Last Updated on February 7, 2024 10:45 pm by Mike Passador | Published: January 18, 2023

GM: Garrett Bugay, @garrettbugay

Salary Cap: $166,252,588

Luxury Tax: -$15,985,588

GOAL: Trade Jae Crowder for best win-now piece you can and assess where this team is at by time Devin Booker returns from injury

Priorities

• Trade Jae Crowder for a piece that can help contribute for championship

• Acquire more depth

• You have plenty of picks at your disposal, don’t be afraid to trade one or two for a major upgrade

Players to Dangle

Deandre Ayton (4/$132.9)

o   Salary: $30,913,750

o   Can salary match up to $38,742,187 in a deal for him

o   Can’t be traded to Indiana before the deadline because of restricted rights after his deal was matched

o   Also has a one year no-trade clause due to restricted rights being matched, so he’d have to agree to any trade

Jae Crowder (1/$10.2)

o   Salary: $10,183,800

o   Can salary match up to $12,829,750

o   Obviously he’s holding out to be traded to a team where he’d have a substantial role + possibly sign an extension

o   Rumor: It was reported by Shams Charania that Crowder was initially headed to Milwaukee in a three-teamer involving Houston (Eric Gordon and maybe KJ Martin), with Grayson Allen + salary filler going to Houston along with four second-round picks

o   It’s been speculated that Phoenix desperately wants KJ Martin, would they give up a first round pick to get him?

o   Target Players:

• Bogdan Bogdanovic
• John Collins
• Joe Harris or Seth Curry
• Reggie Bullock
• Alec Burks or Bojan Bogdanovic
• Eric Gordon
• Kenyon Martin Jr.
• Buddy Hield
• Robert Covington or Luke Kennard
• Grayson Allen
• Evan Fournier
• Matisse Thybulle
• Gary Trent Jr.
• Malik Beasley
• Kyle Kuzma or Will Barton

Landry Shamet (4/$42.5 w/ NG ‘24-’25 & TO in ‘25-’26)

o   Salary: $9,500,000

o   Can salary match up to $11,975,000 in a deal for him

o   Either him or Saric are most likely to be attached to Crowder for an upgrade; however, Saric is on expiring deal so he may be more appealing depending the team he goes to

o   Suggested trade: Crowder + Shamet to Atlanta for Bogdan Bogdanovic + salary filler to keep ATL under the tax

o   Atlanta is apparently infatuated with Bogdanovic as well

Dario Saric (1/$9.2)

o   Salary: $9,240,000

o   Can match up to $11,650,000

o   He’s obviously fallen out of rotation there since his injury, but he could be a great acquisition in a salary match deal for a team who needs a small ball center without committing any long term money to him

Assets Owned

• 2023 1st
• 2024 1st
• 2025 1st
• 2026 1st
• 2027 1st
• 2028 1st
• 2029 1st
• 2023 2nd
• 2024 2nd
• 2025 2nd
• 2026 2nd
• 2027 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.

Suns add a ball-handler

Cavaliers trade Raul Neto to the Suns for cash considerations

The Suns needed a backup point guard, and Cleveland was going to outright waive Neto with Ricky Rubio back. As a result, he heads to a destination that can utilize his playmaking ability and give insurance to Phoenix in their backcourt. 

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Steven Bagell

Steven is SportsEthos’ NBA Front Office Expert and host of the Bird Rights Podcast, where he discusses the salary cap and front office aspect of the league. Steven is also well rounded fantasy sports player and is well versed in fantasy basketball, football, and baseball

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