Clippers trade some of their depth, the 30th pick, a future protected first, and one second to acquire another all-star to pair with their core. A backcourt of Westbrook and Beal has already proven to be a successful one, and the star wings of PG and Kawhi together with them would make this team a bonafide title contender. Plus, their depth is still solid, with Delon Wright (a defensive menace-- was in the 99th percentile in steals in the league), Covington, Plumlee, Bones, Zubac, and Batum. The Clippers haven't been able to get over the hump recently, and this trade is their final shot at making a run for the title.

The Wizards with their new GM who (hopefully) will understand that the best course of action for the team is to blow it up, does this trade to get as much value as possible for Beal. Getting three first round picks and 4 2nds is just as good of a deal as they can hope for. Yes, they have to take on some bad contracts, but that is the consequence of giving a bad contract to Beal. On the bright side, the contracts they receive in this trade are only 2 years long and could be valuable expirings next offseason. A further point on this trade is that Bradley Beal was given a no-trade clause by the team, which complicates any trade involving him, but being sent to Los Angeles is likely acceptable to him and would not be a concern, especially considering he owns a house in LA. In doing this deal the Wizards also hope to resurrect and/or revitalize Ben Simmons' career, as they have kind of done with a couple of other stars in recent history (Westbrook and Porzingis being the first that come to mind).

The Knicks swoop in this deal by getting Norman Powell, a significant upgrade from Evan Fournier and his bad contract, while only having to give up 3 seconds. These are the types of moves that the Knicks need to make to make sure their season this year was not a fluke.

The Brooklyn Nets get off of Ben Simmons' albatross of a contract while securing two solid wings in Eric Gordon and Marcus Morris to add to their depth and help them in their push for playoff relevancy. The price for this is, of course, the #22nd overall pick in this years draft, which is sent to Washington, but that is a small price to pay for two quality (and expiring!) players.

I'd be interested in seeing what you all have to say about this trade.