Landing Spots for Top NBA Buyout Candidates Post-Trade Deadline
Don't let the passage of the 2024 NBA trade deadline lull you into thinking that transaction season is over. Right now, teams around the league are like shoppers who've loaded their carts before heading to the register...only to realize they still get to pass through the candy aisle.
That's right: It's buyout season!
In the wake of a trade deadline that didn't shuffle big names around as significantly as some others in the past, this next stretch could get particularly interesting.
Keep in mind, seven teams can't get involved with buyout candidates whose previous salary was above the non-taxpayer mid-level exception of $12.4 million. That rules out the Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns from pursuing that class of player. Meanwhile, less costly contenders like the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves and others can pursue anyone of their choosing.
Here, we'll lay out some of the top available options and offer their best landing spots, focusing on team need and player opportunity.
Kyle Lowry: Philadelphia 76ers
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Full disclosure: Due to what was their glaring need at backup point guard at the time, the Minnesota Timberwolves were going to be the best buyout landing spot for Kyle Lowry.
But with the Wolves trading for Monte Morris, that position is now spoken for.
Enter the Philadelphia 76ers, long a sentimental favorite for Lowry, who was born and raised in Philly before attending Villanova. Their need for help behind starter Tyrese Maxey is nearly as significant as Minnesota's was behind Mike Conley, and the Sixers' moves at the deadline suggested an intention to get involved on the buyout market.
Three open roster spots materialized as Philadelphia cut separate deals that ultimately sent out five players—Marcus Morris Sr., Furkan Korkmaz, Patrick Beverley, Jaden Springer and Danuel House Jr.—for Buddy Hield, Cameron Payne and a handful of second-rounders. The Sixers are also well below the first tax apron, which allows them to add a player on the buyout market whose previous contract was above the non-taxpayer mid-level exception of $12.4 million.
Lowry, who's earning the balance of his $29.7 million salary while waiting for liberation from the going-nowhere Charlotte Hornets, is an excellent option, particularly given the Sixers' glaring lack of depth behind Maxey now.
Though Lowry will have his choice of destinations following what seems like an inevitable buyout, the Sixers offer perhaps the best chance for Lowry to meaningfully impact a winner. His foul-grifting and occasional daredevil pull-up threes will play just fine in close games, and Lowry would give Philadelphia more big-moment reps than it could get anywhere else.
Still as wily and opportunistic as he was earlier in his career, Lowry is shooting 38.5 percent from deep this season and has championship experience. If he could spell Maxey for 10 minutes per game in a postseason setting, Lowry could have a hand in getting the Sixers to the NBA Finals if Joel Embiid is healthy enough to make a playoff run.
Killian Hayes: San Antonio Spurs
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You don't see a lot of No. 7 overall picks waived while still they're on their rookie deals, particularly when they started 31 of the 42 games they'd played that season up until that point.
That makes former Detroit Pistons guard Killian Hayes an outlier.
The lefty guard was in the way of higher developmental priorities with the Pistons, yet head coach Monty Williams continued to play him. The most favorable reading of that decision is to frame it as an effort to boost Hayes' trade value.
Apparently, he had none. That's not a shock given that Hayes' 45.6 true shooting percentage ranks dead last among the 184 players who attempted at least 1,500 total field goals since 2020-21.
With that said, Hayes is still just 22, has never played in a winning situation and has the potential to develop into a quality facilitator who can defend his position. It might be safe to rule out the shot at stardom you'd like from a lottery pick, but Hayes is a long way from total lost-cause status.
The Oklahoma City Thunder employ renowned shot doctor Chip Engelland, the Washington Wizards could justify taking a flyer based on Hayes' draft pedigree, and virtually any other rebuilding organization should at least kick the tires on him.
But the San Antonio Spurs make the most sense of all.
The Spurs spent the early part of the season trying to shoehorn Jeremy Sochan into the point guard spot and have since turned the position over to Tre Jones. Serviceable but far from a star, Jones is just as much of a three-point liability as Hayes (career 27.8 percent on threes; Hayes is at 27.7 percent) and is more of a stopgap than a high-upside piece of the franchise's future.
Hayes might find comfort and his top form playing alongside fellow Frenchman Victor Wembanyama, and his youth gives him a chance to grow with an intriguing but inexperienced core. Even if San Antonio isn't sure it wants to be in the Hayes business long term, it should bring him in for the remainder of the season and see if a change of scenery does him some good.
Spencer Dinwiddie: New York Knicks
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Dealt from the Brooklyn Nets to the Toronto Raptors and subsequently waived, Spencer Dinwiddie might be the best rotation player available on the buyout market. The 30-year-old guard can create his own shot and has averaged at least six assists per game in four different seasons (including this one), but he comes with shooting concerns that should give certain teams pause.
The Los Angeles Lakers, for example, probably shouldn't bank on a career 33.1 percent three-point shooter addressing their lack of perimeter threats. Still, Dinwiddie is from Southern California and wouldn't be a flat-out bad signing at the minimum for purportedly interested parties in Los Angeles, Dallas or anywhere else.
The New York Knicks were busy at the deadline, bringing Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanović aboard. They'll juice the offense significantly, but it's worth wondering whether Dinwiddie could be the answer to the secondary ball-handler question created by the deal that sent Immanuel Quickley to the Raptors earlier this year.
The Knicks might get some of that from Burks, but the newly acquired veteran is more of a 2 and isn't an ace creator. Dinwiddie's suspect defense and iffy off-ball shooting make him a tricky fit next to Jalen Brunson, but he'd serve a real purpose as a scorer and facilitator on second units. And in the event of a Brunson injury, the Knicks could trust Dinwiddie in a bigger role.
If Dinwiddie wants chance to start and showcase his ability to run a team ahead of free agency this summer, the Knicks probably aren't the ideal spot for him. But if he's eager to prove he can contribute on a winner and values the benefits of performing well in a big market, he could do a lot worse than signing on for a rotation role in New York.
Marcus Morris Sr.: Dallas Mavericks
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Marcus Morris Sr. is averaging under 10 points per game for the first time since 2012-13. At 34, he isn't the plug-and-play rotation mainstay he once was.
But in a testament to the enduring value of combo forwards who can (theoretically) hit open shots and defend more than one position, he figures to draw significant interest in the event of a likely post-trade buyout by the San Antonio Spurs.
Many will prefer Spencer Dinwiddie as a Mavericks buyout target, and the veteran guard could easily end up back with the team for which he played during parts of 2021-22 and 2022-23. But I trust Dallas' scoring and playmaking as long as Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving are on the team.
Morris might be the better fit due to his size, defensive versatility and career 37.7 percent hit rate from long range.
Dallas added conventional frontcourt heft in Daniel Gafford to play behind rookie Dereck Lively II and also has Maxi Kleber on the roster. The latter was once the Mavs' preferred closer at the 5, but he hasn't stayed healthy or come close to reaching the level he hit in a banner 2021-22 campaign. Morris would be a worthwhile addition as a reserve 4 who has experience defending up a position in small-ball units.
His toughness would certainly do more to help the Mavs climb from their current No. 21 ranking in defensive efficiency than Dinwiddie's shot-creation would.
Joe Harris: Cleveland Cavaliers
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Joe Harris might be past his expiration date as a reliable rotation piece. That the Detroit Pistons waived him after failing to gin up any trade offers for the 32-year-old wing suggests as much.
Injuries derailed Harris this season, but he's a 43.6 percent career three-point shooter and isn't so far removed from averaging double-figure points and leading the league in long-range accuracy like he did with the Brooklyn Nets...twice. Any team in need of a pure shooting specialist should at least take a look at rostering him on a minimum deal.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are running hotter than anyone over their last 15 games and added Max Strus over the summer to address their shooting woes on the wing. But the Cavs are still only 22nd in three-point accuracy on the season and should be among the squads interested in stationing Harris in the corner to prevent help on the roll man in their pet actions. Imagine how differently last year's first-round series against the New York Knicks would have gone if the Cavs had a sniper of Harris' reputation spacing the floor.
Strus may be a satisfactory solve, but what's the harm in buying low on someone who's been among the best pure shooters of the last decade? No, Harris can't guard his position. And no, he shouldn't be expected to reprise the sneaky cut-and-drive game he showed when healthy in Brooklyn.
But if Harris runs hot for a playoff game or two, he could swing the dynamic of a series. That's worth it for a Cavs team that knows all too well how damaging a lack of supplemental shooting can be.
Stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. Accurate entering games played Thursday, Feb. 8. Salary info via Spotrac.
Grant Hughes covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@gt_hughes), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, where he appears with Bleacher Report's Dan Favale.
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