With the Dec. 15 hurdle cleared, roughly nine out of 10 NBA players are now eligible to be traded.
That doesn’t necessarily signal a flood of transactions is imminent. The last time we saw a deal go down on Dec. 15 was in 2010. What the milestone really means is that most hypothetical deals are actually possible now as the markets heat up in advance of the date that really matters: February 9, 2023, the actual trade deadline.
We’ve got some time between now and then, and the league landscape will change several times in the intervening weeks. But the passage of the last major obstacle to getting deals done (not counting Jan. 15, when another handful of players become trade eligible) provides a good opportunity to lay out marquee transactions we’d like to see take shape.
These are high-profile swaps, most of which are long shots. But with this being our first real chance to dream about franchise-altering deals, why not dream big?
DeMar DeRozan to Toronto Raptors
First of all, who doesn’t love a good homecoming?
DeMar DeRozan spent the first nine years of his career with the Toronto Raptors and was devastated by the trade that sent him to the San Antonio Spurs in 2018. He’s since mended fences with the front office, though, and more importantly, his specific skillset would make him a tactical savior for Toronto.
The Raptors own the No. 29 halfcourt offense in the league, slightly better than last year when they ranked 26th, but it’s still a glaring weakness for a team that would otherwise profile as a fringe contender. DeRozan’s high-level individual shot-creation is exactly what Toronto needs to reorganize its attack. Currently, too many players—Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes, OG Anunoby, Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr.—are trying (and failing) to function in an alpha role. All of them would benefit from an attention-drawing scorer who could create advantages and open shots for teammates.
Long one of the most dangerous isolation threats in the game, DeRozan ranks in the 96th percentile in one-on-one situations this year and has averaged between 4.7 and 6.2 assists per game across his last six seasons.
He’s the cure for what ails the Raptors offense.
To get him, the Raptors could package Gary Trent Jr., Thaddeus Young and up to two first-round picks. Toronto should quibble over protections on those and/or demand Anunoby instead of Trent, who could hit free agency via a player option this summer. But if Chicago ever gets realistic about its status as a mediocrity-treadmill jogger, replenishing the draft equity it gave up in the ill-fated Nikola Vucevic deal should be a top priority.
The championship-winning Raptors team of 2019 featured Kawhi Leonard as a hub around which multiple high-end secondary scorers orbited. DeRozan may not be on 2019 Leonard’s level (few ever have been), but his game could similarly slot the rest of his teammates into their ideal roles, lifting a Toronto offense that currently can’t get off the ground.
John Collins to Utah Jazz
The trade that sent Kevin Huerter to the Sacramento Kings was part of a poorly disguised series of moves the Atlanta Hawks made to avoid the luxury tax, so it should be assumed that one of their goals in a John Collins trade is to take back less salary than they send out.
The Utah Jazz are here to help, and as Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reported, “the Hawks certainly view the Jazz as a potential landing spot” for Collins.
Utah can build a package around Kelly Olynyk ($12.8 million this year with only $3 million guaranteed for 2023-24), Rudy Gay ($6.1 million) and a pick. The Hawks should angle for Jarred Vanderbilt instead of Gay, though it’s extremely tricky to gauge Collins’ market value. He’s due an average of $25.5 million over the next four seasons, which is either a huge bargain or an albatross. It all depends on whether teams believe he’s the guy who averaged 21.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and shot 40.1 percent from long range as a 23-year-old in 2019-20 or the inefficient fourth option he’s appeared to be this year.
Utah, loaded with fungible role players on tradable contracts and swimming in first-round picks from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves, should be in the upside game. That means it’s worth sending out established commodities and reasonable deals for a crack at a player whose underperformance may have nothing to do with a skill decline and everything to do with his teammates and situation.
Collins, still just 25, might be the best buy-low target in the league right now.
That he’s been on the trade block for what seems like forever and still somehow resides in Atlanta suggests teams aren’t bowling the Hawks over with offers. Utah should swoop in and capitalize, adding a promising player about to enter his prime on a deal that’ll look like a bargain as the cap rises—especially if Collins returns to form with a change of scenery.