1 Player Every NBA Team Should Put On the Trade Block
Now that we're in the thick of the 2023-24 NBA preseason, every roster feels mostly set.
But in this era of almost constant player movement, that feeling is relative.
Every team has at least one player whom it should at least dangle in the trade market. The players listed here shouldn't necessarily be moved right away (or at all), but their teams would be wise to see what others around the league might offer for them.
Atlanta Hawks: Clint Capela
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At 29, Clint Capela likely has a few prime years left. If he spends them with Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks, he'll keep catching lobs and putting up double-doubles.
But the Hawks have another starting-caliber center in Onyeka Okongwu who's more versatile and almost seven years younger than Capela.
If a team in need of some size, rebounding and rim protection was willing to send the Hawks a shooter and some draft compensation for Capela, they'd have to consider it.
Boston Celtics: Jordan Walsh
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With Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porziņģis, Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown, the Boston Celtics already have one of the league's most star-studded rosters. They traded multiple rotation players this summer to get to that point.
Without many assets left that aren't draft picks, incoming rookie Jordan Walsh is almost the selection here by default.
As a 19-year-old second-round pick on a title contender, he isn't likely to play a ton. But if he can flash enough multipositional defense, he could anchor a trade package to bring a more experienced role player to Boston.
Brooklyn Nets: Lonnie Walker IV
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It feels too early to suggest any member of the Brooklyn Nets should be on the move or even on the trade block. This group is relatively new, and it'll take time to see how everyone fits together. That's especially true with three-time All-Star Ben Simmons—who might seem like the obvious pick here—returning to the overhauled rotation.
One young(ish) guard who could maybe return some value in the short term is 24-year-old Lonnie Walker IV, who's averaged double figures in each of the last three seasons. Despite that, he signed a one-year, minimum-salary deal with the Nets in July.
Walker may not be good enough to supplant Spencer Dinwiddie or even Dennis Smith Jr. in the guard rotation, and he's not really big enough to fit the positionless mold on the wings that players like Simmons, Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson bring to Brooklyn.
Charlotte Hornets: Gordon Hayward
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If he can stay healthy—which has been a massive "if" over the last several seasons—Gordon Hayward could help the Charlotte Hornets take a step toward competitiveness this season.
They aren't likely to go much further than that, though. And if it becomes clear that mediocrity (or something just above that) is where Charlotte will top out, the Hornets should think about moving Hayward's expiring contract before he hits free agency in 2024.
If he plays well enough to convince some contender to part with a protected first-round pick, Charlotte should take it.
Chicago Bulls: Lonzo Ball
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Lonzo Ball's health over the last few years has been one of the NBA's sadder stories. After appearing in only 35 games in 2021-22, he missed all of last season with a knee injury, and he's expected to miss all of 2023-24 as well.
As sad as it is to acknowledge, he's mostly a question mark at this point, which is hard on the Chicago Bulls as well. He's their third-highest paid player and has a $21.4 million player option for 2024-25.
If he returns to 85-90 percent of his healthy self for that campaign, great. But the Bulls can't bank on that.
Instead, if the trio of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević has the Bulls in the playoff hunt, they probably need to see what they can get for Ball's contract as salary filler.
A team more concerned with pingpong balls in the lottery than wins in the standings may be willing to send a difference-maker to the Bulls for Ball and a draft asset.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Caris LeVert
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The more aggressive pick in this exercise for the Cleveland Cavaliers would be Donovan Mitchell. If the organization is unsure of his desire to be there long-term, it might make sense to see what he'd command in a trade after a huge 2022-23 campaign.
But instead of conceding that fate, we'll focus on Caris LeVert, who may be an inefficient redundancy on a team with Mitchell and Darius Garland.
Cleveland has plenty of backcourt scoring with those two, and LeVert's ability to go on a heater doesn't quite make up for his deficiencies. Over the last four years, LeVert has attempted 16.8 shots per 75 possessions, and he hasn't had an above-average effective field-goal percentage (or true shooting percentage) since his rookie year in 2016-17.
Moving him for someone who might be able to provide more perimeter defense could push the Cavs closer to legitimate title contention.
Dallas Mavericks: Tim Hardaway Jr.
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The Dallas Mavericks have a fairly deep and intriguing bunch of wings and forwards, including Grant Williams, Dante Exum, Derrick Jones Jr. and Josh Green. Seth Curry and Jaden Hardy can bolster a backcourt with Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, too.
Tim Hardaway Jr., who has a very movable $17.9 million salary for 2023-24, thus looks like one of the more intriguing trade targets for teams in need of shooting or scoring.
Hardaway has averaged 15.4 points and hit 37.8 percent of his three-point attempts in his four-plus seasons with Dallas. That could be good enough to net the Mavs more defense or size in a trade.
Denver Nuggets: Zeke Nnaji
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The Denver Nuggets' starting five feels about as solidly in place as any lineup in the league, but there are plenty of questions about a second unit potentially packed with youth.
Chief among them may be a concern that's been around for at least as far back as Mason Plumlee's departure: Who on earth is Nikola Jokić's backup?
Zeke Nnaji may have to start in that role almost by default. But if he shoots like he did last season, when he hit only 26.2 percent of his three-point attempts, Denver may need to shop his expiring contract in the hope of finding a steadier backup big.
Detroit Pistons: Bojan Bogdanović
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The Detroit Pistons could be ready to at least be competitive in 2023-24. In that case, Bojan Bogdanović's ability to score in volume and hit threes at a way-above-average rate would make him a great release valve for Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson.
On the other hand, if the Pistons sink to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings again, they should see which contenders are interested in Bogdanović's shooting and reasonable salary.
As a catch-and-shoot threat with the size to theoretically guard multiple positions, Bogdanović would fit seamlessly into most offenses.
Golden State Warriors: Moses Moody
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It's hard to shake the feeling that Chris Paul's tenure as a Golden State Warrior could be as fleeting as D'Angelo Russell's was. If the Golden State Warriors could get him for a wing of similar ability, a swap would make some sense.
There are some obvious differences between those situations, though. CP3 is one of the most cerebral players in NBA history. He's figured out how to thrive in seemingly less-than-idea (for him) situations before with the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder. Even as he nears 40, he'll probably find a way to make this work as well.
So, to upgrade this roster without moving any of the franchise cornerstones, the Warriors would likely have to move a younger player like Jonathan Kuminga or Moses Moody.
Kuminga's size and athleticism may make him the higher-upside piece, but those attributes are also why Golden State should want to keep him on a team that's small at almost every position. Moody is a 21-year old with a 36.3 three-point percentage who may be worth more size from some other team.
Houston Rockets: Jae'Sean Tate
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This situation feels similar to that of Bojan Bogdanović and the Detroit Pistons.
If the Houston Rockets are in the hunt for a play-in spot, soon-to-be-28-year-old forward Jae'Sean Tate makes sense as a multipositional defender with an underrated dash of playmaking in his game.
But the West is going to be a gauntlet. Even if the Rockets are better than they were last year, finishing in the bottom three or four in the conference certainly wouldn't be surprising.
If the latter trajectory appears likely as the trade deadline approaches, Houston should see if any contenders are interested in bolstering their perimeter defense with Tate.
Indiana Pacers: Buddy Hield
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The Indiana Pacers are shopping Buddy Hield after extension negotiations stalled out, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
Any team looking for more shooting should be interested in Hield, who's making a reasonable $19.3 million this season and may be the second-most dangerous three-point threat in the NBA.
For his career, Hield has averaged 3.1 made threes per game and hit 40.2 percent of his three-point attempts. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are the only players in league history who match or exceed both marks.
Los Angeles Clippers: Terance Mann
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Terance Mann, a soon-to-be-27-year old with a career average of 8.0 points, has somehow become one of the hangups in a potential James Harden trade for the Los Angeles Clippers.
If the Clippers are the only Harden suitor, you can't blame them for playing hardball. But Mann shouldn't be a deal-breaker that prevents the Clippers from getting a major talent upgrade.
That doesn't just apply to Harden. If there are other teams that value Mann as highly as the Philadelphia 76ers seem to, L.A. should be looking into what it can get for him.
Los Angeles Lakers: D'Angelo Russell
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The two-year, $36 million contract D'Angelo Russell got from the Los Angeles Lakers this summer felt like potential trade fodder as soon as he signed it.
The 27-year old has averaged 18.2 points and 6.4 assists while shooting 37.2 percent from three over the last three seasons. But the Lakers already have plenty of backcourt scoring and playmaking from LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
Russell's sometimes nonexistent defense was also a big reason why the Denver Nuggets almost completely played him off the floor in their Western Conference Finals sweep.
If the Lakers can flip Russell for a better defender or trade Russell and another decent-sized contract (like Rui Hachimura's) for a star, they likely wouldn't hesitate to do so.
Memphis Grizzlies: Xavier Tillman Sr.
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Xavier Tillman Sr. has had above-average marks in Dunks and Threes' estimated plus-minus (one of the most trusted catch-all metrics in NBA front offices) in two of his three seasons.
He can play, but he's spent his career in a rotation with Steven Adams, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brandon Clarke.
The Memphis Grizzlies may need him more in 2023-24 as Clarke recovers from a torn Achilles. But if there's still a minutes squeeze that leaves Tillman as the odd man out, the Grizzlies may want to move him for a wing before he hits restricted free agency.
Miami Heat: Tyler Herro
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Tyler Herro spent much of the offseason in the rumor mill, but he's still a member of the Miami Heat as we barrel toward the regular season.
Considering the stars Miami didn't get this summer, it might need him to become just that. But if the Heat remain intent on adding a more experienced, big-name player to the duo of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, they'll likely have to put Herro on the table again.
Even after all of the talk about how Miami's offer didn't quite measure up to those of other Damian Lillard suitors, Herro should be seen as a valuable trade asset.
He's 23 years old, already has a Sixth Man of the Year award and has averaged 20.4 points, 4.1 assists and 2.8 threes while shooting 38.7 percent from three over the last two seasons.
Milwaukee Bucks: MarJon Beauchamp
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After coming out on top of the Damian Lillard sweepstakes, the Milwaukee Bucks don't have many assets left to trade.
Soon-to-be-23-year-old MarJon Beauchamp is still on the roster, though, and he may be Milwaukee's quickest path to another veteran rotation player.
There's a chance that Beauchamp plays himself into an important role this season. He was solid in summer league and led the Bucks in scoring during their preseason opener.
But the allure of experience is often impossible for contenders to resist.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns
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In 2023-24 alone, the Minnesota Timberwolves will pay Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid nearly $90 million. All three bigs are under contract for at least two more seasons after this one, assuming Gobert and Reid pick up their player options for 2025-26.
The simplest and likely most cost-efficient way to rebalance the roster might be moving 2015 No. 1 pick Karl-Anthony Towns. He'd net the biggest return of any of the three, and Minnesota already has an alpha-level scorer in Anthony Edwards on the roster.
Surrounding Edwards with a grittier, more defensive-minded rotation makes sense.
New Orleans Pelicans: Jonas Valančiūnas
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Abandoning old-school bigs altogether probably isn't the way to go for the New Orleans Pelicans. But they were nimbler and more versatile on both ends when Jonas Valančiūnas was off the floor in 2022-23.
Moving Valančiūnas for a true floor-spacing 5 or someone whom they could more easily move to the bench for small-ball lineups with Zion Williamson or Larry Nance Jr. at center could make the Pelicans more dynamic. That isn't a given, though.
The Pelicans don't have to move Valančiūnas, but they should at least be open to exploring his trade value, especially since he's heading into a contract year.
New York Knicks: RJ Barrett
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RJ Barrett is only 23 years old. He's young enough and has shown enough hints of role-playing upside to get some team to offer something in a deal.
But it seems relatively clear that he won't reach his peak (whatever it might be) with the New York Knicks.
Barrett has been way-below-average in both effective field-goal percentage and true shooting percentage in each of his four seasons. Over the last two years, New York is plus-7.3 points per 100 possessions with Barrett off the floor and minus-1.7 when he's on.
If a team with more of a runway for Barrett to work through his flaws was willing to give the Knicks a lower-volume, higher-efficiency wing, they'd have to think about taking the deal.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Ousmane Dieng
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The Oklahoma City Thunder are so loaded with young talent and picks that it will eventually be impossible to pay everyone.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is already on a substantial contract, and those are probably coming for Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams, too. If Chet Holmgren ends up getting paid as well, OKC could go soaring over the salary cap with only those four.
Flipping some of their young talent into win-now role players might make sense, especially if the Thunder are threatening for a playoff spot in 2024. Although the numbers from his rookie campaign don't jump off the screen, Ousmane Dieng may be exactly the kind of young talent who could pry a difference-maker from a rebuilding team.
Dieng is a 6'10" wing who moves well and has showed hints of playmaking potential, and he's only 20 years old.
Orlando Magic: Jonathan Isaac
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This one is more about the contract than the player since Jonathan Isaac has struggled to stay on the floor for the Orlando Magic. Over his six NBA seasons, Isaac has made only 24.5 appearances per year. Over the last three seasons, he's played in only 11 total games.
At this point, some front offices may see Isaac as more of a path to financial flexibility than an on-court asset.
Only $7.6 million of his $17.4 million salary for 2023-24 is guaranteed until January 10. All of his $17.4 million salary for 2024-25 is fully non-guaranteed until Jan. 2025.
Any team that wants to shed some long-term salary from its books should be interested. If the Magic can flip that flexibility for a win-now player, they might have to consider it.
Philadelphia 76ers: James Harden
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After a whirlwind summer in which he requested a trade, publicly called team president Daryl Morey a liar and held out of training camp for a day, Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden has been practicing with his team for about a week now.
But it sure doesn't feel like Harden's situation with Philadelphia is any more stable than it was before he finally showed up.
Even if the 76ers can't get equivalent talent in a trade, not having the threat of a distraction around has to be worth something.
Philly has to show some hint of solidity to franchise cornerstone Joel Embiid before he asks out as well. Having Harden around could make that trickier.
Phoenix Suns: Bol Bol
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After acquiring Bradley Beal earlier this summer and moving Deandre Ayton for multiple role players on the eve of training camp, the Phoenix Suns don't have many trade chips left. Unless they're planning to shop one of their superstars, Jusuf Nurkić, Grayson Allen and Nassir Little are their only players not on minimum deals.
If they were to make any of their non-stars available, the one who might generate the most intrigue is Bol Bol.
He's never come anywhere near an average estimated plus-minus, but a 7'2" player with a 7'8" wingspan who's occasionally shown flashes of wing-like playmaking still might interest a rebuilding team.
Portland Trail Blazers: Malcolm Brogdon
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It feels inevitable that the Portland Trail Blazers will eventually trade Malcolm Brogdon. The 30-year-old doesn't fit the Blazers' rebuilding timeline, and he was good enough in 2022-23 to return a real asset.
Once that eventually happens, the final tally on the Damian Lillard trade will look like one of the better returns for a star in recent memory.
So far, the Blazers have picked up Brogdon, Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III, Toumani Camara, three first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps. That would expand if Brogdon turns into more long-term assets.
Sacramento Kings: Davion Mitchell
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The Sacramento Kings' rotation is young, relatively deep and well-balanced. The only player who seems like he might be on a slightly different timeline than the rest of that rotation is 31-year-old Harrison Barnes.
Moving him doesn't feel like the kind of win-now move the Kings should be interested in after finishing third in the West last season. That is, unless they paired his contract with a younger player like Davion Mitchell.
Mitchell is probably the closest thing to a backup point guard that Sacramento has, but he's more of a combo guard who's never come close to an average three-point percentage.
If his aggressive perimeter defense is enough to convince a rebuilding team to part with someone who can help more in the short term, the Kings might have to entertain a swap.
San Antonio Spurs: Doug McDermott
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The San Antonio Spurs are about to tip off the Victor Wembanyama era. While it makes sense to surround him with as much shooting as possible, 31-year-old Doug McDermott doesn't fit the rebuilding timeline.
For his career, McDermott is a 41.0 percent three-point shooter. Even if he doesn't provide much beyond that, that kind of shooting could interest some win-now teams.
Flipping him for some unproven talent or a future pick could help the Spurs more down the road than McDermott himself.
Toronto Raptors: Pascal Siakam
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The Toronto Raptors have seemingly straddled the line between contention and rebuilding since they won the title in 2019. That approach has unsurprisingly led to a middle-of-the-road record and two seasons in which they missed the playoffs entirely.
Instead of staying on that path, the Raptors should move Pascal Siakam's expiring contract and look for young talent that fits better around Scottie Barnes' point forward potential.
Surrounding Barnes with young shooters and letting him be the playmaker he was in college makes more sense than clawing to another .500 finish.
Utah Jazz: Kelly Olynyk
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Prior to the midseason Mike Conley trade, the rebuilding Utah Jazz were better than expected in 2022-23. Floor-spacing big man Kelly Olynyk was a big reason why.
In 28.6 minutes per game last season, Olynyk averaged 12.5 points and a career-high 3.7 assists while shooting 39.4 percent from deep.
If his production is at or near that level in 2023-24, some contender may be willing to add to Utah's trove of draft assets for his shooting and playmaking.
Washington Wizards: Landry Shamet
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There are almost always multiple teams in the league after more shooting, and Washington Wizards guard Landry Shamet can provide it.
For his career, Shamet has averaged 2.0 threes in just 22.9 minutes per game and hit 38.8 percent of his three-point attempts.
Moving him to more of a win-now team for a younger talent or draft pick would be ideal for a rebuilding team like Washington.
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