Bringing Marcus Smart to OKC would be a full-circle moment, as he’s an Oklahoma native who would add instant grit and toughness to the Thunder’s backcourt. Smart is averaging 8.9 points and 3.4 assists this season while continuing to play tenacious defense despite suffering a turbulent season in terms of injuries and playing time. His leadership and playoff experience would be invaluable for a team looking to make a deep postseason run. He’s not the scorer he once was, but his defensive intensity and ability to guard multiple positions would give OKC a veteran edge.

For Washington, this trade is about moving off Smart’s contract ($21,586,856 next season) while adding some younger assets. Isaiah Joe is a quality shooter who could thrive in an expanded role, and Kenrich Williams provides depth for a rebuilding Wizards team.

The second-round pick isn’t a massive asset, but it gives Washington additional flexibility in their rebuild. This is a small-scale move, but one that makes sense f…

Trey Murphy III would be a sneaky good pickup for OKC. He’s a 6’9" sharpshooter who plays strong defense, making him an ideal fit next to SGA. He’s shooting 38.3% from three over his career on high volume, providing the Thunder with another deep-range sniper who can space the floor.

With Jalen Williams thriving as a do-it-all wing, adding Murphy would give OKC another long, athletic perimeter player who can defend and hit threes at a high clip. This would be a low-risk, high-reward move that strengthens OKC’s depth. For New Orleans, this trade would be about maximizing the value of Murphy before his major contract extension starts at a minimum of $25 million per season until 2027-28. Dort would give them an elite perimeter defender to pair with Herb Jones, forming a defensive duo that could lock down opposing wings.

Nikola Topic is a high-upside young guard who could eventually develop into a key piece for the Pelicans. This is more of a strategic swap than a blockbuster deal, but it…

The Chicago Bulls don't like to bottom out and tank, with this season being the ultimate proof of the same. Despite making moves to trade away DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Alex Caruso, the team is still looking to be a Play-In roster, with this season's 76ers ranked below them as well. It doesn't look like they'll be committing to tanking next season either, with a relatively competitive core in place.

Paul George is averaging 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists this season. He's a shadow of the MVP-caliber player he used to be but could be a great veteran to help develop a competitive Bulls' core. They don't have any standout young players at forward either, so George could fill that gap right now while helping win-now players such as Coby White, Josh Giddey, and Nikola Vucevic try to make a genuine Playoff push next season. They'll rely on George being healthier than we've seen him in years. But even if George can't change their winning fortunes, it's not like they can get…

The Pistons have carefully built their current core of players through the NBA draft and some key veteran acquisitions like Tobias Harris and Tim Hardaway Jr. Unfortunately, they'll have to use Harris' contract to make this deal feasible, but it's inarguable that Markkanen is a massive upgrade on Harris as the team's starting power forward.

Markkanen averaged 19.0 points and 5.9 rebounds this season, having muted production all season as the Jazz have tanked from the opening tip of the season. This has to be a cause of dissatisfaction for Markkanen, who was shut down in two consecutive seasons when they were competing for the Playoffs before being limited all season to help the Jazz's draft positioning.

Lauri is still just 26 years old. His stats this year are basic, but he averaged 23.2 points and 8.2 rebounds last season while playing motivated basketball. He's already financially secure, so he can focus on playing winning basketball and thriving as a seven-foot No. 2 option behind…

Adding Nikola Vucevic would give the Clippers a polished offensive center, something they’ve lacked for years. Vucevic has been a consistent double-double machine, averaging 18.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists this season with Chicago. His ability to space the floor as a big (shooting 39.0% from three) would complement Kawhi, Harden, and Powell’s perimeter-heavy games, providing an outlet for easy pick-and-pop opportunities. The Clippers have struggled with post-scoring outside of Ivica Zubac, and Vucevic would immediately address both weaknesses.

The downside? He’s not a great defender. At 34 years old, Vucevic isn’t going to anchor the paint in a way that protects the rim like an elite shot-blocker. Still, trading Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kris Dunn is a fair price, as neither are core pieces and landing a skilled veteran big like Vucevic could make the Clippers more well-rounded offensively….

The San Antonio Spurs are desperately looking for a guard who could emulate Jrue Holiday, which explains why they selected Stephon Castle in the draft last summer and the role he fulfills on the Spurs. He's very far from where he needs to be offensively on a competitive roster, so the Spurs should consider bringing in someone like Holiday for a few seasons to give the players a winning blueprint.

The Celtics could add two real rotational contributors, with Barnes averaging 11.7 points and 3.7 rebounds this season and Branham averaging 4.1 points. Wesley still has some room to develop before being a reliable rotational player, but it helps the Celtics be good now as well as in the future.

The Spurs will hope that Castle learns from Holiday and develops himself into that mold to be the perfect long-term and low-maintenance guard for the franchise in the Victor Wembanyama era….

Soon after Irving's injury, we suggested the Mavericks make a move for Anfernee Simons. The 25-year-old guard is seeing his talents go to waste on the Portland Trail Blazers, who already seem prepared to move on without him, given the talented guards coming through on the roster. Simons might not be long for Portland, and Dallas needs a guard like him to shoulder the load in Irving's absence.

Simons can lead the team's offense as the primary ball-handler until Irving's return. He's also well-adjusted to playing as an off-ball two-guard. In reality, he'd help Irving's transition from rehab to on-court play, carrying most of the on-ball load while Irving gets his feet under him. Their duo could be a free-scoring backcourt pairing complemented by incredible frontcourt defenders. Klay Thompson is a veteran but will bring those great instincts to a young Blazers squad looking to break the Playoff hump. Naji Marshall has averaged 19.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists over the last nine…

The Toronto Raptors made a pre-agency move for this summer by acquiring Brandon Ingram via trade before shutting him down for the season before he played a single game. Ingram's arrival marks a shift back to the organization's infamous competitive ethos, with the addition of a center like Domantas Sabonis further elevating their franchise. Instead of relying on the injury-prone small guard like Immanuel Quickley, the team phases him out to run a similar style they have all season without a key ball-handler. All players are great at freelancing on the court and passing when required, which is why it has worked with mixed results.

Quickley is averaging 17.5 points and 5.8 assists this season. He can help fill the gap at starting point guard on the franchise, while Poeltl, who's averaging 14.6 points and 9.7 rebounds this season, can become a high-level starter for the franchise. Noneteheless, we know the Raptors will likely hold onto them until the winter and hope they get the right val…

The Atlanta Hawks have steadily taken backward steps over the last few seasons. After the euphoria of their 2021 Conference Finals appearance, the Hawks haven't even been relevant as a top-six team in the East. The conference hasn't been very competitive, so they always find themselves in the Play-In, but they're further away from a title now than they have been for years. The team needs to take a bold step forward and throw their hat in the ring for a player like Sabonis. He'd transform the team's frontcourt as a high-level rebounder but will continue contributing to the defensive struggles. Sabonis, with enough talent around him to maximize his skillset, could have a championship ceiling.

Okongwu is averaging 13.1 points and 8.7 rebounds, becoming the future franchise center for the Kings. Mann is averaging 7.5 points and 2.9 rebounds, and been having a great time. Georges Niang is averaging 10.0 points and 3.6 rebounds and could be useful for a few minutes where he has to shoot ope…

The Spurs are building a competitive two-way squad, which invariably will see games end with Fox or Wembanyama as the prime offensive option. However, both are faced with a different set of challenges in those situations. Fox is a below-average shooter, while Wembanyama is still building out his offensive repertoire to not be restricted by defenses targeting his lack of strength.

Lauri Markkanen averaged 19.0 points and 5.9 rebounds this season. His year was greatly disturbed by a very intentional tank from the Jazz, sidelining his winning contributions from the past season to maximize the usage and development of younger stars. Doing this in the first year of a supermax contract is interesting, with Markkanen clearly not getting the competitiveness he hopes for. He would be the perfect forward next to Wembanyama, being able to create more space on the court with his excellent outside shooting. He's a seven-footer and active on the boards, being able to take some of the banging Wemban…

The Clippers Hurt Their New Philosophy

It bears mentioning that the Clippers' head coach, Tyronn Lue, has proven himself to be one of the best coaches in the NBA. Instead of struggling with injuries across the top end of his roster and having to scramble to put competitive teams together, Paul George's departure gave him the depth to keep the team competitive.

Kawhi Leonard didn't play a basketball game for four months and came back to a winning roster where he's excelling as the No. 1 option again. He's overseen tactical changes that have caused Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac to perform at an All-Star level while empowering James Harden to run the team as an extension of himself on the court.

The method to success for the Clippers isn't going back to the old days by giving up depth for an injury-prone wing scorer. Michael Porter Jr. is averaging 18.3 points and 7.0 rebounds this season. He'd be a great antidote for some of the Clippers' offensive struggles with his free-scoring abil…

Victor Wembanyama came into the NBA as arguably the greatest Draft prospect in NBA history. He's somehow been living up to that billing, already impacting the league as arguably its best defensive player. The Spurs want to be patient with building out the core around him, but a move like this isn't an overreaction, it's just accelerating the inevitable.

De'Aaron Fox is averaging 25.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.2 assists this season. If he aims to join the Spurs in 2026 and the Spurs want him, they likely will sign him in free agency. However, they'd be incentivized to have him on the roster as soon as possible to start building chemistry with Wembanyama and the team's young core.

They could play out this season and make a Play-In appearance before pushing for a title from next season onwards. They'll have the chemistry while the young stars on the roster continue developing into even more impactful players. The outgoing picks do not belong to the Spurs themselves, so they maintain p…

The Raptors have long been known for the presence of powerful swingmen or forwards. From Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter to Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan to even Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby. They seem to be committed to this path with their development of Scottie Barnes, hoping to see him become the face of the franchise. A forward who can excel at what he struggles with would make the Raptors instant Playoff threats.

Brandon Ingram is averaging 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists this season. His on-ball scoring, shooting ability, and even developing playmaking skills would be perfect next to Barnes. He would also be a great veteran for developing scorers like Gradey Dick, creating a fun roster with multiple weapons to rely upon. This deal also helps the Raptors keep players like Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Jakob Poeltl, creating the genesis of a very competitive squad that could be Playoff-caliber with Ingram next season. Coupled with the development of their young core a…

The Rockets are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, so making a deal for Draymond makes sense. They have a 108.8 defensive rating this season and have a coach like Ime Udoka who demands maximum defensive effort from his players.

Draymond Green would be the perfect extension of Udoka's defensive sensibilities on the court, orchestrating the young and energetic Rockets in a frontcourt with Alperen Sengun.

He's averaging 8.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.4 assists this season, but his defensive skill set would be a perfect fit in Houston. He can guard all five positions in the post or on the perimeter. His offensive skills as a playmaker would also greatly improve the Rockets' offense. The Warriors might be the ones to object to this deal, as it gets them further away from competing with Stephen Curry on the roster. The expiring contracts of Jeff Green and Steven Adams carry little value when the Warriors won't open up enough cap space to make a marquee free-agency addition.

Cam …

LaVine is in the third season of a five-year, $215 million contract, a horrendous situation for any team interested in trading for the star. Luckily, the Detroit Pistons have more cap space than any team in the league, so pairing LaVine with star point guard Cade Cunningham would be an interesting experiment.

The Pistons have a way to make life easier on Cunningham. That alone is a compelling argument to pursue LaVine. Once you factor in what the addition might mean for Detroit's postseason aspirations—the Pistons are 3.5 games back of fourth place—that's when the temptation might grow too strong to ignore.

LaVine has effectively bounced back from a disappointing 2023-24 season, averaging 24.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game to get his trade value back up. As for why the Bulls would do this trade that the Bulls simply need to part ways with their 29-year-old star while they still can. But, he throws in two game-changers that really entice this deal for Chicago.

The re…

Zach LaVine has been on the trade market for over a year without a suitor. This deal allows the Rockets to materially improve their roster while the Bulls actually gain a draft asset in a LaVine trade after everyone assumed they'd be the one losing draft capital in a LaVine salary dump. This deal works for both franchises for several reasons. The Rockets' success is built on the backs of their third-best 107.6 defensive rating. Coach Udoka has been playing compact rotations comprising of the team's best defenders, playing with an intensity most teams simply don't match over an 82-game regular season. That effort and defensive panache are what will lead to their Playoff return after five seasons, but they're not built for Playoff success in their current state.

Zach LaVine is averaging 24.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists this season. He's averaging 33.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.8 assists over the last six games, showing he still can take over games offensively without opponen…

The 21-19 Pistons make a statement by acquiring Jimmy Butler to accelerate their rebuild in a dream scenario. His veteran leadership and defensive intensity are invaluable for a young team led by Cade Cunningham. Butler’s experience could fast-track Detroit’s return to playoff contention because the Pistons are close enough as it is.

Miami receives valuable assets, including Hardaway and Harris, who can contribute immediately, and a first-round pick that strengthens their draft flexibility. The Pistons have been rebuilding long enough and could wish to create a dynamic duo in the Eastern Conference….

Dallas targets Kelly Olynyk to add frontcourt depth and floor spacing because they are quite limited with regards to their salary cap. Olynyk is averaging 6.0 points and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 42.3% from three-point range, offering Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving a pick-and-pop partner.

His veteran presence and basketball IQ are valuable assets for a team with championship aspirations. Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford are solid big men, but a third one in the rotation would make the Mavericks very difficult to contain once Doncic and Irving return to the court….