The Hawks have shown interest in Brandon Ingram and, with the injury to Jalen Johnson, they need help since there’s no reason for them to tank this year. They also pick up some young players in Julian Strawther to replace Bogey’s shooting off the bench and Jalen Pickett to give the Hawks a backup PG option.

The Nuggets would love to pair Jokic with Serbian National teammate Bogdanovic and would especially love to do so without giving up MPJ. They also get a couple seconds to add to their picks after sending out their last trade-able pick.

The Pelicans need to shore up their center depth and get a solid center in Capela. Other than that, they don’t get much value in players, but they get a valuable first-rounder (which they certainly wouldn’t get in any other trade package for BI) in return for taking on contracts….

The Grizzlies expressed interest in Lonzo as a defensive-minded backup PG and I’m pretty sure Ime would love to get Smart in the building as a leader for the young guys and he’d be a significant upgrade on the court if he can remain healthy….

Obvs some picks would need to be included here, but I think this is a good framework for a Jimmy deal.

The Pels are so injured that Butler wouldn’t add any extra wins this season so they still get a top pick this year and then try to run it back next year with Butler, Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, maybe Zion, Dejounte when he gets back from injury, Yves Missi, and Beef Stew.

Heat move on from Jimmy, collect expiring salary that can still help them make a reasonable playoff push this season, and then focus on their young core moving forward.

Raptors buy low on BI- someone they’ve reportedly been in talks to get.

Pistons get a valuable veteran offensive piece in CJ who can fill in the starting SG spot from Ivey who can help them make a playoff push this season.

What do y’all think about this framework for a trade?…

Given the injury to Lively and the plethora of other injuries, the Mavericks face a future with a minute chance of making a playoff run this year. If the Mavericks decide to tank this year for a quality first rounder in a meaningful draft, the Grizzlies could cash in on Gafford- a player not part of the Mavericks long-term plan. In exchange, the Mavericks get a young forward with meaningful upside in Laravia, a solid rotational player in Konchar, and another protected 1st round pick in this year's draft….

Cavs get their starting 3 and a backup center to replace Gafford.

Grizzlies get a playoff caliber starting center.

Nets get 2 lottery-protected first-rounders, 2 young guys, and salary filler.

A slight edit from a previous post (so Grizzlies keep Luke Kennard in reaction to his season-high tonight, plus Luke has a NTC)….

Mavs get a great starting 3 in Cam Johnson and a solid back-up center to replace Gafford.

Grizzlies get a playoff caliber starting center in Gafford.

Nets get 2 lottery-protected first rounders, some young guys, and salary filler….

Rather than trading for a Jimmy Butler rental, the Grizzlies could fortify/upgrade multiple positions of need for the postseason with players whose value will likely grow over the next couple years due to their contracts. The Cam Johnson is an obvious fit for the Grizzlies that has been talked about endlessly. Meanwhile, Nic Claxton gives the Grizzlies a solid reliable center for the playoffs this season. As it stands, they will be reliant on a rookie Zach Edey (who has played really well but is still learning and improving and makes little mistakes that you can’t have in the playoffs), JJJ (who doesn’t rebound well), and Jay Huff (who is just not a playoff caliber player). The defensive fit of Claxton next to JJJ would be elite and let’s not forget he played AAU ball with Ja. As Edey improves over the years, Claxton’s role and minutes may decrease, however, his contract also decreases so he could become a valuable trade-able contract down the line.

Meanwhile, for the Nets, they get t…

Why the Lakers do this: The Lakers get a starting-caliber PG- something they don't really have on their roster. Plus Smart can defend guards- another attribute they don't really have on their roster. They also get Jerami Grant for some shooting and size as an upgrade from Rui.

Why the Grizzlies do this: The Grizzlies get some shooting with size in role players who fit their timeline better and can also defend (unlike Kennard). Duop Reath fortifies their center depth- the Grizzlies have a solid center rotation as it is, but Edey has dealt with a couple injuries and I'm not sure how the center rotation will hold up in the playoffs, so Reath provides some insurance. They also take a (somewhat pricey) flyer on Jarred Vanderbilt. I personally love the way he plays and I think he would fit incredibly well on the Grizzlies when he gets healthy cause he's a dog defensively and the Grizzlies have enough quality depth that they wouldn't need to rely on him to play many minutes coming back from …

The Hawks Perspective

I think the Hawks core should focus on Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, and Onyeka Okongwu- all players between 19 and 23. Obvs they can't tank and focus on rebuilding around these young guys cause they don't have their first round picks for a few years, so they hold on to Trae Young, De'Andre Hunter, and Clint Capela for now. Instead, the Hawks trade a couple older bench players to build out their young core.

Their starting lineup would remain unchanged:

Trae Young Dyson Daniels Zaccharie Risacher Jalen Johnson Clint Capela

Then their bench would be Dennis Schroder, De'Andre Hunter, Onyeka Okongwu, Davion Mitchell, Kobe Bufkin, Julian Strawther, Vet Krejci, and Day'Ron Sharpe.

The Hawks don't have a solid backup PG rn, so Schroder comes in to fill that role for this season, hopefully culminating in a playoff push. Davion Mitchell is a solid, younger, defensive-minded backup PG who fits the Hawks' culture and can be their long-term backup PG….

I'm obsessed with this trade for everyone involved.

TL;DR

The Hawks build a big 3&D line-up around Trae with roster depth The Nuggets get much needed shooting, depth, and roster flexibility The Nets go full rebuild and get a plethora of picks The Rockets get much needed shooting that can help them win now and grow with their young core

The Hawks Perspective

I think I like this trade best for the Hawks. They follow in the footsteps of teams like Boston and New York by getting a ton of quality 3&D wings to put around Trae. However, they don't sacrifice their depth like Boston and NYC.

Their starting lineup would look like

Trae Young Dillon Brooks Cam Johnson Jalen Johnson Clint Capela

with Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Onyeka Okongwu, Kobe Bufkin, Vit Krejci, and Zeke Nnaji off the bench- a ton of young players on low, long-term contracts.

Of this top 11, only Trae, Dillon, and Bufkin are shorter than 6'8". Pretty much everyone is an above average 3-point shooter for their p…

This trade seems to be a better overall fit for where each team is right now and what they are looking to do moving forward.

The Rockets desperately need better shooting and, with the ascension of Amen as an on-ball defender, they don’t really need what Dillon provides as much.

With Risacher and Johnson, the Hawks don’t need another of the same archetype in Hunter and have been trying to trade him for a while now anyway. The Hawks do, however, need better on-ball defense next to Trae and Dillon could play the 2 far better than any of the other wings on their roster. This trade gives solid shooting and great defense down the roster to bolster Trae’s weaknesses.

The Nets seem to be in the early stages of a rebuild (though they certainly are taking their time about it). This trade slightly downgrades at that wing position and saddles them with a significantly worse contract, though that can oftentimes be useful for a rebuilding team- making sure they reach the minimum roster salary and…

The Rockets showed interest in acquiring Brook Lopez. This trade improves the shooting on the Rockets' roster which is gravely needed and improves their rim protection- something that the Rockets don't have a lot of. In return, the Bucks get below the second apron to avoid massive penalties down the line and acquire a deeper, though not as high-end, center rotation. Plus, I think Steven Adams will bring out the absolute best from Dame. Adams is probably the best screener in the league and will give Lillard plenty of space to shoot and both him and Giannis plenty of space to get downhill. I think this move maximizes Damian Lillard as a player.

All of this is provided Adams gets fully healthy and remains relatively healthy until the trade deadline.

The pick is dependent on how much AJ Green shows this year. It could be removed if he shows himself to be a quality rotation player.

I'm welcome to any feedback….

TL;DR Hawks build younger, longer, defensive minded core around Trae Nuggets get more shooting, flexibility, and depth Pistons get elite shooting around Cade Trailblazers get draft assets for Matisse Thybulle

The Hawks Perspective

This trade moves off two older players and brings in guys that fit a younger Hawks core that they can continue to build around. Stewart is a solid shooting big who can split minutes or share the court with Okongwu and Thybulle is a great defensive guard who has displayed a recent, though small, sample size of good shooting, both of which are perfect fits around Trae. And with Jalen Johnson and Risacher, they’d have good shooting and a switchable defense. This does leave the Hawks with two undersized bigs in Stewart and Okongwu, while Capela probably wouldn’t remain on the roster for long, but it’s a better overall fit and they can rely on Capela for now and fill in that hole later on. Plus they have 5 other players (Jalen Johnson, Zaccharie Risacher, Dyson…

TL;DR

Bucks get under the second apron to avoid massive penalties down the line and increase their depth Pelicans get a perfect fit at starting center in Brook Lopez, get below tax Pistons get BI to pair with Cade Wizards trade some veterans paired with some bad contracts to bring in Isaiah Stewart- a good young center and great fit next to Sarr and the rest of the core rebuild

The Bucks Perspective

This is pretty straight-forward. The Bucks need to make some move at the trade deadline to get under the second apron to avoid massive penalties down the line. This trade moves a great player in Brook Lopez who is likely nearing the end of his peak performance and will be a free agent next offseason for Jonas Valanciunas, a younger center who fits the timeline of the Bucks' stars and is on a good multi-year contract and they also add some depth.

The Pelicans Perspective

The Pels have to trade BI and get a solid starting center. In this trade, they accomplish both these goals as well a…

The Pistons are more interested in winning games now and Walker Kessler is the better overall center right now and provides rim defense that the Pistons don't have with Duren or any other players. Meanwhile, the Jazz are never looking to be bad necessarily but certainly aren't winning anything rn and are in a more asset acquisition phase. With this trade, they get a good young player, but one who doesn't contribute hugely to winning just yet. However, I think most people believe he has the higher overall ceiling as a player than Kessler, so they can give him time to develop his skills defensively.

Lmk if y'all agree with this assessment….

Probably not the first person to suggest this trade. Solid trade deadline move, gets Pels under the tax with two quality bigs, gives Jazz somebody to build around with Lauri or a potential high value trade asset down the line, especially if they sign him to a descending contract….

Now, I have no faith in Ben Simmons ever being a quality starter again, but the Nets haven't shown much signs of wanting to rebuild, so this is a really cheap way for them to get an All-Star player. And if Ben Simmons shows the ability to stay healthy and be even 50% of what he used to be, then the Nets could build a team of long switchable players between him, BI, Cam Johnson, DFS, and Claxton. They could put themselves right back into contention as a landing place for any disgruntled stars looking for a new home….

Why the Pelicans do this trade: This is not a ton of overall value for the Pels, but they get a solid shooting big man to put next to Zion and increase their guard rotation. They also fall below the tax.

Why the Raptors do this trade: This is a very low price for an All-Star caliber player. Brandon Ingram fits the Toronto mold of being a long, switchable defender and he boosts the offense and shooting. Also, BI fits their timeline. With this trade, the Raptors starting lineup of Quickley, Barrett, Barnes, Ingram, Poeltl would all be 23-28 years old, all near the beginning of their prime years.

I wouldn't expect this trade to happen until around the trade deadline as I expect the Raptors aren't trying to win much this season and want to get another high draft pick to add to this core group, but BI isn't likely to drastically change their fate for this year….

Someone explain to me why a trade swapping Cole Anthony and Dennis Schroder hasn't happened. It just makes complete sense to me. The Magic get a better defender, better shooter, and better facilitator which are all things the Magic need or value on their roster. Schroder is also a more win-now player who's on an expiring contract so if it doesn't work out, it opens up their books for Franz's big contract extension. He also has chemistry with Franz and Mo Wagner from playing together on the German national team. In return, the Nets get a young guard with some upside and get back some value out of an expiring contract….