If I Could Send One Player to Any Team (Southwest Division)

Remember that in 2024, it wasn't all the way 'til like the last week of August that KAT ended up in New York.  So I don't want to start hastily giving out offseason grades, because by the time all the ink has dried we still don't know who may end up where.  For instance, Giannis still has yet to definitively state he's going to remain in Milwaukee.  And even someone like CP3, if he ends up on a contender that actually appreciates and needs his skillset, that could be monumental.

But most of the roster moves heading into next season have already transpired.  So unlike the first installment of "If I Could Send One Player to Any Team", henceforth I'm going to try to be more practical, focusing on players whom teams can more realistically acquire, such as free agents that are still on the market.  Doing so may not be as exciting as going full fantasy, but it is more practical.  And on that note...

DENVER NUGGETS (JONATHAN KUMINGA)

It's more difficult to call this one because we don't know if Valanciunas is going to report for duty.  But I foresee something like Aaron Gordon noticeably aging this coming season.  And I don't know how much better Cameron Johnson is supposed to be over Porter Jr., but with Denver recently acquiring Brown and Hardaway, there appears to be more of a need in the frontcourt.

I don't want to see Westbrook re-signed, considering the way they devalued him in the postseason.  I'm thinking more like a PF, and realistically the best one that may be available is Kuminga.  His athleticism and all-around game would almost be like a second Gordon next to Jokic.  He can also run the point a bit, which will come in handy once Murray is inevitably injured.

If I really wanted to go wild, I would even suggest trading Kuminga for Gordon straight up as, considering age and experience and all that kinda sh*t, the latter may now be better suited for the Dubs.  Imagine Aaron Gordon on Golden State?  They never had a PF like that.

If I were still on that hardcore fantasy shit, I'd rather go with Giannis over Kuminga.  Giannis + Jokic would be a definite championship, but again, dude ain't a free agent.  So Denver would literally have to trade like their entire team to get him, though Giannis + Jokic could probably win a championship with virtually any supporting cast, so long as dudes can play defense and score a bit.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (MALCOLM BROGDON)

I went with a PG because I still find it kinda odd how large of a role Conley has on this team.  I have nothing against Mike and rather think he deserves more recognition for being one of the few players who's still viable in his late 30s.  He makes timely plays on occasion, but it's hard to understand why he's averaging nearly 25 minutes on a team built like the Timberwolves.  Apparently, he's like a really good teammate or some shit.

Having Ben Simmons alongside Rudy Gobert isn't ideal from a scoring standpoint.  That type of dynamic would dictate that Edwards and Randle be allowed to take as many shots as they like.  That isn't a bad thing, if not for the fact that the former appears shy at times, while the latter can be shutdown if the right type of defense focuses on doing so.

A high-scoring PG like Steph, it's hard to imagine him co-existing alongside Edwards.  This is Anthony's team, for better or worse.  So ideally anyone who comes in would complement, not overshadow, Ant-Man.  Yeah, I know what you're thinking, 'isn't that Mike Conley anyway'?  But that just goes to show how complex the Wolves' situation is.  They're too extraordinary to fail yet not good enough to actually win.

So I'm going with Malcolm Brogdon.  Remember there was a time, before the injuries started piling up, when he was one of the most-formidable scoring Gs in the NBA, like early in his career, even from his rookie season.  But the reason I'm espousing him is not only because Brodgon can score, but also his game is more cerebral, like it wouldn't take away from Edwards or Randle.  Also, having him plus Conley around, like if you were to mesh those two together, you'd have the perfect PG.  All things considered, Minnesota doesn't need a major upgrade like another superstar.  They just need to figure things out type shit, while making the right under-the-radar additions.

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (CHRIS PAUL)

There were reports that CP3 may go to the Knicks, which sounded exciting at first.  But then when I really thought about, NYK is a team that seems to flourish with shoot-first PGs, like Brunson and McBride.  So no need to change that dynamic now, as it currently looks like they're going to take the East next season.

Out of all of the contenders out there, Paul going to OKC makes the most sense.  He may not be a starter as he prefers, but this is a team that could really benefit from a pass-first PG when SGA is on the bench or sometimes even when he's on the court, thus allowing him to solely focus on scoring.  With a teammate like CP3, Shai may even go on to average like 35ppg.

Meanwhile, let's just say that whereas the Thunder took home to Larry O'Brien, they didn't necessarily impress in the Finals.  Given the youth of their roster, a noticeable degree of internal growth is expected.  But it won't hurt to upgrade externally also, and their frontcourt isn't lacking.  Meanwhile, for whatever reason, CP3 is available on the cheap, and no one will see this coming.

PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS (NIKOLA JOKIC)

The Trailblazers are like a youth movement with no discernible future.  So in this case, I'm not going to go with a player who's a free agent but rather, you know, with the best guy in the league, i.e. Nikola Jokic.  Technically, SGA is MVP, but it's hard to imagine how a PG, as opposed to a C, can turn this ship around, even though their guard rotation, especially since trading away Simons, leaves something to be desired also.

It's been awhile since I did any research on Scoot, and by the looks of things, he has more or less materialized into a bust, as I predicted, not due to any shortcoming on his part (tho he may have been overrated) but rather Portland's braintrust unwisely throwing him (i.e. a rookie PG) into the fire too fast.

UTAH JAZZ (JOSH GIDDEY)

The Jazz is a team that has become so irrelevant that it's a chore to even write about them.  The thing I dislike about Utah is that they overtly tanked over the last couple of seasons, just to have shit totally backfire on them.  The biggest news to come out of Jazz land over the past 18+ months has been acquiring a rookie who doesn't or didn't even want to play for them.

They also recently gave up on Sexton and Clarkson which, if you look at the rest of their roster, doesn't really make sense.  But maybe Ainge and co. know something that we don't.  It's almost like now, they're in a semi-rebuild.  Markannen is still the star of the team I guess, but if he actually wants to win, it's hard to imagine him being content with this lackluster organization, which also happens to be in the West.

It almost feels like an insult suggesting any player go to the Jazz.  But since he is White and is currently the best all-around (restricted) free agent available, I have to go with Josh Giddey.  As it currently stands, it's hard to imagine a primarily White team winning a championship, even if there are a couple of above-average Europeans thrown in the mix.  But all things considered, something like that may happen sooner than we think.