The NBA trade rumor mill never stops, of course, so let’s dive in with some interesting speculation on who might be next on the market.
We’re going to borrow something from old friend Sam Amick at The Athletic today, as something stood out from the ending of “The Athletic NBA Daily” podcast that stood out for all lovers of NBA trade rumors. Amick was asked about who the next big star to get traded will be and, after some mention of the usual suspects–Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Domantas Sabonis, all the Pelicans’ men and even Devin Booker (not happening)–Amick brought up Paolo Banchero of the Magic (fast forward to the 39th minute to find it).
And he is definitely a player of interest as far as the NBA trade rumor mill goes. The Magic have gotten themselves into a bind, in part thanks to pure bad luck. They drafted a pair of very good players, Banchero and Franz Wagner, with lottery picks in back-to-back drafts, and did what most teams would do: Paid them max contracts.
The problem is, the Magic made that decision just as things were shifting in the NBA away from automatically given good-not-great players max deals. The punitive second apron punishes those decisions. Now, the Magic are looking at paying that pair more than 50% of their cap going forward, with Desmond Bane’s contract pushing it to 75%.
NBA Trade Rumors: Does Anyone Want Magic Stars?
With Jalen Suggs on the books for another four years and $115 million and Anthony Black in need of an extension, the Magic are looking at a very expensive 45-win team that hasn’t won a playoff series since 2010. Something has to give.
We’ve had Suggs as the main Magic player the team would most like to trade. But his contract is unmovable at this point, unless he gets his shooting back. Around the league, teams would probably prefer Wagner over Banchero–if he were healthy. But Wagner has missed 70 games over the past two seasons.
There are questions around the NBA about whether you can run your offense through Banchero, who is not an efficient player (44.9% career shooting and 31.7% from the 3-point line). If the Magic did flop this season and decide to sell of pieces, there would not be a huge market for their assets, not without significant improvement across the board. But, indeed, Banchero might fetch the best return package.
Celtics Had Firm Response on Derrick White Trade Offers
We did a bit of reporting on the Celtics this week, noting that in the wake of the Jaylen Brown trade, Boston got a significant number of calls about Derrick White. The team listened, of course, but was a hard “No” on all White deals.
Here’s how one Western Conference executive described the Celtics’ position:
“They got calls, you had to call to see if there was something there that could be done with one of their guys. You just did not know if it was going to be a whole fire sale thing, but they let it be known pretty quickly it wasn’t. The guy you’re going to go for, that everyone had their eye on was Derrick White because of the contract and the down year and maybe you can lowball a bit.
“But the Celtics were not entertaining anything like that. It’s not just hanging up the phone, everyone listens. But it is just not where they were at. He is a very popular guy on that team and in that front office, they were not going to move him.”
NBA Trade Rumors: Can the Bulls Undo a Mistake?
There are any number of reasons that the tenure of Arturas Karnisovas was such a dud in Chicago, after Karnisovas arrived with the Bulls to much fanfare and a great reputation as a judge of talent and builder of teams. But no one decision sums it up quite like the one to draft Patrick Williams with the fourth pick in 2020, despite speculation that the Bulls were going to go with Tyrese Haliburton.
Karnisovas insisted that stardom was around the corner for Williams, and even in the brief window in which Williams had trade value, the Bulls would neve budge on moving him. In six seasons with the Bulls, Williams has averaged 9.0 points on 43.8% shooting. He still has three years and $54 million on his contract, and if new VP Bryson Graham really wants to make an impression on the locals, he’d somehow find a taker for Williams.
Good luck. On to the Big Board …
NBA Trade Rumors: Point Guard Stars on the Market
Darius Garland, Clippers. (Remaining contract: two years, $87 million.) The Aspiration-Kawhi Leonard punishment could set into motion a series of events that winds up with Garland being placed firmly on the market as the Clippers seek to recoup as many future draft picks from the roster. Anyone want to give up two picks for him?
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.
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. Using him in a Jonathan Kuminga deal was their dream scenario, but now they just want to be rid of him.
NBA Trade Rumors: Trey Murphy & the Wings
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.) Porter will wind up in the trade-candidate bin if extension talks falter. They appear to be faltering, so watch from him to be a name on the market in the coming months.
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.
Checking the Big Man Market
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 million.) Plenty of teams are still on the hunt for a backup center, and Smith would be a nice fit in multiple situations. The Bulls could cash in for younger assets or wait and move him during the season.
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.
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. It’s possible the Lakers will use him in their rotation, much to JJ Redick’s chagrin, and attempt to trade him during the season.
Aaron Gordon, Nuggets. (Remaining contract: three years, $110 million.) Someone may have to go in the coming months because of the Nuggets’ impending financial crunch. If it is not Jamal Murray, it could be Gordon, though his recent injury history makes that tough.
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: Celtics’ Stance, Bulls Idea & Paolo Banchero Next?