Trade no. 1
In this trade idea, the Miami Heat would be sending a huge package to Memphis that includes Hassan Whiteside, Dion Waiters, Wayne Ellington and a 2023 unprotected first round pick in return for Marc Gasol and Chandler Parsons.
As most of Heat nation knows, dealing with a logjam has been the main difficulty for Miami this season, and not just at one position (well, the wing is pretty full). In this move, the Heat would be getting rid of Waiters and Ellington, who both could immediately impact a team as they have been both very transparent on how they could play high minutes right now.
Waiters’ is a 26-year-old looking to get starter minutes and is ready to produce every night he puts on a jersey, something that Memphis could use to help build next to Jaren, as Waiters’ is not that expensive at $11-12 million over the next few seasons. As for Ellington, he is one of the leagues best 3-point snipers and turns into a solid asset for Memphis to grab more picks by the deadline, as several playoff teams are interested, especially the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Heat taking on Chandler Parsons is what should make Memphis giddy in this deal, as getting out of that Ludacris contract would help their production (because he is not even playing) and help their cap in the long-term. However, the Grizzlies do have to take on a big man in Hassan Whiteside, who they can pair next to Jaren until the summer of 2020 when Whiteside’s deal is up.