DAL - ORL - PHX - SAC - UTA (Major Blockbuster)

[bpcox05]

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DAL GETS: DeMar DeRozan
DAL GIVES: Daniel Gafford & Caleb Martin
WHY FOR DAL? The Mavs add another legit go-to scorer on the wing to go along with Irving and Davis. They’d still have a ton of size, length, and defense in the starting lineup with a frontcourt of Washington, Davis, & Lively (not to mention Marshall off the bench), but then they’d have the luxury of DeRozan leading the bench unit and providing steady offense for when Irving and/or Davis rest.

PG - Irving / Williams
SG - Thompson / Christie / Hardy
SF - Washington / DeRozan
PF - Davis / Marshall / Prosper
C - Lively / Powell

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ORL GETS: Devin Booker
ORL GIVES: Jonathan Isaac, Cole Anthony, Anthony Black, Gary Harris, #16, 2026 ORL 1st (Unprotected), & 2028 ORL 1st (Unprotected)
WHY FOR ORL? The Magic add a 28 year old star talent to pair with Suggs, Wagner, and Banchero long term in hopes of elevating their team into contender convos. It gives them another legitimate scoring threat who can also help improve Magic's floor spacing for Wagner & Banchero.

PG - Suggs / Joseph
SG - Booker / KCP / Houstan
SF - Wagner / Da Silva / Howards
PF - Banchero / Wagner
C - Carter / Bitadze

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PHX GETS: Domantas Sabonis, Anthony Black, & #16
PHX GIVES: Devin Booker
WHY FOR PHX? The Suns move Booker which allows the virtually untradeable Beal to naturally start at SG again. In exchange, they get a huge upgrade at C and a up & coming PG to help facilitate the offense and play excellent defense. They also get the 16th pick in the draft this year to hopefully pick up another cheap, useful rotational player to help them get back into the playoffs. Durant is also a terrific fit at PF next to Sabonis with his size, length, athleticism, defense, rim protection, and shooting.

PG - Black / Micic
SG - Beal / Allen
SF - Dunn / O'Neale / Martin
PF - Durant / Ighodaro
C - Sabonis / Richards

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SAC GETS: Lauri Markkanen, Jonathan Isaac, & Daniel Gafford
SAC GIVES: Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, & Jonas Valanciunas
WHY FOR SAC? It's difficult to find a PF to play next to Sabonis that can allow the team to reach it's ceiling. Instead, they ship him to a team (PHX) who already has that PF in place (Durant) while retooling around Markkanen at PF and excellent defensive, rim protecting Cs (Gafford & Isaac) to help anchor/improve the defense. Bringing in Markkanen also allows Murray to move back to SF (his natural position) and suddenly makes our frontline very big & long (Murray, Markkanen, Gafford/Isaac). We'd still have all of our future 1sts in tact, and LaVine will be an expiring contract the following offseason. That gives the Kings an opportunity to use his expiring salary combined with picks/assets to bring in a true #1 that can pair with Markkanen and the remaining core.

PG - Ellis / Monk
SG - LaVine / Carter
SF - Murray
PF - Markkanen
C - Gafford / Isaac / Jones

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UTA GETS: Cole Anthony, Jonas Valanciunas, Caleb Martin, Gary Harris, 2026 ORL 1st (Unprotected), & 2028 ORL 1st (Unprotected)
UTA GIVES: Lauri Markkanen
WHY FOR UTA? The Jazz move Markkanen for a pair of unprotected 1st round picks while also keeping their team towards the bottom (allowing them to get another top pick the following season). Also, Anthony, Valanciunas, & Harris can all come off the books next offseason giving the Jazz more cap space/flexibility to work with during their rebuild.

PG - Sexton / Collier / Anthony / Springer
SG - George / Clarkson / Harris / Mykhailiuk / Juzang
SF - Williams / Martin / Sensabaugh
PF - Hendricks / Colilns / Martin
C - Kessler / Filipowski / Valanciunas

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[Godaddycurse]

If phoenix are trading booker it would be to rebuild.

having said that i think orlando owes value (at the very least should return the 2026 swap). OP is also illegalf or them. they are well over the 1st apron and is short quite a bit of salary. KCP needs to be outgoing imo

[Texas Chuck]

Feels really rough for the Kings. Really really rough. The difference between Sabonis and Markannen is more than Daniel Gafford, except Daniel Gafford has already been priced in at DeRozan so this is valuing Sabonis and Lauri the same which simply cannot be right.

[Skybox]

When I saw the ORL part first...I figured the rest was bunk - but I don't think it's way off for anyone except UTA. Booker makes a ton, but can't refuse.

Maybe I'm higher on Markannen than I should, but I think he's worth more than Sabonis at this point. His highs have definitely been higher and I think Lauri is easier to build around (although I like Sabonis too). If PHX could find a rim protector that complements Sabonis and Beal wakes up (he and Book were a terrible pairing but he might still be a player...). Sabonis' playmaking is real and Grayson Allen could put up a lot of 3's with Sabonis there. I'm hesitant to think about how well KD fits because he'll probably be gone-which also means significant assets coming back. Maybe he'd stay for this reshuffle. It's certainly possible that better options don't appear (for KD or PHX).

I like it for DAL and DDR can even playmake quite well, while Kyrie heals up and his scoring is proven. I'm a big fan of Gafford, but they really don't need him with Lively and AD. He's a powerful trade chip, imo.

I think SAC's new look frontcourt is a big win...we all admire Sabonis, but let's face it-it's never really worked to build around him. Let PHX try.

[jayjaysee]

I think Sac needs a big shake up. I don’t think trading Sabonis for Lauri is that shake up.

With the hole Phoenix is in, maybe just giving the offense to Sabonis isn’t the worst thing.. I’d rather them to turn KD + “..” into Sabonis.. But if you can get OP done, maybe you have a 2 year run of a better team than the current roster..

But just seems like Sac is lowering their ceiling to me. If Dallas does their deal, you just trade Jonas and a first for another good defender or a true point guard. Would not do Lauri for Sabonis.

I don’t think Black and two Orlando picks gets Booker.. Orlando owes. And that value is owed to Sac.

Really think Suggs needs to be part of a Booker to Orl trade. Just way too much salary for Orlando. Even the OP, means that have work to do to avoid the second apron before Paolo gets paid..

[Slim Charless]

I like it for PHX. You would have to have a ton of trust in Black. Orlando also owes more value. They got a steal for Booker without having to give up Franz, Paulo or Suggs.

Those picks will be in the late 20s.

[jbk1234]

I do like DeRozan to Dallas as Kyrie recuperates. He's only under contract for two more seasons.

[hugepatsfan]

Feels really rough for the Kings. Really really rough. The difference between Sabonis and Markannen is more than Daniel Gafford, except Daniel Gafford has already been priced in at DeRozan so this is valuing Sabonis and Lauri the same which simply cannot be right.

I'm not sure Sabonis is more valuable than Markannen, tbh. The Sabonis archetype has just proven to put a ceiling on a team time and time again unless that player is transcendently talented like Jokic. Markannen, on the other hand, fits pretty seamlessly anywhere.

Now a team like SAC is probably looking for a floor raiser to get into the playoffs, and Sabonis is probably better there. So not sure it makes sense for them to make the swap. But put both players up for the league to bid on and I wouldn't be surprised if Markannen netted more because teams looking to raise their ceiling usually pay more than teams looking to improve the floor, due to improvement getting harder to find the higher up the standings you go.

[Texas Chuck]

Feels really rough for the Kings. Really really rough. The difference between Sabonis and Markannen is more than Daniel Gafford, except Daniel Gafford has already been priced in at DeRozan so this is valuing Sabonis and Lauri the same which simply cannot be right.

I'm not sure Sabonis is more valuable than Markannen, tbh. The Sabonis archetype has just proven to put a ceiling on a team time and time again unless that player is transcendently talented like Jokic. Markannen, on the other hand, fits pretty seamlessly anywhere.

Now a team like SAC is probably looking for a floor raiser to get into the playoffs, and Sabonis is probably better there. So not sure it makes sense for them to make the swap. But put both players up for the league to bid on and I wouldn't be surprised if Markannen netted more because teams looking to raise their ceiling usually pay more than teams looking to improve the floor, due to improvement getting harder to find the higher up the standings you go.

Lauri is 28 when the season starts and has yet to make a playoff appearance. I don't think I can talk with any confidence about his ability to raise a ceiling because he's not been able to lift a floor far enough for that to matter.

And so based on the RS, Sabonis is just a much better player. Maybe there is a team willing to gamble on Lauri after a down year and pay more for him than Sabonis, but in the absence of any evidence of that, I'm going to stand by this value is really bad for the Kings.

[bkohler]

Lauri and Sabonis are at the same level of value, in my opinion. I think Sabonis is a better player, but Lauri is a more seamless fit for the style of basketball being played right now. It's hard to find an excellent spot for Sabonis, it's hard to find a place (salary matching set aside) where Markkanen wouldn't fit well.

I think I agree that a Markkanen for Sabonis swap doesn't make a lot of sense for the Kings.

[bkohler]

He's not been able to lift a floor far enough for that to matter.

He pretty clearly lifted Utah's floor two years in a row enough that Danny had to come off the top rope to hamstring the team so they didn't make the playoffs.The third year Danny didn't mess around and just sat him because he was too good to play and tank. That seems like the definition of a floor raiser to me.

I'm not arguing that he's a world beater, he's not a top 10 player, but the argument that Lauri hasn't evolved into an elite player is very prisoner of the moment. The same arguments could be made about many of the league's best players in down or injury-riddled years.

[Texas Chuck]

He's not been able to lift a floor far enough for that to matter.

He pretty clearly lifted Utah's floor two years in a row enough that Danny had to come off the top rope to hamstring the team so they didn't make the playoffs.The third year Danny didn't mess around and just sat him because he was too good to play and tank. That seems like the definition of a floor raiser to me.

I'm not arguing that he's a world beater, he's not a top 10 player, but the argument that Lauri hasn't evolved into an elite player is very prisoner of the moment. The same arguments could be made about many of the league's best players in down or injury-riddled years.

Didn't say he hasn't lifted a floor. He's had some seasons where I feel like he's been an on-court positive without question. But whatever one thinks of the rosters he's been on, the lift hasn't result in playoffs where we could get more than a theoretical sense of him as a ceiling raiser.

I'm not saying he can't(or eventually won't for Utah once they have more pieces in part or if he gets traded), just that we don't know for sure. We are operating on theory based on an archetype preference. I'm just in general loathe to do that. Better players tend to have more impact even if we wish their games were slightly different. Like if we focus on Sabonis doesn't shoot from range often or wish he was a better rim defender, we can miss his elite rebounding, his very effective post scoring, and his playmaking which is high level. And of course he is available to play far more often which has tangible value too.

Utah was never making the playoffs this year even if he played 82 games. They finished 22 games out of the play-in. He wasn't making up 22 wins in 35 games. I don't think him playing an additional 27 games last year would have made up the 15 games needed to get into the play-in either.

So no Ainge didn't need to manipulate him to avoid the playoffs.

[babyjax13]

This is a pretty easy no for Utah. Bad salary and two picks from a rising team that is already playoff caliber isn't something I'd be interested in. IMO, this trade values Lauri and Sabonis as the same, but Sabonis + a pick are returning Booker, so there is a pretty large discrepancy. Obviously if Sabonis + pick = Booker, this would just be a straight trade with Phoenix and Sacramento.

[BoogieTime]

There is nothing giving Donas for here

Isaac isn’t safe bet, and you can excuse or not excuse Lauri’s bad year on that contract, but Domas isn’t included

[Skybox]

I think Sac needs a big shake up. I don’t think trading Sabonis for Lauri is that shake up.

With the hole Phoenix is in, maybe just giving the offense to Sabonis isn’t the worst thing.. I’d rather them to turn KD + “..” into Sabonis.. But if you can get OP done, maybe you have a 2 year run of a better team than the current roster..

But just seems like Sac is lowering their ceiling to me. If Dallas does their deal, you just trade Jonas and a first for another good defender or a true point guard. Would not do Lauri for Sabonis.

I don’t think Black and two Orlando picks gets Booker.. Orlando owes. And that value is owed to Sac.

Really think Suggs needs to be part of a Booker to Orl trade. Just way too much salary for Orlando. Even the OP, means that have work to do to avoid the second apron before Paolo gets paid..

Not disagreeing that ORL owes more, but it's three frps and I believe that Black is worth a non-lottery frp as well. ORL wouldn't send Suggs, but KCP is a possibility and/or one of their Centers. Suggs is getting a huge raise next year, but his deal descends pretty significantly, so he's not going to be a reason ORL can't have more nice things.