The NBA offseason is in free agency mode, but it sure feels like the trade deadline across the Association.
The league has already witnessed a flurry of blockbuster trades over the past 10 days, mostly involving the Washington Wizards, home of the NBA's latest massive rebuild.
First, it was dealing Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns, a move that sent Chris Paul to the nation's capital. Three days later, the Wizards sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Boston Celtics, with Marcus Smart heading to the Memphis Grizzlies in the three-team trade.
Finally, Washington moved CP3 to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Jordan Poole and two draft picks.
Are the Wizards done? We don't know, but our NBA Insiders are breaking down a few deals that could shake up the league, including two that get Damian Lillard off the Portland Trail Blazers after his trade request on Saturday.
Dame (Eastern) Time
Brooklyn Nets get:
Damian Lillard
Jusuf Nurkic
Portland Trail Blazers get:
Spencer Dinwiddie
Nicolas Claxton
Royce O'Neale
Joe Harris
2025 first-round pick (via Phoenix)
2027 first-round pick (via Phoenix)
2029 first-round pick (via Phoenix; top-3 protected)
Nearly three years after going all-in to acquire James Harden from the Houston Rockets, the Nets once again are star chasing, this time for Lillard.
The cost to acquire the All-NBA guard is steep, considering Brooklyn is parting ways with starters Spencer Dinwiddie and Nicolas Claxton, reserves Joe Harris and Royce O'Neale and three first-round picks -- two unprotected -- sent to Brooklyn as part of the Kevin Durant trade.
This deal presents other risks for the Nets: Lillard turns 33 in July, has not played more than 58 games since 2020-21 and has $163 million left on his contract, including a $56.7 million cap hit in the final season. As part of this trade, Brooklyn is required to take back the $54.4 million owed to Nurkic.
The reward for Brooklyn is that Lillard joins a starting five consisting of Mikal Bridges, a likely re-signed Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Nurkic. The Nets still have depth with Patty Mills, Cam Thomas, Dariq Whitehead, Noah Clowney and Day'Ron Sharpe.
The X factor in this deal: Ben Simmons' health, which could push Brooklyn closer to either a championship or competing for a spot in the play-in tournament.
For Portland, the Nets' package is rich in assets compared to what a team like Miami could offer.
-- Bobby Marks
... What a team like Miami could offer
Miami Heat get:
Damian Lillard
Portland Trail Blazers get:
Tyler Herro
Duncan Robinson
Nikola Jovic
Draft rights to Jaime Jaquez Jr. (No. 18, 2023)
2028 first-round pick
2029 pick swap
2030 first-round pick
In this deal, Miami finally gets its third star to join Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo for another run at a championship.
The price here is steep, but what should give the Heat solace -- aside from acquiring one of the greatest guards ever to play the game and the perfect offensive weapon to pair with Butler -- is the organization's track record of finding and developing dependable role players on team-friendly contracts.
Bobby Marks goes through the trade packages the Heat and Nets could offer for Damian Lillard.
Heat president Pat Riley, GM Andy Elisburg and that staff have spent almost three decades in Miami finding players to fit the Heat's culture and, in recent years, coach Erik Spoelstra's system. As much as sharpshooters Herro and Robinson have earned the group's trust, this deal would get the Heat off the rest of the money owed to each player.
The Heat flatly didn't have enough to knock out the champion Denver Nuggets, just like they didn't have enough behind Butler in the 2020 Orlando bubble against the Los Angeles Lakers. Lillard will fit into the group's no-nonsense approach, isn't afraid of taking big shots in the postseason and gives Butler his best offensive running mate since his brief stretch with Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019.
-- Nick Friedell
Madison Square Garden, rated PG-13
New York Knicks get:
Paul George
LA Clippers get:
RJ Barrett
Quentin Grimes
Evan Fournier
2024 unprotected first
2024 Dallas top-10 protected first
2025 first round swap (top-5 protected)
Four years removed from going all-in to acquire George, which eventually resulted in signing Kawhi Leonard, injuries each season have derailed the Clippers' hopes of competing for a championship.
George is eligible to sign a four-year, $220 million extension starting in September. If a new contract is not reached, he could decline his $48 million option for next season and become a free agent.
For a player who has appeared in fewer than 57 games in four straight seasons, a max extension or a large financial commitment in salary and years should be a nonstarter.
Trading George to New York for a package of players and draft picks, centered around RJ Barrett and Quentin Grimes, protects the Clippers if George were to walk in free agency next season.
More importantly, it gives LA financial flexibility and draft capital to remain a playoff team in the Western Conference.
For the Knicks, the reward is a top-20 player at half the cost that would have been required to acquire Donovan Mitchell last year.
New York would still have six first-round picks available to trade in future deals, is under the luxury tax for 2023-24 and is not in danger of becoming a second apron team in 2024-25 even if George were extended.
The risk: moving Barrett, Grimes and draft compensation, then committing $220 million in an extension for George, who, at 33, hasn't been able to stay healthy.
-- Marks
Towns finds a new home in New York City
New York Knicks get:
Karl-Anthony Towns
Minnesota Timberwolves get:
Julius Randle
Isaiah Roby
Jericho Sims
2024 first-round pick
2026 first-round pick
2028 first-round pick (top-5 protected)
(Notes: Towns cannot be traded before July 7. In this deal, the Knicks must guarantee the contracts of Roby and Sims.)
When the Timberwolves traded for Rudy Gobert, their war chest of picks was emptied. This is a chance to help replenish it, but it costs them their three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA player in Towns.
For the Knicks, this deal gives them a chance to cash in some of the picks once reserved for a Donovan Mitchell pursuit last summer.
Towns has averaged 23.0 points, 11.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game in his NBA career but has also shot 39.5% from 3-point range over eight seasons. He has shot at least 40.0% in four of those.
In his four seasons in New York, Randle has averaged 22.3 points and 10.0 rebounds, but he has shot just 34.1% from deep.
Randle is coming off averaging a career-high 25.1 points, but that success has not continued in the postseason in the past two years -- he's averaging 17.1 points on 34.4% shooting (28.3% from deep). In Minnesota, he'd get to tag team with Anthony Edwards to lead the Timberwolves' attack. And for what the Timberwolves are trying to build, Randle could be a more natural fit at the power forward spot than Towns.
-- Andrew Lopez