It's the NBA offseason, which also means fake trade season. Let's grade a juicy slate of blockbuster proposals.
We have arrived at the uncomfortable portion of the NBA offseason when nothing much is happening. Free agency is all but over, the trade chatter has slowed to a maddening crawl, and training camp is still weeks away.
Thankfully, Zach Buckley and Bleacher Report blessed this fine Saturday with a slate of fake trades to keep the blood pumping. Accurately titled 'Five Trade Ideas to Blow Up the 2023-24 Season,' Buckley has sent several of the NBA's biggest stars packing.
Today, we will focus on three names dominating the NBA rumor mill — Zion Williamson, Damian Lillard, and Joel Embiid.
NBA Rumors: Pistons strive to contend with Zion Williamson trade
Zion Williamson's reputation has never been worse. The former No. 1 pick missed all but 29 games last season and the summer has done him no favors, with more noise than ever about New Orleans potentially considering trades for the beleaguered All-Star. On top of the perpetual hand-wringing about his conditioning, there are now genuine concerns about how deeply Zion wants to be in New Orleans and, conversely, how deeply the Pelicans want him around.
New Orleans balked on potential Zion trades ahead of the NBA Draft and it appears he will begin the season in New Orleans. If the season goes sideways, however, it wouldn't be shocking to see Williamson get moved. Despite the many, many valid doubts about Zion on and off the court, there should be teams lining up around the block to trade for him.
It's not often that 23-year-olds under long-term team control with the talent of a top-15 NBA player become available. When healthy, we have seen Williamson look like the next face of professional basketball. It's fair to wonder if he'll ever stay on the floor enough to deliver on his massive upside, but Williamson is absolutely capable of being the best player on a championship team.
For Detroit, this is highway robbery. Bojan Bogdanovic only has partially guaranteed money for next season and he's 34 years old. Killian Hayes and James Wiseman are compelling theoretical prospects, but neither has proven to be much of anything on a consistent basis in the NBA. The Pistons are essentially trading two first-round picks and a bunch of question marks for a potential top-20 player. It doesn't matter how slim the "potential" may be, that's a trade any smart franchise makes.
The Pelicans come away from this trade with two more first-round picks. New Orleans already has the biggest cache of draft capital outside of OKC and there's no way David Griffin can use all those picks. So, it's trade ammo to maybe get a player who can one day approximate Zion's value. Bogdanovic doesn't fit the timeline of Brandon Ingram, Trey Murphy and New Orleans' other core pieces. Depth is not an issue for the Pels; Wiseman is of questionable utility and Hayes would be buried under a mountain of guard talent. New Orleans should avoid this move like the plague.
Pistons Grade: A
Pelicans Grade: D
NBA Rumors: Jazz shock the world with Damian Lillard trade
The Miami Heat are Damian Lillard's preferred destination but recent events have made the possibility of Lillard landing elsewhere more likely than ever. That said, it would take an offer of substance to beat the Heat's best offer. This does not cross that (not particularly high) bar.
There is unavoidable risk in trading for a 33-year-old Lillard with four years and over $200 million left on his deal. Lillard's injury history is well-documented and the Jazz run the risk of acquiring a less-than-happy camper, as Lillard's dreams of #HeatCulture and sunny south beach shorelines aren't really fulfilled by a move to Salt Lake City.
Even so, the Jazz should have to give up far more than this. The Blazers are stacked with guard talent. Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and Anfernee Simons are all long-term NBA starters. Collin Sexton and Keyonte George are both varying degrees of interesting, but there's no room in Portland. Neither beats Tyler Herro head-to-head, and the main hangup with Miami trade proposals has been Portland's stark lack of interest in Herro.
Kelly Olynyk is a very skilled big who would probably start in Portland, but he's 32 years old and he doesn't fit the rebuilding timeline. Portland could flip him for another first-round pick down the line, but the Heat can offer more than two first-round picks (plus pick swaps) up front. Talen Horton-Tucker is a bucket, but he's a weak defender with troubling efficiency metrics.
As a foundation to build upon, sure — Utah can afford to add more picks to this package after the Mitchell and Gobert trades. Lillard is a bonafide superstar and the Jazz would have an immediate contender with him, Lauri Markkanen, and Walker Kessler under the guidance of offensive mastermind Will Hardy. Portland, however, has to have higher standards for a Lillard trade that will determine the next decade of Blazers basketball.
Jazz Grade: A
Blazers Grade: D+
NBA Rumors: Knicks swing blockbuster of decade for Joel Embiid
Now we're talking. Joel Embiid left the door open to criticism with another disappointing postseason, but injuries continue to get in his way. It's hard to objectively evaluate a player's performance on the big stage when he's never operating at 100 percent. That said, the Sixers are once again marred in turmoil and facing a star point guard's trade request. Embiid's days with the franchise could be numbered.
The Knicks have been the team most frequently linked to Embiid in hypotheticals. New York has been carefully stockpiling draft assets and saving its ammo for the right target. The reigning MVP would certainly qualify as the "right" target. He would immediately elevate the Knicks from a mid-tier playoff team to potential favorites in the East.
New York is blessed with the deepest roster of any Eastern Conference contender. This trade would send out four rotation-level pieces — four potential starters for Philly — and four first-round picks. Even then, the Knicks would have enough depth to field a contender and enough draft capital to potentially swing another trade or two down the line.
This is the price point for NBA superstars right now. Kevin Durant required a similar haul from Phoenix and the Jazz raked in an absurd volume of assets for Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert last summer. If anything, the Knicks might need to give up more — or at least four better picks — to get Daryl Morey's attention. The Sixers are notoriously stingy negotiators and any future Embiid trade request will only amplify Morey's most annoying qualities in trade calls. Philly won't fork him over for cheap.
The Knicks get, at worst, one of the six or seven best players in the NBA in his prime, with multiple years left on his deal. The Sixers get plenty of young talent. Mitchell Robinson is Embiid's replacement at center, Immanuel Quickley is a tremendous long-term complement to Tyrese Maxey in the backcourt (and they're former Kentucky teammates). Quentin Grimes can start. R.J. Barrett, too. It's a massive haul for a massive talent, and really the starting point for negotiations if an Embiid trade demand ever comes to fruition.
Knicks Grade: A-
Sixers Grade: B+