#nba-trades

#nba-trades

For months, Jan. 15 was supposed to be the grand opening of the Jonathan Kuminga bazaar; the day was when trade restrictions lifted and the Golden State Warriors could finally swap their most confounding asset for a missing piece of their championship puzzle. But as the sun rises on this long-awaited dawn, the Warriors don't look like shrewd dealmakers preparing to fleece the league. No, they look like a desperate homeowner trying to unload a haunted house in a flood zone.

In June 2023, the Suns acquired Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards, a deal that came on the heels of Phoenix landing Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets before that year's trade deadline. After the moves, new owner Mat Ishbia hailed the creation of the NBA's next superteam. Those trades rattled the NBA landscape. The league is in a far different place two years later.

They are an unmitigated disaster (tell me if you've heard that before!), sporting the league's fifth-worst offense and third-worst defense. Sacramento will also be without star big Domantas Sabonis (meniscus tear) for the next month. The beam is shut off, and the Kings should be on the precipice of a fire sale ... if owner Vivek Ranadive will commit to it.

It feels almost cliched to say this team needs to make a major move, but that's only because it has been ( and very much remains) true for a while. If the Heat find the right needle-moving trade, though, they should be careful about its construction. Because while Andrew Wiggins and his $28.2 million salary might help make the math work, he might be too good to give up.

I'm just appreciative of wherever I came from. [Brooklyn was] just one stepping stone where I was at before I was here. So just appreciative,

Brown was a key x-factor for the Denver Nuggets during their 2023 NBA championship run. After the team celebrated their victory and moved into the 2023 offseason, Brown hit free agency. During the team parade, he highlighted that re-signing with the Nuggets was a priority for him. However, Brown decided to chase the bigger payday, signing a two-year, $45 million deal with the Indiana Pacers.

Markkanen is a potential trade target that has faded out of the limelight over the last year, but there's no question that he should be on every star-hunting team's radar heading into the start of this season. If the Utah Jazz get off to a slow start, the whispers surrounding Markkanen's availability on the trade market are only going to get louder.