Certainly, in the last few big transaction periods–the trade deadline, the NBA draft and the opening of free agency–the NBA trade rumor mill has been buzzing. Coming into this season, it’s too early to tell how things will shake out, but already there are executives who are suggesting this will be a busy season for trades yet again.
There are a few reasons–and we saw this play out over the past year. The first is the second apron and the luxury tax, as there will be teams looking to make cost-saving trades to avoid future penalties. The second is pre-free-agency, as teams look to add players they might to be able to get on the market. And the third is cap space. Free agency in the NBA is not all the way back, but that could be coming and more teams might be on the lookout to offload contracts.
So, who will be busy on the phones this year? We asked an executive in each conference which teams might be busy in the coming year.
NBA Trade Rumors: Eastern Conference Active Teams
Hornets
Charlotte is an obvious one, because the Hornets traded away star point guard LaMelo Ball, have a handful of very tradeable contracts and are loaded with draft picks–six first-rounders in the next three draft, and all their own first-rounders going forward. They also have more than 15 second-rounders. Top trade chips include Dennis Schroder, Grayson Allen, Grant Williams and Dorian Finney-Smith, who all make $13 million-$18 million.
East executive: “They’re in a great position and they can afford to be patient, but they also want to start turning the corner and winning, and this deadline might be a really good chance to do that. I think they will be active, if I had to guess, and I think a lot of teams will be very active.”
Magic
On the other end is the Magic, who might be painted into a corner depending on the extension they give (or not) to Anthony Black. Orlando is facing a second-apron problem and may need to shop Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, Desmond Bane and/or Wendell Carter Jr.
East executive: “They did not play the way they wanted. We will see how (new coach) Sean Sweeney does, if he gets them up to par, they’ll let this play out. But if there are injuries and things look rough, it gets hard to justify this payroll to your owner.”
Pacers
The Pacers will be interesting because they were in the NBA Finals two years ago, traded for Ivica Zubac, get Tyrese Haliburton back and should be contenders again. They also have all their picks going forward, so are in position to make a big trade to get over the hump. There is a feeling they be one piece short, and that makes them worth watching–though they will have one eye on the luxury tax themselves.
East executive: “They were kind of quiet this summer, but they made their move with (Zubac). But quiet does not mean they were not busy, I think they were as busy as anyone getting the lay of the land on what trades might be there for them at the deadline.”
NBA Trade Rumors: Western Conference Active Teams
OK, now on to the Western Conference.
Rockets
Houston has been disappointing in the last two seasons, winning 52 games each year, then getting bounced in the first round of the playoffs. They’re loaded with nine first-rounders in the next seven drafts and have six picks eligible to trade.
West executive: “This is a make or break for them, I think they know that. They should be healthy. They’re pretty deep, they’re young but not too young. If they are going to challenge the two big guys in the conference (Oklahoma City and San Antonio), they’ve got to start doing that now. They have the assets, I’d expect them to be aggressive.
Mavericks
The coming year will be a good opportunity to for Dallas to chip away some of the older veterans on the roster and put younger guys on Cooper Flagg’s timeline around him. They’ve shopped Daniel Gafford, PJ Washington and others, and will continue to do so. Whether to trade Kyrie Irving at the deadline will be a big question for them.
West executive: “There is some reluctance to taking on some of those contracts, but things happen in a season–injuries, guys play better, guys play worse. So, I think some of those guys will look better as the season goes on and al the sudden you need a center or a forward or whatever. They’re ready.”
Trail Blazers
Portland got a taste of winning last season and made the move for Ja Morant this summer. They’re thin up front, though, and if they want to keep in the postseason mix, they’ll have to get aggressive there.
West executive: “I think they’ve got an itchy trigger finger. There’s been a lot of negative press there for reasons outside of the their control–outside of the basketball peoples’ control. So, I think the basketball people have a little extra motivation to make things happen and make this team relevant no matter what else is going on.”
NBA Trade Rumors: Point Guard Candidates
Darius Garland, Clippers. (Remaining contract: two years, $87 million.) The Clippers are licking their wounds after the five-first-round-pick penalty from the Aspiration-Kawhi Leonard scandal settled in, and while it is not clear which path the team will take next–or the ramifications from the fact that their owner and GM are currently suspended–collecting draft picks and cap space would be a good idea. Garland is the only player on the roster who could potentially warrant a package of two first-rounders though his injury history would be an obstacle.
Kyrie Irving, Mavericks. (Remaining contract: two years, $82 million, player option in second year.) Marc Stein mentioned him, so we’re putting him on the list, but nothing is imminent. Like a lot of veterans, the idea is to play him through January, build value and see if something can be done at the deadline.
Dejounte Murray, Pelicans. (Remaining contract: two years, $63 million, player option.) Teams will want to see how he looks now that he should be fully healed from his Achilles tendon injury, but expect him to be a trade candidate as the deadline nears.
Jamal Murray, Nuggets. (Remaining contract; three years, $161 million.) Maybe? It’s not likely to happen now, but the finances in Denver are grim. It’s not hard to see a Jaylen Brown situation here.
Mikal Bridges, Knicks. (Remaining contract: four years, $150 million.) It would make sense for the Knicks to give them flexibility going forward, so we’ll slide him on this list. But the Knicks appear determined to try to hammer the team under the second apron for as long as it can stay there–there will be a breaking point, though.
Shaedon Sharpe, Trail Blazers. (Remaining contract four years, $90 million.) Sharpe is out with a torn meniscus, a tough break for him and the Blazers that will probably remove him from trade consideration. Still, he averaged 20.8 points last season and Portland has a guard logjam.
Ty Jerome, Grizzlies. (Remaining contract: two years, $19 million, including player option.) Jerome took advantage of the mess in Memphis last year and averaged 19.7 points, shooting 42.0% from the 3-point line. The Grizzlies will need to thin out their roster, and the 29-year-old Jerome really does not fit here. He would have good value if Memphis wants to flip him for future assets, but the Grizz do not have much else at point guard.
Jalen Suggs, Magic. (Remaining contract: four years, $115 million, team option.) Suggs has been in the NBA five years, and had one good season as a two-way guard who could knock down 3s (2023-24, averaging 12.6 points and 39.7% 3-point shooting). Every other year in the league has been ugly and injury-riddled for Suggs. Unfortunately for the Magic, Suggs’ one good year was when he was up for an extension. We can’t rule out Paolo Banchero or Franz Wagner trades, but only if the season truly goes South.
Dalton Knecht, Lakers. (Remaining contract: two years, $10 million, including two team options.) Knecht showed some promise as a rookie but fell off in Year 2 and is now a contract filler in a potential trade. It has been surprising that no team has been willing to gamble on his upside–he is only 25.
Jaden Hardy, Lakers. (Remaining contract: one year, $6 million.) The Lakers need to drop a player, and Hardy is a good candidate if they can find a taker.
NBA Trade Rumors: Wing Candidates
Brandon Ingram, Raptors/Clippers. (Remaining contract: two years, $82 million, player option.) The Clippers should be seeking to do what they can to pile up draft picks, and moving off of Brandon Ingram next offseason could fetch them one.
Moses Moody, Warriors. (Remaining contract: two years, $26 million.) Moody is potentially going to be ready for the start of the season, and is said to be staying put. But if the Warriors do anything trade-wise this summer, speculation holds it will involve Moody.
Trey Murphy, Pelicans. (Remaining contract: three years, $88 million.) There have been rumblings that the Pelicans would deal Murphy, and equal rumblings have indicated they won’t. Murphy is a favorite in NBA trade rumors, but New Orleans is slow-playing any potential trade.
Saddiq Bey, Pelicans. (Remaining contract: one year, $6.5 million.) Bey came back with a strong season last year after tearing his ACL, averaging 17.7 points and shooting 45.1% from the field and 36.7% from the 3-point line. They were hollow numbers on a bad team, but he showed he still could be an adequate wing off someone’s bench.
Patrick Williams, Bulls. (Remaining contract: three years, $54 million,) It would be symbolic and probably cathartic for fans to see Williams dumped as a new front office and coaching staff comes in. But Williams’ contract is prohibitive.
Michael Porter Jr., Nets. (Remaining contract: one year, $40 million, partial guarantee.) Michael Porter Jr. (Remaining contract: one year, $40 million, partial guarantee.) Assuming the Nets’ contract talks do not reignite with Porter, he will be a top trade focus all winter. His extension talks appear to be faltering. He is a fringe All-Star, though, and is seeking to be paid like one. If the Nets do not want to go too far on a contract, the question would be whether another team would.
Derrick Jones Jr., Clippers. (Remaining contract: one year, $10 million.) Jones is a defensive ace still, and his expiring contract gives the Clippers some wiggle room to move him. They’re caught in the Aspiration pause, however.
Kyle Kuzma, Bucks. (Remaining contract: one year, $20 million,) His expiring contract is attractive and if the Bucks pull a sign-and-trade for Peyton Watson, Bennedict Mathurin or Jonathan Kuminga, he could be involved.
DeAndre Hunter, Kings. (Remaining contract: one year, $25 million.) The Kings want to keep him as an expiring contract they could potentially flip, but he’s being mentioned as a possible target. If Sacto can get back an asset without taking long-term money, he could be dealt at the deadline.
Royce O’Neale, Hornets. (Remaining contract: two years, $21 million,) The Hornets still have some sorting to do. O’Neale is not a long-term piece, of course, but he has value. The team could hang onto him, see how he fits and flip him at the deadline.
Jake LaRavia, Lakers. (Remaining contract: one year, $6 million.) Hustles, plays every game, but inconsistent. His contract makes him an attractive piece, though, as the Lakers are still figuring out the back end of their roster.
Herb Jones, Pelicans. (Remaining contract: four years, $82 million, including player option.) Jones is a popular name on the market, but the Pelicans are said to want two first-round picks, and with Jones having struggled with injuries and his 3-point shot in the past two seasons, that’s too steep. His remaining contract scares off potential suitors, too.
Cam Johnson, Nuggets. (Remaining contract: one year, $23 million.) The Peyton Watson move probably means Johnson stays put, but he will be very tradeable in the coming months before the deadline. Johnson struggled in his lone season in Denver, and he has been a prominent feature on the NBA trade rumor mill for years now. But teams wanted the Nuggets to include picks in a Johnson deal, and that was not happening. He still has enough of a reputation around the league to warrant trade interest, but the apron-addled Nuggets value the fact that he has an expiring contract. They need that space for Nikola Jokic next summer.
PJ Washington, Mavericks. (Remaining contract: 4 years, $90 million.) Like Daniel Gafford, Washington is aging out of the Mavericks’ timeline, as he turns 28 this summer. He’s a stretch 4 who plays good defense, but his shooting has been suspect–he made just 32.5% of his 3s last year. Like Gafford, they’re hoping to get a first-round pick in a deal for him, but the contract is prohibitive and the production is not worth it.
Centers/Power Forwards Trade Candidates
Paolo Banchero, Magic. (Remaining contract: five years, $245 million, player option.) Good luck finding a taker for that deal.
Jalen Smith, Bulls. (Remaining contract: one year, $9.4 million.) We had Patrick Williams here in a previous version of this list, and it would be a symbolic flush of the old era for new GM Bryson Graham to dump Williams, but no one is taking on that three-year, $54 million deal. There has been interest in Smith, and the Bulls could cash in on him as the season gets rolling and teams clearly have big man needs.
Nikola Jovic, Heat. (Remaining contract: four years, $62 million.) There is trepidation about trading for Jovic, who is certainly available and is still only 23 years old. But the remaining contract is a hefty bite for teams to take.
Grant Williams, Hornets. (Remaining contract: one year, $15 million.) The Hornets are not quite done with their roster, and Williams’ expiring deal has some value. He can still be a worthy big man off the bench.
Zeke Nnaji, Nuggets. (Remaining contract: four years, $32 million.) The Nuggets shopped Nnaji this summer, but there were no takers. He does not have a weighty contract, but four years is lengthy for him.
Obi Toppin, Pacers. (Remaining contract: two years, $31 million.) A foot injury torpedoed his season last year, and even when healthy, he’s a bench player who give you about 18 minutes a night. The Pacers will likely do something to get themselves under the luxury tax, either now or at the deadline.
Jarred Vanderbilt, Lakers. (Remaining contract: two years, $26 million.) The Lakers have been trying to find a taker for Vanderbilt, but no one has been eager to take on his contract. So, the question is what to do with him now? Most likely, the Lakers will keep Vanderbilt in the rotation and attempt to rehabilitate his value, with an eye on trading him at the deadline or next summer. There could be smaller Lakers moves coming–Dalton Knecht and/or Jaden Hardy–but Vanderbilt is the guy they’d like to move.
Aaron Gordon, Nuggets. (Remaining contract: three years, $110 million.) The Nuggets will have a second-apron crunch next year, as has been well documented. That is one reason they did not want to move off the expiring contract of Cam Johnson this summer, and probably won’t do so this season–they value the $23 million Johnson will leave behind when he hits free agency. The Nuggets plan to give Nikola Jokic a $360 million extension next summer, but they’re going to need more flexibility. Dealing Gordon could do it, though his contract and health issues make that difficult.
Daniel Gafford, Mavericks. (Remaining contract: 3 years, $54 million.) Gafford will be 28 in October, and with the Mavs focused on getting younger, moving him along has been one of the team’s goals.
NBA Trade Rumors: Teams Slated to Be ‘Very Active’ at Deadline