Three More Trades That Should Finish Out This Crazy NBA Off-Season
Boston: Bradley Beal
Washington: Jaylen Brown, Brandon Knight, Romeo Langford, & 2020 Memphis Pick.
Cleveland: Marcus Smart
The Wizards are in a tough spot as a franchise. They have Bradley Beal, a bunch of g-league players, and the corps of John Wall. With the team not in contention for anything, it’s time to move on from Beal. Boston still has plenty of assets to get a guy like Beal. In this trade, Boston adds another perennial All-Star next to Kemba Walker, Gordon Hayward, and good friend Jayson Tatum. The Wizards get a rising star in Jaylen Brown, a lottery pick in Romeo Langford, Brandon Knight’s expiring contract, and that Memphis pick. If the ping pong balls land right, that could be huge. As for the Cavs, they get a veteran leader in Marcus Smart to mentor Colin Sexton and Darius Garland. If Boston gets Beal, they have a real chance to get to the Finals.
Portland: Kevin Love
Cleveland: Zach Collins, Kent Bazemore, Nassir Little, & 2020 POR pick
Another trade involving the Cavs, Kevin Love is a valuable commodity for contending teams. Portland makes a lot of sense here. After coming off of a conference finals appearance, the Blazers’ next step is to get to the Finals. Adding Love next to Dame and CJ gives Portland a legit big 3 and a stretch 4 next to Jusuf Nurkic (once he comes back). As for Cleveland, they continue the long rebuild. Collins and Little are two solid prospects and Bazemore’s expiring contract helps Cleveland move on from Love’s huge deal.
Miami: Chris Paul, Steven Adams, 2021 & 2023 MIA 1st Round
Oklahoma City: Justice Winslow, Goran Dragic, Kelly Olynyk, & James Johnson
Similar to the Cavs, the Thunder are in full teardown mode. Now that they have Chris Paul, the goal will be to move him immediately. The only issue is, he’s owed $120 million dollars over the next 3 years. Yikes. As we know, Miami seems like the only legit destination as they are way over the cap and can’t sign max free agents. In this trade, the Heat get Paul and Steven Adams (who’s only 25) to pair up with Jimmy Butler to become a legit playoff team in the East.
By taking on Paul’s contract, the Heat also get their two picks back from Thunder as well. As for OKC, they get Justice Winslow to add to their young core. They also get Goran Dragic who can serve as a mentor to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or become a trade chip with his $19 million expiring contract. The rebuild officially begins for OKC and they’re off to a good start.
