NBA players most likely to be traded this season

Jimmy Butler has to be traded this season. If Minnesota's owner Glen Taylor allows Tom Thibodeau to pass on a deal that could potentially include four future first-round draft picks, then he's insane (unless, of course, someone makes an even juicer offer). Butler has made it clear that he doesn't want to stay in Minnesota and has no intention of re-signing with the team next offseason. Unless you're contending for a title (which the T'Wolves are not), it is bad business to not trade him for future assets. Moreover, while Butler and Thibs seem to thrive in chaos, the future of the T'Wolves ( Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins) is regressing — especially Towns, who is averaging similar numbers to JaVale McGee. If Thibs won't trade Butler, Taylor has to fire him and ship Butler to the highest bidder among the Rockets, Heat, 76ers, Nets or Clippers.

Kemba Walker is playing out of his mind right now...and the Hornets are still an average team at best. Unlike Jimmy Butler, Walker has pledged his loyalty to Charlotte and would like to stay with the team long term. Although Miles Bridges and Malik Monk are showing some promise, there's not really a way for Charlotte to raise its ceiling from first-round playoff team to Eastern Conference contender unless it tanks and nails a lottery pick or two. The problem with tanking is you can't play Walker and expect to lose enough for a top draft pick — he's too good. Hence, as much as it loves Walker, the best decision for the franchise would be to try to deal him in a trade that gets Nic Batum (or one of its other bad contracts) off its books and brings back a first-round pick, if possible.

The Grizzlies don't want to trade Marc Gasol or Mike Conley, but it would be ridiculous for them to not field offers from other teams. Why? Because their 2019 first-round draft pick is only top-eight protected (then top-six protected in 2020, then unprotected in 2021). Thus, unless they are going to make the playoffs in the West this season, they're better off developing young players the next two seasons then making a push for the playoffs in 2021. In addition, Gasol is past his prime and Conley will be by the end of his monster five-year/$152.6M contract in 2021. The time to cash in on these players is now.

Well, the Cavaliers are 0-6, have the worst net rating in the NBA in years and just fired a coach who made the finals all three of his seasons with the team and won the only championship in the franchise's history. [Insert the "This is fine " meme with Dan Gilbert as the dog here]. So much for making the playoffs this season, eh? It should be a fire sale in Cleveland over the next few months. Kevin Love is the Cavaliers' most valuable asset (besides Collin Sexton) and should be able to yield a decent return from a contender or desperate team once he's eligible to be traded. Teams like the Rockets, 76ers and Trail Blazers would seem like decent fits once Love is eligible to be traded.

The two Blazers stars get their own slides because if they trade one, there's almost no chance they trade the other. Basketball people who "know things" seem to believe there's a Lonzo Ball (plus other pieces) for Lillard trade coming down the pipeline at some point this season. It's tough to imagine the Blazers trading their franchise player if they're in the middle of the playoff hunt. However, with the West as competitive as ever, an untimely injury or two-week losing streak can be enough to drop a team out of the playoff race. If that were to happen and Lillard, a California native, were to express frustration in the direction of the franchise like he did last season, then the trade calls will come. 

With a team built around Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum (and some terrible signings from 2016), Portland has a second-round ceiling, at best, in the current Western Conference. Making the playoffs playing an entertaining brand of basketball might be enough for the Blazers, but if it isn't, the most obvious way to improve is to turn McCollum into a star at a more impactful position. There's been a McCollum for Kevin Love swap sitting out there the past couple of seasons. Yet, the Blazers should want more than a straight-up swap for Love. Perhaps a Love and Larry Nance for McCollum and Meyers Leonard deal would suffice. (The teams would have to wait until Jan. 23, 2019 for Love to become trade eligible.) 

Terry Rozier was nearly the starting point guard on a Finals team last year. Now he's playing 23 minutes and taking eight shots per game. After not agreeing to an extension with Boston this offseason, Rozier will hit the market in 2019 as an unrestricted free agent. Unless Kyrie Irving is gone, there is almost no chance Rozier is still on the Celtics at the start of the 2019-2020 season, as he will command starting point guard money on the open market. Therefore, Rozier is the most likely to be traded by the Celtics this season, as some point guard-needy team (Phoenix?) might jump at the opportunity to get a couple of extra months to make their free-agent pitch to him. 

After having carte blanche to do as he pleased with the Grizzlies last season, Tyreke Evans appears to already be frustrated with his new role on the Pacers, as he is playing 10 fewer minutes and taking five fewer shots per game thus far. In fact, he's already been suspended for a violation of team rules! Indiana drafted its sixth man of the future this past summer (Aaron Holiday) but signed Evans to a one-year deal as "win-now" type move. Perhaps it ends up being a bad fit and the Pacers are better off dealing Evans and taking the training wheels off Holiday sooner than expected. 

Jusuf Nurkic is a quality 24-year old center who is currently averaging a double-double for the Blazers. So why would they consider trading him? The answer is Zach Collins might already be better than him. While Nurkic is a traditional, back-to-the-basket center who would have thrived in previous eras, his lack of foot speed and lateral quickness often get him played off the court against small-ball lineups. Collins, on the other hand, is a 20-year old athletic rim-runner who is built for the modern NBA. Collins made a mini-leap from Year 1 to Year 2 and is clearly the more valuable of the two moving forward. Look for Portland to assess the trade market for Nurkic once his trade restriction expires, Jan. 15, 2019.

A bit of a cheat slide here because it's tough to discern the respective trade values of Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart, especially from the Lakers' perspective. Before the season, the order above was the consensus, but Kuzma and Hart have played so well alongside LeBron James that Ingram and Ball might be a little more expendable now, should the right trade materialize. Any trade bringing back another superstar from this list would almost certainly involve two, if not three, of these young prospects.   

It's a shame that Russell didn't get drafted by a small market with minimal off-court distractions because he's a hell of a talent. Unfortunately, playing in Los Angeles and New York City have exacerbated some of his immature habits, as he appears to be wearing out his welcome on his second team already. His numbers are nice (17 points, six assists and 49 percent shooting from three), but it's the little things — like throwing an unnecessary no-look pass out of bounds while trying to run out the clock in a brutal loss to the Pelicans — that really make you wonder if he's a guy you want to build around. With Caris LeVert emerging as a potential star and Spencer Dinwiddie capable of providing solid minutes at point guard, the Nets would be smart to shop Russell to a team looking to take a gamble on a reclamation project.

The Celtics are still figuring things out on offense after a lackluster start to the season, especially with working Gordon Hayward back into the rotation. Before the season, a big question facing this team was shot distribution among their wings. Jayson Tatum has clearly taken a big step forward in Year 2, and it's left Brown and Hayward with about 10 shots per game each. Is that going to fly with Brown? What if Hayward, who is clearly rusty right now, gets back into shape and cuts into Brown's minutes and shots? Brown has a lot of value on the trade market. If he's unhappy with his role come January, there's no doubt in anyone's mind that Danny Ainge will do his due diligence on what he can get in return for Brown.

For what seems like the fifth year in a row, Nikola Vucevic's name will pop up in trade rumors this season. Let's see if he actually gets dealt this time. The issue with Vucevic, who is a more polished version of Jusuf Nurkic, is that the Magic probably have a higher opinion of his value than other teams. Orlando isn't necessarily wrong — he's a walking double-double and has shown the ability to step out and sink three pointers. However, like Nurkic, he's a little slow-footed and a defensive liability against small-ball lineups. Is he good enough to command a lottery-protected, first-round draft pick? Probably not, but he's close. Thus, if Orlando feels comfortable enough with Mo Bamba's progress come January, don't be surprised if Vucevic's name comes up in trade rumors with teams in need of an efficient offensive big man.

Don't look now, but TJ Warren is shooting (and making) three-pointers. The fifth-year bucket-getter is wasting away on a Suns team in a wing logjam with Trevor Ariza, Josh Jackson and Mikal Bridges. With a tradable four-year/$50M contract, look for a contender in need of some scoring to pop off the bench to inquire into Warren's availability later this season. He'd sure be a nice fit on the Jazz or Pelicans.

Trevor Ariza may have played this offseason perfectly. Instead of giving the Rockets a major discount, Ariza signed with the highest bidder, the Phoenix Suns, for one year and $15M. The Suns overpaid for Ariza because they wanted him to fill the "adult" role in the locker room and help mentor some of their young wings as Jared Dudley had done the previous two seasons. By signing a one-year deal, Ariza is still a prime candidate to get traded to a contender once his restriction expires on Jan. 15, 2019. The Suns can probably get a second round pick out of it as well, so it's a win-win for everyone — especially Ariza, who gets the best of both worlds.

As Zach Lowe recently said on his podcast, smart teams should really start calling the Wizards to see if they would consider trading Bradley Beal. He's one of the best two-guards in the NBA and, at 25 years old, still has his best years ahead of him. We're keeping him low on this list because it would be a bit of a shock if the Wizards dealt him, but there's some serious dumpster fire potential in Washington right now.

Much like his brother Marcus, Markieff Morris is a professional three-and-D wing who is going to bring consistency and toughness to whichever team he's on. Will that continue to be the Wizards? With Otto Porter locked in to a long-term deal and Kelly Oubre Jr. ready to play starter's minutes, the Wizards might be better served shopping Morris for a backup point guard or big man. If they continue to lose this season, Morris will be targeted by contenders looking to bolster their rosters with versatile wings come playoff time, and he might be able to command a heavily protected first-round pick or multiple second-round picks.

Tough to hate on someone who didn't play his first NBA game until he was 26 for getting his money in free agency, but Jonathon Simmons signing with the Magic over the likes of the Spurs, Cavaliers and others last summer was disappointing. Why? Because the dude balled-out in his first major playoff experience against Kevin Durant and the Warriors, averaging 15 points per game in the Western Conference Finals in 2017. Instead of shrinking from the moment like most inexperienced players do against all-time great teams, Simmons took his game up a level and was the only Spurs player who belonged on the same court as the Warriors. Now he is stuck in basketball obscurity in Orlando on a pretty cheap deal ($6M/year). If contenders like the Rockets, 76ers and Lakers aren't doing their due diligence on this valuable three-and-D wing, then they're crazy.

Another valuable backup point guard potentially on the trade market is the 76ers' T.J. McConnell. It's unclear why the 76ers drafted Landry Shamet with Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz and McConnell already on the roster, but McConnell's services aren't being valued like they should be by Philly. McConnell brings on-ball defense, tenacity and smart decision making to the table — three important skills when it comes to winning playoff games.

Patrick Beverley is a perfect backup point guard for a contender. He's a pit bull on defense and an adequate spot-up shooter on offense. He's also played in big playoff games with the Rockets earlier in his career. With some congestion at point guard on the Clippers' roster, it wouldn't be shocking to see them ship Beverley away to the highest bidder.

These players normally are only available if there's a superstar coming back:

• Markelle Fultz and Dario Saric (76ers); 
• Tobias Harris (Clippers); and
• Josh Richardson (Heat).

It's highly unlikely, but if everything goes wrong, there's a chance one of these former Wildcats is dealt: 

• Anthony Davis (Pelicans); 
• Karl Anthony-Towns (T'Wolves); and
• John Wall (Wizards).

Whether it's a trade or a buyout, these wings will probably be on a different roster in 2019:

• Kent Bazemore (Hawks);
• JR Smith (Cavaliers);
• Kyle Korver (Cavaliers);
• Iman Shumpert (Kings); and 
• DeMarre Carroll (Nets).

These players all have large cap hits and, thus, are likely to be included to match salaries in any blockbuster deal for a star:

• Nic Batum (Blazers);
• Gorgui Dieng (T'Wolves);
• Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Lakers)
• Brandon Knight and Marquese Chriss (Rockets) 
• Hassan Whiteside (Heat).

None of these players is going to move the needle on his own, but a contender might offer a second-round pick around the deadline in an effort to bolster its bench before the playoffs:

• Jeremy Lin (Hawks);
• Tyus Jones (T'Wolves);
• George Hill (Cavaliers); and
• Courtney Lee  (Knicks).