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2021 NBA Trade Deadline Recap

The 2021 NBA trade deadline was perhaps the busiest in league history. A total of 16 deals were agreed upon on deadline day, with 46 players on NBA contracts (plus two more draft-and-stash players) changing teams.

Thursday was so jam-packed with deals that the league office was unable to officially process all the trades in the queue before the end of the day, leaving three of those 16 trades to be formally finalized on Friday.

Here’s a recap all of 2021’s deadline deals:


Trades made on deadline day:

The Bulls make a surprise splash for an All-Star center (story)

The Heat buy low on a two-time All-Star (story)

  • Heat acquire Victor Oladipo.
  • Rockets acquire Kelly Olynyk, Avery Bradley, and the right to swap the Rockets’ or Nets’ 2022 first-round pick with the Heat’s 2022 first-round pick (top-14 protected).

The Nuggets emerge as winners in the Aaron Gordon sweepstakes (story)

The Celtics make use of (part of) their massive trade exception (story)

  • Celtics acquire Evan Fournier.
  • Magic acquire Jeff Teague, either the Celtics’ or the Grizzlies’ 2025 second-round pick (whichever is less favorable), and the Celtics’ 2027 second-round pick.

The Sixers acquire a veteran point guard for their playoff run (story)

The Clippers get a play-maker, while Lou-Will heads home (story)

  • Clippers acquire Rajon Rondo.
  • Hawks acquire Lou Williams, the Trail Blazers’ 2023 second-round pick, the Clippers’ 2027 second-round pick, and cash.

The Raptors trade a guard — no, not that one (story)

The Raptors trade another guard — again, not that one (story)

  • Kings acquire Terence Davis.
  • Raptors acquire Grizzlies’ 2021 second-round pick.

The Kings and Pistons swap veteran point guards (story)

  • Kings acquire Delon Wright.
  • Pistons acquire Cory Joseph, the Lakers’ 2021 second-round pick, and the Kings’ 2024 second-round pick.

The Bulls acquire a backup center and the Celtics dump some salary in a three-team deal (story)

The Heat acquire a stretch four (story)

The Mavericks add some shooting (story)

The Nuggets acquire a veteran to back up Nikola Jokic (story)

  • Nuggets acquire JaVale McGee.
  • Cavaliers acquire Isaiah Hartenstein, the Nuggets’ 2023 second-round pick (top-46 protected), and the Nuggets’ 2027 second-round pick.

The Jazz fill their 15th roster spot with a sharpshooter (story)

  • Jazz acquire Matt Thomas.
  • Raptors acquire the Warriors’ 2021 second-round pick.

The Warriors dump some salary (story)

The Warriors dump some more salary (story)

  • Hornets acquire Brad Wanamaker, the Raptors’ 2022 second-round pick (top-54 protected), and cash.
  • Warriors acquire the Hornets’ 2025 second-round pick (top-55 protected).

Top trade candidates who stayed put:


Players waived on deadline day:

Note: Jeff Teague (Magic) and Vincent Poirier (Knicks) are expected to be waived, and Andre Drummond (Cavaliers) is working toward a buyout, but those moves have not yet been made official.


Trades made in the week leading up to the deadline:

The Bucks acquired a playoff-tested veteran (story)

  • Bucks acquire P.J. Tucker, Rodions Kurucs, and their own 2022 first-round pick (traded away in a previous deal).
  • Rockets acquire D.J. Augustin, D.J. Wilson, the Bucks’ 2023 first-round pick (unprotected), and the right to swap their own 2021 second-round pick with the Bucks’ 2021 first-round pick (top-nine protected).

The Suns added a low-cost defensive specialist (story)

The Heat brought Trevor Ariza out of hibernation (story)

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Lamar Stevens Discusses Rookie Season, Cavs, Team Culture, More

After going undrafted in 2020, rookie forward Lamar Stevens signed a two-way contract with the Cavaliers and has emerged as a rotation player for the team this season, providing depth off the bench in 27 games to date.

Stevens, who is averaging 4.5 points and 2.7 rebounds in 13.7 minutes per game on the season, recorded a career-best 15 points and 11 rebounds in 17 minutes against the Spurs on Friday. The 23-year-old’s strong defense is a key reason why he’s received a consistent role.

Stevens recently spoke with Hoops Rumors to discuss his rookie season, his experience at Penn State, the Cavs’ culture and more:

What has your first NBA season been like?

“I think for me it’s been just a lot of learning. Just trying to be a sponge because everything happens so fast for me — really I think for all the rookies without summer league, a shortened training camp and jumping right into the season. It’s just been trying to adjust, trying to learn as much as you can really, really fast. Luckily I have great vets and great coaches that have really spent a lot of time in helping speed up my process. I would say the biggest thing for me is just trying to learn as much as I can, as fast as I can.”

How has playing for the Cavaliers shaped your rookie season? What in your mind is special about this organization in particular?

“I think what’s really special about the organization is really just the commitment to getting better. And I think each day is like, you know, you see the focus from top to bottom. From GM (Koby Altman) to coach J.B. (Bickerstaff). Everybody’s main goal is just to get better and be better than what you were yesterday. With this culture and the vets that we have, with Kevin Love, Larry (Nance Jr.), JaVale (McGee), Taurean Prince and guys like that leading the way for us, it’s been really special. It’s helped me a lot as a young player just to feel comfortable asking questions, or always being able to reach out to somebody to get into the gym at any time — that’s been special for me and has really allowed me personally to help my game grow and my mind grow as a basketball player.”

Take me through that game-winning basket you had against the Hawks. Firstly, just to be finishing a close game as a rookie — let alone an undrafted rookie — is impressive. What was it like for you to be part of such a key moment?

Read more

Community Shootaround: Celtics’ Trade Deadline Approach

The Celtics find themselves in a tough spot with the trade deadline approaching.

They entered their game in Memphis on Monday with a .500 record. They haven’t played anything like a team that was supposed to be a serious contender in the Eastern Conference, if not the NBA championship.

Part of the reason has been injuries and COVID-19 related issues. They don’t have any players who have appeared in every game. Among those absences, Marcus Smart has missed 19 games and Kemba Walker has sat out 17 contests.

However, Boston probably isn’t good enough to win the East with its current roster unless one or two of the Nets’ stars is injured during the postseason. The Celtics could use another difference-maker, another big and some depth. Brad Stevens admitted on Monday, “I think it’s very obvious that none of those young guys have really separated themselves from the others off our bench.”

In recent days, the Celtics have been linked to Norman Powell, Harrison Barnes, Evan Fournier, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Aaron Gordon and John Collins.

Boston has a huge $28.5MM traded player exception to utilize. It also has some additional second-round picks but it would probably have to move one or more first-round picks to get one of the above-mentioned players. Smart, whose contract expires after next season, appears to be the Celtics’ best trade chip if they move any of their regulars, since it’s hard to see them dealing either Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown.

That leads us to our topic of the day: Should the Celtics look to make a major move before Thursday’s trade deadline? If so, which player that they’ve reportedly pursued would be the best fit?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in. We look forward to your input.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Southeast Division

Throughout the season, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents this off-season. We examine if their stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors. This week, we take a look at players from the Southeast Division:

Moritz Wagner, Wizards, 23, PF/C (Down) – Signed to a three-year, $5.99MM deal in 2018

Wagner’s younger brother Franz is pursuing a national championship with Michigan and could be a lottery pick this summer. Moe Wagner, who played in the national championship game with the Wolverines in 2018, is currently biding his time on the Wizards’ bench.

Despite the season-ending injury to starting center Thomas Bryant, Wagner has fallen behind Alex Len and Robin Lopez in Scott Brooks’ rotation and hasn’t gotten his number called in the last four games. Washington declined its fourth-year option on Wagner in December, so he’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer. A first-round pick by the Lakers in 2018, Wagner can only hope he’ll get a fresh start after seeing his career stall in Washington.

Kris Dunn, Hawks, 27, PG/SG (Down) – Signed to a two-year, $10MM deal in 2020

Dunn left Chicago and signed a two-year deal with the anticipation that he’d be a second-unit mainstay in Atlanta. Hawks fans are still waiting to see Dunn take the court. He underwent right ankle surgery in late December and has yet to make his team debut, though he has returned to practice. For a team intent on making the postseason, the Hawks may not have the luxury of waiting for Dunn to get into a rhythm. Thus, there’s no guarantee he’ll be in the rotation when he suits up. Dunn likely agreed to a $5MM player option with the aim of playing well enough to test the market again this summer. It’s a safe bet now he’ll exercise that option.

Duncan Robinson, Heat, 26, SF (Up) – Signed to a three-year, $3.1MM deal in 2018

Robinson’s name has been linked to some trade rumors, but whether or not Miami retains him, he’ll be making way more money next season. Robinson is expected to command an offer in the $15-$20MM range annually as a restricted free agent. That’s the value of a wing who can consistently knock down 3-pointers. Robinson established himself as a big-time shooter when he made 44.6% of his 3s last season in his second NBA campaign. That percentage is down to 38.9% this season but he’s still receiving around 30 MPG as a starter in coach Erik Spoelstra’s rotation.

Devonte’ Graham, Hornets, 26, PG/SG (Down) – Signed to a three-year, $4MM deal in 2018

It’s been a rough season for Graham after his breakout sophomore campaign in which he averaged 18.2 PPG and 7.5 APG. He’s dealt with some injuries, including a sore knee, and now he’s lost his starting job to rookie phenom LaMelo Ball.

The less he plays, the more time he spends hanging around the 3-point line rather than attacking the rim. With Ball leading the pack for the Rookie of the Year award, there’s speculation that Graham – a restricted free agent after the season — is available in trade talks. If Charlotte doesn’t deal Graham, it will have to decide how much it’s willing to pony up to retain him if he receives an offer sheet.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

NBA Trade Candidate Watch: Top Veteran Targets

With the March 25 trade deadline fast approaching, Hoops Rumors is taking a closer look at players around the NBA who are candidates to be moved this month, breaking them down into several categories based on their age, contracts, on-court value, and other categories. Today, we’ll zero in on the top veteran trade targets on the market.

The January blockbuster trade that saw James Harden, Victor Oladipo, and Caris LeVert change teams is unlikely to be topped in the next six days. No player in Harden’s class are believed to be available, and it’s possible that the best player to be dealt by March 25 will be… well, Oladipo himself, who is back on the block just a couple months after being acquired by Houston.

Bradley Beal, Zach LaVine, and Karl-Anthony Towns have been the subject of some trade speculation, but that appears to be wishful thinking. The Bulls are in the playoff hunt, and Beal and Towns will likely only be moved if they push for it — so far, there’s no indication that they are.

Still, even if no All-NBA type players are on the move in the next few days, there are plenty of intriguing veteran players who could be had. The final installment of our Trade Candidate series today will focus on those players.

Let’s dive in…


Probably off-limits, but you never know:

Vucevic has said he’s happy where he is, but he has drawn significant interest from several teams. It would take a huge package to convince the Magic to move their lone All-Star, especially since he’s under contract for two more years after 2020/21.

Lowry’s $30.5MM expiring contract would make salary-matching tricky, and the Raptors won’t simply move him for the best offer — if the veteran point guard wants a change of scenery and Toronto can get something worthwhile in return, he could be on the move. But it seems more likely that he’ll stay put through the deadline and the Raptors will figure out his future in the offseason.

Young would help just about every contender and looked at one point like a prime trade candidate. But the Bulls are playing pretty well under head coach Billy Donovan and seem far more likely to push for the postseason than to essentially throw in the towel by selling off Young and their other veterans.

Turner was discussed in trade talks during the offseason, but he’s been tremendous for the Pacers this season, leading the NBA in blocked shots and anchoring Indiana’s defense. He’s not necessarily untouchable, but the price will be higher now than it was back in November.

As for DeRozan, there have been rumblings that he could be on the trade block if he and the Spurs don’t agree to an extension, but San Antonio typically doesn’t do anything too big during the season, so I’d be surprised if he’s dealt.


Intriguing targets who could realistically be available:

While Vucevic may be off the table, the Magic have a trio of other key contributors whose price tags should be more reasonable. Fournier is on an expiring contract, so there may be a little more urgency to address his situation than to do anything with Gordon or Ross. But of the three, Gordon is the most valuable and would command the biggest return. If Orlando can get a bidding war going, it could lead to a pretty tempting offer for the forward.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Kings wait until the offseason to increase their efforts to move Hield and/or Barnes, since both players are on long-term deals. But the right offer could get it done by next Thursday.

Houston is in sell mode, making Oladipo available. Still, it’s worth remembering that the Rockets didn’t have to expand the Harden deal to acquire Oladipo — they went out of their way to do so because they like him. So if they’re being low-balled at the deadline in Oladipo negotiations, they may well hang onto him.

Powell and Nance are two of the most interesting names out there and could be difference-makers for a contender. There has been no real indication that the Raptors are shopping Powell, but he can opt out this offseason and is in line for a big raise on the heels of a career year. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, have reportedly passed on offers for Nance that feature multiple late first-round picks, signaling it’ll take a lot to get him. The price for Osman would be more modest.


Their contracts complicate matters:

If Love, Drummond, and Aldridge were to hit waivers tomorrow, their agents’ phones would be inundated with calls from interested teams, and it wouldn’t take long for them to land with a contender, like Blake Griffin did with Brooklyn after he was bought out by Detroit.

However, the cap hits for Love ($31.3MM), Drummond ($28.75MM), and Aldridge ($24MM) probably outweigh their value at this point in their careers, so it will be a challenge for the Cavaliers and Spurs to extract assets in a trade without taking on some bad money.

Drummond and Aldridge, both on expiring contracts, are away from their respective clubs as they await resolution, so it’s a safe bet that they’ll be either traded or bought out. I think the Spurs probably have a slightly better chance to get a trade done, but both are toss-ups. As for Love, he still has two guaranteed seasons on his deal after 2020/21, so a buyout isn’t a realistic option for him — he’s a safe bet to stay put.


Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Hoops Rumors Glossary: Poison Pill Provision

The poison pill provision isn’t technically a term that is defined in the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. However, the concept of a “poison pill” has colloquially come to refer to a pair of NBA concepts.

The first of those concepts relates to the Gilbert Arenas Provision, which we’ve explained in a separate glossary entry. When a team uses the Arenas provision to sign a restricted free agent to an offer sheet, that team can include a massive third-year raise that is often referred to as a “poison pill.”

No current NBA contracts fit this bill, but the one Tyler Johnson signed in 2016 did — the Nets included a third-year raise in that four-year offer sheet. After the Heat matched, they had to deal with Johnson’s cap hit jumping from $5.88MM in the second year of his contract to $19.45MM in the third year.

However, the concept we’re focusing on today doesn’t involve Johnson, the Arenas provision, or RFA offer sheets. Instead, this second meaning of the “poison pill” relates to players who recently signed rookie scale extensions, something 10 players did in 2020.

The “poison pill provision” arises if a team extends a player’s rookie scale contract, then trades him before the extension officially takes effect. It’s not a situation that arises often, but it features its own set of rules, since extensions following rookie contracts often create a large gap between a player’s current and future salaries.

For salary-matching purposes, if a player is traded between the time his rookie contract is extended and the start of the following league year (when that extension takes effect), the player’s incoming value for the receiving team is the average of his current-year salary and the annual salary in each year of his extension. His current team, on the other hand, simply treats his current-year salary as the outgoing figure for matching purposes.

Let’s use Kyle Kuzma as an example. Kuzma signed a three-year, $39MM rookie scale extension with the Lakers this year, which locks him up through the 2023/24 season, assuming he picks up his final-year player option. However, he’s only on the books for $3,562,178 in 2018/19.

If the Lakers sought to trade Kuzma this season, the poison pill provision would complicate their efforts. From Los Angeles’ perspective, Kuzma’s current-year cap hit ($3,562,178) would represent his outgoing salary for matching purposes. However, any team acquiring Kuzma would have to view his incoming value as $10,640,545 — that’s the annual average of the four years and $42,562,178 he has left when accounting for both his new and old contracts.

As we explain in our glossary entry on the traded player exception, NBA rules dictate that over-the-cap teams must send and receive approximately the same amount of salary in any trade. So applying the poison pill provision to a player like Kuzma and creating a $7MM+ discrepancy between how two trade partners account for him would make salary-matching much more difficult than usual, especially since so many teams this season are hovering around the luxury-tax and hard-cap thresholds.

Trades involving a player who recently signed a rookie scale extension are already rare. After all, those players are generally young, and a player who signed an extension is promising enough to have warranted a long-term investment. Those aren’t the type of players that teams typically move, so it’s not as if guys like Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Bam Adebayo, and De’Aaron Fox would be trade candidates this season anyway.

The poison poll provision further disincentivizes a deal involving one of those recently-extended players by complicating salary-matching rules, making those trades even rarer. In other words, even the players who could theoretically be available just months after signing rookie scale extensions, such as Kuzma or Clippers sharpshooter Luke Kennard, are unlikely to be dealt this season.

Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.

Earlier versions of this post was published in 2012 and 2018. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NBA Trade Candidate Watch: Intriguing Non-Player Assets

With the March 25 trade deadline fast approaching, Hoops Rumors is taking a closer look at players around the NBA who are candidates to be moved this month, breaking them down into several categories based on their age, contracts, on-court value, and other categories. Today, we’ll zero in on the non-player assets that could be important at the deadline.

In our first four round-ups of this year’s potential trade candidates, we’ve listed a total of 88 different players. Before we move onto the top tier of potential trade targets on Friday, we’re going in a bit of a new direction today, identifying the non-player assets that could be crucial when it comes to completing deadline deals.

These are draft picks, cap exceptions, and other assets that will help grease the wheels of potential deals when player-to-player swaps don’t produce equal value or don’t work based on NBA rules.

Let’s dive in…


Draft picks:

Many of the teams that hold extra first-round picks in upcoming drafts – including the Thunder, Rockets, Pelicans, and Knicks – probably aren’t in position to start packaging those picks to acquire impact players, so their effect on the deadline will be limited.

However, the teams whose first-rounders those clubs control will feel the impact of those past deals. The Bucks, Clippers, Lakers, and Mavericks are among the teams that are significantly restricted in their ability to offer up draft capital in deadline deals, since they’ve already surrendered multiple picks in other trades.

The Timberwolves’ 2021 first-round pick (top-three protected) controlled by the Warriors would be an asset to monitor closely if Golden State were a buyer. But that seems increasingly unlikely, given the Warriors’ modest 21-20 record and the fact that Klay Thompson won’t be back until next season. The team is probably better off hanging onto that pick for now.

The Nets are also worth watching — despite trading away their own second-round pick, they could have up to three other second-rounders, via Atlanta, Phoenix, and Indiana (the Pacers’ second-rounder is 45-60 protected, so if they miss the playoffs, they’ll have to send it to Brooklyn). The Nets are a veteran team that doesn’t need to draft a bunch of rookies this summer (they’ll have a first-round pick anyway), so all of those second-rounders could be up for grabs in trades.


Traded player exceptions:

The Celtics‘ massive traded player exception worth $28.5MM has received most of the attention in recent months, and for good reason — it’s technically big enough to fit all but 34 NBA players, though Boston would have to send out some money to avoid surpassing the hard cap in certain scenarios.

There are plenty of other trade exceptions available around the league though, include a Thunder TPE that’s nearly as big as Boston’s ($27.5MM).

The Rockets ($10.7MM), Nuggets ($9.5MM), Sixers ($8.2MM), Heat ($7.5MM), Jazz ($5MM) are among the other clubs with sizeable TPEs that could come in handy in the next week.

As a reminder, a trade exception allows a team to take back a player earning any amount up to the value of the TPE (plus $100K) without sending out any salary in return. A more in-depth explanation can be found in our glossary entry.


Disabled player exceptions:

Disabled player exceptions, which can be awarded to teams when a player suffers a season-ending injury, are somewhat similar to trade exceptions. They’re more versatile in some ways (they can also be used to sign a free agent or claim a player on waivers), but more restrictive in others (any player acquired, signed, or claimed must not be under contract beyond this season).

In 2020/21, five teams were awarded disabled player exceptions, but the Heat forfeited theirs by trading away their injured player (Meyers Leonard). That leaves the Warriors ($9.3MM), Magic ($6.1MM and $3.7MM), Nets ($5.7MM), and Wizards ($4.2MM) as the teams with at least one DPE available.

All four of those teams, unfortunately, are either already in luxury tax territory or are very close to it, so the odds of them taking on extra salary via their disabled player exceptions aren’t great.

Still, there are creative ways to use these exceptions without actually increasing team salary. For instance, let’s say the Wizards trade Ish Smith for a player earning $4MM on an expiring contract. The Wizards could fit the incoming salary into their DPE and create a new trade exception worth $6MM (Smith’s salary) that would be available to use for a year.

Disabled player exceptions will expire if they’re not used by April 19 — obviously, after the March 25 trade deadline, they can only be used on free agents or waivers claims.


Cap room:

Only one team has any cap room that could come in handy at the trade deadline — the Knicks still have more than $15MM in space available. That would allow New York to trade for a player like J.J. Redick ($13MM) without sending out any salary.

If the Knicks wanted to acquire a player whose salary exceeds the available cap room, such as Victor Oladipo ($21MM), they wouldn’t have to match his full salary as long as they send out enough to remain below the cap after the deal is complete. In the case of Oladipo, New York would have to include about $6MM in outgoing salary.

While it sounds like the Knicks would like to upgrade this year’s roster, the club could also accommodate a salary dump with its cap room, taking on another team’s unwanted contract and acquiring another asset for its trouble.


Cash:

Teams are permitted to send or receive up to $5.6MM in trades during the 2020/21 season and most teams remain well below that limit, as our tracker shows. The Rockets are the lone team that’s tapped out and can’t send any more cash this season, while the Pistons – who acquired $4.6MM in an offseason deal – are the closest to their incoming limit.

Cash considerations can be either a deal sweetener or the entirety of a team’s return in a given trade, like today’s swap that sent Torrey Craig from Milwaukee to Phoenix for just cash.

2021 NBA Trade Candidate Series

With the March 25 trade deadline fast approaching, Hoops Rumors is taking a closer look at players around the NBA who are candidates to be moved this month, breaking them down into several categories based on their age, contracts, on-court value, and other categories.

Here are the groups we’ve covered so far, along with the ones still to come:


Restricted free agents to be

John Collins is the headliner in this group, but a number of other intriguing players, including Lonzo Ball, Lauri Markkanen, and Devonte’ Graham are among the RFAs-to-be who could be moved.


Mid-sized expiring contracts

Some of these players, such as Danny Green and Will Barton, are solid rotation players who would only be available in a deal for an upgrade. Others would be primarily salary ballast, like Meyers Leonard is in the Heat’s trade for Trevor Ariza.


Young players on buyers

Players like Michael Porter Jr. and Tyler Herro are probably off-limits unless a star is available, but other promising young players, such as Kevin Huerter, Donte DiVincenzo, and Precious Achiuwa could be up for grabs in deals for solid rotation players.


Useful, affordable veterans on sellers

Unlike Andre Drummond or LaMarcus Aldridge, these players don’t have oversized cap figures that would be difficult to match. Delon Wright, George Hill, J.J. Redick, Wayne Ellington, P.J. Tucker, and Mason Plumlee are among the headliners.


The intriguing non-player assets

Trades often involve more than just players, so we took a closer look at the various assets that could help grease the wheels on potential deals, including draft picks, trade exceptions, cash, and more.


Top veteran trade targets

If Kyle Lowry, Nikola Vucevic, and Myles Turner can’t be had, teams looking to make a splash could target the likes of Aaron Gordon, Victor Oladipo, and Harrison Barnes.

NBA Trade Candidate Watch: Affordable Vets On Sellers

With the March 25 trade deadline fast approaching, Hoops Rumors is taking a closer look at players around the NBA who are candidates to be moved this month, breaking them down into several categories based on their age, contracts, on-court value, and other categories. Today, we’ll zero in on useful, affordable veterans who could be moved if their teams become sellers.

The presence of the play-in tournament has made it harder than ever this season for an NBA team to truly fall out of postseason contention. The current No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference is four games below .500, so many of the Eastern lottery teams can talk themselves into entering the playoff mix with just a modest hot streak.

As a result, there appear to be fewer sellers than ever at the 2021 deadline. But with so many teams looking to make upgrades, it’s inevitable that some clubs will become willing to trade off veterans in the next week, taking advantage of what should be a sellers’ market.

We’re focusing today on some of those potential sellers, identifying the players on their rosters who can still provide useful production at a relatively fair price — we’re classifying this list of players as “affordable,” which generally means their salaries range between the minimum and the mid-level range. LaMarcus Aldridge could be a nice addition for a contending team, but at $24MM, his salary doesn’t qualify as affordable, so he’s not listed below.

Let’s dive in…


Guards:

Wright is having perhaps the best season of his career in Detroit, averaging 10.5 PPG, 4.9 APG, and 4.5 RPG on .465/.383/.768 shooting. He’s also under contract at a reasonable rate ($8.5MM) in 2021/22, which should appeal to suitors. Pistons general manager Troy Weaver isn’t shy about pulling the trigger on trades, making Wright a good candidate to be dealt.

Hill is the other most intriguing trade candidate here. A thumb injury has sidelined Hill since January 24, which may hurt his market, but he’s a proven veteran with a ton of playoff experience and should be healthy in time for the home stretch. His $10MM salary for next season is only partially guaranteed, so he should draw interest from teams wanting to maximize flexibility and teams looking for a player who could stick around for one more year.

Carter-Williams, Neto, and Smith are lower-cost – and lower-level – options for a team looking to add some depth.

The Knicks likely won’t be sellers, but Rivers doesn’t appear to be in the team’s plans anymore, so he’s a good bet to be placed on the trade block. The second and third years of his contract are non-guaranteed, making it a team-friendly deal.


Three-point specialists:

Redick and Ellington deserve a category of their own, since their value stems primarily from their ability to knock down three-point shots.

Ellington will likely draw more interest and a stronger return due to his minimum salary and his excellent 42.2% mark from beyond the arc this season.

Redick’s $13MM salary is the highest of any player in this list and will make it trickier for the Pelicans to find a taker, as will the heel issue he’s currently dealing with. But there should still be interest — after a slow start, the 36-year-old has looked more like his old self, converting 46.4% of his three-point attempts in his last 15 games.


Forwards and wings:

Three years ago, Tucker and Ariza would’ve been prime targets for any teams with title aspirations due to their defensive versatility and their ability to hit outside shots. Now, they’re both 35 years old and look much less like key parts of a championship lineup.

Tucker’s performance has fallen off this season and he’s almost non-existent on offense. Ariza hasn’t played a single minute in over a full calendar year, having spent the season away from the Thunder after opting out of the summer restart. It’s possible one or both of these guys will be rejuvenated by joining a contender, and that could be a risk worth taking if the price isn’t high.

Teams in need of help on the wing may prefer to talk to the Rockets and Thunder about House and Williams, respectively, as they’re younger and more affordable. Williams, in particular, is having a nice year in Oklahoma City in a three-and-D role and has a very team-friendly contract ($2MM annually, with two non-guaranteed years beyond 2020/21).

Ennis is currently out with a calf injury, but was having a nice year for the Magic, posting a shooting line of .500/.447/.786. Bjelica has struggled this season, but his ability to stretch the floor from the power forward spot has value and he’s a good bounce-back candidate — he’s making 32.0% of his three-pointers this year after knocking down over 40% in each of the previous three years.


Big men:

Plumlee is in a category of his own here as a center who is under contract for two seasons beyond this one — any team interested in acquiring him is probably looking for a multiyear option rather than a short-term fix. He also figures to demand a more significant return than anyone else in this group, since the Pistons value him highly.

The other available centers here, all of whom are on expiring contracts, offer a variety of skill-sets. Whiteside is one of the league’s best rebounders and can score around the basket; Muscala is a solid outside shooter; McGee is an athletic, shot-blocking option; and Davis and Lopez offer the sort of stable defense and reliable screen-setting that doesn’t show up in the box score.

Of those five guys on expiring deals, Whiteside, McGee, and Muscala are probably the least likely to finish the season with their current teams.


Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NBA Trade Candidate Watch: Young Players On Buyers

With the March 25 trade deadline fast approaching, Hoops Rumors is taking a closer look at players around the NBA who are candidates to be moved this month, breaking them down into several categories based on their age, contracts, on-court value, and other categories. Today, we’ll zero in on young players on buyers who could be moved as their teams explore upgrades.

Playoff contenders and championship hopefuls who are in the market for roster upgrades often rely on first- and second-round draft picks to acts as sweeteners in their trade offers. But for clubs that have already traded away many of their future picks or simply prefer not to sacrifice draft capital, using promising young talent to build a package may be a more viable option.

In today’s installment of our Trade Candidate series, we’re focusing on young players who could (or should) be available if certain teams seeking roster upgrades make deals this month.

We’ve already looked at several restricted free-agents-to-be who may be trade candidates — we won’t repeat them here, which is why young players like John Collins, Kendrick Nunn, and Talen Horton-Tucker don’t show up in the space below.

Additionally, since we’re focusing on teams expected to be buyers, we won’t be mentioning young players on presumed sellers who may benefit from a change of scenery (such as Marvin Bagley or Mohamed Bamba).

Let’s dive in…


Non-rotation players:

Some of the players in this group have been regulars for their respective teams at times this season, but none are currently playing 15-20 minutes per night.

Although we’re grouping all of these players together, that doesn’t mean their values are roughly identical. Players like Bol or Smith are developmental prospects who are still relatively raw and are viewed as having upside, whereas someone like Knox – who is in his third season but has still been unable to carve out a regular role – has seen his value dip since being drafted in the lottery.

Other players in this group, such as Elleby and Oturu, were second-round picks and were never considered premium prospects, but still could have some value to teams that view them as potential role players.

The players here could be used to sweeten a trade offer, but – with a few exceptions – likely wouldn’t be the centerpiece of any deal for a difference-maker.


Regular rotation players:

This is a more intriguing group than the first, even if there may not be any future All-Stars in the bunch.

Huerter and Reddish are part of the second tier of Hawks’ young players, behind presumed untouchables Trae Young and De’Andre Hunter. If Atlanta takes a big swing at the deadline, it’s a safe bet that at least one of Huerter and Reddish would be among the outgoing pieces.

Simons, Holiday, and Mann have received glowing reviews from their respective teams over the years, but have yet to break out and should be available in the right deals. Meanwhile, the Bucks have already shown that DiVincenzo is available in the right trade, having reportedly agreed to send him to Sacramento last fall in a sign-and-trade for Bogdan Bogdanovic before that deal fell apart.

It would probably take a lot for the Sixers, Celtics, and Heat to part with promising rookies Maxey, Pritchard, and Achiuwa (Maxey’s inclusion in a James Harden offer was reportedly a point of contention), but they shouldn’t be off-limits, even if Philadelphia would probably rather move Thybulle and/or Korkmaz.

Including any Timberwolves players here may seem odd, since they have the NBA’s worst record. But even if they’re not traditional “buyers,” they’ve been linked to power forwards like John Collins and Aaron Gordon. They’d want to hang onto Anthony Edwards in any such deal, so any of their other young players would probably be available.


Would likely only be available for a star-caliber player:

If Bradley Beal were available, these players are the kinds of prospects the Wizards would presumably be targeting. But since Beal, Zach LaVine, and most other All-Star caliber players aren’t expected to be in play at this year’s deadline, it’s unlikely we’ll see any of these youngsters on the move. The one exception could be Herro, if the Magic get serious about moving Nikola Vucevic.


Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.