1 Trade Every NBA Team Should Propose Right Now

It is time for your favorite NBA team to propose a trade.

Never mind if your faves are rolling along at the moment, or if they're so hopeless no one move will materially change anything. And definitely don't pay any attention to the "Trade season doesn't reach its official unofficial start until Dec. 15" truthers.

Talks around the league are already taking place. Even if deals do not start going through until mid-December or later, teams are constantly on the prowl for upgrades, directional shifts and just generally worthwhile opportunities. That gives us the license to engineer deals of our own.

This batch of ideas will be presented with a slight twist: We are approaching every package as if the spotlighted team is proposing it. This does not mean we're trying to cobble together one-sided transactions. The goal is, as always, to be fair. But the overall mission is to at least find what could qualify as a starting point in real-life negotiations.

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Ousmane Dieng, Jaylin Williams, 2025 first-round pick (least favorable from Houston, L.A. Clippers, Miami, Oklahoma City and Utah)

Oklahoma City Thunder Receive: Larry Nance Jr., Vit Krejčí

Chet Holmgren's injury further decimates Oklahoma City's center rotation. Kenrich Williams is back, but Jaylin Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein have yet to play.

Nance is a tad undersized but fits the Thunder's hyper-versatile five-out approach. And head coach Mark Daigneault is (basically) starting Jalen Williams at center these days.

Extracting an extra first-rounder and Ousmane Dieng out of Oklahoma City's situation is good business by the Hawks. Nance is not part of their long-term program, and they get a replacement big in J-Will (once he's healthy).

Dieng has yet to put it all together, but he knows how to use his length and size on defense, even if he's a little stiff. He has also flashed a connective feel on the offensive end.

The overall cost could still be a little hefty for the Thunder, depending on how much they still value Dieng. But they have picks to spare, and while Krejčí is out with an adductor injury, he's a bargain-bin contract (and familiar face) they can move around the positional spectrum.

Boston Celtics Receive: Amir Coffey

Los Angeles Clippers Receive: Jaden Springer, 2025 second-round pick (most favorable from Dallas, Detroit, Golden State and Washington)

The Celtics remain the quintessential "11/10, no notes" team even as they navigate life without Kristaps Porziņģis. But their secondary rotation could stand to gain some playable wing depth.

Coffey has logged ample time for the Los Angeles Clippers and looked pretty good while doing it. He is not high-volume on the offensive end but enough of a three-point threat and close-out attacker to keep opponents honest. And he's handling some tough assignments for a Clippers defense currently setting the world on fire.

Offering what should be a top-35 second for his services may not be enough, particularly if Los Angeles isn't about to welcome back Kawhi Leonard. The Celtics have other seconds to spare if they need to up the ante.

And the Clippers, for their part, shouldn't be opposed to moving Coffey as he prepares to enter 2025 free agency.

Brooklyn Nets Receive: Obi Toppin, Jarace Walker

Indiana Pacers Receive: Dorian Finney-Smith, Day'Ron Sharpe

Somebody get Nets general manager Sean Marks to start the fire sale already. Brooklyn continues to win too many games.

Turning Finney-Smith and Sharpe into Toppin and Walker is right up the Nets' alley. The Toppin contract isn't great, but he's a good floor-runner who knows how to navigate defenses in half-court away from the ball. Plus, paying the balance of his four-year, $60 million deal is worth the extended glimpse into Walker, who would have far more freedom to playmake and, well, actually play in Brooklyn.

Indy may see this as too steep of a cost. Finney-Smith could crack certain closing units and fills a real need, but he turns 32 in May and has a 2025-26 player option. Walker, on the other hand, is in Year 2, not far removed from being drafted inside the top 10.

Brooklyn will have an easier time peddling this package if Sharpe is healthy. He has yet to play this season while dealing with a left hamstring issue. If available, though, he arms the Pacers' gutted center rotation with some physicality down low and on the boards.

Charlotte Hornets Receive: Robert Williams III

Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Vasilije Micić, New Orleans' 2025 second-round pick, 2028 second-round pick (most favorable from Charlotte and Los Angeles Clippers)

Injuries have invaded a Hornets frontline that isn't especially deep at full strength. Mark Williams has yet to play this season while dealing with a strained tendon in his left foot, and Nick Richards is sidelined with a right rib fracture.

Charlotte's starting center is now...Taj Gibson.

Acquiring RW3 injects the rotation with even more fragility. He totaled 31 combined appearances through the two previous regular seasons and only just debuted this year after dealing with a strained left hamstring.

Durability would be more of a sticking point if the Hornets were giving up first-round equity. Williams is an excellent dice roll when it's costing you second-rounders and an expiring contract. (Micić has a 2025-26 team option.) RW3 adds a playmaking element off the catch neither Richards nor Williams offers in measurable doses. And if he's healthy, he's the most dynamic defender of the trio.

Portland could try pushing for more. Good luck. Williams has stockpiled enough absences to erase the chance of first-round compensation without any other moving parts.

This package gives the Blazers more breathing room under the tax this year, extra flexibility over the summer and two seconds with realistic chances of landing in the 30s. They may also find Micić's playmaking valuable in certain lineups, though he will need to hit more shots to stay on the floor.

Chicago Bulls Receive: Cole Anthony, Jonathan Isaac, Tristan da Silva, 2025 first-round pick (most favorable from Denver and Orlando; top-five protection through 2027; turns into two second-rounders if not conveyed)

Orlando Magic Receive: Torrey Craig, Zach LaVine

(*Trade cannot be completed until Jan. 6)

LaVine opened the season playing well enough for us to envision the Bulls getting real value for the three years and $138 million left on his deal. A hip injury reinforced many of the fragility concerns, but he's already back, so the good vibes can persist.

Orlando has a clear need for an initiator and shot-maker—urgently so, following Paolo Banchero's oblique injury. LaVine, in this case, does not provide immediate assistance. This trade cannot be completed until Isaac's restriction lifts. But LaVine fits every version of the Magic, leveling up their offense both on and away from the ball.

Chicago is snaring the equivalent of two first-rounders here as well as the per-minute defensive stylings of Isaac, which scale to every frontcourt slot. His salary this season is steep, but it goes from $25 million now to $15 million in 2025-26, and the latter three years of his contract are protected against injury.

The Bulls should be open to counters from the Magic. Da Silva is interesting for a Chicago squad with few wing prospects, but if Orlando would rather include Jett Howard or another protected first, it shouldn't be a deal-breaker.

You can even make the case that the Bulls should be willing to accept a single first-rounder on top of salary filler.

Cleveland Cavaliers Receive: Larry Nance Jr.

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Georges Niang, 2026 second-round pick, Denver's 2027 second-round pick

You know what they say: If it's not on pace to lose a single game, why try to make it better?

Because we can.

Cleveland's backup-big ranks are on the thinner side even when factoring in staggered lineups featuring just one of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. It will seem even shallower in the playoffs, when it's tougher to buy time with Niang or Tristan Thompson on the floor.

Reuniting with Nance is ideal. He can play alongside one or none of the bigs. Hell, there might even be a scenario in which Kenny Atkinson fields him alongside both, as the de facto 3.

Two second-round picks should be enough for Atlanta to part with a useful-but-not-core player. The extra year and $8.2 million left on Niang's deal could complicate matters. If it does, Cleveland has the additional mini-sweeteners to make it work. And when the incoming player deepens both the 4 and 5 rotation, it'll have the incentive to make it work, too.

Dallas Mavericks Receive: Aaron Wiggins

Oklahoma City Thunder Receive: Maxi Kleber, 2031 first-round pick (top-eight protection; obligation expires if not conveyed)

(*Trade cannot be completed until Jan. 15)

Surely two conference rivals vying for championship equity would not make a midseason trade, right? Perhaps. But the Thunder and Mavs danced in advance of last year's deadline. It could happen again.

Oklahoma City's winnowing true-big ranks increase the likelihood. Kleber cannot play a ton of minutes, but even the partial-strength Thunder won't need him to shoulder a super-heavy workload. His defensive mobility on the perimeter, size and three-point range are reasonable stand-ins for Chet Holmgren.

Granted, this deal cannot be completed until the middle of January. Its appeal loses luster if Holmgren is back, but there's no guarantee he will be. Oklahoma City isn't even reevaluating him until, basically, the start of 2025.

Wiggins would be a monster get for a Mavericks team that could use someone who puts pressure on defenses both on and away from the ball without compromising the perimeter defense. He is even more attractive on a deal that runs through 2028-29 (team option) and never accounts for more than 7.5 percent of the salary cap.

The Thunder's appetite for trading Wiggins to a direct rival looms large, especially when they don't need more picks. But an ultra-distant first-rounder is future-trade catnip and valuable enough for Oklahoma to at least have a conversation.

Denver Nuggets Receive: Cody Martin, Nick Richards

Charlotte Hornets Receive: Zeke Nnaji, Dario Šarić, 2028 first-round swap (top-three protection), 2030 first-round swap (top-three protection)

(*Trade cannot be completed until Dec. 15.)

Surrendering control of two first-round picks to get off Nnaji and Šarić is smack-you-in-the-face steep at first glance. But the Nuggets would be hedging against the Hornets' future. It shouldn't take much for Denver to convince itself that not one of the swaps with convey.

In the meantime, they escape a pair of contracts underwater while deepening the rotation. Richards' right rib fracture could give the Nuggets' pause, but his timetable for return doesn't sound problematic. He immediately becomes Denver's best backup 5 (non-healthy Aaron Gordon division) and is under team control through next season at only $5 million.

Martin has struggled to stay healthy over the past couple of years, but he's a gap-filler extraordinaire when available—which he has been this season. He should shine as a ball-mover and cutter alongside Nikola Jokić and gives secondary units dribs and drabs of creation. This says nothing of his defensive malleability.

Everything Martin does at his peak amounts to a comparable Bruce Brown experience. If he continues to nail 37-plus percent of his triples on four attempts per game, forget about it. And if things don't work out, his $8.7 million salary for next season is non-guaranteed.

Charlotte's end of the deal is more debatable. But controlling Denver's first-rounders four and six years down the line, when Jokić is in his mid-30s, carries plenty of mystique. This is a reasonable gamble when you're not sending out any core players or demonstratively backlogging your cap sheet.

Detroit Pistons Receive: Jusuf Nurkić, 2031 first-round pick (top-three protection; turns into 2031 second-round pick if not conveyed)

Phoenix Suns Receive: Isaiah Stewart

There is clearly a mandate for the Pistons to make measurable progress. Going from Stewart to Nurkić flies in the face of that logic and compromises some of Detroit's spacier lineups.

This shouldn't matter. The Pistons are not on the verge of emerging from their rebuild. Exchanging Stewart for one of the league's most valuable first-round picks does more for Detroit's future whether it's viewed as a trade chip or down-the-line prospect addition.

Phoenix's end of this proposal feels shakier.

Stewart may well deliver a convincing Brook Lopez impression under head coach Mike Budenholzer and is signed through 2027-28 at a flat rate of $15 million per year. Is he good enough for the Suns to unload their best remaining trade chip? And if not, would Detroit including some seconds that Phoenix can bandy about the league in other deals do the trick?

Golden State Warriors Receive: Brandon Ingram

New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Gui Santos, Andrew Wiggins, 2025 first-round pick (via Golden State), Toronto's 2026 second-round pick (top-55 protection), Atlanta's 2028 second-round pick (via Golden State),

Toronto Raptors: Gary Payton II (into non-taxpayer MLE), Atlanta's 2026 second-round pick (via Golden State)

Messing with the Warriors right now feels unforgivable. Yet, there remain moments in which the need for a bona fide second option is undeniable. Their walloping at the hands of Cleveland is a good example. More generally, the half-court offense continues to struggle when Stephen Curry isn't on the court.

Ingram is not the most intuitive fit—though he's much more plug-and-play when he's taking this many threes. And the Warriors must reconcile his next contract with Jonathan Kuminga heading into restricted free agency.

At this cost, though, you shouldn't overthink it. Ingram's impending payday bilks New Orleans of leverage. It can push to receive Moses Moody (the math works) or another first. Golden State can consider acquiescing if the Pelicans have the suitors to back it up but shouldn't have to unload its asset clip to get him.

Ducking the tax as part of this trade is a plus for the Pelicans, who may be thinking in gap-year terms. Wiggins' contract (two years, $58.4 million) is more palatable relative to the rest of their long-term cap sheet.

The Raptors could flinch at taking on Payton. But they remain just under the tax, an Atlanta second-rounder isn't nothing, and as an added bonus, they would corner the market on smaller guards who defend like blanketing wings.

Houston Rockets Receive: Duncan Robinson

Miami Heat Receive: Jock Landale, Jae'Sean Tate, 2026 second-round pick (second-most favorable from Dallas, Oklahoma City and Philadelphia)

This is totally the consolidation trade everyone is clamoring (waiting?) for the Rockets to make.

In all seriousness: Houston's mega move is more likely to come over the summer, once extensions for Jalen Green and Alperen Şengün kick in, and when they'll be faced with Fred VanVleet's team option as well as the extension eligibility of Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr.

Bringing in Robinson now is more about juicing the offense's spacing. The Rockets are 25th in half-court efficiency, 27th in three-point percentage and 22nd in three-point-attempt rate.

Robinson should help improve all of those areas. His spacing and movement open up the floor for everyone else, and he's flashed more inside-the-arc chops attacking closeouts over the past two seasons or so.

Adding Robinson's $19.9 million salary to the 2025-26 ledger would matter for certain teams, but Houston isn't one of them. It isn't pearl-clutching cap space after extending Green and Şengün, and Robinson's expiring number could prove valuable in bigger-time trade negotiations next summer.

Miami might not bite. Then again, this increases the Heat's immediate wiggle room under the second apron by nearly $4 million while clearing Robinson's salary from the 2025-26 sheet.

Indiana Pacers Receive: Haywood Highsmith (into non-taxpayer mid-level exception)

Miami Heat Receive: Utah's 2027 second-round pick, Dallas' 2028 second-round pick

(*Trade cannot be completed until Dec. 15)

Everyone who's anyone wants to know why the Pacers have not approached their clear void on the wing with more urgency. They have Aaron Nesmith, and Jarace Walker's minutes are starting to climb, but they continue to need a more viable stopper.

Highsmith does not bring caps-lock SIZE to the rotation relative to who Indy already has in place, but he is tall and long enough to deter and disrupt. Miami routinely throws him on the opponent's toughest covers, and he's currently in Year 2 of hitting enough of his threes to be considered for crunch-time minutes.

Forking over two seconds to nab Highsmith is a no-brainer from the Pacers' end—even more so knowing he's under contract next season at sub-$6 million. Are the Heat interested in carving out more wiggle room beneath the second apron and opening up other trade possibilities? Or will they reach seller's mode by December?

That is a separate matter with which Indy will have to contend.

Los Angeles Clippers Receive: Coby White

Chicago Bulls Receive: Terance Mann, 2030 first-round pick (top-one protection through 2031; turns into two seconds if not conveyed)

Did you have the Clippers being good enough after losing Paul George and not (yet) having Kawhi Leonard to justify making a win-now trade on your 2024-25 NBA bingo card? Because yours truly sure as hell didn't.

Exhaustive defense, a Norman Powell Most Improved Player case and creative bench lineups are among the factors driving Los Angeles' pleasantly surprising competence. (The Clippers are destroying opponents when they don't play a big. Head coach Ty Lue remains a certified sicko.) The Clippers' status as buyers is debatable anyway. But if they believe Leonard will return at some point, they should be #goingforit.

Upgrading the offense takes priority. White does just that. Harden's efficiency has plummeted amid a more difficult role and funkier spacing. White makes life easier as an on-ball option and off-ball outlet who should open up the half-court and nudge up Los Angeles' lackluster three-point volume.

Sending out a 2030 first-round stings. White is worth it. He doesn't turn 25 until February and is on the books at under $13 million through next season.

Chicago may have better offers for White elsewhere. But Mann can still turn it up on defense, and a distant Clippers first-rounder is among the most valuable trade chips in existence.

Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Nikola Vučević

Chicago Bulls Receive: D'Angelo Russell, Christian Wood, 2025 second-round pick (via Clippers)

Adding a talented big man remains a top priority for the Lakers, according to B/R's Jake Fischer. Vučević will more than suffice if his current performance holds.

The seven-footer is currently lighting it up from, well, everywhere. He is shooting 71 percent at the rim (on more volume), 57 percent from mid-range and 47 percent from three.

This preposterous efficiency almost certainly won't stick, but it is so absurd that Vučević has room to regress and remain hyper-useful. Los Angeles can use him both next to and independent of Anthony Davis. There will be a defensive trade-off whenever he's on the court, but it gets easier to shelter him once both AD and Jarred Vanderbilt are healthy.

Adding his $20 million salary to the 2025-26 balance sheet shouldn't faze the Lakers when they're not including a first-round pick. Dealing with a potentially more competitive market is the bigger hurdle.

Vooch has played well enough for the Bulls to get more than expiring money and a second-rounder. But the list of suitors chasing after 34-year-old centers who do not move the defensive needle beyond rebounding isn't long.

Though Los Angeles should probably draw the line at distant first-round equity, tacking on additional seconds or perhaps a first-round swap is perfectly fine if the market dictates it.

Memphis Grizzlies Receive: De'Andre Hunter, Vit Krejčí

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Brandon Clarke, John Konchar, 2027 second-round pick (its own), 2031 second-round pick

(*Trade cannot be completed until Dec. 15.)

Injuries are again muddying up the Grizzlies' season, making it virtually impossible to understand just how aggressive they will be on the trade market. Suggesting they go after Hunter is my attempt at establishing a middle ground.

Properly sized wings who stretch the floor are always in demand. Memphis needs them more than most. Hunter's checkered health bill and the two years and $50.8 million he's owed after this season are a deterrent for some. Rightfully so. But the Grizzlies aren't coughing up major value here.

On the contrary, it could easily not be enough. The Hawks are shedding long-term payroll and opening up additional runway for Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher, but it might take a protected first (at least) to get them thinking about a move like this before the offseason.

Landing Krejčí could convince the Grizzlies to up their offer. A right adductor strain has sidelined him for most of the season so far, but his contract is peanuts, and he's sneaky big, at 6'8", with the potential to pitch in on defense and as a tertiary ball-handler.

Miami Heat Receive: Jonathan Kuminga, De'Anthony Melton, Andrew Wiggins, Golden State's 2025 first-round pick, 2026 first-round swap (via Golden State), Golden State's 2027 first-round pick, Atlanta's 2028 second-round pick, Golden State's 2030 first-round pick (protected Nos. 21 to 30)

Golden State Warriors Receive: Jimmy Butler, Bruno Fernando, Josh Richardson

Toronto Raptors Receive: Gary Payton II (into non-taxpayer MLE), Atlanta's 2026 second-round pick (via Golden State), Miami's 2031 second-round pick (top-55 protection)

(*Trade cannot be completed until Dec. 15)

Tearing it down by your own hand is a tough call to make. And while the Heat aren't immediately better off sans Butler, it is starting to feel like they need a best-player upgrade.

Butler is 35, constantly banged up and could be a free agent next summer (player option). Bam Adebayo is a star—just not the kind around which you can primarily base your title hopes. The time to recalibrate in Miami is now. Or at least this season.

Gaining control of four Golden State first-rounders (one swap; two outright selections; one conditional selection) is a big deal. The package wants for a certified building block, but Kuminga is tantalizing enough on offense to evaluate alongside Adebayo ahead of restricted free agency.

For all his faults and inconsistencies, Wiggins can be extremely plug-and-play. Ditto for Melton—when he's healthy.

Toronto should be getting enough to use what's left of its room beneath the tax on Payton and waive Bruno Fernando. If it's not, the additional Atlanta second can be rerouted up North.

Golden State may have a harder time embracing the framework given how well things are going. But its need for a second option endures. The bones of this can be reworked if the Warriors prefer to include Kevon Looney or Kyle Anderson. Subbing in either for Melton still allows the math to work.

The picks will be a larger sticking point, but exiting a trade with the best player while retaining Brandin Podziemski cannot be understated.

Milwaukee Bucks Receive: Dillon Brooks, Tari Eason

Houston Rockets Receive: Khris Middleton, 2031 first-round pick (top-one protection; turns into 2031 second-rounder if not conveyed)

Let's get nuclear.

Milwaukee desperately needs athleticism and perimeter defense—to name just a few things. Brooks and Eason are not the most explosive, but they deter and disrupt. Ball containment and the ability to force turnovers go from crippling weaknesses to strengths with them in the fold.

Moving Middleton is tough—both emotionally and functionally. The former matters, but cannot be a deciding factor. The Bucks offense will miss Middleton come playoff time, when Damian Lillard could be its only weapon equipped to break down set defenses. Giannis Antetokounmpo is a battering ram with more counters than often credited, but methodical attacks are not his forte.

Of course, this all presumes Middleton is healthy. That's not a guarantee. He has yet to play this season while recovering from dual-ankle surgeries, and there's a case to be made that his 34-year-old body further degrades the defense.

Including the 2031 first-rounder requires the utmost faith that this trade will work out enough to keep Giannis and, to a lesser extent, Dame happy. But if Milwaukee isn't doubling down on now, it's not doing anything to prevent disaster later. It might as well keep going until or unless Giannis calls it an era.

Selling Houston on this will be equally hard. Middleton can help its offense without infringing upon others, and his contract expires as soon as this summer (player option). Really, though, the Bucks need the Rockets to covet the 2031 first-rounder and the mystique it emanates in future trade talks.

Minnesota Timberwolves Receive: Dalano Banton

Portland Trail Blazers Receive: P.J. Dozier, 2026 second-round pick (least favorable from Indiana, Miami and San Antonio)

(*Trade cannot be completed until Dec. 15)

Perhaps more so than any other team, the Timberwolves need time to find their bearings before hitting the trade market. But if the combination of Conley's shaky shooting and the team's overarching defensive decline sticks, they'll have a very clear need.

Turnovers are hurting Minnesota more than anything. Its defense is having a tougher time getting set. The 6'9" Banton can help there while arming the Wolves with another body capable of containing the ball in the half-court.

Treating him as an alternative to Conley goes a touch too far. But Banton can control the ball in the lane and will push the pace after rebounds—the latter of which is an element Minnesota's offense doesn't currently feature.

The Blazers will assign value to Banton for all of the same reasons. But their hodgepodge depth and timeline ensure it'll be open season on the trade market at some point. Minnesota has additional second-round equity to include if this doesn't get it done.

New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Brandon Clarke, Marcus Smart, Vince Williams Jr., 2025 first-round pick (top-eight protection through 2027; turns into two seconds if not conveyed)

Memphis Grizzlies Receive: Brandon Ingram

Injuries have sent New Orleans into a downward spiral—so much so that it may be time to think of 2024-25 as a gap year.

Regardless of which path the Pelicans wish to travel down, they have to figure out the Brandon Ingram situation. If they do not plan on paying him or jettisoning those who make it easier to pay him (CJ McCollum), they need to move BI himself.

Max-contract demands continue to complicate his value across the league. The Grizzlies are among the few teams you can talk yourself into needing and valuing him enough to send New Orleans real value. And even that might be a stretch following Ja Morant's right hip injury.

Despite a murky timetable for his return, though, the Grizzlies should be looking to tread water and, more specifically, strengthen their half-court offense. Ingram can do that if he continues getting up almost seven threes per game.

Taking on Smart (one year, $21.6 million) and Clarke (two years, $25 million) is not going to thrill the Pelicans. And while Williams looked the part of a floor-spacing ball-handler who could guard up last season, he has yet to play this year due to a left leg injury.

Breaking up Ingram to smaller, more movable deals and a first-rounder nevertheless holds merit. Smart can help the defense upon return. Clarke deepens the big-man rotation. And a healthy Williams, arguably, has first-round value himself.

New York Knicks Receive: Toumani Camara, Robert Williams III

Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Cameron Payne, Mitchell Robinson, 2025 first-round pick (via Washington; top-10 protection in 2025; top-eight protection in 2026; turns into two seconds if not conveyed)

(*Trade cannot be completed until Dec. 15)

Depth, defense and secondary creation have emerged as the Knicks' three biggest needs. This trade takes care of the first two.

Swapping out Robinson for Williams would be more debatable if the former were healthy. He's not. Williams has already returned to action, can be more of an offensive decision-maker off the catch and, at his peak, is the better dual-big fit alongside Karl-Anthony Towns at the other end.

Camara is not among the NBA's household names, but he does an excellent job defending them. At 6'7", he guards four of the five spots on the floor, including basically all of the top advantage creators. If the three-point stroke is real—40 percent shooting on 3.2 attempts per game)—he isn't just an upgrade in depth. He's a playoff difference-maker.

Portland's gradual timeline allows it to roll the dice on Robinson and attempt to rehab his value upon return. But the Blazers already have Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan and Duop Reath in tow. Talks may reach an impasse if they do not think the Washington pick has a shot of conveying.

Oklahoma City Thunder Receive: Duop Reath (into room exception)

Portland Trail Blazers Receive: 2025 second-round pick, Utah's 2028 second-round pick

There will be calls for the Thunder to make a bigger splash on the trade market in the wake of the Chet Holmgren injury. And, as you may have already seen, there have and will continue to be glitzier deals that involve them.

Still, going after Reath is more their speed: modest, reserved, unbothered, shrewd.

The 28-year-old isn't seeing nearly as much court time as last year. Portland's frontline is deeper and healthier. That theoretically works in OKC's favor. It should not cost the moon to get him.

Adding him to the rotation keeps the spacing element of the Thunder's frontcourt. His threes are not falling at a good clip this season, but he banged in almost 36 percent of his 3.9 triples per game last year and showcased nifty touch inside the paint.

Reath isn't going to anchor any top-tier rebounding units, and his rim protection doesn't align with some of the shot-swatting moments he's churned out. But he can move his feet pretty well in space, and more importantly, the room he unlocks (or in this case preserves) in the half-court as a pick-and-pop option has clear utility.

Orlando Magic Receive: Torrey Craig, Coby White

Chicago Bulls Receive: Cole Anthony, Jett Howard, Denver's 2025 first-round pick (top-five protection), 2026 first-round pick (top-10 protection)

Pursuing White made sense for the Magic long ago. It makes even more sense now that Paolo Banchero is sidelined with an oblique injury.

Orlando ranks in the bottom three of points scored per possession since its star went down. And even with him, this year's overall improvement did not inoculate them against the need for upgrades. The full-strength offense needs another body who can break down defenses in the half-court and space the floor, even if only to playoff-proof itself.

Jettisoning two first-round picks and a recent lottery selection amounts to a lot. But Howard is not part of the regular rotation, and Anthony's place in the pecking order is aging like milk.

White is worth the price. He's under team control at a cut rate through 2025-26, and more critically, his arrival doesn't just inflate the Magic's friskiness. Upon Banchero's return, it potentially forges another legitimate title contender.

Bulls fans should file a lawsuit against Chicago's front office if this doesn't get them to part with White. He has not aged out of the organization's direction, but he'll cost waaaay more than he does now before this team is ready to be good again.

Attempting to bag Tristan da Silva instead of Howard is fair game. No matter the prospect Orlando's including, though, two first-rounders on top of him better warrant a discussion among executive vice president Artūras Karnišovas and his braintrust.

Philadelphia 76ers Receive: Tari Eason, Cam Whitmore

Houston Rockets Receive: K.J. Martin, 2026 first-round pick (second least favorable from Houston, Clippers, Oklahoma City and Philadelphia), 2027 second-round pick (via Milwaukee), 2028 first-round pick (via Clippers),

(*Trade cannot be completed until Jan. 15)

Everything we have seen from the Sixers thus far—and likely for the rest of November—must be viewed through a temporary lens. We do not know what they look like with the Big Three available and won't for some time. That makes it somewhat difficult to identify what they need most.

Common sense is still a pretty good indicator. The Sixers need reinforcements on the perimeter: players to streamline defensive responsibilities for Paul George and Caleb Martin, ball-handlers and shooters with more size and athleticism, rim pressure from the wings, secondary bodies to crash the glass, etc.

Eason and Whitmore check all of those boxes. The shot-making elements are spotty should you take the latter's performance thus far at face value. You shouldn't. Houston's breadth of capable depth lends itself to individual identity crises.

It is also this depth that allows the Rockets to weigh the long-term value and fit of Eason and Whitmore against grabbing two additional first-round picks. All things being equal, they should probably pass. But they clearly have designs on a mega-consolidation trade at some point, Eason is extension-eligible next summer, and that 2028 Clippers first-rounder ranks among the league's single most valuable draft picks.

Phoenix Suns Receive: Tari Eason, 2025 first-round pick (second-most favorable from Houston, Oklahoma City or Phoenix's own, via Houston)

Houston Rockets Receive: Josh Okogie (into non-taxpayer MLE), Phoenix's 2031 first-round pick

(*Trade cannot be completed until Dec. 15)

Turning an ultra-distant first-rounder into a non-star may not sit right with the Suns. But Eason is a caps-lock, italics-text MENACE on defense.

And while Phoenix is faring well at the less glamorous end relative to its personnel, Eason unlocks a world of possibilities when it comes to downsizing, relying on rookie Ryan Dunn and/or lightening Kevin Durant's admirable-yet-gargantuan workload.

Picking up an additional first-round pick—that is potentially its own—increases the appeal. The Suns can use that selection to draft a cost-controlled contributor or reroute it as part of another deal that upgrades the rotation.

Houston is the pivot point. Eason is not someone you move just because. But this isn't a "just because" transaction. The Rockets have cornered the market on future Suns picks. After this trade, they effectively control Phoenix's pick in 2027, 2029 and 2031.

If poaching Devin Booker is the endgame, or even if Houston is just loading up for other blockbuster options, this tracks with that type of asset and trajectory management. Plus, with Dillon Brooks, Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore in the fold, not to mention Jae'Sean Tate, the Rockets can treat Eason as somewhat dispensable.

Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Jalen Hood-Schifino, D'Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, 2029 first-round pick (top-five protection; turns into second-round pick if not conveyed), 2031 first-round pick (top-five protection; turns into second-round pick if not conveyed)

Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Jerami Grant, Robert Williams III

Excess defines the shape and scope of the Blazers roster. They are hardly world-beaters, but they have so many players worth rolling out, the resulting rotation and direction verges on incoherent.

This isn't to say they should sell for selling's sake. This package represents just the opposite. They are taking two useful players who don't forecast as core members of the program and turning them into placeholders and, most notably, wildly valuable distant first-round picks.

It would not be a stretch to say the Lakers will have a harder time okaying this deal. Jettisoning their only two movable first-round picks without grabbing a patented star may come across as a bummer.

Still, a healthy RW3 provides a major boost to the big-man rotation and defense, both with and without Anthony Davis. And Jerami Grant can wear all sorts of hats on both ends, often to the point he looks like a fringe star.

Los Angeles can haggle over the picks and push for swaps instead of an outright obligation in 2031. Portland is giving up enough to draw the line. If the Lakers are at all serious about capitalizing on what's left of the joint AD-LeBron James window, they should give this at least some consideration.

Sacramento Kings Receive: Larry Nance Jr.

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Trey Lyles, 2026 second-round pick, 2027 second-round pick

Most Kings trades gravitate toward perimeter defensive presences. That's not unfair. But they arguably needed a combo big even more entering the season.

And now that we've seen the current version of Lyles, they...definitely need a combo big even more.

Nance fits the backup-big ideal to a T. He won't shrink the floor, can hold his own the perimeter and is capable of sponging up reps at either the 4 or 5. Sacramento will give up size and girth at the rim when he's the lone big, but its base defense is built to limit the lifting he must do around the basket.

Two second-rounders and more breathing room underneath the luxury tax should be enough to pry Nance out of Atlanta. The logistics get trickier if the Hawks insist on players other than Lyles. But they have neither the leverage nor incentive to engage in hardball unless they consider Nance a big-picture keeper.

San Antonio Spurs Receive: Chris Boucher, Kelly Olynyk

Toronto Raptors Receive: Zach Collins, 2025 first-round pick (via Charlotte; lottery protection; turns into 2026 and 2027 second-rounders if not conveyed), Chicago's 2025 second-round pick

The Spurs have made it clear they're not operating on a timeline that demands they trip over themselves to preserve or create cap space or strike blockbusters. But what if they didn't have to trip over themselves?

Shedding Collins' 2025-26 salary ($18.1 million) would ticket the Spurs for over $30 million in space next summer if they renounce all of their own free agents, including Chris Paul and Tre Jones. Their path to even more would be ready-made. Harrison Barnes will be entering the final year of his deal, and San Antonio has a smattering of smaller-salary players who aren't critical to the future.

Not that the Spurs should consider this just for the flexibility. Boucher and (a healthy) Olynyk can play alongside or independent of Victor Wembanyama. Both also add stretch to an offense that needs it—though Boucher's floor-spacing is rooted more in volume than efficiency at this point.

That Charlotte pick almost assuredly isn't conveying, which means Toronto would be absorbing Collins for three second-rounders. Whether that's enough is debatable. But he is probably the best rim protector of the three bigs here when healthy—something that should at least pique the Raptors' curiosity.

Toronto Raptors Receive: Ousmane Dieng, Malevy Leons

Oklahoma City Thunder Receive: Chris Boucher or Kelly Olynyk

(*Trade cannot be completed until Jan. 31)

This framework deserves its own asterisk. The Thunder may not need big-man reinforcements by the end of January. Isaiah Hartenstein should at least debut by that point, and Jan. 31 post-dates the timeline for an update on Holmgren.

Toronto and Oklahoma City can break bread now if the latter subs in the injured Jaylin Williams. But that may require the Raptors sending out more value of their own.

At any rate, the overarching point stands: Toronto should be drawn to any opportunity that ends with them securing a flier on Dieng. He is incredibly raw on the offensive end and can be too rigid defensively. But there is real feel to the way he moves with the ball, and he has the size and length at the other end to be moved all around the positional spectrum.

Dealer's choice for the Thunder will require at least some waiting even if the two sides rework this package. Olynyk has yet to make his season debut as he recovers from a back injury. But either he or Boucher holds some value to an Oklahoma City rotation that could feasibly be without Holmgren until after the trade deadline.

Utah Jazz Receive: Cole Anthony, Tristan Da Silva, 2026 first-round pick (top-10 protection through 2027; turns into two seconds if not conveyed), 2027 second-round pick

Orlando Magic Receive: Collin Sexton

Congratulations to the Jazz on finally figuring out how to properly tank. It only took two years.

Sure, Utah is low enough in the league's pecking order to hold serve. But Orlando's offense is in dire straits following Paolo Banchero's oblique injury. If there is a team with the incentive to pony up the equivalent of two first-round picks for Sexton, it's the big-swing-resistant Magic.

The Jazz can buoy the circumstances by taking on the balance of Anthony's contract. No, it's not a bank-breaking deal. He is owed just two years and $26.2 million after this one. But his shot-making has cratered—so much so that Banchero's injury has not prompted head coach Jamahl Mosley to significantly increase his minutes.

Although Utah has more than enough picks, it is light on outside selections in 2026. (It can swap firsts with Minnesota and Cleveland.) Da Silva's archetype is also one the Jazz don't currently have in real supply. Cody Williams and Johnny Juzang are pretty much their only true wings.

Washington Wizards Receive: John Konchar, Marcus Smart, Vince Williams Jr., 2025 first-round pick (top-eight protection through 2027; turns into two seconds if not conveyed)

Memphis Grizzlies Receive: Kyle Kuzma, Patrick Baldwin Jr.

The Wizards always projected as sellers, but the electricity with which Bilal Coulibaly, Bub Carrington, Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George are playing reinforces the merits of its youth movement. While Kuzma isn't standing in the way of anyone, per se, Washington doesn't need him to man the role of competent veteran.

Memphis needs him more. Healthy size on the wings is not its strong suit, and the half-court attack still feels short one shot-maker. Kuzma can be erratic, but he has the on-ball oomph to help navigate Ja Morant's latest absence and does just enough away from the action to elevate the ceiling of full-strength lineups.

Absorbing Smart's contract (one year, $21.6 million) shouldn't be an issue for the Wizards. His shot-making has to somewhat rebound once he's healthy, and he can still bring defensive heat.

Scooping up an extra first and a Williams flier is worth it. The latter remains out with a left leg injury, but last season, the 6'4" 24-year-old did everything from run the offense, drill threes and, above all, defend his ever-living butt off.

Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.

Unless otherwise cited, stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference, Stathead or Cleaning the Glass. Salary information via Spotrac. Draft-pick obligations via RealGM.