Laying out a trade to give the Bulls an upgrade
The Charlotte Hornets are in a death spiral this season, and it makes sense for them to take calls about selling their veteran players. As such, they aren’t going to be making any deals for win-now pieces; they need draft capital.
The Suns are the opposite, as they have an aging core and need to strike now. Jae Crowder makes $10.1 million, while their targeted replacement in Jalen McDaniels makes just $1.9. The Bulls therefore step in, filling in the salary gap and helping to balance this trade out.
As proposed by Fanspo, here is the deal:
https://twitter.com/fanspo/status/1613562555477250048
The Phoenix Suns get what they want here, as Crowder is giving them nothing right now. McDaniels is a good young forward who takes a step forward each season, and the Suns will be able to re-sign him this summer. Coby White gives them some guard depth and is in the final year of his deal if the Suns want to move on after the season. This is unquestionably a win for Phoenix.
For Charlotte, this trade is….well, honestly it’s garbage for the Hornets. McDaniels is having his best season yet, averaging 11.2 points per game as he expands his role on the struggling Hornets. He is an excellent athlete with good defensive chops and a burgeoning on-ball game.
McDaniels is the kind of player the Hornets want to sign to a new deal this summer to keep around, not sell for peanuts. Their return here is for a non-NBA player in Marko Simonovic and two second-round picks. It’s highly unlikely Charlotte says yes to this deal.