December is officially upon us, and that means Dec. 15 is closing in. Why is that important, you may wonder?
That’s the date when the vast majority of newly signed contracts become tradable, meaning NBA teams will have more wiggle room to execute deals.
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Obviously, that doesn’t mean we’ll see a flurry of deals then. It just means the door of the trading season is now open much wider. It’s the precursor to the trade deadline in February.
As such, it’s time to look at the NBA landscape at large and see if we can solve a few roster issues, with three trade ideas cooked up by yours truly.
As always, remember the rule of thumb: If both fan bases hate it, it’s at least fair.
Trade 1: The Chicago Bulls send Coby White to the San Antonio Spurs for Kelly Olynyk and a lottery-protected 2029 first-round pick
White’s contract status is complicated. He’s simply not earning enough for any extension to be worth his while, meaning he’s bound to enter unrestricted free agency next summer.
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The Bulls could lose him for absolutely nothing, which would be a major blow, considering he’s a nightly 20-point scorer who can space the floor.
Getting back Olynyk, who is also expiring, adds no future money on Chicago’s books, and the Bulls get back a future pick, which is likely to land in the 20s.
That seems low for White, but currently the Bulls have no negotiation power. They should have traded him when he had two years left on his deal – as they could have gotten a haul for him – but they didn’t, so now it comes down to whether they wish to risk losing him outright for nothing, or at least get something back.
For the Spurs, the deal just makes sense.
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They don’t have a lot of spacing, and White immediately changes that. They’d be heavy on the guard rotation, but could get away with it by playing Stephon Castle more as a wing. At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, last year’s Rookie of the Year should be able to handle that.
White also joins a good team that has its ducks in a row and a real game-changing superstar in Victor Wembanyama. That should make White far more interested in re-signing with the organization come summer, as it can offer him big money and an opportunity to win.
Of course, the Spurs do run the risk of losing White, as nothing is guaranteed, and that means there’s some risk involved here. They could be forking over a first-round selection for what will ultimately be a half-season rental.
So for them, it’s a question of finding out whether the deal is worth the risk.
Trade 2: The Dallas Mavericks send Anthony Davis and Jaden Hardy to the Chicago Bulls for Nikola Vučević, Zach Collins, and Kevin Huerter
A second trade involving the Bulls? Oh, yes. They have so many options, it’s impossible to ignore them within the trade field.
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That said, before we dig into this one, it’s crucial to understand this wouldn’t be a follow-up to a White trade. If anything, this is a deal that attempts to push Chicago to a new level, hopefully persuading White to re-sign with the organization this summer.
Mavs fans will immediately point out there are no draft picks involved here, and that’s fair, so let’s get into that immediately.
The Bulls have the option of adding picks to this package, as they have control of their own selections. However, the overall uncertainty of Davis’ trade value is ultimately what will determine whether they end up adding them.
While a healthy Davis is an All-NBA candidate, he’s going to be 33 in March, and since the trade to Dallas 10 months ago, he’s appeared in 16 total games.
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Furthermore, he’s owed an additional $111.1 million after the conclusion of this season, in which he’s already earning $54.1 million.
The lack of availability and the utterly insane amount of future money should make any team feel extremely uncomfortable, especially through the lens of relinquishing draft equity.
To simply get off that deal and receive contracts that will allow the Mavericks to shed over $57.5 million next summer sets them up extremely well financially to properly identify pieces to put around Cooper Flagg.
Is it a major talent loss? No question. And should a team enter the mix that offers both expiring deals and draft equity, the Mavs should jump on that trade.
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But if the best offer coming in is that of exclusively expiring deals, then that shouldn’t necessarily be a deal-breaker.
Davis is healthy now, but if he goes down again, especially for a longer stretch, the Mavs could be stuck with him for years, clogging up the cap, all while they fail to utilize Flagg’s small cap hit to build for the future.
So, why would Chicago assume the financial risk?
Well, they only should if the price of Davis isn’t attached to draft equity. But outside of that, the cost should be somewhat manageable.
Davis, a Chicago local, would fit the franchise’s motives. He draws in fans, he’s phenomenal when healthy, and he’d present such a big-man upgrade – without Chicago relinquishing the primary players in its backcourt – the team could actually make a real push for the playoffs, instead of perpetually aiming for the play-in tournament.
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In other words: The upside of Davis might be worth the gamble.
The organization would have to make moves later on to make the long-term financial fit make sense, such as trying to pivot off Patrick Williams, who is earning $18 million per year.
But that might be doable, as Chicago does have financial flexibility and books that are somewhat clean, even if it does manage to re-sign White.
Add onto the fact the Bulls wouldn’t give up picks, and you can see the logic.
Trade 3: The Sacramento Kings deal DeMar DeRozan to the Memphis Grizzlies for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Look, this isn’t sexy, but it’s interesting. The Grizzlies are 9-12, and there’s seemingly no end to the Ja Morant drama. They could use a player who can initiate plays, both for himself and others, and DeRozan fits that bill.
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This deal is entirely dependent on how the Grizzlies view their chances this season. If they’re interested in becoming true playoff contenders, adding DeRozan should lift their collective ceiling to a point where that is within range.
There’s also not much of a gamble in taking on the former All-Star, as he’d be replacing Caldwell-Pope, who is shooting just 37.1% overall on the season.
Furthermore, only $10 million of DeRozan’s $25.7 million salary is guaranteed for next season, allowing Memphis to shave off significant money if he doesn’t work out.
For Sacramento, the logic is a little different.
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The Kings have too many chefs in the kitchen, especially those who actively need the ball.
Pivoting away from DeRozan isn’t a bad thing. It’ll open up the court for more touches for Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine and Keegan Murray.
Caldwell-Pope is by no means a big name, nor is he even remotely as talented as DeRozan, but he does what the Kings need: He can move off the ball without requiring a huge usage rate.
He also provides them with quick and effective ball movement, and better defense than DeRozan could ever dream of delivering. Essentially, the Kings get a player who will integrate himself into the fabric of the team to lift others.
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But, that’s not all they’re getting. They’re also acquiring a contract that could prove valuable next summer, as Caldwell-Pope will enter the final year with a price point of $21.6 million.
(Technically, Caldwell-Pope has a player option for next season, but at that number, he’s extremely likely to pick it up.)