1 week Ago By Andy Bailey
Seemingly every week in the NBA is part of trade season, but mid-December truly is a special time for fans of player movement. On Dec. 15, a whopping 85 players who signed deals this past offseason become trade-eligible.
And this date has operated like the opening of floodgates in previous years. Even if a deluge of actual trades doesn't hit us right away, you can be sure teams looking to make some moves will be doing so with a little more intention after so many players potentially become available. So, in anticipation of that restriction lapsing, and in the spirit of Friday the 13th, here's a fresh batch of NBA blockbusters that could have other teams around the league trembling.
LeBron James, Cam Reddish and Bronny James for Andrew Wiggins, De'Anthony Melton, Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos, a top-1 protected first-round pick in 2025 and a top-3 protected first-round pick in 2027 The idea of LeBron James and Stephen Curry eventually teaming up in the NBA has been floating around the dreams of plenty of fans for years, but it really went mainstream at the Paris Olympics this past summer. The chemistry between the two was obvious. Their games fit seamlessly.
LeBron was willing to defer to Curry as a scorer, while Curry trusted LeBron with the playmaking. And their two-man game was a significant factor in Team USA winning gold. The Los Angeles Lakers willingly trading LeBron has always felt far-fetched, though.
It still does. But the Golden State Warriors at least broached the subject with L.A.
last season. And after an underwhelming start to 2024-25, maybe James would entertain the idea, too. ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported that the Warriors "have dreamed" about landing LeBron, but he also added that it's "up to him," thanks to his no-trade clause.
Anthony Irwin of ClutchPoints also poured a little of his own water on the idea, writing that the Lakers "will not seriously consider trading James," before adding that his son, Bronny James, would likely have to be a part of any LeBron deal. At this point, though, there's enough smoke in the air for us to entertain this possibility and look at what a LeBron-to-the-Warriors deal might actually look like. The framework above gives L.
A. at least one movable contract to turn into more assets if this would just be the start of a rebuild. Andrew Wiggins is only making $26.
3 million this season. De'Anthony Melton, who's currently out with a torn ACL, would likely be seen similarly. He's obviously not going to help the Lakers this season, but his contract could be part of a subsequent deal to add more young talent or cap flexibility.
The big get here would obviously be the younger players. There's reason to be high on both Jonathan Kuminga (his athleticism, defensive range and untapped playmaking potential) and Brandin Podziemski (his feel for the game and playmaking help him perform like a much more experienced player). And though there are some protections on those first-round picks, they're likely to convey.
It's hard to imagine many other teams surrendering multiple picks for a player who will be 40 this month. As for the Warriors, this is a risk. They're giving up depth, youth and picks for a player near the end of his career, a wing who's played like an end-of-bench player throughout his career in Cam Reddish and a multi-year project (to put it kindly) in Bronny.
But Golden State has a point differential around that of a 64-win team when Curry is on the floor this season. He's still good enough to be the scoring leader on a title contender. And LeBron unquestionably raises the short-term ceiling higher than any combination of Wiggins, Kuminga, Podziemski and Gui Santos does.
Lineups with him, Curry, Buddy Hield and Draymond Green could go toe-to-toe with just about anyone in the West. Zach LaVine for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, Jett Howard and a 2025 second-round pick Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is one of those 2024 free agents who can be moved after December 15. And while his defense and leadership have been important ingredients in the Orlando Magic's strong start, the team is 23rd in the league in offense, with KCP averaging 8.
2 points and Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner both out for the next several weeks. Zach LaVine could give the Magic the kind of scoring punch they need (with or without the star forwards), and their abundance of rookie and otherwise affordable contracts makes them a suitor that can probably justify taking on his deal (which has a player option for $49 million in 2026-27). Whenever Banchero and Wagner are back, the 29-year-old can recede into a lesser role, while still helping the Magic pump up their three-point volume and giving those forwards a more reliable scorer to kick out to.
For the should-be-rebuilding Chicago Bulls, this is decent value for a player who's been a mainstay in the trade rumor mill for at least a year. If the Bulls were going to get a first-round pick for LaVine, they probably already would have gotten it. He's a good player averaging 22.
1 points and shooting 43.2 percent from deep this season, but his contract and sometimes shaky defense have scared off suitors. This deal gives Chicago a second-round pick, a young wing with plenty of time to develop in Jett Howard and two tradeable contracts (KCP's deal has a $21.
6 million player option in 2026-27, while Cole Anthony's has a $13.1 million team option the same season). Nikola Vučević for Brandon Clarke, John Konchar and a top-10 protected first-round pick in 2027 There's reason for the Memphis Grizzlies to be optimistic about Zach Edey.
Jay Huff has turned out to be one of this past summer's best bargain acquisitions. And even after an Achilles repair, Brandon Clarke is still one of the league's better reserve hustle bigs. But none of the above are quite as well-suited to start as 34-year-old Nikola Vučević, who's playing as well as he has in half a decade.
Just over a quarter of the way into the season, the two-time All-Star is putting up 21.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.
2 assists and 2.2 threes in 31.7 minutes, while shooting 47.
4 percent from deep. He can check a lot of the same boxes Steven Adams did (like rebounding and allowing Jaren Jackson Jr. to roam as a shot-blocker), while also spacing the floor.
Lineups with him and JJJ could force opponents to keep all their big bodies outside the paint, making easily exploitable driving lanes for Ja Morant. Vučević's passing would also open up possibilities for everyone that Edey, Huff and Clarke simply won't. Giving up a first-round pick for a mid-30s center who's often struggled to defend may seem like a lot, but Memphis is uniquely situated to offer (and the pick is protected).
The Grizzlies are closer to title contention than some realize, and Vučević is the kind of player who could put them over the top. For the Bulls, this is another deal that speeds up the rebuild. It gives them some draft capital (the trade could also include some second-round picks, in the event that the first doesn't convey) and the movable contracts of Clarke and John Konchar.
Perhaps most importantly, it would make Chicago worse in the short term (thus, improving its 2025 lottery odds) and open up more playing time for rookie Matas Buzelis. Brandon Ingram for Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Ousmane Dieng and a top-five protected first-round pick in 2027 (via Denver) Like LaVine, Brandon Ingram has been all over trade rumors, fake-trade articles and other reports for at least a year. And after injuries helped push the New Orleans Pelicans to last place in the West, they should be even more motivated to turn those rumors into an actual deal.
At one point, it almost felt inevitable New Orleans would flip Ingram for a center, but rookie Yves Missi has been better than expected. And after this first quarter of the season, the Pelicans probably shouldn't be looking at win-now trades anymore. Even with CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray, Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy III all recently filtering back into the rotation, it will be nearly impossible to make up enough ground to even be in the Play-In Tournament.
Instead, New Orleans should be angling for more forward-looking deals. This one gives the Pelicans a first-round pick, something teams are going to be hesitant to give up for a player on an expiring contract who's looking for a raise this coming summer. It also gives them an intriguing 21-year-old wing who hasn't been able to crack the Oklahoma City Thunder's crowded rotation.
Luguentz Dort and Aaron Wiggins aren't just salary filler, either. Assuming Zion Williamson comes back this season, both would fit in well around him and alongside other versatile wing and forward defenders like Jones and Murphy. For the Thunder, this deal simply might not be necessary.
They're already playing like a championship contender, and Dort's perimeter defense is a big part of that. But making Ingram, a former All-Star who's averaging 22.2 points, 5.
2 assists and 2.4 threes, their super sixth man might make them the favorite, even in a league with the Boston Celtics. This deal would likely force OKC to move Alex Caruso into Dort's starting spot.
That defense is important for the first five. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams would obviously take the other two guard and/or wing spots. And whenever Chet Holmgren is ready to return, he and Isaiah Hartenstein can play together on the front line.
That would leave Ingram to absolutely dominate second units as a scorer-for-hire for a few months (that would hopefully end with a championship). If it went swimmingly, OKC could try to re-sign Ingram for less than the max. If he wanted out, the Thunder are in a better position than most to let him walk.
They would still be a contender in 2025-26. Jimmy Butler and Pelle Larsson for Michael Porter Jr., Zeke Nnaji, Dario Šarić and first-round pick swaps in 2026, 2030 and 2031.
Right now, despite having the clear and almost consensus best player in the world in Nikola Jokić, the Denver Nuggets don't look like a title contender. That probably has more to do with Jamal Murray not playing like a max player than it does with Michael Porter Jr., but the former isn't tradable this season (because of when he signed his max extension).
So, if the Nuggets are going to go after Jimmy Butler, who could be the biggest name available on the trade market between now and February, it will almost certainly cost them MPJ. And that's a real cost. At 26, Porter is nine years younger than Butler, and a lack of three-point volume is one of Denver's current biggest issues.
MPJ leads the team in three-point attempts and is shooting 38.8 percent from deep. Butler isn't replacing that.
In a vacuum, though, even at his age, Butler is the better player. In fact, he might be the best player Jokić has ever played with (with the possible exception of the postseason version of Murray). Butler's cutting, slashing and playmaking ability would make him a good fit alongside the three-time MVP.
He'd up the team's defensive potential, too. And while Pelle Larsson finds his way into this trade largely for salary-matching purposes, he might be good enough to crack the rotation, too. The 23-year-old rookie guard is shooting 37.
9 percent from three. For the Heat, this seems like a deal that some other suitor would be able to beat. Most of Denver's trade capital has already been spent.
But Butler's age could suppress his market a bit. And Miami might determine that three first-round pick swaps are more valuable than a single first-rounder from someone else. This also gets Miami out of Butler's upcoming contract negotiations without necessarily conceding a playoff appearance.
In the wake of a deal like this, the Heat could use Bam Adebayo as even more of a playmaking hub while surrounding him with the outside shooting of Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson and MPJ..
