Why the Warriors do it:

The Warriors decide to go for broke and take advantage of the Laker-LeBron timeline mismatch. The '31 swap and '32 unprotected First losses may be a tough pill to swallow for a roster with no certainty post-Steph. However, the cost pales in comparison to the Championship potential that LeBron in addition to Vucevic, a true Center with renewed shooting touch, consistent rebounding, and underrated playmaking skills, will bring to Curry's twilight.

Starters: Curry, Hield, James, Green, Vucevic

Key Depth: Moody, Podziemski, Post, Jackson-Davis

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Why the Lakers do it:

LeBron brought a Championship to LA, but the roster he did it with has evaporated to the point that he is the last man standing (okay, technically Markieff Morris is back after the Luka trade, but that doesn't count). Now with Luka in town, LeBron just doesn't seem to fit the Lakers' plans, and the Lakers don't seem like LeBron's best chance to go out on a high note, making a move mutually beneficial. The Lakers probably don't love the idea of trading LeBron within their Division, but a combination of LeBron's No Trade Clause and goodwill makes the deal happen. In return, the Lakers get a player 12 years younger than LeBron who has won a Championship as a complimentary star next to a more ball-dominant player, giving a clear vision for a Co-Star for Luka. The Lakers still have work to do to fill out the roster, meaning their true contention likely is still a year or two away, but they have a much more cohesive core now with Luka and Brown.

Starters: Luka, Reaves, Brown, Hachimura, Ayton

Key Depth: Vanderbilt, Knecht, Vincent, Kleber

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Why the Celtics do it:

With new ownership in town, the Celtics have been focused on getting cheaper, and fast. That decision has gone over better with the fanbase than it otherwise would've after the Tatum injury. Seeing what's already a lost season, the Celtics decide to continue to cash in on their championship vets by sending Brown out of the Conference to the Lakers. Their return may have some skeptical, but it provides something far less tangible than the sum of its parts: Flexibility. Each piece of the deal has the ability to work out in different ways for the Celtics. Fox is on an expiring deal promising salary relief and a crowd-pleasing highlight player whose years in Sacramento showed that he can't drag a team to wins by himself, keeping the Celtics' own '26 pick safely in the lottery. But if Fox plays well and the coaching staff sees a fit with Tatum long-term, you'll likely be able to re-sign him to a reasonable second-option style contract and extract value from Derrick White or Payton Pitchard who would be pushed further down the depth chart. The '26 pick can help them either fill up their roster with cost controlled rookie-scale guys, or possibly used in a package to move up in a draft or acquire more help. The two juicy Warriors future picks can either be held onto with the hopes of being the next Brown and Tatum Championship core pieces, or shopped around to get talent to support Tatum's prime. Sochan is a young player with an intriguing skillset who likely won't cost too much to retain as a Restricted Free Agent making him valuable as either a rotation piece or a trade asset. It might not be the flashiest return on paper, but it might just be a smart move.

Starters: Fox, White, Hauser, Sochan, Tillman

Key Depth: Tatum (INJURED), Pritchard, Simons, Niang

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Why the Spurs do it:

After 3 straight years of top-4 Draft selections, the Spurs are ready to win now. It'll be tough to compete in this stacked Western Conference, but adding a proven player like Butler should help. Drafting Castle and Harper look like great picks, but they complicated the Spurs' midseason acquisition of Fox. Where before the plan had been to build around a Fox-Wembanyama core, now the sensible thing to do seems to be to take advantage of the cost-controlled rookie deals on the roster and acquire talent with the additional salary space. Butler's $56M contract comes off the books neatly in time for Wembanyama's massive extension, the first of the Spurs' rookie deals. Butler has the ball-control skills to bring it up the court for the Spurs if the young Castle and Harper have handle issues as the lead initiators. Giving up on Fox this early may sting, but getting Butler should easily soothe that pain.

Starters: Castle, Vassell, Butler, Barnes, Wembanyama

Key Depth: Harper, Johnson, Kornet

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Why the Bulls do it:

Vucevic trades have been rumored for several years now, and Vucevic's bounce-back year showed that he's still got value around the league. The move would fit the Bulls recent trade strategy as seen in the Caruso-Giddey and Lonzo-Okoro deals as swapping vets with value for young players with theoretical upside and questionable fits on their current teams. Kuminga fits that description to a T.

Starters: Giddey, White, Kuminga, Buzelis, Collins

Key Depth: Dosunmu, Williams, Okoro, Essengue, Jones, Smith