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We have crowned a champion of the 2023-24 NBA season, and the draft is fast approaching, followed promptly by free agency. The NBA, with all that is has to display on-court, is closely rivaled by the storylines and drama that develops off the floor. Who's buying? Who's selling? Who is willing to go absolutely bat-sh*t insane this offseason in hopes of winning a championship (or, just sell some jerseys)? Let's make some fake trades!
By Spencer Galloway | June 26th, 2024
Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
LeBron and Steph Make it Official
It's no secret these two have both thought about the idea of playing with one another for at least a few years now, as they have both batted their eyes at the other in interviews and All-Star game appearances. The Warriors have some serious salary-shedding to do before they can try to put a ring on what would be the league's most famous duo, maybe ever.
Klay Thompson and the Dubs can act as though they really want each other, but suitors with cap space, in this case, Orlando, prove that they will be fine going in other directions. Chris Paul can be traded up until June 28th before the Warriors have to decide on guaranteeing his contract for next season. At $30M, I find it very unlikely they would like to do that. The Jazz, headed up by Danny Ainge, who always believes in keeping the draft pick war chest well stocked, gets a first for taking on CP3 before a likely buyout.
The Pistons, who are no stranger to taking on the Warriors' younger, erm, talent (see James Wiseman) take on the Wiggins contract but are rewarded with the actually talented Jonathan Kuminga and a first-round pick.
A lot of this hinges on whether or not LeBron can make the honorable and life-changing sacrifice (sarcasm fully intended) to punt on a few million bucks in the upcoming season. For the sake of this exercise, let's say he's feeling generous.
That leaves the 2024-25 Warriors with:
LeBron James
Stephen Curry
Draymond Green
Brandon Podz
Moses Moody
2024 2nd Round Pick
Minimum Contract Guys
So, is it worth it? In terms of winning a title, hell no. Will it make for great TV a few nights each week this season? Hell yeah! This is a much more appealing set of moves if LeBron took less money so that GSW could keep Kuminga and maintain some flexibility, but I think we know that is off the table.
I wanted to see if this bizarre, NBA2K type of move was even semi-realistic. At least by CBA and salary cap figures, it is doable. Danny Ainge might scoff at receiving only one pick for taking back CP3, though.
The Spurs Go All-In On Wemby Big Three
While the Spurs are widely considered to be one of the league's more conservative teams, when you draft someone like Victor Wembanyama, you have to reevaluate some of your core philosophies. A lot of speculation suggests the Spurs would be more interested in Trae Young than Murray, however, Young is not $20M better than Murray. Especially when you consider this is a reunion for SAS and Murray, who is quite fond of the relationship he has with head coach Gregg Popovich.
Atlanta gets their picks back that they dealt to SA the first time they exchanged Dejounte, which are much more valuable now given where the Hawks lie in the eastern standings. To free up this cap space that San Antonio so willingly passed out to Zach Collins last offseason for no real apparent reason, they have to treat Detroit to a pair of less-valuable picks.
Could Paul George, who is commanding a four-year max and seems ever increasingly likely to depart from LA, be talked into the idea of being the 2nd banana to the perhaps most exciting talent in the NBA? San Antonio could provide George with a space that is out of the limelight while basking in the 7'4" shadow that Wemby casts. He would share space on the wing with another 20-point-per-game guy in Devin Vassell, who is a budding two-way star in his own right.
Now, are Paul George and Dejounte Murray equipped to be the second and third-best players on a title team? I think the question is less so that and more so who you think Wemby really is. Is Vic already a top-ten player, or is he better? If he's not already, could he be within the next two years? It's the rookie-contract quarterback dilemma that the Spurs find themselves in, the rare instance where your best player is on a very small salary compared to their peers. It provides a path to surrounding your star with other, more expensive talent inside of a short window.
Would the Spurs operate with such urgency? Surely someone in their front office is squirming at the thought of watching this team in the playoffs next season, as the banners that currently reside in the Frost Bank center are beginning to collect dust. The Spurs still maintain to cling tightly to their 4th and 8th overall picks in this year's draft, which by the time you're reading this, have most likely already been made. This is a space NBA teams hardly get to occupy, which is team-building for the now and the future.
Victor Wembanyama has unexpectedly sped up the Spurs' timeline. Which is a really, really good problem to have.