This trade would shake up four rosters, but could benefit every team
By BetQL Staff - May 24, 2020, 12:03pm EDT
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ESPN Trade Machine
Using ESPN's NBA Trade Machine tool, this four-team, 16-player trade featuring the Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks and Charlotte Hornets would undoubtedly shake up the Eastern Conference.
Before digging into it, know that the trade idea was formulated with the premise that under the current roster construction of the 76ers and Pacers, both teams can't contend with the Milwaukee Bucks at the top of the East (and would have a hard time beating the Toronto Raptors or Boston Celtics in a seven-game series).
Further, I assumed that the Knicks and Hornets would understand that they're not going to land any major free agents all of a sudden and thus be willing to take on large, multi-year deals in order to immediately improve their rosters.
Finally, these trades use current 2019-2020 player salaries, but since we don't know if/when the season will tip back off, these would take place in advance of the 2020-2021 season. Therefore, some salary numbers would most likely have to be adjusted, but let's be honest: this is more of a fun exercise than anything else! Let's get into it.
76ers
Acquire: Cody Zeller, Doug McDermott, Dennis Smith Jr., Malik Monk
New Starting 5: Ben Simmons (PG), Matisse Thybulle (SG), Furkan Korkmaz (SF), Al Horford (PF), Joel Embiid (C)
While the Sixers have gone an NBA-best 29-2 at home this season, their 10-24 road mark is a glaring issue and doesn't exactly create a pretty picture as far as their playoff chances go. Part of the issue (and why they sit in 6th place in the East) is their lack of depth. In fact, they rank 27th out of the 30 NBA teams in bench production at just 31.1 points per game.
This trade would immediately create a deep rotation for coach Brett Brown to utilize, as Shake Milton could join Smith Jr., Monk, McDermott and Zeller as options off the bench. Philly would lose the offensive production of Harris and defensive production of Richardson, but would rid themselves of their hefty salaries which could come in handy in terms of future cap flexibility since they're going to be overpaying Horford for years to come.
Pacers
Acquire: Julius Randle, Taj Gibson, Frank Ntilikina, Kevin Knox II
New Starting 5: Malcolm Brogdon (PG), Victor Oladipo (SG), T.J. Warren (SF), Randle (PF), Domantas Sabonis (C)
After signing a four-year, $80 million extension, Turner's regression certainly came at the wrong time. It's clear that he will not be able to thrive alongside Domantas Sabonis, who is the more skilled offensive player in the post. Shipping him off and acquiring the versatile Randle would create quite the interesting frontcourt tandem in Indy while keeping the rest of their current core in tact.
Further, adding Ntilikina and Knox would ease the pain of losing two draft picks since they're young and relatively unproven.
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Send Away: Randle, Gibson, Elfrid Payton, Ntilikina, Smith Jr., Knox II
New Starting 5: Rozier (PG), RJ Barrett (SG), Harris (SF), Bobby Portis (PF), Mitchell Robinson (C)
It's clear that the Knicks need to shake things up. Not only are they reportedly going after some reputable head coach candidates, but their cap space will give them some flexibility moving forward.
Unfortunately, due to all the dysfunction, it seems unlikely that they'll be able to coax a major free agent to sign with them. With that being said, locking up proven 20-point-per-game scorer Harris, acquiring the gritty Rozier while relying on Barrett and Robinson to continue their development makes sense, especially since they'll be able to add more talent in the 2020 Draft. It's time to move on from all three of their current point guards and start fresh with new talent under a new system.
Hornets
Acquire: Turner, Richardson, Payton, Sumner
Send Away: Rozier, Zeller, Monk
New Starting 5: Devonte' Graham (PG), Richardson (SG), Miles Bridges (SF), PJ Washington (PF), Turner (C)
I'm guessing there won't be a documentary made about Michael Jordan's disastrous reign as the owner of the Charlotte Hornets. Their current roster is arguably the worst in the entire Association and they're in need of a major shake-up. Sure, they'll add talent in the 2020 Draft, but shipping off Rozier, Zeller and Monk for Turner, Richardson and Payton would allow them to essentially revamp a major part of their rotation.
Handing the keys to Graham while hoping Turner benefits from a change in scenery makes a lot of sense. At the very least, Charlotte would become a much-improved defensive team (they rank 25th in Defensive Rating in 2019-2020).
Weigh In
Name a realistic trade that you'd like to see your favorite NBA team make before the 2020-2021 season:
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