The NBA trade market will soon heat up in a hurry.
Every club has reached the quarter mark of the 2022-23 campaign, which is typically the point at which teams can trust the statistical sample size and use it to determine what degree of buying or selling should be done. Also, the date of Dec. 15 looms large in any trade discussions, since that's when most players who signed contracts this offseason can start being moved.
Let's gather the kindling, then, and perhaps spark something with these four fresh trade ideas for contending teams to consider.
Warriors Deal Wiseman for Depth
Golden State Warriors receive: Gary Harris and Moritz Wagner
Orlando Magic receive: James Wiseman, Moses Moody, 2027 second-round pick and 2028 second-round pick
While the Warriors have found better rhythm from their reserves of late, it still feels like a potential-for-production trade is coming at some point. It also seems certain that James Wiseman, the No. 2 pick of the 2020 draft, remains the key for unlocking that kind of deal.
Golden State shouldn't hesitate about parting with significant assets—both Wiseman and Moses Moody absolutely qualify as recent lottery picks—for the chance to improve its championship odds. Not with Stephen Curry, a once-in-a-generation talent, playing some of the best ball of his career.
The Warriors can be greedy on the trade market. They can also be creative, like, say, sending out Wiseman for a package built around a wing—not a replacement big. The best version of Gary Harris is a three-point-splashing, lockdown-defending support player who just might sneak his way into Golden State's closing group. It's possible that no realistically obtainable center—Myles Turner and Jakob Poeltl included—would grab a spot in that lineup.
Harris, who turned 28 in September, is too old to fit Orlando's timeline. He's also infinitely more interesting for win-now shoppers after refinding his three-point stroke. It strangely went on a two-year hiatus, but he luckily recaptured it before last season and has converted 38.8 percent of his long-range looks ever since.
Harris would be the reason the Warriors do this deal, but Moritz Wagner can be more than a throw-in. He usually makes his 6'11", 245-pound presence felt around the rim, but he's comfortable stepping away from it and letting it fly from three. He's also a clever enough passer to help grease the gears of this attack.
For the Magic, meanwhile, this is all about value.
They might not be hurting for centers, but turning a non-star like Harris and back-end rotation player like Wagner into two recent lottery picks and two second-rounders is just smart business. Wiseman has all of the physical tools to be special; he just needs the kind of developmental minutes the championship-chasing Warriors can't offer. Moody wouldn't have trouble cracking Orlando's wing rotation and could emerge as a long-term starter if his perimeter shooting perks up.
Sixers Win Crowder Sweepstakes, Suns Snag a Stopper
Philadelphia 76ers receive: Jae Crowder
Phoenix Suns receive: Matisse Thybulle, Georges Niang and Jaden Springer
It's somehow both astonishing and not at all surprising that the Suns still haven't engineered a Jae Crowder deal yet.
On the one hand, he could help out any contender with his defensive versatility, toughness, experience and ignitable outside shooting. On the other, those types of teams typically aren't looking to unload the kind of win-now help Phoenix needs to receive in a Crowder exchange.
Philadelphia might qualify as an exception, though. The Sixers could be desperate enough for a two-way wing like Crowder to let go of rotation regulars like Matisse Thybulle and Georges Niang. The fact Philly can also sweeten the pot with Jaden Springer, a 2021 first-rounder, can also help Phoenix feel better about the value aspect of this deal.
Starting with the Sixers, Crowder would fit like a tailored suit. He'd fill the same complementary, defense-first role as P.J. Tucker, only Crowder is five years younger and less hesitant to launch on offense. Four spots of Philly's closing playoff lineup are obvious, but Crowder could enter the discussion for that final one.
As for Phoenix, the Suns wind up going the specialist route here and banking on their primary playmakers, Chris Paul and Devin Booker, being shrewd enough to figure out how to maximize them.
Thybulle would give Phoenix another shut-down stopper who creates all kinds of chaos away from the ball. His offensive limitations are glaring, but the disruption he creates on defense might be worth it. He's the only player to log 3,000 minutes and maintain career steal and block percentages of three or better (3.6 and 3.8, respectively).
It would help if he found an outside shot, but if he did, he'd never make it to the trade market. Even without it, he might carve out an offensive niche as a transition attacker and timely cutter while playing alongside table-setters like Paul and Booker. Niang would up the club's collective three-point volume. Springer is a dart throw, but if everything breaks right, he could factor into their long-term backcourt plans.