Blockbuster Trade Ideas 1 Week Before 2020-21 NBA Season
The NBA is back like it never left. In this case, it kind of never did.
The 2019-20 champions were crowned in October, and the 2020-21 trek to the next title officially starts this month.
This really is the most wonderful time of the year. Not only are (preseason) games going down, but we're already basking in the glow of trade season. And given the caliber of names either being mentioned on the rumor mill or with a realistic shot of getting there, it's more like blockbuster season.
We'll get the ball rolling with some potential internet-breakers for the upcoming campaign.
Charlotte Continues Acceleration
1 of 5
Charlotte Hornets receive: Nikola Vucevic and Al-Farouq Aminu
Orlando Magic receive: Terry Rozier, Cody Zeller and 2021 lottery-protected first-round pick
Charlotte's post-Kemba Walker rebuild looked like it could take ages to complete. Then, opportunity knocked twice this offseason: first when LaMelo Ball slipped to No. 3, and then when Gordon Hayward declined a $32.4 million option to bounce to Buzz City.
This swap could be a similarly opportunistic avenue to top talent.
The Magic are headed nowhere fast, which is a shame when Nikola Vucevic quietly ranks among the Association's most skilled centers. For anyone detecting hyperbole here, just know the only players to average 19 points, 10 rebounds and three assists each of the past two seasons were Vucevic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Karl-Anthony Towns. That's it.
Charlotte, which hasn't settled its future at the 5 spot, could add Vucevic and suddenly field an ignitable attack with top-10 potential. Between Ball, Hayward, Vucevic, P.J. Washington and Miles Bridges, Charlotte would field five serviceable-or-better spacers, three prolific passers, one explosive finisher and a dot-connecting glue guy. Swap in Devonte' Graham for one of the forwards, and the shooting and distributing both spike.
That's how the Hornets could position themselves to at least land a spot in the play-in tournament or even crack the top six should a couple of clubs ahead of them stumble. Maybe that's not the most exciting best-case scenario, but it almost surely beats whatever Hornets thought the 2020-21 season would be.
The Magic, meanwhile, would get off of the money owed to Vucevic (three years, $72 million) and Al-Farouq Aminu (two years, $19.9 million), add a first-round pick in a good draft and potentially find a long-term keeper in Terry Rozier, who's just young enough to fit the club's young core. Cody Zeller could capably hold down the 5 spot this season, though he'd ideally be flipped for something as a reliable veteran on an expiring salary.
Miami Adds Former All-Star on Interior
2 of 5
Miami Heat receive: LaMarcus Aldridge
San Antonio Spurs receive: KZ Okpala, Kelly Olynyk, Chris Silva and 2025 top-10-protected first-round pick
Miami might be carefully monitoring its spending in an anticipation of a 2021 whale hunt, but Pat Riley is never one to stand...well, pat. The Heat are just in the business of selective purchasing, like the pacts given out to Avery Bradley and Maurice Harkless, which don't feature any guaranteed money beyond this season.
Miami could make another budget-conscious investment to upgrade the interior without sacrificing a key prospect.
LaMarcus Aldridge would help add the muscle the Heat lacked against the super-sized Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals. Since he added a three-ball to his arsenal (61 triples at a 38.9 percent clip this past season), he also wouldn't spoil the offensive spacing. Even if he opened and closed most games alongside Bam Adebayo, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra could stagger the bigs to ensure Miami always had at least one impact presence underneath.
The Spurs saw the Heat as a possible Aldridge suitor ahead of the 2020 trade deadline, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Miami essentially has the same power rotation now than it did back then, save for whatever role intriguing-but-raw rookie Precious Achiuwa might carve out. Aldridge could fill a need and elevate this club for Jimmy Butler's age-31 season. That's a definite positive, especially at this price point.
As for the Alamo City's finest, a youth movement is taking over sooner than later. Aldridge is one of several veteran Spurs on the final season of his contract, so the franchise should be working the phones to see what it could get in return for them now before watching them leave for nothing next summer.
Adding a pick this far into the future is always an interesting idea, because so much can happen between now and then. The Spurs would also get the chance to try to maximize KZ Okpala's upside, and if they keep Chris Silva around, they'd have a nose-to-the-grindstone big with limitless energy. Kelly Olynyk would primarily be a money-matcher, though Gregg Popovich could probably find run ways to utilize Olynyk's size-skill combo.
Bucks Get Giannis More Scoring Help
3 of 5
Milwaukee Bucks receive: Zach LaVine
Chicago Bulls receive: Donte DiVincenzo, D.J. Wilson, D.J. Augustin, EJ Montgomery and 2022 second-round pick
Milwaukee's motivation for this exchange would be no different than its defunct sign-and-trade for Bogdan Bogdanovic. The Bucks would sacrifice depth to diversify their playoff offense and upgrade their closing lineup in critical contests.
While analytics don't exactly love Zach LaVineāhis teams have fared better without him than with him in five of his six NBA seasonsāhe could address some key deficiencies in Milwaukee's backcourt. He'd instantly be a turbo-boost in the athleticism department, and he could provide some missing off-the-dribble shooting.
He's playing above his weight class as a top option in the Windy City, but he's clearly kept his head above water as one of nine players to average 23 points and four assists both this season and last. He's an explosive scoring threat, and if he could slot in behind Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton on the pecking order, LaVine's shooting rates could spike.
The loss of depth might bring down Milwaukee's regular-season victory tally, but as the Association's wins leader for two years running, the Bucks can afford a step back during the marathon for two steps forward in the 16-game sprint to the title. In the postseason, there wouldn't be many five-man lineups on the same level as Antetokounmpo, Middleton, LaVine, Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez.
Maybe that could deliver a title to the Badger State. Maybe it'd be the reason Antetokounmpo put pen to paper on a supermax. That'd be an enormous victory for the franchise, surely more than enough to offset the trade cost.
Chicago's new front office might not be married to LaVine, and it could use this exchange to flesh out the depth of this roster and see how its younger players handle the increase in offensive responsibilities. At the very least, Donte DiVincenzo should be someone the Bulls want to keep around, but D.J. Wilson and that second-round pick might emerge as keepers, too.
D.J. Augustin, who can't be traded until after Feb. 23, would also allow the Bulls' brass to see how the offense functions with an experienced, reliable player running point.
Dallas Gambles on Griffin
4 of 5
Dallas Mavericks receive: Blake Griffin
Detroit Pistons receive: Tim Hardaway Jr., James Johnson and 2025 top-eight-protected first-round pick
Dallas spent last season resetting the historical standard for offensive efficiency. Incredibly, there are ways in which Rick Carlisle's offense could grow even more lethal, such as finding a full-fledged third option to complement Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis.
Tim Hardaway Jr. admirably handled the role last season, but he still topped out at 15.8 points per game and added nothing as a playmaker (1.9 assists per outing). Not to mention, his track record suggests he probably punched above his weight, at least in the shooting department (58.1 true shooting percentage, well above his career norm of 54.7).
Now, getting a legitimate third wheel without breaking the budget sounds impossible, but a reclamation project is one potential workaround. While some might see Blake Griffin as damaged goods, others will note he's literally a single season removed from averaging 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2.5 threes.
Care to venture a guess as to how many players compiled a 24/7/5/2 line in 2019-20? Two: Doncic and LeBron James.
If Griffin stayed healthy, he'd be magical for the Mavericks. He could be the second offensive trigger after Doncic and handle either end of screen plays with Dallas' two stars. Plus, the Mavs would only be swapping one rotation player for another, meaning all of their depth would stay in placeācritically, stoppers like Dorian Finney-Smith, Maxi Kleber, Josh Richardson and rookie Josh Green would all be around to give the group a shot at two-way balance.
The Pistons, who are waist-deep in a top-to-bottom rebuild, would no longer be on the hook for Griffin's $39 million player option for 2021-22 and would gain a future first to help them eventually get back on track. Hardaway should be easy to flip for assets between now and the deadline, and maybe someone would even take an interest in James Johnson's expiring $16 million salary.
James Harden Joins Zion
5 of 5
New Orleans Pelicans receive: James Harden
Houston Rockets receive: Brandon Ingram, Kira Lewis Jr., Jaxson Hayes, 2021 first-round pick, 2021 second-round pick (via CLE) and 2025 first-round pick (via MIL)
If James Harden has his way, his ticket out of Space City will include a direct flight to a ready-made contender. His list of preferred landing spots includes only the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat, per The Athletic's Shams Charania.
That makes sense from Harden's standpoint as a ring-less 31-year-old. But which of those clubs possesses the kind of long-term assets Houston is undoubtedly seeking? Contenders have win-now supplies, and the Rockets sans Harden might not be playing win-now hoops for years to come.
For Houston, then, it makes sense to scour the alternative trade routes. That's how a team like New Orleans could enter the equation. The Pelicans could not only deliver a young cornerstone in 23-year-old All-Star Brandon Ingram, but they could also send back several scratch-off tickets in the form of future draft picks and recent lottery selections Kira Lewis Jr. and Jaxson Hayes.
Why would New Orleans part with this many assets? Two reasons. For one, it's James bleepin' Harden. The last three scoring crowns are his, as was the 2017-18 MVP and 2016-17 assist title. He's a walking top-10 offense, a ticket to the postseason and a chance to contend.
Secondly, it's never too early for a team like the Pelicans to work on convincing a young standoutāin this case, Zion Williamsonāit's worth sticking around. As The Athletic's David Aldridge noted, an aggressive move for Harden could be the best way to deliver that message:
"The best chance to keep a guy like Zion happy, it says here, is to give him the best chance to compete immediately in the West. That means you have to be good enough to beat the Lakers or Clippers, or Nuggets or Jazz. You didn't even make the playoffs last year. Harden not only gets you to the playoffs, he gives you a real chance against the elite teams in the West."
While Aldridge advised against the Pelicans trading Ingram, it's hard to see a deal going down without him (unless the Rockets are huge Lonzo Ball fans for some reason). Ingram's future is intriguing, but Harden's present is incredible. Put him on the floor with Williamson, Ball, Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe or JJ Redick, and this club could skyrocket up the standings.
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=480 "Sports Betting Arrests Basketball")
