Transactions around the NBA have slowed to a halt entering training camps, and the unofficial start to trade season remains around two-and-a-half-months away. But! Plenty of teams still face critical questions that need answers—preferably imminently. And that allows us—perhaps even begs us—to continue thinking about potential moves.
Three of the rosters up against the most pressing inquiries just so happen to hail from the Western Conference. Can the Golden State Warriors find a way to immediately bolster their ceiling through what's left of the Stephen Curry era without obliterating their future asset base? Do the Portland Trail Blazers have any inkling to clear up their big-man surplus? Are the New Orleans Pelicans ever planning on adding a starting-caliber center to their depth chart? Or figuring out the Brandon Ingram situation? Now, try this one on for size: Is there a scenario in which all three of these teams are able to help one another? Let's find out. Nobody superfluous is being roped in here.
Golden State, New Orleans and Portland are all helping each other reorient their rotations and, in at least one case, overarching direction. Here is what the deal looks, with every player's 2024-25 salary in parentheticals: Golden State Warriors Receive: Brandon Ingram ($36 million), Jeremiah Robinson-Earl ($2.2 million) New Orleans Pelicans: Deandre Ayton ($34 million), Moses Moody ($5.
8 million), Golden State's 2025 first-rounder (top-eight protection) Portland Trail B.