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Kings

In spite of Luka Dončić only playing half of the series, the Utah Jazz have been eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs, which can only mean it&rsquo;s time to blow them up!
Okay, not really... but maybe? Virtually everyone is expecting organizational changes given the team's recent underachievement in the playoffs stemming from successful regular seasons. This incarnation of the Jazz was established in 2017-18, behind then-rookie Donovan Mitchell&rsquo;s quick rise to stardom and Rudy Gobert&rsquo;s emergence as an annual Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
That season, Mitchell &mdash; filling the void left by Gordon Hayward &mdash; finished his first season as a 20-point-per-game scorer despite being picked No. 13 overall and averaging just over 14 points per game in his first 19 appearances. Gobert, even having played only 56 games, was awarded his first of now three DPOY awards.
In these five years, there have been as many playoff trips &mdash; three as the No. 5 seed (including this season), one as the No. 6 in the Orlando Bubble, and another as the top overall seed in the Western Conference last year.
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In 2017-18, the Jazz overachieved, taking down the Russell Westbrook-Paul George-Carmelo Anthony-led Oklahoma City Thunder in six games before losing to the No. 1 seed Houston Rockets in five contests.
In 2018-19, Utah lost to the Rockets again in five, this time in the first round, and Houston even led 3-0 with a +55 scoring margin before dropping Game 4.
In 2019-20, the Jazz squandered a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets, losing Game 7 in the final seconds of the opening round.
Last season &mdash; despite the Los Angeles Clippers losing Kawhi Leonard to a torn ACL (that he&rsquo;s still not back from) &mdash; the Jazz <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2yBy-EqnU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lost in six games to the Clippers</a> in the West semifinals, and Gobert was dunked on by both Terance Mann and social media in the ending.
And finally, this postseason &mdash; in a series with Dončić missing the first three games with a calf injury, in which Utah still trailed 2-1 upon his return &mdash; Utah lost on yet another last-second heartbreaker.&nbsp;
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THE PLAYOFF DROUGHT IS OVER. THE DALLAS MAVERICKS ADVANCE TO THE SECOND ROUND SINCE 2011!<a href="https://twitter.com/dallasmavs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dallasmavs</a> | 📺 BSSW | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/dALLasIN?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#dALLasIN</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAPlayoffs</a> <a href="https://t.co/VcWGAdSOL4">pic.twitter.com/VcWGAdSOL4</a>
&mdash; Bally Sports Southwest (@BallySportsSW) <a href="https://twitter.com/BallySportsSW/status/1519896562079518727?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Given <a href="https://twitter.com/tribjazz/status/1482077811019902980">the sniping back-and-forth between Mitchell and Gobert</a>, the Jazz's inability to break through and how far behind they appear from the top teams in the West, this seems like the summer where sizeable moves will be coming.
Personally speaking, it feels like we&rsquo;re heading toward Mitchell requesting a trade and moving on, but either way, one of Mitchell or Gobert &mdash; perhaps both &mdash; may be on the move in the coming months. Our Evan Sidery <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-rudy-gobert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently looked at five trade ideas involving Gobert</a>.
Today, let's look at where Mitchell could end up, <a href="https://fanspo.com/nba/trade-machine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">using this trade machine</a>.
Mitchell is due $30.3 million next year, $32.6 million in 2023-24, $34.9 million in 2024-25, and has a player option for $37 million in 2025-26. Keep that in mind as we embark on this journey together. (Why did I sound like Professor Oak there?)
New York Knicks
Mitchell&rsquo;s father, Donovan Sr., works with the New York Mets organization. The 25-year-old Mitchell himself is a native of Elmsford, New York. Naturally, with the New York Knicks, there will be Mitchell smoke until a deal (or something else) actually happens. Because Tommy Beer already <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/expect-the-knicks-to-make-a-real-run-at-donovan-mitchell-this-summer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broke down the possibility of a Mitchell-to-New-York trade</a>, we won&rsquo;t stay here too long.
Regarding the Knicks&rsquo; actual proposal, the first look would be to RJ Barrett, who is extension eligible this summer, entering year four and making $10.9 million next year. The idea, for New York, should be to team Barrett and Mitchell together. If that&rsquo;s not possible, and the Mitchell deal were to have to get done, Barrett is your chief trade chip, along with first-round draft picks. The Knicks have all their own first-rounders as of this writing.
Usable salaries for the Knicks next year include Evan Fournier, who&rsquo;ll be at $18 million, Derrick Rose at $14.5 million, Alec Burks at $10 million, Nerlens Noel at $9.2 million and Kemba Walker at over $9.1 million. Rose, Burks and Noel all have team options for 2023-24, so they have ostensibly expiring deals. Walker&rsquo;s next season is his last under contract, and Fournier is signed through 2025, but that also includes a team option. Cam Reddish and Taj Gibson also enter the last year of their respective deals, at about $6 million and $5.1 million each, respectively.
The contract elephant in the room is Julius Randle&rsquo;s, which is a four-year, $117 million extension that begins next season at $26.1 million. It&rsquo;ll gradually increase until his player option for $32.4 million kicks in for 2025-26. The Knicks might try to move Randle instead, but what sense does that make for Utah? And if Utah isn&rsquo;t getting Barrett, would they want a package of the aforementioned veterans (say, Fournier and Burks), along with one or two of Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes, or Miles McBride (who make between $1.6 and $2.3 million next year) and picks?
It&rsquo;ll be hard to do without Barrett, and maybe Randle gets involved in a three-team deal, but the Knicks have the picks, salaries and prospects to make it work, if that&rsquo;s the route the Jazz want to go.
Detroit Pistons
The Pistons seem like a team that could be a version of this past season&rsquo;s Cleveland Cavaliers &mdash; not in terms of play style or once being a top-four team in the Eastern Conference standings necessarily, but from the standpoint of being competitive a year sooner than we think and playing meaningful games down the stretch (like one or two in the Play-In Tournament).
Given that 20 of 30 NBA teams will have games beyond the regular season, the Pistons may (should) attempt to get one of those spots.
Last year&rsquo;s No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham is <a href="https://youtu.be/I9OLPXxgYWk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">someone you can build with</a>. Saddiq Bey should be a more efficient scorer with more experience and better teammates. Most of the rest is to be determined, but Detroit can start by using Jerami Grant&rsquo;s near $21 million expiring deal next summer.
What comes next depends on what stage the Jazz want to be closer to. If this is a rebuild, you can ask for a combination of Killian Hayes and Hamidou Diallo (both of whom make over $5 million next year), for example, and Hayes has a $7.4 million team option for 2023-24. If not, Kelly Olynyk has $12.8 million coming to him next year that&rsquo;s usable. Utah can in throw in, hypothetically, Royce O&rsquo;Neale&rsquo;s $9.3 million deal next year and get Olynyk anyway.
So the player framework can look something like:
<ul>
<li>Donovan Mitchell for Jerami Grant and Kelly Olynyk</li>
<li>Donovan Mitchell for Jerami Grant, Killian Hayes and Hamidou Diallo</li>
<li>Donovan Mitchell and Royce O&rsquo;Neale for Jerami Grant, Killian Hayes, Hamidou Diallo and Kelly Olynyk plus a sh*t ton of draft picks. The Pistons would be moving something like three first-rounders in the deal, and potentially multiple first-round pick swaps.</li>
</ul>
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Miami Heat
I brought this up during <a href="https://youtu.be/XBQwn0pOAa4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's NBA Trade Deadline stream</a>.&nbsp;
The Heat didn&rsquo;t do it then, but it might still be on the table depending on how these playoffs go. The Heat might not offer the best return package because of their draft picks, but they did unlock additional firsts by moving KZ Okpala to Oklahoma City in February. And, for Miami, we&rsquo;re mainly talking about one package. But again, it depends on the results of this postseason.&nbsp;
Currently, the Heat are getting ready to face the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, a matchup they&rsquo;re favored to win (albeit narrowly). If they lose this particular series, or if they win and Tyler Herro continues to struggle in the playoffs, or even if Miami makes a deep run and Herro elevates from a slow start, he&rsquo;d be the primary chip in a Mitchell deal. Furthermore, the <a href="https://twitter.com/GregSylvander/status/1482101290964504580" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Heat are on Mitchell&rsquo;s shortlist</a>, according to Greg Sylvander of Five Reasons Sports.
The deal, as I mentioned on our stream, would include Herro &mdash; who is still on a rookie-scale contract ($5.7 million next year), but is extension-eligible this summer and wouldn&rsquo;t kick-in until 2023. Then comes Duncan Robinson, who&rsquo;ll enter the second year of a five-year, $90 million deal next season, which bookends with a near $20 million player option and rises to $16.9 million next season.
According to the trade machine, Omer Yurtseven&rsquo;s $1.7 million next season makes the math work, and would give Utah a Gobert backup who&rsquo;ll, if nothing else, get you 10 rebounds in 15 minutes on occasion. Would the Heat have to throw in at least one of Gabe Vincent, Max Strus or Haywood Highsmith (all of whom make between $1.7 and $1.8 million next year)? Perhaps. And from there, Miami has tradeable first-rounders in 2022, 2024 and 2026. So, in summation, it could look like this:
<ul>
<li>Donovan Mitchell for Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Omer Yurtseven, one of Gabe Vincent/Max Strus/Haywood Highsmith, draft capital</li>
</ul>
But if Herro has a big playoff run moving forward, the Heat may instead opt to move Robinson in a separate, smaller deal for a worthy big man in their rotation, and mostly run it back otherwise.
Atlanta Hawks
Alright, now you saw what the Heat did to Trae Young in the first round. The Hawks clearly are not only poised to get Young some help, but make a 3-for-1-ish deal to consolidate some depth into a higher-end starter &mdash; or in the case of Mitchell, a fellow offensive starter. His teammate, Gobert, is probably the better fit, but one, I&rsquo;m not writing about Gobert (our Evan Sidery will handle that) and two, if Gobert is frustrated with Mitchell&rsquo;s defense...
But anyway, you gotta start somewhere. And for Atlanta, part of why the Heat neutralized Young is their malleability defensively, but also, the Hawks don&rsquo;t have another true star to account for on the perimeter. Mitchell would give Young a viable tag team partner offensively to spread the defensive focus. To do so, the Hawks could play this a few different ways.
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The obvious trade chip is John Collins, and there could be questions about his fit next to Gobert, but it&rsquo;s not a bad place to start if you&rsquo;re moving someone of Mitchell&rsquo;s caliber. Collins will make $23.5 million next year, and between $25.3 and $26.6 million through 2025-26. Collins has had rumored friction with Young, though they&rsquo;ve downplayed it over the years. From there, if you use Collins in a possible deal, it gets interesting.&nbsp;
De&rsquo;Andre Hunter &mdash; who makes $9.8 million next year in the last season of a rookie deal and is extension-eligible this summer &mdash; seems logical for both the Jazz to want and the Hawks to keep. Hunter was Atlanta's best player against the Heat, and has been a quality two-way wing when healthy. Is a framework of Collins and Hunter for Mitchell straight up enough of a deal for both sides? Sheeeeeiiiiit, ask them, but it sounds good to me!
<ul>
<li>Donovan Mitchell for John Collins and De'Andre Hunter</li>
</ul>
No Collins? Okay. You&rsquo;re not moving Clint Capela&rsquo;s long-term deal for Utah in a Mitchell move, so that&rsquo;s out of the picture. Kevin Huerter would absolutely have to be part of this, and no, that&rsquo;s not a white Utah joke. Hu-why would you think that?&nbsp;
Huerter begins his $65 million extension next year, the first of four, banking $14.5 million in 2022-23. Hunter probably stays in the deal because Utah has to get something really good, and the Hawks simply can&rsquo;t extend everyone. Again, Atlanta should want to keep Hunter, but this is the price of doing business. But if you&rsquo;re throwing in Huerter instead of Collins (which does work on the trade machine since different rules apply in the offseason than in-season), you&rsquo;ll need multiple first round picks &mdash; of which the Hawks have all their own &mdash; so that could get done.
Could Utah also want Onyeka Okongwu? Sure, but he seems like Atlanta's 5-man of the future, and a separate deal moving off Capela might be more likely. So the second proposal could look like this:
<ul>
<li>Donovan Mitchell for De'Andre Hunter, Kevin Huerter, draft capital</li>
</ul>
Now, the Hawks would still need to figure some things out defensively, seeing as how they&rsquo;d be led by two 6-foot-1 scorers in the backcourt. They could just became the new Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum to some extent, but <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/a-salute-to-the-defiance-of-damian-lillard-and-cj-mccollum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Portland Trail Blazers are as much to blame for that &ldquo;not working,&rdquo;</a> and the Hawks can learn from those team-building mistakes.&nbsp;
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Bryan Fonseca takes a look at four logical landing spots for Utah Jazz star guard Donovan Mitchell.

Examining potential trade desinations for Donovan Mitchell 

We had a whopping <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/grading-every-move-from-the-2022-nba-trade-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">15 NBA trades</a> go down in an eight-day span.
The league buckled down for one of the biggest fireworks shows in recent deadline memory. Front offices dealt All-NBA superstars and hammered out four-team mazes. By the time the clock struck 3 p.m. on Thursday, we saw some teams go all-in on a playoff push, others cash out and move towards rebuilding, and many surprisingly pass on the spectacle entirely. It's a perfect time to set the table ahead of the stretch run with a fresh Sour Rankings.
If you're new to the Sour Rankings, here's a refresher: Unlike the typical "power rankings" that repeat themselves throughout sports media, Sour Rankings are a bizarro-world counter. These rankings highlight the top-10 most frustrating NBA franchises throughout the season, and they will be updated every week to match the twists and turns of the league.
This is not merely a bottom-10 of your typical best-to-worst outlooks. You will see championship contenders and playoff hopefuls mixed in with struggling squads. Teams well under .500 may never touch the Sour Rankings because they are on track with their respective processes. Injuries, drama, transactions and generally underwhelming play will earn you a spot on this list.
The central question is ultimately this: How good should you feel about the direction of each franchise? Let's get going.
Escaping the Sour Rankings:&nbsp;By most accounts, the Indiana Pacers crushed it with their trade deadline moves. Tyrese Haliburton instantly becomes the bedrock of the franchise's next era, and he's looked pretty good in limited time so far. Indiana also snuck in a solid flier by acquiring Jalen Smith and didn't trade away any of its veteran players just for the sake of making a move. The Detroit Pistons were also briefly in the Sour Rankings, but escape after acquiring former No. 2 overall pick Marvin Bagley III without giving up long-term pieces.
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10. Oklahoma City Thunder (17-39)
Of all the teams to hold their chips at this year's deadline, OKC might be the most surprising. The Thunder had several players worth trading for &mdash; including Kenrich Williams and Mike Muscala &mdash; and had oodles of salary cap room to take on guys with undesirable contracts. Instead, they only clocked-in one deal, trading a second-round pick to the Miami Heat for KZ Okpala, who was subsequently waived. Though it's not a colossal general-managing blunder, the Thunder may have missed some good opportunities to add to the stockpile.
(Last week: Unranked)
9. Charlotte Hornets (29-29)
The Hornets added Montrezl Harrell to fill the backup center spot on paper, and he should help as a play-finisher. However, Harrell does little to address the returning defensive woes for a Charlotte team that is 3-7 in its last 10 games. The squad has also hit an offensive shooting slump while also ranking 22nd in turnover rate since the start of February. A seven-point loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday overshadowed a horrendous two-way performance in the first half that had me concerned.
(Last week: 10)
8. Utah Jazz (35-21)
The Jazz got involved in one minor three-team deal at the trade deadline, and it didn't do much to squelch the raised voices about their title pretender status. Mark Schindler <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-who-are-your-biggest-2022-nba-trade-deadline-losers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">labeled them a loser of the week</a> despite acquiring a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/can-nickeil-alexanderwalker-fill-the-gaps-for-the-utah-jazz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prospect he liked in Nickeil Alexander-Walker</a>:
"There's an intriguing foundation with him that Utah could unearth more of and help him build upon, but the issue is where the Jazz are right now. They needed immediate help defensively at the point of attack and the wing, yet NAW is not really that guy right now."
Utah is on a five-game winning streak, however, which deserves some credit. The team stays where it is in these rankings for now.
(Last week: 8)
7. Houston Rockets (15-40)
Here's another rebuilding franchise that balked at the chance to capitalize on the rush of apparent buyers. Houston didn't need to trade Eric Gordon in my opinion, but he certainly could have returned value. I was more surprised that Christian Wood not only remains on the team, but also was barely brought up in public trade rumors. He has not been nearly the player he can or should be with the Rockets, and I don't know if anything he does in the next two months changes that outlook. Of course, John Wall is still on the roster too.
(Last week: Unranked)
6. Portland Trail Blazers (23-34)
The Blazers are a confusing team to nail down for me. They traded CJ McCollum to New Orleans in a move many expected, but didn't get a whole lot back (aside from a very solid rotation player in Josh Hart and a protected first-rounder). A couple days go by, and then, the aforementioned Alexander-Walker &mdash; the best young player in the first trade &mdash; heads to Utah for a second-round pick, an expiring and injured Joe Ingles and a more obscure flier in Elijah Hughes.
Nekias Duncan gave those two moves a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/grading-every-move-from-the-2022-nba-trade-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">C-minus and D in his trade deadline grades</a>. I think I'd agree, because at the end of it all, I still don't know what Portland is doing other than clearing some cap room.
(Last week: 6)
5. Sacramento Kings (22-36)
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Sabonis and Fox will be a natural fit 👉🏽 That P&amp;R with a guard who can slash, pass and play in between with pace paired with a highly skilled big man who is great around the rim and can shoot comfortably from 15 feet. This is the co-star both guys needed. 🎥 <a href="https://twitter.com/kings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kings</a> <a href="https://t.co/ngj5TdjPp0">pic.twitter.com/ngj5TdjPp0</a>
&mdash; Ball Don't Stop (@balldontstop) <a href="https://twitter.com/balldontstop/status/1491657233897119746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

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I'll give the Kings a little credit for the auspicious stretch they've had with Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox together since that big blockbuster move. A lot of people, myself included, probably overreacted to the deal and didn't give enough thought to what Sabonis can unlock for the players around him in Sacramento. They also did a sneaky-great job turning Marvin Bagley III into three players who can help the team win now at various levels.
I still have a hard time getting over the Kings trading Tyrese Haliburton, their most promising young player and a public advocate for turning a losing culture around.&nbsp;
(Last week: 4)
4. Washington Wizards (25-30)
Kristaps Porzingis was perhaps the most shocking name to be dealt this season; his name hadn't really popped up at all until Thursday morning. While it's fair that the Wizards needed to end the Spencer Dinwiddie-Bradley Beal experiment and Porzingis makes them better purely on paper, I don't love the fit. Will he <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/so-how-does-this-kristaps-porzingis-spencer-dinwiddie-davis-bertans-thing-work" target="_blank" rel="noopener">make a meaningful difference for a Washington team</a> that is one of two NBA squads with bottom-five Offensive and Defensive Ratings over the past two weeks? I'm doubtful.
The Montrezl Harrell trade was also super weird because it brought back two players who probably should not be in the rotation. Washington's big mix is still backed up now with Porzingis, Daniel Gafford, Thomas Bryant and Vernon Carey Jr., plus larger forwards in Kyle Kuzma and Rui Hachimura.&nbsp;
(Last week: 2)
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3. New York Knicks (26-31)
Whew, Saturday's blown lead to the Trail Blazers was a stinger. The Knicks led by 23 at one point before coughing up the game to a Portland team that just went through a widespread, trade-deadline fire sale. New York, meanwhile, didn't make any moves despite the glaring underperformance in recent weeks. The Knicks have two extremely winnable games against the Thunder and Brooklyn Nets before the All-Star break. If they can't find something, I'll have serious doubts about them even being close to a Play-In team.
(Last week: 5)
2. Brooklyn Nets (29-27)
In a vacuum, the Nets moved on from a disgruntled star in James Harden and returned three players who can instantly (once healthy) slot into a thin rotation. Ben Simmons makes a ton of sense as a defensive boost, Seth Curry can replace the shooting lost by Joe Harris' injury, and Andre Drummond at least gives Brooklyn a presence on the glass and center depth.
But they still gave up James Harden. Brooklyn's Big Three played 16 games together in total, and the Nets are still neck-deep in an 11-game losing streak. Things are most definitely bad.
(Last week: 1)
1. Los Angeles Lakers (26-31)
If a franchise arrives at a point in the season where <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33250361/los-angeles-lakers-feel-urgency-make-changes-trade-deadline-nears" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the locker room itself wants trades to happen</a>, then the front office should listen. But Rob Pelinka had to go all Bumi from "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and embrace neutral jing &mdash; a.k.a. doing nothing. The Lakers made zero trades this season. They are the most underwhelming team in the NBA and they made zero trades.&nbsp;
(Last week: 3)
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Ethan Fuller lines up the league's biggest underperformers, including teams who failed to maximize the NBA trade deadline.

NBA Sour Rankings: Reshuffling the deck post-trade deadline

Nekias Duncan thoroughly grades every NBA trade from 2022 Deadline Week.

Grading every move from 2022 NBA trade deadline week

The Miami Heat traded reserve forward KZ Okpala to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a 2026 second-round pick, <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1491498959394770955?s=20&amp;t=zaQt2ZT-Qfd_1pUjMKUzNw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Marc Stein</a>.
Okpala has been unable to crack Miami's rotation consistently for a few years, so dumping his salary helps clear an open roster spot.
Oklahoma City and Miami also agreed upon amending the 2023 first-round pick Miami previously sent their way from a former deal, instead changing it to starting in 2025.
The Heat now have flexibility to make a win-now move before the trade deadline thanks to more immeidate drarft capital suddenly appearing. Expect to see Miami in on some win-now pieces before the buzzer sounds on Thursday.

The Miami Heat traded KZ Okpala to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a future second-round pick.

Heat trade KZ Okpala to Thunder for 2026 second-rounder

For many in the NBA, this season has been a battle of attrition. Whether it's been COVID protocols, injuries or other setbacks, teams have gone through the wringer.
The Miami Heat are one of those ball clubs suffering. Recently, All-Star big man Bam Adebayo had surgery to repair a torn UCL that will keep him out for a significant period of time. In addition, Jimmy Butler has missed 6 of the last 7 games due to a tailbone injury, while Markieff Morris has been sidelined with a hurt neck since mid-November. A few days ago, Caleb Martin was also placed into the NBA's health and safety protocols to boot.
However, the Heat have grinded this period out and won back-to-back games against the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks and ailing Chicago Bulls, and currently stand as the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference in spite of all this. Much of this is thanks to the leadership of Kyle Lowry, P.J. Tucker and Dewayne Dedmon, plus a veteran coach in Erik Spoestra.
But there are a number of players on Miami who have stepped up to the plate during this crucial period. Max Strus is one of those key components, and the third-year sharpshooter has made his mark for the team as of late. In a season where he's averaged a career-high 20.2 minutes per contest, Strus is knocking down 40.6% of his treys (the second best clip for Miami, just behind Tucker's 42.6%).
Over the last eight games, Strus has averaged 12.0 points per game. He's had games with 19 points, 25 points and 16 points over that time, and has been a part of feisty second units featuring Gabe Vincent, KZ Okpala, Omer Yurtseven and Martin (with a vet or two on the floor with them).
BasketballNews.com sat down with Strus on Monday morning in Cleveland to discuss a number of topics:
Just in this stretch, winning the last two games, the never-say-die attitude that your team is showing down so many bodies &mdash; what's that say about this group?
Max Strus: "We've got a lot of guys that can play basketball at this level. We've got a lot of depth. [At the] beginning of the year, people didn't think we were going to have depth. And then, we've done a good job of showing, I think, the talent that we have on this team. Guys have had the resiliency to step up when we've needed them the most."
Obviously, you want this team to be at full strength, but how have guys like you, Gabe Vincent, KZ Okpala, Caleb Martin and Omer Yurtseven viewed this opportunity?&nbsp;
Strus: "That's the name of the game in the NBA is opportunities, and taking advantage of 'em can take you far places in this league. So whenever those opportunities arise, you've got to be ready for 'em. Like you said, it's next man up. You don't want those guys to be out, but if they're gonna be out, somebody's gotta play better and take advantage of it."
Even with that, you're averaging a career-high 20 minutes per game this year. How do you feel like this coaching staff has learned to trust you and what do you feel you've done to earn that trust?
Strus: "I think it's just all the work that I put in behind the scenes, and the trust that I've built up with the minutes in the past year. And then, throughout the summer and Summer League, and the things that I've done when I've been in the game this year. I think I've done enough to earn their respect and earn their trust by what I've been doing when I play every time. I think you just keep stacking up those good days, and the more and more you do that, the better off you're gonna be."
This past summer, you showed that quite a bit. You went off for 25 points about a week-and-a-half ago and had 16 the other night. Do you draw on any of that experience from the summer to help you in this particular situation?
Strus: "Nah. Summer League was more like a learning experience and something to build your confidence up, but the NBA's a whole different animal. We've got guys that could go for 25 at the end of our bench any night, so it's really about who's just gonna step up that night, and when the shots are falling, just keep feeding that guy. I think the Miami Heat do a good job of going with that guy and trusting their ability."
Is there anything other than reps and that experience that have helped build your confidence?
Strus: "Yeah, just the overall way my career has gone. Just keep knocking down the levels of getting to be a rotational player in the NBA. All the things that I've put in, the hard work behind the scenes and then everything I've done in the games. Obviously you're gonna be confident with everything you've done after you've continuously put in those efforts and done the main things on the court."
Do you look at what Duncan Robinson has done as an example of what you can kinda carve your career after? He kinda started off in the same position having to work his way up, and now you see the fruits of those labors.
Strus: "Right, yeah. I think that's just how it generally happens for anyone. Me and Duncan have a similar story, and coming from where we come from, you take any opportunity you can get just to be in this league. So the way he rose up along this process has obviously helped me, and he's helped guide me along that way. Do I want to be where he is? Obviously, yeah (laughs). I mean, the guy is doing everything I want to be doing. But I think we have a lot of similarities and a lot of differences in our games. So I think I have the capability to be that type of guy and play those minutes."
As far as your on-court game goes, is there an aspect you're hoping to show other than your shooting?
Strus: "I mean, not really. I'm not out here to show anybody what I can do. I just want to help do whatever I can do to help our team win."
What do you feel is the best way to do that?
Strus: "Shooting. Making shots, and then just making the right play every time. They've trusted me to put the ball in my hands, come off ball-screens, come off handoffs, get in the paint and make plays. So they've trusted me to make those things [happen] and I've worked on my ability to make those plays, so I just want to keep continuing to get better at that."

Spencer Davies sits down with the Heat's Max Strus to discuss Miami's bout with the injury bug, chances on the floor and more.

Q&A: Max Strus on Heat's next-man-up mentality, building confidence

Nekias Duncan previews the Southeast Division for the 2021-22 NBA season.

2021-22 NBA Season Preview: Southeast Division

The Miami Heat are going for it.
After making an aggressive offseason move for Kyle Lowry via sign-and-trade, the infrastructure in place for Miami has an extremely high floor but also a potential NBA Finals ceiling.
Adding Lowry alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo should give Miami an elite defensive squad. The Heat have always trotted out a team with formidable defense, but they haven't finished in the top-five of defensive rating since the Big Three era with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in 2011-12.
Although Lowry is past his prime, he&rsquo;s continuously proven to be a savvy defender against primary ball-handlers. Butler is known as a tough-nosed, hard-hat, lunch-pail type who can lock down wing scorers. Adebayo is continuing to become one of the most consistent rim protectors in the Association, and his odds of winning Defensive Player of the Year <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/5-best-bets-on-future-nba-awardwinners" target="_blank" rel="noopener">make him an underrated flier bet</a>. The Heat also signed P.J. Tucker this offseason, giving them another weapon on that end of the floor. With several plus-to-elite defenders together in the starting lineup, Miami has vaulted themselves into sleeper territory in the much-improved Eastern Conference.
Miami&rsquo;s offensive potential speaks for itself. Lowry helps alleviate pressure off Butler as a ball-handler, and now Jimmy can focus on hunting for his shots while being set up more frequently. Adebayo is a dangerous pick-and-roll weapon who continues to expand his range to become a more consistent mid-range threat. Duncan Robinson is an excellent floor-spacer who earned himself a massive payday this offseason, inking a lucrative five-year extension worth $90 million.
Victor Oladipo, who continues to rehab from a career-altering quad injury, and Tyler Herro stand out as the wildcards. Oladipo only played four games with Miami last season, but he really thrived within his role as a defensive pest who can create his own shot on the other end. Herro flashed enough potential in Miami&rsquo;s Finals run in 2020 that the Heat reportedly kept him off limits in various trade discussions. If Oladipo bounces back, plus Herro returns to rookie form with some added development, Miami&rsquo;s offense has the potential to match their elite defensive ceiling.
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Looking over the Heat&rsquo;s primary contributors for the 2021-22 season, Lowry&rsquo;s addition is such a huge launching pad for the organization. They needed a stabilizing presence who could run the show on offense and hold his own as a backcourt defender, and Lowry is the perfect fit for the Heat culture. Lowry is a dog, and now Miami has a pack of alphas. Lowry, Butler and Adebayo is a trio that balances each other out very well, and the veteran point guard&rsquo;s arrival firmly puts Miami atop the second tier in the East (after the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks).
Over the last two seasons since his decision to re-route to South Beach, Butler has become Miami&rsquo;s entire offense. Everything runs through Butler, and now Lowry will step in and take over some of those responsibilities. Butler has averaged 6.5 assists with the Heat, and that number should drop a little bit in 2021-22 as he moves to more of an off-ball role where he can punish defenders with relentless abandon. It could be similar to the role that Butler played during his final season with the Chicago Bulls, when he averaged a career-high 23.9 points on 58.6% True Shooting. Butler with less on his plate is a top-flight wing in the NBA, and he should be an All-NBA candidate with Lowry alongside him.
Entering his fifth season, another jump should be expected from Adebayo. Becoming a near-star within the NBA bubble, Bam showcased how well-rounded his game is (especially for someone standing 6-foot-9). Adebayo&rsquo;s continued development as a scorer along with his instinctual playmaking and defensive versatility make him one of the most intriguing 25-or-younger players in the NBA. Adebayo is the glue that holds everything together for Miami, which might be a surprise with Butler onboard. However, that&rsquo;s truly the case. Adebayo makes everyone&rsquo;s job easier, and him becoming even more of a threat offensively coupled with his defensive upside is a tantalizing combination that could soon lead to his own All-NBA status once he hits his prime years.
The other players who can really take Miami to another level are Oladipo, Herro, Robinson and Tucker. As mentioned, Oladipo making a full recovery and contributing at some point during the 2021-22 campaign would give Miami a huge spark. If he thrives within a secondary role once more, he&rsquo;s an energizing presence that looms over come playoff time. Herro and Robinson are the two primary young pieces, and both will be huge contributors. Robinson is already a full-fledged starter, but Herro continuing his own evolution is one of the more underrated storylines to follow. Herro&rsquo;s archetype is in the mold of Devin Booker, a player he modeled his game after throughout his high-school career and lone collegiate season at Kentucky. Operating as Miami&rsquo;s sixth man, Herro will be in a pivotal role. He has already flashed real scoring creation, but his continued development as a playmaker would be instrumental to support Lowry, Butler and Adebayo. On Miami&rsquo;s depth chart, Herro is technically going to fall into the backup-point-guard role behind Lowry.
Miami was one of the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-which-nba-team-had-the-best-offseason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offseason&rsquo;s biggest winners</a>, pushing their chips in for another Finals run and really embracing what they already have within the locker room. Led by Butler and Adebayo, Miami did an excellent job bringing in like-minded players who will fit within the Heat culture. Lowry, Tucker and Markieff Morris fit this description. All three will enter Miami&rsquo;s locker room as Day 1 contributors who will also be relied upon as key voices in the locker room. The Heat assembled a group of strong, like-minded personalities (some of whom were already close friends), so chemistry shouldn't be an issue in Miami.
Let&rsquo;s take a look at Miami&rsquo;s projected rotation, with the caveat of Oladipo&rsquo;s uncertain status:
Starters: Kyle Lowry, Victor Oladipo, Jimmy Butler, Duncan Robinson, Bam Adebayo
Second Unit: Tyler Herro, KZ Okpala, P.J. Tucker, Markieff Morris, Dewayne Dedmon
Assuming Herro takes the starting role until Oladipo officially returns, this rotation is very balanced on both ends of the court. Lowry is the igniter who is poised to make a leap back to elite status in 2021-22. Miami looks like the toughest competition for the Nets and Bucks in the Eastern Conference, and the Heat should match up well against those teams. If there&rsquo;s one squad to pick as an underdog who can dethrone the East&rsquo;s top-two contenders, Miami is the obvious choice.
With a well-rounded blend of stars, veterans and young players who can contribute consistently, Miami should have an incredible defensive ceiling and a ton of offensive firepower. As a result, the Heat certainly seem poised for a strong bounce-back campaign.

The Miami Heat are poised for a strong bounce-back campaign after an excellent offseason, writes Evan Sidery.

Heat poised to bounce back and contend again after strong offseason

Seven days into NBA Summer League, we continue to see young talents and NBA hopefuls make names for themselves in Las Vegas.&nbsp;
More and more teams are shutting down their top prospects due to rest or minor injuries. That means others are getting the chance to shine in featured roles. Only one or two games remain on the schedule for each team, so players have just a few more opportunities to make an impression before training camp.
As always, here are my individual observations from Saturday's slate.&nbsp;
STUDS
Bones Hyland, guard, Denver Nuggets
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BONES BUCKETS 🦴 No. 26 pick Nah'Shon Hyland drops 28 PTS (5 3PM) to lead the <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nuggets</a> to their first win of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBASummer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBASummer</a>! <a href="https://t.co/Sh9Gd6bU8T">pic.twitter.com/Sh9Gd6bU8T</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1426657381795045378?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 28 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 9-for-17 FG, 5-for-8 3PT
The No. 26 overall pick had his breakout summer-league game in an 89-85 overtime victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Hyland is an absolute microwave, with a solid handle and an ability to get into his shot form quickly. Though he struggled finishing at the rim early, Hyland showed he could get defenders on his hip, get low and blow by them, and use his length to get to the backboard. When he gets hot, his confidence is extremely fun to watch.
Skylar Mays, guard, Atlanta Hawks
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Skylar Mays: Smooth. 📺 ESPN <a href="https://t.co/Og8f8lGMcW">pic.twitter.com/Og8f8lGMcW</a>
&mdash; LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/LSUBasketball/status/1426658762434166788?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 26 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 7-for-17 FG, 2-for-6 3PT
Mays relentlessly attacked the basket and made his 6-foot-4, 205-pound frame feel like a freight train. The 23-year-old helped the Hawks get back into the game in the second quarter and led them to a 94-90 victory. In the absence of Sharife Cooper, he served as the floor general and had an excellent rapport with Jalen Johnson. Mays also did a great job of getting into passing lanes and pressuring the ball as a defender.&nbsp;
Jalen Johnson, guard, Atlanta Hawks
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Jalen Johnson corner 3 then shows the on ball defense, forcing the miss from Okpala <a href="https://t.co/aNnQx5vHW1">pic.twitter.com/aNnQx5vHW1</a>
&mdash; Aram Cannuscio (@AC__Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/AC__Hoops/status/1426661390538919938?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 25 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 9-for-15 FG, 3-for-6 FG
Johnson looked smooth as silk in this contest, splashing face-up attempts and catch-and-shoot threes. He facilitated a really neat play to end the half for Atlanta; Johnson held the ball at the top of the key as Skylar Mays ran behind him, drawing defenders, and then Johnson hit Admiral Schofield off a flare screen for a three-pointer. Of course, the No. 20 overall selection also served as a highlight-reel lob threat.
Scottie Barnes, forward, Toronto Raptors
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Scottie Barnes showed out with 23 PTS against the Hornets ♨️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBASummer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBASummer</a> <a href="https://t.co/6NQ5VGTpL9">pic.twitter.com/6NQ5VGTpL9</a>
&mdash; NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1426718576719798278?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 15, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 23 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 10-for-18 FG, 1-for-3 3PT
Barnes' defense was awesome. He legitimately guarded 1-through-5 with success, clamping opponents from James Bouknight to Kai Jones. On offense, the fourth overall pick detonated in transition to propel him to those 23 points. But Barnes also took guys off the dribble and finished acrobatically at the rim. He still needs to find a rhythm mid-range shot, but Barnes already contributes in so many areas for Toronto.
Miles McBride, guard, New York Knicks
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Miles McBride : 23 points (9-14 shooting &amp; 5-8 from 3), 4 rebounds, 5 assists &amp; 2 steals in 33 minutes <a href="https://t.co/BSXvgofksL">pic.twitter.com/BSXvgofksL</a>
&mdash; Lee Harvey (@AyeThatsLee) <a href="https://twitter.com/AyeThatsLee/status/1426772246459211776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 15, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 23 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 9-for-14 FG, 5-for-8 3PT
Quentin Grimes led the team with 28 points, but I thought McBride was the best and most impressive player on the court in New York's 103-94 victory over Cleveland. The second-round guard took on more of a lead role with Immanuel Quickley out. Though he gave up four turnovers, McBride was fearless as a passer and creator. He frequently pulled up for long two-pointers and threes, which is a critical area to watch for him as a scoring guard. And McBride's hounding defense was present as always.
Other notable performers: Saben Lee (Pistons), Luka Garza (Pistons), Max Strus (Heat), Nate Hinton (Mavericks), Chris Duarte (Pacers), Quentin Grimes (Knicks), Obi Toppin (Knicks), Lamar Stevens (Cavaliers)
DUDS
Jaden Springer, guard, Philadelphia 76ers
Box Score Stats: 6 points, 4 rebounds, 3-for-11 FG, 0-for-2 3PT
Thursday's 100-80 loss to the Celtics was partially frustrating because the Sixers, despite sitting Tyrese Maxey, scarcely gave Springer time on the ball. They instead went with Isaiah Joe and Frank Mason as the lead guards. Springer had to do most of his work off movement and off the catch, and was unsuccessful. He also continues to struggle with gaining separation, though he has been adept at finding pockets in the defense.
Theo Maledon, guard, Oklahoma City Thunder
Box Score Stats: 0 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 0-for-7 FG, 0-for-4 3PT
Like Springer, Maledon was held back due to a cold touch and lack of burst. He still facilitated well as the point guard for OKC, but missed a few attempts at the rim as well as all of his three-point attempts. The 20-year-old is 7-for-25 from deep in summer league, but five of those makes came in a single game. He canned 33.5% of his long-range looks as a rookie.
Nick Richards, center, Charlotte Hornets
Box Score Stats: 3 points, 8 rebounds, 1-for-5 FG, 0-for-1 3PT
Richards came in for Vernon Carey Jr. and played 24 minutes for Charlotte. But the seven-footer was ineffective as an interior presence. He missed some easy buckets inside and was lost when Toronto pushed the pace late in the game. It was a strange fit with fellow paint finisher Kai Jones, and the two did not mesh particularly well.&nbsp;

Two Atlanta Hawks players showed out on the seventh day of NBA Summer League.

Studs and duds from the seventh day of NBA Summer League

Arguably the best day on the calendar has officially arrived. Welcome to NBA free-agency, everybody. Today should be a huge news day, with a flurry of big-time moves occurring over the next 24 hours to open the moratorium period. There are already <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/heat-frontrunners-to-land-kyle-lowry-with-dragic-achiuwa-signandtrade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> that Kyle Lowry to the Miami Heat is pretty much a done deal via sign-and-trade.
Outside of Lowry, one of the biggest names available on the open market who figures to be with a new team soon is DeMar DeRozan.
After being shipped from the Toronto Raptors to the San Antonio Spurs in the Kawhi Leonard trade, DeRozan has reinvented his game to become one of the better tertiary wing playmakers. Averaging only 3.1 assists over nine seasons in Toronto, DeRozan doubled that to 6.2 assists during his three-year stint with the Spurs.
DeRozan is also one of the best mid-range artists in the Association, able to get buckets at will from his hot spots.
Add those two factors together and DeRozan is a player who is well-deserving of a huge payday. Recently, DeRozan was linked to his hometown Los Angeles Lakers, but now <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/demar-derozan-isnt-expected-to-join-lakers-on-a-discount-contract" target="_blank" rel="noopener">that appears unlikely</a> since he (understandably) wants more than the mid-level exception. Wherever he lands, he could be the missing piece for a team looking to take a leap forward in 2021-22. Let's go ahead and dive into the possible destinations for DeRozan as free agency kicks off.
DALLAS MAVERICKS
After pivoting away from the Lowry sweepstakes, how will Dallas spend their $30-plus million in cap space? Mark Cuban would be wise to splurge on DeRozan, who fits very well alongside the Mavs&rsquo; inside-out duo of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis.
In order to make this happen, the Mavericks would need to renounce Tim Hardaway Jr.'s cap hold. Although Hardaway Jr. had a resurgent 2020-21 campaign, DeRozan takes much-needed pressure off Doncic as a ball-handler. During the Mavericks' first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers, Doncic's usage rate was above 40. That can't happen long-term if Dallas wants to make deep playoff runs throughout Doncic's career.
Paying DeRozan $20-$30 million annually over the next three or four years is a gamble, but the disastrous Porzingis max contract has put the Mavericks in a tough spot to make significant splashes. DeRozan is probably their best shot in the near future.
NEW YORK KNICKS
The Knicks have been trying for years to woo superstars to the Big Apple, but every time, they've been left at the altar. With $50 million in cap space, will the Knicks go star hunting once again, or fill out the roster with a lot of win-now role players?
One underlying factor that should play into the Knicks' free-agency decisions is the future of Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard. So much smoke has billowed out of the Pacific Northwest already about Lillard being unhappy and the 2021-22 season potentially being GM Neil Olshey's last chance to build a title contender around the All-NBA point guard.
Right away, the Knicks were mentioned as a team that Lillard could be interested in joining in the near future. If things fall apart for Lillard and the Trail Blazers, New York is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-knicks-should-prepare-to-go-allin-for-damian-lillard-new-york-trade-rumors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">set up to make a compelling offer</a> using some pieces from their young core (which includes R.J. Barrett, Obi Toppin, Mitchell Robinson, Immanuel Quickley, Kevin Knox and Quentin Grimes among others).
With DeRozan on the roster, perhaps the Knicks become even more attractive to disgruntled stars since they would likely be closer to contention. Right away, DeRozan helps improve the Knicks' standing in the Eastern Conference, becoming a go-to scorer alongside Julius Randle. And we all know head coach Tom Thibodeau would love him as well.
Even if the Lillard sweepstakes never materializes in the near future, DeRozan gives New York a much-needed boost and helps them stay in the top half of the East over the next couple of seasons.
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NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
The pressure is already on the Pelicans to improve drastically. Time is ticking with their young superstar Zion Williamson. There are already <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/report-patience-of-zion-williamsons-family-with-pelicans-wearing-thin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rumors</a> that some of Williamson&rsquo;s family members want him to change teams, and it&rsquo;s possible that Zion could look to leave if New Orleans continues to stagnate.
New Orleans needs shooting, and lots of it. DeRozan doesn't help them improve in that facet, but he's a win-now fringe star who can help push the Pelicans to the playoffs. A trio of Williamson, Brandon Ingram and DeRozan could be appealing and help Zion make his postseason debut.
If GM David Griffin is able to fill out the roster around Williamson, Ingram and DeRozan with sharpshooters, this has the makings of a playoff team in 2021-22 and beyond. The question is, does DeRozan want to roll the dice on a younger team like New Orleans?
CHARLOTTE HORNETS
DeRozan in Charlotte would be really, really fun. Imagine DeRozan in an up-tempo offense led by LaMelo Ball and surrounded by appealing prospects (such as Miles Bridges, James Bouknight, PJ Washington and Kai Jones). Add in Gordon Hayward and this is a team that&rsquo;s locked into a playoff spot for the next few years.
In order for the Hornets to fit DeRozan into their cap space, they would need to dump Terry Rozier's $17.9 million expiring elsewhere. And with all the guard-needy teams out there, Charlotte could surely find a suitor for Rozier quickly.
The Hornets are still three years away from Ball's big second contract filling up their books. Why not make a run for DeRozan on a three-year deal reaching upwards of $25 million per season? Like the surprising Hayward move last offseason, this is only the way top-tier free agents will consider signing with Charlotte.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
The Grizzlies are another team with an intriguing young core that would have to jump through some hoops to make the money work in order to pursue DeRozan. Memphis received their first taste of the playoffs in the Ja Morant era, and they might be hungry for more now with their young star ready to continue his ascent.
DeRozan would fit perfectly into the Grizzlies&rsquo; starting lineup. Memphis needs an aggressive, score-first wing who can also take pressure off Morant. Enter DeRozan, who checks all of those boxes.
However, after Memphis&rsquo; pre-draft trade with the Pelicans that brought in Eric Bledsoe, Steven Adams and the No. 10 pick, they&rsquo;d need to pull off some salary-cap magic to make this work. The Grizzlies would likely need to trade Bledsoe and Kyle Anderson's $9.9 million expiring contract. If those moves happened, Memphis would be at $29 million in available cap space.
DeRozan has mentioned he wants to win championships, so will he be interested in Memphis or any of the other young teams listed here that are still a few years away? That's the big question, but, as we all know, money talks.
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MIAMI HEAT
This is where things get really interesting. Pat Riley can recruit with the best of them, and Miami's win-now core has a multi-year championship window. Lowry is on his way to join Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo in South Beach. Why not have Lowry's best friend DeRozan join them as well?
This is a lineup that completely ignores the modern importance of spacing. However, as we saw in the playoffs, having copious amounts of bucket-getters on the court simultaneously matters.
Miami has limited flexibility to make this idea happen, but it's certainly possible. In a sign-and-trade with San Antonio, Miami would send Duncan Robinson (whom San Antonio has reportedly shown interest in) and KZ Okpala. If the Spurs signed Robinson to a restricted deal around $20 million per year, this fairytale idea could grow some legs. According to <a href="https://twitter.com/5ReasonsSports/status/1421918275500453890" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ethan Skolnick of Five Reasons Sports</a>, Miami has tossed around the idea of Lowry and DeRozan as their big-fish acquisitions.&nbsp;
Never count out Pat Riley. We'll see if this type of situation bubbles to the surface here soon.
INDIANA PACERS
The Pacers are in an interesting spot. Do they run it back or blow it all up in the near future? Right now, Indiana seems <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/can-rick-carlisle-make-a-domantas-sabonis-myles-turner-pairing-work-for-the-pacers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stuck in the middle</a>, and that's not a good place to be. Hiring Rick Carlisle as their new head coach after the disastrous Nate Bjorkgren tenure, the Pacers might feel they can stand pat and see how this season goes before making big changes.
However, the Pacers would be wise to explore all options with their core players, sans Caris LeVert, T.J. Warren and Domantas Sabonis. Pacers owner Herb Simon is about to be 87 years old, so he likely wants Indiana to be competitive again.
If DeRozan intrigues Indiana, perhaps the Pacers can send the salaries of Myles Turner and Jeremy Lamb to San Antonio in a sign-and-trade scenario. Turner, who has been in trade rumors for years now, is also a player whom the Spurs could covet as a long-term piece.
Indiana has avoided paying the luxury tax during Simon&rsquo;s tenure as owner, and acquiring DeRozan doesn't change that. The Pacers would be able to bring aboard DeRozan, while also re-signing backup point guard T.J. McConnell on a long-term deal.
A win-now core for Indiana featuring DeRozan, LeVert, Sabonis and Warren is very intriguing. However, would DeRozan sign off on playing in Indianapolis for the next few years?
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Now we're starting to get crazy, but, again, it's possible. The Clippers will be without Kawhi Leonard most of next season due to a partially torn ACL. Why not package together Luke Kennard and Patrick Beverley and scour the sign-and-trade market? Those two together equal out to $27 million. What about Kennard, Beverley and some second-round picks for DeRozan? Would that interest San Antonio?
Los Angeles would still be able to bring back Reggie Jackson and Nicolas Batum on team-friendly deals in this scenario as well, if Leonard waits to re-sign a big contract.&nbsp;
Imagine a starting lineup of Jackson, DeRozan, Paul George, Leonard and Ivica Zubac. That's a true threat to win multiple championships in the near future.
DeRozan has already expressed his desire to return home. With the Lakers making the Russell Westbrook trade, their assets and cap flexibility are limited. Enter the Clippers, who could make another shocking splash in free-agency.
Free-agency is here, so stay locked into BasketballNews.com for all the latest news and rumors.

DeMar DeRozan is one of the biggest free agents available. Where will he land? Evan Sidery examines all of the possible destinations.

Examining possible free-agency destinations for DeMar DeRozan

The NBA&rsquo;s free agency is set to kick off this weekend, with the potential to be a wild period with a flurry of game-changing transactions. While three of the top names are expected to stay put &mdash; Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers), Chris Paul (Phoenix Suns), Mike Conley (Utah Jazz), there is one big name that could emerge as the top-dog on the market: Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry.
It&rsquo;s not often a 35-year-old floor general is the most coveted name on the open market, but Lowry&rsquo;s two-way prowess and leadership skills will be coveted by any and every organization looking to make a championship push next season. And, after the league watched Paul propel the Suns to an NBA Finals appearance after missing the playoffs for 11 consecutive seasons, many rebuilding teams wanting to jump a tier or two up the proverbial ladder may give Lowry a call in the hopes he can do the same.
Although the Raptors will try to keep Lowry around, it&rsquo;s likely in the best interest of both parties to split off and begin anew after a down year that saw the Raptors earn the No. 4 overall pick. If Lowry were to say no thanks to re-signing with Toronto, it could begin an extensive rebuilding period north of the border. Pascal Siakam&rsquo;s name has continued to billow in trade talks in the lead up to draft night, which could signal Toronto is ready to build their future core around OG Anunoby, Fred VanVleet, and the No. 4 pick.
Lowry&rsquo;s decision in free agency will cause ripple effects wherever he signs, potentially shifting the balance of power in the Association. So, with him more than likely to leave his longstanding post in Toronto, let&rsquo;s dive into which destinations make the most sense for the 15-year veteran.
MIAMI HEAT
Miami flirted with the idea of acquiring Lowry at the NBA trade deadline, but ultimately passed. This time around, the Heat are well-positioned should they decide to go all-in on adding Lowry alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
Lowry is an excellent fit within the world-renowned &ldquo;Heat Culture,&rdquo; while playing alongside Butler and Adebayo would take pressure off of him as a playmaker. Being able to settle into an organization that not only identifies with his effortless drive to win, but one that already has a supremely talented duo in place to flank him, a Lowry-Miami match is one of the strongest potential pairings.
In a sign-and-trade scenario, which could be the preferred option wherever Lowry goes so as not to leave Toronto empty-handed, shipping KZ Okpala and multiple future second-round picks could get the job done.
Next season, Miami would trot out a rotation featuring Butler, Adebayo and Lowry while also having the flexibility to retain Victor Oladipo and Duncan Robinson as a restricted free agent. Toss in promising young prospects Tyler Herro and Precious Achiuwa and the Heat have a rotation stocked with immediate, talented contributors.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Mutual interest between Lowry and the Lakers has picked up steam recently, according to Los Angeles Times&rsquo; Broderick Turner. Lowry and his former Raptors teammate DeMar DeRozan recently expressed interest in joining the purple and gold, per Turner&rsquo;s intel. That could open up a new potential fit for Lowry alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Los Angeles has been scouring the market for an elite point guard to alleviate the playmaking pressure off James, while also spacing the floor for the dynamic duo to do damage inside. In free agency, there&rsquo;s no better fit for this role than Lowry, who averaged 7.3 assists on 39.6% shooting from three-point range.
The Lakers won a championship in the Orlando Bubble with Rajon Rondo as their primary point guard outside of James. Not only would Lowry prove a massive upgrade over Rondo, but he would elevate Los Angeles to a completely different level as contenders. The Lakers&rsquo; new trio could go toe-to-toe in a Finals series with Brooklyn&rsquo;s super-team featuring Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving.
For the numbers to work, Los Angeles would need to pull off a sign-and-trade for Lowry, a familiar theme throughout this exercise. A structure that would make sense for both sides without forcing Los Angeles to overpay would include Kentavious Caldwell-Pope&rsquo;s $13 million salary, Montrezl Harrell&rsquo;s $9.7 million player option, Alfonzo McKinnie&rsquo;s non-guaranteed $1.9 million, and multiple future second-round picks. Such a scenario would also keep the team&rsquo;s options open should another potential sign-and-trade, for DeMar DeRozan or Buddy Hield, perhaps, present itself, utilizing Kyle Kuzma and Talen Horton-Tucker.&nbsp;
Adding Lowry would vault Los Angeles from a top title contender to arguably the favorite heading into 2021-22.
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LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
The Clippers can potentially throw their name in the hat to court Lowry, but it&rsquo;s a tricky process. With limited future draft picks and overall player assets, could they realistically entertain a Lowry sign-and-trade? Unless Kahwi Leonard and Paul George successfully pulled off a recruitment effort for Lowry, forcing the Raptors&rsquo; hand, then it&rsquo;s a very tough task.
The other Los Angeles squad can offer up all of the following to Toronto for Lowry, assuming he wants to join his former Raptors teammate with whom he won a title: Patrick Beverley, Luke Kennard, the No. 25 overall pick and future second-round picks.
A first-round pick for Lowry is an enticing piece, but Beverley&rsquo;s $14.3 million expiring contract and Kennard&rsquo;s 4-year deal might not get the job done. Unless the Clippers can re-route Kennard elsewhere in a complicated three-team sign-and-trade, the ingredients just aren&rsquo;t in place for this to happen.
Luckily for the Clippers, the Oklahoma City Thunder could be the perfect place to send Kennard in this scenario. In full-on asset collection mode, Los Angeles could package Kennard with multiple second-round selections to Oklahoma City to get them to facilitate a deal.
A potential framework for a Lowry sign-and-trade involving the Clippers, Raptors, and Thunder could look something like this:
Los Angeles receives: Kyle Lowry (3-year, $72 million deal)
Toronto receives: Patrick Beverley, No. 25 pick, 2023 second-round pick
OKC receives: Luke Kennard, 2022 second-round pick (via Kings), 2022 second-round pick
Although Leonard is expected to miss most of next season with a partially torn ACL, George and Lowry would help keep the Clippers afloat before his presumed postseason return. All three together would give Los Angeles such a great mix of shooting and defense. Lowry adds a completely different element to the Clippers&rsquo; system, having them rival or potentially exceed what the Lakers can do on the court.
A big-time dark horse given what they can offer, the Clippers are certainly a team to keep an eye on. Even if they can&rsquo;t land Lowry, look out for them to try and package Beverley and Kennard together to make some splashy move this offseason.
DALLAS MAVERICKS
Unlike the other teams listed above, the Dallas Mavericks can outright sign Lowry to a lucrative multi-year contract without any issue. If Dallas was able to find a trade partner for Josh Richardson&rsquo;s $11.6 million player option, which he will almost certainly accept, while also renouncing all of their free agents (Tim Hardaway Jr., JJ Redick, Boban Marjanovic, Willie Cauley-Stein), they would have $34.4 million in salary cap space, per Cleaning The Glass. That&rsquo;s more than enough to sign Lowry, who might need a more expensive annual value to be persuaded by Mark Cuban&rsquo;s Mavericks.
The Mavericks are in a massive predicament this offseason. After back-to-back years not living up to his max contract extension, Kristaps Porzingis has put Dallas&rsquo; future flexibility in a bind. Playing more like a third option behind Luka Doncic and Hardaway Jr. throughout last season, the Mavericks have to be savvy to find a more suitable star running mate than Porzingis alongside their young superstar.
This is where Lowry enters the mix, and his fit next to Doncic could produce some beautiful basketball on a nightly basis. Lowry and Doncic sharing ball-handling duties, while also creating endless pick-and-pop scenarios with Porzingis, would make the Mavericks&rsquo; offense even more explosive than the record-setting unit it was just two seasons ago.
Finishing as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference in 2020-21, Dallas could enter the discussion of being a top-three seed with Lowry onboard. With Doncic expected to take another leap in his game, an MVP campaign shouldn&rsquo;t be out of the question for him, while Lowry&rsquo;s arrival would take Dallas from being a fun playoff team to a real Finals contender.
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NEW YORK KNICKS
The New York Knicks are projected to have over $50 million in salary cap space this offseason. More than enough to make a big splash, if they so desire. But could Lowry be the splash that makes New York an even stronger contender in the Eastern Conference?
Under head coach Tom Thibodeau, Julius Randle and former No. 3 overall pick R.J. Barrett produced career-best seasons. Bolstered by their young talent &mdash; Immanuel Quickley, Obi Toppin and Mitchell Robinson &mdash; New York is a team ripe to take a leap next season should they add the right veteran voice to the mix.
Lowry would bring so much credibility to an already improving organization like the Knicks. An ideal mentor for Barrett, Lowry would also serve to further elevate the game of the All-Star Randle.
It would take an overpay, potentially $30+ million annually, but Lowry playing in Madison Square Garden on a more regular basis would be a fun sight to behold.
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
If you&rsquo;re looking for one team that could be ultra-aggressive this offseason to mirror the shocking success of the Phoenix Suns, look no further than the New Orleans Pelicans. Led by Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, New Orleans is that last big piece to vault them out of the lottery and into the playoffs next season.
Lowry could certainly be the Pelicans&rsquo; version of Chris Paul, who brought strong leadership to a young core starved of a playoff maturity. The result was an NBA Finals berth for Phoenix after missing the playoffs for 11 straight seasons.
And the clock has also started already on Zion Williamson, all the more reason to be proactive in their search this offseason. Discontent from Williamson&rsquo;s camp has been growing louder, and something drastic might need to happen for the former No. 1 overall pick not to make history as the first player to play his fifth year on the restricted tag.
To avoid the worst-case scenario down the line, New Orleans would be wise to make a full-court press on Lowry. Making room for him under the salary cap would be an intricate juggle, though. To sign Lowry to a deal worth $25+ million per year, New Orleans would have to renounce their restricted rights to Lonzo Ball while also moving Eric Bledsoe in a salary dump. Should Lowry want closer to $30 million annually, the Pelicans might need to let go of their rights on restricted free agent Josh Hart as well.
That said, the Pelicans should do whatever is necessary to land Lowry. They are one of the few teams around the Association that feels like something splashy needs to happen to appease their young stars and truly take the next step.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
Philadelphia is a huge long shot in the Lowry sweepstakes, but that doesn&rsquo;t mean they won&rsquo;t try their hardest to make it happen.
A construct for a Lowry-to-Philadelphia sign-and-trade would need to revolve around Ben Simmons. According to Marc Stein, Toronto has sniffed around on Simmons&rsquo; availability, so there could be something to work with here. But what type of package would make sense for both sides in a Lowry-Simmons swap?
In what would be one of the biggest blockbusters in recent memory, it would have to revolve around the Raptors&rsquo; No. 4 overall pick. Like, say, Lowry, the No. 4 pick, and potentially another future first-round pick for Simmons.
Toronto would kickstart a new era led by Simmons, OG Anunoby, and Fred VanVleet. Pascal Siakam could then be flipped to a team like Golden State for their own lottery picks to recoup lost draft capital in this proposed sign-and-trade. Meanwhile, the Sixers&rsquo; new big three would consist of Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and Lowry. Add into the mix Philadelphia acquiring a win-now prospect atop the draft such as Gonzaga&rsquo;s Jalen Suggs or Florida State&rsquo;s Scottie Barnes.
Lowry holds the key to a lot of potential dominos in the NBA this offseason. Wherever Lowry wants to go, it will have huge ramifications. Stay tuned to <a href="http://basketballnews.com">BasketballNews.com</a> for all the latest on the NBA&rsquo;s top free agents.

With free agency set to kick off soon, Evan Sidery explores potential landing spots for Kyle Lowry.

Examining possible free-agency destinations for Kyle Lowry

It's odd for a rebuilding team to have a tough decision to make with one of their three best players. It's even more odd when that player is still on his rookie contract. It's especially&nbsp;odd when that player is coming off a season in which he averaged over 24.0 points per game.
But that's where the Cleveland Cavaliers find themselves with Collin Sexton.
If you aren't part of Draft Twitter, your first introduction to Sexton was likely his 3-on-5 showing at Alabama. Literally, 3-on-5 basketball.
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That's the kind of competitor he is. As such, it's no surprise that he's an incredibly hard worker. That work has turned him into one of the better scorers in the NBA.
As referenced earlier, Sexton is coming off a season in which he averaged 24.3 points with a 51/37/82 shooting split. He's turned himself into a reliable pull-up threat, particularly from the mid-range area. The jumper complements his natural burst, making him a booger to deal with in the half-court.
When Sexton runs hot, he can completely bend games. His 42-point masterpiece against the Brooklyn Nets' Big 3 -- a game in which he dropped 22 of those points between two overtime periods -- stands out as the quintessential Sexton game.
With such a premium on three-level scoring, why would the Cavs even consider trading this guy before his&nbsp;second&nbsp;contract?
There are a couple of limitations at play.
Offensively, scoring is Sexton's best asset. At this stage, it's his only ++ asset. Sexton's assist numbers are underwhelming based on the usage. Beyond the counting stats, Sexton's ability to make reads -- proactive or reactive -- are below what you'd like from an offensive engine.
That can be mitigated to a degree if you're&nbsp;special&nbsp;as a scorer. Sexton is very good, but he isn't that. There's low-hanging fruit to be grabbed in regards to his shot profile. This isn't an anti-mid range argument; however, Sexton's split between pull-up twos (5.1 attempts) and threes (4.4 attempts, only 1.9 pull-up attempts) needs to shift a little. At the rate that he hits those middies, they should be a counter. Right now, they feel like his diet.
Defensively is where the real issue comes in. Sexton is a guard's guard in terms of stature (6-foot-1, 190), which limits his defensive versatility. He simply doesn't have the size or length to truly bother wings. His screen-navigation issues hinder his effectiveness as a point-of-attack defender.
Though effort generally isn't an issue, we're three years in and Sexton still finds himself being washed out by screens pretty often. He's fine when spinning under a pick; trying to fight over is, well, let's just call it an adventure.
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Add in the emergence of Darius Garland last season, the Cavs' draft positioning for this year, and the fact that Sexton is up for a (likely max-level) extension this summer, and you have the ingredients of a "sell-high" case. You can quibble about if that would be the right decision to make, but it's at least a valid option to consider. (And the Cavs shouldn't rush this decision, as <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/do-the-cleveland-cavaliers-really-need-to-rush-things-with-collin-sexton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spencer Davies recently wrote</a>).
The purpose of this piece to determine where Sexton could go. Finding teams that need Sexton's skill set, have the personnel and/or coaching to mitigate his weaknesses, have the assets to pull off a deal, and are prepared to pay him wasn't easy. There are holes to poke, because that's an incredibly tough needle to thread. But these are the teams, from my view, that could make some sense for him.
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TOP SPOT: MIAMI HEAT
Why the Fit Makes Sense
Sexton isn't a strong playmaker? That's fine. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo are two of the best at their respective positions.&nbsp;
Sexton isn't strong at the point-of-attack? That's fine. Butler and Adebayo are two of the best helpers in the league, period.
The defensive infrastructure instilled by head coach Erik Spoelstra is sound, regardless of the multiple coverages thrown out. They'll switch if necessary, play drop with weakside helpers pinching in to clutter driving lanes, or scrap all of that to go zone.
What Sexton brings in the scoring department is missing in Miami. It's not just the rim pressure, though Butler can use a consistent option to take some of that burden off of him. Sexton would immediately become Miami's best pull-up threat. Teams can't duck under picks against Sexton like they can against Butler.
Potential Pitfall
Making the money work is easy. Making the money&nbsp;make sense&nbsp;for both parties is where this discussion gets tough.
Very loudly, there's a case to be made to make this deal bigger. Sexton is the headliner of course, but this could be a way for the Cavaliers to cut ties with Kevin Love. The Heat have the expiring contracts (Goran Dragic, Andre Iguodala) to get to Love's salary pretty easily. Add in Tyler Herro, maybe a tertiary asset (KZ Okpala, anyone?) and boom.&nbsp;
The Heat get their guy in Sexton. They also add a 4 in Love who can complement Adebayo offensively. A happier and healthier Love could add some juice to a frontcourt that scrambled for Adebayo-adjacent pieces for a large portion of last season.
The Cavs get a solid prospect in Herro who provides more (movement) shooting equity, some secondary playmaking chops to take some of the creation burden off of Garland, and also&nbsp;kicks the rookie-extension can down the road for another season.
Dragic solves Cleveland's woeful backup-point-guard situation for at least half a season; Iguodala can share defensive tricks of the trade with Isaac Okoro. The books get clearer moving forward, which matters considering Garland and Larry Nance Jr. will be up for paydays soon. Everyone wins, right?
Not quite.
Herro is promising, and adds a little bit more size to the backcourt. He is not as good as Sexton is right now, and the Cavs would feel the dip in rim pressure between Sexton and Herro. The added size and help-effectiveness on defense makes the situation more tenable. It doesn't make it good. &nbsp;
From Miami's side, that is a lot of money to commit. They would need to throw the bag at Sexton, most likely this summer. They would have Love's money on the books moving forward. They'd still need to pay Duncan Robinson, their most prized restricted free agent and one of the best shooters on the planet. Committing north of $18 million per year to Robinson, Sexton, Love, Adebayo (whose max extension kicks in this summer/season), and Butler is hefty.&nbsp;
Does that core, and whatever other pieces you add during the offseason, put Miami on par with Milwaukee or Brooklyn? The best answer you could give this in good conscious is "maybe."
That "maybe" might be worth it for Miami. And don't forget: this is a team well-versed in getting off of less-than-favorable contracts. It hasn't always been pretty, but it's gotten done.
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OTHER LANDING SPOTS
TORONTO RAPTORS
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<div class="p-rich_text_section">I'm intrigued by what a package centered around a Sexton-Fred VanVleet swap would look like.</div>
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If Cleveland is going to commit to a small backcourt, Garland and VanVleet -- one of the best guard defenders in the sport AND A SNUB FOR AN ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM THIS SEASON -- would be a high-end version.&nbsp;
Toronto is in need of a bucket-getter like Sexton, and they surely have the defensive infrastructure and coaching to limit some of Sexton's shortcomings.
The issue isn't just the "what else"; it's trying to decipher&nbsp;who&nbsp;is giving more.
VanVleet is flat-out better and more impactful than Sexton at this stage, and it's not like VanVleet is an old man. He's 27, smack dab in the middle of his prime. And again, Sexton is up for a bag -- a heftier one than VanVleet's.
But Sexton is good, and also five years younger. Not only does he already boast a tremendous work ethic, Toronto's development system is among the best in the league. Saying Sexton will eclipse VanVleet at some point in the near future is not a hot take.
Does Cleveland add a piece (Cedi Osman, for example) to make up for the current gap in impact? Does Toronto sweeten the pot because of the age gap and the salary they're sending for this season?
It's hard to envision a scenario in which their first-round picks (#3 for Cleveland, #4 for Toronto) are offered in any capacity.&nbsp;
This feels like a slight no for both sides, but one that isn't far off from being feasible.
BOSTON CELTICS
Along the same lines of the VanVleet package, a deal centered around a Marcus Smart-Sexton swap could be workable. The Celtics would have to add more here; they have intiguing wing options (Romeo Langford, Aaron Nesmith) and nearly all of their first-rounders available to cobble something together.
New head coach Ime Udoka made a point to emphasize ball movement during his introductory presser. Let's just say Sexton wouldn't necessarily solve Boston's playmaking issues.
But Sexton would fit the timeline of The Jay's -- Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown -- and would give Boston another late-game creator. It's worth looking into.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
They're more of an obligatory mention than a serious suitor. They don't have the pick capital to move Cleveland. Talen Horton-Tucker is a good prospect, but he certainly isn't Sexton right now.
Their only avenue would be going the "we'll-take-Love-off-your-hands-too" route. THT, Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and a so-far-out-you'll-forget-about-it first-rounder for Sexton and Love is technically possible; I just don't see that being enough for Cleveland.

With the Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly willing to trade Collin Sexton, Nekias Duncan examines a few potential landing spots for him.

Examining potential trade destinations for Collin Sexton

LaMarcus Aldridge&rsquo;s time in San Antonio is over.
With the second half of the season underway, and the trade deadline approaching, the Spurs and Aldridge have <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-news-san-antonio-spurs-lamarcus-aldridge-mutually-agree-to-look-for-opportunities-elsewhere-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mutually agreed to part ways</a>.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s been a great teammate. There&rsquo;s no problem there,&rdquo; said Gregg Popovich. &ldquo;We just think this is a win-win for the club.&rdquo;
According to ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Spurs have been &ldquo;engaged on several fronts&rdquo; for an Aldridge deal. They&rsquo;d obviously prefer to move him for something -- a draft asset, &nbsp;a young piece, or at least a competent role player to complement the youth -- rather than agree to a contract buyout.
WHAT&rsquo;S THE SCOUTING REPORT ON ALDRIDGE?
Aldridge is a shell of his All-Star self, which is to be expected at this stage of his career. There is utility present; he&rsquo;s drained roughly 38 percent of his threes over the past two seasons on modest volume. He&rsquo;s converted around 46 percent of his two-point jumpers over that same stretch, <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/season-stats/nba?EntityType=Player&amp;EntityId=200746" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per PBP Stats</a>.&nbsp;
Even at this stage, Aldridge can serve as a relief valve against drop coverage due to his ability to space the floor.
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The regression is also visible on both ends. He isn&rsquo;t able to establish the sort of deep-post positioning that helped him complement his turnaround jumpers with effective jump hooks. To that point, Aldridge&rsquo;s post-up efficiency has declined in each of the past three seasons, per Synergy.&nbsp;
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Defensively, Aldridge is sound in theory but not in practice. Put another way: he knows where he&rsquo;s supposed to be, but isn&rsquo;t physically capable of getting to those spots on a consistent basis. The team that acquires him will likely be hamstrung to a deep drop coverage; strong perimeter defenders will be needed to help limit his responsibilities.
That leaves Aldridge as a player that can only help in certain contexts. Add in his $24 million salary -- though teams only need to hit around $19 million to complete a legal trade, <a href="https://twitter.com/BobbyMarks42/status/1369817550117277699?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per ESPN&rsquo;s Bobby Marks</a> -- and it&rsquo;s easy to see why trade options may be a bit limited.&nbsp;
There are teams that make sense for his services, however. Let&rsquo;s take a look at three of them.
Note: All trade ideas have been checked on <a href="https://tradenba.com/trade-machine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TradeNBA.com</a>.
TRADE TARGETS
CHICAGO BULLS
Even after a loss to the star-less Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night, the Bulls find themselves firmly in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. At 16-19, they&rsquo;re tied with the 10th-seeded Indiana Pacers, and are only two games out of the No. 4 spot. If a playoff push is in the cards, they could talk themselves into a frontcourt upgrade.
Sam Amico of FortyEightMinutes.com <a href="https://fortyeightminutes.com/heat-bulls-lamarcus-aldridge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has linked the Bulls to Aldridge</a>, and mentioned a potential expiring swap between him and Otto Porter Jr. The money matches up pretty cleanly, and the on-court case is clear.&nbsp;
The Bulls would get a stretch big that could absorb the Luke Kornet minutes, and would make it easier to ease Lauri Markkanen back into the action. The Spurs would get a true, high-volume shooting threat at the 4 that would allow them to maintain their uptick in pace and switching.
NEW YORK KNICKS
The Knicks are ahead of schedule right now, currently sitting at No. 7 in the East with a 19-19 record. They&rsquo;re headlined by a top-five defense and held back by a bottom-10 offense.&nbsp;
Aldridge represents a near-perfect storm as a potential trade target: he&rsquo;s a name, fills a need (frontcourt spacing), wouldn&rsquo;t cost a core piece, wouldn&rsquo;t cut into future cap space and could make life easier on the young players that matter.
An idea worth exploring: a Nerlens Noel/Aldridge swap. The Knicks would have to add slight filler to make things work -- Ignas Brazdeikas&rsquo; $1.5 million would do -- but that shouldn&rsquo;t be difficult to accomplish.&nbsp;
Aldridge would operate as the back-up 5, spacing the floor and allowing rookster Obi Toppin more room to flourish as a roll threat in pick-and-roll. Giving RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley a pop threat would make their lives so much easier in the half-court.&nbsp;
There would be a hit defensively, at least in the short term. Aldridge isn&rsquo;t in the same galaxy as Noel on the interior or perimeter, but the hope would be to mitigate that gap in a bench role once Mitchell Robinson returns. Robinson has matured on that end, chasing blocks and fouling at a much lower rate than seasons past. You can live with, say, a 30/18 minute split at the 5 between those two.&nbsp;
MIAMI HEAT
The Heat are in the market for frontcourt depth; the jury is kinda out on what type of frontcourt depth they&rsquo;d prefer.
They&rsquo;ve been linked to bigs like Nikola Vucevic and Aldridge, both of which profile as 5s that can space the floor for All-Star Bam Adebayo. They&rsquo;ve also been linked to PJ Tucker and Aldridge&rsquo;s teammate Rudy Gay, both 4s that would allow the Heat to maintain their switching principles.
The common denominator is an ability to shoot, and Aldridge can do that. The Heat have enough mid-tier salaries to cobble together a multi-player, flip-them-later-if-you-want package -- think Meyers Leonard (who would certainly be waived), Avery Bradley (could be rerouted), Mo Harkless and the rangy ball of clay known as KZ Okpala.&nbsp;
There&rsquo;s also room to go simpler by swapping out Bradley and Leonard for Andre Iguodala. The Spurs could then use Iguodala as a glue guy and mentor for their wing department, or reroute him elsewhere -- Boston has a hefty trade exception, for example.
In Adebayo and Jimmy Butler, the Heat have the sort of defensive star power to help cover for some of Aldridge&rsquo;s limitations. Head coach Erik Spoelstra isn&rsquo;t just one of the most effective defensive coaches in the league, he&rsquo;s among the most versatile. He won&rsquo;t mind getting wonky -- mixing in zone principles, for example -- to make the Aldridge minutes work.

Nekias Duncan takes a look at three teams that could make sense for LaMarcus Aldridge and what the veteran big man can offer.

Examining potential landing spots for LaMarcus Aldridge

It wasn&rsquo;t supposed to go like this, man.
That was seemingly the primary takeaway when Blake Griffin, fresh off receiving a five-year, $173 million deal from the Los Angeles Clippers in 2017, was sent to the Detroit Pistons for a package headlined by Tobias Harris. Griffin was near the peak of his powers at that point, a wrecking ball with playmaking chops and a budding jumpshot. He helped bring the Clippers to prominence and was rewarded for such, though that partnership ended roughly seven months after the contract was signed.
We&rsquo;ve arrived at the same conclusion -- it wasn&rsquo;t supposed to go like this, man -- four years later, yet for a more somber reason. Griffin is now an oft-injured shell of himself, testing the free-agency waters a year and a half earlier than anticipated.&nbsp;
It wasn&rsquo;t that long ago that Griffin and the Pistons came to a we&rsquo;ll-sit-at-home agreement with the expectation of finding Griffin a new home. With no trade on the horizon, the two sides agreed to a buyout, per ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s worth emphasizing that Griffin is a shell of himself. After an All-NBA-caliber campaign in 2018-19, Griffin has played in 38 games since then, averaging 14-5-4 with a 36/28/75 shooting split. That&rsquo;s, uh, pretty bad! He&rsquo;s somehow even worse defensively; the rim protection was never there because of the lack of length, and the injuries have sapped quite a bit of his lateral mobility.
The bet for teams -- Woj and others have reported that plenty of playoff contenders are interested -- is that a rejuvenated, less-relied-on Griffin can make an impact as a role player. Even at this stage of his career, he remains intriguing as a playmaking hub in Elbow sets or short-roll situations. If the jumper rebounds at all, you&rsquo;re looking at a half-court connector that could take a ton of pressure off a primary initiator.&nbsp;
Let&rsquo;s examine some of the best landing spots for Griffin.
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MAKES SENSE, BUT&hellip;
Team: Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers
Financial reasons rule out the Bucks right now. Per ESPN&rsquo;s Bobby Marks, the hard cap currently prevents them from making an offer. A trade would be needed to clear some room.
If that were to happen, the Bucks would certainly move up the power rankings. The 4 rotation behind Giannis Antetokounmpo has been&hellip; an adventure, to be kind. The frenetic Thanasis Antetokounpo gets burn; DJ Wilson is perpetually in and out of the rotation. Torrey Craig has gotten some run. It&rsquo;s fair to wonder what Griffin would look like in that spot, potentially playing the 4 in Giannis-at-5 lineups.
There&rsquo;s always a &ldquo;man, the Lakers want/get everyone&rdquo; angle to play, particularly online. It&rsquo;s mostly a meme, but it wouldn&rsquo;t be a total shock to see Griffin in a Laker uniform. Purely from a we-need-firepower perspective, a Griffin flyer could be worth a shot. He&rsquo;d fit in as a high-IQ passer who could execute plenty of the high-post sets that the Lakers like to run.
There are financial factors at play that make this pairing unlikely. The Lakers aren&rsquo;t hard-capped, but they also don&rsquo;t have mid-sized exceptions to fit Griffin into (like the other teams pursuing him do). Beyond that, the frontcourt is a bit crowded. Once Anthony Davis is back, Griffin would be fighting with Marc Gasol, Montrezl Harrell, Kyle Kuzma, and Markieff Morris for closing minutes. Even that is working under the assumption that LeBron James would slide up to the 3 in such an alignment.
So, nah.
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SURE, I COULD SEE IT
Teams: Toronto Raptors
Don&rsquo;t believe in the Freaky Friday that the Raptors are pulling right now. The advanced stats page on NBA.com may tell you that their offense (113.4 offensive rating, 10th) is better than their defense (112.0, 18th), but their defense remains the foundation of their success.
The Raptors rank eighth in half-court defense and fifth in transition efficiency, per Cleaning The Glass. They get stops, force turnovers, and run all over teams. Get them in a half-court setting and things bog down a bit (13th). Adding Griffin to provide a similar element to what Gasol brought in years prior -- high-post passing, pick-and-pop shooting -- could help juice the offense.
Worth noting: Kyle Lowry would be, by far, the best point guard Griffin has played with since his Clipper days. Higher quality of looks could see the efficiency jump a bit.
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IN THE HUNT&nbsp;
Teams: Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics
Similar to the Raptors, the Warriors&rsquo; half-court defense is driving their success. Getting out after misses or turnovers allows the Warriors to tap into Steph Curry&rsquo;s unpredictability. The Warriors are slightly ahead of the Raptors in half-court efficiency (11th), though they could use a bump in playmaking.&nbsp;
Outside of Curry and Draymond Green, who consistently capitalizes on advantages via passing? At the very least, having Griffin on the second unit could improve some of the flow there.&nbsp;
The Celtics have missed Gordon Hayward a little more than expected. To be fair, they&rsquo;ve missed just about everyone at some point during this woebegone season. Still, having Hayward as a third (sometimes fourth) playmaker helped take pressure off of Boston&rsquo;s star wing duo. For a team that ranks toward the bottom of just about every passing stat that matters, and has seen an increase in double teams against their star wings, adding Griffin as a short-roll threat could be helpful.&nbsp;
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THE FAVORITES
Teams: Portland Trail Blazers, Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets
Please get Damian Lillard some help.
His second- and third-best players are hurt. Even when healthy, the Blazers could use a little more playmaking help. With Lillard consistently having two bodies tossed at him near half-court, having Griffin as a release valve would take some of the creation burden off of Lillard.&nbsp;
The Heat desperately need help at the 4. After capturing lightning in a bottle with Jae Crowder during the second half of last season, the Heat have flat-out failed to find a reasonable replacement. Mo Harkless has been a dud; youngster KZ Okpala has gotten an inconsistent leash, and has mostly looked out of sorts when trusted with major playing time. Kelly Olynyk and Andre Iguodala have filled in admirably, but have glaring limitations on opposite ends of the floor.
Griffin would help sort the frontcourt hierarchy there. He or Olynyk would start, the other flanked by rookie Precious Achiuwa while Iguodala would fill the backup minutes at the 3.&nbsp;
In the end, Griffin may just opt to play with the team that makes life the easiest on him. That would be the Brooklyn Nets, home of three of the 15 or so most talented scorers the NBA has ever seen.&nbsp;
The Athletic&rsquo;s Shams Charania has reported that the Nets are the frontrunners to land Griffin; the title aspirations, personal relationships, and the ease in which he could get open looks serve as valid reasons for the choice. The thought of closing games with Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Joe Harris, Griffin, and Kevin Durant is a daunting one for opposing defenses.
As the adage goes, giving up 130 doesn&rsquo;t mean much if you&rsquo;re scoring 140.
Or something like that.

Nekias Duncan takes a look at the best fits for Blake Griffin and which teams could possibly add the veteran.

Examining potential destinations for Blake Griffin following buyout

With 4:44 left in the first quarter against the Brooklyn Nets, Bam Adebayo catches an entry pass on the left high-post from Goran Dragic. Adebayo faces up, stares down Jeff Green, then hits him with a pump fake. Green bites. Adebayo brings the ball back down for a jab to generate a little more space. Green reacts to that, retreating ever so slightly. Adebayo takes the opening and fires a jumper. Splash.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/bam-face-up-jumper.gif" alt="" width="614" height="AUTO" />
It&rsquo;s a relatively nondescript play on the surface. This is why it matters: it was Adebayo&rsquo;s seventh shot attempt of the quarter. He would go on to take two more shots before subbing out with under a minute to go. This nine-shot first quarter was the most voluminous of his career. It also marked the third-straight game in which Adebayo took six or more shots in the opening frame.&nbsp;
All of that seems pretty random, but it speaks to a larger theme with Adebayo. He&rsquo;s starting to force the issue, early and often. The aggression is there. He&rsquo;s <a href="https://twitter.com/BradyHawk305/status/1353195652830912513?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">keeping his word</a>.
Adebayo finished with 26 points on Monday night, two days after pouring in a career-high 41 points against this same Nets team. Both games resulted in losses -- the Nets&rsquo; three-headed monster is tough to deal with, especially when your best running mate (Jimmy Butler) is unavailable -- but it&rsquo;s hard not to come away impressed. Not only did Adebayo further prove he&rsquo;s really freaking good, it seems like he&rsquo;s starting to believe he&rsquo;s really freaking good.
HIGH-POST HUB
Like last year, a high percentage of Adebayo&rsquo;s possessions kick off around the perimeter. The Heat trust him with touches, allowing him to toggle between handoffs and drives against slow-footed giants.&nbsp;
Duncan Robinson and Adebayo remain the NBA&rsquo;s most dangerous handoff combo. Per a source with access to Second Spectrum tracking data, 66 combos have hooked up for at least 100 dribble handoffs since the beginning of last season. None of them eclipse the 1.27 points per possession mark that the Robinson-Adebayo duo generates.
Robinson is able to fire if given any sliver of space. The threat of that shot enables Adebayo to flourish in space. He&rsquo;s able to abuse defenses in short-roll situations, or fake the handoff and take matters into his own hands.
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It&rsquo;s subtle, but watch how Mason Plumlee opens up and slides to his left to prepare himself to &ldquo;show&rdquo; on the Robinson handoff. Adebayo uses that shift against him, immediately driving left before stopping on a dime for the pull-up jumper. Speaking of which...
INTERMEDIATE SCORING
If you haven&rsquo;t noticed, Adebayo is a lot more comfortable operating in the mid-range area now. Nearly a quarter of his shots are coming from the 10-16-feet range, per Basketball-Reference, roughly 10 percentage points higher than his mark last season. He&rsquo;s also hitting those at an insane 58.5 percent clip. That number is going to come down, but it&rsquo;s encouraging to see the willingness and diversity of his middies.
The stationary shot is there. What really stands out is Adebayo&rsquo;s ability to square himself from different angles.
He&rsquo;s able to flow into pull-ups with ease:
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He can cut left-side drives short and pull:
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He can do the same going to his right, a less natural motion:
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He&rsquo;s even flashed fluidity on a number of stepbacks this season.
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His ability to fill it up off the bounce has taken his game to a new level. Per Synergy, Adebayo ranks in the 93rd percentile on shots off the dribble. He&rsquo;s a 96th-percentile isolation scorer, mostly off the strength of his off-the-bounce jumper (10-of-11 in isolation situations, per Synergy).&nbsp;
KEEP IT ROLLING
Adebayo&rsquo;s jumper becoming a legitimate weapon is huge for his offensive value. It&rsquo;s still important to frame his jumper as a counter more than a go-to at this stage. He&rsquo;s still at his best when he&rsquo;s able to gain a head of steam. This is most apparent when he&rsquo;s operating in pick-and-rolls.&nbsp;
Adebayo toggles between bone-crushing picks and early slips, depending on the defensive coverage. His roll speed shifts with the ball-handler he&rsquo;s working with. He&rsquo;s developed a nice mind-meld with Goran Dragic over the past couple of seasons.&nbsp;
He&rsquo;s much more willing to slip and roll hard with Dragic, which complements the north-south nature of his game. The early stages of their ball screens are fun to track; it&rsquo;s like Adebayo knows what dribble moves Dragic wants to flow into, and he&rsquo;s able to adjust on the fly because of it.
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With Tyler Herro, Adebayo slows up his trek in the event that his young partner needs the release valve. Even when Adebayo doesn&rsquo;t personally benefit, he&rsquo;s able to draw the eyes of help defenders.
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That sort of attention speaks to Adebayo&rsquo;s effectiveness when he is directly involved. The Heat are scoring an absurd 1.56 points per possession when Adebayo receives the ball and shoots, or passes it to someone who shoots, per the Second Spectrum source.
To put it another way: Adebayo is scoring at an absurd clip on rolls, and is making teams pay with the pass in short-roll situations.
He&rsquo;s a dynamic athlete who's able to high-point lobs and finish through contact. More impressively -- and I&rsquo;d argue, more importantly -- he&rsquo;s a sound decision maker in space. If the defense doesn&rsquo;t rotate on a string, Adebayo has the ability to pick out open shooters with kick-outs.&nbsp;
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That pass is difficult enough -- he&rsquo;s off-balance, in traffic, and fires a dart above the break. The processing is what matters there. He draws attention in the paint, stares at KZ Okpala in the corner, forcing Jerami Grant to rotate over, then fires the pass to Kelly Olynyk for the triple.&nbsp;
Truly high-level stuff.
WHAT COMES NEXT
You&rsquo;ll notice that the title of the piece uses &ldquo;happening&rdquo; instead of &ldquo;happened.&rdquo; There&rsquo;s still room for improvement before Adebayo firmly cements himself among the league&rsquo;s capital-E elite.&nbsp;
He&rsquo;s finishing at a high-level in the half court -- 71.1 percent on 76 attempts, per Synergy -- but he&rsquo;s still trying to find his way against bigger opponents. Size can still bother him, which is why he typically leans for finesse moves in close quarters. He pump fakes a lot; that isn&rsquo;t inherently a bad thing, but his reliance on it to get bigger opponents off-balance can sometimes stall his drives.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/bam-pump-fake.gif" alt="" width="614" height="AUTO" />
Avery Bradley saves the day with the juke-and-cut, but look at how things stall out. Brook Lopez camps out in the paint, waiting for Adebayo to make his move. Adebayo doesn&rsquo;t attack Lopez full-on, opting for a pull-up instead. Lopez stays down, and some off-ball improvisation is needed.
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This is just a standard vertical contest from Plumlee, but you can see Adebayo&rsquo;s inability to power through.
Here&rsquo;s an exercise for you: think of Adebayo&rsquo;s best half-court finishes this season...
Great.
Now remove the lobs you thought of. What&rsquo;s his best finish? It&rsquo;s the iso vs. Giannis, isn&rsquo;t it? Let&rsquo;s revisit it.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/bam-vs-giannis.gif" alt="" width="614" height="AUTO" />
What stands out first is the skill. Cross, tween, behind-the-back, tween, cross, hesi, filaaAaaaAaaaaay.
You know what else stands out? Adebayo not seeking a modicum of contact on that drive and opting for an inside-hand layup that could&rsquo;ve been sent to Hialeah. Having this kind of skill and touch is obviously impressive; needing this kind of high-difficulty look to win against size is something to monitor at best, and something to be concerned about at worst.
That may seem a bit unfair, but these are the kinds of hairs you split when talking about someone possibly entering top-10 discussions.&nbsp;
There&rsquo;s also a discussion worth having about his ability as a distributor. Adebayo is unquestionably a great passing big man. I hesitate to call him a great playmaker from that spot. Playmaking factors in decision making, and Adebayo falls a bit short there.&nbsp;
Players miss on passes all the time, especially the thread-the-needle type of dimes Adebayo will attempt from the high post. There&rsquo;s just a level of risk management that Adebayo is struggling with at this stage. Take this possession for example:
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Adebayo reads Robinson cutting into Khris Middleton&rsquo;s blind spot. With Middleton behind the play and Lopez playing with a gap, Adebayo tosses a bounce pass into a relatively wide window.
Seems mundane, seems like an easy decision, but it was the wrong one. Assume Robinson doesn&rsquo;t bobble the pass -- what is the upside of this decision? Adebayo led Robinson into the paint surrounded by Milwaukee&rsquo;s three largest defenders with no real shot or kick-out opportunity. It&rsquo;s effectively a dead-end.
Asking for Adebayo to cut out tight-window throws would be a disservice to him and the offense. Cutting out tight-window throws with no discernable upside if they connect would lower his turnovers and, in turn, help the offense a bit. Again, splitting hairs, but these are the margins upon which Adebayo has to improve.
The encouraging thing is that we&rsquo;re even having this conversation about Adebayo. He&rsquo;s scoring at a career-high rate, and doing so in a multitude of ways. He finds open teammates from different areas. He remains one of the most versatile defenders in the sport. He&rsquo;s a clear All-NBA candidate, and he&rsquo;s technically still on his rookie deal (since his extension kicks in next season).
The acceleration of Adebayo&rsquo;s development as a creator is the lone upside of the Heat being as injury/COVID-ravished as they have been this season. He&rsquo;s proving that his game is scalable. That should terrify the East as the Heat begin to get some of their best players back. That should especially terrify the league moving forward as Adebayo continues to grow.&nbsp;

Nekias Duncan examines how Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo is taking the next step in his offensive evolution.

Bam Adebayo's superstar transformation is happening

Nekias Duncan previews the Southeast Division (the Hawks, Hornets, Heat, Magic and Wizards) ahead of the 2020-21 NBA season.

2020-21 NBA Season Preview: Southeast Division

The 2019-20 campaign -- bubble escapades and all -- has finally concluded. As such, it&rsquo;s time to shift to the most hectic time of the year: transaction season.
We&rsquo;re not exactly sure what the financial climate will be like this offseason; the impacts of COVID and, to a lesser extent, one particularly <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/daryl-morey-tweet-controversy-nba-china-explained/togzszxh37fi1mpw177p9bqwi">controversial tweet</a>, are still being sorted out. We do have some reasonable projections <a href="https://www.slamonline.com/nba/nba-salary-cap-comparison-2020/">via Keith Smith</a> that show six teams with significant cap space in the coming months.
This offseason, in particular, is an interesting one. On top of a handful of teams having meaningful space to navigate (if they so choose), there&rsquo;s also the balancing act teams are executing: trying to improve while maintaining financial flexibility for the vaunted 2021 free agency class that could include Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Another player on that list is Victor Oladipo, whose presence could alter quite a bit over the next 12 months. He&rsquo;s set to test the market next offseason, but there are indications that he may want out of Indiana <a href="https://www.slamonline.com/nba/victor-oladipo-looking-to-move-on-from-pacers/">sooner than that</a>.&nbsp;
The jury is out on Oladipo. At his best, he&rsquo;s an All-NBA-caliber talent who can give you 25 and snatch cookies on the other end. His 2017-18 campaign saw him slap up a 23-5-4-2-1 line while nearly leading his Pacers to a first-round upset over the LeBron-led Cleveland Cavaliers. Unfortunately, we&rsquo;re two years -- and a few injuries -- away from that campaign.
Our last sighting of Oladipo came in this year&rsquo;s postseason. He looked fine tracking guys like Duncan Robinson around screens and shot north of 36 percent from three on a heavy diet of pull-ups. He also struggled to <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/oladivi01.html#playoffs_shooting::none">get to the rim</a>, and struggled to finish when he got there.&nbsp;
The shooting will likely be the swing skill for Oladipo. He has converted 33.4 percent of his threes over the past two seasons, though that comes on 1) a &ldquo;meh&rdquo; sample size (55 games, 320 total attempts) and 2) a steady diet of pull-ups as he worked his way back.
Very quietly, Oladipo shot 37 percent on catch-and-shoots over that span, and has converted at that same clip over 849 attempts since 2015-16, per NBA.com&rsquo;s <a href="https://stats.nba.com/player/203506/">tracking data</a>. There&rsquo;s enough evidence present to suggest Oladipo can space the floor and attack in a secondary role.
Maybe Oladipo isn&rsquo;t a number-one option on a good playoff team, but he&rsquo;s someone that can inject a contender with a boost of secondary offense (with potential for more) and perimeter defense. If he is going to be moved, here are some teams that should come calling.&nbsp;
(Keep in mind that Oladipo&rsquo;s injury concerns and one-year rental status would impact his trade value. All trades have been tested via <a href="https://tradenba.com/trade-machine">tradenba.com</a>.)&nbsp;
Miami Heat
The Heat are fresh off a miracle run to the Finals, though you can&rsquo;t tell them this was <a href="https://www.fivereasonssports.com/voices/how-erik-spoelstra-transformed-the-heats-offense/">anything but planned</a>. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo (when relatively healthy) led the way with two-way brilliance, while the Heat&rsquo;s feisty hodgepodge of role players filled the gaps. They&rsquo;ve gone from an annoying second-round-ish team to a legitimate contender overnight, and expectations have risen as such. They&rsquo;re still primed to strike in 2021, but there&rsquo;s more incentive to make a win-now move if it doesn&rsquo;t cost them too much in the future.
It&rsquo;s easy to see the fit with Oladipo defensively. While the Heat can and should be lauded for the way they shifted between defensive schemes all season, it&rsquo;s only fair to point out that a not-insignificant portion of that decision was forced by their personnel. They struggled to contain shifty guards all season long. Their point guard stable -- Kendrick Nunn and Goran Dragic -- struggled to fight over screens, which would put the rest of the defense in rotation to compensate.
Adding Oladipo is an easy way to alleviate that concern, and would allow the Heat to go back to their traditional drop defense. Oladipo&rsquo;s ability to read passes also makes him prime to operate at the top or edge of Miami&rsquo;s match-up zone, and can hang with some power wings in a pinch whenever the Heat go switch-heavy.&nbsp;
The offensive fit is more of a concern, though there&rsquo;s room for optimism thanks to his ability to spot up. His shooting could help open some driving lanes for Butler and Adebayo. The presence of those two could take the pressure off of Oladipo to create against set defenses.
Starter Offer: Kelly Olynyk, Kendrick Nunn, KZ Okpala, 20th pick of the 2020 NBA draft
Salary relief and cost-controlled assets are the name of the game for this package.&nbsp;
Olynyk is a serviceable big man who can operate as a first-unit spacer, or a second-unit high-post hub. His role will likely depend on how real the noise around Myles Turner is. If Turner isn&rsquo;t moved, you&rsquo;d be hard pressed to find a better third big option.&nbsp;
Before a nightmarish slump in the bubble, Nunn was one of the NBA&rsquo;s better rookies, ranking third among first-timers in scoring (15.3 points). There were hints of a three-level scorer shown, though he relies on his pull-up to set up the rest of his game. In theory, his spacing could provide a nice complement to the no-nonsense driving of Malcolm Brogdon.
Okpala is the real wildcard. His rookie campaign was halted with an Achilles injury, but he showed real flashes as an off-ball defender and slasher in the G-League and in limited minutes on the parent club.
This is an underwhelming package for someone of Oladipo&rsquo;s peak talent. Once you factor in injury concerns, Oladipo&rsquo;s expiring deal and the flexibility the Heat want to maintain for 2021, it wouldn&rsquo;t be a shock for them to start the negotiations pretty low.
Last Ditch Offer: Duncan Robinson, Kelly Olynyk, Kendrick Nunn
The Heat would obviously love to make a deal without including any of their top four assets: Adebayo, Butler, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson.&nbsp;
Of the four, though, Robinson seems to be the most expendable. He&rsquo;s one of the NBA&rsquo;s most dangerous movement shooters; his partnership with Adebayo in dribble handoffs is one of the deadliest dances in the sport right now. Potentially moving him for a rental can be seen as malpractice.
The counter: Much of the actions Robinson thrived in -- traditional handoffs, quick pitch-backs in semi transition, Chicago action -- can be run with Herro, with more on-ball creation upside. Including Robinson in a deal could allow the Heat to keep their draft picks, which could be used to replace Nunn (hello, Tyrese Maxey!), Robinson (hello, Desmond Bane!), or as a sweetener in a different deal.
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Los Angeles Lakers
The &ldquo;We Believe&rdquo; Lakers are fresh off of their first title since &hellip; [checks notes] &hellip; 2010? Seriously? Wow.&nbsp;
Anyway.&nbsp;
The Lakers were able to win behind their Big Two of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, conservatively regarded as two of the six or so best players in the NBA right now. The human carousel affectionately known as &ldquo;the Lakers&rsquo; third best player&rdquo; changed about as often as the weather. Solidifying that distinction could go a long way to strengthening their repeat chances.
Oladipo would certainly fit the bill.&nbsp;
Starter Offer: Danny Green, Kyle Kuzma
Green remains one of the better team defenders in the NBA, as well as someone who can defend either wing spot credibly. His three-point shooting fell from his career-high mark last season, but he&rsquo;s still a tremendous spot-up shooter and an even more dangerous relocation threat.
Kuzma was (almost predictably) inconsistent as he adjusted from a moderately high-usage guy to a role player getting in wherever he could fit in. There was growth as a perimeter defender, particularly in the postseason. There is a 2.5-level scorer in Kuzma if you look closely enough; he is a strong finisher and has comfort operating in the midpost. His three-point stroke just hasn&rsquo;t gotten back to his rookie-year levels, which complicates his long-term potential.
If the shot does come around or at least settles in at average, Kuzma is an intriguing scoring prospect with better-than-advertised defensive acumen. He can be slotted in as a 3 or 4, depending on whatever frontcourt moves the Pacers make this offseason, and flourish moving forward.
Last Ditch Offer: Danny Green, Kyle Kuzma, Talen Horton-Tucker, 28th pick of the 2020 draft
There&rsquo;s a little more in the treasure chest for the Lakers to offer. Their first-rounder could net the Pacers one of the many &ldquo;he&rsquo;ll-be-good-if-he-just&rdquo; wing prospects in this year&rsquo;s class. Horton-Tucker is one of the more unique youngsters in the league already; a chiseled 6&rsquo;4 guard with a massive 7&rsquo;1 wingspan who&rsquo;s equipped with enough ball skills to make you go, &ldquo;Hmmm&hellip;&rdquo;&nbsp;
Unfortunately for the Lakers, they&rsquo;re still behind the 8-ball in terms of assets and would likely be outbid by more serious suitors.
Dallas Mavericks
The Luka Doncic-led Mavericks made their return to the postseason behind, statistically, the greatest offense in NBA history. Doncic pick-and-rolled his way into rim forays and stepback jimmies; Kristaps Porzingis pick-and-popped his way into triple after triple. Gunners like Tim Hardaway Jr. and Seth Curry thrived off of the open looks created by the Doncic-Porzingis tango.&nbsp;
The next step for Dallas is finding someone to take some on-ball pressure off of Doncic, and to improve their perimeter defense as a whole. This is where Oladipo can come into play.
Starter Offer: Delon Wright, Dwight Powell, 18th pick of the 2020 draft
Wright had a smaller role than anticipated in his first year in Dallas, only starting five games and averaging a shade under 22 minutes a night. Still, he provided solid perimeter defense across multiple positions, and showcased some improved craft in pick-and-roll. Wright pick-and-rolls (including passes) generated a little over 1.08 points per possession, per Synergy. Wright can slot in nicely alongside Malcolm Brogdon, and there&rsquo;s enough size between the two of them to throw out three-guard lineups with those two plus Aaron Holiday.
Powell is one of the more underrated bench bigs in the league, an elite roll option in ball screens and solid positional defender. There may be some hesitancy in taking on the remainder of his contract, especially with him coming off an Achilles injury, but that concern can be somewhat alleviated by the acquisition of the 18th pick.
Last Ditch Offer: Jalen Brunson, Tim Hardaway Jr., 31st pick of the 2020 draft
Upping the ante would be going with a more cost-controlled option in Brunson, a former Naismith Player of the Year award winner, and Hardaway Jr. Brunson is a shifty pick-and-roll guard with legit scoring chops. Hardaway Jr. is coming off his most efficient season as a pro, posting career highs in three-point percentage (39.8) and True Shooting percentage (58.1).
It would hurt to lose the playmaking of Brunson, the shooting of Hardaway Jr, and what amounts to a late first, but there&rsquo;s enough shooting and playmaking on the roster as is. Being able to keep the 18th pick would allow the Mavericks to replace one of the guards being lost, while also adding Oladipo&rsquo;s two-way prowess to the fray.&nbsp;
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Milwaukee Bucks
Another year, another disappointing second-round exit for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Once again, the Bucks had the best record in the league behind an MVP campaign from Giannis Antetokounmpo. And once again, a versatile, well-coached group was able to capitalize on the Bucks&rsquo; inflexibility and lack of supporting on-ball juice.&nbsp;
This is a big offseason for rather obvious reasons. Giannis is up for a supermax extension. The Bucks will offer it, because of course they will. It&rsquo;s fair to assume that Giannis will turn it down, forcing the Bucks&rsquo; hands in a way. They need to show him they&rsquo;re serious about making a big splash to improve the roster, especially since they&rsquo;re a year removed from losing Brogdon.
Oladipo may not be Chris Paul, but he would be a nice consolation prize, one that could take much-needed pressure off of Giannis and Khris Middleton.
Starter Offer: Eric Bledsoe, DJ Wilson, 24th pick of the 2020 draft
Bledsoe is a polarizing figure. On one hand, he&rsquo;s legitimately one of the best defenders in the league. There aren&rsquo;t many, if any, players who can avoid screens the way he can. He&rsquo;s also one of the NBA&rsquo;s best drivers, able to slither into the lane almost at will, then use his strong base to dislodge off-balance defenders.
On the other, Bledsoe has wilted in each of the past three postseasons. His inconsistent jumper leaves him at the wrong times, and his decision making comes and goes like his jumper does. He&rsquo;s objectively a good player on a fine contract, and there&rsquo;s a fit (and familiarity) alongside Brogdon in a potential Pacers backcourt.
Wilson is an interesting big who&rsquo;s been buried on the bench for &hellip; well, your guess is as good as mine. It&rsquo;s worth exploring how real his three-point stroke is, and how switchable he can be defensively. If either of those skills stick, there&rsquo;s a useful role player there for the taking. If both hit, Wilson projects as an ideal frontcourt partner alongside Turner or Domantas Sabonis moving forward. Adding a first-rounder would allow the Pacers to go wing hunting for cheap.
Last Ditch Offer: George Hill, Donte DiVincezo, Ersan Ilyasova&nbsp;
If the Pacers aren&rsquo;t keen on potentially three years of Bledsoe, they could ask for Hill back. An elite spot-up shooter, solid defender across both guard spots and good decision-maker, Hill could flourish in an off-ball role alongside Brogdon.&nbsp;
DiVincezo has equity as a driver, and has already proven to be one of the better screen-avoiders in the league on the other end. The jumper is his swing skill, but he has the skill-set and size to float between three positions in a pinch. Ilyasova serves as cap filler here, but his shooting makes him a solid option as a back-up 4, flanking either Turner or Sabonis as a stretch option.

Nekias Duncan looks at four potential destinations for Victor Oladipo if the Indiana Pacers decide to trade their All-Star this offseason.