NBA Team Trade: Most rosters seem very much set one month before the start of the 2023–24 season.
But this sensation is frequently brief. In the NBA, players are virtually always on the move, and every club has one or more players who would be more useful in another circumstance.
We will thus locate those circumstances for you.
Each NBA team’s transaction may be found here. There will be some returning teams and players. In order to come to agreements that were fair to each group, that was unavoidable. But don’t worry—even though it takes some time to get there, your preferred team is there.
It should be mentioned that some of these transactions won’t be possible right now. Many of the players described here aren’t available to be transferred until December or January due to the restrictions that come with signing a player this summer. Each individual agreement will provide an explanation of all of that.
A month before the new season, every NBA team makes 1 trade
A month before the new season, every NBA team makes 1 trade. Here are the NBA Teams:
Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks
Clint Capela’s interest in the Dallas Mavericks this summer has been widely known. And it is simple to understand why people desire him.
Given that Luka Doni and Kyrie Irving are two of the finest perimeter creators in the game, an already dangerous offence would become almost impossible to defend if they had a dynamic screen-and-roll partner to force the other team’s defenders into the paint or complete alley-oops.
As a rebounder and rim protector, Capela is more reliable than the centres from the Doni era have been.
With Dereck Lively II, there may have been a waiting time before Dallas could cross off both ends of the floor with this move.
Additionally, it provides the Mavericks Jalen Johnson, an intriguing experiment as a small-ball 4 to support Grant Williams for the time being (and perhaps eventually replace him).
The Atlanta Hawks’ 22-year-old Onyeka Okongwu is prepared to step in right away at position five. Being able to defend the perimeter gives him the chance to be even more dynamic than Capela.
It also helps to have Lively support him. He can advance at a comfortable rate as a reserve rim runner and defender.
Tim Hardaway Jr. is responsible for the win-now aspect of this, though. For a club captained by Trae Young, it may come as a bit of a shock to learn that the Hawks finished last season in the bottom third of the league in both three-point percentage and threes made per game.
Hardaway averaged 3.0 three-pointers and 38.5 percent from distance last year. Atlanta’s offence would improve with one of these marks (or something close to them).
You might also be interested in reading this: NBA Trades That Ought To Have Taken Place This Offseason
Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers
After nearly joining the Los Angeles Clippers in the offseason, Malcolm Brogdon is reportedly furious with the Boston Celtics.
Sending him to Los Angeles might be able to calm those ruffled feathers, after all.
James Harden and the Clippers were connected for most of the offseason, but a deal has obviously not been reached. And even if it never happens, the Clippers still require playmakers.
Yes, Russell Westbrook can assist with that, but Brogdon would be a better match alongside Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
The current Sixth Man of the Year played more like a conventional 1 with the Indiana Pacers, has a 38.8-lifetime three-point percentage, and has plenty of experience yielding to ball-dominant wings like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown.
He would increase Los Angeles’ win-now ceiling more than the three players leaving in this transaction since he is far more adaptable than Westbrook.
Robert Covington, while not being a regular in the Clippers’ rotation last season, might aid Boston in regaining some of the multipositional defence it lost when Grant Williams moved for the Dallas Mavericks.
The Celtics would gain a soon-to-be 27-year-old combo guard in Terance Mann who can provide 70–75 percent of what Brogdon does.
And while Jason Preston is mostly here to match salaries, the 24-year-old wing may also have some latent talent that Boston can use.
A little extra depth at the guard and wing positions makes sense for a club that actually invested heavily at the centre position this summer and is allegedly considering giving Tatum some point guard minutes.
Brooklyn Nets and Portland Trail Blazers
The Deal: Damian Lillard was acquired for Ben Simmons, Cam Thomas, a 2027 first-round selection, a 2029 first-round pick, and a 2030 first-round pick via Phoenix.
The Brooklyn Nets have the resources to make an intriguing offer, even though it might not make much sense for them to get back into the type of predicament from which they recently managed to escape.
Despite being one of the greatest question marks in the NBA right now, Ben Simmons is paid enough to be the salary-matching contract in this deal. The Portland Trail Blazers could try to re-route him to a third club for something else, but it might be vital for the resurrected Blazers to use him as a playmaking 4 or 5 next to Scoot Henderson in order to restore his NBA team trade worth.
With Cam Thomas, Portland would have a guard who can play in the heat of battle like Scoot, Shaedon Sharpe, and Kris Murray. Thomas scored at least 43 points in three straight games the season before he turned 22 (in October). Thomas may play for the Heat and also serve as a guard.
Few teams can surround Lillard with as much three-and-D variety as Brooklyn can. Lillard’s defensive flaws would be greatly concealed by starting lineups that feature any combination of Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Royce O’Neale. Additionally, it would provide him with a large number of catch-and-shoot targets to spray out at when his own scoring chances are thwarted.
Would the Nets immediately become championship contenders if they adopted this approach? Perhaps, but the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks would still do well. Given the volatility brought on by the Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden periods, it is tough to envision Brooklyn offering much more than this.
Charlotte Hornets and Phoenix Suns
In May, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon predicted that “[Deandre] Ayton would be excited about a fresh start with another franchise.” He stated that it was “expected that the Phoenix Suns would aggressively explore the trade market for him this summer.”
Ayton’s potential conversion into some depth for the star-studded team after they acquired Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards seemed inevitable, but it hasn’t occurred just yet.
One of the key points for why we shouldn’t exclude that possibility was given by Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report.
“As of right now, Phoenix can still trade Ayton and take 110 percent of his salary back in return from one or a combination of players,” Swartz wrote. “That will drop to 100 percent next summer, and the Suns won’t be able to trade cash or aggregate contracts.”
Phoenix is strongly motivated to develop many players out of Ayton this season because of clauses in the new CBA, and the Charlotte Hornets should be intrigued.
Charlotte has been in need of a reliable five for years, and while Mark Williams showed some promise last year, we already know that Ayton is a man who is just three years older than LaMelo Ball and is a borderline 20-10 player. Those two have the potential to become one of the league’s top inside-out teams when they work together. The Hornets might contend for a playoff place as early as this season if they are surrounded by a lot of shooters (like Brandon Miller).
In addition to moving a guy who might not want to be there (particularly when he sees all the shots Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal are going to take), this helps Phoenix by adding players to a rotation that is now almost completely made up of players on minimum-wage contracts.
There is not a significant commitment there because Gordon Hayward’s contract is about to expire. And with his background and outside shooting skills, he ought to be content serving as the superstars’ floor spacer and gap filler.
While Ayton was prepared to perform the grunt work for a top-heavy squad, Nick Richards would provide the Suns with a young-ish (he’ll be 26 in November) 5 who would be.
Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers
For the Chicago Bulls, a complete rebuild is long necessary, and that certainly includes dealing with Zach LaVine.
The Philadelphia 76ers are a team that could be able to rationalise taking on LaVine’s payroll even if his contract isn’t up until 2026–27 (when he has a $49 million player option).
In response to an unfulfilled NBA team trade request, James Harden publicly dubbed club president Daryl Morey a liar, making it quite clear that he doesn’t want to be there. Tyrese Maxey would go to the 1 (likely his highest peak), the Harden debate would be resolved, and (even if only somewhat) Joel Embiid, 29, would still have a chance to win a championship.
LaVine’s flaws may have been highlighted by the subpar Bulls, but if he were paired with Embiid, he would be one of the league’s best second choices (or third, depending on Maxey’s progress).
He has averaged 25.5 points and a 55.8 effective field goal percentage over the past four seasons. LaVine’s effectiveness in Philadelphia may increase given the amount of attention Embiid attracts inside.
This provides Chicago with a deal that will expire at least two years sooner than LaVine’s and a first-round selection to help with the rebuild. Additionally, if the Bulls are unable to re-route Harden to a third club or get agreeable contracts for DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic, this might be an excellent opportunity for Harden to boost his own worth before the 2024 NBA free-agent period.
As you may anticipate, Furkan Korkmaz is here to match salaries. He has nonetheless nailed 36.2 percent of his threes over the last four seasons and will be a free agency next summer. He may have the opportunity to sign a new NBA deal as a result of this.
Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers
This week, it was revealed that the Indiana Pacers have begun NBA team trade negotiations for Buddy Hield, which should pique the interest of every league club in need of a shooter.
Hield has averaged 3.6 three-pointers a game while shooting 40.0 percent from outside the arc over the past five years. Additionally, his $19.3 million compensation for 2023–2024 is well above average. That amounts to less than 15% of the wage ceiling for a pivotal floor-spacer.
It’s very obvious that the Cleveland Cavaliers could use that contract and outside shooting after a 4-1 first-round loss to the New York Knicks.
In the series, the Cavaliers only scored 94.2 points, and Jarrett and Evan Mobley’s two-big combination appeared to be uncomfortably crowded.
Long term, Mobley needs to either master the three-point shooting or pair up in the frontcourt with someone who does. Naturally, that is where Myles Turner enters the picture.
Cleveland might maintain the defensive identity that made them one of the league’s best regular-season teams in 2022–23 even if Turner and Mobley’s outside shooting prowess would substantially alter the situation on the other end of the court.
With the possible exception of perimeter defence, a starting five of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Hield, Mobley, and Turner checks almost all the boxes.
So, other than to appease Hield, why would the Indiana Pacers do this?
In the 2030 draught, there is a possibility to advance. That might not seem all that tempting right now, but seven years can bring about a lot of change.
To take the fifth place, Indiana’s Jarrett Allen, 25, jumps ahead two years. He might be deployed in some scenarios since Tyrese Haliburton finds him to be a great pick-and-roll and alley-oop target.
Furthermore, Isaac Okoro is a risk worth taking for a young team in need of wing depth.
Sam Merrill and Ricky Rubio are largely there to make the salary work, although the latter might utilise time with a club farther out of contention as a catapult into a major role. Ricky Rubio is taking a hiatus from professional basketball to address his mental health.
A month before the new season, every NBA team makes 1 trade. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
