Cavs cash out incredible Garland/Mobley upside and prioritize elite, 2-way wings to chase rings with Spida and Allen… Cavs also add 3 super-high-upside unprotected picks… ATL in 25 and 27 look so appealing the Spurs only have to give up 2 picks for Garland (maybe the Cavs should get the ATL swap in 26, or the TOR pick in 24/25, along with 25 and 27), and the PHX in 29 will be definitely be post-Durant.
Spida Strus Bridges Herb Allen is an elite starting 5 on a perfect, win-now timeline… ages 27, 27, 27, 25, 25.
Okoro is a few years younger, but the Cavs should definitely keep him, and in this scenario he clearly becomes the 6th most important guy on the roster and a perfect insurance in case of Strus Bridges or Herb injuries…
LeVert Merrill Wade Niang Nance rounds out an elite, balanced, deep top 11…
Cavs would hate to trade DG/Mobley, but this deal allows us to create a sustainable, win-now roster with multiple picks to chase upgrades for Spida’s entire prime… a top 6 of Spida/Allen and then 4 elite, 2-way, 3&D wings makes 1000x more sense than the current Cavs squad.
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Spurs reasoning for this trade is obvious, giving Wemby a young, All-Star PG to grow with… Keldon Johnson and 2 ATL picks seems like a no-brainer for a guy like DG.
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Nets are upgrading in talent and fit with CJ, KJ, and BI… those 3 with DFS and Claxton make the Nets more respectable as they still owe their draft picks to HOU bc of the Harden deal… the cost of the upgrade (and getting off Ben Simmons) is taking on the extra year of money with CJ (not even a real negative if CJ keeps playing this good) and swapping the unprotected PHX in 29 for a late CLE pick this year.
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Pelicans reasoning for making the trade is less obvious/more complicated and I’m sure Pelican fans will be salty if they see this… but long story short they aren’t good enough to win chips, so trading older more talented (and more expensive) guys for a younger, higher upside guy like Evan Mobley makes sense …
With BI and Trey Murphy both getting ready for big raises in free agency after next year, and CJ still on the books for 30M the next 2 years… I think the Pelicans need to make a big move that reorganizes their roster. This scenario has them leaning into a youth movement, while also cleaning their books salary wise… Ben Simmons (and Tre Jones) has 1 year left on his deal, which is 1 year less than the CJ deal, which means his salary comes off the books when Trey Murphy and Evan Mobley will be getting raises… that has huge value for a team that doesn’t pay the luxury tax. Paying Trey and Evan Mobley and dipping the luxury tax makes 1000x more sense than paying CJ, Trey, and BI.
A starting 5 of Dyson Daniels, Trey Murphy, Cam Johnson, Evan Mobley, and Zion seems like a great fit.
Mobley and Daniels provide elite defense and both are still super young with huge upside on offense… Trey and Cam provide spacing with high volume 3-point shooting… this is a lineup that can maximize Point Zion, while helping cover his defensive issues… absolutely elite size with Zion being the shortest starter 6’8, 6’8, 6’8, 6’11, 6’6.
Jordan Hawkins has great upside as a 6th man and/or eventually taking over for Cam Johnson in the starting lineup.
Tre Jones provides insurance in case Dyson Daniels gets hurt or just isn’t ready to be a starting PG… Pelicans keep Jose Alvarado and Naji Marshall to fill out the bench…
Most importantly in this scenario, everyone in the top 6 besides Cam Johnson is under 24, and they keep all their picks to keep adding young, cheap talent to a young, talented core with unlimited upside… Trey, Mobley, and Zion growing together as a Big 3, a talented backcourt on rookie deals in Daniels/Hawkins, Cam Johnson as a shooter/vet/glue guy, plus extra picks on deck seems like a reasonable plan to me.