past the deadline in order for Boston to enter the bidding. The 21-year-old has been "discussed extensively" by the two clubs and "is expected to be a major part of the talks when June rolls around," The Athletic's Sam Amick reported.
Tatum has shown flashes of stardom, but he's only consistently played near that level when Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward were out of the picture. Maybe that's why Tatum reportedly wouldn't mind a change of scenery that moves him up the pecking order.
Put him and Brown in New Orleans, and they could be the top two options in Alvin Gentry's perpetually attacking offense. The last time they held such prominent roles, they averaged a combined 36.5 points while guiding the undermanned Celtics to the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals. Arm them with consistently high opportunities, and both could boost their volume and efficiency.
Losing both—plus a pick and the tenacious Smart—would be a high price to pay. But Davis is a top-five talent, and if the Celtics can secure both him and Kyrie Irving long term, this trade could bring the NBA championship back to Boston.
Statistics courtesy of Basketball Reference and NBA.com. Salary information obtained via Basketball Insiders.
Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @ZachBuckleyNBA.
