These 5 NBA Stars Now Have Negative Trade Value
Rewarding players for their accomplishments can be a double-edged sword for NBA teams. Age and injuries can diminish their production, but their contracts may continue to escalate beyond their most productive years.
In extreme cases, teams may fall off the postseason map while saddled with too much salary due to the NBA's complex and restrictive salary-cap system. Bradley Beal was a three-time All-Star with the Washington Wizards, but his contract is an obstacle for the Phoenix Suns, who didn't even make the play-in tournament this year despite having the highest payroll in the league.
Players like Beal, who has a no-trade clause to block any deal, can be challenging to move. Their contracts become trade chips with negative value.
Here, we've highlighted the five worst-trade-value deals heading into the 2025-26 offseason.
Bradley Beal, G, Phoenix Suns
1 of 6
2025-26 salary: $53.7 million
Age at start of season: 32
Total remaining contract: $110.8 million over two years
Note: Player option on final season; no-trade clause
Beal and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James are the only two players in the NBA with true no-trade clauses. The Washington Wizards quickly grew to regret giving that to Beal, but they still managed to get the Suns to take him off their hands.
Beal isn't a bad NBA player, but his production doesn't match his contract. The Suns had no real shot at landing Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat before the trade deadline because Beal's ability to block any move made a deal nearly impossible.
The Suns are probably heading in a different direction this offseason, which could include moving on from Kevin Durant. But if they want to move Beal, they need his permission.
Without it, he'll be on the Suns until his contract expires unless they buy him out.
Paul George, F, Philadelphia 76ers
2 of 6
2025-26 salary: $51.7 million
Age at start of season: 35
Total remaining contract: $162.4 million over three years
Note: Player option on final season; $4.9 million trade bonus
Paul George is heading into the second season of his contract with the 76ers. Unfortunately, he didn't live up to his salary this past season.
The best-case scenario for Philadelphia is that George had a down year because of injuries. If he stays healthier next year, perhaps he'll return to his All-Star form.
George played only 41 games for the Sixers, averaging 16.2 points while shooting 35.8 percent from three-point range. That's a significant drop from 22.6 and 41.3 percent, respectively, the year prior. He doesn't have to get back to those same heights, but closer to 70-75 games could help make his contract less of a disaster.
If not, George's hefty remaining salary may keep him with the Sixers for some time.
Jamal Murray, G, Denver Nuggets
3 of 6
2025-26 salary: $46.4 million
Age at start of season: 28
Total remaining contract: $207.8 million over four years
Jamal Murray was huge for the Nuggets during their championship run in 2022-23. They rewarded him with a substantial extension, and they're still competing for another title this season.
Although there's no denying Murray's talent, many around the league view him as the beneficiary of playing alongside the best player in the world in Nikola Jokić. Would Murray be this good (21.4 points per game this season) next to anyone else?
After missing the entire 2021-22 season with a severe knee injury, Murray has averaged almost 64 games per year. If Denver falls short this season, the investment in Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Jokić and Murray hasn't allowed the team to maintain the depth needed to win at the highest level.
Porter may be the player whom the Nuggets have to move to get better, but can they get multiple rotation players in return for him to bolster their depth?
Jokić has a player option for the 2027-28 season. Denver is already on the clock, but moving Murray's massive contract doesn't seem like a viable path forward.
Joel Embiid, C, Philadelphia 76ers
4 of 6
2025-26 salary: $55.2 million
Age at start of season: 31
Total remaining contract: $248.1 million over four years
Note: Player option on final season
Embiid won the NBA's Most Valuable Player award in 2022-23, and he was the early front-runner to repeat before he suffered a meniscus injury last January. That's been the story of his NBA career.
Embiid has had durability issues dating back to his time at Kansas. He missed his first two NBA campaigns after getting drafted in 2014 and has averaged only 41 games per year over his 11 seasons. He played only 58 games over the past two years combined because of his knee issues.
The Sixers can only hope that Embiid will return from his latest knee surgery at full strength, but they'll likely need to manage his availability moving forward. He's one of the league's best players when healthy, but that's rarely been the case consistently over the course of his career.
Embiid is due a significant amount of money. His availability concerns might make his contract the most difficult to move in all of the NBA.
Jerami Grant, F, Portland Trail Blazers
5 of 6
2025-26 salary: $32 million
Age at start of season: 31
Total remaining contract: $102.6 million over three years
Note: Player option on final season
Jerami Grant has never earned an All-Star nod, but he emerged as a 20-point scorer with the Detroit Pistons and Trail Blazers. His large contract was an investment in the Damian Lillard-led Blazers.
Even after the Blazers traded the All-Star guard during the 2023 offseason, they honored a verbal agreement to give Grant a much larger extension than was arguably warranted.
Portland is on the upswing, but Grant isn't essential to the rebuild in the coming years. Unfortunately, his salary may not be easy to move at this point. His production dipped from 21.0 points per game in 2023-24 to 14.4 this past season, and his three-point shooting dipped from 40.2 percent to 36.5 percent.
Teams often expect a player's production to drop once they hit 30, and Grant might be following that trend. Given the amount of money left on his deal, the Blazers may need to let a year or two pass before he becomes an attractive expiring contract.
Honorable Mention: Lauri Markkanen, F, Utah Jazz
6 of 6
2025-26 salary: $46.4 million
Age at start of season: 28
Total remaining contract: $195.6 million over four years
Markkanen peaked in 2022-23 when he averaged a career-high 25.6 points per game en route to his first All-Star nod and the NBA's Most Improved Player award. He led the Jazz to a much better season than expected that year, but they have since abandoned competing at the highest level. Instead, they're focusing more on adding and developing young talent.
Given his age, Markkanen doesn't make sense for whatever the Jazz become next. Perhaps landing Duke's Cooper Flagg in this year's draft lottery would make it easier for Utah to let go of its star player.
However, Markkanen averaged only 19 points per game this past season, while his three-point shooting fell from 39.9 percent last year to 34.6 percent this year. He's only turning 28 in May, but his contract takes him over the age bridge that frightens teams. If he's slowing down at 28, what will he be at 32? (That may sound crazy, but it's how some teams think.)
One Eastern Conference executive even called Markkanen's contract the worst in the league. That's probably hyperbolic, but that's how several teams feel.
Should they decide to move on from Markkanen, the Jazz have plenty of other franchises to negotiate with. Markkanen may have enough of a market to get a deal done, but the size of his contract is larger than it should be.
Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on X @EricPincus and Bluesky.
