While trade rumors generally don’t gain a ton of steam until a little closer to the deadline, several candidates to be moved have emerged in the opening weeks of the 2017/18 season. Eric Bledsoe was the first to be dealt, with the Suns finding a taker for him more than three months before this season’s trade deadline.
However, with Bledsoe off the board, teams may find it difficult to find viable deals involving several of the other players on the trade block around the NBA. Several of the most noteworthy current trade candidates either have undesirable contracts or haven’t shown enough on-court value to make them worthwhile investments — or both.
Here’s a breakdown of five players who teams may have trouble moving – or at least finding fair value for – in advance of the 2018 trade deadline:
- Luol Deng, Lakers: Deng is in the second year of a four-year contract worth $72MM, one of the least team-friendly deals in the league. Deng is unhappy with his lack of a role in Los Angeles, and the Lakers – who want to clear enough cap room to make a run at multiple maximum-salary free agents in 2018, would love to accommodate a change of scenery for the veteran forward. As we heard earlier this week, the two sides are exploring trade or buyout possibilities. But trade interest is unsurprisingly “non-existent” and Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders suggests the Lakers don’t want to go the buyout route at this point unless Deng takes a huge discount, which his camp seems unwilling to do. So this situation remains in a holding pattern for now.
- Greg Monroe, Suns: Although Monroe can still be a productive player, he wasn’t a part of this week’s Bledsoe trade because of his on-court abilities — he was included because of his expiring contract. The Suns are reportedly unlikely to keep him through the season, but flipping him won’t be easy. Monroe is earning nearly $18MM this season, and it’s tricky to move a salary of that size without taking back a multiyear contract, something Phoenix isn’t all that interested in doing. There simply aren’t many teams that have a need for a player like Monroe and would have the ability to match up with what the Suns would want out of a deal.
- Tyson Chandler, Suns: If the Suns can’t find a viable deal for Monroe, finding one for Chandler won’t be any simpler. Chandler is a little more affordable than Monroe, at $13MM this season, but he has one more guaranteed year on his contract for 2018/19. A team desperate for rim protection and veteran leadership could be willing to take on his contract, but the Suns may need to sweeten the deal with a draft pick or another asset. Considering Chandler isn’t unhappy in Phoenix, it may make more sense to just be patient and wait until the offseason to seriously attempt to move him.
- Nikola Mirotic, Bulls: Forced to take sides in the Mirotic/Bobby Portis altercation, the Bulls’ locker room and front office appear to be united — they’re with Portis. It may seem counter-intuitive that the player on the receiving end of a punch that caused multiple facial fractures is now on the outs, but Portis has seemingly said and done all the right things since delivering that blow, and his dedication and work ethic are highly valued in the Bulls’ locker room. Understandably, Mirotic no longer wants any part of the situation, but he can’t be traded until January 15. And even when he becomes trade-eligible, the 26-year-old may not have a lot of value — he’s earning $12.5MM, and has provided inconsistent production throughout his first three NBA seasons. Plus, if he’s truly as culpable in the incident with Portis as the Bulls have suggested, suitors may have personality concerns.
- Jahlil Okafor, Sixers: Unlike the other players on this list, Okafor isn’t expensive — he’s earning just $5MM this season. He also isn’t past his prime, like Deng and Chandler. In fact, at age 21, he almost certainly hasn’t reached his prime yet. For those reasons, Okafor may not be difficult to trade, but the Sixers will have a very hard time extracting what they perceive to be fair value for 2015’s third overall pick. Okafor can’t crack Philadelphia’s rotation, and there are serious concerns about his defensive ability, limiting his appeal. Because the Sixers declined his $6.3MM option for 2018/19, Okafor also can’t receive a contract offer worth more than $6.3MM from the team that acquires him, and he’ll be an unrestricted free agent, meaning he may just end up being a rental. A club is unlikely to surrender much for that.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
but Portis has seemingly said and done all the right things since delivering that blow,
Portis can tell that to the judge and prosecutor if Mirotic presses charges. Portis’s 21 and 17 the other day in a losing effort I am sure helped his cause SMH
On a lighter note Okafor for Bembry end of story
By all accounts within the organization, it appears as if Mirotic started the conflict, wouldn’t stop, and then suffered the consequences. Teammates and management have supported Portis and it seemed as if they didn’t even want to suspend him.
Hawks would never trade Bembry for Okafor. Makes no sense for them. He’s been a quality player for them, is young, and fits their playstyle better than Jahlil
it appears as if Mirotic started the conflict, wouldn’t stop, and then suffered the consequences.
Never heard this spin before and Mirotic was supposed to start over Portis
Portis was the one who threw the punch, Mirotic never did
Also, I see Okafor for Bembry as a fair trade if the Hawks actually want Okafor.
From my sources in Chicago, Mitotic, while not throwing the punch, instigated and provoked Portis to the point to where he needed to get him out of face. Bulls will dump Mitotic.
Chicago situation is ugly. They want to keep both Portis and Mirotic. Players want them to keep Portis. Totally agree with this article. What they all have in common is they aren’t playing.
Chandler, Deng, and Monroe are overpaid. Not many teams have salary cap room.
Sixers brass are just a bunch of nincompoops. That is all you needed to type after Jahs name.
Including their coach. Amen
Okafor to the Suns, Chandler to the Kings, Deng to the Hawks, Mirotic to Miami, and Monroe finishes the season with the Suns. Now for my reasoning:
The Suns are in a short rebuild, so adding Okafor wouldn’t hurt them at all. In order for that to work the Suns would need to ship out Chandler. The Kings are going no where fast and Chandler could provide great leadership in the locker room and great mentoring for WCS.
Deng would be able to play in Atlanta and provide veteran leadership during their rebuild.
Mirotic in Miami would give them a big that can help spread the floor and up their three point threat.
As for Monroe, he be screwed because he has no real value. He’s not a lock down defender or rim protector. His contract isn’t team friendly and any team that traded for him will most likely want to send out a long term contract. So it is in Phoenixs best interest to let him play out the season with them and let him walk afterwards.
Hawks won’t take Deng. They are in total rebuild.
They let Dwight Howard, Paul Milsap, Kyle Korver,
Jeff Teague, and Hardaway go. They have no interest in bringing in big contracts.
You forgot anyone not named Porzingus on the Knicks – specifically Noah.