The 5 Most and 5 Least Tradable Contracts as the Trade Deadline Approaches
The business side of basketball is as clear as ever leading up to the NBA trade deadline.
That's when players become assets, draft picks become currency and loyalty becomes a foreign concept.
We'll follow that same business-like approach here by identifying the most and least tradable contracts in the Association.
A few rules before getting started. We're excluding rookie contracts, since those rates are predetermined, and expiring deals, since the value (or lack thereof) only lasts a couple of months. We're also keeping max contracts out of the most tradable discussion, since real-life bargains aren't bargains under the CBA, as well as untouchables, since that makes them non-tradable by definition.
Everyone else is fair game, though, and we're evaluating and ranking the deals based on player production, growth potential and contract particulars like options or guarantees.
Least Tradable: 5. Chandler Parsons, Memphis Grizzlies
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Remaining Contract: One year, $25.1 million
2018-19 Notable Numbers: 5.7 points, 1.3 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 41.2 field-goal percentage
The most notable number of Chandler Parsons' campaign is three, as in the number of games he's played. After opening the Memphis Grizzlies' first three contests, he's been missing in action ever since.
Ongoing knee issues were first to blame, but even after receiving medical clearance, the high-priced forward couldn't find the floor. Parsons and the Grizzlies agreed to "a separation" earlier this month, per ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon, meaning his on-court days in Memphis are likely finished.
But he could stay on the books for a while longer. The Grizzlies don't want to sacrifice a first-round pick to dump him, league sources told the ESPN scribes, though they have been open to potentially taking back a longer-term contract.
While the bulk of Parsons' literally and figuratively costly deal is in the rear view, that's still an absurd amount of money for a player who might not play.
Least Tradable Dishonorable Mention
Chris Paul, Houston Rockets
Remaining Contract: Three years, $124.1 million (player option for 2021-22)
The back end of Paul's contract looks brutal. He'll collect more than $41 million in both his age-35 and age-36 seasons. But it still seems too early to list this among the five least tradable deals when he led the entire NBA in ESPN's real plus-minus (RPM) just last season.
Tim Hardaway Jr, New York Knicks
Remaining Contract: Two years, $37.1 million (player option for 2020-21)
Want high-volume, low-efficiency scoring? Hardaway is your guy. Want anything else on the hardwood? You'll have to look elsewhere.
Gorgui Dieng, Minnesota Timberwolves
Remaining Contract: Two years, $33.5 million
The 2016 offseason was something, wasn't it? Maybe it's not Dieng's fault that he's buried behind All-NBA center Karl-Anthony Towns, but shouldn't a $15 million-plus salary deliver more than 5.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 13.5 minutes?
Most Tradable: 5. Lou Williams, Los Angeles Clippers
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Remaining Contract: Two years, $16 million (only $1.5 million guaranteed for 2020-21)
2018-19 Notable Numbers: 18.7 points, 5.2 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 20.7 player efficiency rating (PER)
Every second unit in the league could use a flame-thrower like Lou Williams, who was last season's Sixth Man of the Year (and 2014-15's) and is more productive per-36-minutes now than ever.
He can dismantle defenders off the dribble, pile up points from all three levels and operate as both a featured scorer and a primary passer. When he plays, the Los Angeles Clippers average an enormous 113.3 points per 100 possessions, which would tie for the Association's third-highest offense efficiency. When he sits, that number plummets to 104.7—basically the Atlanta Hawks.
"He's the most patient scorer I ever played with, played against," Patrick Beverley said, per Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times. "Those are usually the best players, players that can't be rattled. He'll miss a few. Next thing you know he'll have 12, 13, 14 in the fourth and end up with 23, 24 points on a good night. Hit game-winners, hit floaters. Really can't stop his shot."
Williams' shooting efficiency comes and goes, and on defense, he's as resistant as a traffic cone. But the dude can cook, and if L.A. opted to sell, contenders would be tripping over themselves to land him and his team-friendly contract.
Most Tradable Honorable Mention
PJ Tucker, Houston Rockets
Remaining Contract: Two years, $16.3 million (only $2.6 million guaranteed for 2020-21)
Every good team needs this type of player—tough as cheap steak, a defensive counter to almost any offensive weapon and a good enough shooter to punish clubs who leave him open. Save for locker room leadership, he wouldn't offer much to a rebuilder, but every squad entertaining win-now dreams would try to get him if Houston put him up for grabs.
Montrezl Harrell, Los Angeles Clippers
Remaining Contract: One year, $6 million
The rub with Harrell is he's only going to give you one more year of clearance-priced contributions. But what a year that's going to be. L.A.'s super-sub has the 16th-highest PER in basketball—not just among reserves, 16th-best out of everyone.
Justise Winslow, Miami Heat
Remaining Contract: Three years, $39 million
Thank you, Erik Spoelstra, for repurposing Winslow from a stagnating wing prospect into maybe the NBA's most interesting point guard this side of Ben Simmons. Since Miami's normal starting point guard Goran Dragic last suited up on Dec. 10, Winslow has pumped his per-game marks to 13.8 points on 46.2 percent shooting (39.5 from deep), 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists.
Least Tradable: 4. Nicolas Batum, Charlotte Hornets
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Remaining Contract: Two years, $52.7 million (player option 2020-21)
2018-19 Notable Numbers: 9.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 46.2 field-goal percentage
Imagine it's July 2020, and you're contemplating placing a bid on then-31-year-old free agent Nicolas Batum. You know he's usable as a multipositional defender and complementary offensive player. You also know his offensive involvement is plummeting, and he wasn't ever confused with an offensive standout to begin with.
Where do you start the bidding—the midlevel exception? Maybe even lower?
It doesn't matter. You're never making that pitch, because Batum is never hitting the market. Just ahead of his age-32 season, he'll opt into an almost impossibly high $27.1 million player option. All that for a career average player (15.0 PER) who hasn't even graded at that level for two seasons.
The Charlotte Hornets have handed out some ghastly contracts in recent years—on a related note: #FreeKemba—but Batum's is the most burdensome by a mile. RPM places him 177th overall with negative marks on both ends of the floor. It's no small miracle Batum only finds himself fourth on this list.
Most Tradable: 4. Josh Richardson, Miami Heat
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Remaining Contract: Three years, $32.6 million (player option for 2021-22)
2018-19 Notable Numbers: 17.5 points, 3.9 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 37.4 three-point percentage
While Josh Richardson might be stretched a little thin by the Miami Heat's attempt to make him a No. 1 option, he's almost the best possible definition of a three-and-D swingman. He can carry an offense in spurts, balance volume and efficiency from beyond the arc and create scoring chances off the bounce.
He isn't the type of player you'll see directing a championship race, but he could help power one along as a high-level sidekick. RPM pegs him as a top-50 player this season, and he'll keep nudging that ranking higher as he expands his offensive arsenal. He's already bumped his assist percentage (17.6) to a career high while trimming his turnover percentage to a new low (9.4).
"He's starting to realize there's more available for him," Spoelstra told reporters.
If Miami can trade for an elite talent in the near future, Richardson might be the outgoing centerpiece. He was mentioned in the Jimmy Butler talks before the Heat pulled him off the table, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. That trade chatter won't go away as long as Richardson keeps outperforming his pay rate by such a wide margin.
Least Tradable: 3. Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves
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Remaining Contract: Four years, $122.2 million
2018-19 Notable Numbers: 18.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 40.1 field-goal percentage
There are four years of data suggesting Andrew Wiggins is a mediocre NBA player, or even a tick beneath that, according to his career 14.7 PER. And yet, the next four years will financially treat him like a tier-one superstar.
Sure, he's a former No. 1 pick with physical tools few wing players can match. But when none of that has translated into even star-adjacent production, is anyone still waiting on his potential to manifest into something greater? He'll be 24 before February is finished, and he's yet to post a box plus/minus that's not deep in the red.
"There has been no progress as a rebounder, defender or playmaker, and aside from the uptick in threes and changing hairstyle, he's the exact same person today that he was when Cleveland drafted him first overall," Michael Pina wrote for Vice Sports.
The Minnesota Timberwolves clearly thought—or at least hoped—they had an asset when they poured a (good-sized) Powerball jackpot into Wiggins ahead of last season. One year later, you wonder how many assets they'd need to sacrifice to get out of this deal.
Most Tradable: 3. Spencer Dinwiddie, Brooklyn Nets
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Remaining Contract: Three years, $34.4 million (player option for 2021-22)
2018-19 Notable Numbers: 17.2 points, 5.0 assists, 17.7 PER, 46.1 field-goal percentage
Back in the not-so-distant past, it seemed like Spencer Dinwiddie's NBA existence would be anonymous and short-lived. The 38th pick of the 2014 draft, he was unceremoniously dumped by the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls, neither of whom were particularly good when they cut ties with him.
But Dinwiddie's basketball fortunes finally changed when he latched on with the Brooklyn Nets, who transformed him from a project reserve to an All-Star candidate in just three seasons.
The 6'6" point guard returned the favor in December by inking what's already one of the league's most coveted contracts. If he weren't shelved by thumb surgery, he'd be firmly in the discussion of Eastern Conference All-Star reserves. If he hits the ground running upon his return, he should get consideration for Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved Player.
Dinwiddie is slippery off the dribble, shrewd with his distributing and ignitable from distance. He'd boost every bench or even several starting lineups if the Nets were ever inclined to shop him.
Least Tradable: 2. Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers
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Remaining Contract: Four years, $120.4 million
2018-19 Notable Numbers: 19.0 points, 13.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 136 minutes
The issues with Kevin Love's laughably large contract are twofold and terrifying.
For starters, he's not suiting up now and hasn't since October because of a toe surgery. While injuries can happen to anyone, they're always extra troubling when a serious one strikes a 30-something with a checkered medical history.
That said, the on-court concerns are arguably even greater. We've never seen him win unless he's alongside the greatest player on the planet—if not the greatest to ever lace them up—LeBron James. What we have seen is a faster, more athletic NBA mute some of Love's biggest strengths and exploit his most problematic weaknesses.
"How many teams are really looking for a dinosaur face-up 4-man, or a 5 who can't switch pick-and-roll?" one executive said to Bleacher Report's Ken Berger.
Love might have been a $30 million-a-year talent at one point, but the league was different then and he didn't raise as many injury-related red flags. Let's hope the Cavs actually want to build around him, because there's no way to move him without giving up picks or taking on equally bad money.
Most Tradable: 2. Robert Covington, Minnesota Timberwolves
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Remaining Contract: Three years, $36.4 million
2018-19 Notable Numbers: 13.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.4 threes, 58.0 true shooting percentage
It's funny. Unless the Philadelphia 76ers somehow snag another star at the trade deadline, what they'd probably want more than anything is a forward with a fiery outside stroke and versatility on the defensive end.
You might call it a Robert Covington type.
The Sixers, of course, rostered Covington for four-plus NBA seasons before sacrificing him in the Jimmy Butler trade. While Covington isn't on an All-Star level, he's exactly what winning teams want in a role player.
He can guard at least four positions, and he keeps closer to opposing scorers than their own shadows. He has this season's 13th-highest defensive RPM, and that's actually a step back from last year when he was third in the category and a member of the All-Defensive first team.
Covington's lack of offensive consistency denies him the top spot, but his three-ball keeps him comfortably in second. He's tied for the 13th-most three-point makes since 2014-15, and he's currently converting his long-range looks at a career-best 37.8 percent clip.
Least Tradable: 1. John Wall, Washington Wizards
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Remaining Contract: Four years, $170.9 million (player option for 2022-23)
2018-19 Notable Numbers: 20.7 points, 8.7 assists, 1.5 steals, 18.3 PER
How loud must the alarm sirens have blared when the Washington Wizards gave John Wall this kind of coin in 2017?
Speed and athleticism are the sharpest tools in his collection and the least likely to age well. That's doubly true for a player who has undergone multiple knee surgeries and won't play again this year after season-ending heel surgery, meaning he'll have made just 73 appearances since the start of last season.
Chances are, he opted into his 2022-23 player option before the ink even dried on this cap-killer. He'll be 32 then and paid—look away if you're squeamish—$47.3 million.
"Granted, every player in this league can be traded, but the Wall extension right now is the toughest contract I have seen a team try to move in 20 years," a team executive told ESPN.com's Bobby Marks. "I couldn't look my owner in the eye and tell him there is value with the player even if we didn't have to trade anything of significance."
Wall is ranked 45th in RPM—not among all players, just point guards. He's also in possession of the Association's biggest contract albatross.
Most Tradable: 1. Joe Ingles, Utah Jazz
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Remaining Contract: Two years, $22.8 million
2018-19 Notable Numbers: 11.6 points, 4.9 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 2.0 threes
Joe Ingles probably doesn't have the name recognition of whomever you might have expected to see in first place. You might think he's a role player, and $11.4ish million seems about right for a role player.
But the role player label undersells his do-everything skill set. His shooting and distributing are assets in an offense that sometimes struggles for production and creativity around Donovan Mitchell. Ingles' defensive versatility is an overlooked reason why the Jazz's stoppers are among the best in the business.
Statistically speaking, only Rudy Gobert means more to Utah's bottom line than Ingles, who bumps the net efficiency rating by 9.1 points per 100 possessions when he hits the hardwood. RPM puts Ingles 32nd overall; the five names directly above him are: Marc Gasol, Blake Griffin, Russell Westbrook, Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard.
"Add it all up—the defense, the shooting, the heady playmaking—and Ingles is pound for pound one of the most impactful players in the entire league," Micah Adams wrote for Sporting News. "Simply put, good things happen when he's on the floor."
Ingles, then, would be an absolute steal at his average annual salary. What cements his status at No. 1, though, is the fact his deal actually decreases with each passing year. After collecting $12 million next season (a million less than this season), he'll take home just $10.9 million the following year. That's criminally cheap for a player of this caliber.
Statistics courtesy of Basketball Reference and NBA.com and accurate through games played Tuesday, Jan. 29. Salary information via Basketball Insiders.
Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @ZachBuckleyNBA.
