Three Western Conference stars should be traded

The three teams at the bottom of the Western Conference standings are (in no particular order) the Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies.  If I were running those three teams, I would be making a big trade.  So here is why the Mavericks should trade Anthony Davis, the Grizzlies should trade Ja Morant and the Pelicans should trade Zion Williamson with a fake trade for each guy.

Let’s start with Davis.  The Luka Doncic trade, to me, is the worst in NBA history.  To trade a guy who is that good in his prime for anything at all without him asking out is bad enough, the return makes it worse.  I am not saying Davis isn’t a great great player, trading Luka Doncic for him, Max Christie and one first round pick isn’t a trade the Mavs fans will ever get over.  That is something Nico Harrison can never undo, that doesn’t mean he should stop doing what is best for the Dallas Mavericks, which is, in my opinion, to trade Davis.  Harrison won’t trade AD, he is trying to save face from the Luka deal and more importantly, he has too good of a relationship with Davis to trade him.  That doesn’t mean he shouldn’t.  Everything changed for Dallas when they won the lottery and the right to draft Cooper Flagg, everything they do should be about Flagg.  I like the fit of Kyrie with Flagg and think Dallas can be really good next season but I don’t think Davis fits this roster.  The Mavericks have a lot of players on the front line, Flagg, P.J. Washington, Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, and Naji Marshall.  Maybe they want a third center but that can be found at the minimum.  You get a high level guard and picks for Davis and go with Flagg and Irving for next year.

A trade I came up with was Davis and Brandon Williams to the Detroit Pistons for Jaden Ivey, Tobias Harris, Isaiah Stewart, unprotected first round picks in 2027, 2029 and 2031 and pick swaps in 2028 and 2030.  I struggled to come up with a deal and I don’t love this deal for Dallas.  The Pistons would do this, they are really good and Davis would be an automatic upgrade to their team.  The Cade Cunningham-Anthony Davis pick and roll would be amongst the best in the NBA.  They’d have to do something with Jalen Duran but they can figure that out.  I like Jaden Ivey but as the blue chip of this deal worries me and he needs a new contract..  Harris is another forward and he is headed to free agency so Dallas could flip him.  The picks are solid but not great, I don’t love this deal for Dallas but it was the best I had.

The Ja Morant rumors are heating up and I think a deal will come at some point.  Morant means a lot to the city of Memphis and the Grizzlies fans but sometimes it is time for a break up and it seems that is the direction they are headed.  Memphis has an opportunity to have two lottery picks this year, whether it is the Suns, the Magic or their own.  I am not sure fully how they’ll shake out but Memphis has a chance to do a real reset this summer around Jaren Jackson Jr., Cedric Coward, Zach Edey, their picks and whatever they get for Morant (if they move him).  I don’t think Ja has great value right now but that doesn’t mean a deal isn’t likely.

The deal I came up with is a one for one, Ja Morant for Trae Young swap.  We know why the Grizzlies do it, they will need a Morant replacement and Young would be a great option.  He needs a new contract, which has been a sticking point for the Hawks but the Grizzlies have money to spend and he is a good replacement for Morant.  The Hawks do it because they have shown they don’t want to give Young an extension and Morant has 2-years left on his deal after this season.  I like this deal for both sides enough that it just might work. It would also be one of the most fun storylines to follow over the next few seasons to see who wins the trade.

The last player I am going to talk about is Zion Williamson.  Just like Davis, I don’t think Williamson will be traded but the Pelicans should move him.  Just like the Doncic trade, New Orleans trading their first round pick unprotected this year is a sunken cost that they can’t undo, it is a mistake that will haunt them but one they have to live with.  I just don’t see the pathway for success for the Pelicans if they continue to build around Zion.  His value is at an all time low point, another reason not to trade him but the Pelicans need to start over and the best way to do that is end this last era by trading the guy they built it around, whether they have their own pick in this draft or not.

A deal could be Williamson to the Hornets, to team up with LaMelo Ball, for Miles Bridges, Grant Williams, the worst of the Suns, Grizzlies, Magic and their own pick this year and the lesser of the Mavericks and their own pick next year.  This could be an overpay, those picks could be pretty good but I think adding Williamson would make the Hornets one of the most deadly offenses in the NBA and while Bridges is good (at basketball, bad person) he is not at the level Zion is.  Grant Williams is a toss in for cap purposes.  Get Zion back to the state he played his college ball and see what happens.  If he and Ball stay healthy, the Hornets would become must watch TV.

I don’t think that Davis or Williamson will be traded but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be. Meanwhile, while I am sure the Grizzlies want to keep Ja, I am not sure how sustainable that is.  It will be interesting to see if any of these guys get moved before February's deadline.