Breaking Down Most Realistic Potential Trades of NBA Offseason

The 2022-23 NBA trade deadline was wild.

It's still possible, though, that the basketball gods have even more shenanigans in store for the upcoming offseason.

There aren't many teams with tons of cap space, nor many free agents worth tons of money. So, if franchises want to change their identity this summer, the trade market might be the perfect place to do it.

What kind of wheeling and dealing might we see? It's funny you should ask, since the entire point of this piece is cobbling together and analyzing a quartet of trades that are very much within this summer's range of possibilities. Since payrolls are fluid entering the summer, we'll worry less about the dollar-for-dollar financial aspects of these trades and more about their general framework and the value needed for each side to get a deal done.

Indiana Pacers receive: John Collins

Atlanta Hawks receive: Chris Duarte, T.J. McConnell, Jalen Smith and 2023 first-round pick (lottery protected via CLE)

In the last calendar year, the Hawks have: paid a fortune to acquire Dejounte Murray, changed chief decision-makers (from Travis Schlenk to Landry Fields) and swapped skippers (from Nate McMillan to Quin Snyder).

The winds of change are swirling in Atlanta right now, and maybe that—combined with the very real possibility of not advancing past (or perhaps not even reaching) the first round—could be what finally nudges John Collins off of the rumor mill and onto the official transaction log.

The Pacers should be ready to pounce if that happens.

They need a power forward to flesh out their long-term nucleus, and they have eyeballed Collins before. He could be a dynamic pick-and-roll partner with Tyrese Haliburton, and Collins would benefit from Myles Turner's abilities to protect the paint and space the floor on offense. Add Bennedict Mathurin to the mix, and that's a formidable foursome for Indiana to build around.

Atlanta, meanwhile, could increase its depth and get back a first after giving up three (plus a pick swap) in the Murray trade.

Chris Duarte hasn't had a great sophomore season, but the 2021-22 All-Rookie second-teamer is loaded with three-and-D tools. T.J. McConnell would give Atlanta a full-fledged floor general behind Trae Young. Jalen Smith could soak up minutes at the 4 and 5 spots and would get pretty interesting pretty quickly if he ever harnesses his three-point shot.

Portland Trail Blazers receive: Mikal Bridges and Royce O'Neale

Brooklyn Nets receive: Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe, 2024 second-round pick (via CHA or MIN) and 2025 first-round pick (top-three protected)

Damian Lillard has never been more magical, but the Blazers are ruining his act. The 32-year-old could be capable of guiding a championship trek, but we'll never know until Portland puts the type of team around him that could embark on such a journey. The franchise is, at least, eager to do just that, though.

"We're borderline anxious to push all of our chips in," Blazers general manager Joe Cronin said, per Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. "... We're going to be ridiculously aggressive to the point where, once we push our chips all the way in, like, deal to deal, you might say, 'They lost that deal. They gave a lot for that guy.' But no, that's just us pushing our chips in."

Portland doesn't have a ton of chips to push around, but if it sends out the lottery-protected pick it owes the Chicago Bulls this summer, that would open the possibility of trading away the 2025 first. It could also put the Blazers in line to make a bold move for Mikal Bridges, who could team with Jerami Grant (assuming he's re-signed) to form exactly the kind of lanky, athletic, two-way wing tandem Portland has long needed around Lillard.

Bridges' ceiling sits somewhere between stardom and starring in his role, but having Lillard as an elite alpha could give Portland a championship-level pecking order. The Blazers would need to fill in the cracks around these three, but netting three-and-D swingman Royce O'Neale in this exchange would be a start.

Brooklyn, meanwhile, has little incentive to bottom out with all of the draft picks it owes the Houston Rockets, but the Nets should be very much in the asset-collection game.

Anfernee Simons is 23 years old and right on the cusp of offensive stardom. Shaedon Sharpe is 19 years old and already on the short list of the league's most explosive athletes. If the Nets nailed his development, he could be a star. Throw in a lightly protected first and a second that could land early in the round, and that's too much value for Brooklyn to pass up.

Memphis Grizzlies receive: O.G. Anunoby

Toronto Raptors receive: Tyus Jones, Ziaire Williams, 2023 first-round pick, 2024 second-round pick (via TOR) and 2025 first-round pick (top-three protected)

The Grizzlies have all of the resources needed to broker a blockbuster. If they get ousted early from the playoffs again—they last traveled past the conference semis in 2013—they might be the motivation they need to get a major move done.

O.G. Anunoby looks like the perfect piece to complete this puzzle. Memphis seems to know it, too. The Grizzlies were in hot pursuit at the deadline, and they should be ready to resume that chase as soon as the offseason arrives.

They have their backcourt locked in place with Ja Morant and Desmond Bane. They're rock-solid up front with Jaren Jackson Jr. and Steven Adams. They just need a wrecking ball of a two-way wing to bring this picture fully into focus, and Anunoby would be perfect for the job.

He is the most versatile perimeter defender this league has to offer. Since the start of the 2020-21 season, he has also been a nightly source of 16.5 points and 37.2 percent three-point shooting. The fact he's all of 25 years old means he is the perfect age to grow with this roster—and he is conceivably still getting better. He'd be a dream get for the Grizzlies.

Now, some may wonder why the Raptors would deal Anunoby this summer after retaining him through the trade deadline. Well, Toronto's top decision-maker Masai Ujiri already answered that.

"The way I look at the deadline, it's really not a great place to make long-term decisions," Ujiri told reporters. "Everything we could have done today maybe we could do in the summer."

Maybe Ujiri wants a longer look at this roster. Maybe he simply wasn't thrilled with the incoming offers. Either way, it hardly sounds as if Toronto's quiet deadline equates to a full commitment to this core.

If the Raptors opt to restructure this offseason, they might be all over a package like this.

Tyus Jones would give Toronto an alternative to footing the bill for Fred VanVleet's free agency. Ziaire Williams is overloaded with tools and potential, and at 21, there's time for him yet to tap fully into both. Tack on two first-round picks, plus the 2024 second that Toronto gave up in the 2019 Marc Gasol trade, and the Raptors have ample assets to build or trade with.

New York Knicks receive: DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso

Chicago Bulls receive: RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin and Isaiah Hartenstein

The Knicks are having an awesome season, but they still might be one star short of contending. DeMar DeRozan is having an awesome season of his own, but he doesn't have nearly enough help to contend.

Maybe there's a match to be made between them.

New York has seen Julius Randle return to an All-Star level and Jalen Brunson ascend right alongside him (albeit without an official All-Star selection). The Knicks surely hoped RJ Barret would follow suit and help form basketball's latest big three, but the fourth-year swingman has plateaued and maybe New York no longer feels it can wait on his development.

DeRozan is sort of the actualized version of what the 'Bockers hope Barrett might one day become (minus the defense). The Knicks have built the No. 6 offense without Barrett making strides on the offensive end. Imagine how scary they could be if they switched out Barrett's contributions (19.5 points on 42.9 percent shooting, 2.8 assists) for DeRozan's (25.3 points on 51 percent shooting, 5.1 assists).

Right now, the Knicks look like a pain in the neck for their first-round opponent. However, if they added DeRozan, who eyeballed New York in 2021 free agency, and pesky combo guard Alex Caruso, who might quickly become Tom Thibodeau's favorite player, they'd be no worse than shadow contenders for the championships.

As for the Bulls, these final few months could hammer home the point this organization needs a reset—if not a total teardown. Either way, their inability to join the championship race should have them seeking out alternatives this summer, when Nikola Vučević enters free agency and DeRozan approaches the final season on his contract.

Chicago could be intrigued by this package regardless if it's looking to retool around Zach LaVine or rebuild around Patrick Williams. Barrett is 22 years old, Obi Toppin is 24, and both were recent top-10 picks. Neither has exactly aced his development, but neither has shown anything so worrisome to suggest they'll never approach their full potential, either.

Isaiah Hartenstein, who is also 24, and he could step into the starting center spot if the Bulls let Vučević walk.

Statistics courtesy of Basketball Reference and NBA.com and accurate through Monday.

Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @ZachBuckleyNBA.