I was forced to make a trade between the wizards, hawks, nuggets and the magic.
BEFORE READING THE TRADE FINANCIALS, PLEASE CONSIDER THAT EVERY TEAM REMAINS WHERE THEY WERE PRE-TRADE (whether that be under the tax or within the first apron)
Wizards receive a plethora of prospects with some draft capital. Hawks benefit as a facilitator for the trade. Nuggets receive upgrades to their depth without having to make a major roster change (i.e. trading a bigger contract like MPJ or Murray). Magic get an actual point guard who expires at the end of the year.
FIRST PART OF TRADE:
Nnaji, Saric, Holmes, 2031 Round 1 Lottery Prot. in exchange for Valancunias and Bey
Yes, I agree, a lottery protected first for just valancunias and bey is an overpay, however, you have to consider the fact that denver is also getting rid of Nnaji's contract, giving them significantly more flexibility on the market. They also can always just trade Bey later if they aren't pleased with his rate of recovery. Wizards get the chance to rehabilitate Nnaji, develop Holmes II and maybe bolster Saric's trade value through playing time to trade him this offseason/next season with either a future first or two future seconds from a team with not a lot of certainty of their future post-Jokic.
SECOND PART OF TRADE:
Black, Howard, 2027 Round 2 via BOS in exchange for Brogdon
Magic have been looking for an ACTUAL point guard for a while, and Brogdon's playmaking would help bolster their playoff lethality. Let me clarify that the magic do this ONLY if Brogdon's timetable and health looks acceptable coming off his foot injury. He also expires at the end of the year, giving the Magic flexibility if they want to pursue other guards in free agency. Wizards receive a super tall point guard who they can develop now that Brogdon is gone, a chance to rehabilitate arguably one of the biggest busts in recent memory and a 2027 second rounder.
THIRD PART OF TRADE:
Joseph, 2026 DET/MIL 2nd in exchange for a 2026 Protected MEM 2nd
In exchange for taking on a minimum contract so that the Brogdon trade can go through, the hawks exchange a pretty bad second rounder for a potentially good/mediocre second rounder.