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2022’s Most Valuable Traded Second-Round Picks

February 28th, 2022 at 9:01am CST by Luke Adams

Fans of lottery-bound NBA teams will be keeping a close on the league’s reverse standings down the stretch because of the effect they’ll have on the draft order and lottery odds for the 2022 first round.

However, it’s not just the first round of the draft that’s worth keeping an eye on. Those reverse standings will also dictate the order of the draft’s second round, and an early second-round pick can be nearly as valuable as a first-rounder.

Traded first-round selections will ultimately be more valuable than any second-rounder, but it’s still worth taking a closer look at some traded 2022 second-rounders that project to be quality picks.

[RELATED: Traded Second-Round Picks For 2022 NBA Draft]

Here are a few of those traded picks:

From: Detroit Pistons
To: Toronto Raptors
Current projection: No. 32

Back in 2018, the Bulls gained the right to swap 2022 second-round picks with Detroit in a trade involving Jameer Nelson. Chicago eventually transferred that right to San Antonio as part of last summer’s DeMar DeRozan‘s sign-and-trade, and the Spurs transferred it to Toronto as part of the Thaddeus Young/Goran Dragic trade at this month’s deadline.

The Pistons are currently on track to finish the season with a bottom-three record, so the Raptors are a good bet to be picking the No. 31-33 range this June.

From: Houston Rockets
To: Indiana Pacers
Current projection: No. 33

The Cavaliers first acquired Houston’s 2022 second-round pick in a 2019 deadline deal involving Alec Burks and Iman Shumpert, then sent it to Indiana this month in the Caris LeVert trade.

Like the Pistons, the Rockets comfortably hold a bottom-three spot in the NBA right now, so the Pacers will likely have a top-three pick in the second round of the 2022 draft to aid their retooling efforts.

From: Indiana Pacers
To: Orlando Magic
Current projection: No. 35

Although the Pacers control Houston’s second-rounder, they won’t have a second pick near the top of the round, having traded away their own 2022 second-rounder to Milwaukee in their 2019 sign-and-trade deal for Malcolm Brogdon. The Bucks flipped that pick to Orlando during the 2020 draft in a package for the No. 45 pick in the ’20 draft, which they used to select Jordan Nwora.

The Magic’s own 2022 second-rounder currently projects to be the No. 31 pick, so Orlando could control two of the top five picks in the second round this year.

From: San Antonio Spurs
To: Cleveland Cavaliers
Current projection: No. 37

The Spurs traded their 2022 second-round selection to Utah all the way back in 2016 as part of a Boris Diaw salary dump. The Jazz controlled that pick up until December 2019, when they flipped it to Cleveland as part of their deal for Jordan Clarkson — the Cavaliers have held it since then.

The Cavs have traded away their own 2022 first-round pick (top-14 protected), so San Antonio’s second-rounder could end up being the best pick Cleveland owns in this year’s draft.

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Community Shootaround: Coach Of The Year Frontrunner

February 25th, 2022 at 2:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Suns head coach Monty Williams is currently the favorite to be named the NBA’s Coach of the Year in 2022, according to the oddsmakers at Bovada and BetOnline. With a 49-10 record, Phoenix has been 6.5 games better than any other team in the league this season, so Williams certainly has a strong case for the award.

Still, he’s hardly the only coach who is a viable candidate to be named Coach of the Year, especially if the Suns stumble at all during Chris Paul‘s absence in the next few weeks. Based on current betting odds, Bovada and BetOnline both view J.B. Bickerstaff, Taylor Jenkins, and Billy Donovan as the coaches besides Williams who are the strongest contenders for the award.

The Coach of the Year vote often comes down to which team exceeded its preseason expectations most significantly, especially if that club dealt with injuries or other adversity. With that in mind, Bickerstaff should be a popular pick. His Cavaliers are 35-24 despite losing Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio to season-ending knee injuries and having several other rotation players deal with various health ailments. Cleveland was widely viewed as a lottery team entering 2021/22.

Jenkins’ Grizzlies have also blown away the expectations fans and league observers had for them in the fall. Projected to be roughly a .500 team after sneaking into the playoffs a year ago, Memphis has already reached 41 victories in just 61 games and comfortably holds a top-three spot in the West. While Ja Morant has emerged as a bona fide star, the team’s supporting cast isn’t exactly loaded with household names, which may earn Jenkins some extra votes this spring.

Finally, Donovan’s Bulls were considered a fringe playoff team by oddsmakers last fall — their over/under figure of 42.5 wins was tied with Indiana and New York for seventh in the East. The club has been impacted by injuries throughout the season and was one of the teams hit hardest by COVID-19 in the winter, but still holds the conference’s top seed with a 39-21 record.

Erik Spoelstra of the Heat, Steve Kerr of the Warriors, Doc Rivers of the Sixers, and Chris Finch of the Timberwolves are among the others who could merit Coach of the Year consideration, especially with strong late-season finishes.

We want to know what you think. Is Williams the right pick for Coach of the Year at this point, or do you view Bickerstaff, Jenkins, Donovan, or someone else as a stronger candidate? If the season ended today, who do you think would – and should – win the award?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

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Community Shootaround: Lottery Teams

February 24th, 2022 at 9:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There will be plenty of attention over the next two months regarding the race for the top seeds in each conference. Several other teams will be aiming for one of the three bottom seeds.

While the lottery odds were changed a few years ago, it hasn’t discouraged tanking. The teams that finish with the three worst records have a 14 percent chance of getting the top pick.

That strategy paid off for the Pistons last season, as they rested several starters in the final weeks of the season and wound up with the second-worst mark. They won the lottery and drafted the consensus top pick, Cade Cunningham.

The Rockets, who lost their way to the worst record, still got the second pick and chose Jalen Green.

Lo and behold, those same two teams are well-positioned for a top-three pick again this year, though there’s more mystery which player will go No. 1. Auburn’s Jabari Smith, Gonzaga Chet Holmgren and Duke’s Paolo Banchero are currently the top candidates.

The Magic entered the All-Star break with the worst record, with the Pistons and Rockets just “behind” them in the race for the bottom. However, another team or two could crash the tanking party. The Thunder, Pacers, Kings, Pelicans and Spurs have also won fewer than 40 percent of their games, though New Orleans must convey its pick to the Trail Blazers if it’s between No. 5 and No. 14.

Speaking of the retooling Blazers, it’s conceivable they could go on a long losing streak, though with 25 wins in the bank it would difficult to drop near the bottom. The Pacers, who also went into rebuild mode, could be another prime candidate for a nosedive.

That leads us to our question of the day: Which three teams do you foresee finishing with the worst records this season and gaining the best lottery odds?

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

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Hoops Rumors Glossary: Starter Criteria

February 23rd, 2022 at 8:27am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s rookie scale, which determines how much first-round picks earn during their first four NBA seasons, also dictates how much the qualifying offers will be worth for those players once they’re eligible for restricted free agency after year four. However, the value of those qualifying offers can fluctuate depending on whether or not a player has met the “starter criteria.”

Here’s how the starter criteria works:

A player who is eligible for restricted free agency is considered to have met the starter criteria if he plays at least 2,000 minutes or starts 41 games in the season before he reaches free agency.

A player can also meet the criteria if he averages either of those marks in the two seasons prior to his restricted free agency. Due to the fact that only 72 games were played in the 2020/21 season, these requirements have been slightly adjusted, but will return to normal next season.

A player’s ability or inability to meet the starter criteria impacts the value of the qualifying offer he receives as a restricted free agent, as follows:

  • A top-14 pick who does not meet the starter criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to the amount the 15th overall pick would receive if he signed for 120% of the rookie scale.
    • Note: For the summer of 2022, the value of this QO will be $7,228,448.
    • Example: Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton (2018’s No. 8 overall pick) won’t meet the starter criteria this season. As a result, he’ll be eligible for a QO worth $7,228,448 instead of $8,559,357.
  • A player picked between 10th and 30th who meets the criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to the amount the ninth overall pick would receive if he signed for 120% of the rookie scale.
    • Note: For the summer of 2022, the value of this QO will be $7,921,300.
    • Example: Hornets forward Miles Bridges (2018’s No. 12 overall pick) has met the starter criteria this season. As a result, he’ll be eligible for a QO worth $7,921,300 instead of $7,459,974.
  • A second-round pick or undrafted player who meets the criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to the amount the 21st overall pick would receive if he signed for 100% of the rookie scale.
    • Note: For the summer of 2022, the value of this QO will be $4,869,012.
    • Example: Thunder wing Luguentz Dort (an undrafted free agent) has met the starter criteria this season. As a result, he’ll be eligible for a QO worth $4,869,012 instead of $2,228,276 if Oklahoma City declines his team option to make him a restricted free agent.
  • For all other RFAs, the standard criteria determine the amounts of their qualifying offers.

Extending a qualifying offer to a player who is eligible for restricted free agency officially makes that player an RFA, ensuring that his team has the right of first refusal if he signs an offer sheet with another club. It also gives the player the option of signing that one-year QO.

Generally, the value of a restricted free agent’s qualifying offer isn’t hugely important, since very few RFAs accept those offers outright. There are exceptions though.

In 2020, for instance, Kris Dunn met the starter criteria, which ensured that his qualifying offer would have been worth $7,091,457 instead of $4,642,800. The Bulls opted not to extend that $7MM+ QO, making him an unrestricted free agent, and he ended up signing a two-year, $10MM contract with Atlanta. If Dunn hadn’t met the starter criteria, it’s possible Chicago would’ve been more comfortable issuing a $4.6MM qualifying offer, which would’ve significantly changed the way Dunn’s free agency played out.

We’ll revisit the starter criteria at season’s end to see which of 2022’s potential restricted free agents will have their qualifying offers impacted by meeting – or failing to meet – the starter criteria.

So far, of this year’s RFAs-to-be, Bridges, Dort (team option), Deandre Ayton, Mohamed Bamba, and Jae’Sean Tate (team option) have met the starter criteria. There are a few players who could still get there, led by Anfernee Simons, who has made 26 starts and logged 1,555 minutes.

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.

Information from Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ and RealGM was used in the creation of this post. Earlier versions of this post were published in 2019 and 2020.

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Rest-Of-Season NBA Dates, Deadlines To Watch

February 21st, 2022 at 2:54pm CST by Luke Adams

With the All-Star Game behind us, we’re preparing for the home stretch of the 2021/22 NBA season. Here are a few noteworthy dates and deadlines to keep an eye on before the playoffs begin in April.

February 28

A team with cap room can renegotiate a player’s current-year contract to give him a raise as part of a contract extension. However, the only club with any real cap space is Oklahoma City, and the Thunder only have one extension-eligible player, Isaiah Roby (Luguentz Dort will become extension-eligible next month). I wouldn’t count on the Thunder renegotiating and extending Roby’s contract in the next week — he has spent much of the season out of the team’s rotation.

March 1

  • Last day a player can be waived by one team and remain eligible to appear in the postseason for another team.

As we outline in our glossary entry on buyouts, a player doesn’t need to be signed by March 1 in order to retain his playoff-eligible — he simply can’t be waived after that date. A player who is waived on March 1 and signs with another team on April 8 would be playoff-eligible for his new team, but a player who is waived on March 2 and signs on March 5 wouldn’t be.

March 10

The Cavaliers ($3.2MM), Nuggets ($2.6MM), and Pelicans ($1.9MM) still have disabled player exceptions available that they could use to sign a player to a rest-of-season contract or to claim a player with an expiring contract off waivers. However, disabled player exceptions are used more frequently at the trade deadline than after it, especially when the buyout market lacks marquee names. The likeliest scenario is that these DPEs will expire without being used.

April 10

  • Last day of the NBA regular season.
  • Last day players can sign contracts for 2021/22.
  • Last day two-way contracts can be converted to standard NBA contracts.
  • Luxury tax penalties calculated based on payroll as of this day.

More than half of the NBA’s teams currently have at least one open spot on their 15-man rosters. It’s safe to assume that most – if not all – of those clubs will fill those openings by April 10. Playoff teams will want to make sure they have as much veteran depth as possible, just to be safe, while several lottery teams will likely sign younger players to multiyear deals without guarantees beyond this season in order to get a longer look at them in the summer.

April 11

  • Playoff rosters set (2:00pm CT).

April 12-15

  • NBA play-in tournament.

April 16

  • NBA playoffs begin.

While they wait for the play-in tournament to conclude, the top six teams in each conference will get a longer-than-usual break between the regular season and the postseason, giving them some time to recharge before the playoffs begin.

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Community Shootaround: NBA’s Next Disgruntled Star

February 21st, 2022 at 9:53am CST by Luke Adams

When Ben Simmons was pushing for a trade out of Philadelphia prior to the 2021 season, multiple reports indicated that Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey was holding out for a deal that netted his team a star.

The thinking was that even if no team was willing to proactively shake up its roster in the fall by trading an All-Star player for Simmons, it would only be a matter of time before a player of that caliber became disgruntled with his current situation and asked for a trade. When that happened, Morey and the 76ers wanted to be ready to pounce.

While Morey faced some criticism at the time for his stance, it was a defensible one — in recent years, the NBA generally hasn’t made it more than a few months before a star player shakes loose. Sure enough, in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline, whispers of James Harden‘s discontent in Brooklyn grew louder and louder, culminating in the deadline-day blockbuster that sent Harden to the Sixers and Simmons to the Nets.

The Simmons and Harden situations are just the latest examples of the superstar wanderlust that has dominated the NBA for at least the last half-decade. Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Russell Westbrook (twice), Paul George (twice), and Harden (twice) are among the players who have requested – or demanded – trades to new teams within the last five years.

Taking into account the NBA’s recent history, it’s probably safe to assume that another star player will be angling for a trade before the end of 2022, whether that takes the form of a private request to the team or an ugly public standoff.

As Howard Beck of SI.com writes in his article on the subject, speculation among team executives has focused on players like Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, and Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard.

All of those players have said the right things publicly, but a June report claimed that Williamson’s family wanted him out of New Orleans, and there has been plenty of chatter about Mitchell’s relationship with teammate Rudy Gobert being a warning sign in Utah. Lillard, meanwhile, seriously considered his future last summer and remains committed to Portland for now, but with the team in retooling mode, it’s possible he’ll eventually try to win a title elsewhere.

Those aren’t the only stars worth keeping an eye on. Wizards guard Bradley Beal can be a free agent this summer, and Washington isn’t exactly close to championship contention. Irving can also reach free agency in 2022 and his union with the Nets seems less stable than it did a year ago, in part due to his inconsistent availability due to his vaccination status. Even Lakers star LeBron James has raised eyebrows lately with comments about his future and his apparent frustration with L.A.’s deadline inactivity.

It sometimes only takes one down year, one short-lived postseason run, or one bad relationship to convince a star player to ask out, so it’s certainly possible that other players we haven’t mentioned could become unhappy with their current situations in the coming months — at this time last year, we certainly didn’t expect Harden to be seeking another trade so soon.

With all that in mind, we want to know what you think. Which star(s) will be the next to push for a trade? How soon will it happen, and how many stars might we see change teams this summer?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

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Poll: Who Will Win The 2022 Three-Point Contest?

February 18th, 2022 at 10:18pm CST by Rory Maher

The 2022 NBA Three-Point Contest takes place Saturday night and features eight participants (betting odds via Chad Smith of Basketball Insiders):

There are two rounds in the competition; the three highest scores from the first round advance to the championship round, and the highest scoring competitor in the championship round will become the victor. A first-time winner will be crowned this year, as only Young and LaVine have made prior appearances in the event, this being Young’s second attempt and LaVine’s third.

Each participant gets 70 seconds to attempt a total of 27 shots — five from each of the traditional racks located at the corners, wings, and top-of-the-key, and two “Dew Zone” locations six feet behind the arc. The deep racks feature just one ball each, but they’re worth three points apiece.

Young, VanVleet, Lavine and Towns are all pulling double-duty, as the four players were all selected to the All-Star game. Bane is as well, as he’s a member of Team Isiah for the Rising Stars event.

Going purely by three-point percentage this season, Kennard leads the group at 44.8%, followed by Mills and Bane (41.9%), Towns (40.9%), VanVleet (40.1%), LaVine (39.9%), McCollum (38.9%), and finally Young (38.3%).

However, VanVleet leads all competitors in makes (4.0) and attempts (10.0) per game by a considerable margin — McCollum is second with 3.1 makes and 8.0 attempts.

What do you think? Who will win this year’s Three-Point Contest? Will Towns defy the betting odds and take home the crown? Will LaVine triumph in his third attempt?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

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Nine Candidates To Be Promoted From Two-Way Contracts

February 18th, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Since last week’s trade deadline, four teams have promoted a player from a two-way contract to a 15-man roster spot — the Celtics (Sam Hauser), Thunder (Aaron Wiggins), Rockets (Daishen Nix), and Heat (Caleb Martin) all took advantage of roster openings to make such a move.

For a playoff-bound team like Miami, promoting a two-way player to the 15-man roster ensures he’ll be eligible to play in the postseason.

That’s not exactly a pressing concern for a team like Oklahoma City or Houston, but it still made sense for them to promote Wiggins and Nix, respectively, because they were able to lock those rookies up to four-year contracts that will be worth the minimum salary going forward. Both Wiggins and Nix have non-guaranteed third and fourth years on those deals, so the Thunder and Rockets will have the ability to bail early if their investments don’t work out.

Even after that flurry of promotions, there are still several players around the NBA on two-way contracts who are candidates to get new deals before the end of the regular season.

Here’s a closer look at which players could be next in line for a bump up to the 15-man roster:

Amir Coffey (Clippers)

Coffey has emerged as a regular rotation player for the Clippers this season, averaging 22.2 minutes per contest in 48 games (20 starts). He hasn’t missed a game or played fewer than 13 minutes since December 20 and is averaging 8.4 PPG and 3.0 RPG with a solid shooting line (.459/.380/.886).

The Clippers don’t currently have an open spot on their 15-man roster, so there’s no clear path for Coffey to sign a standard contract unless someone is waived. Newly-acquired swingman Rodney Hood or forward Semi Ojeleye are probably be the best candidates to be released — L.A.’s deadline deal to acquire that duo from the Bucks appeared to be more about tax considerations than about targeting those specific players.

Kessler Edwards (Nets)

Like Coffey, Edwards has been a regular contributor lately, starting 19 of 20 Brooklyn’s games. And like the Clippers, the Nets have a full 15-man roster, creating a temporary roadblock for an Edwards promotion.

It’s trickier finding expendable pieces on the Nets’ roster. Bruce Brown, James Johnson, and Blake Griffin are among those on expiring contracts and they haven’t exactly been setting the world on fire, but they’ve been rotation players when healthy. Jevon Carter has been in and out of the rotation, but is owed a guaranteed $3.9MM salary next season.

Edwards slumped badly entering the All-Star break, averaging 2.3 PPG on 18.9% shooting in his last eight games. If that trend continues, the Nets probably won’t need to find room for him on their 15-man squad. But if he bounces back, the team may want to ensure he’s playoff-eligible.

Jose Alvarado (Pelicans)

Alvarado appeared in just eight of New Orleans’ first 35 games, then played in the next 23 before getting a DNP-CD on Thursday. The addition of CJ McCollum may limit Alvarado’s playing time going forward, but the rookie has proven he’s capable of stepping in and providing the Pelicans with solid minutes. The team’s open roster spot could be earmarked for him or fellow two-way player Gary Clark.

Trent Forrest (Jazz)

Forrest has had a nice February for Utah, putting up 8.0 PPG, 4.1 APG, and 1.6 SPG on 52.4% shooting in seven games (22.6 MPG). The Jazz have an opening on their roster and could create a second one if they decide Juan Hernangomez isn’t in their plans. I’d expect Forrest to claim one of those spots by the end of the season, though the in-the-tax club may prefer to hold off for a few more weeks in order to keep its tax bill in check.

Justin Champagnie (Raptors)

Champagnie’s role as a rookie has been inconsistent, but the Raptors like his potential and will probably try to sign him to a multiyear deal before the end of the season if they can negotiate favorable terms. Toronto currently has an open roster spot and still has some of its mid-level exception available to offer Champagnie a contract of up to four years.

Trendon Watford (Trail Blazers)

The Trail Blazers have a full 15-man roster for now, but that group includes at least one expendable veteran in Joe Ingles, who is on an expiring contract and will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. It’s also unclear if recently-acquired players like Eric Bledsoe, Elijah Hughes, and Didi Louzada will finish the season in Portland.

In other words, if the Blazers want to promote Watford, who has played in every one of the team’s games in 2022, there should be a path to do so.

Davon Reed (Nuggets)

At one point, Reed looked like a prime candidate for a promotion to the Nuggets’ 15-man roster, but his playing time has decreased in the last month, and if Denver wants to keep DeMarcus Cousins for the rest of the season, the veteran center would become the club’s 15th man.

A standard contract isn’t out of the question for Reed – injured forward Vlatko Cancar could be waived if the Nuggets need to make room for both Cousins and Reed – but the Nuggets may decide to see how the next few weeks play out before deciding whether or not to make the young wing playoff-eligible.

Duane Washington / Terry Taylor (Pacers)

With Indiana shifting into rebuilding mode, Washington and Taylor should both continue to play regularly, like they have in recent weeks. Taylor, in particular, has been very productive in limited minutes, averaging 9.5 PPG and 6.8 RPG on .598/.444/.769 shooting in 13 games (19.0 MPG).

The Pacers already have one open roster spot and could create a second one by waiving injured guard Ricky Rubio, though if they value his Bird rights, they’ll want to keep Rubio on the roster. Still, I’d be surprised if at least one of Washington and Taylor doesn’t sign a standard contract in the next month-and-a-half.

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Trade Rumors App For iOS/Android

February 18th, 2022 at 3:32pm CST by Luke Adams

If you enjoy Hoops Rumors on your smartphone or tablet, be sure to check out our free Trade Rumors app!

Trade Rumors, available for iOS and Android, is the best way to consume our content on a mobile device. Here’s what it delivers, all for free:

  • All the articles from Hoops Rumors, MLB Trade Rumors, Pro Football Rumors, and Pro Hockey Rumors in an easy-to-navigate, eye-catching format. Swipe through stories to quickly consume all the news and rumors from our four sites. Not into all four sports? No problem – any sport can be easily removed.
  • Customize what you see. You can create feeds for any team or player across any of our sites.
  • Notifications. For any team or player, you can set up push notifications to ensure you always get breaking news instantly. Notifications can also be set up at the sport level.
  • Commenting. You can read and contribute comments on the app seamlessly.
  • Customer service. If you find a bug, we’ll fix it. If you have a feature request, we’ll consider it. The app is continually evolving and improving.
  • Did we mention Trade Rumors is a free app? What do you have to lose? Download it now!
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2022 NBA Buyout Market Watch

February 18th, 2022 at 12:35pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2022 NBA trade deadline is behind us, but that doesn’t mean teams are finished making roster moves. With over a month-and-a-half left in the 2021/22 regular season, there are still many roster spots to be filled around the NBA, as well as veterans who might not finish the year with their current teams.

The NBA’s buyout market has been active since the trade deadline and could feature several more moves in the next week or two.

[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Buyouts]

A veteran in an undesirable situation due to his playing time or his team’s place in the standings (or both) could ask to be released and may even be willing to give back a little money to accommodate the move. Some teams might make that decision unilaterally, opting to release a veteran to open up a roster spot for a younger player.

Over the rest of the month, we’ll use the space below to monitor the buyout market, keeping tabs on which veteran players have been bought out or released, and which have found new teams. We’ll also keep an eye on players who are potential buyout candidates. The list will be updated daily.

A player on an NBA contract must be waived by the end of the day on March 1 in order to retain his playoff eligibility, so that will be a key date to watch.

Here’s our breakdown of the 2022 NBA buyout market:

Last updated 3-3-22 (8:08pm CT)

Veterans who have been recently bought out or released and are free agents:

Not every player who has been cut since the trade deadline will be mentioned here. Essentially, this list is just made up of players with at least a few years of NBA experience who could be of immediate interest to teams in the playoff mix.

To that end, we’re not listing young players such as Jahmi’us Ramsey, KZ Okpala, Armoni Brooks, or Moses Brown, since they’d be unlikely to draw interest from playoff teams who are in win-now mode and looking for veteran depth.

We’re also not listing injured veterans like PJ Dozier, Cody Zeller, Michael Carter-Williams, or E’Twaun Moore, unless it becomes clear that the player will be able to return in the coming days or weeks.

Veterans who have been bought out or released and joined new teams:

Other veterans who could be candidates to be bought out or released:

We had viewed these players as possible buyout candidates, with some more realistic than others. However, they all made it through the March 1 playoff eligibility waiver deadline without being cut, so they appear likely to finish the season with their respective clubs.

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