Brooklyn Nets: Trading Nic Claxton
As the Brooklyn Nets head deeper into their rebuild, nothing can be considered completely off the table for the team. Of note, the Nets are the only team in the NBA that is projected to have more than $30 million in cap space. In short, Brooklyn will have endless flexibility to completely rework their roster this summer. Of course, that doesn't mean they're going to do so. One big move that the team could explore that would add another interesting layer to the offseason involves trading Nic Claxton.
Signing Claxton to a huge deal last offseason to keep the asset on their books, there's reason to believe that the Nets could have a change of mind when it comes to the future of Claxton. If the Nets are looking to head down a slow, long rebuild process, it would make sense to trade Claxton. He's 26 years old, and there's no guarantee he's going to be a fit for the next rebuild. Claxton hitting the market could completely shift the center market this offseason.
Charlotte Hornets: Trading LaMelo Ball
At least on paper, the Charlotte Hornets have one of the more talented young cores in the league. They haven't been able to translate their talent to on-court success, but there's reason to believe that the Hornets' future is still trending in the position direction. Interestingly enough, there have been some signs that suggest the Hornets could be guaging the idea or plausibility of shopping LaMelo Ball on the trade block. If that were to happen, and the Hornets were to pull the trigger, it would certainly send shockwaves across the rest of the league.
Ball is a talented player, and despite his shortcomings when it comes to durability of making the players around him better, he's still in the midst of his prime years and could be a great addition to any team looking for an offensive-minded lead guard. Even if there's a small chance that the Hornets would trade Ball, it's certainly a storyline to keep a close eye on heading into the offseason.