Landing Spots for Top Buyout Candidates After 2025 NBA Trade Deadline
The NBA trade deadline has come and gone, but that doesn't mean we're done with player movement this season.
Several veterans on expiring contracts are natural buyout candidates (and a handful have already been waived).
Here, we'll explore some landing spots for the top names from that list, but we have to say a word about the new collective bargaining agreement first.
Teams that are above the first apron ($178.1 million) can't sign buyout players whose original 2024-25 salaries exceeded the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($12.8 million).
And barring salary-shedding moves, several teams are over that line. That limits the number of teams we can connect to the buyout candidates below.
Khris Middleton: Memphis Grizzlies
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A buyout for Khris Middleton may not be likely, given his $34 million player option in 2025-26 and recent reporting from Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix.
But turning down that money also wouldn't be shocking. The Washington Wizards are one of the worst teams of all time, and Middleton has spent much of his career as a title contender (or at least a near lock to make the playoffs).
Preemptively declining that option and betting on his ability to secure a new contract over the rest of this season makes some sense.
And the Memphis Grizzlies are a good spot where Middleton could do just that.
They were connected to Jimmy Butler at one point, but that didn't happen. So they could still use a little boost on the wing. And Middleton's shooting and playmaking could take a little pressure off Ja Morant and widen his driving lanes.
Bruce Brown: Houston Rockets
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One of the more surprising trades of this week was the Toronto Raptors' acquisition of Brandon Ingram. That move sent Bruce Brown to the New Orleans Pelicans, who won't even sniff a play-in spot.
A buyout feels almost imminent, and Brown's unique combination of guard and big man skills would be a nice addition to the young Houston Rockets.
They already have a fair bit of that in Amen Thompson and Tari Eason, but Brown would give the bench another player who could operate in either side of a pick-and-roll combination while also fitting the team's defense-first ethos.
He hasn't been able to recapture the magic of his lone season with the Denver Nuggets since he left, but more time with a title contender (or at least fringe contender) could reinvigorate him.
And Houston, which entered the season as one of the league's youngest teams, could also use a little veteran stability and leadership for tight contests and late-game situations.
Malcolm Brogdon: Orlando Magic
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The Orlando Magic have perhaps the league's most intriguing young forward duo with Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero, but their offense is still one of the worst in the NBA (thanks in large part to Banchero's personal scoring inefficiency).
Assuming he can stay healthy, the oft-injured Malcolm Brogdon could help.
For his career, the one-time Sixth Man of the Year winner has averaged 15.3 points, 4.7 assists and 1.6 threes while shooting 38.9 percent from deep and 87.3 percent from the free-throw line.
At the very least, Brogdon could provide a shooting and playmaking boost to the second unit while also being a competent, veteran floor-spacer in lineups with the young stars.
Ben Simmons: Los Angeles Clippers
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Prior to the deadline, the Los Angeles Clippers' primary playmaker off the bench was Kevin Porter Jr. (who's now on the Milwaukee Bucks). And while Porter was more willing to take threes than Ben Simmons, he's one of the rare cases where that may not be a good thing.
On the year, he's shooting a truly woeful 24.5 percent from three. Simmons' total refusal to shoot them doesn't seem as bad when compared to that.
And though he isn't the defender he was prior to all the back injuries, Simmons is six inches taller than Porter and still more consistent on that end.
During his minutes with James Harden, Norman Powell and Kawhi Leonard, Simmons' passing and transition playmaking could also be a nice boost for an offense that currently ranks in the league's bottom 10.
