The actual NBA trade market may not heat up for a minute.

Teams often wait until the quarter-mark of the campaign before running their self-assessments in hopes of avoiding any small-sample-size trickery. Not to mention players who inked pacts in the summer won't become trade-eligible until mid-December at the earliest, so full decks aren't available for roster-reshuffling that takes place before then.

All that said, there is nothing in the collective bargaining agreement that regulates when we're allowed to daydream about wheeling and dealing. We may not have a perfect read on every team just yet, but we do have an idea about needs that could require trades and which players might become available to fill them.

Let's put those hunches to good use, then, and drum up four deals that could reverberate across the Association.

Cavaliers Push in Chips for Crowder; Suns Gain Wing Depth

Cleveland Cavaliers receive: Jae Crowder

Phoenix Suns receive: Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens and a 2023 second-round pick

The Cavaliers have sprinted to an 8-1 start with the league's best net rating (plus-12.0 points per 100 possessions), so they may not be in the market for a trade.

Still, if this club is thinking about championship potential—and given the level it has already reached with Donovan Mitchell, it absolutely should be—it might wonder whether it has enough two-way talent on the wings to embark on a title trek. If the Cavs answer that inquiry with anything other than a resounding "Yes!," they should phone Phoenix and get the exiled Crowder back on the court.

His potential may not appear much better than Osman's, who has given Cleveland good minutes out of the gate. Come playoff time, though, the Cavaliers would benefit from Crowder's experience, defensive versatility, physicality and toughness. If his three-ball is regularly finding the mark—he's a career 34.6 percent shooter from range but has twice cleared 38 percent—he might even force his way into the closing lineup.

As for the Suns, Crowder's exit has probably already taken longer than expected, but it's a trickier trade to execute than you'd think. While he should hold ample appeal among win-now shoppers, he is also being shopped by a win-now team that would want win-now pieces in return, at least one of which would need to help cover for Crowder's absence.

Osman could be that player. His name surfaced in Crowder trade talks between Phoenix and Cleveland, per Marc Stein, and his value has only increased since. His jack-of-all-trades game should allow him to find his niche more often than not.

The Suns' needs at forwards are also climbing with Cameron Johnson heading under the knife with a torn meniscus, so they'd appreciate the inclusion of Stevens, who offers positional versatility on defense and a tremendous motor.

Major Switch-Up in South Beach

Miami Heat receive: Terry Rozier and Kelly Oubre Jr.

Charlotte Hornets receive: Kyle Lowry, Nikola Jović, Ömer Yurtseven and a 2023 first-round pick (top-seven-protected)

As far as Heat players are concerned, there are zero reasons to panic. As Jimmy Butler boldly and bluntly put it to The Athletic's Sam Amick, "We're going to win the f--king championship."

The front office may not share Butler's confidence in this roster, though. Not with the Heat, last season's No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, having dropped six of their first 10 games and posted the league's 10th-worst net rating (minus-1.8). Not with the offense still lacking zip in the half court and the defense losing flexibility and muscle with the offseason departure of P.J. Tucker.

If the Heat have diagnosed problems they don't think can be fixed internally, they could be in the market for a major move. While they don't have the trade chips to chase down a star, turning the assets they have into plug-and-play veterans such as Rozier and Oubre could still go down as a needle-mover.

At this stage of their careers, Rozier is a much more capable shot-creator and much more dangerous scoring threat than Lowry. While Lowry has typically been the superior table-setter, that gap could be closing. Even if it isn't, the Heat could lean heavier on Butler and Bam Adebayo for passing, understanding how important Rozier's scoring could be.

His 24 points per game and four triples per night (at a scalding 41.4 percent) would both easily lead Miami. His numbers could fall with the Heat—they couldn't give him the 33.1 usage percentage the LaMelo Ball-less Hornets have tasked him with—and he'd still be a good deal above Lowry, who is averaging just 13.2 points on 37.8 percent shooting (32.3 from distance).

Add Oubre as a lanky defender, transition attacker and potent-when-he's-feeling-it shooter, and the Heat would considerably beef up their rotation for a potentially massive turnaround.

The Hornets wouldn't have much use for Lowry beyond that his $28.3 million salary would make the money work, though any wisdom he could share with Ball would prove invaluable. The bigger draws, though, are the pick and Jović, a skilled, 6'10" 19-year-old. Yurtseven has also proved highly productive during his brief career.

Warriors Split Up Splash Brothers in Attempt to Correct Roster Imbalance

Golden State Warriors receive: Jakob Poeltl, Josh Richardson, Doug McDermott and Romeo Langford

San Antonio Spurs receive: Klay Thompson, James Wiseman, a 2028 first-round pick (top-three-protected), a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick

If it wasn't for the bling, the defending champion Dubs might be unrecognizable. Their five-game losing skid bumped them down to 3-7, their minus-4.5 net rating ranks 24th and their bench is, statistically speaking, an eyesore.

Is that enough to break apart the Splash Brothers by trading a Bay Area legend—and four-time champion—in Thompson? Maybe not yet, but Golden State's decision-makers might have to consider a megadeal sooner than later, if for no other reason than to give Stephen Curry another chance to compete for a crown while he remains at the height of his powers.

Warriors fans will scoff at the cost—Wiseman was the No. 2 pick in 2020, and that future first would be nearly unprotected—particularly since the deal wouldn't deliver a star in return. However, a lack of stardom isn't what's sinking this squad. Rather, it's a lack of depth and not having enough reliable contributors alongside Curry and Andrew Wiggins.

This deal would deliver at least three rotation-ready contributors, or four if Langford's defense would get him a gig. Poeltl is dynamite on defense and rock-solid on offense, McDermott is an elite net-shredder, and Richardson is an ace three-and-D wing with a pinch of off-the-bounce ability. Any of the three could function as a role-playing starter or top reserve.

Given Golden State's record, it might seem like it requires a bigger fix than a batch of role players, but the numbers aren't so sure. The starting lineup has a dominant plus-24.1 net rating across 109 minutes. This system still shreds opponents when run successfully, and the three would-be incoming veterans have the skills and savvy to hit the ground sprinting within it.

Theoretically, San Antonio could fetch a pinch more by trading the veterans one at a time, but consolidating them in this megaswap would make sense if the Spurs are big believers in Wiseman and think Thompson could be flipped before his contract expires in 2024.

If both things are true, San Antonio would walk away with a building block in Wiseman, a lightly protected future first from a veteran-heavy team, a pair of second-round dart throws and a path to future assets through a Thompson trade. That's a hefty haul for a package of solid-but-nowhere-near-spectacular players.

Wizards Finally Bring Durant Home

Washington Wizards receive: Kevin Durant

Brooklyn Nets receive: Kristaps Porzingis, Deni Avdija, Johnny Davis, a 2025 first-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2029 first-round pick and three first-round pick swaps

Even if the Nets aren't talking Durant deals yet, that might be an inevitability. Brooklyn zoomed past its worst-case scenario start, as the team has already made a coaching change, suspended Kyrie Irving indefinitely after he promoted an antisemitic film on social media and gotten almost nothing out of Ben Simmons (37 points in 191 minutes). And remember, Durant wanted out way before this tailspin started.

"I just can't imagine KD wanting to be there, not because of his relationship with Kyrie but because the level of talent that's going to be on that roster at this point in his career [will be subpar]," a front office executive told The Athletic's Sam Amick. "I don't see him saying, 'Yeah, let me stick it out here and just be the eighth seed in the East for the next three years.'"

If Durant works his way back to the trade market, the Wizards should empty their asset collection to get him.

Washington is going nowhere fast with Bradley Beal, who signed for a quarter-billion dollars in the the summer. It doesn't have enough win-now talent to make major noise in the East, nor are there blue-chip prospects coming down the pike. Dramatic change is needed for dramatically different results.

Durant, a longtime target and Washington, D.C., native, would certainly qualify. Maybe he wouldn't make the Wizards a championship favorite, but good luck to any defenses trying to defend him and Beal, who have five 30-points-per-game seasons between them. Washington would still have a two-way forward in Kyle Kuzma, an offensive organizer in Monte Morris and a rim-runner in Daniel Gafford to round out what could be a formidable first five.

As for the Nets, a Durant deal should plunge them into a rebuild. Irving would seemingly be out as soon as Brooklyn found a taker, and who knows whether Simmons would remain in its plans. Long-term assets would trump all else, and Washington should have no trouble forking over as many as possible; goosing this offer with extra picks or prospects would absolutely be in play.

Porzingis is the Wizards' easiest money-matcher, and the Nets could convince themselves he'd be movable down the line for more assets. The picks and swaps would be the biggest prize, but these prospects—or others, such as Rui Hachimura and Corey Kispert—could fill roles for the franchise.

Statistics courtesy of Basketball Reference and NBA.com and accurate through Sunday.

Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @ZachBuckleyNBA.