’Tis the season to look for deals. Could these players help a contender?
The trade deadline isn’t until Feb. 10, but let’s call today the unofficial beginning of a race to get there. As of Dec. 15, dozens of players who just signed a new contract over the summer and weren’t eligible to be traded Tuesday can now be dealt. How fun!
This of course doesn’t mean DeMar DeRozan, Chris Paul or Kyle Lowry will be traded just because they can be. But more movable salaries increase what’s possible, say, for someone like Ben Simmons. There are also several recognizable faces who recently inked a deal only to find they’re miscast or on a team that’s running in place.
With a number of teams in the middle of the pack and several near the bottom still able to talk themselves into a play-in appearance, it’ll be interesting to see how aggressive certain organizations actually are. In the meantime, here are five trade candidates to keep an eye on in the days and weeks ahead.
1. Kemba Walker, Knicks
Since Tom Thibodeau pulled Kemba Walker from the Knicks’ rotation, New York is 1-7 with the second-worst defense in the NBA. Walker’s on/off splits were abysmal before his benching, and in 18 starts he didn’t see the court at all in nine fourth quarters. But clearly there are more issues in New York than one of the team’s sunnier free-agent signings in recent memory being such a disappointment.
If you’re the Knicks’ president of basketball operations, Leon Rose, with a young roster that’s battling to qualify for the play-in tournament, what good does a healthy Walker do on the sidelines? Given his age (31), defensive woes and chronic knee pain, the rest of the league won’t be jumping at the chance to pay the remainder of the $17.8 million salary he’s owed through the end of next season. But there are still sensible phone calls to make for a four-time All-Star who made 48.3% of his catch-and-shoot threes before the Knicks shut him down.
With backup point guard TJ McConnell out for an extended period, the Pacers could be interested if they choose to enhance their core instead of breaking it up. Adding Walker for Jeremy Lamb’s expiring contract in a straight-up swap could be a modest win-win for two teams with overlapping skill sets.
And if the Knicks want to swing for the fences, Walker’s salary could be combined with Evan Fournier (another contract that becomes trade eligible today) and RJ Barrett in a deal for Simmons. (If that’s not enough, New York owns protected first-round picks from the Hornets and Mavericks in 2022 and ’23, respectively.)
Walker’s defensive limitations may not be as glaring in front of Joel Embiid and beside the likes of Matisse Thybulle and Danny Green. It’d be hard to play Walker and Seth Curry at the same time, but Philadelphia might be happy to inject a pick-and-roll maestro who can drill pull-up threes into its rotation. (To be clear, Daryl Morey should be able to procure better win-now talent for Simmons, but this package would be one to consider.)
2. Tim Hardaway Jr., Mavericks
It’s been a rough start to the four-year, $75 million contract Hardaway signed in August. He’s shooting a career-low 38.5% from the floor, attempting a career-low 14% of his field goals at the rim and making only 30% of his threes while on the court with Luka Dončić.
It’s reductive to analyze the Mavericks’ offense like this, but when corner threes single-handedly generated by Dončić’s greatness don’t go in—as they aren’t often enough when Hardaway takes them—it’s a problem!
The good news for the Mavericks is it’s early. There’s no reason to think Hardaway’s slump will last forever. They’re also an ostensible contender with very few clear paths toward actual contention, and Hardway is paid like a third wheel who isn’t dynamic enough to be a third wheel. The Mavericks felt they had to pay him after Plan A (clearing enough cap space to sign Mike Conley or Kyle Lowry) fell through, and, even though Hardaway’s trade value has certainly been higher than it is right now, it’s not impossible for another team to show interest (especially considering the contract descends annually).
Can the Mavericks exchange him for a superior defender, someone with a bit more vision off the bounce or even a decent draft pick? Dallas needs all of the above. (The Mavs own their first-round pick this year, but in 2023 it’s heading to New York if outside the top 10.)
3. Dennis Schröder, Celtics
There’s a chance the Celtics will move Schröder to the highest bidder, knowing his tenure was never designed to be an extensive one, given Boston does not have his Bird rights. The team-free-agent relationship here is short-term and mutually beneficial, a chance for Schröder to rehabilitate his worth before he can sign another contract next July.
It puts the Celtics in a sticky spot, though, considering they entered this season built to make a playoff run. Trading their third-leading scorer for draft capital or to duck under the tax would send quite a message to a team that just took down the defending champions and has one of the 15 best players in the league on it.
But they can also go the other way by combining Schröder’s salary ($5.9 million) with Juancho Hernangómez ($7 million) and either Romeo Langford or Aaron Nesmith for a stabilizing long-term contract. Gary Trent Jr. and Norm Powell are two examples, though neither will become trade-eligible until Jan. 15. Spurs guard Derrick White would be an ideal target, too.
4. Doug McDermott, Spurs
Speaking of the Spurs, even though their net rating doesn’t reflect their record (they are 10–16 but rank 29th in win differential), they’re not particularly close to winning a playoff series. At this point in McDermott’s career, he makes more sense coming off the bench for a very good team than one closer to the ground floor of a rebuild. He’s not a significant needle-mover, but can help.
Despite his overall efficiency taking a dip relative from where it had been the past couple of years, McDermott is still one of the best catch-and-shoot weapons in the league, constantly leveraging his gravity off the ball with screens and cuts that compromise defenders while making life easier for his teammates.
Would the Spurs be attracted to selling McDermott off for a protected first-round pick? And are any interested teams willing to part with one, in addition to having enough unloadable salary to strike a deal? The Nets and Bucks don’t own enough of their own picks.
The Suns could offer Dario Saric, Jalen Smith and a protected 2024 first-round pick to enhance their roster without losing any present-day contributors. In this scenario, the Spurs would get a close look at last year’s 10th pick, plus a skilled big man coming off a torn ACL and another asset.
5. Kelly Olynyk, Pistons
There are several intriguing players who could slide into this slot—Daniel Theis (Rockets), Devonte’ Graham (Hornets) and Jeff Green (Nuggets), to name a few—but Olynyk might be the worst fit in his current situation. He’s the oldest player (30) on a Pistons team that hasn’t won a game since Nov. 17. Much like McDermott’s, Olynyk’s strengths are more relevant on a playoff team—or at least one with playoff aspirations.
Olynyk sprained his left knee in November but is expected back well before the actual trade deadline. Assuming he looks good when he does, his modest deal ($28 million guaranteed through 2024) should allow the Pistons to exchange him for a younger player and maybe a second-round pick or two.
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