NBA Players Under 25 Who Already Need a Trade

Every NBA offseason, time is invested evaluating the fit of draft prospects, traded players and free agents heading to new hoops homes.

Those same discussions are sometimes worth having about players who don't change locker rooms, too.

Because when young players fail to progress, they're often blamed for the stagnation or even cast away as draft busts or overhyped prospects. Yet, sometimes they're held back by things out of their control. Maybe their games don't mesh with their team's preferred play styles. Perhaps they're not on the same timeline as the rest of their teammates. Or maybe there's just so much pent-up frustration that only a change of scenery can give everyone involved a necessary release.

Young players don't always figure it out on the first try. Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, for instance, was deep into his 20s and on his fifth different NBA roster before orchestrating his All-Star emergence.

While the following five under-25 players probably don't have that kind of future in front of them, they clearly could use a trade to try getting their stalled careers on track. For clarity's sake, we'll exclude restricted free agents from this exercise (cough, Jonathan Kuminga), since it's possible their scenery changes will be coming, anyway.

Ousmane Dieng, Oklahoma City Thunder

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Remember the 2022 draft that proved so transformative for the now-world champion Thunder? You know, the one that delivered both Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams? Well, do you also remember that OKC moved up (at the cost of multiple first-round picks) to make a selection in between them?

It's very possible you don't, since Dieng, the player the Thunder dealt three protected future firsts to take 11th overall, has hardly hit the NBA hardwood since. Of the 58 players pulled from that talent grab (two second-round picks were forfeited), Dieng's 1,339 career minutes rank 36th overall.

Injuries have played a part in that, but the bigger issue has been his lack of polish. While that was expected—he was among that draft's youngest prospects and is still just 22 years old—it became a bigger obstacle as OKC accelerated through its ascension, showing surprising competitiveness during his rookie season and then emerging as a full-fledged contender in just his second go-round.

The Thunder have given themselves much more significant objectives than mastering Dieng's development, which has felt like less of a priority with each passing year. And with OKC still in possession of what's clearly the league's best roster, it's hard to imagine things changing any time soon.

He hasn't exactly forced the issue when given an opportunity, but his NBA sample size is so small that there can't be much value in breaking it down. His offensive efficiency could improve at every level (career 42.4/29.3/72.7 slash line), but maybe it would with regular touches and a defined rotation role.

His floor time has decreased in each of the past two seasons, and with Oklahoma City's overwhelming depth, that's a trend that could continue. Unless, of course, the Thunder can sniff out a trade partner that has someone (or something) they want and the kind of opportunity Dieng needs to prove whether he's built for the NBA or not.

Jaden Hardy, Dallas Mavericks

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The 23-year-old Hardy had some eye-opening moments early in his Mavericks tenure. In a different developmental situation, that might've been enough to lock him into the team's long-term plans—or at least have the chance to do so.

But with Dallas perpetually chasing win-now goals and always having at least one scoring guard around to lead that charge (first Luka Dončić, then Kyrie Irving and for much of the time both), Hardy's handling has felt more like a back-burner item for this franchise.

Buoyed by both a rapid first step and a typically accurate three-point shot (career 38.1 percent), he can look like a three-level-scorer-in-training. Inconsistency is an issue, and decision-making can be, too, but again he's 23 years old and has just a hair over 2,600 minutes on his NBA odometer. That's to be expected.

On a team without championship-or-bust pressure, Hardy would've spent the past three seasons working his way through growing pains and learning from his mistakes. Instead, he's been too often tethered to the bench and sure seemed like he was surpassed on the backcourt pecking order by Brandon Williams late last season.

Hardy, who's probably a better off-guard than lead guard, now faces an uncertain future with an organization that seems less than fully committed to his development. He hasn't done enough in three seasons to drive up his trade value, but it still seems like other, more forward-thinking franchises would covet him more than his current club.

Jett Howard, Orlando Magic

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Was Howard overdrafted when Orlando took him 11th overall in 2023? Probably. He was far from considered a lottery lock, as obvious defensive deficiencies threatened to render him unplayable despite him possessing a pretty perimeter shot.

The shooting-starved Magic were willing to look past those weaknesses, because they were in such desperate need of his biggest strength. And yet, they've barely played him ever since—and not because that itch for shooting was scratched by someone else.

In Howard's rookie season, Orlando averaged the fewest three-pointers and ranked 24th in three-point percentage. This past season, the Magic were dead last in both categories. That's a big reason why they paid such a premium for Desmond Bane earlier this offseason.

Know what they never really tried, though? Playing Howard. His 768 career minutes rank just 34th among 2023 draftees. That number would probably be higher if his shooting was anything near as good as advertised, but it's been a mess (62-of-211 from three, 29.4 percent). Still, the sample size is small enough to wonder what, if anything, it actually means, particularly since he has yet to settle into a regular rotation role.

The 21-year-old still seems worth developing, just maybe not for the clearly-going-for-it Magic. Backcourt and wing minutes could be once again hard to come by, so the only way to get Howard's trajectory pointing anywhere close to up will likely have to come via trade. And for all of his defensive flaws, his blend of size (6'8", 215 lbs), shooting potential and shot-creation should convince someone he's ready for a bigger role than Orlando has ever afforded him.

GG Jackson II, Memphis Grizzlies

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Had the Grizzlies followed up the Desmond Bane blockbuster with more forward-thinking moves, the runway may have been cleared for Jackson to take flight in his third NBA season. But since Ja Morant didn't follow Bane out the door, and Jaren Jackson Jr. was given a five-year, $240 million renegotiation-and-extension, Memphis isn't obviously attempting to backtrack.

So, Jackson once again appears potentially stuck as a developmental prospect on a team that can't afford many developmental mistakes. A projected depth chart doesn't obviously include him on the two-deep, so he might be scrapping for minutes as he had to this past season, when his average floor time was nearly half what it was during his rookie run (15.8, down from 25.7).

The 20-year-old is too talented for this. It's mostly all raw talent, to be clear, but it's talent nonetheless. He didn't average 17.6 points after the All-Star break as a 19-year-old rookie by mistake. His game needs buffering in all areas and may lack layers beyond bucket-getting, but there aren't a lot of 6'9", 215-pounders with this many shot-making moves in their bag.

Grizzlies fans, of course, didn't see much of that this past season, which Jackson opened on the injury list and ended on the fringes of their rotation. Better days could absolutely be ahead, though, especially if he can use that campaign as a lesson learned.

"You don't really believe it as much as far as how big mental health plays a spot in it," Jackson told reporters about what he learned during his sophomore season. "... Just having things on your mind constantly, worried about too much, thinking too much instead of just worrying about the things you can control can definitely get in the way. That got in my way a lot this year."

Jackson needs a lot of leeway to see what he can make up of his unique physical gifts and skills. If the Grizzlies don't want to bother with the one-step-forward, two-steps-back developmental dance, they should send him somewhere he can spread his wings.

Patrick Williams, Chicago Bulls

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Save perhaps for friends and family members, there isn't a bigger believer in Williams than Chicago's front office. The Bulls made that clear when they made him the fourth overall pick in 2020, then doubled down on that commitment with a five-year, $90 million extension last summer that came on the heels of four frustratingly forgettable seasons.

Just because Williams' biggest supporters are in the Windy City, though, that does not mean it remains the best place for his development.

That's not to say his stagnation should be blamed on the organization. They've given him one chance after the next to find his footing, and it just hasn't happened. At times, he has appeared way too passive, but when he's tried to dial up his aggression, that hasn't worked, either.

Maybe that means the light bulb is simply never going to ignite, but seeing as how he's a tools-y 23-year-old with established three-point prowess (career 39.2 percent) and defensive versatility, it still feels premature to completely abandon hope. However, it's probably past time to see whether a change of scenery could be the cure to whatever ails him.

It doesn't take much imagination to see him comfortably and capably handling a three-and-D role, but that would still make him a massive disappointment in Chicago. Even if fans are much more pessimistic about P-Will than the front office, they'd still like to see a better return on the franchise's significant investments in him.

Get him away from the Bulls, and those expectations should be alleviated. Since he's almost certainly a negative trade asset at his point, rival clubs might be incentivized to take him off their hands. The weighty pressure to perform would be off his shoulders, and he may not be asked to do more than dig in defensively and shoot from distance—skills he has already showcased at this level.

He's a useful (albeit overpaid) player, but the Bulls clearly hoped he'd become so much more. With tempered expectations on a new team, he might solidify his niche as a solid support player, nothing more and nothing less.