Predicting the Next Wave of NBA Trade Block Names
In the NBA, trade talk doesn't begin or end. It cycles, replacing one name with another and shifting focus from one transactional period to the next.
With the deadline now in the past and several much-discussed movers in new locales, it's time to look ahead to the offseason and the new crop of trade candidates. You'll note some familiar faces joining the fresh ones.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, for example, isn't suddenly exempt from speculation. Just because he happened to stick with the Milwaukee Bucks last week doesn't mean he's there for life.
Let's see who else figures to generate trade buzz in the coming months.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
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Oh, you thought this was over?
If Giannis Antetokounmpo has shown us anything over the last handful of years, it's that his fealty to the Milwaukee Bucks comes with conditions. No judgment here—players should exercise maximum agency over their careers—but Antetokounmpo's domination of the most recent trade news cycle will not be his last.
He wants to contend. And if the Bucks don't look capable of delivering, prepare for trade-chatter déjà vu.
On draft night, the Bucks can trade whomever they select in the first round along with their 2031 and 2033 picks for near-term help. That's exactly the kind of win-now, future-mortgaging move Milwaukee has made to give Antetokounmpo the contender he craves, but its previous attempts suggest nothing can completely quiet the rumblings of a potential Giannis exit. Those surfaced after the Bucks acquired Damian Lillard and Myles Turner in recent offseasons.
With Antetokounmpo eligible to sign an extension on Oct. 1, the pressure is going to be high. If he's not satisfied that Milwaukee's offseason maneuverings have transformed the team from a current lottery squad into a title threat, expect tons of noise about his future.
Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
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The Memphis Grizzlies traded Desmond Bane last summer and sent Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz at the deadline, dismantling two-thirds of a core that put together back-to-back 50-win seasons in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
The other third of that group, Ja Morant, will follow the first two out the door as soon as is practical.
Per Joe Vardon of The Athletic: "Memphis intends to trade Morant over the summer ... Don't view the Grizzlies' non-action on him as a change in direction."
Morant's injuries, suspensions and recent decline in availability and production have all contributed to Memphis' decision to reset its roster. His remaining on the team at this point reflects the lack of a compelling trade market for him rather than a clear, long‑term commitment from the Grizzlies.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst explained: "I think he's got what they call in the league 'negative value.' What that means is teams were not willing to take Ja Morant unless the Grizzlies also attached draft compensation."
If Morant plays well down the stretch of the season, it can only help rehabilitate his trade value. Even if he doesn't, it's possible more suitors will emerge this summer, which could allow the Grizzlies to send him out without attaching assets.
Failing that, the 13 first-rounders Memphis owns in the next seven drafts should make it easier to include sweeteners when offloading the remaining two years and $87 million left on Morant's deal.
Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
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The Cleveland Cavaliers are executing a high-wire act out of fear.
ESPN's Tim Bontemps alluded to the unlikelihood of Donovan Mitchell signing an extension this offseason if the Cavs bow out of the playoffs early, and the team's response to that potential disaster scenario was trading for James Harden, an all-time great offensive force who is also best known for postseason flameouts and trade demands.
What could go wrong?
Mitchell is eligible for an extension this summer and can hit unrestricted free agency in 2027 if he chooses not to sign. Cleveland will have no choice but to move him if he declines to re-up. The risk of losing him for nothing in 2027 free agency would be too great.
Mitchell didn't choose Cleveland; he was traded there. And his decision to sign a two-year extension with a player option on the third in 2024 wasn't necessarily a display of undying loyalty. That deal was designed to put him back on the market with 10 years of service, when he could agree to a new contract worth up to $380 million. It was also a concession that other teams—some of which he's been rumored to prefer all along, like the New York Knicks—simply couldn't pay him more than the Cavs could at that time.
If Cleveland goes belly-up in the postseason, Mitchell will immediately become a hot commodity. Realistically, anything short of a competitive run that ends in the conference finals will trigger whispers of an impending move.
Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings
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The Sacramento Kings traded for De'Andre Hunter prior to the deadline, absorbing his $24.9 million salary for next season with no picks attached in a move that put the team into the luxury tax.
That is not the behavior of a rebuilding organization, and Kings fans have reason to worry that the current front office under Scott Perry is repeating the same playbook that led the team to bypass a full reset in 2017 by signing veterans like George Hill, Vince Carter and Zach Randolph, when Perry also held a leading role in basketball operations.
That's all to say the Kings should try to trade Domantas Sabonis this summer. His name was in the rumor mill, but no takers emerged for a $42 million non-stretch center who cannot switch on the perimeter or defend the rim. Perhaps more options will arise this summer, when Sabonis will only have two more years and $94 million left on his contract.
Zach LaVine has a $49 million player option for next year, while only $10 million of DeMar DeRozan's $25.7 million is guaranteed. Both should join Sabonis on the block, but that assumes Sacramento has any sense of how to properly rebuild.
Based on the team's history, though, it's hard to be confident the Kings will do the right thing.
Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers
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The LA Clippers shipped out James Harden and Ivica Zubac at the deadline, leaving Kawhi Leonard as the glaringly correct answer to "Which one of these doesn't belong?"
Since Dec. 1, Leonard is averaging 28.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.1 steals. During that stretch, he's been fully healthy and arguably the best player in the entire league. And yet the Clippers, who dealt away the only other starting-caliber vets on the roster, didn't so much as poke around a Kawhi deal.
That uncertainty may stem in part from the still‑unresolved question of whether the league will impose discipline following the Aspiration investigation. While an extreme outcome such as Leonard's contract being voided has been speculated about, it is regarded as highly unlikely.
It's also possible teams are wary of dealing for the 34-year-old, who has made it clear he wants to play in Los Angeles.
This summer, he'll be entering the last year of his deal and will earn $50.3 million. Assuming the Clippers want to resume their effort to turn the page, a Leonard trade will become even more logical than it already is. And by then, several teams will have talked themselves into the parallels of 2019, when the Toronto Raptors knowingly traded for him as a rental.
If he continues to play at his current level, it'll be easy enough for a suitor to believe a one-year engagement with Leonard could produce the same championship results Toronto's did.
Stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. Salary info via Spotrac.
Grant Hughes covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, where he appears with Bleacher Report's Dan Favale.
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