Eighteen More Players Become Trade-Eligible
Today is Wednesday, January 15, which means that a total of 18 players who signed free agent contracts meeting specific criteria this past offseason are now eligible to be traded.
Most offseason signees became trade-eligible on December 15, but players who met the following criteria were ineligible to be moved for an extra month:
- The player re-signed with his previous team.
- He got a raise of at least 20%.
- His salary is above the minimum.
- His team was over the cap and used Bird or Early Bird rights to sign him.
The following players met that criteria and are eligible to be traded as of Wednesday:
- Precious Achiuwa (Knicks)
- OG Anunoby (Knicks)
- Goga Bitadze (Magic)
- Miles Bridges (Hornets)
- Max Christie (Lakers)
- Nic Claxton (Nets)
- Haywood Highsmith (Heat)
- Isaiah Joe (Thunder)
- Johnny Juzang (Jazz)
- KJ Martin (Sixers)
- Tyrese Maxey (Sixers)
- Malik Monk (Kings)
- Josh Okogie (Suns)
- Scotty Pippen Jr. (Grizzlies)
- Note: Pippen doesn’t meet the criteria detailed above, but was converted from his two-way contract to a standard deal on October 15. He’s trade-eligible today because it has been three months since he signed that contract.
- Immanuel Quickley (Raptors)
- Obi Toppin (Pacers)
- Aaron Wiggins (Thunder)
- Patrick Williams (Bulls)
Most of the players on NBA rosters are now eligible to be moved, though a small handful still can’t be dealt.
That group includes Kings forward Doug McDermott, who becomes trade-eligible on Thursday, Celtics sharpshooter Sam Hauser (trade-eligible on January 23), Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (Jan. 26), Grizzlies big man Jay Huff (Jan. 28), Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (Feb. 2), and Knicks center Ariel Hukporti (Feb. 5).
Additionally, there are several players who won’t become trade-eligible at all prior to this season’s February 6 deadline, including stars like Joel Embiid, Lauri Markkanen, and Jamal Murray.
Players on 10-day contracts are also ineligible to be dealt.
Central Notes: Siakam, Haliburton, Pistons, Lillard
Pascal Siakam continues to be a steadying force for the Pacers as they traverse the ups and downs of the season, according to Dustin Dopirak of IndyStar, who contends that the veteran forward has been Indiana’s most consistent player since his arrival via trade before last year’s deadline.
Even when they fell to 10-15 on the season, the Pacers continued to lean on Siakam and have gone 12-4 since, which included an impressive win over the contending Cavaliers on Sunday. More notable is the fact that Siakam hasn’t even been on Indiana’s injury report. In fact, the only game he’s been inactive for was his first as a Pacer the day after he was traded.
As Dopirak observes, Siakam leads the Pacers entering Tuesday with 19.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game to go along with 3.3 assists while shooting 52.1% from the field and 40.8% from deep. His three-point rate would be a career-high clip. He’s working on being a more vocal leader after being a core piece on the Raptors’ 2019 championship team. Siakam signed a four-year, maximum-salary contract with the Pacers this past offseason.
“I put a lot of work into my craft,” Siakam said. “I think every single night, I’m ready. I’m ready however the ball is gonna go. There’s going to be times when you might get more opportunity than others. It’s just all about preparation. For me, I prepare every single day for these moments. Every single night I’m out there, I want to be a threat on all three levels. I want to do it consistently every single night.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- Tyrese Haliburton missed Tuesday’s rematch against the Cavaliers — a 127-117 loss that snapped a six-game Pacers win streak — due to a mild groin strain, Dopirak reports (Twitter link). Head coach Rick Carlisle said Haliburton would be “day-to-day.” According to Dopirak (Twitter link), it is not a hamstring injury for Haliburton, as initially believed. That’s worth noting, since the two-time All-Star battled hamstring problems last season.
- Entering Tuesday, the Pistons led the league in wins in the month of January, earning them a nod for most surprising team of the year, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press opines. Cade Cunningham is establishing himself as a bona fide star and has a chance to start the All-Star Game just a year after the Pistons lost an NBA-record 28 consecutive games. “Our job is to put him in position to be successful. And then he’s got to go out there and do it,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Over these 40 games now, he and I and his teammates have learned a lot about each other and how we can best help each other. And that’s what it’s about — each of us playing our role and doing what we’re supposed to do together and collectively to just help one another, make this team as good as we possibly can. Cade knows his role and what this team needs, and he’s executed perfectly.” Cunningham is averaging 26.5 points and 8.3 assists per game this month while shooting a blistering 45.8% from deep.
- Bucks star guard Damian Lillard is open to the idea of finishing out his career in EuroLeague, according to a report from BasketNews. “It’s something I’ve talked about with some members of my family the past two years but not seriously thought about,” Lillard said. It’s unlikely that will happen anytime soon, if at all. Lillard is still playing at an All-Star level at age 34, averaging 24.8 points and 7.3 assists per game while shooting 44.0% from the floor and 37.5% from three.
Injury Notes: Wagner, Magic, Kyrie, Sixers, Haliburton, Jackson
Magic forward Franz Wagner, who is recovering from a torn right oblique, will remain sidelined for Wednesday’s game in Milwaukee, but his injury designation will be updated to “return to competition reconditioning,” according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).
The change in designation doesn’t necessarily mean Wagner’s return is imminent, but it does suggest that he’s entering the final stage of his rehab process. By comparison, teammate Paolo Banchero, who sustained a torn oblique of his own on October 30, had his designation changed to “return to competition reconditioning” on December 27, then returned to action on January 10.
“I feel good,” Wagner said on Tuesday (Twitter link via Beede). “I think everything is going in a really good direction. I was able to do some more stuff on the court. I think pretty much the muscle is not the issue at this point. It’s more of getting back in shape, making sure that I check all of the boxes before I go play a game.”
Wagner, Gary Harris (left hamstring strain), and Jett Howard (left ankle sprain) went through a non-contact practice on Tuesday, per Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley (Twitter links via Beede). Tristan Da Silva (illness) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (sore left knee) also practiced, but Jalen Suggs (low back strain) and Goga Bitadze (right hip contusion) didn’t, Beede adds.
Here are a few more injury-related updates from around the NBA:
- Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving, who last played on January 1, has been upgraded to questionable for Tuesday’s matchup with Denver. The Mavs announced last Monday that Irving was expected to miss at least a week or two due to a bulging disc in his back, but he fully participated in Monday’s practice and “looked good,” head coach Jason Kidd said (Twitter link via Jared Greenberg of NBA TV).
- The banged-up Sixers will be missing Joel Embiid (left foot sprain), Andre Drummond (left toe sprain), and Kyle Lowry (right hip sprain) for a fifth straight game on Tuesday vs. Oklahoma City. Philadelphia also added Tyrese Maxey to its injury report as a result of a left hand sprain, with the star guard considered questionable to play against OKC.
- Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle confirmed during a radio appearance on Tuesday that it’s “highly unlikely” Tyrese Haliburton suits up vs. Cleveland tonight, but said the point guard’s hamstring issue isn’t believed to be significant, as Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star relays. “The good news is we don’t believe that it’s serious,” Carlisle said. “It was tightness, soreness. When you have a high-functioning athlete, skill player like Tyrese, tightness can really make it difficult for him to play at the level that he plays at. Having him come out of (Sunday’s) game was absolutely the right thing to do.”
- Grizzlies forward GG Jackson has essentially recovered from his offseason foot surgery and his season debut isn’t far off, according to head coach Taylor Jenkins. “It’s more just about reconditioning and back to play,” Jenkins said (story via Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal). “There may be opportunities with the (G League’s Memphis) Hustle for his first exposure to live five-on-five play.”
Central Notes: Craig, Dosunmu, Cavs, Giannis, Haliburton
Torrey Craig likely won’t play for the Bulls for the remainder of the month. He has been diagnosed with a right ankle sprain and will be reevaluated in two weeks, the team tweets.
Craig has already missed the past six games due to what was listed as a leg contusion. The 34-year-old wing has only appeared in nine games this season after seeing action in 53 contests last season, his first with the Bulls. He will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
On a positive note, guard Ayo Dosunmu could return to action on Wednesday, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network tweets. Dosunmu, who went through scrimmages with some of the team’s reserves on Monday, has been sidelined by a calf injury since Dec. 23.
We have more from the Central Division:
- The Cavaliers had their 12-game winning streak snapped by the Pacers on Sunday. Indiana outscored Cleveland 68-40 in the second half. “What disappointed me was our first half was phenomenal, defensively, and then the second half, we fell off,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said, per ESPN News Services. “So, we couldn’t sustain our defense. Just disappointed.”
- The Bucks were hammered by the Knicks 140-106 on Sunday and that didn’t sit well with franchise player Giannis Antetokounmpo. He’s tired of seeing his team taken apart by the Eastern Conference’s elite. Milwaukee is 0-8 against the top three teams in the East, ESPN’s Chris Herring said. “We’ve gotta get our stuff together. It’s as simple as that. We did not beat Boston. We did not beat the Cavs. We didn’t beat the Knicks,” Antetokounmpo said. “Those are the top three teams, and we’ve played horribly against them.”
- Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton is listed as doubtful for the team’s rematch with the Cavs on Tuesday, Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files tweets. He experienced left hamstring tightness in Sunday’s game and did not return for the second half.
Stein’s Latest: Nets, Butler, Giannis, Suns, Nembhard, Coaches
The Nets are the only NBA team projected to have maximum-salary cap room during the 2025 offseason, but they have no plans to pursue Heat forward Jimmy Butler, who could be the biggest free agent on the market next summer, reports Marc Stein in his latest Substack article.
According to Stein, despite their impressive cap flexibility and stash of future draft assets, the Nets aren’t necessarily locked in on the idea of pursuing a star via trade or in free agency over the summer — if no favorable opportunities to land a star arise, they may simply be patient and continue building through the draft.
On the other hand, if Giannis Antetokounmpo were to become available, that would substantially alter the Nets’ plans, according to Stein, who says rumblings around the NBA suggest the Bucks forward would be Brooklyn’s “dream target” and that the Nets would make a push for him if Milwaukee were willing to trade him. That’s probably a long shot this year though, since have been no indications the Bucks would ever consider moving Antetokounmpo unless he specifically asked for it.
Here’s more from Stein:
- Stein is the latest reporter to confirm that there’s strong mutual interest between the Suns and Butler. “I’ve heard they want him bad,” one league source told Stein. Still, until Phoenix can find a taker for Bradley Beal and get Beal to sign off on that destination, the Suns don’t have a path to acquiring the Heat forward.
- Andrew Nembhard would be an ideal target for a team facing apron restrictions due to his $2.02MM cap hit, his long-term team control, and his lack of poison pill restrictions following his extension. However, Stein says the Pacers guard is considered one of the most valuable assets on Indiana’s roster and is viewed as essentially “off-limits” in trade talks.
- Taking an early look at the Coach of the Year race, Stein describes Kenny Atkinson of the Cavaliers as the clear favorite and says he’d fill out his hypothetical ballot with Jamahl Mosley of the Magic at No. 2 and J.B. Bickerstaff of the Pistons at No. 3. Rockets head coach Ime Udoka earns an honorable mention.
Central Notes: Cunningham, Pistons, Haliburton, Williams, Dosunmu
Pistons star Cade Cunningham is guiding the team to winning ways after a slow start to the season and a franchise-worst year in 2023/24. As Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports writes, Cunningham is embracing the challenge that comes with being the Pistons’ franchise centerpiece and has shown a willingness to take the blame when things aren’t going right for the team.
“You don’t get that out of many old guys, right? Like, there’s not many people in this league that are willing to accept responsibility for the total right for the whole group,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “You know, you deal with a lot of people now, the easiest thing to do is either shy away from it or put it on somebody else. And I think that speaks to his courage.”
In 34 games, Cunningham is averaging 24.3 points, 9.3 assists and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 45.7% from the field and 37.6% from beyond the arc, all of which are career bests. The Pistons are 19-19, having already won five more games than they did all of last season.
“[It’s] something that comes with being, you know, ‘the guy,’” Cunningham said. “Everybody calls me ‘the guy.’ It’s a lot of responsibility. It’s a lot of … I mean, people would call it pressure, but, you know, I have to deliver, and I haven’t done that to the level that I wanted to.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- The Pistons‘ recent turnaround is helping remove some of the ‘dark clouds’ surrounding the franchise, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press writes. “It’s huge, man,” Jalen Duren said. “It’s huge. The vets that came in, I’m not gonna say they don’t understand it, but they weren’t here. Guys who’ve been here … the guys who have been through the ups and downs of our short career, and now getting here and being .500 is huge.“
- Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton started to let some of the outside noise regarding his play affect him, leading to early-season struggles for both the fifth-year point guard and the team, Jared Weiss and Sam Amick of The Athletic write. “It was the first time in my life that I had real self-doubt behind everything I was doing,” Haliburton said. “… I feel like my personal struggles were leading to the team’s struggles.” Returning from an injury too soon last season and re-aggravating it impacted his play. The Pacers’ floor general is starting to turn it around, averaging 20.4 points and 9.9 assists per game and shooting 41.3% from three as the team has won 11 of its past 14 games.
- The Bulls are “still searching for answers” as to how to best utilize forward Patrick Williams, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. Williams, the fourth overall pick in 2020, is averaging 9.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per contest this season, in line with his career figures.
- Chicago is optimistic that guard Ayo Dosunmu will be able to return from his Achilles injury at some point during the Bulls‘ five-game home stand, although it’s unlikely he’ll play on Sunday, according to K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link). Dosunmu, who is averaging 12.6 PPG and 4.8 APG, has missed the last eight games with the injury.
Central Notes: Cunningham, LaVine, Vucevic, Bryant, Horton-Tucker, Middleton
The surprising Pistons have won five straight games heading into their matchup against Golden State on Thursday. After his team defeated the Nets on Wednesday, Cade Cunningham told Hunter Patterson of The Athletic that it’s just the start of the franchise’s turnaround.
“It feels good,” said Cunningham, who signed a maximum-salary rookie scale extension last summer. “We’re still hungry though, man. We’re not satisfied. It is a satisfying feeling, but we’re not satisfied at all.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- The Bulls may be looking to deal Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic but their head coach believes both players should receive All-Star consideration despite the team’s mediocre record, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. “You get a chance to see those guys play every night and there’s no question in my mind, just based on what these guys have performed through – whatever it is 35 or 36 games – they have performed at an All-Star level,” Billy Donovan said. “Both of those two have. I think the stats will back that up.” LaVine and Vucevic are the team’s top scorers, averaging a combined 43.5 points per game.
- With Myles Turner sidelined by an illness, Thomas Bryant pumped in a season-high 22 points with eight rebounds in the Pacers’ win over Chicago on Wednesday. “He was great,” coach Rick Carlisle told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “He played efficient. He played smart. He seemed to always be in the right place at the right time. He had a couple of important putbacks in key moments of the game. He brings a real positive energy just as a person out there too along with being a heck of a player. … I don’t know that we win the game without him.” Bryant was traded by Miami to Indiana in mid-December.
- Talen Horton-Tucker‘s veteran’s minimum contract with the Bulls becomes fully guaranteed on Friday. Horton-Tucker – who has received steady rotation minutes, appearing in 30 games off the bench and averaging 6.3 points – says he’s grateful that he’ll be sticking around. “It’s a blessing to be here the rest of the season,” he said, per K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link). “I’m excited to get to work and hope to be here as long as possible.”
- Bucks forward Khris Middleton believes that his reserve role is only temporary, he told Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I mean, I know what type of player I am,” he said. “Just for the time being I need to come off the bench. It is what it is. But I’m confident in this team, I’m confident in myself and this is the role I have to play for the time being.” Coach Doc Rivers says it has more to do with Middleton’s health than anything else. “He’s not starting (Wednesday), but more just the minute thing,” Rivers said. “He keeps getting the tendinitis (in his ankle). It’s just not improving to the place he wants it or we want it. So we’re just going to monitor and cut his minutes back a little bit and try to makes sure he can get through this.”
Rick Carlisle Laments The Loss Of Jalen Smith In Free Agency
- Before hosting the Bulls tonight, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle talked about the offseason loss of Jalen Smith in free agency, tweets Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. He said the organization was hoping to keep Smith, but couldn’t compete with the offer he got from Chicago. “We wanted him back but we were limited as to how much we could pay him,” Carlisle said. “… He had a very good year and he had a great second year for us that set him up for the Bulls. This was an opportunity he had to take because of the financial aspect.”
Central Notes: Atkinson, Cavaliers, Ivey, Mathurin
After finishing 22nd in the NBA in pace last season, the Cavaliers are playing at the sixth-fastest pace so far this season, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN, who notes that coaches and scouts around the league are praising new head coach Kenny Atkinson for embracing the strengths of his players while implementing his preferred style.
“It’s exactly the way Kenny wants to play,” one scout said. “The speed with which they play is so advantageous for (Evan) Mobley and (Darius) Garland, and it also helps cover up deficiencies for other players. … They’ve simplified things from last year.”
The 31-4 Cavaliers have the NBA’s best record and will carry a 10-game winning streak into a showdown with the West-leading Thunder (who have won 15 regular season games in a row) on Wednesday night.
Still, as impressive as Cleveland has been in the first half of this season, there are people across the league who remain somewhat skeptical about how the club’s style will translate to the postseason.
“I think they’re a really good regular-season team, but when the game slows down and is more targeted, I have some concerns,” said an assistant coach whose team recently faced the Cavs. “Can Donovan (Mitchell) and Darius make a bunch of shots when that happens? That’ll be the biggest question.”
Here’s more from around the Central:
- The Cavaliers‘ front office is hesitant to risk messing with the chemistry in the team’s locker room in order to make a marginal deal ahead of the February 6 trade deadline, sources tell ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. That doesn’t necessarily mean Cleveland will stand pat, but it probably means that in order to make any deal of significance, the club would have to be pretty confident it would be a meaningful on-court upgrade.
- Dr. Clint Soppe, a sports medicine doctor based in Los Angeles, tells Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press that a fibula fracture like the one Pistons guard Jaden Ivey suffered generally takes four-to-six months to fully recover. The Pistons haven’t ruled out Ivey for the season after he broke his leg last week, but that timeline suggests the odds are against him returning this spring. Still, it’s worth noting that Soppe hasn’t examined Ivey himself and can’t speak to his specific case.
- Bennedict Mathurin‘s willingness to buy into his role has been an important factor in the cohesion of the Pacers‘ starting five, which has helped fuel the team’s run of nine wins in 12 games, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. “This is a winning brand of basketball that he’s playing now,” head coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s learned some things. He’s realized some things. He and I have spent a lot of time talking about it and watching things. If he’s willing to run and take open shots, avoid the temptation to drive into crowds and try to draw fouls and play tough, hard-nosed defense, that’s a winning formula for a young player.” Mathurin will be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2025 offseason.
Trade Rumors: Collins, Hachimura, Knecht, Johnson, Kings, Nets
Big man John Collins is having a strong season for the Jazz, averaging 17.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, with career highs in assists (2.5) and steals (1.1) per game, as well as three-point percentage (43.8%).
While Collins’ contract – which includes a $26.58MM salary this season and a 2025/26 player option worth the same amount, will limit his value on the trade market, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link) hears the 27-year-old has drawing interest from several teams.
However, the Suns aren’t one of those clubs — there have been no talks between Phoenix and Utah about Collins, Gambadoro reports. That’s not a surprise, given Phoenix’s apron-related constraints.
Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors from around the NBA:
- Rival executives have told Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report that the Lakers have shown no interest thus far in discussing deals that would involve forwards Rui Hachimura and/or Dalton Knecht. That lines up with reporting from Jovan Buha of The Athletic, who suggested last month that the team viewed Knecht as a long-term keeper and wouldn’t be eager to part with Hachimura.
- Within the last few weeks, the Lakers, Grizzlies, Kings, Thunder, and Pacers are among the teams that have been mentioned as potential suitors for Nets forward Cameron Johnson. According to Net Income and Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily, one well-placed source said that much of what’s been written about Johnson recently is “completely incorrect.” However, that source didn’t offer any further specifics, per NetsDaily’s duo, who note that there’s plenty of time for the situation to develop before the February 6 trade deadline. NetsDaily also hears from sources that Sacramento has been willing to offer at least one first-round pick for Johnson, but Brooklyn is seeking a more significant return.
- In a separate story, NetsDaily stresses that the Nets continue to focus on maximizing their cap room for 2025 and aren’t interested in taking on multiyear money in trades. That means, for instance, if the Kings wanted to make a Johnson trade that included Kevin Huerter (who has an $18MM guaranteed salary for 2025/26), it would likely require a third team.
- In a pair of ESPN articles for subscribers, Brian Windhorst examines the biggest roster holes for 15 potential contenders and explores the odds of each of those clubs making a significant trade, while Bobby Marks and Kevin Pelton identify one trade candidate to watch from all 30 NBA teams.