The NBA had one of the biggest trades in league history go through late Saturday night. The trade led Luka Dončić to the Lakers, while Anthony Davis headed to the Lone Star State. Then on Sunday, another big trade happened, involving De’Aaron Fox and Zach LaVine. For NFL fans, here are some trade comparisons to put these blockbuster trades into perspective.
The Luka – AD trade involved two superstar players, there’s no doubt about that, but Luka possesses an ability to change the game much more than Davis. Similar to this mock trade, Barkley and James both have had flashes of greatness, but Barkley has been the far better player for a longer period. This trade would also include a third-round pick to help close the gap in terms of value. Nevertheless, this win would absolutely be a win for the Chargers.
Saquon transformed this Eagles offense, and in 2022 he just about single-handedly carried the Giants to a playoff win. He is a game-changer on every level and was under a hundred yards away from having the most rushing yards in a season ever. He is very similar to Luka in the sense people thought he was untouchable until both of their teams let them go. At just 27, Barkley will continue to uplift the Eagle’s offense and give them more dimension in the offense.
Derwin James Jr. has had a roller coaster of an NFL career. He was named a first-team all-pro twice in his young career, and another two times as a second-team all-pro. However, in 2019 and 2020 he battled injuries, and even in 2022, he wasn’t the same player as he was in previous seasons. He is a tremendous defensive player, but injuries and inconsistent play make his trade value nowhere near Barkley’s.
If this trade were to legitimately happen, the city of Cincinnati would riot. Ja’Marr Chase is a bonified top-two receiver in the league. He played a massive role in taking the Bengals to the 2022 Super Bowl. The Bengals had the confidence to take him over Penei Sewell in the 2021 NFL draft. This decision paid off tenfold. Trading away Chase would be the biggest mistake this franchise has ever made, especially for a player with a lower trade value like Nick Bosa.
Nick Bosa, much like AD is a top-tier defensive player in their respective leagues. Unfortunately for Bosa, he has had a couple of down seasons, compared to 2021 and 2022 when he posted 34 sacks during those two years. Seemingly on a bit of a decline and plateau, his value is now nowhere near a top-two receiver in the league. It is unbelievably important to have a good front seven in the NFL, but if your quarterback has nobody to throw to, the team will struggle immensely.
This one may be a bit of a stretch, but I think it still applies to the NBA equivalent. Patrick Surtain has cemented himself in the conversation of best cornerback in the NFL. He was the backbone of the Denver defense, who had a complete 180 from last season. Now a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, Surtain is now thought of as untouchable and should play most of his years out in Denver. But what if that wasn’t the case, and the Broncos traded him for a great receiver in Cooper Kupp?
The former triple-crown winner to the Broncos would be considered the losing side of this trade. While Kupp has had record-breaking seasons, injuries have held him back in a major way. He has yet to play more than 13 games in the past three seasons which correlates with his numbers taking a dive. At 31, he can still bounce back, but the value just isn’t there. Especially if you’re the Broncos who are just finishing a rebuild with a great young team.
The second big trade happened over this past weekend. It was between the Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, and Chicago Bulls. Fox was dealt to the Spurs, while LaVine saw himself headed west to California. The Kings also received three first-round picks. To keep it simple, these comparisons will focus on Fox for LaVine and pick hypotheticals. The NFL rarely sees three-team trades.
Assuming Ceedee Lamb is De’Aaron Fox in this scenario, it isn’t the worst trade in the world. The Cowboys would get Courtland Sutton and a second-round pick in this year’s draft. While a tier below Ceedee Lamb, this trade has similarities with the NBA trade. Lamb might not want to rebuild with the Cowboys. He could request a trade or choose not to resign in three years. This would force the Cowboys to get what they can for him. Sutton and draft capital are a fairly good return given the potential situation.
For the Broncos this trade makes perfect sense. You get a younger Lamb and a true star for Bo Nix to throw too. This drives resemblance to San Antonio as they are now getting a star in Fox to play around Victor Wembanyama. While Bo Nix is no Wembanyama, getting your QB a top receiver can improve an offense tenfold. Just ask the Bengals when they drafted Ja’Marr Chase.
In this trade scenario, Amon Ra St. Brown is De’Arron Fox. The 25-year-old superstar receiver has played great in his time in Detroit. He always seems to be along the fringes of the top five conversations in terms of WRs. He is multi-dimensional and can do a little bit of everything on offense. Perhaps, if he played alongside Anthony Richardson and helped him develop great results would follow. A first-round pick that very much has the potential to be a top-10 pick would also be of great value to this Lions team.
Michael Pittman Jr. never truly broke out like people thought. Inconsistent quarterback play has plagued the 27-year-old throughout his entire career. New scenery with a consistently good QB like Jared Goff may prove beneficial for Pittman’s production. Sending over a first is a high risk, but the reward of St. Brown is too tempting, especially with a young QB like Richardson.
While Adams appears to be out of his prime, hear me out on this one. The Steelers have lacked a true WR1 ever since Antonio Brown, and Adams could slot in nicely as that guy. Pickens is yet to truly emerge as a WR1, and a secondary role could prove beneficial for the Steelers offense. Maybe this isn’t what gets them over the hump, but it would certainly be a step in the right direction. Losing Harris isn’t great, but decent running backs aren’t hard to come by these days.
For the New York Jets, this trade makes a lot of sense. Adams is on the decline and probably doesn’t want to want to stick through a rebuild or retool. A Breece Hall Najee Harris RB duo could be deadly. The Jets would also receive more draft capital for their rebuild/retool, along with a guy who most likely has more years left in the tank at an NFL level than Davante.
This was a fun look at how the NBA trades this past weekend look in NFL form. Do I believe any of these trades will happen? No. But I also bet that Mavs fans didn’t think that Luka would ever leave Dallas. Sports are unpredictable, and everyone needs to expect the unexpected.
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