Late offseason fake trades

As we hit the late offseason, I thought this would be a good time to make some fake trades that could still happen.

Kings acquire Jonathan Kuminga in a sign-and-trade with the Warriors, Golden State gets Malik Monk and a 2028 first round pick, top 4 protected. Kuminga signs a 4yr/$99 million deal with the Kings.

Why the Kings do it: Sacramento seems to really want Kuminga and the Warriors won’t make the deal.  Kuminga can be a serviceable forward next to Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis in the Sacramento frontcourt.  He really broke out in the 2nd round for Golden State after Stephen Curry went down and the Kings could look to get that version of Kuminga as they head into the next era of Kings basketball.

Why the Warriors do it: Golden State seemingly wants nothing to do with Monk, same for the rest of the league.  High volume little guards who can score but cannot defend are out right now.  That said, I think Monk is good and would provide buckets off of Golden State’s bench that the Warriors badly need.  This deal would put the Warriors into the tax and that is another reason that the Dubs don’t want to take on Monk, as they look to sign Al Horford as well.  They would also get a potentially valuable first round pick in this deal so that could push them over the finish line to make this trade.

Bulls acquire Anfernee Simons from the Celtics for Nikola Vucevic.

Why the Bulls do it: Anfernee Simons is an interesting player and one that could help the Bulls off of the bench with their 2nd unit.  A guard who can score is not a need for the Bulls but Simons is a good flier to take for a low price.  They reportedly really want off of Vucevic so dealing him for Simons could be good business for the Bulls.

Why the Celtics do it: The Celtics need a center, going into the season with Neemis Queta, Luka Garza, Xavier Tillman and Amari Williams as your only bigs isn’t ideal.  Vucevic can help them fill that role, he is a big body who can score it down low and hit threes, though he didn’t shoot it well from downtown a season ago.  This deal also saves Boston about $6 million in luxury tax savings as they look to shed money during their gap year.

Lakers acquire Andrew Wiggins and Haywood Highsmith for Maxi Kleber, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt and a 2031 unprotected first round pick.

Why the Lakers do it: Los Angeles has been in pursuit of Andrew Wiggins for most of the summer, who is coming off of a pretty good season last year split between Golden State and Miami, averaging 19.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.  He is a player who can get to the basket and make a three pointer all while playing good defense on the other end.  Highsmith is also a good wing who could help the Lakers.  His defense would be a huge help to the Lakers, as well as his cutting.

Why the Heat do it: For Miami, this deal would be all about the draft pick.  Losing Wiggins and Highsmith would be a tough blow to their 2025-26 chances but the Heat are not a major contender anyways and this deal allows them to take back a big time draft asset without sending out either Bam Adeybayo or Tyler Herro.  Wiggins doesn’t seem to be a big part of the Heat’s future plans so to get a real asset like this for him would be a great move for Miami.  Both Vincent and Kleber are expiring contracts as well, so it allows the Heat to have more cap flexibility next summer.

Nets acquire RJ Barrett from the Raptors for Terrence Mann.

Why the Nets do it: This is a pretty simple sell for the Nets.  RJ Barrett is a better player than Terrence Mann and is on a shorter contract.  Brooklyn needs a guy who can dribble, pass and shoot and Barrett gives them that.  The former Knick averaged 21.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game last season for Toronto.  Barrett would be a good get for a rebuilding Brooklyn team that needs good basketball players.

Why the Raptors do it: You might be thinking, ‘why would the Raptors trade for a worse player on a longer contract and not get any picks?’  The Toronto Raptors are currently a luxury tax team, for a team that won 30 games last season, being a tax team is irresponsible. Also, Barrett is an odd fit on a team that has Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram and Immanuel Quickley.  Those are three players that thrive with the ball in their hands, Barrett is also at his best when he has the ball.  Mann, on the other hand, doesn’t need the ball and is a plus defender, so there are basketball reasons for Toronto to do this deal too.  Although it is important to note, Mann didn’t have a good season last year but could bounce back next year.

Pistons acquire Lauri Markkanen in a three team deal with Jazz and Heat.  Miami gets Tobais Harris, Utah gets Ron Holland II, Marcus Sasser, Terry Rozier, 2028 and 2030 Pistons first round picks unprotected, and 4* future 2nd round picks.

Why the Pistons do it (get Markkanen, give Holland, Sasser, 2 first rounders, 2 second rounders): I needed to add one blockbuster in this deal.  Detroit needs a number 2 next to Cade Cunningham and Markkanen would be an awesome fit. Coming off a down season, Markkanen still averaged 19.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.  He is a 7-footer who can put the ball on the floor and get to the rim while shooting the three at a high level.  During the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, Markkanen averaged 24.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game on shooting splits of .49/.40/.89.  This is a star level player who is under contract for the long haul.  Markkanen would be a massive get for the Pistons.

Why the Heat do it (get Harris, trade Rozier and 2 second rounders): Rozier just isn’t a player who is going to make an impact next season so flipping him and 2 second rounders for Harris would be a good bit of business for the Heat.  Harris had a great year for the Pistons last season but in this scenario he becomes expendable with the Markkanen acquisition.  His shooting in particular would be a good get for the Heat.

Why the Jazz do it (get Holland, Sasser, Rozier, 2 first sounders and 4 second rounders, give Markkanen): The picks are nice and Sasser is interesting but this deal would be about Holland for Utah.  The Jazz need players, not picks, and Holland is a 2nd year player who was a top 5 pick in the 2024 draft.  He showed some flashes last season but the athleticism and defense are two things that really jump off of the page for when I watch Holland.  They also get 2 future unprotected picks as a part of this deal and I like Sasser as someone who can score, though they seem to have a lot of those.

*The 2nd round picks are a 2027 least favorable of the Heat, Pacers, Rockets, Spurs and Thunder and a 2032 2nd rounder from the Heat and 2030 via the Timberwolves and a 2031 via the Mavericks from the Pistons.