bwgood77 wrote:Six big trades we want to see at the 2023 NBA trade deadline
Crowder finds a new home, Part 1
Brooklyn Nets get: Jae Crowder
Phoenix Suns get: Seth Curry, Kessler Edwards, two second-round picks
The Jae Crowder situation has dragged on all season long, with Phoenix effectively having to play down a man despite dealing with all sorts of injuries along the way. It's untenable for that to last through the deadline.
At the same time, if the price Phoenix was looking for was one teams were willing to pay, this saga would've ended months ago. Thus, we find ourselves at an impasse.
Brooklyn can at least give Phoenix a good player in Seth Curry, who can space the floor around Devin Booker and play off the ball. Curry's contract is up after this season and Edwards has a team option for 2023-24, which, along with the extra second-round picks, would leave Phoenix with more options in the future as Mat Ishbia gets set to take over as owner.
The Nets, meanwhile, need another rugged forward to be able to throw out there in playoff games. Brooklyn can't win a size battle with, say, Joel Embiid. Instead, the Nets need to lean into what they are and put more length, quickness and switchable defenders alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Crowder, in theory, can provide that. And if the Nets add Crowder, Curry becomes even less likely to be part of a closing lineup in a playoff game in Brooklyn.
-- Tim Bontemps
Pascal to Phoenix
Toronto Raptors get: Deandre Ayton, Dario Saric, 2023 Phoenix first-round pick, 2026 swap rights, 2027 Phoenix first-round pick (top-10 protected in 2027, top-4 protected in 2028, unprotected in 2029)
Phoenix Suns get: Pascal Siakam
With Ishbia expected to have his purchase of the Suns finalized within the next week, as reported by ESPN's Baxter Holmes and Adrian Wojnarowski, let's get bold in Phoenix to take advantage of the team's remaining window with Chris Paul at point guard.
Siakam would give Phoenix another shot creator on offense to complement Devin Booker as well as a Swiss army knife on defense. The Suns could start traditional lineups with Siakam at power forward next to either Bismack Biyombo or Jock Landale, their remaining centers, but would surely finish games with Siakam in the middle flanked by Cam Johnson -- a unit that could switch any pick and would provide ample floor spacing for its stars to create one-on-one.
By including Saric, Phoenix would actually cut this year's luxury tax bill by at least $10 million, though Ishbia would have to be prepared for a larger payroll in 2023-24, when Saric's contract is up. Siakam will make about $5 million more than Ayton next season.
For the Raptors to make this trade while getting a weaker package of draft picks than what the San Antonio Spurs got for Dejounte Murray would require them to value Ayton as a key part of the return. Although Ayton's development in Phoenix seems to have been stalled, an athletic 7-footer would fill a need in Toronto's slumping defense.
The Raptors also get younger by swapping Siakam, who will turn 29 in April, for the 24-year-old Ayton. And they forestall the possibility of Siakam making an All-NBA team this season and becoming eligible for a supermax extension.
-- Kevin Pelton
Crowder finds a new home, Part 2
Phoenix Suns get: Patrick Beverley, Wenyen Gabriel and Juan Toscano-Anderson
Los Angeles Lakers get: Jae Crowder and Cameron Payne
The Suns are currently getting nothing from Crowder, whom they sent home before the season began. They reportedly would like to trade him, but have no interest in long contracts even when attached to reasonable young talent. Beverley, Gabriel and Toscano-Anderson are all on expiring contracts, like Crowder, while Payne still has three years remaining on his deal.
Beverley would replace Payne as the primary backup lead guard behind Chris Paul. Payne has struggled with injuries for the past couple months, as has Paul. Beverley has shown he can coexist with Russell Westbrook, so he should be able to make it work with Paul as well, despite their history. Beverley brings an attitude, and injects grittiness and defense on a teamwide level. Beverley has the second-highest Defensive Real Plus-Minus score among point guards -- the fifth best among guards overall -- and would help give the Suns a defensive edge that they've lacked all season with Crowder out.
Gabriel and Toscano-Anderson are long, athletic wing/forward types who have shown they can contribute as rotation role players. With the way that injuries have rocked the Suns this season, healthy role players in the frontcourt provide tangible value as well for a team that still has postseason aspirations.
Beverley is redundant on the Lakers, with both Westbrook and Dennis Schroder playing well and LeBron James as the de facto point guard. Their well-documented need is shooting, and Crowder would immediately fill the glue guy/3-and-D forward role that he has perfected in recent seasons. Crowder has knocked down two 3-pointers per game on average in his past five seasons. When healthy, Payne would also give them 3-point shooting as a backup perimeter guard, and with the Lakers' salary-cap situation, having him signed for an additional two seasons after this one would be a plus for them.
-- Snellings
https://www.espn.com/nba/
1) Good - very good. Realistic. With the status of Shamet and Payne - I like Curry. Much better than Eric Gordon
2) thats a lot of draft picks - -but what the heck - Siakam has been fantastic this year
3) vomit emoji x 100
