5 hypothetical franchise-altering trades
The previous offseason of the NBA was a particularly busy one, after a third consecutive finals matchup between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Some teams tried to reconstruct their roster and try to challenge the two for a place in the finals this year, others tried to snatch a playoff spot vacated by a rebuilding team.
While the Houston Rockets franchise had the best record in the league and is now on its way to the Western Conference Finals, most of the teams did not make a lot of progress; some even suffered a setback. This summer will be a turning point for big teams this year, and might even be a last chance for players and coaches.
#1 Washington, Detroit and Toronto trade PGs
The Wizards receive: Kyle Lowry
The Pistons receive: John Wall, Ian Mahinmi
The Raptors receive: Reggie Jackson, Langston Galloway, Stanley Johnson and a lottery protected 2019 first-round pick (from Detroit)
Detroit's new president, whoever it may be, has the difficult task of getting them back in the playoffs, after failing to do so for two straight seasons. They paired their big-man Andre Drummond with Blake Griffin just before the trade deadline, but the move had no immediate effect because they lacked a focal point in the backcourt.
Reggie Jackson missed 67 games in the last two seasons and it affects the team, but they might benefit from the John Wall situation in Washington.
Somehow, Wizards players seemed to enjoy playing without him than with him. The former All-NBA point guard missed half of the season, and his teammates didn’t have a problem with that at all.
Breaking up a backcourt duo like John Wall and Bradley Beal sounds crazy on paper, but clearly one of them has to go. Swapping Wall for a player like Lowry, who is also a better shooter, can bring Washington back to the top while solving some personal issues.
Toronto had a good regular season; they were the best team in the East, actually. But LeBron James got them again, knocking them out of the playoffs for the third year in a row. With LeBron having one of the worse supporting casts he ever had, not getting close to the finals will have a big impact on the Raptors' future.
Kyle Lowry is already 32 years old and recorded his lowest point average and usage rating since his first season in Toronto five years ago. He wasn't as important as he was before and he is definitely expendable.
It is important to note that John wall cannot be traded until July 26 because he signed a Designated Veteran Player Extension on that date last year. Also, Detroit has to wait until after this draft in order to trade their 2019 first-rounder because their 2018 pick was a part of the Blake Griffin trade.