NBA Playoff Eligibility Waiver Deadline: Predictions for 2025 Buyout Candidates
NBA trade season might be in the rearview, but teams still have an opportunity to upgrade their roster.
The clock is just ticking to make it happen.
Buyout candidates have between now and March 1 to hit the waiver wire and retain their playoff eligibility. A few have already traveled through waivers and latched on with new teams, like Ben Simmons joining the Los Angeles Clippers, Torrey Craig signing with the Boston Celtics and Javonte Green connecting with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
There could be more players on the move, so we're breaking out the crystal ball to predict what (if anything) will happen with the top buyout candidates on the board.
Bucks Add Interior Depth with Former Lottery Pick
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The Bucks sensed a need for depth at center and addressed it at the deadline by acquiring Jericho Sims in the four-teamer that also brought in Kyle Kuzma and sent out Khris Middleton. They've since stomached a major blow at the position by way of Bobby Portis' 25-game suspension after testing positive for Tramadol.
Milwaukee can't even hope to find a Portis replacement on the waiver wire, but it could see Mo Bamba, who was already waived by the Utah Jazz following a deadline trade, as a serviceable, stop-gap solution.
The 7-footer never fully tapped into the potential that once made him the No. 6 pick of the 2018 draft, but he still offers an interesting mix of size, shot blocking and floor spacing. He may not be Brook Lopez 2.0, but he could fill a similar role in spurts alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Bucks fans would be wise to forget about Bamba's draft pedigree. He is closing in on his 27th birthday, and if he signed in Milwaukee, that would be his fifth different team since the start of the 2022-23 season. He has never been the interior presence that his size says he should be, and his motor isn't the most reliable.
All of that said, a serviceable role player who potentially fills a niche need is still very much a solid find on the buyout market. If Bamba could make Portis' absence even slightly less noticeable, that would be a roster spot well spent.
Rockets Find Fill-In Floor General
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Even in an increasingly position-less NBA, the Chicago Bulls have too many point guards. Jevon Carter was already squeezed out of the rotation, and the same could happen to Tre Jones, who landed in the Windy City as part of the Zach LaVine trade.
Josh Giddey might be a building block, and Lonzo Ball inked a contract extension in early February. Both should be bigger priorities at point guard than Jones, and that's without accounting for any time on the ball the team opts to give Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu.
If Chicago lets Jones out, the Houston Rockets could be quick to snatch him up.
They need a backup ball-mover behind Fred VanVleet, and Jones' decision-making is consistently elite. The fifth-year floor general has more than quadrupled his career turnover count (308) with assists (1,316).
He is more of a game-manager than a deft playmaker, but that's fine for a bench role, particularly if it'd be more of a situational timeshare with Aaron Holiday, who's a better shooter and bigger scoring threat. The Rockets must squeeze everything they can out of this offense if they hope to contend, and strengthening the second unit with a quarterback of Jones' caliber would help.
Magic Address Shooting Shortage
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While this trade season wasn't short on stunners, one of the quietly bigger surprises was Orlando's inactivity. There were presumably opportunities available to correct one of the Association's biggest imbalances, yet the team stood pat with president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman telling reporters, "We don't regard ourselves as having to panic right now."
Obviously, no one wants to panic, but even the "this is fine" dog knows things aren't fine with this roster's construction. Orlando has this season's second-stingiest defense yet also has a negative net rating (minus-1.6, 18th) due to its offensive ineptitude (28th in efficiency) and nearly team-wide lack of shooting.
Just like last season, the Magic rank dead last in three-point makes (10.8 per game), only now they're saddled with the double-whammy of also bringing up the rear in three-point percentage (30.4).
This roster, this fanbase and especially this defense deserves better, and since help didn't arrive at the deadline, this front office should at least search the buyout market for adequate spacing. Seth Curry, a career 43.2 percent perimeter sharpshooter, could supply that, and it's tough to tell why the bottom-feeding Charlotte Hornets would deem it necessary to hold onto a 34-year-old with an expiring contract.
Should Curry reach the open market, he'd be a no-brainer target for this team. Orlando has, admittedly, wobbled plenty over the past few months, but finding even a gasp of air on the offensive end could be critical. With a defense this ferocious and a wing tandem as talented as the Paolo Banchero-Franz Wagner combo, the Magic could be a pesky playoff opponent if their offense finds any kind of perimeter punch.
OKC Comes Full Circle with Point God
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Among the many compelling arguments behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's MVP candidacy, perhaps the most convincing is the profound difference his mere floor presence makes. With him, the Thunder have a galaxy-devouring plus-17.8 net rating. Without him, their efficiency would be wedged in between the 16th-placed Indiana Pacers and 17th-placed Miami Heat (plus-0.2).
Granted, every team will feel the absence of its superstar, but that's still a gargantuan split when considering how deep this roster runs. It's also not totally surprising, since the Thunder don't really have another pure point guard on the roster (unless you count Nikola Topić, whose would-be rookie season was wiped out by an ACL injury).
Could the Thunder look to a familiar face to fill the void behind their MVP? Chris Paul, who helped Gilgeous-Alexander find his footing when the two teamed up on the 2019-20 Thunder, could be a sneaky buyout candidate given what's transpiring with the San Antonio Spurs, who splurged on a player at his position (De'Aaron Fox) and then lost their centerpiece (Victor Wembanyama) to deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.
With San Antonio's play-in hopes fading fast, it feels possible that Paul, who turns 40 in May and is playing on a one-year deal, might want out to join a more competitive club. The Thunder certainly qualify as such and could perhaps provide the Point God with the one thing missing on his resume: a championship.
He could be more than a bench-filling ring-chaser, though. There is a real opportunity for a floor general to seize control of their second-unit offense, and even at his age, he'd be up to that task. If the Thunder want a cerebral sub behind their superstar, they'd be hard-pressed to find a better qualified candidate.
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