Offseason Trade Ideas to Land NBA Superstars New Sidekicks
The annals of NBA champions tell the story of mostly multistar squads.
While rostering multiple stars guarantees nothing—as the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets learned this season—failing to do so almost guarantees you'll be watching someone else's championship celebration from afar.
For teams fortunate enough to already have a superstar in the fold, the good news is the heaviest lifting is already done. Still, acquiring the right sidekick can be tricky, so we're here to land a helping hand by offering up a quartet of offseason trade ideas to pair stalled superstars with the right co-star.
Dallas Gives Luka a New Pick-and-Roll Partner
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Dallas Mavericks receive: Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Utah Jazz receive: Spencer Dinwiddie, Reggie Bullock, Dwight Powell, Tim Hardaway Jr., Josh Green, No. 26 pick (can't be traded until after the draft) and 2025 first-round pick
After seemingly plateauing with a third first-round exit in four years, the Jazz loom as the league's likeliest plug-puller this summer. Even if they don't go into total demolition mode, substantial change feels imminent.
It feels almost certain one of Rudy Gobert or Donovan Mitchell goes—if not both—though the former is a likelier candidate since he is older and limited on the offensive end.
If the Jazz put Gobert up for grabs, the Mavericks will have "significant interest," Tim MacMahon said on The Lowe Post Podcast (h/t Kevin Gray Jr.). The interest is well founded.
Luka Doncic is a savant-level creator out of pick-and-rolls, and Gobert, the league's leader in field-goal percentage in three of the past four seasons, is one of the best screen-and-rollers in the business.
At the other end, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year could anchor a defense already trending up under head coach Jason Kidd. That Dallas could do this deal without losing Dorian Finney-Smith or Maxi Kleber would only send the defensive ceiling higher.
Of course, as a concession for keeping some of their key pieces, the Mavs have to take back 34-year-old Mike Conley, who showed his age in the playoffs and is owed at least $37 million over the next two seasons (partial guarantee for 2023-24).
Still, Conley would be a capable option if Dallas needs to replace free-agent Jalen Brunson. As a small incentive, the Mavs would also get a crack at Nickeil Alexander-Walker's development.
The Jazz would not get a marquee asset here, but if they keep Mitchell around, they might prefer a collection of plug-and-play veterans over a more future-focused package. They would still fetch a pair of first-rounders plus Josh Green, 2020's No. 18 pick who started carving a niche as an active defender and off-ball cutter.
Spencer Dinwiddie, Reggie Bullock and Dwight Powell would all have a chance to start in Utah. Tim Hardaway Jr. could team with Jordan Clarkson to give the Jazz one of the league's most ignitable scoring tandems on the second unit.
The Jazz would be down a single star, but they would have more depth and assets to potentially chase a second one.
Utah Incentivizes Donovan Mitchell to Stay
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Utah Jazz receive: Jerami Grant, Isaiah Stewart, Kelly Olynyk and 2025 first-round pick (top-three protected)
Detroit Pistons receive: Rudy Gobert
While the Jazz front office could potentially be pleased with the previous Gobert package, it might not be the easiest to sell to Donovan Mitchell.
Depending on his opinion of Jerami Grant, a 20.9-points-per-game scorer since the start of last season, this could be the one that catches Mitchell's attention.
He would still have all of his running mates other than Gobert—who doesn't seem like his BFF—and would gain in Grant a second scorer to help pull defensive attention away and the big-wing defender this roster badly needs.
While Grant is down to the final year of his contract, he might be amenable to a future with this franchise. He reportedly wants to remain "a primary offensive option," per B/R's Jake Fischer, and the Jazz are one of the few teams who could grant that wish and give him a chance to win—so long as being Mitchell's co-star is primary enough.
Isaiah Stewart and Kelly Olynyk could replace Gobert in tandem, and each brings something different to the table. Stewart gets hyperactive on the interior, and he is growing more comfortable on the perimeter at both ends.
Olynyk is a 6'11" spacer (career 36.5 percent from deep) who can feed open teammates and create scoring chances around the basket (72nd percentile on post-ups).
Tack on a lightly protected future first from a team that just lost 59 games, and there might be enough for Utah's decision-makers to bite.
Now, this probably feels like an aggressive acceleration for the Pistons, but they might think Cade Cunningham's second-half surge (21.1 points, 6.5 assists and 5.7 rebounds after the All-Star break) warrants that level of aggression.
The mindset becomes easier to adopt if the basketball gods grant the franchise more fortune at the lottery and open an avenue to another blue-chipper like Jabari Smith, Paolo Banchero or Chet Holmgren.
If Detroit thinks it is ready to rise, then getting Gobert to anchor its 24th-ranked defense and juice its 28th-ranked attack with solid screens and hard rolls could go a long way toward easing that ascent.
Atlanta Finally Finds 2nd Star to Pair with Trae Young
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Atlanta Hawks receive: Ben Simmons and Cam Thomas
Brooklyn Nets receive: Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic and No. 16 pick
When the Hawks searched for Trae Young's co-star earlier this season, they gave serious consideration to tabbing Ben Simmons for the role. Atlanta was reportedly the "most engaged" Simmons suitor leading up to the deadline, per The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Who says the Hawks can't go back to that well?
The pairing of Young, the league's only player to average 25 points and nine assists this season (and last), and Simmons, arguably the Association's most versatile defender, remains fascinating on paper. Each has a razor-sharp strength that could help cover the other's glaring weakness, and they could make magic together in transition and pick-and-rolls.
Plus, if Simmons' trade value has moved at all since Atlanta first expressed interest, it certainly hasn't gone up. He sat out the entire season and just had back surgery. The Nets could be in even more of a time crunch than the Philadelphia 76ers were, with Kevin Durant's 34th birthday coming before the next campaign does.
If the Hawks get Simmons healthy and back up to speed, they'd have both their second star and the shut-down defender this roster needs. Pairing him with John Collins up front and having Kevin Huerter and De'Andre Hunter on the wings would give this group all kinds of length, athleticism, shooting and finishing around Young.
As a bonus, the Hawks would also fetch Cam Thomas, who might provide the instant offense they've needed behind Young.
As for the Nets, they would essentially decide they don't have time to wait for Simmons (or, to a lesser extent, Thomas) and ditch the three-star model in favor of a deeper, better defensive roster around Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Clint Capela would exponentially upgrade the center spot (and the 20th-ranked defense), and the fact he can't shoot shouldn't worry a front office overseeing a roster with as many long-range weapons as Brooklyn has. Bogdan Bogdanovic could settle in as a third scorer and secondary playmaker.
The draft pick, which would be the Nets' third collected in a Simmons swap, could help grease the gears of another trade if the right win-now move is out there.
Memphis Moves All-In for Ja Morant's New Running Mate
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Memphis Grizzlies receive: Pascal Siakam and Malachi Flynn
Toronto Raptors receive: Steven Adams, De'Anthony Melton, Ziaire Williams, Brandon Clarke, No. 22 pick (via Utah Jazz), 2023 first-round pick (top-three protected) and 2024 first-round pick (top-four protected, via Golden State Warriors)
The Grizzlies might be in the middle of a championship run right now. Why would they consider such a dramatic change? A couple of reasons.
First, Memphis is one of just eight teams in this title race, and each ranks among the Association's best of the best. It's far more likely than not that the Bears aren't parading down Beale Street this summer.
Second, for all of the player development success stories on the roster, Ja Morant remains its lone star. Adding an impact talent like Pascal Siakam—who went berserk down the stretch (26.5 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists in March and April)—immediately changes that.
Doing so without sacrificing Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. or Dillon Brooks would grant the Grizzlies one of the best starting fives around.
While Siakam can serve as a focal point in spurts, his ideal role puts him alongside a superstar. Morant, who's averaging an absurd 26.3 points, 10.1 assists and 8.6 rebounds this postseason, has reached that level and will only continue to get better. Siakam, who turned 28 in April, is young enough to remain in his prime (or at least very close to it) by the time the 22-year-old Morant reaches his.
Malachi Flynn would functionally be a footnote in this swap, though Memphis might appreciate the backcourt depth with free agency awaiting Tyus Jones after an expertly timed career year.
That's the argument for Memphis. The incentive for Toronto is trickier since this squad just posted a .660 winning percentage once the calendar flipped to 2022. Still, the Raptors need to ask themselves if they have enough to win a title right now, and if not, whether they could add it while Siakam is still at his best.
Toronto is too talented to snag a prime draft pick and has never been a destination for free agents, so finding those missing pieces could prove a mountainous task.
If the Raptors conclude their ceiling doesn't reach a championship level, this trade would offer different avenues to eventually get there. If Ziaire Williams maximizes his potential, he could be a featured scorer who defends multiple spots (and a fascinating co-star for Scottie Barnes).
Brandon Clarke fits the Toronto mold of long, active, athletic defenders, and De'Anthony Melton's sweeping 6'8" wingspan helps him function like one despite standing just 6'2".
Steven Adams is here to make the money work, but his expiring $17.9 million salary offers significant financial flexibility.
Throw three first-round picks in the mix—for a franchise that owns all but one of its future firsts and has pulled some great selections in recent drafts (including Siakam at No. 27 in 2016)—and this could be the kind of backward step that eventually delivers a major leap forward.
Statistics courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball Reference unless otherwise noted. Salary information via Spotrac.
Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @ZachBuckleyNBA.
