In the NBA, there are plenty of factors that motivate a team to make a trade.
Most fans would generally prefer that the only motivating factor was to improve. In theory, it would be nice if all 30 teams were aiming to win as many games as possible at all times. In practice, only one team can win the NBA championship in a given season:
Sometimes, teams recognize that they’re so far away that they shouldn’t bother to try to get there.
The Indiana Pacers may be in that position. After all, they traded All-Star Domantas Sabonis for the much younger Tyrese Haliburton leading up to last year’s trade deadline.
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On the other hand, the Los Angeles Lakers don’t have the luxury of rebuilding – they’re too old, too expensive, and too low on draft capital.
Given each team’s situation, perhaps the following swap would make sense this summer.
