One trade candidate for every NBA team in 2022-23 season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The wonderful aspect about the NBA is that you never know who could be available for trade.
Just when you think a certain player is untouchable – BAM. He’s now included in Adrian Wojnarowski’s latest “Woj Bomb.”
Tyrese Haliburton is a prime example, as both he and Sacramento Kings fans were in deep shock after his sudden move to the Indiana Pacers last season.
As we head into the new season, there’s no telling what kind of doors will open up. From disgruntled players to underperforming teams, player availability can emerge swiftly in today’s NBA.
Let’s look at one player from every NBA team who could be a trade candidate in 2022-23:
*All contract values via Spotrac
Collins has been involved in trade rumors for multiple seasons now, and maybe there’s a line of thought that sees the fit improve after the acquisition of Dejounte Murray. After all, a Trae Young-Murray-De’Andre Hunter-Collins-Clint Capela starting five looks solid on paper. But if the Hawks don’t climb the Eastern Conference ladder this year, it might finally be time to move on from the 25-year-old power forward, who is entering the second year of a five-year, $125 million contract with a player option in year five.
Let’s get this clear – should the Celtics trade Pritchard? No. But when you look at their depth at point guard relative to other roles, Malcolm Brogdon, Marcus Smart and Derrick White are ahead in the pecking order. Though Pritchard brings the offensive creativity and spark-plug scoring off the bench that is unique to those three, he might be able to help Boston land more depth in the forward spots.
The Nets’ experiment with Durant, Kyrie Irving and one of James Harden or Ben Simmons has not gone quite to plan. With the unpredictability of Irving and the often unavailability of Simmons, one might wonder if Brooklyn decides to cash out on Durant if it fails to exceed expectations yet again. Durant’s move was already a hot topic all throughout the offseason, so it won’t be surprising if it recirculates sometime soon.
LaMelo Ball is the clear face of Charlotte’s rebuild, but it has failed to assemble a promising core of quality young talent around him. Hayward, 32, makes the most sense to move on from if there is a buyer that emerges. He’ll be an expensive expiring contract at $31.5 million next year, but if there’s a team that’s willing to bet on his uninspiring injury history that he could help them contend, the Hornets should seriously consider it. Part of me also wants to poke the hornet’s nest and wonder if Ball will demand out if the team misses the playoffs again this year.
When he’s suited up for the Bulls, they look good. But as has been the case with Ball, injuries keep derailing his momentum. He’s only 24, on a reasonable four-year, $80 million contract and is a high-volume 3-and-D guard. If Chicago wants a new look alongside its DeMar DeRozan-Nikola Vucevic combination, Ball might have to ball somewhere else if he can’t string together enough games for the franchise to be considered a serious threat in an improving East.
The Cavaliers made their big move by acquiring Donovan Mitchell to pair with Darius Garland in the backcourt, so they don’t exactly need to trade anyone in the short-term. But if there was a player to trade here, it’d probably be LeVert. The 28-year-old guard is making just under $19 million in the final year of his contract, but hasn’t impressed much since his optimistic 2019 season with Brooklyn. Availability has definitely played a part, which makes him all the more likely a potential trade candidate as Cleveland hopes to build a stronger team going forward.
Luka Dončić is that guy, but the Mavericks still haven’t answered by acquiring another solidified star next to him. Christian Wood could be in for another strong year in a better environment, while JaVale McGee was an underrated free-agency signing. That leaves Powell as the lone man out at center. The 31-year-old has been with Dallas since 2014 and had good moments with Dončić in the high pick-and-roll game thanks to him being a bouncy lob threat, but he hasn’t been the same since tearing his Achilles in 2020. He’s on an expiring contract that some team could snag.
If the Nuggets can stay healthy, they have one of the most balanced rosters in the NBA. They have the starpower, veterans and emerging youth to really compete, which is why picking someone to trade proved strenuous. Aaron Gordon would’ve been the pick here had he not just signed a four-year extension, which takes us to Jordan. The 34-year-old center started exhibiting red flags with the Nets in 2020, which continued with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021. He’s on a minimum deal and holds little value in terms of providing plus minutes, but Denver is looking auspicious on paper. It’s a good sign if there’s not a clear-cut trade option.
The Pistons traded Jerami Grant to Portland only to acquire Bogdanović from Utah. Detroit is still a few years away from making a serious run to the postseason, so it seems likely that a contender could come calling for the 33-year-old shotmaking forward who is on an expiring $19 million deal. Cory Joseph and Alec Burks are other notable candidates here for contenders looking for more veteran guard help.
This wouldn’t be the case had it not been for his altercation with Jordan Poole, but the Warriors might have to dwell on it. Green’s connection with LeBron James is well-known, and while that pairing isn’t guaranteed, he has a player option of just north of $27 million next year that is reasonable value for what he brings to the court. Would Golden State go this route after what the Draymond-Steph Curry-Klay Thompson trio has achieved? Let’s wait and see, otherwise, keep an eye on Andrew Wiggins even after his contract extension.
The Rockets have one of the youngest rosters in the league, which means the few veterans could be on the market. In Houston’s case, Gordon and Boban Marjanović are the players over 30, with the former being the best option after Derrick Favors’ waiving. The 33-year-old shotmaking guard is making a non-guaranteed $20.9 million next year and had a 47.5/41.2/77.8 shooting split last year, though he’ll need to continue to stay healthy.
The Pacers are trying to get younger, and Brogdon’s departure to Boston cleared the way for Tyrese Haliburton to control the 1 spot. Next would be moving the 29-year-old Hield, who is on a depreciating contract – $18 million next year – with one year remaining. With rookie Bennedict Mathurin looking promising in preseason, there should be contenders looking to add a high-volume shooter like Hield to their rotation, even though he hasn’t developed much defensively.
Kennard is simply one of the best shooters in the league – arguably top three. Last year with the Clippers he nailed 44.9% of his 3s on 6.0 attempts per game, with defense being his key flaw. That brings up the unfortunate aspect that Kennard plays on a squad filled with rangy wings who can shoot and defend, and with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard returning to the fold, what will the 26-year-old’s minutes look like? He’ll earn $14.7 million next season before having a club option worth the same amount in 2024-25, making him an intriguing trade prospect. The Clippers should try to keep him if there’s minutes, so let’s see what Tyronn Lue does.
It’s not a secret that Westbrook didn’t gel with LeBron James and Anthony Davis last year, and rumors throughout the summer indicated the Lakers wanted to move on. For now, it looks like Los Angeles will see this experiment through since Westbrook will be a free agent this upcoming offseason, but James is turning 38 in December and doesn’t have too many years left of solidifying his team as a contender.
Speaking of young rosters, the Grizzlies have just one player above 30: Danny Green. They acquired the 35-year-old from Philadelphia, but it’s unclear if the two-way wing will play this year given he tore both his ACL and LCL in the playoffs. He’s on an expiring contract worth $10 million, but only $6.9 million is guaranteed. Memphis could waive him and cut its losses or wait to see if the 35-year-old has any sort of value as the season progresses.
After the Heat extended Robinson with a five-year, $90 million contract, he disappeared in Erik Spoelstra’s playoff rotation due to his defensive liabilities. He’s on an appreciating contract that will grow every season until 2025-26, so a team will have to keep that in mind on the 28-year-old. The 6-foot-7 forward is a career 40.6% shooter from deep on 7.9 attempts, which is a phenomenal conversion rate, but his defensive drawbacks proved to be too much for Miami. Would another team be willing to take him on?
Ibaka has a trade restriction until Dec. 15, but the Bucks also have a roster that is hoping to bounce back and reach the NBA Finals again. The 33-year-old Ibaka is making the minimum this year and wasn’t a part of Mike Budenholzer’s rotation in the playoffs, but all those factors are amalgamating to drop his trade value.
Minnesota already dealt who it needed to after landing Rudy Gobert from Utah, so there’s not many players it should be looking to trade anytime soon. If there is a candidate, though, 26-year-old point guard McLaughlin feels like a possible option. He’s only making just over $2 million and is non-guaranteed next year, so some team could take him on and shed him in 2023-24 if he doesn’t develop his game.
New Orleans Pelicans: Devonte’ Graham
If Zion Williamson can stay healthy, the Pelicans will make a 2021-22 Grizzlies-esque jump in the standings. They made their move last year to land CJ McCollum from Portland, but if New Orleans wants to make another, parting ways with Graham might be the route. He’s earning around $12 million a year until 2025 and has never really been a consistent enough shooter – 37.2% field goal percentage on 11.1 attempts through four years, 35.7% from deep on 7.3 attempts – for a contending team to rely on, not to mention his defensive hindrances.
New York Knicks: Derrick Rose
The Knicks might be stuck with Julius Randle for a while, and Cam Reddish deserves to go elsewhere. But Rose feels like one to watch here, as the 34-year-old guard is still posting solid numbers off the bench and could have a better contender come calling for him. He has a $15.5 million team option next year that could serve as an expiring contract if declined, but the former MVP might have some value if New York fails to improve.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Kenrich Williams
Would Oklahoma City deal Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as soon as he starts his five-year, $179 million extension? That doesn’t seem too likely for this season, but Williams feels like fair game. The 27-year-old has a trade restriction until Jan. 18, 2023, but will have a four-year, $27 million extension beginning next season. He’s a tenacious two-way defender that a contender would love to have in a playoff atmosphere, which the Thunder are still years away from.
Orlando Magic: Terrence Ross
Ross is also the only player above 30 on Orlando’s roster and is on an expiring contract of $11.5 million. His shooting levels have decreased pretty significantly the last two seasons, but maybe fewer minutes on a smaller role with a better team would raise his percentages again.
Philadelphia 76ers: Tobias Harris
Is this finally the year the 76ers trade Harris? In the aftermath of Ben Simmons’ departure, Tyrese Maxey has taken an absurd leap alongside Joel Embiid and James Harden. P.J. Tucker and De’Anthony Melton were solid acquisitions to improve the depth, but it still feels like this team is missing that extra piece, which Harris’ $37 million contract could help attain. He’ll be on an expiring deal next year, which could entice a team to finally take on the 30-year-old’s salary.
Phoenix Suns: Jae Crowder
This one is pretty obvious given the reports that have emerged on Crowder and the Suns working to find him a new home. His $10 million expiring deal is great value for someone who has a tremendous work rate defensively and can catch fire from deep every now and then. Part of me wanted to go spicy here and say Devin Booker if the Suns implode – which given their lack of roster improvements compared to the rest of the division is interesting, to say the least – but it’s Crowder, for now.
Portland Trail Blazers: Keon Johnson
The Blazers will be hoping to push for a playoff spot this year after landing Grant, as aforementioned, to go with guys like Gary Payton II and rookie Shaedon Sharpe. Will they be threatening? Probably not. It’ll take a lot of internal improvement to do so, but it also wouldn’t be surprising if Portland dips back into the trade market given its young assets. That’s where Johnson, the No. 21 overall pick in 2021, comes in as an athletic, scoring 2 who could blossom into something fascinating under the right system elsewhere.
Sacramento Kings: Richaun Holmes
Could this finally be the year the Kings break their 16-year playoff drought? The optimism is surely there after Mike Brown’s hiring coupled with new additions like Keegan Murray, Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk and more. That leaves us to 28-year-old center Holmes, who partially broke out with Sacramento in 2019-20 but had a down year last season. He’s making around $12 million a year until 2025, with a player option that year worth $12.8 million, so a better contender could come calling to have Holmes as a backup. With the Kings using Domantas Sabonis more as a 5 and youngsters like Neemias Queta emerging, Holmes’ departure could be inevitable.
San Antonio Spurs: Josh Richardson
The Spurs also made their big departure by dealing Murray to Atlanta, as aforementioned, making this another tough roster to crack. But the 29-year-old Richardson stands out given San Antonio’s youth options in that position and the 6-foot-5 wing on a one-year, $12.1 million deal. He had a solid 21-game stint with the Spurs last year – 11.2 points per game on a 42.9/44.4/94.6 shooting split – that could attract a team if he continues that form in the early stages of 2022-23.
Toronto Raptors: Thaddeus Young
The Raptors are like the Clippers of the East given their admiration for lengthy wings who can put the ball on the floor and defend all five positions. Given that Toronto has a plethora of choices at forward, the 34-year-old Young feels like the odd one out given his age and contract. He’s making $8 million this year and next, though only $1 million of it is guaranteed, putting him at risk of being used as trade bait only to get waived. He can still give a rotation 10-15 good minutes off the bench.
Utah Jazz: Jordan Clarkson
Utah finally split the nonfunctional Mitchell-Gobert tandem and is starting fresh, but it can still move on from some players and collect assets. Mike Conley and Rudy Gay won’t bring much, but Clarkson, the 2021 Sixth Man of the Year, would make a good option. The 30-year-old guard has a $14.2 million player option next year that seems fair given what he produces off the bench, though his shot attempts might need to come down to help his percentages. Collin Sexton might be the name here in a year or two if the Jazz don’t start strumming the right tunes, but Clarkson is the one to look at.
Washington Wizards: Kyle Kuzma
Bradley Beal is the Lillard of the East, so let’s turn our attention to Kuzma. The 27-year-old forward has quietly refined the rough edges of his game and is more of an all-around player than during his Los Angeles days. He has a $13 million player option next year that he could opt out of in search of a bigger payday – which could also be his last major contract – so the Wizards will have to assess if they want to be the team that forks over the cash. If not, there should be plenty of interested teams willing to take on the two-way forward who brings a multitude of talent to the table, and Washington’s roster still feels iffy as a real playoff threat. It’d also be nice for Delon Wright to have a stable home given his stable contribution for every team he’s been on or Taj Gibson has a cheap veteran big man to have off the bench.