NBA offseason: Six star trade ideas to shake up the summer - ESPN

Where could Ja Morant land this summer? Will the Detroit Pistons make a move to boost their offense? Will the Oklahoma City Thunder's pending financial crunch necessitate trading a star? How will the Los Angeles Lakers build around Luka Doncic?

These questions could all be answered this offseason, but we're getting an early jump. ESPN NBA insiders Ben Golliver, Zach Kram and André Snellings propose six moves that would shake up the league, while NBA front office insider Bobby Marks examines each deal's impact from a financial and team-building perspective.

Jump to a trade:
Lakers add another Maverick
OKC cuts salary with star deal
Morant plus Ant | Ja and D-Book
Pistons add Kyrie | PG-13 to 313

Los Angeles Lakers get:

Daniel Gafford

Dallas Mavericks get:

Jarred Vanderbilt
Dalton Knecht
2026 first-round pick (No. 25)

After the Mavericks overhauled their front office and parted ways with coach Jason Kidd, it seems that the franchise is ready to fully move on from its previous era into one revolving around Cooper Flagg. So, I have two deals in mind that would trade a pair of veterans who contributed to Dallas' 2024 NBA Finals team, in exchange for more youth and draft picks.

The first sends Gafford to L.A., where he can rejoin Luka Doncic and thrive once more as a pick-and-roll partner and rim-running threat. This deal should be a no-brainer for the Lakers, as they'd address their glaring hole at the center position — which would still exist even if Deandre Ayton exercised his option for next season — with a player who's a proven fit next to Doncic. Gafford would certainly help the Lakers more next season than any rookie they could draft with the No. 25 pick.

On the other side, Dallas lost a 2028 pick swap when it