GM: David Roberts, @david_roberts19

Salary Cap: $123,027,600

Luxury Tax: $27,239,400

GOAL: With Cade hurt, tank one final season, trade vets for fair value or keep them for next year

Priority

• Trade off veterans like Nerlens Noel, Alec Burks, and Cory Joseph

• Consider trading Bojan Bogdanovic if you can get a lightly protected first

o   Lakers?

• Assess the market on Saddiq Bey, see if you can get a lightly protected first for him

o   Mavericks?

• Projected to have over $40 million in cap space this summer, so try to retain that and only eat into it if necessary

Players to Dangle

Bojan Bogdanovic (3/$58.6 w/ $41.5 gtd)

o   He can be valuable piece next year so not desperate to move off him

o   Salary: $19,550,000

o   Can salary match up to $24,550,000 for him

o   If you can get a potentially good FRP, you should move him

Alec Burks (2/$20.5 w/ TO in 2023-24)

o   Ditto for Burks, he has a TO for next year, and he can be a contributor next year as well, but if you get a first or a good second or two, you should probably move him

o   Salary: $10,012,800

o   Can salary match up to $15,012,800 for him

Nerlens Noel (2/$18.9 w/ TO in 2023-24)

o   Trade him for what you can get, plenty of teams need a backup center and you aren’t going to pick up his TO

o   Salary: $9,240,000

o   Can salary match up to $14,240,000 for him

o   Any second-round pick that’ll actually convey will do

Hamidou Diallo (1/$5.2)

o   Plenty of teams need athleticism, gauge offers for Hami and see if you can get a decent SRP back for him

o   Salary: $5,200,000

o   Can salary match up to $9,200,000

Cory Joseph (1/$5.2)

o   Vet on tanking team and expiring contract, trade him for what you can get

o   Salary: $5,155,500

o   Can salary match up to $9,122,125

Saddiq Bey (2/$7.5)

o   There have been rumors that Detroit is listening on Bey but want a lightly protected FRP to move him… see if anybody will bite the bullet. Maybe Dallas?

o   Salary: $2,959,000

o   Can match up to $5,278,250 in a deal

Assets Owned

• 2023 1st
• 2024 1st (top 18 protected to Knicks if ‘23 not conveyed)
• 2025 1st (top 13 protected to Knicks if ‘23 or ‘24 not conveyed)
• 2026 1st (top 11 protected to Knicks if ‘23-’25 not conveyed)
• 2027 1st (top 9 protected to Knicks if ‘23-’26 not conveyed)
• 2028 1st
• 2029 1st
• 2023 2nd
• 2024 2nd (more favorable of MEM & WAS)
• 2024 MIA 2nd (protected 31-55)
• 2025 2nd
• 2025 2nd (more favorable of GSW & WAS)-
• 2026 2nd (more favorable of NO & POR)
• 2027 2nd (to Knicks if ‘23-’27 1st doesn’t convey)
• 2027 BKN 2nd
• 2028 2nd
• 2029 2nd

Mock Trades to Date (Feb 2 Deadline)

Crowder finally on the move

Nets receive: Boban Marjanovic, 2026 2nd (least favorable of DAL, OKC, and PHI) via Miami, and cash considerations from Phoenix

Heat receive: Kessler Edwards and Jae Crowder

Suns receive: Bojan Bogdanovic, Caleb Martin, Haywood Highsmith, Detroit 2023 2nd, Miami 2029 2nd, and Day’Ron Sharpe

Pistons receive: Landry Shamet, Dario Saric, Josh Okogie, Suns 2023 1st (top-4 protected each year through 2028, then becomes PHX 28 and 29 2nds), Phoenix 2023 2nd, and MIA 2028 2nd

This is a big one to process. After the Heat had already got off Duncan Robinson’s contract by giving up a 2023 first and acquiring Eric Gordon in the process, the Heat further solidified a position of need by adding Jae Crowder to the fold. Crowder is also on an expiring contract but given his previous ties to Miami, there’s a strong likelihood that he would re-sign for around mid-level exception money this summer. Miami essentially flipped Caleb Martin, Dedmon, Highsmith, three seconds, and their 2023 1st-round pick in order to acquire Gordon, Crowder, and get off Duncan Robinson’s money. All of this occurred while they were just $150,000 under the tax and found a way to remain under the tax. Impressive cap gymnastics by the Heat.

For the Nets, Boban is a veteran presence and a great culture guy that’ll add leadership to a locker room who needs it. Brooklyn took on a second-round pick for losing Sharpe and Kessler Edwards but on this veteran-laden team, neither guy was going to provide much. For the Suns, they finally got off Crowder for a contributor but it came at the expense of their 2023 1st. But with Devin Booker expected back this week, Phoenix adds Bojan Bogdanovic to the mix and can bring Cam Johnson off the bench again. Caleb Martin also provides the Suns with some wing depth and Day’Ron Sharpe may automatically be the best backup big man behind Deandre Ayton on this team. 

For Detroit, they were hesitant to move Bogdanovic. With him signing an extension earlier in the season, they weren’t in a rush to move him as they viewed him as a real member of their core. But Phoenix has struggled this year, and quite frankly can fall out of the playoff picture if they don’t right the ship soon, so that first-round pick along with a couple seconds was valuable to them. It was reported Bogdanovic won’t be moved unless an unprotected pick was involved but here, a top-four protected Phoenix first is what got it done. Also, with Dario Saric’s contract expiring, Detroit opens up additional cap space this summer.

Kings trade star rookie for an upgrade in a 3-team deal

TRADE: Kings acquire Kyle Kuzma, Cory Joseph, and Hamidou Diallo

Wizards receive: Keegan Murray, Davion Mitchell, Matthew Dellavedova, and Alec Burks

Pistons receive: Will Barton, Alex Len, 2025 WSH 2nd, SAC 2028 2nd, 2025 SAC 2nd

This is one that won’t happen in real life, but Sacramento was insistent on it. For the Kings, they are currently the 3 seed in the west and clearly like their chances of making a deep playoff run. As a result, they traded Keegan Murray and Davion Mitchell in a deal for Kuzma. The Kings have had interest in Kuzma since they agreed to terms on a trade for him for Buddy Hield with the Lakers. The Kings also felt confident that Kuzma would re-sign, given they provide him with a certain lifestyle that he desires. While Keegan realistically won’t be moved and this was a steep price to pay for an expiring deal, a package like this may be what it takes to pry Kuzma away from the Wizards. 

For the Wizards, in real life they’ve basically deemed Kuzma untouchable for reasons beyond me. I personally don’t think he’ll re-sign, but maybe Washington knows something that the general public doesn’t. But Washington has needed to rebuild for quite some time, so getting a guy like Keegan Murray in town is the start of that possibility. Sacramento has had a 15-year playoff drought, and this is just further pushing in their chips to fortify themselves as a contender. Last year we had Sacramento trading Tyrese Haliburton in a Ben Simmons deal when we did this exercise, and it seemed far-fetched that they’d trade Haliburton at this point last year too. Again, Murray won’t be moved, but crazier things have happened. Sacramento also acquired a backup point guard in Joseph and an athletic freak in Diallo. The Wizards were further able to flip Will Barton, who has quickly fallen out of favor in Washington, for a perceived upgrade in Alec Burks for just the price of a 2025 2nd-round pick. 

For Detroit, they get three second-round picks for Burks, Diallo, and Joseph. While Detroit’s goal was to acquire more picks and Joseph and Diallo for a second round pick each is fine, they should’ve been able to get more for Alec Burks. However, Detroit acquired Burks this past offseason along with Nerlens Noel in addition to a first-round pick for a salary dump, so adding to that first isn’t bad business by Detroit either.