2025-26 Season: Draft, Trades, and FA Ideas Thread V1.0

[Merit]

another san antonio trade: Keldon Johnson. He’s shooting incredibly well this year, and he’s a net neutral defensively. However, that could just be the wemby effect. Again, would likely need a larger trade since he’s making mid level money. I think we could squeeze a pick out of San Antonio along with him.

[StopitLeo]

I know the obvious positions of need are upgraded PG and real C

But is there any big 3/D wings available under the radar. That can basically do what Darko thinks Ochai can do while providing more size

There was that rumour about Trey Murphy III.

Trey, Looney, Alvarado for IQ, Walter, Mogbo, protected FRP?

Trey's an upgrade on the wing in terms of size, defensive versatility, and shooting. Can't really do much with the ball, which reminds me of OG (athletic but not fluid).

We don't solve the size issue up front but Looney does outplay his height; he can probably help CMB's development.

Alvarado is a good PG, kinda on the line between starter/backup. Fits the pesky on-ball defender profile and he's actually shooting better than IQ from deep overall (he's also 38.3% from above the break, which is where he'd be getting shots). Alvarado is not a great playmaker but he wouldn't be expected to do that on this team.

IQ being more of a combo guard actually helps the Pelicans with Dejounte out (and who knows what he will be like post-achilles). They have Fears as their PG of the future and nothing much at SG right now except for Poole, who also gets spot minutes at PG. The rest of the package is just potential. Walter and Mogbo are only in year 2 and Ja'Kobe has shown improvement while Mogbo is still a work in progress. The FRP is to offset IQ's contract.

[Spida888]

I know the obvious positions of need are upgraded PG and real C

But is there any big 3/D wings available under the radar. That can basically do what Darko thinks Ochai can do while providing more size

There was that rumour about Trey Murphy III.

Trey, Looney, Alvarado for IQ, Walter, Mogbo, protected FRP?

Trey's an upgrade on the wing in terms of size, defensive versatility, and shooting. Can't really do much with the ball, which reminds me of OG (athletic but not fluid).

We don't solve the size issue up front but Looney does outplay his height; he can probably help CMB's development.

Alvarado is a good PG, kinda on the line between starter/backup. Fits the pesky on-ball defender profile and he's actually shooting better than IQ from deep overall (he's also 38.3% from above the break, which is where he'd be getting shots). Alvarado is not a great playmaker but he wouldn't be expected to do that on this team.

IQ being more of a combo guard actually helps the Pelicans with Dejounte out (and who knows what he will be like post-achilles). They have Fears as their PG of the future and nothing much at SG right now except for Poole, who also gets spot minutes at PG. The rest of the package is just potential. Walter and Mogbo are only in year 2 and Ja'Kobe has shown improvement while Mogbo is still a work in progress. The FRP is to offset IQ's contract.

Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones would be great, but they would be really expensive. I'm thinking multiple picks/swaps type of overpay for them to even consider.
Yet, who knows, Dumars is a dummy. Still can't believe he traded an unprotected pick to ATL who's now sitting pretty with the projected #1 pick smh.

[YogurtProducer]

If MIL ever trades Giannis I would be calling about turner immediately.

[Van_Trump]

Toronto Raptors
Raptors receive: Ja Morant, Jock Landale
Grizzlies receive: Immanuel Quickley, Ochai Agbaji, Gradey Dick
All right, let's take a blockbuster swing. Is Morant an ideal fit in Toronto? Probably not. The Raptors can protect him defensively, but his iffy shooting could cause problems next to Scottie Barnes with Jakob Poeltl at center. Still, Toronto needs a talent infusion if it plans to seriously compete in the Eastern Conference. If Morant ever becomes his old self again, he'd give the Raptors someone with the sort of All-NBA ceiling they currently lack.

Would Memphis want Quickley? That's hard to say. There's no deal if not. But Quickley is slightly cheaper than Morant at least, and he's a much easier fit on most teams since he both shoots and defends. Getting a look at two younger prospects in Agbaji and Dick could be worthwhile for a team that develops players extremely well. It's not exactly a haul, but Trae Young was just cap dumped. It's hard to imagine Morant doing much better.
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/one-nba-trade-makes-sense-eastern-conference-heat-raptors-hornets/

[Spida888]

Toronto Raptors
Raptors receive: Ja Morant, Jock Landale
Grizzlies receive: Immanuel Quickley, Ochai Agbaji, Gradey Dick
All right, let's take a blockbuster swing. Is Morant an ideal fit in Toronto? Probably not. The Raptors can protect him defensively, but his iffy shooting could cause problems next to Scottie Barnes with Jakob Poeltl at center. Still, Toronto needs a talent infusion if it plans to seriously compete in the Eastern Conference. If Morant ever becomes his old self again, he'd give the Raptors someone with the sort of All-NBA ceiling they currently lack.

Would Memphis want Quickley? That's hard to say. There's no deal if not. But Quickley is slightly cheaper than Morant at least, and he's a much easier fit on most teams since he both shoots and defends. Getting a look at two younger prospects in Agbaji and Dick could be worthwhile for a team that develops players extremely well. It's not exactly a haul, but Trae Young was just cap dumped. It's hard to imagine Morant doing much better.
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/one-nba-trade-makes-sense-eastern-conference-heat-raptors-hornets/

I posted a different article by KOC at Yahoo with similar value for Ja. KOC mentioned maybe pick swap as well.
I like getting Landale back as a backup big and how this gets us under the tax.

[bartron_44]

Morant doesnt make the Raptors any better. They need to get bigger at PG, and ideally a 40+% 3pt shooter. In the East, you need a PG who can defend the likes of Maxey, Pritchard and Brunson. The only way you do that is with length. And unless you are playing zone, you need length 1 thru 5 to prevent that matchup from being exploited by those PGs.

They dont even need a True PG the way RJ, Ingram and Scottie all handle the ball. Just someone that can defend them.

What if they started AJ Lawson and let him defend the point of attack? He looked pretty good last night..,, Has good lateral quicks, excellent length and can knock down an outside shot…

An all canadian back court

[Jerry Lucas]

Toronto Raptors
Raptors receive: Ja Morant, Jock Landale
Grizzlies receive: Immanuel Quickley, Ochai Agbaji, Gradey Dick
All right, let's take a blockbuster swing. Is Morant an ideal fit in Toronto? Probably not. The Raptors can protect him defensively, but his iffy shooting could cause problems next to Scottie Barnes with Jakob Poeltl at center. Still, Toronto needs a talent infusion if it plans to seriously compete in the Eastern Conference. If Morant ever becomes his old self again, he'd give the Raptors someone with the sort of All-NBA ceiling they currently lack.

Would Memphis want Quickley? That's hard to say. There's no deal if not. But Quickley is slightly cheaper than Morant at least, and he's a much easier fit on most teams since he both shoots and defends. Getting a look at two younger prospects in Agbaji and Dick could be worthwhile for a team that develops players extremely well. It's not exactly a haul, but Trae Young was just cap dumped. It's hard to imagine Morant doing much better.
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/one-nba-trade-makes-sense-eastern-conference-heat-raptors-hornets/

I'd rather hold onto that salary combo in case Charlotte would give us LaMelo and Moussa Diabate for those 3 guys instead.

[ArthurVandelay]

Toronto Raptors
Raptors receive: Ja Morant, Jock Landale
Grizzlies receive: Immanuel Quickley, Ochai Agbaji, Gradey Dick
All right, let's take a blockbuster swing. Is Morant an ideal fit in Toronto? Probably not. The Raptors can protect him defensively, but his iffy shooting could cause problems next to Scottie Barnes with Jakob Poeltl at center. Still, Toronto needs a talent infusion if it plans to seriously compete in the Eastern Conference. If Morant ever becomes his old self again, he'd give the Raptors someone with the sort of All-NBA ceiling they currently lack.

Would Memphis want Quickley? That's hard to say. There's no deal if not. But Quickley is slightly cheaper than Morant at least, and he's a much easier fit on most teams since he both shoots and defends. Getting a look at two younger prospects in Agbaji and Dick could be worthwhile for a team that develops players extremely well. It's not exactly a haul, but Trae Young was just cap dumped. It's hard to imagine Morant doing much better.
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/one-nba-trade-makes-sense-eastern-conference-heat-raptors-hornets/

I'd rather hold onto that salary combo in case Charlotte would give us LaMelo and Moussa Diabate for those 3 guys instead.

Or turn it to a 3-team with Ja to Charlotte, Ball to Raptors, IQ to Grizzlies. Hornets still going to need someone to create open looks for shooters.

[Van_Trump]

Davis to Toronto

Now think about where those teams would be if they gave away $50 million or so in matching salary for Davis without knowing when he'd come back. Say Toronto gave up RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl, probably their best-case outcome in terms of players traded given their oversized contracts. Maybe they could get Davis back in time for the playoffs, but how far down the standings would they fall in the process? Would you rather be a top-six seed without Davis or a Play-In team with him? Even if they don't fall down the standings, how confident would you feel in the Raptors, say, winning a first-round series without Davis before bringing him back in the second round if that's what his recovery timeline calls for?

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/anthony-davis-trade-rumors-best-fit-hornets-mavericks/

[Inshade]

Wonder what it would take to pry Ajay Mitchell from OKC.

[Van_Trump]

Sacramento Kings Receive:
Immanuel Quickley
Ochai Agbaji
Ja’Kobe Walter

For Sabonis

https://dallashoopsjournal.com/p/toronto-raptors-trade-proposal-domantas-sabonis-sacramento-kings-nba-rumors/

[Thaddy]

Davis to Toronto

Now think about where those teams would be if they gave away $50 million or so in matching salary for Davis without knowing when he'd come back. Say Toronto gave up RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl, probably their best-case outcome in terms of players traded given their oversized contracts. Maybe they could get Davis back in time for the playoffs, but how far down the standings would they fall in the process? Would you rather be a top-six seed without Davis or a Play-In team with him? Even if they don't fall down the standings, how confident would you feel in the Raptors, say, winning a first-round series without Davis before bringing him back in the second round if that's what his recovery timeline calls for?

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/anthony-davis-trade-rumors-best-fit-hornets-mavericks/

IQ and Jak for a salary dump would be okay with me.

[CazOnReal]

Sacramento Kings Receive:
Immanuel Quickley
Ochai Agbaji
Ja’Kobe Walter

For Sabonis

https://dallashoopsjournal.com/p/toronto-raptors-trade-proposal-domantas-sabonis-sacramento-kings-nba-rumors/

Grotesque

[dballislife]

see this is why quickley and poeltl are on terrible contracts, i much rather have expiring contracts so i have cap money this summer to throw at peyton watson

[MiamiSPX]

Wonder what it would take to pry Ajay Mitchell from OKC.

Likely impossible. OKC doesn't need draft picks and we don't have anyone making similar money that they would actually want. Mitchell and Wallace are outperforming their contracts (10M combined next season) and they need that for when the inevitably have to trade one of their big 3.

[Tripod]

see this is why quickley and poeltl are on terrible contracts, i much rather have expiring contracts so i have cap money this summer to throw at peyton watson

Because we always get coveted FA's.

[Rodrickle]

Trading Quickley and a pick might be a decent move if there were someone that actually makes better. Ball and Garland might (you're not getting Trey Murphy III for that package)

AD is too injury prone and getting old- and out again for months although he is the best talent and plays winning ball.

Sabonis - Not a good fit with Quickley leaving. Spacing would suck, good passer but not a great defender. Not a rim Protector. Gets mitigated in the playoffs with length. I feel with him getting older and with his prior injuries that he will start to have more trouble finishing at the rim pretty soon.

Ja- Too much of a risk. Bad shooter, will affect spacing. I actually think he'll smarten up, but still not a great fit here with our lack of shooters. Let him go to Miami.

Ball - Great talent - MIGHT make us better. Awesome size - Bad shot selection - mediocre defense - but Darko might get through to him to start playing like a winner. Still young so can mature.

Garland - Definitely a better talent than Quickley - injury concerns though

The front office seems confident that Shead could be a starter though. I think he could be as his scoring becomes more reliable. Chucky is injured though so we'd need a backup point guard.

[Psubs]

Trading Quickley and a pick might be a decent move if there were someone that actually makes better. Ball and Garland might (you're not getting Trey Murphy III for that package)

AD is too injury prone and getting old- and out again for months although he is the best talent and plays winning ball.

Sabonis - Not a good fit with Quickley leaving. Spacing would suck, good passer but not a great defender. Not a rim Protector. Gets mitigated in the playoffs with length. I feel with him getting older and with his prior injuries that he will start to have more trouble finishing at the rim pretty soon.

Ja- Too much of a risk. Bad shooter, will affect spacing. I actually think he'll smarten up, but still not a great fit here with our lack of shooters. Let him go to Miami.

Ball - Great talent - MIGHT make us better. Awesome size - Bad shot selection - mediocre defense - but Darko might get through to him to start playing like a winner. Still young so can mature.

Garland - Definitely a better talent than Quickley - injury concerns though

The front office seems confident that Shead could be a starter though. I think he could be as his scoring becomes more reliable. Chucky is injured though so we'd need a backup point guard.

Lamelo may react differently playing with older players like RJ, BI and Scottie and form a strong offensive 4some. That's a lot of size in the starting lineup to be able to have CMB at C. 6'7, 6'6, 6'8, 6'8, 6'7. Pretty much switch everything P&R.

[bluerap23]

Trading Quickley and a pick might be a decent move if there were someone that actually makes better. Ball and Garland might (you're not getting Trey Murphy III for that package)

AD is too injury prone and getting old- and out again for months although he is the best talent and plays winning ball.

Sabonis - Not a good fit with Quickley leaving. Spacing would suck, good passer but not a great defender. Not a rim Protector. Gets mitigated in the playoffs with length. I feel with him getting older and with his prior injuries that he will start to have more trouble finishing at the rim pretty soon.

Ja- Too much of a risk. Bad shooter, will affect spacing. I actually think he'll smarten up, but still not a great fit here with our lack of shooters. Let him go to Miami.

Ball - Great talent - MIGHT make us better. Awesome size - Bad shot selection - mediocre defense - but Darko might get through to him to start playing like a winner. Still young so can mature.

Garland - Definitely a better talent than Quickley - injury concerns though

The front office seems confident that Shead could be a starter though. I think he could be as his scoring becomes more reliable. Chucky is injured though so we'd need a backup point guard.

Lamelo may react differently playing with older players like RJ, BI and Scottie and form a strong offensive 4some. That's a lot of size in the starting lineup to be able to have CMB at C. 6'7, 6'6, 6'8, 6'8, 6'7. Pretty much switch everything P&R.

Yeah - it's way easier to sell me on Lamelo than Ja. He'd be moving from a team where he was THE guy to a team where he'd have to fit in. I think that transition works out ok. We'd actually have a vision 6'8 that works. The question is - what else do we need to give them? 1 pick I say yes, 3 picks I say no, 2 picks I'm considering. Really not sure of LaMelo's actual value as he is very often injured.

Maybe this. It gets us sufficiently under tax to fill in roster.