2019 NBA Trade Deadline: 5 teams that should trade for Dennis Smith Jr.

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Honorable Mentions

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of our five best deals, here are a couple that just missed the cut, either because they didn’t make enough sense or just weren’t enticing enough for one or both sides.

Chicago Bulls

If the Chicago Bulls aren’t sold on Kris Dunn as their point guard of the future, they could send him (and perhaps a future draft pick of some sort) to Dallas. They could also package Dunn and Jabari Parker in a deal for DSJ and Matthews.

However, Parker doesn’t seem like a great fit in Dallas, even if Dunn’s defense and secondary playmaking could be a nice fit alongside Doncic.

Washington Wizards

If the Washington Wizards consider trading their best player — and yes, that’s Bradley Beal, even when John Wall is healthy — they’ll be pursuing a full-blown rebuild. If that’s the case, a Wall trade would be imminent, but why not find their point guard of the future in the meantime?

Beal would fetch quite a high asking price, especially if other teams come to bid for his services, but a deal of Smith, Wes Matthews‘ expiring contract and a future first round pick (2021 at the earliest) provides a nice blend of young talent, salary cap relief and draft assets.

However, it’d probably take more than one young player and one draft pick to catch Washington’s eye, and since the earliest Dallas could offer a pick is three years away due to the 2019 first-rounder owed to the Atlanta Hawks, this is a non-starter.

Phoenix Suns

We’ll give the Phoenix Suns an obligatory shoutout because they were mentioned in Woj’s initial report and because they still need an established point guard, but Arizona Sports‘ John Gambadoro already put these rumors to bed, and a trade straight up for Mikal Bridges or Josh Jackson should be off the table.

Jackson seems like a sensible option for both sides, but that’s simply exchanging flawed draft prospects from 2017 who have shown flashes. More than likely, both teams would rather have their own flawed prospect and hope he pans out.