The 30-team NBA mega-trade that solves nothing and makes everyone mad
By Ian Levy
Boston Celtics
Sending out: Danilo Gallinari
Bringing in: Rudy Gay
The Celtics don’t need much right now but Gallinari isn’t likely to play this season and they might as well see if they can get something useful for his salary. Gay isn’t an elite defender and it would be nice to get another shooter but he’s versatile at both ends, can play the 4 or maybe even the 5 in small-ball lineups and is a veteran who should buy into his role for a chance at a ring.
Brooklyn Nets
Sending out: Joe Harris, Cam Thomas, 2027 1st-round pick (from PHI to MIN)
Bringing in: Kelly Oubre Jr., Saddiq Bey, Justin Holiday
Joe Harris has been hugely important to the Nets’ revival but the Nets have a chance to win a title this season and flipping him, young guard Cam Thomas and a future first their owed from Philadelphia can add even more depth and versatility. Oubre Jr., Bey and Holiday all add size, shooting and slashing on the wings and give Brooklyn more defensive options to throw at Eastern Conference scorers like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kyle Kuzma, Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, etc.
New York Knicks
Sending out: Evan Fournier, Derrick Rose, Cam Reddish, 2023 1st-round pick (DAL to IND), 2023 1st-round pick (WAS to CHA), 2024 1st-round pick (Own to TOR)
Bringing in: Zach LaVine
It may make more sense for the Knicks to tinker on the margins, but they’re the Knicks so I feel pretty safe proposing a wild swing for the fences. Here they unload all the contracts they’ve been hoping to shed, along with a trio of first-round picks to land Zach LaVine. It makes for a crowded offense with Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle and R.J. Barrett but it also adds an element of dynamism they might otherwise lack. And while they’re paying a steep price in draft capital, they keep their own 2023 pick, Detroit’s 2023 pick (which is unlikely to convey for a few years), as well as their own pick and Milwaukee’s pick in 2025.
Philadelphia 76ers
Sending out: Matisse Thybulle, Shake Milton
Bringing in: Jae’Sean Tate
Thybulle has been largely out of the rotation and Milton will be headed that way when Tyrese Maxey returns. Tate is still out with an ankle injury but he’s a defensive wing with the strength to play up a position and a versatile offensive game that could keep him on the floor in situations where Thybulle couldn’t.
Toronto Raptors
Sending out: OG Anunoby
Bringing in: Myles Turner, 2024 1st-round pick (NYK)
Toronto might prefer to trade Gary Trent Jr. than Anunoby and they’d probably be hoping to get a good deal more than this in return. But they get a chance to add a strong, young two-way center who can still fit their timeline, as well as a first-round pick to watch for the next 15 months, hoping the Knicks implode (a not unlikely proposition, considering the Knicks’ track record of Knicksiness.