Tired of puny fake NBA trades that only include a handful of teams at a time? Boy, do we have a treat for you — all 30 teams, rolled into one mega-trade.
The 30-team mega-trade is undoubtedly the dumbest and most ostentatious feather in my basketball-writing cap. I created the first iteration in 2017 but hadn’t been able to keep it up the past two years as early trades ruined the masterpiece as it was being created.
This year, I tried to go a bit early so that no pre-deadline shenanigans disrupted the master plan. As in the past, I am actually not sure if this is legal under the CBA but my proposal at least works for every team from a salary-in and salary-out perspective.
As with any NBA trade, there are winners and losers here. I did my best to solve at least one problem for each team but I the degree to which I succeeded varied (and, to be fair, it’s arguable whether I succeeded at all). I also tried to consider long-term salary cap issues but I’m sure I’ve overlooked numerous luxury tax implications (it’s not my money!) If you’re looking at your team and wondering why they would agree to what I’ve proposed, the answer is: I needed to involve every team because that’s the silly framework I set for myself. Relax, I’m not your team’s actual GM.
What does each team get and give up in this 30-team, NBA mega-trade?
Atlanta Hawks
Sending out: John Collins, Justin Holiday
Bringing in: Christian Wood, Jae Crowder, Dario Saric, 2023 1st-round pick (PHX)
There’s a good chance the Hawks could find a better return for Collins if we weren’t rolling them into this 30-team morass but they get a chance to audition Christian Wood as a replacement frontcourt scorer for Collins, and could theoretically re-sign him for a lot less than they’re paying Collins. Crowder and Saric may not be long-term pieces but they could help for a playoff push this year and the Hawks do pick up a first-round pick from the Suns that could fall towards the middle of the round.
Charlotte Hornets
Sending out: Gordon Hayward, Kelly Oubre Jr.
Bringing in: Danilo Gallinari, Evan Fournier, Grayson Allen, Justise Winslow, Romeo Langford, 2023 1st-round pick (WAS via NYK), 2028 1st-round pick (LAC)
The Hornets begin a rebuild shipping out Oubre and Hayward and taking back a bunch of rougher contracts in exchange for some additional draft picks. None of the players they’re returning are likely to be of any long-term value and Fournier is expensive with one more year after this. But they can decline his player option for 2024-25 and they pick up Washington’s 2023 first-round pick (via the Knicks) which should be pretty valuable, as well as the Clippers’ 2028 first-round pick.
Miami Heat
Sending out: Duncan Robinson, 2023 1st-round pick (SAS), 2027 1st-round pick (WAS)
Bringing in: Kyle Kuzma, T.J. McConnell
The Heat are taking a gamble trading out multiple first-round picks to unload Duncan Robinson’s contract. But they also some win-now pieces that can hopefully help re-open their championship window before Jimmy Butler really ages out. McConnell is an excellent backup point guard option with pesky defense at the point of the attack. Kuzma is the real prize, a versatile wing scorer who can really juice their offense and be re-signed as a bridge to the next iteration of this team.
Orlando Magic
Sending out: Mo Bamba
Bringing in: Devonte’ Graham
Bamba has become the odd man out with the emergence of Bol Bol rounding out the big man rotation with Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr. But his floor spacing and rim protection, underdeveloped they may be, are still enough to land Orlando a backcourt scoring upgrade. In theory, the Magic have their point guard rotation set with Markelle Fultz, Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs. But they’re still lacking creation ability in that group and Graham can help, even if he’s undersized.
Washington Wizards
Sending out: Bradley Beal, Kyle Kuzma, Raul Neto
Bringing in: James Wiseman, Nikola Vucevic, Doug McDermott, 2027 1st-round pick (MIA), 2029 1st-round pick (LAL)
The Wizards go big with the rebuild, finally trading Bradley Beal and shedding his massive contract. It’s a tough choice since they don’t return a player anywhere near his caliber but they aren’t winning with him now and there’s no reason to think that’s going to change. In exchange for him and Kuzma, the Wizards get a pair of veterans (Vucevic and McDermott) that they can try to flip again or simply let come off their books. They also get a pair of first-round picks pretty deep in the future and a chance to try out James Wiseman and see if they can build him into a foundational piece. They’d like to get a lot more for Beal (especially with Kuzma rolled in) but his contract severely limits their options.
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.
Chicago Bulls
Sending out: Zach LaVine, Andre Drummond, Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan
Bringing in: Karl-Anthony Towns, Derrick Rose, Luke Kennard, Richaun Holmes, Dwight Powell
In a vacuum, trading LaVine, Vucevic and DeRozan without returning a single pick sounds like a disaster. But the Bulls are setting themselves up for a rapid rebuild around Karl-Anthony Towns, who is arguably better than anyone in that previous core. Towns, still just 27 and an All-NBA center, is in need of a change of scenery. He’s also out for quite a while with a calf strain which gives the Bulls a chance to create the Derrick Rose farewell tour and hopefully keep themselves near the bottom of the standings for a chance at a top-4 pick (and not having to send that pick to Orlando).
Powell would come off the books at the end of the season and the Bulls could choose to pick up Rose’s club option or not. They’d then roll into next season with Towns, Patrick Williams, Luke Kennard, Richaun Holmes, Alex Caruso, Dalen Terry, some cap space, whoever that (hopefully) top-4 pick, whoever they land with Portland’s pick (currently No. 18) and maybe a healthy Lonzo Ball.
They’d be no worse off than they are right now and maybe have more flexibility to attack their future.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Sending out: Raul Neto
Bringing in: Cam Thomas
I needed to include all 30 teams so, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Detroit Pistons
Sending out: Bojan Bogdanovic, Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel, Saddiq Bey, 2025 1st-round pick (HOU)
Bringing in: OG Anunoby, Justise Winslow
The Pistons are trading all their most valuable veteran assets and not returning a single draft pick (actually giving one up instead) but they’re getting a special two-way wing who is still just 25, and probably better than anything they’d get with anything other than a top-3 pick this year (which they could land anyway). Thinking about rolling into next season with Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and OG Anunoby on the wings should be a slam dunk for the Pistons, even if they’d still have a lot to figure out with the young bigs on their roster.
Indiana Pacers
Sending out: Myles Turner, T.J. McConnell
Bringing in: Kendrick Nunn, Talen Horton-Tucker, 2023 1st-round pick (DAL via NYK)
Honestly, this is probably less than ideal from the Pacers’ perspective. If they aren’t able to coax Turner into signing an extension they’d probably be hoping to get some sort of rotation player and a more valuable pick. But the Lakers sound like they don’t want to send their 2027 first-round pick and Indiana may find their aren’t as many good options as they hoped. None of the players here would likely stick on the roster, but they open room for Isaiah Jackson and Andrew Nembhard and pick up another first-round pick in this draft, bringing their total to four (their own, Cleveland’s, Boston’s and now Dallas’). None of those are likely to be lottery picks but four picks could be a nice draft-night package to try and move up for a specific target.
Milwaukee Bucks
Sending out: Grayson Allen, Jordan Nwora
Bringing in: Donte DiVincenzo, Mike Muscala, Cam Reddish
The Bucks need help on the wings, and here they’re essentially turning 1.5 rotation players into three. DiVincenzo and Reddish add a lot of defensive upside, even if neither is as reliable a movement shooter as Allen. There probably won’t be many minutes for Muscala, especially in the playoffs but he’s a nice insurance plan to have in place — a 6-foot-10 big who has hit 37.7 percent of his career 3-pointers.
Denver Nuggets
Sending out: Ish Smith, Jeff Green
Bringing in: Nerlens Noel
The Nuggets shrink their depth in a 2-for-1 deal, but Green and Smith probably don’t figure much in a playoff rotation and Noel has value as a defensive-minded big who can take some pressure off Jokic.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Sending out: Karl-Anthony Towns, Austin Rivers
Bringing in: John Collins, Patrick Beverley, Matisse Thybulle, 2027 1st-round pick (LAL), 2027 1st-round pick (PHI via BKN)
What the Timberwolves have now isn’t working but their is no way to undo their acquisition of Rudy Gobert. In a vacuum, you’d rather build around Towns but it seems like he may need a change of scenery and this could be a way to take care of their present and future. Towns to Collins is a big downgrade, but Collins is still an offensively versatile and young frontcourt partner who can play with Gobert and work next to Anthony Edwards. They also pick up some of the defensive grit and intensity they’ve been missing on the wings, with Beverley and Thybulle, and a pair of 2027 first-round picks that could be very valuable once you stack four years of aging onto the Lakers’ and 76ers’ rosters.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Sending out: Mike Muscala, Kenrich Williams
Bringing in: Jaxson Hayes
I’m not sure what the longterm plan at center is for the Thunder but auditioning Hayes at the cost of two pieces with no real long-term value seems like a small victory for Oklahoma City.
Portland Trail Blazers
Sending out: Justise Winslow
Bringing in: Shake Milton
Winslow was helpful as a secondary playmaker when he was healthy and Milton is a size downgrade for that role. But he’s a much better shooter and should give Portland more offensively, even if he’s taking a little off the table in terms of defensive versatility.
Utah Jazz
Sending out: Rudy Gay, Talen Horton-Tucker
Bringing in: Duncan Robinson
Trust me, I know how weird this looks. I basically could have raided the Jazz’s cabinet here and scattered their pieces to the winds but I’m fascinated to see what would happen if they just kept pushing. Robinson has struggled since signing his big contract but maybe a change of scenery helps his shooting percentages rebound and he could be a lot more valuable to the Jazz than Gay or Tucker in what is already one of the most dangerous shooting teams in the league. His contract is an anvil but regardless of any other trades the future of the Jazz is the picks they landed in the Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert trades and Robinson’s contract will be over before any iteration of the team built around those players is really squeezed for cap space.
Dallas Mavericks
Sending out: Christian Wood, Dwight Powell, JaVale McGee
Bringing in: Gordon Hayward, Andre Drummond
Given how he’s handled the Mavericks’ rotation thus far this season, this trade is a bit like giving a hand grenade to Jason Kidd when he’s already blown off all but three fingers. But I just want to see Luka Doncic get some help. Hayward’s health is a big question but his shooting and versatility would be a big help on the wings and his massive contract only has one year. Drummond basically shrinks the Mavs big-man rotation down to one player, but just throw him out there for 35 minutes and let him gobble up every offensive rebound in sight.
Houston Rockets
Sending out: Eric Gordon, Jae’Sean Tate
Bringing in: Alec Burks, JaVale McGee, Jeff Green, Ish Smith, Jordan Nwora, 2025 1st round pick (DET)
The Rockets get their first-round pick for Eric Gordon but at the price of a bunch of other veteran contracts they don’t want and will have to either cut or flip in smaller deals.
Memphis Grizzlies
Sending out: Danny Green
Bringing in: Josh Richardson
Green is done for the year with an ACL injury but the Grizzlies do well here to turn his contract into another veteran wing who can defend and (sometimes) hit open 3-pointers.
New Orleans Pelicans
Sending out: Devonte’ Graham, Jaxson Hayes
Bringing in: Eric Gordon
Graham and Hayes have largely fallen out of the rotation but the Pelicans do well here, adding another veteran shooter who can handle some complementary creation duties off the bench and with a non-guaranteed contract for next season that could allow them to go in a different direction.
San Antonio Spurs
Sending out: Doug McDermott, Josh Richardson, Jakob Poeltl, Romeo Langford
Bringing in: Russell Westbrook, 2023 1st-round pick (MIA)
The Spurs might be hoping to swing those three veterans each for picks in individual deals but we can’t satisfy everyone. Here they clear the vets, open things up for Zach Collins as the primary big man, take Russell Westbrook until a buyout can be arranged and add Miami’s 2023 pick.
Golden State Warriors
Sending out: James Wiseman, Donte DiVincenzo
Bringing in: Robert Covington, Austin Rivers, 2025 1st-round pick (DAL)
This is a pretty big win-now gamble, but I think there is a decent hedge built in. The Warriors get another versatile frontcourt player who can work as a small ball 4, defend in a variety of schemes and at least threaten from the outside. Changing from DiVincenzo to Rivers is something of a wash. And then the Warriors pick up a 2025 first-rounder from the Mavs (maybe Luka is gone by then?) to cover for whatever they’re giving up in Wiseman’s potential. They get better for this season, they get to keep Moody and Kuminga and the get a first-round pick for Wiseman (even if it almost certainly won’t end up as the No. 2).
Los Angeles Clippers
Sending out: Luke Kennard, Robert Covington
Bringing in: Jakob Poeltl, Bojan Bogdanovic
This may look like shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic but I think it’s a pretty big upgrade for the Clippers. Bogdanovic does many of the same things as Kennard and while he’s older, he’s also much more accomplished as a creator, taking pressure of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Poeltl may be less valuable than Covington because he removes some flexibility — he’s a traditional big man, whereas Covington is a big wing often playing up a position. But Poeltl is a fantastic defensive presence and has really developed as a playmaker from the elbows which gives the Clippers a very different look from Ivica Zubac.
Los Angeles Lakers
Sending out: Russell Westbrook, Kendrick Nunn, Patrick Beverley, 2027 (MIN) and 2029 (WAS) 1st-round picks
Bringing in: Bradley Beal, DeMar DeRozan, Danny Green
The Lakers have seemed hesitant to trade their two future first-rounders but the pressure is building as the losses mount and rolling this in with all 30 teams gives them an opportunity to land a much bigger return. Beal is the real prize here, even if his contract is an absolute albatross, as a scorer and slasher who can play off LeBron and Davis. The fit with DeRozan isn’t ideal but he can do most of what Westbrook was doing as the lead creator off the bench and probably do it better, even if his preferences lean towards scoring instead of facilitating.
It’s probably not enough to make the Lakers a contender this year. But it puts them in a much better position for next season than anything they could reasonable hope to assemble over the offseason.
Phoenix Suns
Sending out: Dario Saric, Jae Crowder, 2023 1st-round pick (ATL)
Bringing in: Joe Harris
Phoenix’s championship aspirations really rest on the health of Devin Booker. But add another elite movement shooter at the cost of a backup 4, a disgruntled wing who isn’t even playing right now and what’s likely to be a first-round pick in the 20s seems like a win.
Sacramento Kings
Sending out: Richaun Holmes
Bringing in: Mo Bamba, Kenrich Williams
This is a minor move for a team that already looks to be in a pretty good position, both short- and long-term. Basically, they drop a year of Holmes’ contract in exchange for Bamba who they can (maybe) re-sign more cheaply and who offers a bit more rim protection and floor-spacing behind Domantas Sabonis.
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