NBA Chaos Makers: 5 Trade Ideas to Blow Up the 2024-25 Season

NBA Chaos Makers: 5 Trade Ideas to Blow Up the 2024-25 Season0 of 5

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Doldrums of the NBA summer got you spending too much time pretending to care about trivial matters like Jayson Tatum’s playing time for Team USA, the anonymous scout who thinks the New York Knicks acting like a basketball team that wants to win is a bad thing and which haircut Jimmy Butler will sport to open training camp two months from now?

OK, OK, OK, I’ve gone too far. Butler’s media day hairdo is very important. Most of the other NBA topics you’re contemplating or arguing about? Probably not so much.

Welcome to pretty-much August, folks.

Fortunately, we’ve cooked up some trade ideas to help you pass the time.

Chaotic transactions come in all shapes and sizes. Star names will not populate every hypothetical. Instead, we’re looking to make already-good teams materially better. The deals that fall under this umbrella will be presented in order of increasing spiciness, just to ensure we up the stakes at every turn.

For any serially seething commenters and social media agitators who care enough about context: These trades are neither urgent endorsements nor deliberately baiting. They’re merely moves that yours truly finds intriguing for reasons I’m about to explain.

Dorian Finney-Smith to Sacramento 1 of 5

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Brooklyn Nets Receive: Kevin Huerter, 2028 second-round pick, 2029 second-round pick

Sacramento Kings Receive: Dorian Finney-Smith

Adding another forward must take precedence in Sacramento after stacking the backcourt deck. DeMar DeRozan counts as one now, but the Kings would do well to squeeze more defensive juice from the front line. Jalen McDaniels is not the answer.

Making a hefty splash gets easier if Sacramento is willing to move (the injured) Devin Carter or is open to waiting until after Dec. 14 and including Malik Monk. For now, team president Monte McNair should be hocking the Huerter’s-contract-plus-picks special.

Dangling first-round equity could get the Kings into the running for bigger names. Good luck identifying the right fits worth that swing during this time of the year. (Brandon Ingram isn’t it, friends.)

Attaching distant second-rounders should at least warrant a call-back from the Nets on the Finney-Smith front. They can hold out for first-round compensation, but it’s not guaranteed. Finney-Smith is entering the final year of his contract (2025-26 player option) and shooting just 33.7 percent on threes (154-of-457) through his first 94 games in Brooklyn.

Huerter also shouldn’t be considered a flatlined asset. Yes, he is working off a down year by his standards, as well as left shoulder surgery, but relative to his track record, last season should be considered the exception rather than the rule. He is a career 38.2 percent shooter from distance on more than seven attempts per 36 minutes, and his marksmanship holds up across a variety of usages. Going on 26, with two years and $36.2 million left on his deal, he becomes an asset the Nets can reroute if he’s healthy and making jumpers.

Sacramento needn’t concern itself with DFS’s ebbs and flows from beyond the arc. His accuracy will come up playing beside at least two of DeRozan, Monk, De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis at all times. And while he’s not earning any All-Defensive consideration, he still hangs with 3s, 4s and some 2s.

Collin Sexton to the Magic2 of 5

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Orlando Magic Receive: Collin Sexton

Utah Jazz Receive: Cole Anthony, 2025 first-round pick (most favorable from Denver or Orlando; top-five protection), 2026 second-round pick

Signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will help stretch out the Magic’s half-court offense but isn’t nearly enough to count on monumental improvement. Landing Sexton gets them closer.

A more conventional offensive organizer or deadlier off-the-dribble jump shooter would go a longer way. But I’ve written enough Anfernee Simons-to-Orlando suggestions (read: pleas) to last a lifetime. There’s even a LaMelo Ball-to-Disney riff in my archives.

For their part, the Magic don’t appear intent on hyper-acceleration. Sexton is more in line with their gradualistic approach.

He won’t bilk touches from Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner or Jalen Suggs and canned 44.7 percent of his spot-up triples last season but provides a playmaking and scoring punch when going downhill that will add substance to Orlando’s offense. Jalen Brunson, Luka Dončić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were the only other players in 2023-24 to have as many made shots and assists out of drives.

Having Banchero, Suggs and Wagner allows the Magic to focus on secondary ball-handlers if they’re prepared to bank on continued development. Especially in this case. Sexton isn’t costing a boatload of assets, and with two years and $37.2 million left on his deal, he’s both digestibly priced and scheduled to come off the books just as Banchero’s next contract takes effect.

Utah can try demanding more for someone it should consider a starter. But there are no assurances Sexton commands more at the deadline, when he’ll have less time remaining on his contract, and when the Jazz may have capped his playing time and production in the name of, er, not winning too much.

This is a defensible return. Anthony is a cheapo multilevel scorer with good rebounding chops for his size. Netting him and an additional first is reasonable value, particularly when the Jazz are saving over $5 million in immediate salary and further cementing their #InThePooperForCooper campaign—regardless of what they wind up doing with He-Who-Will-Soon-Be-Named. If they really want to push the issue, they can see if Orlando will include a 2026 pick rather than a 2025 selection, since Utah doesn’t own any extra firsts outright that year.

Tari Eason to Philadelphia (After Dec. 14)3 of 5

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Houston Rockets Receive: K.J. Martin, 2026 first-round pick (least favorable from Houston, Los Angeles Clippers or Oklahoma City), Clippers’ 2028 first-round pick

Philadelphia 76ers Receive: A.J. Griffin, Tari Eason

Did the Sixers sign Martin to a human-trade-exception deal (two years, $16 million; 2025-26 non-guaranteed) with a specific target in mind? Or are they just winging it?

Eason almost assuredly isn’t on their radar. But he’s disruptive enough on defense for Philly to pivot away from any already mapped-out scenarios. He guards basically four of five positions, and only three other players have matched or exceeded his steal and block rates in at least as many minutes through their first two seasons: Andrei Kirilenko, Nerlens Noel and Matisse Thybulle.

The left leg issue that limited Eason to just 22 games last year could be a potential red flag. Ditto for his three-point volume. He’s worth the risk. Having him insulates Paul George and Caleb Martin against getting overtaxed on defense, and Eason’s presence on the glass will be one of those sneaky boons.

Prying him out of Houston won’t be effortless—or even necessarily possible. But the Rockets have Amen Thompson, Dillon Brooks and Jae’Sean Tate in tow. Eason will be extension-eligible after next season as well, and Houston has to plan around upcoming paydays for Jalen Green (2025-26), Alperen Şengün (2025-26) and Jabari Smith Jr. (2026-27).

Loading up on future Phoenix Suns picks from Brooklyn earlier this summer also suggests the Rockets are plotting a gargantuan pursuit down the line. Grabbing two first-rounders, including an unprotected Clippers choice, probably aids that cause more than Eason, who will either be approaching or on his next contract by the time they’re ready to strike.

Lauri Markkanen to San Antonio4 of 5

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San Antonio Spurs Receive: Lauri Markkanen

Utah Jazz Receive: Malaki Branham, Keldon Johnson, Atlanta’s 2025 first-round pick, Charlotte’s 2025 first-round pick (lottery protection; turns into 2026 and 2027 seconds if not conveyed), Atlanta’s 2027 first-round pick, San Antonio’s 2029 first-round pick (top-five protection)

Will the Jazz move Markkanen this summer? Renegotiate-and-extend him on Aug. 6 and then deal him on Feb. 6, the NBA’s trade deadline and first allowable date he could be shipped out? Will they simply keep him?

Utah almost certainly won’t relinquish Markkanen without a Godfather offer. This package from the Spurs feels Godfather-adjacent.

Jazz fans will argue it doesn’t effectively compare to the haul Brooklyn brokered for Mikal Bridges. Utah is getting four firsts instead of five, but one of them (via Charlotte) likely won’t convey, and this proposal doesn’t feature any swaps.

Those are all fair rebukes. But Bridges isn’t a perfect analog for Markkanen. Not only does he have an extra year on his deal, but because he was joining his Villanova buddies in the Big Apple, you can envision a scenario in which he takes less than market value to stick around. Markkanen, on the other hand, will likely require max or near-max money next summer.

On top of all that: A 24-year-old Johnson with two years and $36.5 million left on his contract is more valuable than a 35-year-old Bojan Bogdanović on an expiring deal. The Jazz are also receiving a real prospect in Branham. (His efficiency dipped inside the arc last year, but the speedball push-shot remains intriguing.)

So go ahead and frame this as Branham, Johnson, three firsts and two seconds. It won’t be the “This offer actually sucks!” flex you think that it is. If anything, the Spurs could be the more hesitant party.

Markkanen and Victor Wembanyama are a divine fit up front. But sending out a 2029 first-rounder of your own coming off a 22-win campaign is aggressive. Wemby is good enough to justify the dice roll. And San Antonio will have plenty of arrows left in its quiver. At the same time, don’t be surprised if the Spurs insist on haggling over finer points—like including Zach Collins or Harrison Barnes instead of Johnson, changing up the picks, removing Branham, etc.

LaMelo Ball to Golden State5 of 5

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Charlotte Hornets Receive: Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, Andrew Wiggins, 2026 first-round pick, 2027 first-round swap, 2028 first-round pick, 2029 first-round swap, 2030 first-round pick (protected Nos. 21 to 30; turns into 2031 second-rounder if not conveyed)

Golden State Warriors Receive: LaMelo Ball

Disclaimer before we get started: I don’t think the Hornets must or even should trade LaMelo Ball. But given their shift toward a wholesale rebuild and his history of ankle issues, he does feel like a candidate to enter the “Surprise! We traded him!” mix.

Putting him on the Warriors is unintentionally comedic. They could have drafted him in 2020. Instead, they’re giving up a buttload of stuff to get him more than four years later.

That’s fine. LaMelo comes with plenty of risk, but he does a better job of straddling now and later for the Dubs than someone like Lauri Markkanen. His passing and shot-making is more equipped to sustain an offense as the central option. And while his finishing still leaves much to be desired, he did a better job attacking all the way downhill before getting injured last year.

Bankrolling his five-year, $203.9 million deal shouldn’t faze the Warriors—if he’s healthy. They’re already interested in Markkanen, and he will cost more per year if he commands anything near his max. If they’re prepared to pay him and Jonathan Kuminga moving forward, the calculus shouldn’t change when it comes to LaMelo.

Wing depth is a bigger concern. Wiggins is working off a couple of down seasons but remains a hyper-important concept to Golden State. Offloading him and Moody for a bigger guard puts a lot of pressure on Kuminga, Kyle Anderson, De’Anthony Melton and Gary Payton II.

The Warriors can try finagling a deal without Moody’s inclusion. Or by adding salary (Kevon Looney?) and seconds to extract Cody Martin. But the bones of this package shouldn’t be a deal-breaker. That includes losing Podziemski. For all he does so damn well, LaMelo is more likely to become the star bridge capable of optimizing two eras.

Charlotte has to really believe Golden State will be cooked in the post-Steph years to co-sign this deal. If the front office thinks there’s a less than 50 percent chance of the 2030 first-rounder conveying, it significantly butchers the appeal. But if the Hornets view this as Podz, Moody, three firsts, at least one likely to be exercised swap, a shorter-term contract they can move later (Wiggins) and the chance to jazz up their own draft-lottery stock, it should warrant a conversation.

Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes.