1 Trade Target for Every NBA Team This Offseason

Allow us to celebrate the official start of the 2024 NBA playoffs like we always do: with an offseason trade target for every team.

Wait, what?!?

Look, this exercise isn't for everyone. So much basketball is left to be played. That should be the focus. Coming up with trade targets is also caps-lock TOUGH this time of year. Playoff outcomes along with the draft and free agency significantly impact team directions and needs.

Still, the offseason is already here for roughly half of the league. And we needn't pretend like the NBA hasn't marketed itself as an entertainment product founded around both the games and hypothetical, forward-looking transactions.

Basically: Playoff basketball is fun. So are trade-target rabbit holes!

And frankly, this summer demands we get a jump-start on the latter. Between a lackluster free-agency class and a new set of luxury-tax penalties that will prove punitive to the point of stark action, the stage is set for an avalanche of notable, if not landscape-altering, moves.

Targets will be assigned according to projected team needs, directions and, equally critical, assets. Only names with a clear path to availability entering the first round of the playoffs will be considered as well.

It's fine if you think a Luka Dončić or Kevin Durant or—*pause for galaxy-brain effect*—Devin Booker trade request or demand is coming. Ambitious scenarios will be included within wherever available a squad's assets (and timeline) allow it. But ultra-loooong shot candidates are a more relevant talking point for another day, once postseason results and, most pivotally, failures take definitive shape.

Acquiring wing-sized players with palpable defensive pulses who are at least a decade younger than Wesley Matthews has to be the offseason focus for the Atlanta Hawks. Trading one or neither of Dejounte Murray and Trae Young does nothing to change that.

Jettisoning both might, since it signals a full-tilt rebuild. But the Hawks won't be angling for deliberate implosion unless they recoup the first-rounders they shipped to San Antonio as part of the Murray transaction. If their timeline isn't immediate, it's at least short-term.

Dyson Daniels juggles any agenda Atlanta inevitably undertakes. He just turned 21 and has two years left on his rookie scale, so he doesn't run counter to any long-term aims. But his defense is already exhaustive—intelligent, eclipsing, disruptive—and scales to everyone from guards and bigger wings to some actual bigs and whatever the hell Victor Wembanyama considers himself.

Convincing the New Orleans Pelicans to part with him so early into his rookie deal won't be easy. It also isn't a non-starter. They already have Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy III, and more pressing needs loom—including rim protection and versatility at the 5, shooting infusions and, given Zion Williamson's perpetually murky health bill and Brandon Ingram's shaky standing one year out from free agency, a floor general who can command and organize the offense.

Atlanta has pretty much all of those archetypes. Onyeka Okongwu doesn't stretch defenses too far at the 5, but he has dabbled in corner threes, can score from the middle of the floor and upgrades the perimeter mobility and rim protection at the less glamorous end. Someone like Bogdan Bogdanović can juice up New Orleans' spacing and three-point volume without monopolizing the offense.

And then, of course, the Hawks have primary-playmaker types in Murray and Young—both of whom could amble onto the Pelicans' radar if Ingram isn't part of the long-term program.

Identifying trade targets for the Boston Celtics now is ridiculously difficult. Not only are they the league's best team (by a mile) and getting ready to take their show on the postseason road, but they are the first among a handful of teams projected to blow past the NBA's second apron—or Supertax (shout-out to Spotrac's Keith Smith for the phraseology).

Lowering Jrue Holiday's annual number in his latest extension gives the Celtics a puncher's chance of ducking it...provided they look to lop off one of their top-six players...which they, as of now, have absolutely no reason to do.

Conventional wisdom coupled with the Supertax restrictions effectively confine Boston to using Payton Pritchard's salary ($6.7 million next year) or Jaden Springer's expiring contract ($4 million) as primary matching tools. Emphasis on "or" here.

Second-apron teams cannot aggregate salaries to acquire a single player. Nor can they take back more money than they're sending out. They also can't use traded player exceptions from prior years or grease the transaction wheels with cash. (Keep all of this in mind as we tackle other Supertaxers.)

Dollar-for-dollar matching with lower salaries is tough when trying to find someone who might crack the rotation. Especially when Pritchard isn't exactly expendable unless you're bringing in another playmaker. (He ranked fifth in total minutes on the Celtics this year.)

And so, we have Santi Aldama. He will make a hair less than Springer, and Boston could use a combo big to back up—and serve as insurances against injuries to—Al Horford and Kristaps Porziņģis.

Aldama will cost more in total assets than Xavier Tillman (a free agent this summer). That's fine. Boston has an armory of seconds, not to mention some firsts, it can dangle. His prospective fit is good enough to contemplate giving up No. 30 as part of any package, even as he enters a contract year. Aldama is pretty good at positioning himself in the right spots on defense, his three-point clip will tick up above 35 percent on the Celtics, and he has some shiftiness to him off the dribble.

Hiring Jordi Fernandez, a first-time NBA head coach, could signal a willingness from the Brooklyn Nets to begin anew. Then again, general manager Sean Marks is now on his fourth (non-interim) head honcho in eight years. And the Nets do not control their own first-rounder until 2028.

Combine this with the stash of draft equity Brooklyn has from Dallas, Miami and Phoenix, and circumstances are ripe for the organization to act with urgency—to do something seismic.

Dejounte Murray is a nice middle ground.

Going after Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell or Trae Young would require more asset equity. Incumbent teams for these players would almost certainly ask for, if not outright demand, Mikal Bridges. That defeats the entire purpose of a win-now move.

Murray, while a borderline All-Star, doesn't cost you Bridges and shouldn't fetch as many guaranteed firsts as Garland, Mitchell or Young. He doesn't have the same offensive ceiling as any of them, but he's a middle-of-the-rung playmaker who has taken steps to improve his off-the-dribble and standstill shot-making.

A defensive tandem of Murray and Bridges should complement each other nicely. They have both looked overtaxed in their responsibilities over the past season-plus. Playing with one another allows them to futz and fiddle with star/point-of-attack covers.

Brooklyn's risk is further insulated here by Murray's extension. His four-year, $114.1 million contract is both a bargain and doesn't allow him to reach free agency before 2027 (player option).

Let's answer a question that's bound to arise: No, the Charlotte Hornets needn't think bigger than Lindy Waters III (who has a $2.2 million team option I expect Oklahoma City to pick up).

New team governorship in Buzz City is giving way to plenty of changes. The overarching message, it seems, is the Hornets are prepared to play the loooong game. This is great news. It also renders flipping any of their own first-rounders taboo, and they have already shipped out their best, most expendable veteran in Terry Rozier.

Optimizing the roster around LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Mark Williams is now Charlotte's only objective (non-draft-the-best-player-available division). That amounts to a mandate for shooting.

Waters can't just shoot. He can shoot.

Through his first three seasons, in admittedly limited action, he's averaging over 11 three-point attempts per 36 minutes and downing them at a 37.7 percent clip.

The extrapolated volume is dangerous by itself. But Waters ups the intrigue factor with the capacity to score off motion and his knack for relocating mid-possession into better sight lines for his ball-handlers. And though self-creation isn't his thing, he has hinted at the chops necessary to slink into the lane, maintain his dribble and find floaters or scoring opportunities for others.

Finding a target for the Chicago Bulls without knowing, for sure, which direction they'll travel this offseason is tough. Their needs will change if they trade Zach LaVine and/or Alex Caruso and depending on the free-agent outcomes for DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Williams (restricted).

Status quo is the best bet. Because, well, these are the Bulls.

Regardless, their need to vary up the frontcourt will persist no matter how they carry themselves over the summer. Andre Drummond could leave in free agency, and even if he doesn't, neither he nor NIkola Vučević is a long-term answer.

Leonard Miller could be.

Drafted 33rd overall last June, the 20-year-old has spent hardly any time on the court for the Minnesota Timberwolves. But he has done filthy things during his time with the G League's Iowa Wolves.

At 6'10", he is stronger than he looks. He screens and seals and goes up for boards like a burlier big. His floor game is a work in progress, but when it's humming in conjunction with his outside shot, he plays like a hybrid 3-4-5.

Prying him out of Minnesota gets harder if the Wolves wind up moving another big or fear shipping out a cost-controlled contract. But the Bulls can aggregate enough second-round draft equity to make a deal enticing, and someone like Torrey Craig (player option) will hold appeal if Kyle Anderson exits in free agency.

Will the Cleveland Cavaliers look at—or be forced to—bust up the quartet of Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley? Maybe. Until or unless that becomes the play in the aftermath of the postseason, futzing and fiddling around them remains the objective.

Dorian Finney-Smith might land on the more ambitious end of the spectrum. The Cavs will have one future first (2031) and swap (2030) up their sleeve, but they've mortgaged enough of their future, and nobody should be handing over picks that far out for DFS.

Cleveland does have the No. 20 selection, which it can send out after the draft, and salaries to make the math work. Georges Niang's contract slides nicely into potential framework, or the Cavs can step-ladder their way there using Dean Wade.

Prioritizing Finney-Smith may come at the cost of some offensive dynamism. He can hit his threes and finish the occasional wide-open drive but isn't doing much else. That trade-off is worth bolstering the big-wing defense.

Wade's knee issues have left Cleveland uncomfortably reliant on Marcus Morris Sr. Finney-Smith gives them another (and better) option to station at the 3 or play at the 4 in one-big lineups.

Why stray from a well the Dallas Mavericks have already tried to tap?

The folks in Big D signed Matisse Thybulle to a three-year, $33 million offer sheet last summer that was matched by the Portland Trail Blazers. (Note: The Mavs cannot acquire Thybulle until July, when a full year has passed since signing him to said offer sheet.) That interest should endure into this offseason.

Dallas' post-trade-deadline kaboom doesn't change things. It placed seventh in points allowed per possession but isn't necessarily teeming with must-keep stoppers on the perimeter.

P.J. Washington has been borderline fantastic on the less glamorous end. Having control of Dante Exum (non-guaranteed for 2024-25) also helps. And the Mavs shouldn't have too much competition for Derrick Jones Jr.'s services in free agency—though, his non-Bird status is somewhat restrictive.

Thybulle adds a more guaranteed element to defending at the point of attack and can scale up positionally when called upon. His offensive utility also isn't nearly as limiting compared to prior years. He canned almost 36 percent of his triples before the trade deadline inside an injury-riddled rotation that didn't have Luka Dončić or Kyrie Irving teeing him up.

Piecing together a viable offer could get tricky. The Mavs don't have this year's first-rounder and shouldn't be jettisoning distant picks for a role player. But they have the necessary salary-matching to go along with Olivier Maxence-Prosper and a couple of interesting seconds. Josh Green could be in play as well, but the on-ball element to his armory may render that a no-go without further compensation.

The Denver Nuggets profile as another Supertax team if Reggie Jackson exercises his player option and the team re-signs Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who has his own player option. That caps the ceiling on whom they can acquire.

Granted, their peak acquisition is lower than most anyway. The reigning champs don't have any major rotation holes, and failing a playoff meltdown, it'd be genuinely shocking to see them trade any of their five starters, Peyton Watson or Christian Braun.

Fortifying the backup-big slot remains atop Denver's to-do list. Upgrading the Jackson minutes also looms as a priority, but second-string playmakers tend to cost more, and the Nuggets have the uber-interesting Jalen Pickett waiting in the wings.

Nick Richards' $5 million salary for next season fits snugly into Denver's trade restrictions. It can use Jackson or Zeke Nnaji as the primary salary ballast and sweeten the offer with seconds from there. If the Charlotte Hornets want Hunter Tyson or Julian Strawther and the Nuggets are willing to play ball, the deal can be expanded to include other inbound players.

Anyway, the 7-foot Richards would bring energy and pop to the non-Nikola Jokić minutes. His above-the-rim finishing should make life easier on the floor generals running those backup units, and he has reasonable touch from the ground. Richards put down 59.2 percent of his hook shots this season (29-of-49).

Filling the 12 to 15 minutes or so that the best player in the world won't log is seldom mission critical. This instance is no exception. But Richards would meaningfully boost Denver's rebounding during non-Jokić stints while also sparing Aaron Gordon from too much regular-season work at the 5.

Opting to search for a new head of basketball operations complicates this matter for the Detroit Pistons—in a good way.

If current lead decision-maker Troy Weaver was going to indefinitely hold down his position, you could easily envision a scenario in which the organization short-circuits its future flexibility and ceiling to sign and/or trade for a peppering of non-superstars who don't advance their big-picture peak anywhere near fringe contention. That's not as likely now.

To be sure, this could still happen. The Pistons appear headed for more than $60 million in cap space and have not finished above .500 since 2016 or won a playoff series since 2008. But this is precisely why they should exercise caution.

Taking on unwanted money is one thing. Throwing the bag at players who may impede in-house development is another, more detrimental thing. Giving up on certain prospects and forking over first-round equity as part of a timeline-accelerating blockbuster is yet another, even more damaging thing.

You could talk me into a Karl-Anthony Towns pursuit if he becomes available. That's how badly I want Detroit to surround Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson with bankable shooting. (Yes, I know Jalen Duren exists. No, I didn't see enough from him as a sophomore to consider the 5 spot locked down.)

Poking around Tim Hardaway Jr.'s expiring contract is much less nuclear. He is unlikely to command real assets given the state of the Dallas Mavericks' rotation, and the long-range volume (7.5 attempts per game) and efficiency (37.5 percent) he's propped up over the past half-decade gives the Pistons a clearer path to rolling out Cade-and-Ausar-plus-shooting arrangements—provided Detroit is willing to play Isaiah Stewart at center or count Cunningham as one of the shooters.

I say this neither lightly nor sarcastically (nor happily): I have genuinely *no* idea where the Golden State Warriors can, or should, or must, go from here.

The cold, calculating, dynasty-is-dead move includes letting Klay Thompson walk in free agency, shopping Draymond Green and giving Stephen Curry the option to stick around or get dealt himself. But defining eras seldom end so callously—or comprehensively.

Human relationships and previous feats and the nostalgia they incite are always a factor. The Warriors' situation is unique in that their tentpole star remains, well, a tentpole star. Curry spawns both an obligation and impulse to explore avenues of instant transformation.

Yet, make no bones about it, Golden State needs a star to have any hope of reopening its title window. And it isn't clear which type of star does the job. Identifying them won't get any easier until the playoffs end, if it gets any easier at all.

Strong showings from the kids—Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, Trayce Jackson-Davis, even the inconsistently deployed Moses Moody—make charting a course that much harder. The Warriors exist in this weird space where they are neither bare nor bullish enough to have an obvious timeline.

Any move they make must be seismic and clarifying. Lauri Markkanen qualifies. Getting him will be a chore. The Utah Jazz sound willing to pay him. But between the youngins and the (likely) ability to ship out two firsts and up to four swaps, the Warriors have a mishmash of viable starting points.

Pairing Markkanen with Curry, Green, a re-signed Thompson and, let's say, Kuminga doesn't guarantee Golden State re-entry into the title discussion. They probably need a higher-level self-creator who's taller than miniature. But Markkanen can make the Warriors huge up front and just wrapped his second season in which he averaged north of 23 points per game while knocking down more than 55 percent of his twos and 39 percent of his threes.

Of note: Across league history, just five other players have spit out more than one of these campaigns: Curry (four), Kevin Durant (five), Kawhi Leonard (three), Karl-Anthony Towns (three) and LeBron James (two).

Please congratulate yours truly on showing restraint.

My initial inclination was to plug this spot with a marquee-name-du-jour after the Houston Rockets almost doubled-up their win total from last year while churning out a top-seven defense and unearthing two additional cornerstones in Amen Thompson and Alperen "Properly Used At Last" Şengün. But lead decision-maker (and the freshly extended) Rafael Stone has said H-Town is looking to build upon 2023-24 rather than use it as the springboard into an urgent overhaul or consolidation.

Choose to ignore him if you want. I believe him. Houston's base is that tantalizing. It has earned another year—or at least half-season–of relatively untouched exploration.

Malcolm Brogdon is a great choice relative to these parameters. The Rockets need shooting and playmaking to buttress their offense, and his meld of driving, kicking and spacing fits a wealth of different lineup configurations.

Perhaps most intriguingly, Brogdon's familiarity stroking threes off the catch is conducive to maximizing the on-ball reps for Şengün, Thompson and even Jalen Green. His $22.5 million expiring salary just so happens to fit Houston's (currently) wide-open summer 2025 cap sheet, too.

Enticing the Portland Trail Blazers could get dicey. The Rockets have contracts they can guarantee to make the math work without infringing upon Rip City's long-term books, but draft compensation will be a sticking point if they (rightfully) won't include Tari Eason or Cam Whitmore. This hangup isn't unworkable. Houston has a smattering of future firsts it can protect against disaster to get a deal over the finish line.

The Indiana Pacers caught plenty of people off-guard when they bagged one big name ahead of the deadline in Pascal Siakam.

Here's to them chasing another.

Plugging minutes on the wing remains Indy's utmost priority. The players currently occupying that space now are some combination of too small, complementary or not good enough to be the primary perimeter stopper on a contender.

Aaron Nesmith, for the record, comes close. And Jarace Walker might get there. But the Pacers already paid Tyrese Haliburton and are about to pony up for Siakam. There is a certain immediacy to their timeline.

Adding Mikal Bridges to the fold would be a massive boon. He can slot into a more natural third-wheel role alongside Hali and Siakam, and his defensive energy should intensify beyond suffocating once more after reorienting his offensive usage.

Whether the Pacers can construct the best deal for Bridges is debatable. The Siakam trade drained some of their war chest. But they will have Walker, Bennedict Mathurin, two first-round picks and up to four swaps they can peddle over the offseason.

That has the bones of a real offer. Having actual prospects should give this a leg up over potential proposals from teams like Philadelphia and Sacramento, who don't have blue-chip youngsters they'd be willing to include. Cap relief or reasonable contracts mean only so much to sellers, like Brooklyn in this case, who'd immediately enter rebuilding mode.

And if Indy is willing to throw most of its stash on the table, Bridges' salary is (absurdly) low enough for team president Kevin Pritchard to finagle packages that include neither Nesmith nor Myles Turner.

So many questions must be answered before the Los Angeles Clippers start thinking about trades.

Chief among them: What happens in the playoffs? Will Paul George (player option) re-sign? And how will James Harden's own foray into free agency play out?

Barring a talent and, by extension, salary drain of epic proportions, none of this will impact the Clippers' financial situation. They will enter the offseason as a Supertax squad, severely hamstringing the trade options at their disposal.

Fortunately for them, they have more cards to play than others in their position. Steve Ballmer is the closest it gets to a "truly doesn't care about the money" team governor, and Los Angeles has a couple of singular salary-matchers as well as one first-round pick (2031) to dangle.

Does one ultra-distant first and P.J. Tucker's expiring contract (he has a 2024-25 player option) get you into the Alex Caruso discussion? Arguable. That pick is to die for in a vacuum. Chicago Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas also knows he probably won't be the one making it.

It still never hurts to try. And the Clippers need the hellacious defense Caruso provides—his relentless ball pressure, his screen navigation, his ability to scale up, the whole nine.

L.A. ranked 24th in points allowed per possession after the All-Star break and fared poorly in transition basically all year. Relying on Kawhi and PG will only get tougher as they continue to age. Caruso brings a tenacity capable of alleviating that curve and improving the entire team—all without needing a prescribed number of touches at the offensive end.

Listing non-star targets for the Los Angeles Lakers doesn't move the needle. That could change if they shock, er, everyone during the playoffs. For now, even with their sparkly offensive showing out of the All-Star break, they still need another primary shot creator.

D'Angelo Russell (player option) is playing well enough to almost be it. We've also seen this movie before. He teases, enraptures, only to resume turbulence.

Trae Young's name will be floated here. That works. He is one of the league's most creative passers and dangerous scorers, and going on 26 this September, he offers a sturdy bridge into the post-LeBron James era.

His arrival is also more complicated. Matching Young's salary isn't impossible if Russell enters free agency, but it'll gut key parts of the rotation and come at a stark defensive cost.

Rooting for Donovan Mitchell to ask out of Cleveland is a better first option. His salary for next season ($35.4 million) is roughly $8 million cheaper than that of Young, which makes constructing deals a lot easier. And though he'll turn 28 in September one year ahead of a new mega contract, he's the cleaner offensive fit as someone who doesn't need to dominate the ball nearly as much.

During the regular season, Mitchell rated in the 94th percentile of catch-and-fire three-point shot-making and the 96th percentile of pull-up shot-making from distance, according to Basketball-Index. Stephen Curry, Duncan Robinson and Jayson Tatum are the only other players to do the same while finishing in the 3rd percentile (or lower) of overall three-point shot quality.

Other teams can (and probably will) have stronger packages for Mitchell. But he will have a hefty say in where he goes one year out from free agency. And for their part, the Lakers are armed with real stuff to offer—mainly some combination of three firsts, two swaps, five seconds, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura.

Injury after injury warped the Memphis Grizzlies' 2023-24 campaign beyond comprehension, making it exponentially harder to understand what they have in the current core. Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr., Ja Morant and Marcus Smart played just 119 minutes across six games together.

Memphis is ostensibly looking for a fifth player to round out its most important lineup. Could that person already be in place? Maybe. We wouldn't know.

GG Jackson II logged exactly zero minutes alongside those four. Vince Williams Jr. teamed up with them for a whopping 23 possessions. The Grizzlies' (presumably) top-seven draft pick has yet to turn into a player.

Even with the emergence of GG and Williams, though, Memphis needs more dynamic wing play—preferably from someone in the 6'7" to 6'9" range.

De'Andre Hunter looked like #thatplayer this season. He trimmed mid-rangers from his shot diet while increasing his frequency from behind the rainbow, where he drilled 38.5 percent of his attempts. His defense doesn't always have the presence of someone standing 6'8", but he is another body who can be rolled out against power wings.

Cost will be a barrier for entry—at both ends of the spectrum. The Grizzlies' payroll will only continue to balloon as Bane's extension kicks in and JJJ nears his next deal. Hunter is on the books for around $70 million over the next three years.

But that's reasonable money for a starting-caliber wing who, as he showed this season, won't grumble at coming off the bench. Whether the Grizzlies will fork over the draft assets necessary to convince the wing-starved Atlanta Hawks to talk shop forecasts as the bigger obstacle.

Giving up a 2027 first-rounder for Terry Rozier likely yanks the Miami Heat out of the glitziest trade sweepstakes this summer. They still have the assets to get something done.

Two first-rounders (2029 and 2031) and salary are the baseline, assuming Jaime Jaquez Jr. is untouchable. That's not netting a star. But putting even one of those picks on the table should help shore up the frontcourt spot beside Bam Adebayo.

Cam Johnson would be a quality fit with his shooting, motion and trace on-ball dynamism. His presence on the glass leaves much to be desired, but when healthy, he moves well enough in space on defense to make up for it.

To what end Miami wants to explore this route is above my pay grade. It concocted a respectable frontcourt rotation at the 3 and 4 with minutes featuring Jaquez, Jimmy Butler, Caleb Martin, the hustle of Haywood Highsmith, Duncan Robinson, and the midseason emergence of Nikola Jović (defending his butt off).

Johnson can augment that dynamic thanks to plop-and-play offensive chops. Plus, the Heat's forward options could thin out if Martin (player option) leaves in free agency.

Salary-matching with the Brooklyn Nets does get awkward here. Rozier, Robinson or Tyler Herro must be the anchor money. It isn't immediately clear which makes the most sense.

Rozier and Herro are somewhat redundant in theory, but Miami's offense wants for what both can do from the outside-in. The evolution of Robinson into an on-ball mover-and-shaker and facilitator renders him far from expendable. Herro may wind up making the most sense if it spares the Heat from including draft picks. Rozier or Robinson is probably the way to go if picks (or Jović) are on their way out.

Prepare for this Milwaukee Bucks thought exercise to get a helluva lot spicier depending on how their (potentially short-handed) playoff run pans out.

On second thought, Toumani Camara may be hot enough—if not emanating too much heat.

Milwaukee's asset chest is close to bare. It can offer a 2031 first-rounder, but that's overkill in this situation and a chip to which the front office will no doubt cling following the spotty returns (so far) from the inaugural Damian Lillard campaign.

MarJon Beauchamp, AJ Green, Andre Jackson Jr. and the No. 34 pick (ironically the Portland Trail Blazers' own) populate the nuts and bolts of the Bucks' best without-a-first offer. Does some combination of that land Camara?

*Shrugs in ambiguity.* Maybe.

Also: Maybe not.

Camara is someone who can capably defend the other team's best player across the 1 through 4 spots. I tend to think he has the chops to soak up small-ball center reps as well.

His offense is unpolished, and the Bucks don't have the makeup to deploy him as a primary or even secondary screener. But he did knock down 42.9 percent of his triples on 2.5 attempts per game after the All-Star break. Oh, and he's under team control for the next three seasons at an annual price point that'll never hit $2.3 million.

If nothing else, Camara is the line along which Milwaukee should be thinking once it begins prowling the trade market: defensive versatility, defensive versatility and then even more defensive versatility.

Second apron, schmecond apron. You won't catch me advocating for the Minnesota Timberwolves to browse for deals that jettison one of their seven best players before seeing how the postseason goes.

(Necessary aside: Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore, Glen Taylor, Taylor Swift, Stromile Swift, it doesn't matter. Whoever holds controlling interest in the Timberwolves shouldn't be itching to shave the payroll and, in turn, talent of a 56-win team before next February's trade deadline. If anyone isn't prepared to foot even one season's worth of luxury-tax penalties for a squad this good, then, well, they shouldn't hold controlling interest in an NBA franchise.)

Operating under this pretense leaves me (and you) to scour the masses for volcanic shooting on the cheap.

Hello, Garrison Mathews.

The 27-year-old just converted 44 percent of his shots from distance, which he launched at a rate of 7.0 per 36 minutes. Mathews accessorizes this volume with solid cutting in space and even a pull-up mid-ranger. His efficiency may dip in a larger role, but whatever. The Wolves shouldn't need him to soak up more than 15 minutes per game.

Acquiring him should prove relatively reasonable—assuming the Atlanta Hawks pick up his $2.2 million team option. He isn't high-usage enough for Minnesota to put Leonard Miller on the table. One of Wendell Moore Jr. or, more likely, Josh Minott and perhaps a second should get the conversation started.

Targets splashier than Onyeka Okongwu may fast become the more necessary option for the New Orleans Pelicans.

The ticking time bomb that is Zion Williamson's availability—he is currently dealing with a hamstring injury—can leave the team's offensive pecking order in relative disarray. Brandon Ingram is good, sometimes splendid, but the Pelicans need a higher-level playmaker at the tippy top if life without Zion is going to remain an omnipresent danger.

Now isn't the time to belly-flop deeper into those waters. Not yet. It is an awkward, and defining, conversation best left for when more teams will be having those same debates.

Upgrading the big-man rotation with functional diversification is the focus in the meantime—and among New Orleans' most non-negotiable musts should it stand pat. Okongwu is just 6'8" (and has his own checkered health bill), but he adds a blend of rim protection and perimeter mobility on the defensive end matched by no center currently on the Pelicans roster, including Larry Nance Jr.

New Orleans' ideal 5 would be a pancakier screener and/or patented floor-spacer. Okongwu is neither. But he does a little of both. He shot over 43 percent on 51 corner threes this year, with most of his damage coming from the right side (16-of-32), and has some downhill thrust and flip shots in his arsenal.

Okongwu's salary structure likewise fits a Pelicans cap sheet that must reconcile its proximity to the tax in the coming seasons. He begins a four-year, $62 million extension in 2024-25—reasonable money even if you don't start him.

Building a package that whets the Atlanta Hawks' whistle shouldn't fall outside the realm of possibility. They have yet to make him Clint Capela's heir apparent and have payroll concerns of their own. New Orleans has draft equity to spare, and bigger deals that also see Trae Young or Dejounte Murray, Brandon Ingram and Dyson Daniels swap sides are in play.

Paul George's prospective value to the New York Knicks borders on self-explanatory. Wings who can still contend for All-NBA and All-Defensive in the same season while effectively playing off other, more ball-dominant contemporaries are—well, they're superstars.

Going on 34 this May, the idea of surrendering assets for and then paying George will make some queasy. That's the benefit of Jalen Brunson and the Knicks' depth. Collectively, they allow PG to age gracefully, never having to shoulder more than a second option's burden.

The logistics of any trade should help, too. As a could-be free agent, George gets to dictate the terms of his exit from the Los Angeles Clippers—an exit that, for now, seems at least plausible given the absence of an extension. And under those circumstances, the Knicks shouldn't have to forfeit as many future draft picks as they normally would to snare a player of this caliber.

PG can simplify matters by opting in and orchestrating a move to New York. A sign-and-trade would be more complicated, since it hard-caps the Knicks, but it's hardly unworkable. While the math could get tight, the roster is stocked with the movable contracts to match George's inbound money and then, if necessary, create the wiggle room under the hard cap required to Early-Bird-rights-it-up with Isaiah Hartenstein.

Everyone and their third cousin's neighbor's friend's favorite TikToker's most frequent commenter is seemingly waiting for the Oklahoma City Thunder to make The Move. In this case, The Move is consolidating their kingdom of draft assets into a star that transforms them into a heavyweight contender.

Here's the thing: The Thunder have the Western Conference's No. 1 seed. They are already a heavyweight contender. Perhaps the playoffs will yield more pressing needs. Maybe they even verify all the hullabaloo over Oklahoma City's lack of size.

Until proven otherwise, though, the Thunder needn't bide time and assets, lying in wait to unload the asset clip on the right star. They are instead positioned to target impactful players who fit their offensive and defensive motifs—and, equally important, who are on contracts manageable enough for them to bankroll fast-approaching extensions for Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams and, potentially, Josh Giddey with issue.

Deni Avdija checks all of those boxes. He won't turn 24 until next January and is about to start a very team friendly four-year, $55 million extension that oh, by the way, declines as it goes.

He also happens to be working off a career year in which more touches led to a flourishing, at times sneakily physical drive-and-dish game and spiffier handles and footwork and finishing. His three-point volume will always leave you wanting more, but he just downed them at a 37.4 percent clip and negates some of the long-range hesitance with less aversion to contact and sharper movement away from the ball.

This raises the question: Why, exactly, would the Washington Wizards trade him? They wouldn't. But the Thunder have the goods—including a path to $27-plus million in cap space—to invent their own trade market.

Anfernee Simons is a trade target I've implored the Orlando Magic to target for what feels like eternity. My brand isn't changing now.

Orlando's need for shooting is the league's worst-kept non-secret. Its floor balance in the half-court is actually pretty good—another feather in the cap for Coach of the Year candidate Jamahl Mosley—but defenses don't fear outside reprisal from anyone on the roster.

Simons changes that in a big way. He just banged in 38.5 percent of his almost nine three-point attempts per game—volume that included a healthy mix of catch-and-shoots (3.8) and pull-ups (5.0) and came within a Portland Trail Blazers offense that didn't generate a ton of gimmes for him.

To wit: According to BBall-Index, the shot quality on Simons' pull-up treys rated in the 7th percentile while his catch-and-shoot triples fell into the 2nd percentile.

This time last year, it might've made sense for the Magic to prioritize spacing that promised more playmaking. They can move beyond that. Simons will throw a pass or four every game that makes you say "Oh, he wouldn't have done that last season."

More to the point, Orlando has enough playmaking-by-committee in Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Cole Anthony and, yes, Jalen Suggs. (Markelle Fultz falls under this umbrella if he sticks around.) Simons will fit in seamlessly as a shot-creator and -maker who offers secondary passing. His age (turns 25 in June) and contract (two years, $53.6 million) also jibe with the Magic's timeline.

Finding common ground with Portland shouldn't be an issue. Simons' future with the team is at least somewhat tenuous with Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe in the fold, and Orlando can offer a meld of draft assets, cap relief and tangible prospects (Jett Howard, Anthony Black).

Friend-of-the-Phoenix-Suns Torrey Craig would appear here if I didn't expect him to decline his $2.9 million player option. So, we'll pivot to other-friend-of-the-Suns-who-plays-for-the-Chicago-Bulls Jevon Carter.

Full disclosure: Phoenix has a greater need for wings and versatile bigs. But the former tends to command more value in trades, which the Suns do not have. Their asset stores are dry, and "Supertax" doesn't begin to describe their financial constraints. (Something I'm not sure has dawned on enough of us: Phoenix is slated to have three of the league's seven highest-paid players next season.)

Rotation bigs, meanwhile, are easier to grab with minimum deals in free agency. That brings us back to Carter.

Nassir Little's $6.8 million salary registers as the team's most useful salary-matching tool. The recently extended Grayson Allen has become too important, and Jusuf Nurkić (two years, $37.5 million) is too expensive (and also maybe too important).

Carter's $6.5 million salary next year fits the second-apron trade parameters. At 6'1", he isn't a conventional point man, but he doesn't monopolize touches and is comfortable dotting primary ball-handlers.

A crowded guard rotation along with a down shooting season (32.9 percent from deep) derailed Carter's first season in Chicago. The Suns shouldn't be worried. His feisty-as-hell defense persists, and a career 38.3 percent marksman from distance doesn't just fall off without bouncing back.

Pinning down trade targets for the Philadelphia 76ers gets thorny before knowing how they maneuver their cap sheet. They can dredge up around $65 million in spending power depending on the outcome of the playoffs (Paul Reed's 2024-25 salary guarantees if they win a first-round series) and how they wish to handle their own free agents beyond Tyrese Maxey.

To that end, Bogdan Bogdanović could be a placeholder. But his scoring, playmaking and off-the-dribble juice both plug holes the Sixers already have and complement any additional star or marquee-name power they bring in over the summer. His salary next season ($17.3 million) also doesn't preclude them from shelling out max or near-maxy money for Paul George (player option) or, more likely, swinging another bigger-time trade.

Speaking of which: Philly is flush with enough picks and flexibility to lust after more glamorous options. It can flip up to five first-rounders after this year's draft—including whoever it selects at No. 19.

This should grant the Sixers entry to the splashiest discussions when combined with their bandwidth to promise gobs of cap relief. Spotlighting those names, though, is a task for another day, when there's a more concrete offseason trade market.

Without a glittery youngster to dangle (Maxey isn't going anywhere), Philly doesn't quite have the clout to create its own sweepstakes or necessarily beat out other teams that can ship out picks and prospects to rebuilding sellers.

Welcome to Awkward Situation Central. Population: The Portland Trail Blazers.

Missing the playoffs in three consecutive seasons has superficially aged the Blazers' rebuild. It feels like they've immersed themselves within for years. Plural. Really, their rebuild is in its infancy—a whole season old.

That puts them in almost indiscriminate asset-accumulation mode, minus deals that mandate they pony up any of their own first-rounders. At the same time, it isn't clear how many of the non-kids they feel inclined to move. You can make a case for keeping or dealing every single one of Deandre Ayton, Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons, Matisse Thybulle, Robert Williams III and even, to some extent, Malcolm Brogdon.

Grant and Brogdon are the only players whose ages definitively don't align with Portland's window. Ayton and Simons are kids in their own right, but both are non-stars who've already been paid. In Simons' case, there is some redundancy with Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe as primary building blocks. And while Ayton looked eons better after he stopped sleeping on a bed made out of Mancala stones, pinecones and frozen Skittles shards, his trajectory hardly renders him can't-miss or difficult from which to upgrade.

This is all to say: The Blazers confuse the ever living hell out of yours truly. But I do know that, no matter how the draft and free agency shake out, they could use lethal shooting that takes the form of combo-forward size.

Enter Jett Howard.

No rookie drafted in the first round last June aside from Dariq Whitehead logged fewer minutes than Howard this season. That is at least partially concerning. The Orlando Magic had—and have—short-term fish to fry, but they also sorely needed (and still need) competent shooters. Howard, at 6'8", is big enough not to have exacerbated the backcourt congestion.

But this isn't an advocation for the Blazers to give up first-round equity. Howard is an intriguing target as part of a larger package—one that nets additional first-round equity in exchange for Simons or maybe even Brogdon. And if you watch some of Howard's G League film from his time with the Osceola Magic, you'll see the skeleton of a bigger marksman who can relocate and drain triples from all over the floor.

Mikal Bridges came close to getting the nod for the Sacramento Kings—and, frankly, many other teams. But if Keegan Murray is off limits, their best offer must be assembled around some combination of three first-rounders, four swaps and digestible salary.

To be clear: That's a lot. But the Brooklyn Nets will presumably be pivoting into a rebuild or something close to it if Bridges hits the auction block. Teams in their situation tend to covet both picks and existing prospects. Sacramento is barren of the latter outside Murray.

Luckily for the Kings, recent developments allow them to peruse non-star ranks and emerge with blindingly bright playoff sheen.

Murray is part of that calculus. He has honed his defense in space and around the basket and busted out difficult shot-making as a sophomore. Keon Ellis, meanwhile, has given them a go-check-that-star-guard stopper who doesn't shrink the floor.

Stir someone like Jerami Grant into the mix, and you've got another bigger-wing defender who not only won't inhibit your half-court offense but just might elevate its on- and off-ball oomph. That he shouldn't command as many first-rounder goodies as a Mikal Bridges or Lu Dort is yet another silver lining

Grant's contract is more prohibitive than anything. He has four years and $132.4 million left on his deal, a price that gets taxing with Domantas Sabonis on his new agreement and both Murray and De'Aaron Fox speeding toward raises.

That's a pickle for Future Kings. The current Kings' window in the West is urgent enough to prioritize right now and figure out the rest later. And right now, they have the contracts, future picks and wiggle room beneath the first apron even when forecasting a new deal for Malik Monk to give the Portland Trail Blazers a little bit of everything (cap relief included)—except an existing prospect.

Calls for the San Antonio Spurs to immediately pair Victor Wembanyama with a high-level floor general are only going to grow louder. The Silver and Black outpaced opponents by over five points per 100 possessions when its resident extraterrestrial shared the court with Tre Jones.

Imagine what will happen if the Spurs supplant those Jones minutes with someone closer to stardom.

Most will take this to mean Dejounte Murray or Trae Young. Both are great options. And San Antonio shouldn't specifically be worried about the fit with Young. Wemby can both function at transcendent capacity alongside ball dominance and cover up for anyone and everyone on the defensive end.

Darius Garland is my own preference as Option No. 1. He's the more ambitious target, since the Cleveland Cavaliers, unlike the Atlanta Hawks, have not reached Defcon Break Up The Backcourt. But they could get there.

This isn't purely about the Cavs' postseason fate. If Donovan Mitchell plans to re-sign, they may decide they're better off not shelling out $80-plus million annually to a pair of smaller guards.

The Spurs don't quite have the personnel to ship them a wing of the future unless Devin Vassell is involved (which he shouldn't be). But they have Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, all their own picks, extra firsts from Atlanta, Chicago and Toronto, a fake-ish first from Charlotte and second-rounders galore.

If some combination of these assets doesn't pique Cleveland's interest, they collectively have the curb appeal required to rope in a third-party facilitator with #ThePlayer who does. So, yeah, the Spurs should target the talented 24-year-old with four years left on what ESPN's Brian Windhorst aptly calls the "Fun Max" first and then adjust their expectations later—if even necessary.

Team president Masai Ujiri sounds like someone prepared to take the latest Toronto Raptors rebuild in any number of directions depending on the opportunities and realities set before it. The common denominator among all possibilities? Time.

Toronto needs time to not only let strike-while-the-iron's-hot opportunities arise, but time to understand just how good its four-player base of Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley (restricted) and Jakob Poeltl can be together. This quartet outscored opponents by 11.5 points per 100 possessions on the season. That's great! It's also a sample spanning just over 500 total possessions. That's...not a lot!

This wait for clarity on what's already in place temporarily removes earth-shattering scenarios from the table. And that instead leaves us to consider the archetype this core needs most: a wing, an actual wing, who doesn't need the ball on offense.

Sup, OG Anunoby Moses Moody?

Inconsistent usage with the Golden State Warriors on top of extension eligibility this summer should render the 21-year-old eminently gettable. Haggling over a package could be prickly. Golden State may insist on a protected first-rounder Toronto should absolutely not give.

With the Warriors becoming expensive as hell without the title contention to show for it—i.e. Supertax Purgatory—the Raptors could entice them by taking on Andrew Wiggins' money. Depending on how it handles internal free agents, Toronto can take in both Moody and Wiggins while sending out only Jalen McDaniels' expiring salary. Chris Boucher's larger expiring deal can be used as a substitute. The Raptors could also just offer to take on the balance of Looney's (much) smaller contract instead of Wiggins' pact.

Whether Golden State is at that cost-cutting point is a separate matter. But Moody is close enough to his next deal that Toronto should have the ammo to land him even if saving the Warriors money won't be the meat and potatoes of the structure.

Overly ambitious much?

That's the luxury of theorizing targets for the Utah Jazz. Much like the Oklahoma City Thunder, they have the asset rizz to invent their own trade market. It helps, too, that team CEO Danny Ainge just said the organization is ready to go big-game hunting.

This typically refers to a superstar search. As of now, there isn't a clear-cut candidate who meets that criteria. Trae Young doesn't make sense, and neither Mikal Bridges nor Dejounte Murray are big enough gets to warrant such a comment.

Utah may be skulking around targets (LaMelo Ball?) who reach the chopping block later. Ainge could simply just be bragging about the breadth of the Jazz's assets rather than tipping his hand about their intent.

Whatever the case, Utah has the asset equity and, if it is serious about giving Lauri Markkanen a raise, motivation to seek out a happy medium. Jaden McDaniels fits that description—a non-star who will come at a serious cost but shouldn't drain the Jazz's trade chips, and who outfits the roster with an actual wing.

His five-year, $131 million extension that kicks in next season is steep, but it should never represent more than 16ish percent of the salary cap. Utah shouldn't fear his offensive drop-off this season. He remains an All-Defensive candidate, and going on 24 this September, he can still get better at the other end—even if that's just a matter of consistently hitting a higher volume of threes.

Tough talk time: McDaniels at this moment may be the most ungettable player on this list. Even if the Minnesota Timberwolves are looking to cut costs, Karl-Anthony Towns continues to be the most likely collateral damage.

Still, I direct you back to the whole "Utah can bid itself into sweepstakes that don't exist" thing. Beyond that, the emergence of Nickeil Alexander-Walker as a fringe All-Defensive candidate himself affords Minnesota's cost-cutting scenarios some optionality. KAT's offensive dynamism is arguably more important to the makeup of the roster, and the Timberwolves have Anthony Edwards and even Naz Reid, in addition to NAW, to rely on for perimeter defense

The Jazz can make things interesting with a buffet of different proposals. They have the impending cap space to sponge up McDaniels' 2024-25 salary in full while restocking Minny's draft cupboard (potentially with its own picks). And if the Timberwolves are less concerned about extreme savings and hotter for an infusion of offense, something like Collin Sexton (and picks) gets the job done, too.

Jaden Hardy will never have a clear path to regular playing time with the Dallas Mavericks so long as Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving are in town. The retention of Josh Green and (re)discovery of Dante Exum all but neuter the possibility.

The Washington Wizards have muuuuch more runway to test the depths of his offensive skill set.

Having Jordan Poole on the payroll is immaterial for these purposes. Tyus Jones could leave in free agency, and the Wizards need all the experimental playmakers they can get. Deni Avdija's ascent into the Most Improved Player discourse is huge, but he shouldn't be the engine for an entire offense.

This is not to say Hardy can or should be, either. He is more combo guard than floor general. But he has provided flashes and flickers of a more patient, more accurate and less predictable passer. Attach that to his scoring chops, which include standstill touch and shiftiness in traffic, and the 21-year-old is worth further exploration that a team like the just-started-rebuilding Wizards can provide.

Trade compensation shouldn't be prohibitive here. Washington has no business dealing its own firsts, but Hardy doesn't have the mystique to command one.

Could second-round assets get it done? Do the Mavs have the stones (and pick equity) to go after Avdija? Might they still have interest in Kyle Kuzma and comically colossal lineups featuring him, Dončić, P.J. Washington and a big? The possibilities are manyfold.

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.