7 NBA Players Most Likely To Be Traded This Season

We've got a full three months until the 2027 NBA trade deadline, but we already have a pretty good idea of which players will become topics of discussion between now and then.

Kyrie Irving has been his usual spectacular self for the Dallas Mavericks, helping unlock a leveled-up version of Cooper Flagg. But we all know there's no real future for those two together; Irving is 14 years older than his ascending teammate and is Dallas' best tool to replenish its empty asset cupboard.

Meanwhile, Kristaps Porzingis isn't going to contribute in Golden State. Norman Powell was basically signed to be traded. Anthony Davis, without an extension, will command serious interest in Washington if he stays healthy.

Let's check in on those players and a handful of others who seem destined to wind up in the rumor mill when trade season rolls around.

Michael Porter Jr., Brooklyn Nets

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The Brooklyn Nets are one of the only teams we can still evaluate using the rules of the previous lottery system. Bottoming out is a bad move for most, but the Nets have to swap their 2027 first-rounder with the Houston Rockets and should actually want to finish with one of the three worst records in the league.

That'll both devalue the pick going to Houston and also marginally increase their chance to maximize the value of the 2028 first-rounder they actually control.

That's all to say that stripping off talent is still a good move here. Michael Porter Jr. is on an expiring $40.8 million salary and should be highly sought after by contenders in need of elite shooting at forward. If the Nets aren't going to extend him, they'd better get something for him ahead of unrestricted free agency this summer.

Brooklyn isn't incentivized to win this season, so shopping a veteran starter who's on his way to averaging over 20.0 points per game with excellent efficiency for the second year in a row should be a top priority.

Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks

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Every argument you could make in favor of Dallas keeping Kyrie Irving also cuts the other way.

Let's lay out an example.

Irving is playing virtually the same brand of masterful offensive basketball he did before tearing his ACL. He's at least partially responsible for Cooper Flagg's ascent. Seems compelling, right? Well, doesn't Irving's success and impact also mean his trade value is pretty high right now? Shouldn't the Mavs be keenly aware that Irving's age (34) and injury history indicate the good times aren't guaranteed to last?

It's tempting to just keep Irving and Flagg together for as long as possible, but the precariousness of Irving's form urges action. Bigger picture: The 14-year age gap between the two means the partnership was always going to have a short shelf life.

Dallas is woefully lean on draft capital. Moving Irving could be the best way to change that. If Flagg is going to be as great as his early-season work suggests, he'll need age-appropriate help and a team with the flexibility to get it. Irving is a means to that end, even if he's been undeniably good to start the year.

Kristaps Porzingis, Golden State Warriors

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The moment another team decides it would like to send the Golden State Warriors a middling asset in exchange for $17 million in 2027-28 savings, expect a deal to get done.

Oh, right: That $17 million in savings has a name. It's Kristaps Porzingis.

The veteran center inked a two-year, $40 million deal to stick with the Dubs this past offseason. Because Porzingis' availability has been (at best) sporadic over the last handful of seasons, the Warriors limited their downside risk by guaranteeing only $3 million of a possible $20 million next year.

In effect, Porzingis is a $20 million expiring salary that the organization was always prepared to treat as a trade chip.

Lest there be any confusion over Porzingis' standing with the team after he waited until the 11th hour to inform them he wouldn't report to training camp, ESPN's Anthony Slater submitted a report that clarified where everyone stands.

Per Slater: "Team sources continue to express an extreme level of pessimism that Porzingis will ever play for the Warriors again."

Porzingis may not play for anyone else either, but Golden State will be highly motivated to turn him into a pick or a player who'll actually suit up.

Norman Powell, Chicago Bulls

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Norman Powell is 33 and still filling it up. The veteran guard is on track to average over 20.0 points per game for the third straight year, though his scoring exploits haven't really driven much success for the Chicago Bulls.

That's fine. The Bulls didn't ink Powell to a two-year, $44 million deal because they expected him to put them over the top competitively. Instead, his contract is a shrewd example of asset management.

The second year of Powell's contract is a team option, basically catnip to contenders in search of rentals and flexibility. Powell's age, then, is just one factor that makes him a short-timer on a Bulls squad that is finally rebuilding. His effectively expiring contract is the other.

Powell was never much of a defender on the wing. Age has further diminished him in that regard, but it's not like he's earning two-way star money. At just 13.0 percent of the cap this year, Powell could easily slot into a high-scoring sixth-man role for a team that needs spacing and has a defensive infrastructure that can minimize his weaknesses.

If you had to bet on one player jumping from a lottery team to a playoff-bound outfit by the deadline, you'd almost have to pick Powell.

Anthony Davis, Washington Wizards

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The Washington Wizards lost their negotiating resolve when it came to Trae Young, but they found it in time to hold strong with Anthony Davis. The oft-injured big man didn't get an offseason extension and will either hit unrestricted free agency in 2027 or pick up his $63 million player option.

When a team allows a player as costly as Davis to reach this point, it tends to force action.

Davis might have his eye on another organization more willing to pay him than the Wizards. Meanwhile, Washington probably doesn't love the idea of AD declining his option and leaving for nothing in free agency.

All it cost the Wizards to acquire Davis was a "meh" matching salary, the No. 30 pick in 2026 and a top-20 protected 2030 first-rounder, which means their asking price probably won't be high. AD's salary isn't easy for most teams to take on, but one imagines a deal to the Warriors for Jimmy Butler's expiring money and a pick would get it done.

Washington won't commit to Davis on a long-term extension and shouldn't risk watching him walk. We all know how these kinds of stories typically end.

Derrick Jones Jr., LA Clippers

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Derrick Jones Jr. leads a list of affordable veterans the rebuilding LA Clippers need to move prior to the trade deadline. An athletic lob threat who has shot at least 35.0 percent from deep for three straight years, Jones is still mobile enough at 29 to wrangle the toughest perimeter matchups.

His expiring $10.5 million salary makes the two-way forward a huge value. It doesn't hurt that he showed the ability to contribute during deep playoff runs in Dallas and Miami earlier in his career.

Jones may not be worth a first-rounder in a trade on his own, but the Clippers could aggregate his salary with those of Max Strus (16.7 million), Brook Lopez (9.2 million) or Kris Dunn ($5.6 million) to send out a significant number. LA shouldn't necessarily be in the business of taking on a huge contract, but that might be the right move if it comes with draft capital attached.

Although the Clippers hauled in two future first-rounders in the deal that sent Kawhi Leonard to Toronto, they're still down five picks they surrendered to the league for cap circumvention.

Jones and the rest of LA's reasonably priced vets can help the team get back to even on the draft-asset front.

Tyler Herro, Milwaukee Bucks

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The Milwaukee Bucks present a real challenge—not for opposing teams on the court, but for those of us tasked with isolating the player they're most likely to move.

Tyler Herro has an expiring $33 million salary and appeal as an All-Star scorer to teams seeking a rentable offensive boost. That puts him narrowly ahead of teammates who should also draw trade interest as the Bucks try to recoup draft assets and rebuild in a post-Giannis Antetokounmpo era.

Herro is a Wisconsin product who might prefer to stick around. He's playing that way so far. While it's not news that he's racking up 20 points per game for the sixth straight season, it's worth noting that he's never done it more efficiently. He won't make nearly half of his threes all year, but the ones he's hit so far certainly count, as teams around the league should take notice.

The Bucks also have Kyle Kuzma ($20.5 million) and Caris LeVert ($14.8 million) to dangle as expiring salaries, not to mention Myles Turner and a slew of rookie-scale pieces that came from Miami.

Even 2025-26 breakout guard Ryan Rollins is a trade candidate because his $4 million salary is too small for Milwaukee to extend off of before free agency via a declined player option this summer.

The league will be blowing up Milwaukee's phones from now until February. Herro won't be the only player dealt, but he's probably the most likely of the group.

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.