Almost every team enters the NBA season with high title aspirations, but only one team ends up coming out on top. Just a single loss in the postseason can alter the trajectory of a franchise and entering this offseason, change across the league are inevitable.
With the 2023 NBA Draft quickly approaching, a draft that is highlighted by a generational talent in Victor Wembanyama, many organizations are already thinking long-term. This draft class has a chance to be extremely special, which is why there will be a lot of discussion between league executives about making deals.
As we have seen with the number of coaches being fired this offseason, time to find success in this league is limited and with balance beginning to take shape leaguewide, there is an eagerness to make championship-level moves. We could very much be in store for an offseason involving numerous key talents and stars being on the move and it may all start with this year's draft on June 22.
Here are a few trade scenarios that could begin taking shape over the next few weeks featuring several notable players who have had their names come up in trade rumors recently.
Spurs add another lottery pick
San Antonio Spurs Receive: G/F Tim Hardaway Jr., DAL 2023 1st Round Pick (Pick #10)
Dallas Mavericks Receive: F Keldon Johnson, SAS 2023 2nd Round Pick (Pick #33), TOR 2023 2nd Round Pick (Pick #44, via SAS)
Landing the first overall pick in this year's draft and thus having the chance to select Victor Wembanyama is franchise-altering for the San Antonio Spurs. One of the league's most successful franchises, the Spurs have struggled in recent years as they search for ways to build another dynasty through their young core.
Moving up and acquiring another lottery pick could instantly give San Antonio a second young star to pair with Wembanyama for the foreseeable future. Cason Wallace and Keyontae George are two of the better guard prospects in this year's draft who should be available when the Dallas Mavericks pick tenth overall and both players could be on the Spurs' radar given their lack of backcourt depth.
Dallas is in an interesting spot because while they do need to give the idea of putting together a young core around Luka Doncic some thought, they want to win right now and as a result, they are exploring trade opportunities involving their first-round pick, according to NBA insider Marc Stein. Upgrading their roster this offseason is a must, which is why a player like Keldon Johnson should be of interest to the Mavericks.
Johnson would fill an immediate void they have out on the wing after trading Dorian Finney-Smith to Brooklyn this season and he can easily be a viable secondary scorer alongside Doncic. The Mavs shouldn't have a problem giving up the tenth pick nor Tim Hardaway Jr. for the Spurs young forward either, as this trade provides them with another immediate source of scoring.
The question that presents itself in this scenario is if the Spurs would be willing to take a gamble on a move like this with Wembanyama coming in. Pairing the French big man with Johnson and other young talents like Devin Vassell, Tre Jones, Jeremy Sochan and Malaki Branham creates one of the better looking long-term cores in the entire league.
Replacing Johnson's spot with a rookie that may have higher potential is absolutely a risk. The Spurs could wind up pulling off a great trade here by adding another lottery pick and a veteran like Hardaway, but they could also take a step backward. As a result, San Antonio may explore other opportunities around the league in which they can move up using draft capital they own instead.
Pascal Siakam teams up with Damian Lillard
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: F/C Pascal Siakam
Toronto Raptors Receive: G Anfernee Simons, F Nassir Little, POR 2023 1st Round Pick (Pick #3), NYK 2023 1st Round Pick (Pick #23, via POR)
Once again, the Portland Trail Blazers enter the offseason with questions revolving around Damian Lillard's future. After another All-Star season in which he proved to be one of the best players in the entire league, Lillard's patience has to be running thin with Portland, especially since they have not made many trades to capitalize on his prime by adding talent.
Now is the time for the Trail Blazers to make a move if they are to keep Lillard instead of him requesting out and they will need to make a splash by going out and getting another All-Star talent. He is not necessarily available right now, but the Toronto Raptors face question marks of their own entering the offseason, which is why Pascal Siakam is viewed as a “getable” player by many around the league.
Siakam is entering the final year of his contract and is now 29 years old. The Raptors need to begin considering what their long-term future looks like after dismissing head coach Nick Nurse. With both Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. possibly leaving in free agency as well, there may be no better time for Toronto to get the most out of Siakam in a trade than right now.
By moving the two-time All-Star to Portland, the Raptors could wind up getting Anfernee Simons and Nassir Little, two players who can instantly play alongside Scottie Barnes. They would also net the third overall pick in this year's draft in either Scoot Henderson or Brandon Miller and a late first-round pick to add another youthful talent to their core.
This is a lot of value for the Trail Blazers to give up, but they have to be willing to make moves like this to acquire the All-Star talent they lack around Lillard. Still having Jusuf Nurkic and the ability to re-sign Jerami Grant in free agency, the Blazers would have the makings of a strong starting group with the addition of Siakam.
However, giving up Simons, Little and their two first-round picks this year eliminates a lot of depth for the Blazers, some of which may be irreplaceable with the salary cap restraints coming into play this offseason. If Portland wants to do everything they can to try and win with Lillard though, a move like this may be necessary. Look for the Trail Blazers to be aggressive heading towards the draft.
Phoenix solves most of their problems
Phoenix Suns Receive: G Terry Rozier, C Mark Williams, DEN 2023 1st Round Pick (Pick #27, via CHA), UTA 2023 2nd Round Pick (Pick #39, via CHA)
Charlotte Hornets Receive: C Deandre Ayton
Firing Monty Williams seemed like an unreasonable thing for the Phoenix Suns to do, especially after all the success they have had over the last few seasons with him at the helm. The Suns recently made the NBA Finals in 2021 and have won the most games out of any team in the league over the last three years. Well, this is not good enough for new owner Mat Ishbia, as he expects nothing less than a title with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker on the floor.
Big changes are coming to the Suns this offseason and in addition to finding a new head coach, they will be looking to move on from former top pick Deandre Ayton. Tensions between the organization and the 24-year-old center have been prominent ever since he signed an offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers last summer and Ayton has been expecting his role to increase in Phoenix. Alongside Durant and Booker, Ayton is nothing more than a secondary option, which is why parting ways is reasonable for both sides.
With Chris Paul not getting any younger and the Suns needing key talents to put around their two superstars, Terry Rozier should be viewed as a very underrated trade target. People tend to forget that Rozier has been a terrific scoring option for the Charlotte Hornets through the years simply because the team has not been impressive. Owning the second overall pick in the draft, the Hornets will be adding one of the best players in this draft class, but they will not have a chance to get Wembanyama at the center position.
Adding frontcourt talent has been a point of emphasis for Charlotte through the years though, as they have Mark Williams, Kai Jones and Nick Richards, who was just given a three-year, $15 million extension. In order for the Hornets to begin building and get back to contending for a playoff spot, they need to get LaMelo Ball some help and that starts in their lackluster frontcourt.
Pairing Ayton with Ball creates a really strong one-two punch in terms of pick-and-roll sets and the Suns big man could really thrive on a team where he would be the second-best scoring option in the low-post. On the other side of things, Phoenix would be getting the secondary ball-handler and playmaker they need with Rozier, as well as a replacement in their frontcourt for Ayton with a second-year center in Williams.
With a high payroll already, the Suns would also be able to fill out part of their roster with rookie contracts instead of having to figure out their depth in free agency. The two immediate draft picks they receive from Charlotte allows Phoenix to expand on both their depth and young core, which is almost non-existant at this point.
There are pros and cons to every trade, yet this deal presents a path to success for both the Hornets and Suns at a very reasonable price across the board. Maybe one of the draft picks going to Phoenix would need to be altered, but there is really not much to complain about in this deal from either team's perspective.
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