The 2021-2022 season is only a few months away, and a couple of star players could be on the move. While teams hate to trade away their best players, sometimes it is necessary to improve their flexibility for the future. Sometimes, star players become disgruntled.
- Sacramento Make The Playoffs With Pascal Siakam
- Bradley Beal Becomes A 3rd Splash Brother In Golden State
- Damian Lillard Replaces Ben Simmons In Philadelphia
- Trade Package: Ben Simmons, Tyrese Maxey, Matisse Thybulle, Shake Milton, 2022 first-round pick, 2024 first-round pick for Damian Lillard
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Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal, and Pascal Siakam are three All-Star players and superstar talents that are the best players on their teams. They are also in subpar situations, and losing negatively affects their legacy and stock as great players. Here are the 3 blockbuster deals that will likely happen this season to alter the playing field of the NBA.
Sacramento Make The Playoffs With Pascal Siakam
Trade Package: Buddy Hield, Marvin Bagley III, 2022 first-round pick (Top-7 Protected), 2023 second-round pick for Pascal Siakam
The Sacramento Kings know that they have a star in De’Aaron Fox, so they need to surround him with more star talent to make them playoff contenders. Pascal Siakam had a down year with the Raptors last year, but he is still one of the best power forwards in the NBA.
Fox and Siakam would likely guide the Kings to the postseason and make them a threat for the future as well. Sacramento needs to part ways with a young player in Bagley to make it work, but Siakam already has playoff experience and is an All-Star. Most importantly, Siakam has an NBA ring and has tasted championship glory.
At the very least, the Kings need to improve on a 31-41 record, and any change is absolutely needed to get them back in the postseason in a crowded West. For the Raptors, they find their replacement in Bagley III while acquiring valuable picks for their rebuild.
Bradley Beal Becomes A 3rd Splash Brother In Golden State
Trade Package: Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, 2022 first-round pick, 2023 first-round pick swap, 2026 first-round pick for Bradley Beal
Bradley Beal makes the most sense out of all the possible targets in the market right now for Golden State. Stephen Curry is still the best point guard in the NBA, and the Warriors will contend even if Kevin Durant is not on the squad anymore. But with Beal and the returning Klay Thompson, Golden State can have another superteam.
Bradley Beal, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson would be enough to possibly carry the Warriors to the Western Conference Semifinals. Curry averaged 32.0 PPG last season, and the Warriors would be certainly willing to let go of all their available assets for Beal. Two guys averaging over a combined 60 PPG would be fun to watch, and luckily for the Warriors, the Wizards might be desperate enough to make that happen.
Washington can rebuild with a host of young players while they pray that Andrew Wiggins can become an All-Star alongside Montrezl Harrell, Kyle Kuzma, and Spencer Dinwiddie. As things stand, the Wizards do not seem to be going anywhere with Bradley Beal.
Damian Lillard Replaces Ben Simmons In Philadelphia
Trade Package: Ben Simmons, Tyrese Maxey, Matisse Thybulle, Shake Milton, 2022 first-round pick, 2024 first-round pick for Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard is an absolute superstar and one of the best scoring point guards in NBA history. Lillard averaged 28.8 PPG last season while draining 39.1% of his three-pointers. In terms of deep range and clutch shooting, Lillard is probably the best in the NBA. Philadelphia has Joel Embiid to go to in the clutch, but it is often difficult for a center to handle the ball and create his own offense when his team needs it most.
That is why Shaquille O’Neal often deferred to Kobe Bryant in crunch time despite being a 3-time Finals MVP. Embiid can certainly defer to Damian Lillard. Lillard can create his own offense any time he wants and has no problem taking all the responsibility if he misses or makes shots. In many ways, Lillard is the complete opposite of Ben Simmons and that can work perfectly for Philadelphia.
The Portland Trail Blazers do not want to lose Lillard, but if their star requests a trade, it will be difficult for them to find a better trade package than the one Philadelphia can offer. Four young players and two picks is a return they might not be able to refuse, especially if they have no hope of keeping their 6-time All-Star.
