Why They Do This*

Orlando

• Even before the oblique injuries to both Paolo and Franz, this has always been the season for the Magic to make a move up to championship contenders.

• De'Aaron Fox slots in beautifully next to Suggs, allowing him (Suggs) to move back to SG where he's most effective, while not detracting too much from the defense Orlando boasts

• Cason and Keon serve as two 3pt specialist project pieces. If they continue to develop, they could serve as lethal role players, shooting 40%+ from 3 each season

Sacramento

• They are beginning to flounder, and Vegas oddsmakers have been projecting that they're looking to move off of Fox as his contract extension window opens (where he'll likely look for a max). Recouping picks and prospects now while his value is still high is the obvious move.

• Admittedly, none of the players added in this trade move the needle to make the Kings more competitive in the short term. They are all solid role players who can contribute, but won't blow anyone away.

• The real prize here is 9 total picks, half (roughly y'all relax) of which are 1sts. This will allow the Kings to rebuild quickly around Sabonis, Monk, and Murray either through the draft or new trades using those picks.

OKC

• The wild card team in all of this, the Thunder are elite at just about everything, yet struggled in the playoffs each of the last 2 seasons. Getting a proven veteran to go alongside their young core should provide them with some much needed reliability come crunch time.

• Not needing to give up any of their major role players in this deal is the real positive. OKC STILL has an absurd amount of picks (especially 1sts) They can afford to simply contract match and throw in a plethora of picks to get the pieces they need.

• "Why DeRozan?" I hear you ask. Simple. He's one of the few 2-way veterans that may be available this season, AND his new contract is ridiculously team friendly. As OKC improves, they're going to need to extend J-Dub and Chet to max contracts or near-max contracts. DeRozan's contract maxes out at $25.7 m in year 3 of this contract, taking up only 15% of total cap space. Being able to provide roughly 20/5/5 for that money is a bargain for any team.

*This trade has to wait until 1/2/25, hence the title "New Year's Blockbuster"