Hedda Gambler
Well-Known Member
I`ve been thinking about some trade ideas for the off-season to get my mind off this terrible season. I am all in on the tank, but look forward to having a good team to cheer for again.
The proposed trades are ambitious as I`m aiming for upside. They are very likely unrealistic and probably either silly or downright insane.
Trade 1 - Get another very good pick in this years draft
Utah in/New Orleans out: Dejounte Murray, 2025 1st round pick from New Orleans
New Orleans in/Utah out: John Collins, Keyonte George, 2025 #1 pick from Minnesota
Dejounte Murray is out for most of next season. If the Pelicans want to compete next year, they have to improve. In this trade, we give them a good vet, a promising player and take the dead salary of Murray off their hands. The Pelicans gain a lot of flexibility with both Collins` and CJ`s contacts being expiring next year, The price for this is a big as it involves them giving up their first round pick this year. For the purpose of this trade, we assume that they get #4 in the lottery and that the Wolves pick is #20.
The Jazz get two top picks this year, remove a solid vet from the rotation and make sure that we will not be the team to overpay KG on his next deal. Murray sits for most of next year and we commit to playing all the young guys along with Markkanen and Kessler. If Murray comes back in good shape for the 2026-2027 season, we play him and see how he fits. If he is done, we sit him and treat him as salary filler for the 27-28 season when he is an expiring contract.
Murray`s cap hit over the next three years is $31,5, $33,6 and $31,6 million. His salary is "only" $26,8, $28,8 and $30,8 million as his trade kicker was activated when he was traded fron Atlanta. The Hawks paid out $12 million to him in the trade, but that money is added on to his cap sheet. I am not sure if he gets another trade bonus if he is traded again, but the Pelicans as the trading team will be the one who pays that money. His salary will be the same for us, but the cap hit will be even bigger.
Trade 2 - Help The Suns remain competetive
Suns out: Kevin Durant
Suns in: Lauri Markkanen
Rockets in: Kevin Durant
Rockets out: Fred VanVleet, 2029 1st round draft pick, best of their own, Dallas` and Phoenix`
Utah out: Lauri Markkanen
Utah in: Fred VanVleet, 2029 First Round Pick
The Suns grant Durant`s wish to go to a contending team. They get Markkanen as a replacement to ensure that they stay competitive. We want the Suns to be decent in the next 3-4 years so that they don`t trade Booker to get their picks pack. In 2031, both Booker and Markkanen will be well into their 30s and chances are they will be pretty bad. As we own their 2031 pick, this is good for us.
The Rockets take a gamble on Reed Shepperd being ready to replace FVV and that Durant will be enough of an addition to make them contenders. Durant`s salary fits nicely into their cap situation as he expires next year. If he likes it there and is willing to take less than the max, they can be really good for a couple of years.
The Jazz get FVV, who will be on the trade block immediately. We let Markkanen go to ensure that Collin Sexton will be the only proven vet on the team. The return is "only" one first round draft pick in addition to whatever we may get for trading FVV, but that pick can be really good.
Trade 3 - Gamble on the roulette wheel hitting zero
Jazz In/Nuggets out: Zeke Nnaji, first round pick swap rights in 2027 and/or 2029, protected from #6 to #30
Jazz out/Nuggets in: Minimum allowable cash considerations
The Nuggets first round picks in 2027 and 2029 are owed to OKC in form of swap rights that are procted in the 1-5 range both years. If the picks are between 1-5 any of these years, Denver retains their pick. The odds of the Denver Nuggets getting a top five picks in 2027 and/or 2029 are very small. Jokic would have to be done for basically the whole year and a lot other stuff must happen like it did with the Pelicans this year. With this trade, we make a huge financial gamble in taking on the salary of Zeke Nnaji for the rights to swap any of our available picks in 2027 and 2029 with the Nuggets` top five draft pick.
The proposed trades are ambitious as I`m aiming for upside. They are very likely unrealistic and probably either silly or downright insane.
Trade 1 - Get another very good pick in this years draft
Utah in/New Orleans out: Dejounte Murray, 2025 1st round pick from New Orleans
New Orleans in/Utah out: John Collins, Keyonte George, 2025 #1 pick from Minnesota
Dejounte Murray is out for most of next season. If the Pelicans want to compete next year, they have to improve. In this trade, we give them a good vet, a promising player and take the dead salary of Murray off their hands. The Pelicans gain a lot of flexibility with both Collins` and CJ`s contacts being expiring next year, The price for this is a big as it involves them giving up their first round pick this year. For the purpose of this trade, we assume that they get #4 in the lottery and that the Wolves pick is #20.
The Jazz get two top picks this year, remove a solid vet from the rotation and make sure that we will not be the team to overpay KG on his next deal. Murray sits for most of next year and we commit to playing all the young guys along with Markkanen and Kessler. If Murray comes back in good shape for the 2026-2027 season, we play him and see how he fits. If he is done, we sit him and treat him as salary filler for the 27-28 season when he is an expiring contract.
Murray`s cap hit over the next three years is $31,5, $33,6 and $31,6 million. His salary is "only" $26,8, $28,8 and $30,8 million as his trade kicker was activated when he was traded fron Atlanta. The Hawks paid out $12 million to him in the trade, but that money is added on to his cap sheet. I am not sure if he gets another trade bonus if he is traded again, but the Pelicans as the trading team will be the one who pays that money. His salary will be the same for us, but the cap hit will be even bigger.
Trade 2 - Help The Suns remain competetive
Suns out: Kevin Durant
Suns in: Lauri Markkanen
Rockets in: Kevin Durant
Rockets out: Fred VanVleet, 2029 1st round draft pick, best of their own, Dallas` and Phoenix`
Utah out: Lauri Markkanen
Utah in: Fred VanVleet, 2029 First Round Pick
The Suns grant Durant`s wish to go to a contending team. They get Markkanen as a replacement to ensure that they stay competitive. We want the Suns to be decent in the next 3-4 years so that they don`t trade Booker to get their picks pack. In 2031, both Booker and Markkanen will be well into their 30s and chances are they will be pretty bad. As we own their 2031 pick, this is good for us.
The Rockets take a gamble on Reed Shepperd being ready to replace FVV and that Durant will be enough of an addition to make them contenders. Durant`s salary fits nicely into their cap situation as he expires next year. If he likes it there and is willing to take less than the max, they can be really good for a couple of years.
The Jazz get FVV, who will be on the trade block immediately. We let Markkanen go to ensure that Collin Sexton will be the only proven vet on the team. The return is "only" one first round draft pick in addition to whatever we may get for trading FVV, but that pick can be really good.
Trade 3 - Gamble on the roulette wheel hitting zero
Jazz In/Nuggets out: Zeke Nnaji, first round pick swap rights in 2027 and/or 2029, protected from #6 to #30
Jazz out/Nuggets in: Minimum allowable cash considerations
The Nuggets first round picks in 2027 and 2029 are owed to OKC in form of swap rights that are procted in the 1-5 range both years. If the picks are between 1-5 any of these years, Denver retains their pick. The odds of the Denver Nuggets getting a top five picks in 2027 and/or 2029 are very small. Jokic would have to be done for basically the whole year and a lot other stuff must happen like it did with the Pelicans this year. With this trade, we make a huge financial gamble in taking on the salary of Zeke Nnaji for the rights to swap any of our available picks in 2027 and 2029 with the Nuggets` top five draft pick.
