The NBA landscape is constantly changing. NBA stars are moving teams, coaching vacancies, and opening and closing, and many teams are opting to win now. This means that we are in an era of Blockbuster deals, whereby GMs of teams want to strike big-money moves to improve their teams and bring success immediately. Luckily, we are in a league filled with parity and there are a lot of stars that could be traded to help NBA teams close the gap at the top.
In fact, 5 major Blockbuster deals could very well go through by next season. The Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors, and Golden State Warriors are all the most recent NBA champions that proved trading for star power ultimately changes the league and brings NBA titles. In some major deals that will alter the NBA landscape, here are the 5 Blockbuster deals that could change the NBA.
5. Los Angeles Clippers – Chris Paul And Steven Adams
Trade Package: Montrezl Harrell (sign and trade), Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley, Ivica Zubac, Rodney McGruder for Chris Paul and Steven Adams
This is a deal that makes a ton of sense for the Los Angeles Clippers. Kawhi Leonard is a great player and one of the best 2-way players of all time, but he isn’t a natural leader. He is reserved and prefers to lead with his play, although this past postseason he didn’t show it as much. The Clippers need leaders on the court, something Chris Paul brings immediately. Even Steven Adams is a big man who is imposing in the paint and adds toughness to the Clippers who need it.
Chris Paul returns to his place as the best Clipper ever and brings veteran leadership and Hall of Fame point guard skills alongside Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. A lineup with Leonard, George, Paul, and Adams most probably wins the West especially if the team can grab some veterans in the free agency market. The Clippers will need to sign Harrell to a max contract first, and then also give the rebuilding Thunder a young center in Zubac. Harrell and Zubac can be rebuilding options for OKC, while Lou and Beverley bring veteran experience for the young guys on the squad.
4. Boston Celtics – Karl-Anthony Towns
Trade Package: Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown, two first-round picks for Karl-Anthony Towns
The Boston Celtics need a star big man, and that is no secret. They have a superstar player in Jayson Tatum and a bonafide All-Star in Kemba Walker, along with a great head coach in Brad Stevens. A third All-Star piece, who can dominate the paint and defend the rim as well, puts them over the top in the East. Towns is one of the best young players in the league and is probably one of the top 10 players whom GMs would like to start their franchise with. He is that lethal and skilled.
The Celtics would have to sacrifice potential All-Star Jaylen Brown along with Gordon Hayward (who is returning to All-Star form) to make this happen. Giving up first-round picks hurt, but Towns is a superstar now and in the future. The Celtics likely won’t get a player better than him in the coming drafts. For the Timberwolves, Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward can be rebuilding pieces alongside D’Angelo Russell and the first-overall pick in the Draft.
3. Golden State Warriors – Joel Embiid
Trade Package: Andrew Wiggins, Eric Paschall, No. 2 pick for Joel Embiid
The Golden State Warriors are lucky to have Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson back next season because they have two guys who can start a championship run immediately. Steve Kerr is still the head coach, meaning lots of 3-point attempts and ball movement is expected on the court once again. If the Warriors can team up Joel Embiid with Curry and Klay, they just might be unbeatable in today’s NBA. Embiid isn’t the old school type of center who is limited offensively, because he can score from anywhere and is a great passer.
A Big Three of Curry, Klay, and Embiid puts Golden State over the top as the favorites. The Warriors have always dominated with perimeter players and some bigs to provide defensive resistance, but now they can add a superstar offensive player who also dominates the paint defensively. The Warriors should go all out for Embiid to complete a dominant Big Three. The Sixers would rather not trade Embiid, but the second-overall pick would be a perfect addition alongside Ben Simmons. Wiggins can be a star, he just needs the right coach, and Doc Rivers might be the man. Paschall also developed nicely with Golden State and could be a nice piece for Philly going forward.
2. Miami Heat – Giannis Antetokounmpo
Trade Package: Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn, Andre Iguodala for Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo, the reigning league MVP, is the hottest commodity in the NBA right now. Anywhere he goes, that team becomes title contenders. After all, look what he did for the Milwaukee Bucks. They are a solid team with a very good coach, but Giannis is the one driving them to a first-place finish 2 seasons in a row. Giannis Antetokounmpo impacts the game on all levels, meaning he can be the guy to bring an NBA title with the right pieces around him. Pairing him alongside star Jimmy Butler means Miami are the favorites.
Butler went to Miami to be the man and play hard with a no-nonsense group of players. But that doesn’t mean he is selfish, because he wants to win at all costs. He would welcome Giannis Antetokounmpo with open arms and force him to be better. Giannis would dominate the inside defensively, and Butler would do his thing on the wing. Offensively, Giannis will handle the rock as the playmaker or be on the inside while Butler does his work outside. Miami made it to the Finals with just Butler and shooters so imagine if they added the league MVP. Milwaukee don’t want to lose Giannis Antetokounmpo to Free Agent for nothing, so rebuilding around All-Star Bam Adebayo and young guys like Nunn and Herro makes a ton of sense.
1. Los Angeles Lakers – Bradley Beal
Trade Package: Kyle Kuzma, Danny Green, Alex Caruso, Quinn Cook, a first-round pick for Bradley Beal
The Los Angeles Lakers are the 2020 NBA champions. LeBron James and Anthony Davis proved to be the best duo in the league, while the rest of the roster was filled out perfectly by Lakers management. They had veterans who showed up such as Rajon Rondo and Dwight Howard and a coaching staff that was focused and hungry. They are the favorites for the title going forward and are the team to beat next year. If they add All-Star Bradley Beal, we might have a Dynasty on our hands.
Kyle Kuzma isn’t the guy for the Lakers, and he can be the guy for Washington who need to rebuild. Alex Caruso is also a starter caliber player who plays both ends of the floor, meaning the Wizards can build around those two guys. A first-round pick also helps a lot during the rebuild, especially if they decide to move on from John Wall as well. On the flip side, Beal makes the Lakers unstoppable. LeBron and AD only needed Danny Green and KCP on the wings to win a title, imagine if they added Beal who averaged 30.5 PPG in the league. Out of all the major Blockbuster deals, Bradley Beal to the Lakers would be the single greatest move to change the NBA landscape going into next season.
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