NBA Trade Talk: Should Jalen Green, Jaden Ivey or Jonathan Kuminga be Targets?
As the calendar year nears its turn, the NBA trade deadline is quickly approaching. As good as the Oklahoma City Thunder have been of late, a move could be on the horizon.
Nearly two weeks ago, Josh Giddey was reported to be a name to keep an eye on at the deadline.
While he has an off-court situation that needs to be resolved before teams will consider trading for him, Giddey still has tremendous upside despite his struggles this season. At 6-foot-8 with point guard skills, he has a lot to work on as it relates to his jumper and needs to improve defensively, but the 21-year-old is one of the best passers in the league.
Given he’s in his third NBA season and the Thunder will have to make contract extension decisions soon, a potential trade makes sense. If Oklahoma City does opt to trade him, is there another former lottery pick that could use a change of scenery in a swap? Generally for players that are as high of a pick as Giddey, a new situation can be a positive move.
Three players that could fit this mold are Jalen Green, Jaden Ivey and Jonathan Kuminga.
Green is currently a member of the Houston Rockets, but is still struggling to find ways to score efficiently in year three. Given Houston is ready to be competitive once again, his ability to find significant minutes and close games has become more difficult. On a Rockets team with a quality big in Alperen Sengun, Giddey could thrive as a pick-and-role facilitator while Green looks to find more consistency on a new team in OKC.
When it comes to Ivey, anything could happen. Despite the Pistons very clearly being the worst team in the NBA this season, he’s been moved to a bench role after being a starter during his rookie season. Change could be coming soon, meaning Ivey could be available for the right price. A jumbo backcourt duo of Cunningham and Giddey would provide opportunity for fantastic ball movement and a high number of team assists. Meanwhile, Ivey's ability to put pressure on the rim fits Oklahoma City's style of play.
While acquiring Kuminga seems like it would be more difficult to pull off due to the fact that he’s really improved this season, Golden State has not been a good team relative to its expectations. If the Warriors feel a shakeup needs to happen at the deadline, perhaps another really good passer could be of interest. They're currently just over .500 and not solidified in the postseason picture.
Again, none of these teams will be open to trading for Giddey unless his off-court allegations are resolved. Furthermore, it may take draft capital or other assets to get a deal like this done for one of these players, but this general framework as a starting point could make sense.
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