6 NBA Teams That Already Look Like Sellers on the Trade Market
The NBA trade market is technically open for business, but teams typically wait a little longer to start filling the transaction log.
Clubs like to have more time to properly assess their ranks before deciding which, if any, of their guys are expendable. Plus, they need to get an idea of where they sit in the standings, and there are some restrictions in place regarding when certain players are eligible to be moved.
So it could take some time before players need to worry about filling out change-of-address forms. But several teams have quietly—and, in most cases, unintentionally—started lining up as the potential sellers of the 2014-15 season.
Some have redundant rosters that need to be thinned in a process that brings back some assets in return. Others don't have the pieces to play for today, so their main focus should always be on building for tomorrow.
It's probably too early for these six teams to see themselves as sellers. But based on what we have seen so far, that's the direction in which each one appears to be headed.
Boston Celtics
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The Boston Celtics seem destined to make a trade at some point this season, even if it's not the trade the basketball world has been expecting to see.
Four-time All-Star Rajon Rondo might be the most buzzworthy name in the rumor mill, but most signs point to him finishing this season in the same place he's been since 2006. He hasn't masked the fact he enjoys being in Boston and hopes to stick around after his current contract expires next summer.
While the rebuilding franchise could decide to weigh offers for a 28-year-old whose prime will have likely passed before the Celtics' starts, the team is publicly leaning in the opposite direction. Behind closed doors, President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge is apparently sending the same message.
"Rival executives say that Ainge has been firm in his stance that Rondo will not be dealt," wrote Bleacher Report's Howard Beck.
That being said, the Celtics (4-8) could keep Rondo and still be major players near the trade deadline.
Their leading scorer, Jeff Green (18.4 points per game), has a market as strong, "if not stronger," than Rondo's, a league executive told Comcast SportsNet's A. Sherrod Blakely. "Scouts and opposing front-office types have begun to speak and inquire about" veteran forward Brandon Bass, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
It's hard to imagine both the 28-year-old Green and 29-year-old Bass are part of Boston's long-term plans. Bass is working on the final year of his deal, and Green can opt out of his contract at season's end. Each could help out a contender—a label the Celtics won't be wearing for a while.
Detroit Pistons
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The Detroit Pistons have been trapped in a five-year playoff drought, but this season has been particularly painful to watch. All of the excitement that followed Stan Van Gundy's arrival as president/coach and Andre Drummond's experience with Team USA has withered amid the team's 3-11 start.
With a paltry .214 winning percentage, the Pistons are on pace to have their second-worst season in franchise history. They own the NBA's third-least efficient offense. Drummond, a career 59.8 percent shooter, is converting only 43.4 percent of his field-goal attempts.
Losing their main offseason acquisition, Jodie Meeks, to a back injury hasn't helped, but the Pistons still seem in need of a change. And they have some obvious trade candidates on their roster.
"If the Pistons try to make a trade, the biggest contracts make the most sense," wrote MLive.com's David Mayo.
The biggest contracts would be Josh Smith (three years, $42 million remaining) and Brandon Jennings (two years, $16.3 million). ESPN Insider Chris Broussard reported last January that the Pistons were willing to part with Smith (subscription required), so it's no surprise seeing his name surface. Jennings could be a different story, though, as he's posting career marks from the field (43.8) and from three (39.1).
Detroit needs to rework its frontcourt, as the Pistons cannot put Drummond, Smith and Greg Monroe on the floor together for long stretches. Drummond is a building block, but both Smith and Monroe—who signed a one-year qualifying offer this past offseason—should be up for grabs.
Minnesota Timberwolves
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After trying to build something around Kevin Love, only to see him force his way out, the Minnesota Timberwolves are left with an awkward mix of win-now veterans and high-ceiling prospects.
Whatever hope they had of winning without Love went away when they lost Ricky Rubio to a severely sprained ankle. The Wolves (3-9) have lost six of their last seven games without him, which has hopefully nudged president-coach Flip Saunders to start preparing for a fire sale.
Already, there have been reports that wings Chase Budinger (per Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski) and Corey Brewer (per ESPN's Marc Stein) have been made available. But with so much raw talent in need of seasoning, Minnesota shouldn't stop there.
"With a young core of Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, Shabazz Muhammad, Gorgui Dieng and Anthony Bennett in place to develop this year, Nikola Pekovic, Thaddeus Young, Kevin Martin and the rest of the veterans on the Timberwolves shouldn’t get too comfortable," wrote Basketball Insiders' Yannis Koutroupis.
The 26-year-old Young could be the easiest of Minnesota's three high-priced veterans to move. He's enough of a three-point threat (career 32.5 percent) to fill the coveted stretch-4 position, and he plays with a high motor on both ends. He also holds a $9.7 million player option for next season, so he could wind up being only a partial-year rental.
Pekovic and Martin might be a little trickier. Pekovic is set to collect $47.9 million through 2017-18, and the back-to-the-basket center brings nothing in the way of rim protection. Martin has another two years and $14.4 million left on his deal after this season, and he's another one-way contributor. The 31-year-old could also miss the next two months after undergoing wrist surgery.
Even if the Wolves can't bring back equal value in return, moving these vets would have major perks for the playing time it would create for Minnesota's youngsters.
New York Knicks
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If everything goes according to plan, the New York Knicks will find their miracle cure in next summer's free-agent class. But that doesn't mean the franchise should remain idle until that time comes.
Team president Phil Jackson has already shown he will pull the trigger on a deal if he finds one to his liking. He swapped out Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton for a four-player package this summer that included an ideal point guard for the triangle offense in Jose Calderon.
And Jackson has kept a number of other trade winds swirling during his brief tenure in the Big Apple.
Back in July, sources told ESPN New York's Ian Begley the Knicks were shopping Amar'e Stoudemire and his $23.4 million salary to several teams. In early November, a source told the New York Post's Marc Berman the team had discussed sending J.R. Smith to the Indiana Pacers for former Knicks sharpshooter Chris Copeland.
Swingman Iman Shumpert has seemingly been on the trade block from the moment he was made the 17th overall pick in 2011. Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal argued that dealing 2013 first-round pick Tim Hardaway Jr. "makes the most sense" because of his trade value and struggles to impact the game with something other than scoring.
In other words, the Knicks (4-11) don't have an untouchable player outside of Carmelo Anthony. With the scoring savant turning 31 next May, New York must do whatever it can to position itself for a run at several impact players.
That could mean shedding some of this backcourt depth for help on the frontcourt. Or it might be acquiring picks and/or prospects to help facilitate a blockbuster deal down the line.
Philadelphia 76ers
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The Philadelphia 76ers aren't ones to shy away from sacrifices. Their extreme rebuilding plan has seen them give up everything from All-Stars to wins in their pursuit of a championship contender built from the ground up.
The 76ers (0-14) are four losses away from tying the 2009-10 New Jersey Nets for the worst start in league history. They have been outscored by an NBA-worst 15.9 points per 100 possessions. The next-least efficient team, the Los Angeles Lakers, owns a minus-10.5 net rating.
As Philly fans know all too well, these struggles are nothing new. Last season, the Sixers had a minus-10.7 net rating. They also matched a league record by dropping 26 consecutive games.
While there are a few intriguing pieces on this roster, there are none worth holding out of a deal that could add to the organization's rebuilding plan.
According to Grantland's Zach Lowe, the Sixers "tried hard" to move reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams during the draft. ESPN Insider Chad Ford projected the Sixers would take Duke freshman phenom Jahlil Okafor if they land the first pick next summer. While that could create a logjam with Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel already on board, Philly could already have a solution for that problem.
"They will probably trade one of the bigs they currently have instead of Okafor," a source told Zags Blog's Adam Zagoria.
The entire point of Philly's rebuild is to collect assets. If any team is willing to part with some for what the Sixers currently have, they should be open for business.
Utah Jazz
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The Utah Jazz have assembled most of the key pieces for their rebuild, including potential building blocks at point guard and center. But there are multiple players who could claim to fill those spots.
Both Trey Burke and Dante Exum have flashed point-guard-of-the-future potential. On the interior, Enes Kanter and Rudy Gobert have hinted at impressive upsides. The Jazz have wisely hedged their bets at both positions, but at some point, this franchise may need to choose two of the four.
The 19-year-old Exum is raw, but the 6'6" floor general has the physical tools to be the superstar this roster currently lacks.
"Exum’s upside is apparent," wrote Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. "His assist-to-turnover ratio is the best among first-year players. And already he’s been a better defender and a better shooting threat than many experts predicted he would be early in his career."
Exum and Burke don't shoot well enough to keep defenses honest when playing together. Plus, Utah has already made significant commitments on the perimeter to Alec Burks (four years, $42 million) and Gordon Hayward (four years, $63 million). Unless Burke is seen as a future sixth man, the Jazz might want to gauge his worth on the open market.
And they should make a similar scan for Kanter. The 6'11" bruiser is slated to hit restricted free agency next summer, so the Jazz might consider getting something of value for him now while they still control the situation. The physically imposing Gobert, who is averaging 10.5 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per 36 minutes, could be a dominant rim protector if Utah wants to build itself as a defensive power.
The Jazz (5-10) shouldn't rush to make a deal, but they have to keep their options open in case the right offer comes along.
Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com. Salary information obtained via HoopsHype.
