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to be completed 2 months after Jackson trade was made official so early September sometime

Charlotte trades Martin, Richards, Jackson
Charlotte receives Nikola Vucevic, 3 2nds
Hornets rent out $21.5M in cap room next summer for a few 2nds and a large minute backup big / safety net at C if Mark Williams' back continues to give him problems.

Chicago trades Nikola Vucevic, 2028 and 2029 CHI 2nds
Chicago receives PJ Tucker, Cody Martin (both expiring, Martin with an extra TO)
Bulls open up significant cap space for next summer. Martin and Tucker are barely playable and certainly won't disrupt any tanking... they are just expirings and probably can just be bought out tbh

LA trades PJ Tucker, 2030 LAC 2nd
LA receives Nick Richards, Reggie Jackson
Clippers add two expiring depth pieces and get within pennies of ducking the lux tax. Reggie might be kind of useful if Russ is traded, Richards isn't good but he's better than Bamba and that's all you really need at backup C.

I don't see a reason for Chicago to open up cap next summer. They would still be at like $120 Million after this deal AND would clearly retain Josh Giddey.

Vuc will be an expiring and there will be teams willing to take him--this year or next year--for "free".

Clippers are at 16 spots with the agreed signings, no way they do a 1-for-2 for two players that wont even play

You start with the mistaken belief that the Bulls are tanking. Wrong

This leaves them with Jalen Smith not just starting at center but the only center on the roster. Martin true is unplayable especially as a 2/3 where the Bulls have plenty. Tucker at 39 wants no part of being the oldest player on a team trying to get younger, he won't want to wait for the deadline either. Just plain NO

Leaving Reggie out is legal and Clips probably like it a lot more.. and it would help them get the Dunn deal finalized.

I sort of think CLT should do this for just two seconds and Chicago should be willing to pay a second. Vuc would have a nice 18-20 mpg role when Williams is healthy and 30+ on the nights he misses..

Reggie Jackson can't be put in a multi-player trade. He can only be flipped 1:1

JMAC3 wrote:Reggie Jackson can't be put in a multi-player trade. He can only be flipped 1:1

Yeah, Reggie should just be left out. Just Richards and Martin for Vuc and a couple seconds.

CLT has no tax issues, LAC does. LAC have Harden, Dunn and Russ..

Colbinii wrote:I don't see a reason for Chicago to open up cap next summer. They would still be at like $120 Million after this deal AND would clearly retain Josh Giddey.

Vuc will be an expiring and there will be teams willing to take him--this year or next year--for "free".

I think Giddey's extension will eat up most of the room created by Ball and Craig expiring. Moving Vuc for expiring doesn't open up actual cap space, but would give them room under the tax to use next years MLE, based on my off the top of the head math.