10 NBA Players Who Would Be Unleashed Through a Trade
You've heard it before. To make it to the NBA, everything has to break just right. And the same can be said for making it in the NBA.
There are plenty of players who, if given the opportunity, could produce more. Sometimes, it just takes one trade to get into the right situation.
After being sent from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Houston Rockets, James Harden's scoring average jumped from 16.8 in 2011-12, to 25.9 in 2012-13. Tracy McGrady went from 15.4 with the Toronto Raptors in1999-00, to 26.8 with the Orlando Magic in 2000-01.
Listing all the examples would take its own slideshow.
Here, we'll be focusing on players in the league who could be in line for a breakout if sent to another team. Or, as the title states, would be freed by a trade.
Wilson Chandler
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In a recent episode of his podcast, Grantland's Zach Lowe spoke with ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz at length about the Denver Nuggets' situation, calling them, "a complete disaster."
Arnovitz pointed to the amount of turnover in the organization, starting with the firing of coach George Karl and departure of general manager Masai Ujiri, as the source of the problem.
Nuggets president Josh Kroenke and new GM Tim Connelly have a team with plenty of individual talent, but none of it seems to mesh.
Arnovitz asked, "At some point, don't you just cash in and start over?"
To which Lowe responded, "They're the powder keg waiting to happen."
It's tough to imagine anyone on that roster being untouchable at this point, making it hard to narrow this slide down to just one, but a likely candidate is Wilson Chandler.
Lowe talked about the possibility of the Los Angeles Clippers, who desperately need a small forward, taking on Chandler.
At 27, he's still on the right side of 30, can guard multiple positions and is a career double-digit scorer at 13.6 points per game.
He's a very similar player to the Clippers' Matt Barnes but seven years younger:
| Matt Barnes | 711 | .448 | .333 | 4.5 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 7.9 |
| Wilson Chandler | 375 | .444 | .337 | 5.1 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 13.6 |
| Matt Barnes | 13.3 | .547 | 11.4 | .103 |
| Wilson Chandler | 13.5 | .526 | 9.3 | .068 |
And Chandler's numbers could get a significant boost in L.A. He's never played with a point guard like Chris Paul or a big who demands as much attention as Blake Griffin.
As a clear third or fourth option on offense who can focus most of his energy and effort on defending the opposition's best wing, Chandler could thrive.
Gerald Henderson
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From 2010-11 through 2013-2014, Gerald Henderson averaged 14.8 points in 32.1 minutes for the Charlotte Bobcats. But in the summer of 2014, the team changed its name to the Hornets and seemingly left Henderson in the Bobcat era.
The front office drafted shooting guard P.J. Hairston in the first round and signed Lance Stephenson in free agency. Both are taking minutes and shots from Henderson, who's now averaging just four points on 34.3 percent shooting.
A career 29.8 percent three-point shooter, Henderson's biggest problem is his inability to spread the floor. Still, he's a proven double-digit scorer who could provide some punch for a team's second unit.
If Charlotte is still under .500 as the trade deadline approaches, it may look to shake things up. And Henderson's salary of $6 million per year is certainly movable.
John Henson
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Prior to the 2014 draft, Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times in Racine, Wisconsin reported that the Milwaukee Bucks were shopping Brandon Knight and John Henson:
"Young forward John Henson, who has shown flashes of being a top-flight player, is also available and some Bucks insiders claim the team’s new owners — Marc Lasry and Wes Edens — have given their blessing to possibly trading young point guard Brandon Knight, arguably the team’s best player.
"
Fast-forward to now, and it's tough to see Knight moving. He's still just 22 and averaging 18.1 points, 6.7 assists and 6.1 rebounds.
As for Henson, he's strangely the odd man out in Jason Kidd's rotation. He's averaging a career-low 12.6 minutes under the new coach, but he's been extremely productive in the limited minutes.
| John Henson | 24 | 113 | 22.5 | .612 | 14.0 | 8.3 | .247 |
| Larry Sanders | 26 | 204 | 14.3 | .412 | 19.4 | 6.9 | .108 |
| Jabari Parker | 19 | 258 | 10.0 | .445 | 10.9 | 0.6 | .022 |
| Ersan Ilyasova | 27 | 159 | 8.5 | .462 | 9.6 | 1.0 | .065 |
If Kidd is convinced that the frontcourt playing time belongs to Larry Sanders, Ersan Ilyasova and Jabari Parker, Milwaukee should be exploring what it can get in return for Henson.
He has the potential to be a top-notch rebounder and rim protector, something that's become extremely valuable in today's NBA, where so many offenses focus on shooting threes and attacking the paint.
Enes Kanter
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When contract negotiations broke down between the Utah Jazz and Enes Kanter's agent in October, the rumored idea of trading the big man hit the Internet. Basketball Insiders' Jesse Blancarte explained why:
"...there are concerns about Kanter’s overall value considering his defensive limitations, which calls into question how much the Jazz should offer in extension negotiations. On Tuesday news broke that the Jazz and Kanter have ended contract talks.
Also complicating Kanter’s future in Utah is 22 year old center Rudy Gobert. Gobert made a great showing in this summer’s FIBA World Cup Tournament, helping France upset Spain, and recently had some solid preseason performances.
He is extremely long and athletic, and if he proves capable of starting next to Favors, could be part of a strong defensive frontcourt for Utah. Utah may eventually look to move Kanter in exchange for assets if they are not convinced he is worth the money he is asking for.
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At 24.1 minutes, Kanter's actually getting less playing time this season than he did in 2013-14 and less than four minutes more than his current backup, Trevor Booker.
Despite the questions on Kanter defensively, he's still a force on the other end. And a team in need of scoring inside that can collapse a defense would be wise to inquire on his availability.
Dion Waiters
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Bleacher Report's Adam Fromal recently waxed inquisitive on Twitter, asking, "Serious question. How many starting-caliber players in the NBA are worse fits for the Cavs than Dion Waiters?"
And he asked that before rookie Joe Harris scored 12 points on 4-of-5 from three-point range against the Atlanta Hawks. The sharpshooter from Virginia looks like exactly the kind of ball-moving, floor-spacing, knows-his-role shooting guard the Cleveland Cavaliers need.
Waiters, conversely, doesn't appear ready to take a backseat to anyone, not even LeBron James or Kevin Love. Fromal opined, "It's like a gut-punch whenever Waiters gets the ball. Ruins any chance at good ball movement."
The Cavs simply don't need Waiters' brand of scoring. ESPN Insider Bradford Doolittle (subscription required) listed the Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks as teams that might be willing to take a chance on him.
J.R. Smith
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Even with Carmelo Anthony, one of the game's best scorers, the New York Knicks' offense has sputtered out of the gate this season.
Their offensive rating of 104.3 is 21st in the league, and there isn't a single player who appears to be anywhere near clicking in the triangle offense.
Head coach Derek Fisher talked about the challenge, per Marc Berman of the New York Post:
"[Phil] obviously knows a lot about his offense, but I think it’s more than just a guy is going to get it. Each player and person has different learning curves. I don’t know if there’s a date.
It’s more where our team is from a management standpoint. For me, I don’t have a date on when I would assume a guy should or shouldn’t have it. I’m going to coach him until he’s here or isn’t here. Those won’t be my decisions.’
"
According to Berman, one of those players who might not be around for much longer is J.R. Smith. There's a logjam at the 2, with Iman Shumpert and Tim Hardaway also on the roster, and the Indiana Pacers are rumored to have interest, per Berman.
Rajon Rondo
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It feels like Rajon Rondo's name has been churning in the rumor mill for years, but according to an Eastern Conference executive, his value in the market might not be that high.
Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix shared the executive's thoughts:
"I don’t know how high it is. He is a free agent at the end of the year. A team that trades for him will have half a season to convince him to stay. He has to be in a city that he wants to be in. If he didn’t get hurt last year his value would have been higher then.
A team would have had a year and a half and convince him to stay. And I don’t know how many teams truly need a starting point guard. Houston needs one. The Lakers. But if you’re the Lakers, why would you give up anything for him now when you can try to sign him this summer?
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It's a shame, because Rondo looks great this season, and having him on a contender would be good for the league.
| 1 | Chris Paul | 36.3 | 5.3 | 10.1 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 49.0 |
| 2 | Rajon Rondo | 33.3 | 8.1 | 12.0 | 1.9 | 3.6 | 48.4 |
| 3 | John Wall | 35.6 | 3.9 | 9.1 | 2.3 | 3.3 | 43.8 |
| 4 | Tony Wroten | 32.8 | 4.2 | 6.3 | 2.2 | 4.4 | 39.9 |
| 5 | Brandon Jennings | 28.7 | 2.9 | 6.0 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 39.4 |
A trade would free him in the sense that he'd be able to put his talents to use for something other than a team likely headed for the lottery.
Andre Drummond, Josh Smith or Greg Monroe
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It was just too hard to pick a single member of the Detroit Pistons' frontcourt trio. The paint-stuffing Andre Drummond, Greg Monroe and Josh Smith simply don't fit together, and a trade of any of the three would benefit each one.
All three can dominate a game inside, but that becomes a lot more difficult when they're together, because none of them can space the floor. Swap even one for a real shooter and things would suddenly open up.
| Andre Drummond | 151 | .250 | 11.0 |
| Greg Monroe | 317 | .000 | 14.0 |
| Josh Smith | 763 | .279 | 15.4 |
Drummond and Monroe are a combined 1-of-11 from three-point range in their careers. And Smith is a disaster from long range. Of the 271 players who've attempted at least 1,200 threes, his percentage of 27.9 ranks 270th.
Stan Van Gundy experimented with bringing Monroe off the bench in the preseason and in one game during the regular season, but Detroit doesn't really have an adequate replacement on the roster.
Any of the three would likely be able to net a starter in return, and most signs point to Monroe being the one dealt. Drummond is still only 21 and probably the closest to untouchable, while Smith's contract is darn-near untradabale.
The sooner the Pistons get a trade done, the sooner they'll be able to move toward some kind of new identity.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats and salary figures are courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com, and are current as of Nov. 15, 2014.
Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him @AndrewDBailey.
