Draft Night Trades We Would Love to See Happen

The world witnessed a historic NBA season in 2015–2016. The Warriors won a record 73 games, Kobe Bryant took the court for the final time, and crying Jordan memes ran rampant across social media. Now that the Finals have wrapped up and the season is over (insert: Jordan meme), it’s time to look toward the future. 

The NBA Draft represents that future. It satiates, if only momentarily, those lasting cravings for basketball, but it also provides fresh faces, surprises, and hope for 2016–2017 and beyond. The next NBA superstar is just an Adam Silver announcement away from joining your favorite team.

The commish’s slow and deliberate approach to the podium and subsequent, “With the first pick of the [insert: year] NBA Draft, the [insert: team] select…” have become staples of the draft. But every now and then, he won’t announce a selection; he’ll proclaim that a trade has been made. Big names, small names, awesome names (like Rakeem Christmas), and the always fun “cash considerations” are up for grabs on draft night, making it must-see television.

In honor of this year’s NBA Draft on June 23, and with help from ESPN’s greatest creation—the Trade Machine—here are the draft night trades we would love to see happen. Not will or should happen, but those we would love to see.

Trade Details: Indiana Pacers trade Paul George and a future second-round pick to the Los Angeles Lakers for D’Angelo Russell, Brandon Bass, Lou Williams, and their 2016 second-overall pick. 

Kobe Bryant’s 60-point final game covers up some of the stink that was the Lakers’ disastrous 65-loss season, but now that the Mamba is finally “out,” the team is left with an unremarkable cast of youth that couldn’t win 20 games.

D’Angelo Russell has shown sparks (as well as one too many Snapchat videos), and so have Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle, but the Lakers need more help in a city that demands success. Brandon Ingram, the likely second overall pick, is a solid addition. You know who’d be an even better addition? Paul George.

PG-13 is the perfect heir to Kobe since he’s such a phenomenal two-way player. He’d make the Lakers playoff contenders again, especially with help from the versatile Julius Randle and plenty of cap flexibility. With a proven player, the Lakers can make a run at top free agents like Al Horford, Hassan Whiteside, or DeMar DeRozan. Hell, maybe even KD would hear them out.

If I’m the Lakers, I’d make this trade in a heartbeat. But if I’m Larry Legend, do I pull the trigger?

It’s difficult to assess Russell since he’s only 20 and has played in one NBA season. His second half was far better than his first, as he ripped off an eight-game stretch in February and March where he averaged over 23 points per game, including a 39-point outburst against the Nets.

Front and center in the Snap-gate scandal, Russell needs a fanbase that can get behind him. He feels he has something to prove next season, and playing for a new team is a step in the right direction.

The Pacers, meanwhile, are caught in purgatory with the nucleus of George, Monta Ellis, and George Hill. Building around Russell, postseason standout Myles Turner, and presumably Brandon Ingram is a great alternative.    

Trade Details: Chicago Bulls trade Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Nikola Pekovic, Zach LaVine, Shabazz Muhammad, and their 2016 fifth-overall pick.

According to ESPN, the Bulls are interested in trading Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves for the fifth-overall pick in this year’s draft. WHAT?? (as a Stone Cold Steve Austin fan would say).

The Timberwolves have a lot going for them: They have the 2015 and 2016 Rookie of the Year winners in Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns; they have Ricky Rubio, whose defense is totally underrated and passing is Steve Nash-esque; and they secured the most prized coach on the market in Tom Thibodeau. The future is bright in the Twin Cities, and adding Jimmy Butler pushes them closer to contender status in the Western Conference.

Why on Earth the Bulls would trade Jimmy Buckets—a two-time All-Star whose ability to score, defend, and carry his team makes him primed to enter superstar stratosphere in the near future—is beyond me. They’d have to be given a five-course steak dinner before executing that deal. The fifth pick and anyone not named Wiggins, Towns, or Rubio are side dishes.

Think about the 2016 draft class. Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram are locks to go at the top, but after that, it’s unclear whose college game will translate to the pros. Can we really trust Buddy Hield or an unknown Dragan Bender to turn into All-Stars? The way Jimmy Butler has?

If the Bulls were sure they could draft Kris Dunn (i.e. potentially the next John Wall) with that fifth pick, the trade might be worth a shot, but apparently the Celtics are swooning over him. There are too many ifs and downsides for the Bulls in this trade scenario.

Still, I can’t think of a cooler starting lineup that features Towns, Butler, Wiggins, and Rubio as the central pieces. 

Trade Details: Los Angeles Clippers trade Blake Griffin, Wesley Johnson, and their 2016 second-round pick (33rd overall) to the Portland Trail Blazers for C.J. McCollum, Al-Farouq Aminu, Noah Vonleh, and their 2017 first-round pick.

The Los Angeles Clippers have quickly become the NBA’s most hated team. You can thank DeAndre Jordan and his infamous “indecision” last summer for that. Or maybe it was Blake Griffin decking an equipment manager and breaking his own hand. Or that scary Austin Rivers scowl. You can thank all the above, probably.

On the court, their playoff struggles are real. Amazingly, the Clippers have yet to reach the Western Conference Finals with their trio of Griffin, Jordan, and CP3. In a small-ball league, the Clips have trouble playing Griffin and Jordan together. They clog the lane, and the Clippers lack the outside scoring threats necessary to attract attention away from their bigs. When Griffin was out this year, the Clippers actually rattled off a nine-game winning streak and remained in contention.

It just hasn’t really clicked in La-La Land. But that doesn’t mean they need to start over. The Clips have a dominant, rim-protecting center and a top-five point guard who play extremely well together.

Trading for C.J. McCollum and Al-Farouq Aminu makes sense because it would allow them to stretch the floor, setting up the constant threat of pick-n-rolls and pick-n-pops with Paul, McCollum, and Jordan. McCollum can flat-out score and would be able to carry much of the load Chris Paul usually has to bear himself. Aminu adds another perimeter threat as well as an elite defender and capable slasher. 

The Blazers make this trade because they receive an All-Star power forward in Blake Griffin who can step into the role abandoned by LaMarcus Aldridge. Griffin brings scoring, passing, rebounding, and a superb ability to finish around the rim. Pair him with the dynamic Dame Lillard (imagine that duo), another elite passing big man in Mason Plumlee, an emerging Allen Crabbe, and a free agent or two (maybe Kent Bazemore and/or Jordan Clarkson), and the Blazers are in business.

Three-Team Trade Details : Carmelo Anthony to the Cleveland Cavaliers; Kevin Love and Iman Shumpert to the Boston Celtics; Avery Bradley, Amir Johnson, Jonas Jerebko, and Boston’s 2016 third-overall pick to the New York Knicks.

Knicks fans are tired of Carmelo Anthony. A Cavs fan created a GoFundMe page called “Pay for Kevin Love to sit Game 6 [and 7].” The Celtics aren’t winning any titles or perhaps even playoff series with the pieces they have now. That’s why a three-team megadeal involving star swapping—and draft picks—needs to happen. 

If the Cavaliers showed us anything in the Finals, it’s that they still don’t know how to use Kevin Love. They stick him in the corner and he gets buried there. Defensively, he can’t defend a screen to save his life. 

The Cavs need a different third to fill out their Big Three. Enter Carmelo Anthony.

Not only is ‘Melo one of LeBron’s best friends, he scores in more ways than Love—off the dribble, off the pass, inside, outside, etc. He’s also a very underrated rebounder and can play defense when he’s not tasked with needing to do everything on offense. With LeBron, Kyrie, ‘Melo, and Tristan Thompson, the Cavs become even tougher to beat. 

For the Celtics, the addition of a perennial All-Star like Kevin Love who can stretch the floor, post up, and rebound immediately makes them better. Shumpert provides Isaiah Thomas and the Celts with a solid two-way player who would help replace Avery Bradley, at least to a degree. They would also potentially have upwards of $30 million in cap space this offseason, and with two All-Stars, they could make a serious run at a third. 

Now we reach my dear old Knicks. It’s time to make basketball in New York relevant again and that starts with building a team through the draft and solid young pieces. In Avery Bradley, the Knicks get one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, and a guy who gets buckets when he has to. He’s not a true point guard, which is why the Knicks would select Kris Dunn with the Celtics’ third pick in the 2016 Draft—a scoring point guard who’s strong, lightening quick, and won Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors. Twice.

That gives the Knicks a backcourt of Kris Dunn and Avery Bradley, and a frontline of Kristaps Porzingis (the new 6 God) and Robin Lopez. Tell me a free agent like Kevin Durant wouldn’t consider New York.

I could probably tell you that myself, but I choose to remain optimistic. 

Three-Team Trade Details: DeMarcus Cousins and Corey Brewer to the Atlanta Hawks; Al Horford, Patrick Beverley, Clint Capela, the Rockets 2016 second round pick (37th overall), and the Rockets 2017 first round draft pick to the Sacramento Kings; Jeff Teague and Tiago Splitter to the Houston Rockets.

DeMarcus Cousins is an All-Star caliber player who just had an MVP caliber season. He averaged 26.9 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, numbers that look very similar to those of Shaquille O’Neal in his prime.

Cousins’ deficiencies have nothing to do with his basketball abilities: He’s immature, he’s down on his teammates, and he’s notorious for having terrible relationships with his coaches. Just ask George Karl.

Boogie is talented, but his bad qualities often outweigh the good, which is why the Kings should consider trading him while his value is still high.

Atlanta is a good destination for Boogie. To make this deal possible, the Hawks would have to sign (likely to a max deal) and trade Al Horford to the Kings and send Jeff Teague and Tiago Splitter to the Rockets. It’s a lot to give up in one trade, but Cousins is a franchise-altering player who, if surrounded by the right mix of players, could turn into an elite big for many years. 

Even without Teague, Horford, and likely Bazemore (a free agent this summer), the Hawks still have a cast of perennial all-stars who’d fit nicely around Cousins. Millsap and Cousins would form a dominant outside, inside scoring 4/5 combo, while Schroeder and Kyle Korver would present a lot of problems on the perimeter.

Houston receives Teague, a playmaker to go alongside James Harden who would give the Rockets an incredibly high-powered offensive backcourt. With Dwight Howard coming off the books, the Rockets have potentially $41 million in cap room this summer and could target free agents like Hassan Whiteside, Joakim Noah, or Harrison Barnes. 

In exchange for Teague, the Rockets must give up two serviceable rotation players in Patrick Beverley and Clint Capela. Although Beverley helped lead Houston to the Western Conference Finals in 2015, he and Capela were significant players in H-town’s disappointing 2016 campaign. It makes sense for Houston to trade those guys and bring in some fresh faces.

Because the Kings are losing a superstar who could become a super-duper star, they need to get a lot in return for Cousins. They’ll receive Beverley, a feisty defender; Capela who’s shown he can be a menace on the glass (Tristan Thompson-style); and Houston’s 2016 second-round pick and 2017 first-round pick. 

Trade Details: Phoenix gets Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson and Chicago gets Eric Bledsoe, T.J. Warren, P.J. Tucker, Phoenix’s 2016 fourth-overall pick.

Phoenix is in a unique situation. Though they entered last season with the expectation that they could possibly compete for a playoff spot (reasonable), the team bottomed out with injuries, finishing with just 23 wins. On one hand, they have legit talent on this roster—two potential All-Star guards, two productive centers with vastly different games, and a swingman who looks like a future stud. But then again, no one is quite sure what direction the Suns have been moving over the past few seasons. 

Bledsoe is the team’s best player. However, his representatives want him out of Phoenix. He’s a 26-year-old stud locked into a fair contract, yet a stud who can’t stay healthy, having missed 91 games in his three years in the desert. If you’re going to deal him, do it now. Rumors persist that the team won’t give him up unless they can secure a player of equal talent who plays another position. But considering the team owns four picks in this draft’s first 34 selections, it’s certainly possible you could package him in an upgrade.

Enter Chicago and Jimmy Butler. The Bulls are heading for a rebuild, and Butler is the type of target who looks immensely better on a contending team. Move him to Phoenix for Bledsoe and, suddenly, the Suns have a starting perimeter that could potentially rival just about anyone else in the league. Brandon Knight, Devin Booker, Jimmy Butler…that could be dangerous. Of course, Chicago would likely also need to deal Derrick Rose somewhere in a separate deal, but I see that as an inevitable turn of events sometime within the next year. 

Chicago could nab T.J. Warren in this deal, a solid young player that could definitely be a part of the team’s rebuild, and would be relegated to fewer minutes anyway with Butler coming over to Phoenix. Tucker has an expiring contract worth $5.5 million.

The Bulls could also send out Taj Gibson, a perfect fit to step into the Phoenix starting lineup and a player who is in a bit of a logjam in the Windy City (opening up a larger role for 21-year-old Bobby Portis).

Lastly, the draft pick exchanged here has to be attractive to Chicago. The No. 4 selection gives the Bulls a shot at any number of talented prospects. Maybe they go for someone to replace Butler on the wing in Jamal Murray or Buddy Hield? Maybe they patch up their frontcourt should Pau Gasol leave by grabbing a player like Marquese Chriss or Dragan Bender? Maybe they swing for the fences with Jaylen Brown? In a draft deep on talent but devoid of star power, jumping ten spots near the top of the first round is a big move. (Plus, they’d now have two lottery picks.)

If you’re looking to start over, it’s hard to beat a return for Butler that includes a potential All-Star (Bledsoe), another solid prospect (Warren), and a top-five draft pick.

As for Phoenix, if they really want to secure an All-Star like Butler, that top pick will likely have to switch hands. The good thing is it’s not like they’re dealing themselves all the way out of the draft, either. After this deal, they’d still own two first-round picks (No. 13 and No. 28), as well as an early second-rounder.