The bottom five teams in the NBA all could use some help… clearly. But, luckily for them, I’m here to help them out with NBA trade ideas! Some of these trades will catapult these teams into contention, and some of them are setting up the team for the future. These are the trades that would happen if I was the GM for each team.
5. Detroit Pistons: Trade Away Derrick Rose and Blake Griffin
It’s clear that Blake Griffin’s best days are behind him. His contract is way too expensive for a team that has no chance of winning anytime soon.
The Pistons are in the dreaded situation where they’ve been treading mediocrity for years. Not nearly good enough to win a championship, and not nearly enough young talent to have anyone to build around in the future. Very similar to the Philadelphia 76ers a couple years before they started “The Process”. Needless to say, it will be a while before the Pistons are good again. Detroit needs to blow it up and rebuild. If they wait much longer, Blake Griffin’s trade stock will drop even more. The Pistons need to get as much value as possible from Blake Griffin this off-season.
Derrick Rose has been able to successfully reinvent his game and become a good role player again despite all his injuries. But, aging role players are useless for bad teams like the Pistons. There is no point in keeping Rose on the team for next year just to lose and have him leave in free agency. His scoring ability would be coveted on a contending team struggling to generate points off the bench.
The best thing the Pistons could do this off-season would be to trade every aging player on the team with any trade value whatsoever. It wouldn’t make it fun to watch the Pistons at all over the next five years, but it’s not fun to watch Detroit’s Pis-poor play right now either.
Possible Trade: Derrick Rose to the 76ers for Philadelphia’s 2020 first round pick.
Possible Trade: Blake Griffin and Detroit’s 2022 first round pick to the Warriors for Andrew Wiggins.
4. Atlanta Hawks: Trade for Bradley Beal
The Wizards would like to keep Bradley Beal on their team, and reasonably so. But, I don’t know how much longer Beal is going to tolerate losing. The Wizards have had Beal on their team for multiple years, and have still not been able to build a winning roster around him. If the Wizards continue to lose with John Wall coming back next year, I think that Bradley Beal will request a trade.
Bradley Beal would be a fantastic fit with the Atlanta Hawks. They shoot a lot of three-pointers, at eighth in the league in three-point attempts per game. However, they are dead last in the league in three-point percentage, at just 33 percent. This means that the Hawks like to shoot threes, but they don’t have the personnel to be able to shoot threes effectively. Beal would help, as he is one of the better shooters in the NBA.
Imagine how good a backcourt of Trae Young and Bradley Beal could be. Since Young has come into the league, he hasn’t had a single starting caliber perimeter threat on his team, forcing him to carry the whole load. Beal has had to do the same in Washington ever since John Wall got injured. I think this trade would be greatly appreciated by both Young and Beal.
I doubt a trade like this would ever be allowed by the Wizards if Beal doesn’t request a trade, as he can be a player you can build your team around. But if he does, the Hawks would be really stupid not to send an offer for him. The Hawks have plenty of young assets that they could use to pull off the trade. So, it wouldn’t be all bad for the Wizards.
Potential Trade: Bradley Beal and Shabazz Napier to the Hawks for De’Andre Hunter, Jeff Teague, and Atlanta’s 2020 and 2022 first round picks.
3. Minnesota Timberwolves: Trade for Victor Oladipo
Victor Oladipo and the Indiana Pacers seem really far off with their ideas on how much money he should get. I personally think the Pacers are being morons and that Victor Oladipo deserves way more than $80 million. Anyway, if they can’t decide on a deal, it’s possible that Oladipo will refuse to play for the Pacers.
If it does turn out that Oladipo and the Pacers can’t figure something out, the Timberwolves need to pursue him aggressively. Not only is Victor Oladipo a versatile offensive threat, but he is also one of the best perimeter defenders in the league.
His defense would be extremely valuable to the Timberwolves. The Timberwolves best two players, Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell are both below average defensively. Oladipo would guard the opposing team’s best scorer every game. This would take the load off of the Timberwolves players who specialize in offense.
Plus, maybe the Timberwolves would actually recognize that he is a star player and that he shouldn’t be offered a contract your average starter would get. Stupid Pacers.
Possible Trade: Victor Oladipo to the Timberwolves for Jarrett Culver, James Johnson, and Minnesota’s 2020 first round pick
2. Cleveland Cavaliers: Get the Number One Player on Their Draft Board
As of right now, the Cleveland Cavaliers are not close to being a contending team. However, I think they have enough young players to contend in a couple of years. They just need someone to build around.
The Cavaliers might get lucky and get the first overall pick anyway. And if that’s the case, then obviously a trade wouldn’t be necessary. But, I think it is so important for the Cavaliers to hit on whoever they draft. Their young roster has the potential to be a really good supporting cast for a star player. But they really need a young star player for that to work. They can’t miss in this year’s draft.
I think that James Wiseman would be a good fit for the Cavaliers. They have lots of young guards, but as far as big men, they are really thin. Tristan Thompson will likely be on another team next year, no one knows whether or not Cleveland will keep Andre Drummond on the team, and Kevin Love is only regressing at this point in his career. James Wiseman could come in and immediately make a big impact on the Cavaliers.
Whoever the Cavaliers think has the best chance at being a star in this draft, they need to get. This year’s draft is more important for Cleveland than it is for any other team.
Potential Trade: Well, considering we don’t know who has the first overall pick yet, I’m not sure what you want me to say here. I guess Kevin Love might be at the center of the trade maybe?
1. Golden State Warriors: Trade for Rudy Gobert
I know that the Jazz said that they weren’t trading Gobert or Mitchell. However, if Donovan Mitchell is still sick of Gobert, it’s fun to think of the possibilities.
The Warriors would have a pretty sick starting five if they were able to bring in Rudy Gobert. The offensive firepower they have with Curry and Klay matched up with Gobert’s sick defense would be tough to stop. This group would make fans sick of seeing the Warriors win.
I bet you’re getting sick of my puns right now.
Alright, I’m done.
For real though, the Warriors with Rudy Gobert would be a really good team. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson still make up the best backcourt in the league, and Draymond Green can still play, despite what the media tells you. The Warriors would be near the top of the league in both offense and defense with Gobert. They would have an elite perimeter defender in Klay, the best interior defender in the NBA with Gobert, and a five-position defender in Draymond. How many teams can say that? And everyone knows how dangerous the splash bros are offensively.
A trade for Rudy Gobert would immediately make the Warriors contenders again, and with all their star players around 30 years old, they’ve got no time to waste.
Potential Trade: Rudy Gobert and Utah’s 2021 first-round pick to the Warriors for Golden State’s 2020 first-round pick. (Salary cap problems would have to be figured out first.)
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4 Comments
Wow! Who is this kid? We KNOW this kid, Great job, Bradley!! ?
1st round pick for Derrick Rose? That is a high price to pay for an aging bench player – But the Sixers do need to strengthen their bench.
Honestly, I think the Sixers would do that in a heartbeat. They want to win now, so they get someone who they already know can score the ball, rather than take a flyer on a late first round pick.
Proud of you, Bradley!