Which teams have the contracts necessary to acquire the top potential targets before February's 2020 NBA trade deadline?
Matching salary will be a key driver in what teams do between now and then. With the large contracts handed out during the summer of 2016 coming to an end and largely consolidated on a few teams, more and more contenders have most of their salary tied up in their best players. As a result, they might find it difficult to acquire high-salaried veterans via trade.
With the trade market set to rev up after the longest fallow period in recent memory, let's take a look at which teams have the right combination of players currently on the roster to pursue the stars who could be on the move.
Kevin Love | F | Cleveland Cavaliers
Salary: $28.9 million | Matching salary needed: $23.1 million
Let's start with Love following the recent report by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that the Cavaliers are ready to listen to trade offers for him. Actually making a deal could be tricky, in part because of Love's large salary in the first season of a four-year, $120 million extension.
For example, while Love might make sense for the power forward-needy Utah Jazz, matching salary would require them to include one of starters Bojan Bogdanovic, Mike Conley or Rudy Gobert. Otherwise, with Joe Ingles ineligible to be traded this season after an extension, Utah would need to package a minimum of eight players to match Love's salary without including Donovan Mitchell. So suffice it to say, Love isn't likely headed to Utah.
Something similar is true of the Boston Celtics, who would have to include at least four players -- led by guard Marcus Smart -- in a deal while retaining starters Gordon Hayward and Kemba Walker.
So which teams that might be interested in Love have the right matching salary?
The obvious answer is the Portland Trail Blazers, who could make a deal now using the expiring contract of Hassan Whiteside. Alternatively, the Blazers could build a deal around Kent Bazemore's expiring contract by including minimum-salary players. Either version likely would add to Portland's league-high tax bill, but dealing both Bazemore and Whiteside for Love and Tristan Thompson (also in the final season of his contract) would be close to salary neutral.
The Phoenix Suns are another intriguing possible destination for Love. They've got Tyler Johnson's $19.2 million expiring salary and a handful of options for getting to the necessary $23.1 million. Johnson and Aron Baynes ($5.5 million) would give Cleveland maximum salary relief, though Baynes has played an important role in Phoenix this year. Alternatively, Frank Kaminsky is making $4.7 million with a $5 million team option for 2020-21 and might be pushed out of Phoenix's rotation if the Suns actually added Love.
Chris Paul | G | Oklahoma City Thunder
Salary: $38.5 million | Matching salary needed: $30.7 million
Given his salary, Paul presents an even thornier version of the Love dilemma. No wonder the Houston Rockets were willing to give up two first-round picks and two pick swaps to deal Paul for Russell Westbrook (making the identical amount).
At the time, the Miami Heat reportedly were interested in Westbrook. And they could deal for Paul too using the $19.2 million expiring contract of Goran Dragic as the centerpiece of a trade. That process is complicated by the hard cap that the Heat are subject to after acquiring Jimmy Butler in a sign-and-trade. Miami can't add more than $855,000 in salary, according to our deadline primer from Bobby Marks. So Dragic and James Johnson ($15.3 million salary, $16.0 million player option for 2020-21) is not possible, though it would be sufficient salary in return.
Instead, Miami might have to build a bigger deal. Dragic, Johnson and Justise Winslow would work if the Heat took back injured Oklahoma City wing Andre Roberson, who is in the final season of a contract paying him $10.7 million. Of course, acquiring Paul would imperil the Heat's hopes of being a player in 2021 free agency, but it is possible from a cap standpoint.
Danilo Gallinari | F | Oklahoma City Thunder
Salary: $22.6 million | Matching salary needed: $17.6 million
Though Gallinari's $22.6 million salary is more modest and fair value, matching could be difficult if Portland isn't interested. Gallinari for Bazemore works straight up if the Blazers believe Gallinari can defend small forwards and is worth the cost during what could be a season lost to injuries. (Gallinari's full Bird rights would have value to a team such as Portland, either to re-sign or use in a sign-and-trade given his likely suitors this summer probably won't have cap space available to offer him more than the midlevel exception.)
Gallinari would be a lower-risk upgrade for Phoenix at power forward, as the Suns could deal Tyler Johnson for him straight up.
Outside of those two, we're reaching. As mooted by the Hollinger & Duncan NBA Show, the Toronto Raptors could swap Serge Ibaka for Gallinari if they want to turn their backup center job over to Chris Boucher and get more shooting on the court. Or perhaps the Sacramento Kings would be interested in sending Trevor Ariza (whose 2020-21 salary of $12.8 million has just $1.8 million guaranteed through June 30) and Nemanja Bjelica (whose 2020-21 salary is non-guaranteed) for Gallinari.
Andre Iguodala | F | Memphis Grizzlies
Salary: $17.2 million | Matching salary needed: $12.2 million
With the Grizzlies still hoping to land a quality draft pick for Iguodala rather than buying him out, it will be interesting to see whether a contender tries to avoid battling for him as a free agent. Because Iguodala makes less money than the other players we've discussed, his market is much wider.
The Dallas Mavericks are a natural fit. They could send the expiring contract of Courtney Lee straight up for Iguodala to upgrade their wing rotation.
The LA Clippers are another compelling Iguodala trade candidate if they fear he'll go to the rival Los Angeles Lakers after a buyout. A package of Maurice Harkless and Jerome Robinson would work for Iguodala now. Or the Clippers could send Harkless and Rodney McGruder once McGruder becomes trade-eligible on Jan. 15.
If the Lakers want to trade for Iguodala to avoid the risk of him heading elsewhere, they could try to send Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, injured center DeMarcus Cousins and one other low-salary player in return. But because Caldwell-Pope re-signed with the Lakers using early Bird rights and can be a free agent next summer (he has a player option for 2020-21), he would have to approve the deal and would lose Bird rights for his next contract unless he picks up the player option now. If Caldwell-Pope says no, the Lakers would have to trade multiple rotation players to make an Iguodala deal work.
The Blazers also could make a move for Iguodala. A deal sending Bazemore and a minimum-salary player for Iguodala and forward Jae Crowder works financially and would replenish Portland's depleted frontcourt, but at the cost of adding $11 million to their tax bill. Alternatively, Bazemore for Iguodala works straight up and would save the Blazers some money.