Welcome back to the Joel Embiid trade series by kawntent sports, and the first five-team trade in kawntent sports history. I’ve spent the past few trades attempting to find the precise value of Joel Embiid and I think I’ve found the solution in this Bulls package. A new contender is built in the East and a variety of teams get involved to improve their own situations in small ways.
Why the 76ers do this:
This trade package is one heck of a haul. The Sixers get a potential superstar in Patrick Williams, recent lottery pick Dalen Terry, fan favorite Alex Caruso, sharpshooter Luke Kennard, and role player Jordan Nwora. They also get three first round picks, one from Memphis and two from Chicago, as well as three pick swaps, although only two are likely to potentially convey. They also make a net profit of two second round picks in the deal. All these assets set the Sixers up for a proper rebuild, give Tyrese Maxey solid players to work with for his era in Philadelphia, and create an overall well-rounded team.
Why the Bulls do this:
This trade returns the city of Chicago to the glorious days of being a contending team with an MVP. The Bulls went all-in trading for Vucevic and DeRozan in recent years, and got practically nowhere due to injuries. This trade brings them even further into this all-in mindset creating a true big 3 in Chicago of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Joel Embiid. They retain role players including Coby White, Jevon Carter, Ayo Dosunmu, Torrey Craig, Derrick Jones, and Andre Drummond, and bring in a few new ones in Robert Covington and Jason Preston. They bring in a few cap holds to make the money work for other teams but these are players they could actually sign to veteran minimum deals as well. The Bulls end up as one of the best teams in the league after the trade, despite having practically no tradeable picks this decade. However, they should be able to compete with the likes of Boston, Milwaukee, and Miami once they get Dame, becoming a true Eastern Conference superteam.
Why the Clippers do this:
The Clippers take the first step toward a rebuild with this trade. It’s been rumored that they want to trade Paul George and blow it up, and this trade gives them a few assets that a rebuilding team could use. They deal an underutilized Robert Covington and get Furkan Korkmaz, Daniel Theis for contract, and a 2030 Bulls pick swap from a team that, although good after this trade, should be quite bad by 2030. The Clippers get a likely lottery pick in this swap, which could be huge for a team that should be bad around the turn of next decade.
Why the Pacers do this:
The Pacers have a bit of cap space left this offseason and they use it here to take on the Lonzo Ball contract, and in exchange they get a few second round picks. They give up non-rotational or low rotational guys in Nwora and Theis and manage to acquire second rounders that could be useful in the future.
Why the Grizzlies do this:
The Grizzlies simply swap a worse player for a better one in this deal in Kennard for Vucevic, giving them a truly solid fifth starter and bolstering their contending odds next season. To do this, all they give up is a first rounder that will be in the 20s anyway and one second round pick. Vucevic is a compliment to Jaren Jackson Jr, bringing an offensive minded player who is solid from beyond the arc, essentially the opposite of Jackson.
Let me know your thoughts on this huge trade in the comments. Who wins? Who loses? There are a ton of teams involved here and even more moving parts, so I’m interested to see what you all think.