Yes, you read the title right and no, you did not miss a transaction… though a Bridges and Risacher trade wouldn’t sound too outlandish… we are in fact reaching the end of our “non-aspiration” trade recap, where the pickings are getting thinner as we move through our chronological process. Sounds too cerebral for what it ends up being, much like my love making. But the fact remains, we just have some smaller names to discuss until the Kawhi Leonard situation clarifies itself…
So here’s a quick breakdown of the two trades we’ll be highlighting…
- Suns acquire Miles Bridges, either the Hornets’, Jazz’s, Timberwolves’ (top-five protected), or Cavaliers’ 2029 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable), and either the Celtics’ or Magic’s 2027 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
- Hornets acquire Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale, and the Suns’ 2033 first-round pick.
And…
- Hawks acquire Luguentz Dort and Ryan Nembhard.
- Mavericks acquire Zaccharie Risacher and the Hawks’ 2027 second-round pick (top-55 protected).
- Thunder acquire the Bulls’ 2027 second-round pick (from Mavericks), either the Rockets’ (56-60 protected) or Hawks’ 2031 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable), and either the Lakers’ or Hawks’ 2032 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable).
For ease, we’ll separate this into two obvious sections. First will be; nothing has really changed. That goes for Dort, O’Neale, probably Nembhard and sort of Bridges. I know, such specificity and clarity.
All I’m saying is that Dort’s defense will keep him on the court for a team that needs him as the point of attack defender, and his value for you will be determined if he shoots closer to 2026 or 2025 Dort. O’Neale pretty much stays the same in my eyes and while Miles Bridges will likely be moving to a similar situation on the floor, perhaps there is some kind of potential to unlock… but I’m not sure gathering all the Michigan players actually can do this. Seemed to work with the Knicks and Villanova, so… yeah, it’s not going to work for the Suns. I like the idea of Nembhard on the Hawks, but would like to wait and see how things look on the depth chart in a few weeks.
The second section is; changes are a coming. Grayson Allen? Look, it’s not a huge change, but I love him paired with Kon Knueppel. Obviously the loss of Ball may hurt both, but let’s not forget that the Hornets were one of the slower half-court teams in terms of creating offense. With an efficient system in place and Ball not there to dribble for 20 seconds to create, there could be major benefits to Allen.
Then there’s of course Zaccharie Risacher, the player with the most to gain and perhaps the most to lose out of this group. It’s no secret that the 2024 draft has been one of the weaker ones in recent memory, and the former first overall pick has struggled to show signs of life since his rocky, but intriguing rookie campaign. Rumored for almost a year now in potential trades, the Hawks finally moved on, and now the lengthy shooter has a chance to bounce back on the Mavs.
I can’t think of a better place to rebuild what he once had, but the question remains if he actually ever did have it. Don’t get me wrong, I love the situation and opportunity to pair along side Kyrie and Cooper, but consider this a caution that even if Zaccharie does rebound his career, his future may still end up being a stove bench shooter or situational wing. Definitely worth a flyer though, if the price is right.
