The next wave: Trade targets around the league now that Dame is moved

With the trade of Damian Lillard, and the sequel to the Dame trade, the Jrue Holiday trade, the NBA picture for this upcoming season is falling more into place. Things still aren’t completely settled, however, and NBA general managers need some other melodrama to fixate on so they can leak takes to league scribes and spin and cavort the narrative to try and influence something. There will be new trade targets, and there will be new rumors. Here are a few players to keep an eye on as we enter the preseason phase of the NBA calendar.

Malcolm Brogdon, G, Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers front office’s backs were up against the wall with Lillard requesting to be moved and narrowing his list of preferred destinations to one team, and siccing his agent on any would-be suitors to exhort them to back off. In their desperation, they invented a new technique that we may see again soon: The nesting return package for the disgruntled superstar. Lots of teams around the league were interested in Damian Lillard, and few teams who were interested in Damian Lillard had pieces they were willing to part with that made sense for Portland’s seven-year trajectory. While Portland was not able to find fair value in a straight up transaction, they worked out a deal that landed them a player that wouldn’t be useful to them, but to any team around the league looking to compete: Jrue Holiday. They rerouted Holiday to the Celtics and could do the same with reigning Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon. Blazers GM Joe Cronin has publicly stated that they want Brogdon to be present as a veteran leader for their young talent, but it would be understandable if he just wanted maybe a day to sleep in, touch grass, and take a nap without trade suitors breathing down his neck.

Overall, Brogdon doesn’t make sense on the Trail Blazers, and players of his caliber that bring his specific expertise aren’t usually satisfied to go from a title contender to babysitting duty on a team dead set on winning the draft lottery. Brogdon could have a robust market as a fifth starter or a sixth man on many teams. I could see fits for Brogdon in Chicago, Philadelphia, Orlando, San Antonio, Sacramento, Minnesota, Utah, or with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Pascal Siakam, F, Toronto Raptors

It is hard right now to see the vision in Toronto. The Raptors have stuck with this JV core from their 2019 championship team and were aspiring sellers at last year’s trade deadline before stumbling to the play-in determine, where a come-from-ahead loss to the Chicago Bulls ended the Nick Nurse era and stamped a lost season. They still have OG Anunoby and Siakam, both of whom could be traded. It was Siakam, however, who had an odd media day experience, being called out by general manager Masai Ujiri for being selfish, and being defensive about it. If the Raptors are taking an L on the easiest W day of the NBA calendar — spin your web of lies, proffer your title dreams, speak to your greatness with no threat of account — they’re definitely not ready to win this season.

Siakam has aged out of Toronto’s core, and at this point appears to be a misfit for the locker room. Perhaps it’s being overblown, or perhaps it could blow over, but it could signal a relationship in need of change. Brooklyn, Detroit, Indiana, Dallas, Los Angeles Clippers, and Portland could all mount up and make intriguing offers to improve their teams. Siakam is one of the best 30 players in the league and has too much to offer either a contending team or an upcoming team that wants a fixture as its second core piece. In Toronto, he seems to be the most talented player who is being forced to accept a role subservient to a core built around Scottie Barnes. With all the rumor mongering around Siakam and Anunoby, it’s really difficult to see Toronto stringing together a serious run. We more likely see Ujiri lower his asking prices just a little bit and initiate a full rebuild around Barnes. The Raptors might get two months to figure it out, or they might start early and move Siakam before the season starts.

Lonzo Ball, G, Chicago Bulls

You want an unsexy buy-low opportunity for a point guard-needy team not looking to win now? Look no further than Lonzo Ball. A young team could add Ball to their books for the season, give the Bulls some much-needed cap relief for them to do further shopping, and you may just have an elite talent manning the position for you to open next year. Ball cosplayed in a Bulls uniform and spoke at media day, painting an optimistic, determined portrait of his future in the league. He reiterated that he is young, which is true, and spoke glowingly of how well his big, third surgery went. For Bulls fans, it sounded like the rumblings of a couple of seasons turning over in their graves. However, if Ball is able to recover fully, the frustration fans (and, obviously, Ball himself) won’t negate his aptitude for the game and the potential he has.

We’ve seen many players successfully reinvent themselves after living in injury hell for multiple years. Grant Hill, Penny Hardaway, Shaun Livingston, Klay Thompson, and Derrick Rose all endured years of injury that either kept them out, forced them to reorient their game, or both, and bounced back to form coherent second acts in their careers. Ball certainly seems ripe for such an arc. The Bulls have been patient with Ball’s recovery, and it’s completely possible they’re committed to seeing it through. It’s been such a frustrating impediment, though, you could also see them getting frustrated with the wait, understanding it’s the last year of DeMar DeRozan’s contract, and make a move to bring in some type of talent that can play now and provide something. It’s interesting to imagine Ball fitting into future plans with the Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz, or expanding the timetable for the Los Angeles Clippers.

DeMar DeRozan, G, Chicago Bulls

Alternatively, the Bulls might opt to go younger and sell DeRozan’s expiring deal to a team that wants a flier on him or needs a stopgap scorer. Miami swapping Tyler Herro for DeRozan might be the clever counterpunch they need to convince themselves they can still contend amid the Eastern Conference arms race. Packaging DeRozan and Alex Caruso to send to New York for R.J. Barrett and Evan Fournier’s salary (plus draft compensation) might allow Chicago to go younger, and give New York a beta test for what their current core of Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson would look like with a star-caliber wing in the mix. He could be an upgrade in Sacramento over Harrison Barnes to amplify what that core does offensively (if the Kings don’t appear to be benefitting from their continuity strategy by December 15, the day when Barnes can be traded).

Bojan Bogdanovic, F, Detroit Pistons

When Bogdanovic was brough to Detroit from Utah last year, he was seen as a tradeable asset. He played for Detroit and had a career high in scoring as he happily indulged in being the number one option as the Pistons themselves floundered. Bogdanovic could still be on the move, as the Pistons try to figure out their identity with a healthy Cade Cunningham. Bogdanovic would be a great add to any playoff core, as he can start on the wing and add a shooting element that teams crave. He could fit snuggly in New York, Memphis, Milwaukee, Indiana, or even Miami.