Today is January 15 and as you know, in less than a month, it’s the NBA Trade Deadline. And who says NBA Trade Deadline says NBA Trade Machine. That’s good, the TrashTalk editorial staff spent their day on it to set up the trades they would like to see by February 10. Let’s go!
Giovanni: Damian Lillard transferred to the Knicks!
So much for putting a big blow in the anthill? Might as well go with momentum. Take a floundering franchise, the Blazers, and a leader who’s starting to find the time long, Damian Lillard. Take another franchise that has been disappointing for a few weeks, the Knicks, but which remains a corner of the globe quite popular with guys who like to look at their navel. Be careful, eh, we don’t say that Lady is the type… anyway. The Knicks are looking for a point guard and while we’re going to hit the best available, we’re putting Ben McLemore in the package because he’s so Knicks and he’s going to be the third best player on the team, we Tony Snell also adds to him because you always need a guy who is useless in the lot, and opposite we send… everything we can, because Lillard is still not a SMICard. Sorry Evan Fournier, not so Kemba, Taj Gibson leaves to explain to Jusuf Nurkic what professionalism is, Quentin Grimes serves as a youth guarantee that will never take off and the duo Damyean Dotson / Solomon Hill because you always need guys who… we understood. 2/4000 on the scale of feasibility but this trade was imagined by a guy who slept ten hours for a week so a little indulgence thank you.
Ben: Ben Simmons traded to the Warriors!
Even if Daryl Morey seems resigned to wait until the summer, we are never safe from a madness in the last minutes of the trade deadline. Not only do I want to see Ben Simmons distribute his magic passes and defend the lead in a new team to prove that we quickly forgot what he was capable of, but I also want to see prime Joel Embiid better surrounded in the Playoffs . For this, a trade with the Warriors would redistribute the cards a little with an Andrew Wiggins – James Wiseman package sent to Philadelphia and the formation of a death line-up in SF with Steph, Klay, Jordan Poole, Draymond Green and Ben Simmons. The rumor has been around since the Canadian winger was traded to California and given his current form and potential 2020 Draft 2nd pick, it could be a win-win trade.
Nicolas: Myles Turner at the Hornets!
Myles Turner will be among the names to watch in the coming weeks, as the Pacers seem determined to let go before the Trade Deadline. And if there is a spot where the pivot could flourish a little more than in Indiana while filling a big gap, it’s in Charlotte. The Hornets, it’s exciting, there’s plenty of highlights, but when it comes to defending it’s a bit of a waste. Bring in Myles Turner, the NBA’s top circle protector. We have nothing against Mason Plumlee eh but with an interior presence like Turner, we think that the band at LaMelo Ball could take an additional step in the East, she who already has the necessary talent on the outside. Turner to secure the racquet, while making an offensive contribution with in particular his qualities as a shooter, frankly it would be pretty cool to observe. In return ? We know that the Pacers like the profile of PJ Washington, a promising and versatile young player who can render many services. We add Plumlee in the lot to make the salaries stick, and maybe the draft choice if the Pacers ask for it, and hop it’s validated.
Alexander: Myles Turner at the Lakers!
The Lakers need to do a lot better but their room for maneuver is limited since nobody wants Russell Westbrook. So I thought about who could have the right profile to strengthen this team without going into fantasy (Lillard, Beal etc). In the end, I bet on Myles Turner, a pivot who can help lock the racquet alongside Anthony Davis. Offensively, Myles is not a monster but his ability to get away from the circle (35% of career parking) will offer a little spacing to a starting five that is sorely lacking. In this scenario, Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn, a veteran (it doesn’t matter which one) and a first-round draft pick would go to the Indiana side. Not sure that’s enough to bait the Pacers at the moment T but if they decide to clean up a bit as rumors say, the addition of a young talent like THT and a first pick will not be useless for start a new cycle.
Arthur: Ben Simmons is off to…Chicago!
What if no one saw that one coming? A Ben Simmons who takes the keys to creation in Chicago, with Matisse Thybulle also in the package. For some, Philly is completely blown up. For others, Philly is completely inflated. But when we look a little at the silhouettes sent to Pennsylvania, the Lonzo Ball – Alex Caruso – Derrick Jones Jr. triplet could perfectly complement the Tobias Harris – Joel Embiid racquet. You take the role players who made the success of Chicago in this first part of the season – in particular by a strong defensive involvement – and you put them next to Tobi, just to encourage the position 4 of Philly in its quest for success. Behind ? There are still Danny Green, Tyrese Maxey, Coby White, Seth Curry, Furkan Korkmaz and Andre Drummond, a bunch of little blazes that feed the reflection around the possible five major, and a simply XXL bench. Come on, one starting five Lonzo Ball, Seth Curry, Derrick Jones Jr., Tobias Harris et Joel Embiid ?
Clément: Ben Simmons and De’Aaron Fox released and above all delivered!
Since Ben Simmons has been pissed off at the Sixers and still wants to escape this quagmire, it’s time to give him the “you’re free from jail” card he deserves. And for that, who else than the Kings to mediate, especially when we know that De’Aaron Fox is also cited in many trade rumors? Nobody, actually. We could well have a win-win trade here: the Fox would go to Philly to steal the keys to the car from Tyrese Maxey and make all these beautiful people run, Buddy Hield would leave with him to finally realize his dream of getting out of the Kings and continue to swing his shots from afar, come rain or shine, and Marvin Bagley, third of the name, will also be there to try to breathe new life into a career yet so young, and would come at the same time seal the failure of Vlade Divac on this Draft 2018, only remains to wish that the daron of MBIII does not tangle too closely with Joel Embiid. While Ben Simmons would join Sacramento to evolve there in a register “à la Draymond Green” while being able to debrief his love affairs within the Kardashian family with Tristan Thompson, Tyrese Haliburton will therefore be the new conductor, and Tobias Harris will bring every evening his huge contract and his share of statistics and his serious side to this squad which is sorely lacking. The Kings seem to be losing spacing, which does not seem logical in their case, but it is precisely because we are talking about the Kings that this trade seems possible.
Remy: Jerami Grant at the Blazers!
That’s it Portland, time to bust a big trade. The Blazers season is already dead and there is the opportunity to nab (finally) a forward of a suitable level. He will fill so many holes in Portland. Already in defense where the Blazers are cataclysmic, Jerami Grant will be able to step-up them. Well… The Pistons are very nice, but Jerami, don’t you want to aim a little higher? You already have a nice contract so you might as well put it to good use in a somewhat competitive team. ‘Competitive end… Not for this season anyway, but integrating him into the roster now would allow him to acclimatize for the 2022-23 season. You will probably have to drop Robert Covington and Jusuf Nurkic more than the draft pick but given their performance, Portland can largely drop that against a Jerami Grant who still has a future ahead of him. Being a team’s third option is the perfect role for Grant, alongside Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum (if he isn’t traded by then), it could finally turn the franchise around. Oregon.
Loïc: Ben Simmons at the Blazers, Damian Lillard at the Sixers!
Rebuilding his franchise on a pair of supra-athletic Sim(m)ons is certainly one of the best solutions available to the Blazers. So why not make a huge trade and spell the death knell for the Lillard-McCollum pair for good by sending the two to Philadelphia. In exchange they would receive the Australian Ben and his pal Tobias Harris – a good shitty contract that the Blazers will try to trade at the first opportunity but have to balance the deal well… To make the Tobias pill go over 35 million a season, we embellish the package with a nice round of draft, the young Tyrese Maxey and a second Australian: Matisse Thybulle. Youth and defense, in addition to a complete player and three-time All-Star, around an Anfernee Simons who is currently exploding in the eyes of the NBA, making sure not to win too many games this year to draft high during the summer, and you get a good cocktail to quickly rebuild something solid on the side of Portland. For the Sixers, this explosion of the roster would be a legitimate risk-taking if they really claim the title since they would add an absolutely monstrous added value of talent. And then WOW! In terms of fantasy, we’re pretty good: the Lillard – Embiid pair that expresses itself on a parquet floor, on a crazy scale, we’re not far from the maximum.
And you, what transfer would you dream of? It’s time to put on your GM costume, fire up the Trade Machine, and get creative.
