Oklahoma City Thunder
Targets: Bol Bol (Nuggets), Coby White (Bulls), Jaxson Hayes (Pelicans)
If you give a mouse a cookie, he is going to ask for a glass of milk… everybody knows that.
If you ask Sam Presti for one of his players in a trade, he is going to ask for draft compensation in return.
The Thunder have 35 total draft picks through 2028 as a result of Presti’s work and they will continue to find ways to add future value this season by leveraging talents like Derrick Favors, Mike Muscala, Kenrich Williams and possibly others.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Best Landing Spot For Top Names In NBA Trade Rumors
The future looks bright for the Thunder and it could be even brighter if they were to bring in some young, high-potential guys like Coby White, Jaxson Hayes or Bol Bol. They may not need another guard, but White’s ability to play on or off-the-ball on offense gives the Thunder another young talent that could be a double-digit bench scorer for them.
As for Hayes and Bol, Oklahoma City is still searching for a center to build around for the future and both of these guys are still on their rookie deals. Not to mention, they are both above-average athletes that have shown a lot of potential in terms of being impactful shot-blockers.
Oklahoma City is always willing to roll the dice on young talents and this season will be no different. Oh… and do not forget Presti’s draft picks!
Orlando Magic
Targets: Cam Reddish (Hawks), Kevin Knox (Knicks), Aaron Nesmith (Celtics)
They may have the second-worst record in the NBA, but the Orlando Magic are actually not that bad of a team. They are very young and inexperienced, which has contributed to a lot of their losses this season, but the Magic are definitely way ahead of schedule than they were in their rebuild when they traded Vucevic, Fournier and Gordon at the trade deadline last season.
Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr. and Mo Bamba are just a few of the high-level young players on Orlando’s roster and their main goal this season, besides getting them experience, is going to be to try and add some more talent next to Wagner on the wing.
Terrence Ross will likely be moved and the Hawks, Knicks and Celtics are three teams that have shown interest in him. All three teams have young assets to offer up in return, especially on the wing.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Best Landing Spot For Top Names In NBA Trade Rumors
Atlanta is going to be looking to move Cam Reddish for value this season since they will not be able to pay him long-term and both Knicks’ forward Kevin Knox and Celtics’ wing Aaron Nesmith have been drawing some trade interest from teams across the league.
No one sticks out over the other two, which is why Orlando would probably be more than content to bring in any of these three guys listed above, just adding on to their list of young talents.
Philadelphia 76ers
Targets: Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers), Jaylen Brown (Celtics), De’Aaron Fox (Kings)
Ben Simmons trade talks have been stuck in limbo for months now to the point where we do not care where he gets traded anymore, we just want to see him moved!
Philadelphia and Simmons are not going to be getting back together like those on-and-off again high-school couples, but Daryl Morey and this front-office have remained adamant on the fact that they will not just give up their All-Star without getting a ton of value in return.
Damian Lillard, Jaylen Brown, De’Aaron Fox and a few others remain at the top of the list of potential returns in a trade for Simmons and they are not going to be willing to budge on the value they want back in return.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Best Landing Spot For Top Names In NBA Trade Rumors
Hey Portland, if you want Simmons, you are going to have to give up Lillard. Boston, you are going to have to give up Brown and Sacramento, the only thing Philadelphia wants from you is De’Aaron Fox.
There is no avoiding the value Morey and the 76ers have set on Ben Simmons and seeing as they have not come down on their asking price over the last several months, they will not do so now leading up to the trade deadline. However, Philadelphia does need to act somewhat quickly because they are not a championship contender without a third star player next to Harris and Embiid.
Phoenix Suns
Targets: Thaddeus Young (Spurs), Garrett Temple (Pelicans), Terrence Ross (Magic)
The Warriors and Suns are the two best teams in the NBA this season and coming off their run to the NBA Finals last year, Phoenix does not really need much.
Maybe they will look to upgrade their roster with veterans like Garrett Temple and Terrence Ross, two players who could provide some more scoring off-the-bench on the wing, but their sights have been set on Thaddeus Young ever since he was traded to the Spurs in the offseason.
Not really having a true power-forward, Young could provide this Suns frontcourt with some more stability and he could be another secondary facilitator. In Chicago last season, Thaddeus Young averaged 12.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 55.9% from the floor.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Best Landing Spot For Top Names In NBA Trade Rumors
The veteran forward is more than capable of wearing many different hats and he could just be the difference in this team having enough depth to make it back to the NBA Finals.
It is likely that one or both of Jalen Smith and Dario Saric will be moved ahead of the trade deadline this season and being $8M under the tax line for this season, it should not be surprising to see the Suns add a veteran who could see anywhere from 15-20 minutes per game off-the-bench.
Portland Trail Blazers
Targets: Ben Simmons (76ers), Myles Turner (Pacers), Jerami Grant (Pistons)
The fuse has already been lit in Portland and it is just a matter of time until this roster is blown-up. Maybe Damian Lillard will remain around for a little bit longer, but Jusuf Nurkic, Robert Covington, Norman Powell and CJ McCollum are all on the trade block and could be moved at any moment.
Portland ranks 29th in the league in defensive rating and until they get better on that end of the floor, they are doomed for failure. Adding Ben Simmons or Myles Turner could really help this team improve defensively, but Jerami Grant could be a real franchise-changing talent for them.
Maybe the Blazers would not have to get rid of McCollum in order to land Grant from Detroit and if they were able to form a “Big 3” with Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum and Jerami Grant, Portland could remain relevant in the Western Conference for a little bit longer instead of having to hit the “reset button” and rebuild.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Best Landing Spot For Top Names In NBA Trade Rumors
Ultimately, this franchise is heading towards a rebuild and it is hard to imagine that Lillard is going to stay long-term, but if they are to take another swing at getting back into the playoff picture, then they will need to add one of these three guys via trade this season. They do not have a bad core right now, but it is not good enough to be a playoff threat in the Western Conference.
