The first game of the NBA Finals served notice that the Miami Heat versus the Oklahoma City Thunder may be one of the most riveting matchups we've seen in years, but looming just on the horizon is the draft. If the Finals go seven games, there will be just a two-day gap between the crowning of the champion and the de facto start of the 2012-13 season, which will begin after the New Orleans Hornets presumably select Anthony Davis No. 1 on June 28. So we have to keep that in mind as we enjoy some tremendous on-court action.
The draft is the most exciting time of the year for fans who love to break down transactions, and the trade buzz that surrounds that day is the most interesting part of the process. That's when we learn how teams view themselves. Are they trying to fill a need that will allow them to take the next step as a franchise, or are they tearing down while building a new foundation? Successful franchises answer those questions correctly.
With that in mind, let's consider three possible pre-draft trades that would be mutually beneficial to the teams involved.
1. The Chicago Bulls trade C Joakim Noah and the No. 29 pick to the Sacramento Kings for G Tyreke Evans and the No. 5 pick.