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NBA trade candidates: Damian Lillard saga headlines 65 players that could be dealt this offseason – CBS Sports
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Free agency is nearly upon us, and if the earlier portion of the offseason is any indication, we still have plenty of movement ahead of us. Chris Paul, Kristaps Porzingis, Marcus Smart and Jordan Poole have all already found new teams, and the bulk of the offseason’s player movement hasn’t even come yet.
On Friday, free agency will officially begin. From there, a flurry of signings will fill out the bulk of NBA rosters, but that doesn’t mean every team in the league will be satisfied with what it has. There is still plenty of trading left to be done, and while this list is incomplete, the following 65 players all make sense as trade candidates in the coming days, weeks and months.
Once upon a time, these players would have fallen under the star umbrella. Age and injuries have deprived them of that status. Now? Their teams appear ready to move on.
Almost every player in this group has meaningful on-court value, but for one reason or another, their team seems to have soured on them as long-term pieces.
These players may choose to change teams through free agency, and as such, have the leverage to try to seek a trade with their player option if they want to.
These players aren’t exactly on the trading block, but their teams likely have ambitions that their contracts will be needed for.
These are players whose teams want to be active this offseason and will freely use them as trade chips, if necessary.
These players could all be back with their old teams this offseason, and they could all be waived due to their limited guarantees, but if their team needs a matching salary for a move, they are sensible candidates.
“Second-draft” candidates are players who were previously selected relatively high in the NBA Draft, but for one reason or another, haven’t succeeded with their original team. However, they still have talent and could flourish in the right situation. Think Rui Hachimura with the Lakers last season.
These players probably wouldn’t be on the market under normal circumstances, but their teams are so deep at their positions that they have to consider moves at least.
None of these players are guaranteed to move, but all are possibilities for the right offer. There are no stars in this group, but there are plenty of players that could help a winning team.
There’s no easy category for these two players, so let’s just stick them under this umbrella.
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