June saw a good amount of NBA trades occur before free agency had even began. Let’s look at some of the big players who were on the move and how it effects the league.
Chris Paul to the Warriors
This trade went somewhat under the radar for how big of a star was involved in this deal. Paul was traded to the Wizards and then immediately shipped to Golden State for a package around Jordan Poole. It was a big move for both teams as the Warriors look like they are ready to make another finals push with a more veteran guard than Poole and the Wizards came away with a nice young player plus more assets.
John Collins to the Jazz
It’s clear that the Hawks waited too long to trade John Collins. For seemingly two years now Collins has been in trade rumors and he was finally dealt to the Jazz. A first-round pick was rumored to be offered with a solid young player at this year’s trade deadline but Atlanta waited too long and got just Rudy Gay and a second-round pick for Collins. For Utah this is a big move, literally. Lauri Markkanen, Collins, and Walker Kessler are all projected to start for them making one of the biggest starting lineups in the league.
Bradley Beal to the Suns
It seemed that the Wizards got a bad deal for Beal initially getting just Chris Paul back with second round picks but see the above Chris Paul trade. You will notice that they flipped Paul immediately for Jordan Poole and more assets. Essentially, the Wizards got all of those picks from Phoenix and then Jordan Poole, another young player in Patrick Baldwin, a first-round pick, and another second-round pick for Beal. Not bad for the Wizards. Phoenix now is a top-4 favorite to win the NBA Title in 2024 in a lot of people’s eyes.
Photo Credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chris_Paul,Bradley_Beal(30891208804).jpg
