3 Possible Trade Destinations for Expensive NBA Superstars

Highlights

• The New York Knicks have stockpiled picks to trade for a superstar, hoping to fill their need for a top player.
• The Oklahoma City Thunder are ready to trade for a superstar, with 13 first-round picks and ample cap space.
• The Philadelphia 76ers seek a 1A superstar to complement Embiid and have the most cap space in the league.

There will be no shortage of free agents available this offseason, with huge names in the likes of LeBron James, Pascal Siakam, and James Harden being up for grabs. But there are also a few big-name superstars who will not be free agents but may still be up for the taking.

Due to the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which was put into effect in the past offseason, teams with high payrolls will face a plethora of punishments for being over the salary cap and luxury tax. Superstar players take up huge chunks of team payroll, with their exorbitant salaries, so certain teams featuring these superstars and inflated payrolls will have to trade them off.

Big names that will not be free agents in the 2024 offseason will therefore be available. The Boston Celtics are already $51 million over the salary cap and will be forced to trade at least one of Jaylen Brown or Jrue Holiday. The Minnesota Timberwolves will be out of cap space next season and Karl-Anthony Towns could be the odd man out.

The New Orleans Pelicans may also have to make a decision between Zion Williamson, C.J. McCollum, and Brandon Ingram — executives and insiders believe the latter may be the one to go. But teams will not just sell these stars off for nothing.

It will take massive blockbuster deals to get these players, likely involving multiple first-round picks. Three of the following teams have been stockpiling such assets for the purpose of splashing in one of these potential stars.

New York Knicks

Knicks have been stockpiling picks to finally obtain their superstar

The narrative surrounding the New York Knicks has always been their lacking superstar, that one final piece that would put them over the hump. Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle (when healthy) have lived up to expectations, and in some cases beyond, but the Knicks still lack that dominant grade-A superstar they have so desired.

That could change this offseason. The Knicks are currently in possession of ten first-round draft picks, with only four of those being locked beyond the fifth pick or higher. Four of the picks are for 2024, two are for 2025, and then the last four are each for 2026, 2027, 2028, and 2029.

Since New York is in possession of all of these picks, it only makes sense that they are stockpiling them to use in a trade for a superstar.

The Knicks also have at least $9,373,622 in projected cap space coming up this offseason. With a couple of expiring contracts and upcoming free agents, the Knicks will look to retain the core of Brunson, Randle, and OG Anunoby (who is an upcoming free agent) but finalize it with a superstar.

According to Howard Beck of The Ringer, the Knicks will absolutely be a trade destination for one of the expensive players, so look for them to be offseason contenders.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Oklahoma City possesses a young core and plenty of cap space

The Oklahoma City Thunder have vastly turned it around this season. A team that was recently in a rebuild, the Thunder have graduated and have swiftly become title contenders. They possess one of the best records in the NBA at 41-18, second in the Western Conference.

If they are already legit contenders, why would they need to be players for a superstar in the offseason? The Thunder are seeking to go from second-fiddle in the West to the Timberwolves, to owners of a packed and stacked Western Conference.

The Timberwolves are one of the teams facing salary cap issues, so this year could potentially be their last season of dominance if their roster gets shaken up.

The Thunder have 13 first-round draft picks (though the majority of them are protected and locked to lower selections). Three of these are for 2024, while four of them are for 2025, two are for 2026, one for 2027, two for 2028, and one for 2029.

Already in possession of a solid young core due to wise drafting, the Thunder could absolutely use some of these picks in a deal for a superstar. Oklahoma City is also estimated to possess $41,737,187 in potential cap space this offseason, so they will have significant room to spend.

The primary concern is that the Thunder are already building the core and chemistry needed to contend, and a superstar might shake that up. The Thunder were also listed as a destination by Beck, so regardless, they could easily be a trade destination.

Philadelphia 76ers

76ers have a superstar in Embiid, but also have plenty of cap space

The Philadelphia 76ers are a rare team to possess a solid superstar in Joel Embiid, and also have plenty of cap space. With only two players actually signed for the offseason, they are projected to have $76,818,078 in potential cap space, the most in the entire league (the Detroit Pistons, who are in the midst of a rebuild, are second).

Not only do the Sixers have plenty of upcoming cap space, but they are also in possession of nine first-round picks. These are spread out fairly evenly over the next five years, with only one each being for 2024 and 2025, but they have two for 2026, one for 2027, two for 2028, and two for 2029.

“The Sixers, the rare contender with salary-cap room, will be aggressively shopping for a third star.” – Howard Beck

Even better for the Sixers is that four of these picks are exclusively for the top few picks in the Draft, so whichever team is in control of those picks will be guaranteed to draft at least in the top few selections. There is little doubt that they will use some picks to trade for a superstar who will be the 1A to Embiid.

This year has not gone terribly well for the 76ers after Embiid got hurt in January. Prior to that, Philadelphia was solidly in possession of third place in the Eastern Conference, and there was nowhere to go but up.

But Embiid’s injury has exposed the Sixers’ roster as they have struggled in his absence. They have fallen to fifth in the East and with most of the teams being so close, they could fall even further.

The 76ers have turned themselves into somewhat of a destination after building an identity around Embiid and reaching the playoffs multiple times in the past few seasons. Granted, they have not gone far in the playoffs, but the potential is there as Embiid is in the prime of his career and is expected to be healthy next year.

Philadelphia has the potential to become a legit title contender if they add a 1A superstar to Embiid. They could therefore easily be a trade destination come this offseason.