The 2020 NBA offseason will be unique for myriad reasons, and a hyperactive trade market might be one of them.
The transformable powers of the loose will will be severely limited. The roof area is a premium for almost everyone and, anyway, there are many points of difference in the market.
For clubs eyeing a substantial change—a description that fits most lottery teams—the trade market might be the best place to make that happen. While trade machines have long been working full tilt, we’re adding five more surprising swap ideas to the conversation.
The Golden State Warriors receive: James Johnson and 2020 second-round pick
Minnesota Timberwolves receive: 2022 second-round pick (protected by 31-55)
There was a time when Johnson’s two-way versatility might’ve attracted the Dubs, but those days are behind the 33-year-old. He hasn’t had even an average player efficiency rating the past two seasons, and unless he’s on the Benjamin Button plan for anti-aging, his decline will only worsen.
With the Timberwolves franchise on sale, you don’t need to end Johnson’s $16 million player option for the upcoming season. Also, Golden State neither, but in this case, cash is just one way to succeed in an ending.
The Warriors still have an industry exception of $17.2 million from andre Iguodala’s deal last summer. It’s your price ticket to expand the list with a win addition now, and that’s enough to attract players like Rudy Gay, Evan Fournier or Kelly Olynyk. But because the exception can’t be filled with a player, it’s not enough to meet the Dream Goals of the Dubs: Aaron Gordon or Myles Turner.
With a little creativity, Golden State can do it. By converting the exception to Johnson (and a second-round first-round bonus player), warriors can use their salary in the margin needed to expel Gordon or Turner. The first gives defensive versatility and an explosive finish to the basket. The latter adds a chimney block without sacrificing space.
Although the Warriors have advertising assets (i.e. the number 2 selection in this draft and the first 3 players of the Timberwolves in 2021), they will have to be related to a giant salary to increase their purchasing power. Johnson’s pact may be the best way to eliminate that itching.
The New York Knicks receive: Malik Monk, choose No. 3, 2020
Charlotte Hornets receives: Mitchell Robinson, Reggie Bullock and chooses No. 8 2020
As usual, the Knicks were hit with their guts in the lottery. Not only did they fail to climb the ladder, but they slipped from sixth to eighth place. This reverts his fortune, at the expense of Robinson, who is laden with profits but averaged 24 minutes in one of his first two NBA seasons.
This deal wouldn’t go down until draft night, because it’s contingent on LaMelo Ball getting past the first two picks (as he does in the latest mock from B/R’s Jonathan Wasserman). The 6’7″ point guard caught the eye of the Empire State, and the interest may be mutual.
“Many groups think that That Ball and those around it prefer to land in New York,” said Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
Ball is a risk-reward prospect, but he may be the most productive player in this project. He’s a supernatural smuggler, and his speed-boosting aggression can give this young team an identity. He wants to paint with his shot, his variety of shots and his defensive engine (if anyone can keep him on a system, maybe it’s Tom Thibodeau), but those can theoretically train. If Ball attacks, he’ll be a star of fame.
It is possible that the Hornets, which already have Devonte ‘ Graham and Terry Rozier in the back area, simply do not play in the young guard, especially if that means adding a big guy and retaining a selection of the top 10.
Robinson can turn the advantage zone (14.0 race points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.6 locks each and every 36 minutes) into a two-way force over the edge. The Hornets have only one half-bass contract for next season, and that’s the decidedly average Cody Zeller (16.0 race power score; the World Cups got rid of Robinson’s 22.8 mark). Election 8 can satisfy Charlotte’s desire to have an effect on the wing with Devin Vassell or Isaac Okoro.
Atlanta Hawks host: Victor Oladipo
Indiana Pacers receives: Dewayne Dedmon, Kevin Huerter, Cam Reddish and Pick 6 2020
Head coach Nate McMillan’s firing may be just the tip of the iceberg for a off-season review in Circle City. With Mike D’Antoni supposedly on the radar, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, a possible pass to the small ball can, however, break the Myles Turner-Domantas Sabonis advantage zone. In addition, Victor Oladipo arrives in the last year of his contract and does not have a monetary explanation why to make it bigger.
“I bet they’re exchanging it,” said a former Oladipo Eastern Conference executive, through Eric Pincus of B/R.
If Oladipo hits the trade market, Atlanta should be ready with an aggressive bid. The Hawks think their young nucleus is ready for its first playoff flight, and the same win-now mindset that drew them to Clint Capela at the trade deadline could now put Oladipo in the crosshairs.
If you maintain your old All-Star shape, it may be the best add-on in the back area of Trae Young. Oladipo is a disruptive defender (15th maximum stolen since 2013-14, tenth maximum of defensive victories between escorts during this period), author of blows (for him and his teammates) and a competent marksman (race 35.0% of three). You can thrive with Young and avoid the traps this offense suffered when he took his seat.
As Pincus noted, Atlanta also has the cap space needed to potentially put an extension in play for Oladipo. If the cap stays at $109.1 million, the Hawks could renegotiate his 2020-21 salary to $32.7 million and then extend him two additional seasons for about $70 million.
Philadelphia 76ers receive: Clint Capela, Kevin Huerter, De’Andre Hunter, 2020 No. 6 pick out and 2022 first-round pick out (first 3 protected)
To be clear, this goes absolutely against the direction that Sixers general manager Elton Brand has said he should take.
“I’m not looking for industry Ben [Simmons] or Joel,” Brand told reporters. “I’m going to complete them better.”
Brand might feel this sincerely, however, he may soon realize that this list is irreparable. It’s simple to say that the Sixers deserve to remain Simmons and Embiid in combination and simply fix the cast around them. It’s much more complicated to highlight those improvements. Tobias Harris and Al Horford are on the verge of their colossal contracts. Josh Richardson may have modest advertising value, but it doesn’t make a difference.
The Sixers would probably have to sacrifice a star to save themselves. This is the only way for them to fill the closets, what this deal does. Capela is the athletic runner Simmons wants with him, as either can also hurt in transition and pick-and-roll. Huerter enters the role of sniper that J.J. Redick used to play. Hunter adds some other three-and-two option. Options lead customers upwards or facilitate other trade.
The Hawks, on the other hand, would possibly place the most productive accelerator on the market. Embiid is the Hakeem Olajuwon of that era, a 7-foot dream with elite paint coverage and enough outdoor shooting to keep defenses honest. Put Embiid with Young, and the Atlanta attack will have a skyscraper roof. Put John Collins by his side, and that roof will jump a few more stories.
Simmons gets his own list of athletes in the open field, and Embiid discovers an offensive co-star who has the gravitational pull to keep defenders away. The Sixers and the Hawks can win.
Chicago Bulls receive: Chris Paul, Pick No. 25 2020 (deN OKC) and Pick No. 51 2020 (from UTA GSW)
The Golden State Warriors receive: Thaddeus Young, Tomas Satoransky and Mike Muscala
Oklahoma City Thunder hosts Zach LaVine and Andrew Wiggins
Is the Thunder excited to pay Paul, 35, $41.4 million for next season and cover his $44.2 million player option for 2021-22? Are the Warriors happy to spend $94.7 million on Wiggins over the next three seasons? Will Chicago’s new decision makers pay LaVine, Young and Satoransky $43 million combined next season?
The Bulls get the floor, their 29th offense desperately needs. It’s a risk, given Paul’s age, but if his structure stands, that’s how Chicago turns playoff dreams into reality. Coby White has the best mentor in Paul, with whom he already has a deep bond. Paul links the issues to this list and is helping to identify Lauri Markkanen’s convenience zone, and to assume monetary risk, the franchise adds two possible options in the process.
The Dubs would probably have had bigger plans for Wiggins’ contract, but if Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green still form a championship core, that club might want more intensity than star. You’ll be lucky if a handful of players on last season’s list can make a significant contribution to next season’s championship quest. Young, Satoransky and Muscala (who would like to exercise their $2.3 million player option) can locate a niche, and the Dubs still have their own collection of possible options to search if they wish.
The Thunder may be the hardest to sell, as they arguably leave the player in this business and sacrifice the only first-round selection. But this makes OKC younger and more explosive without leading the small market team to a general dismantling.
LaVine and Wiggins are 25 years old and are necessarily in the same timeline as the Thunder’s 22-year-old centerpiece, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. LaVine can help take the scoring rate without mastering basketball, and Wiggins ticks all the physical boxes general manager Sam Presti looks for in a wing. The Thunder can stay in the race for the playoffs and increase their long-term limit here.
All stats are provided through NBA.com and Basketball Reference, unless otherwise noted.
Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @ZachBuckleyNBA.