Really good NBA teams often need a trade to take them over the top.

Great teams sometimes need that kind of lift, too.

The Boston Celtics, for instance, had been among the Association's elites for years, but their championship breakthrough didn't come before last offseason's trades for Kristaps Porziņģis and Jrue Holiday. The Denver Nuggets, meanwhile, can retrace a big chunk of their 2023 title to the acquisitions of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Aaron Gordon.

The right trade can be truly transformative.

As we look ahead to the upcoming 2024-25 campaign, we're firing up the trade machine to find four hypothetical deals capable of crowning the next champion.

Warriors Address Their Lack of Size

Golden State Warriors receive: Clint Capela

Atlanta Hawks receive: Moses Moody, Gary Payton II, Kevon Looney and a 2026 second-round pick (via ATL)

There were certain points last season in which the Warriors appeared undersized and overwhelmed at the center spot. So far, they've effectively just rolled that weakness over into the new season, as they left the position essentially untouched this offseason save for adding Quinten Post with the 52nd pick.

Dropping Capela into the mix would suddenly give the Dubs legitimate size (6'10", 240 lbs), length and athleticism in the middle. The 30-year-old is a walking double-double who could add both rim protection and reliable close-range finishing.

This might not be the kind of star acquisition Golden State has attempted to make, but it would be a notable addition. On balance, Capela's clubs have fared 3.4 points better per 100 possessions with him than without over his 10-year career.

If nothing else, this would send the clear message to Stephen Curry that the franchise is still trying to construct a contender around him. And if Capela and the other newcomers (Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson and De'Anthony Melton) fit as well in practice as they do on paper, the Warriors could be just a Jonathan Kuminga leap or even an Andrew Wiggins bounce-back away from rejoining the championship chase.

The Hawks, meanwhile, could see some addition by subtraction as Capela's exit would finally open a starting spot for former lottery pick Onyeka Okongwu. Atlanta would also have the 2024-25 season to decide whether Moody is worth keeping around, and it could either plug Payton and Looney into support roles or shop them on the trade market.

Magic Address Scoring, Shooting Shortages

Orlando Magic receive: Bogdan Bogdanović

Atlanta Hawks receive: Cole Anthony, Jett Howard and a 2025 first-round pick (top-five protected, via DEN)

The Magic just won 47 games and fell one victory shy of booking their first trip past the opening round in more than a decade. And they did all that despite being weighed down by the least efficient offense of all postseason participants (play-in teams included).

It's scary to think how high this club could climb with even a league-average offense. Because its third-ranked defense sure feels established as one of the Association's very best.

The Magic just have to address standing needs of perimeter shooting and support scoring for Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Bogdanović checks both boxes. The perennial Sixth Man of the Year candidate has carried career averages of 14.7 points and 2.5 three-pointers (on 38.4 percent shooting, no less) across seven NBA seasons.

He is the kind of player capable of both leading the reserve unit and slotting alongside the stars as part of the closing group. So long as he stays healthy (which, admittedly, isn't always a given), he should raise Orlando's floor and ceiling.

As for Atlanta, the Hawks appear to be playing the long game after unloading Dejounte Murray this offseason. And while unpaid draft debts haven't allowed them to fully tank, the franchise's attention should still be firmly affixed to the future.

This package would help brighten it. Anthony is a 24-year-old fire-baller who could immediately help the Hawks avoid dramatic dropoffs when Trae Young needs a breather and perhaps later replace the lead guard if the team opts for a total teardown.

Howard is a 2023 lottery pick who might be cheaper than he should be after a quiet rookie season. And while the incoming first probably won't be great, it still provides another throw at the dart board for a club that should be attempting to add as much young, cost-controlled talent as possible.

Nuggets Nab Their Third Scorer

Denver Nuggets receive: Brandon Ingram

New Orleans Pelicans receive: Michael Porter Jr., Zeke Nnaji and a 2031 first-round pick (top-five protected)

The Nuggets have the best player on the planet in three-time MVP Nikola Jokić, and they just matched the best winning percentage of their NBA existence (.695). Are they still fully sold on this core's championship contention, though? Denver has subtracted key pieces each of the past two summers (first Bruce Brown, then Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) and struggled to add established players of note (other than Russell Westbrook).

Do they see enough scoring and shot-creation within their supporting cast to believe Jokić won't have to do everything on his own? Jamal Murray is mostly fine as a second option—though his numbers can be a bit erratic—but things get dicey when you get down to Denver's No. 3.

That wouldn't be the case after an Ingram trade. The 6'8" swingman is a steady source of inside-the-arc scoring and secondary playmaking, and while his three-point volume has decreased of late, his past perimeter triumphs (2.4 threes with a 38.6 percent splash rate between 2019-20 and 2020-21) suggest he could crank that back up.

It'd be a bold move, sure, but maybe some boldness is needed. For a club that should be evaluated by the championship-or-bust metric, the Nuggets seem uncomfortably reliant on young, largely unproven players like Christian Braun and Peyton Watson. Ingram would provide the comfort of a proven producer.

The Pelicans, meanwhile, seem unconvinced Ingram is worth what his next contract will cost, so they might consider this type of pivot. Porter fills more of a specialist's role, but having a 6'10" net-shredder and off-ball weapon could do wonders for the spacing around Zion Williamson and Dejounte Murray.

New Orleans would also add a future first to its pile of trade chips, plus it could give its underwhelming frontcourt a potentially helpful depth piece in Nnaji, a former first-round pick who has shown flashes of shot-making and defensive versatility.

Lakers Finally Make a Splash

Los Angeles Lakers receive: Jerami Grant and Duop Reath

Portland Trail Blazers receive: D'Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jalen Hood-Schifino, a 2029 first-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick (via LAC)

The Lakers have kept surprisingly quiet this offseason. Sure, they plucked new coach JJ Redick out of the broadcast booth, perhaps snagged the draft's biggest steal in Dalton Knecht and made a history-making pick late in the second round, but the "greater or bigger swing" Lakers fans were promised after an uneventful trade deadline never happened.

There's still time to get a ceiling-raising deal done, though, and adding Grant should qualify.

His stats have been a bit inflated by suiting up for some cellar-dwellers in recent seasons, but there are only so many ways to nitpick his 2023-24 average of 21 points per game when it was enhanced by an efficient 45.1/40.2/81.7 shooting slash. His volume would decrease while lining up alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but Grant could become more efficient on offense and more active on defense.

As a third option—or even fourth if Austin Reaves authors a breakout effort—Grant is more than equipped for the job. He could function as almost a turbo-charged three-and-D forward, providing more slashing and self-sufficient scoring than the label normally applies.

In this hypothetical trade, he'd also be accompanied by the intriguing Reath, who'd have a real chance at assuming the backup 5 role behind Davis. Reath turned plenty of heads last season as a 27-year-old rookie, namely with his unique blend of three-point shooting (2.6 per 36 minutes with a 35.9 percent conversion rate) and shot-blocking (1.1 per 36 minutes).

Portland, meanwhile, has presumably been itching to unload the pricey pact Grant signed last summer—right before Damian Lillard left—and L.A. has surfaced as a possible landing spot.

The Blazers would have little use for Russell beyond his expiring $18.7 million salary, but they could covet Vanderbilt as a defensive complement to Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe. Portland could also take a long look at Hood-Schifino, last year's No. 17 pick, while adding two draft assets to help with its post-Lillard overhaul.