NBA Trade Rumors: Scenarios Involving Latest Buzz Around The League
We are heading towards the holiday season, but as a result, this also means that the NBA trade season is right around the corner!
Teams from around the league are evaluating where their teams are at right now and while there's still a lot of basketball yet to be played, front-office are focused-in on the December 15 and January 15 deadlines of when recently signed players from this past offseason will become trade eligible.
There are also situations beginning to brew around the league that could force some teams to make a move before the new year begins.
Jae Crowder has been a name coming up a lot in trade talks recently, the Los Angeles Lakers continue to be a team that many are monitoring, as what they do with Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis could shift the course of trade talks league-wide, and with so many teams right next to one another in the standings, everyone is going to be trying to get a leg up on one another before the stretch playoff run during the second-half of the season.
This season’s trade deadline has a chance to be crazy once again and given some of the recent rumors around the league, we could see quite a few massive trades before the time February rolls around.
Here are some hypothetical trade scenarios created based on the latest trade rumors that have come about.
Phoenix Sends Jae Crowder To Milwaukee
Milwaukee Bucks Receive: F Jae Crowder
Phoenix Suns Receive: G Eric Gordon
Houston Rockets Receive: G Grayson Allen, F Dario Saric, MIL 2023 2nd Round Pick, MIL 2024 2nd Round Pick
The Phoenix Suns are going to be moving Jae Crowder at some point and one team that seems to be all over them in regards to getting a potential trade done is the Milwaukee Bucks.
Looking to add a key frontcourt talent like they did with P.J. Tucker during their championship run in 2021, Milwaukee seems like the ideal landing spot for Crowder and they do have a means to getting him.
Not only do the Bucks have some draft picks they can send out in a trade, but they also have Grayson Allen, who has just one more year left on his contract after this season and has proven to be an asset on either end of the floor.
Shooting 42.6 percent from three-point range so far this season, Allen could be a key addition for Phoenix in a deal involving Crowder, but in this scenario, he would be going to the Houston Rockets along with Dario Saric from the Suns.
Phoenix has had their eyes on Eric Gordon for quite a while now and this is a scenario that these three teams have been discussing in recent weeks.
Gordon is a proven veteran on the perimeter that can play with or without the ball in his hands and he would be a key “sixth-man-like” option for the Suns to have in their backcourt behind the likes of Chris Paul and Devin Booker.
The Bucks get the veteran they want, the Suns get the veteran they want and the Rockets continue to build for the future in this trade.
Nets, Suns & Hawks Upgrade Roster For Playoff Runs
Brooklyn Nets Receive: F John Collins
Atlanta Hawks Receive: G/F Joe Harris, F Jae Crowder, PHX 2023 2nd Round Pick, BKN/HOU 2025 1st Round Pick (Swap – see below for more details)
Phoenix Suns Receive: G Eric Gordon, F Kenyon Martin Jr., F Kessler Edwards
Houston Rockets Receive: F Dario Saric, PHX 2024 1st Round Pick (Top-10 Protected), MIA 2025 2nd Round Pick (via BKN, Top-37 Protected)
NOTE: Brooklyn cannot outright trade their 2025 1st round pick as a swap due to the Houston Rockets owning the rights to swap with Brooklyn that year. As a result, this pick would be an option for Atlanta to swap picks with Brooklyn following their potential swap with Houston in 2025.
Now this scenario looks extremely crazy at first with all the big names and moving parts, but when you actually break down this trade from team-to-team, it actually starts to make a lot of sense.
Let’s just start with the Brooklyn Nets here because they are the root of this trade. It is very obvious that Brooklyn needs help as soon as possible, particularly in their frontcourt, and general manager Sean Marks is going to have to try and make a big move in order to save the season for the Nets.
Joe Harris is a player that they have loved for quite a while now and the Nets have insisted that he will not be on the move, but his contract is truly the only one that makes sense to move at this time in order for the Nets to get what they need. His three-point shooting abilities will be lost, but they can be replicated by veterans Seth Curry and Patty Mills.
Going out and acquiring John Collins from the Atlanta Hawks would be a very strong move for the Nets to make and this gives them another key frontcourt option to have alongside Nicolas Claxton and Ben Simmons. Not to mention, Collins is only 25-years-old and could take weight off the backs of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant on the offensive-end of the floor.
Moving to the Atlanta Hawks, Joe Harris gives them a replacement for Kevin Huerter's lost production on the wing and much like the Bucks, they too have been interested in trading for Jae Crowder from the Suns. Crowder and Harris are both key additions for this team as they look to make a real playoff push and trading John Collins in this situation truly would not be a loss of production since Crowder and Harris could each fill vital needs for this team.
Maybe they would need some more draft assets than the picks they would receive, but the swap they could get from Brooklyn or Houston in 2025 could wind up being key as they build down the road. After all, the NBA is all about winning right now and the Hawks know their championship window is small as it is, so why not move Collins for two key, playoff-contending talents?
Looking at the Suns in this scenario, much remains the same from the prior trade scenario with the Bucks, as they would still be getting Eric Gordon. However, they also would grab KJ Martin, a player they are rumored to have interest in, as well as Kessler Edwards from the Nets. Phoenix would build on their bench depth at the cost of Jae Crowder, Dario Saric and some future draft picks.
The Rockets are truly the big question mark here because while Dario Saric could be a player they utilize, they would essentially be making this trade for cap space and draft assets. Is one future first-round pick from the Suns and a future second-round pick from Brooklyn be enough for them to part ways with both Gordon and Martin?
Maybe it is in the grand scheme of things since Houston would then have available cap space to extend the contract of Kevin Porter Jr. and in a year, that of Jalen Green.
Atlanta Moves John Collins For Veteran Wing
Charlotte Hornets Receive: F John Collins, F Justin Holiday
Atlanta Hawks Receive: F Gordon Hayward, F P.J. Washington, UTA 2023 2nd Round Pick (via CHA), CHA 2024 1st Round Pick (Top-10 Protected)
John Collins has suddenly become a hot name in trade talks once again after The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on Friday that the Hawks are interested in possibly dealing the former first-round pick.
Who knows what the Hawks are looking for in a trade involving Collins, but the Charlotte Hornets should absolutely be a team that shows interest in him not only because he is still 25-years-old, but because they are still left with a hole left behind by Miles Bridges at the power forward position.
Charlotte may want to keep P.J. Washington and extend him to be their power forward of the future, but investing in John Collins seems like a smarter move since Collins has already shown flashes of his star-like potential.
Collins is a better overall talent than Washington right now and Gordon Hayward is a veteran wing that has had trouble staying healthy for the Hornets through the years. This franchise is not in a position to win right now, which is why they need to go out and get their star in LaMelo Ball a key, second scoring option he can continue to grow with.
Adding Gordon Hayward on the wing gives the Hawks an experienced player to add to their playoff contending roster and P.J. Washington would fill John Collins’ role for Atlanta alongside Onyeka Okongwu and recent first-round pick Jalen Johnson.
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