74 NBA Players Newly Eligible To Be Traded
Today is December 15, which means that – by our count – 74 NBA players who signed as free agents this offseason have officially become eligible to be traded. Approximately 88% of the players currently on NBA rosters are now trade-eligible, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
The list of newly trade-eligible players, which can be found right here, features many who almost certainly aren’t going anywhere this season, including Sixers guard James Harden and Knicks guard Jalen Brunson.
However, it also includes some players whose names have already popped up in trade speculation in the months since they were signed, such as Mavericks center JaVale McGee and injured Celtics forward Danilo Gallinari.
Twelve of the players on the list can’t be traded without their consent, since they have the ability to veto trades this season. Milwaukee is the only team carrying multiple players who fit that bill — three of the 12 players in that group are members of the Bucks.
Thirteen more newly trade-eligible players are still on non-guaranteed contracts, including multiple members of the Celtics, Nets, Timberwolves, and Kings.
Finally, it’s worth noting that there are still many recently-signed players around the NBA who remain ineligible to be dealt. Some will become trade-eligible on January 15, while others have specific dates to watch.
Of course, while December 15 is considered the unofficial start of the NBA’s trade season, we shouldn’t expect a flurry of deals in the coming days. Typically, teams wait until closer to the trade deadline (February 9) to make their moves, as we discussed over the weekend. The most recent trade to be completed on December 15 occurred in 2010, and there generally aren’t more than one or two deals made between now and the new year.
The league’s recent trade history doesn’t mean we won’t see any trades this month, but if there are more than a couple, it would be an exception to the rule. We should expect more activity in January and February, even as talks start to heat up in December.
Fischer’s Latest: Poeltl, Vucevic, Beverley, Bey, More
Spurs center Jakob Poeltl will be an unrestricted free agent for the first time in 2023, and he’s looking forward to having more say in his future.
“I’ve never been in this situation where unrestricted free agency is coming up. It’s a cool situation for sure, because in the NBA, a lot of times you are — I don’t want to say stuck — but it feels like you’re a little bit of a pawn. They can just trade you around wherever they want,” Poeltl told Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. “It’s not the mentality you should have while you’re playing, but it’s the reality of it. Your contract can get passed around, more or less, whenever and however they want. So it’s nice to be in this situation where you can kind of decide your own fate and evaluate what’s going to be the best situation for me.”
Assuming Poeltl remains a Spur past the trade deadline, which certainly is not a given, Fischer writes re-signing with San Antonio “appears to be an option he will strongly consider.” Fischer polled league executives to gauge how much the 27-year-old might fetch on the open market, and the range was between $15-25MM annually.
The Raptors continue to be listed as a potential trade suitor for their former player, sources tell Fischer.
Here are some more trade rumors from Fischer:
- The Bulls are not currently discussing a contract extension with center Nikola Vucevic, sources tell Fischer. He adds that Chicago never seriously considered renegotiating his deal. According to Fischer, the Bulls have been telling rival teams inquiring about trades that “they believe they can make the playoffs when healthy.” However, the latest report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski might damper that prospect.
- The first-round pick the Lakers offered the Pistons for Bojan Bogdanovic was “heavily protected,” according to Fischer, who hears from sources that Patrick Beverley hopes to rejoin the Timberwolves if he’s dealt to a rebuilding club like Detroit and reaches a buyout agreement. Beverley and Kendrick Nunn were included in L.A.’s offer for salary-matching purposes.
- Multiple rival teams tell Fischer that the Pistons are seeking an unprotected first-rounder for forward Saddiq Bey. The 23-year-old still has one additional year left on his rookie scale contract after being selected with the No. 19 pick of the 2020 draft. He’s having a down season from three-point range, but is getting to the free throw line at a career-best clip.
- The Knicks were “eager” to make a deal before December 9 so they could have potentially aggregated incoming salaries again before the February 9 deadline, sources tell Fischer. One of their early targets was Rockets guard Eric Gordon, per Fischer. Houston continues to seek a future first-round pick for the 33-year-old, as Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle reported earlier on Wednesday.
- Sources tell Fischer that the Pacers are looking for an upgrade at power forward to join their young core, and he believes Indiana could be a potential destination for Hawks big man John Collins. Fischer hears from sources that the Pacers are giving the impression that they’re open to extending Myles Turner, though there hadn’t been any recent talks on that front prior to Turner switching agents. However, Fischer says Turner “would certainly be amenable” to continuing his career in Indiana.
Woj: “No Guarantees” Lonzo Ball Plays In 2022/23
Prior to the Bulls‘ matchup with New York on Wednesday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski provided a gloomy update on point guard Lonzo Ball‘s status for the 2022/23 season.
Ball, who has yet to play this season, continues to be hampered by left knee pain despite two surgeries to address the issue in the past year. The first surgery was to repair a torn meniscus in January, and the second was an arthroscopic debridement procedure in September, which involves removing foreign objects or damaged/dead tissue from a wound.
“There are no guarantees, I’m told, that he plays at all this season.” Wojnarowski said on NBA Countdown (video link). “He’s rehabbing that knee now, he’s still feeling some pain in it. I think the hope is, that perhaps by the All-Star break in mid-February, that they have a sense of whether Lonzo Ball is ready to come back and play for Chicago.
“A lot of that may depend on where are the Bulls in the standings. Right now they’re 11th, they’re out of the playoff picture. I think if they’re lingering around that area, there will be a real decision to be made about whether he plays at all.”
Wojnarowski added that the Bulls will be faced with a lot of difficult decisions ahead of the trade deadline if the team continues to struggle, but “there’s no expectation you’ll see him (Ball), at least perhaps, until around the All-Star break.”
The last official update on Ball’s status came at the end of November, when coach Billy Donovan said that the guard’s rehab process had been going “really slow.” He added that Ball, who last played in January, was “not even close” to running, jumping or cutting.
Prior to Ball’s second surgery, ESPN reported that he visited “multiple specialists” in an attempt to figure out what was causing the discomfort in his knee and to explore possible treatments. At the time, a source told ESPN that the knee was “structurally sound,” but Ball’s pain hadn’t subsided after a summer of rest and rehab.
Ball has dealt with injuries throughout his six-year career, but this is by far his longest absence. The former No. 2 overall pick had a promising start with the Bulls last season, averaging 12.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.8 SPG and 0.9 BPG while shooting 42.3% from three-point range and playing strong defense in 35 games (34.6 MPG).
Stephen Curry Suffers Left Shoulder Injury
8:50pm: Head coach Steve Kerr told reporters, including ESPN’s Kendra Andrews (Twitter link), that Curry will undergo an MRI on Thursday. Kerr added that the veteran guard was “in good spirits” after the game.
8:16pm: Warriors star Stephen Curry suffered a left shoulder injury during Wednesday’s game in Indiana and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Curry went to the locker room late in the third quarter after trying to strip the ball away from Pacers big man Jalen Smith (Twitter video link via Warriors on NBC Sports Bay Area). Curry was carrying the team on his back prior to getting injured, recording 38 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and one block in 30 minutes.
As Slater notes (via Twitter), Golden State’s fourth quarter rally came up short. Having lost by a score of 125-119, the Warriors are now 14-15, including 2-13 on the road, and face the Sixers in Philadelphia on Friday.
The two-time MVP and reigning Finals MVP is having one of his finest seasons at 34 years old, averaging 29.6 points, a career-high 6.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.0 steal on .497/.432/.911 shooting through 25 games (34.6 minutes). If Curry misses additional time, look for players like Donte DiVincenzo and Moses Moody to receive more minutes, while Jordan Poole and Draymond Green handle added play-making responsibilities.
Southwest Notes: Lewis, Morant, Adams, Grizzlies, Kleber
Pelicans point guard Kira Lewis played in an NBA game for the first time in a little over a year in Tuesday’s loss to Utah, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com. The 21-year-old, who tore the ACL in his right knee last December, finished with four points and one rebound in six minutes.
“It’s been a long year,” Lewis said. “If anything, I have learned patience. With this leg, I couldn’t rush it or nothing. I just had to be patient and take it day by day. Here we are.”
The third-year guard added that the most challenging part of the rehabilitation process wasn’t physical.
“That’s probably the toughest, managing the mental,” he said. “Because you know you can’t play basketball. That’s something you have been doing your whole life. Just take it day by day. Talk to your people. And keep on moving. Use it as motivation.”
The Pelicans picked up Lewis’ fourth-year option for 2023/24, so he’ll earn a guaranteed $5,722,116 next year. Lewis, the No. 13 overall pick of the 2020 draft, will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the offseason.
Here’s more from the Southwest:
- Ja Morant and Steven Adams were both sidelined for the Grizzlies in Monday’s blowout victory over the shorthanded Hawks, but they were full participants in Wednesday’s practice and are “trending towards playing” on Thursday against Milwaukee, per Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). Morant is averaging career highs in points (27.7), rebounds (6.6) and assists (7.8), while Adams leads the NBA in offensive rebounds per game (4.8) for the second consecutive season.
- The Grizzlies‘ bench has struggled to an extent this season, partly due to injuries, but Monday showed why the second unit has a lot of potential, Cole writes for The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Tyus Jones and Brandon Clarke and had productive games starting in place of Morant and Adams, and some little-used reserves also had strong outings. “We’re deep,” Xavier Tillman said. “It’s a real 15 deep. Nobody’s role is too extreme to where we need them to do more than they’re capable of.” Memphis is currently 18-9, tied with New Orleans for the best record in the West.
- Head coach Jason Kidd told reporters on Wednesday that Mavericks big man Maxi Kleber suffered a hyperextended knee in Tuesday’s practice, which is why he was ruled out for Wednesday’s game against Cleveland, according to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). The Mavs are still evaluating Kleber’s condition to determine how much time he might miss.
Southeast Notes: Hampton, Beal, Porzingis, Kuzma, Butler
Magic guard R.J. Hampton has signed with CAA and will be represented by agent Aaron Mintz, according to Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link), who notes that Mintz also represents Magic veterans Terrence Ross and Gary Harris.
Hampton was previously with LIFT Sports Management, but departed the agency after the Magic declined their fourth-year team option on his rookie scale contract for 2023/24, making him an unrestricted free agent in 2023.
Price reports (via Twitter) that Hampton requested — and was granted (Twitter link) — a temporary G League assignment with Orlando’s affiliate in Lakeland in order to get more playing time. The No. 24 overall pick of the 2020 draft has been a healthy scratch for three consecutive games.
The plan is for the 21-year-old to play in Lakeland’s home games on Thursday and Friday and then rejoin the Magic in Boston for Sunday’s contest, head coach Jamahl Mosley confirmed to Price (Twitter link). Through 21 games (15.6 MPG), Hampton is averaging 6.5 PPG, 1.6 RPG and 1.5 APG on .438/.347/.871 shooting.
Here’s more from the Southeast:
- The Wizards will be playing without their two leading scorers on Wednesday in Denver, as Bradley Beal (hamstring) and Kristaps Porzingis (low back soreness) have been ruled out, tweets Ava Wallace of The Washington Post. Beal was medically cleared to return, but clearly needs a bit more time to ramp up his conditioning. He has now missed five straight games with the injury, while Porzingis will miss just his second game of the ’22/23 season.
- Josh Robbins of The Athletic details why Kyle Kuzma‘s contract situation has the Wizards in a tough spot. As Robbins writes, Kuzma is limited by the CBA rule regarding veteran contract extensions, so the maximum the Wizards can offer him in an extension is $69.9MM over four years. He’s averaging 21.3 PPG, 7.7 RPG and 3.6 APG, and he figures to land $20MM+ annually when he opts out of his $13MM player option in the summer to become a free agent (a mere formality at this point), so Washington has to decide if they want to risk losing him for nothing or trade him away to recoup assets. The Wizards do hold his Bird Rights, so they can offer him an additional year — and more money — than a rival team could.
- The Wizards have lost 10 of their past 11 games, including seven straight. When asked about the team’s morale, Kuzma said it’s “not as bad as you think,” according to Robbins. The veteran forward added that he’s disappointed in the results, but not the team’s effort. “I mean, it does suck to lose,” Kuzma continued. “Everybody in here does feel s–t about losing, but we’re competing. It’s not a lack of effort. If it was a lack of effort, it’d probably be way worse. But as long as we’re competing every single night, we’ve given ourselves a chance. You’ve just got to tip your cap and just live with it.”
- Heat forward Jimmy Butler will miss Wednesday’s game in Oklahoma City due to right knee management, but he’s expected to return to action on Thursday against Houston, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). As Chiang relays in a full story for The Miami Herald, Butler missed seven games in November with the injury, so the Heat are being cautious with their star player. He’ll miss one end of the back-to-back at the end of the month, but the team is hopeful that will be the last time he’ll miss a game on a back-to-back — Miami doesn’t have any on its January schedule.
LaMelo Ball Returning To Action On Wednesday
5:05pm: Ball will be “active and available” for tonight’s game against the Pistons, the Hornets confirmed (via Twitter)
11:17am: Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball has been upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s game against Detroit and is aiming to return to action, barring a setback during pregame warmups, according to Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer.
Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link) classifies Ball as “optimistic” about playing on Wednesday, while Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link) says the former No. 3 overall pick is “hopeful” to return.
Ball, who missed the first 13 games of the Hornets’ season due to a left ankle sprain, re-injured his ankle in his third game back on November 16. He has been sidelined for 11 more games since then and has now been on the shelf for 24 of 27 total contests during the first third of the season.
The Hornets have struggled mightily without their All-Star available this fall, going 6-18 in the games Ball missed. They won one of the three he played, as the 21-year-old averaged 19.3 points, 7.0 assists, and 3.7 rebounds in 32.7 minutes per night. Charlotte is currently on a five-game losing streak.
The Hornets will host the Pistons tonight and the Hawks on Friday. Assuming Ball returns and makes it through those two games without aggravating his ankle, he should be good to go for the team’s six-game road trip that begins on Sunday in Denver.
Early Check-In On Traded 2023 First-Round Picks
As our list of traded 2023 first-round picks shows, a dozen teams have dealt their first-rounders in next year’s draft (either with protections or without) and another three clubs have surrendered swap rights to their picks. That means more than half of 2023’s first-rounders could theoretically be changing hands, with more potentially on the move as a result of in-season trades.
In actuality, due to protections on several of those traded picks or the fact that certain swap rights won’t be exercised, several of the first-rounders that could change hands won’t do so. It’s still too early to say with certainty which picks will be on the move and which will stay put, but with the NBA season at approximately the one-third mark, we’re starting to get a clearer picture.
Here’s an early look at the traded 2023 first-round picks:
Picks likely to be protected
- Pistons‘ pick (top-18 protected) to Knicks
- Hornets‘ pick (top-16 protected) to Spurs
- Wizards‘ pick (top-14 protected) to Knicks
The Pistons and Hornets currently have the NBA’s two worst records and their picks have the heaviest protections of any traded 2023 first-rounders. In other words, it’s a pretty safe bet neither will go anywhere.
Assuming those picks fall in their protected range as expected, the Pistons will owe the Knicks their 2024 first-rounder with top-18 protection, while the Hornets will owe the Spurs their 2024 first-rounder with top-14 protection.
The Wizards‘ recent losing streak, meanwhile, has dropped them down to the NBA’s sixth-worst record. They’ll keep their first-rounder if they don’t make the playoffs, and it looks like earning a postseason berth will be an uphill battle at this point. If they keep their 2023 first-round pick, the Wizards will owe the Knicks their 2024 first-rounder with top-12 protection.
It’s also worth mentioning in this section that the Rockets have the ability to swap first-round picks with the Nets, while the Thunder have the right to swap first-round picks with the Clippers. However, neither of those swap rights appears likely to be exercised based on how those four teams have performed this season.
The most intriguing picks that could change hands
- Lakers‘ pick (unprotected) to Pelicans via swap rights
- Bulls‘ pick (top-4 protected) to Magic
- Timberwolves‘ pick (unprotected) to Jazz
- Mavericks‘ pick (top-10 protected) to Knicks
The Pelicans‘ ability to swap first-rounders with the Lakers doesn’t look quite as valuable today as it did at the start of the season when L.A. was off to a 2-10 start and at the bottom of the NBA’s standings, but there’s still a very real chance that pick will be in the lottery.
If the season ended today, the Lakers would be tied for seventh in the lottery standings, while the Pelicans would have either the No. 27 or No. 28 overall pick, resulting in a tantalizing swap for New Orleans. For what it’s worth, the Pelicans had the seventh-best lottery odds in 2019 when they won the No. 1 overall pick that was eventually used on Zion Williamson.
The Bulls, meanwhile, currently have the NBA’s ninth-worst record and could end up sending a second lottery pick to the Magic as a result of the Nikola Vucevic trade from two seasons ago. The first lottery pick Orlando received as part of that deal became Franz Wagner in 2021.
It seems safe to assume that the Timberwolves and Mavericks are better than they’ve played so far, but if the season ended today, Minnesota would be on the outside of the play-in picture in the West, while Dallas would have to win two play-in games to even make the postseason. It’s not inconceivable that one or both of those traded first-rounders could end up in the lottery if the second half doesn’t go well for the Wolves and Mavs. That would be good news for the Jazz and Knicks.
Later first-round picks likely to change hands
- Trail Blazers‘ pick (top-14 protected) to Bulls.
- Sixers‘ and Nets‘ picks (unprotected) to Nets and Jazz.
- Cavaliers‘ pick (top-14 protected) to Pacers.
- Nuggets‘ pick (top-14 protected) to Hornets.
- Bucks‘ pick (unprotected) to Rockets.
- Celtics‘ pick (top-12 protected) to Pacers.
If the season ended today, none of these picks would land in the top 20, with the Trail Blazers‘ and Sixers‘ first-rounders tied for No. 21 and No. 22. The Nets‘, Cavaliers‘, and Nuggets‘ picks would be 24th through 26th, respectively, while the Bucks‘ and Celtics‘ selections would be the last two in the first round.
That outlook could change, of course. Portland, for instance, is hardly considered a juggernaut and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Blazers ultimately had to go through the play-in tournament to even earn a playoff spot. But with fairly heavy protections on their traded first-rounder, there’s no chance they’ll surrender a lottery pick to the Bulls in 2023.
One point of clarification here is that the Nets will have their choice of swapping their own pick for the Sixers’ selection, with the Jazz receiving the less valuable of the two first-rounders. If the season ended today, that means Brooklyn would move up to Philadelphia’s spot in the draft (No. 21 or 22), with Utah getting the Nets’ pick at No. 24.
Trade Rumors: Sixers, Bogdanovic, Quickley, Bamba
Every trade deadline features at least a small handful of deals that are exclusively about money rather than players, and this season’s deadline likely won’t be any different, writes Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. Pincus suggests the Sixers are one team worth keeping a close eye on for a possible financially motivated trade.
Philadelphia is just barely over the luxury tax line, so moving a player like Jaden Springer or Shake Milton to sneak under that threshold would save a ton of money for the team. Not only would the Sixers avoid paying a small tax bill in that scenario — they’d also be one of the non-taxpayers that receives a portion of the league-wide tax payments at season’s end. Pincus has estimated that each non-taxpayer will get a share of about $17MM, based on the current tax projections.
Here are a few more highlights from Pincus’ latest look at the trade market:
- Although the Pistons‘ front office has downplayed the likelihood of a Bojan Bogdanovic trade, Pincus hears from “well-placed” sources that Detroit may simply be waiting for an offer with a “suitable” first-round pick. Presumably, a suitable first-rounder would be one that doesn’t include heavy protections and has a chance to land in the teens or higher.
- While there has been no indication they’re pursuing him, some rival executives think the Mavericks should be targeting Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley, Pincus writes.
- Pincus identifies Magic center Mohamed Bamba as a possible trade candidate to watch, since his role has declined due to Paolo Banchero‘s arrival and Bol Bol‘s emergence. Bamba’s 2023/24 salary is non-guaranteed, so his two-year, $20.6MM contract is relatively team-friendly.
- The three-team trade talks the Suns had with the Bucks and Rockets about a possible Jae Crowder trade expanded to include the Warriors, who are among the teams with interest in Crowder, says Pincus. However, nothing came of those discussions.
Atlantic Notes: Randle, Tatum, Brown, O’Neale, Maxey
After being hit with 12 technical fouls and $130K in fines last season, Knicks forward Julius Randle came into 2022/23 hoping to keep his temper in check and to not be at odds with the referees nearly as often, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News.
Randle, who made a bet with a member of the Knicks organization that he wouldn’t get more than three technical fouls this season, received a pair on Sunday to push his season total to four. He referred to Sunday’s game as a “relapse” and said it was “selfish” of him to get those two techs that resulted in his ejection.
“Hopefully, that last one gets rescinded,” Randle said, per Bondy. “… I’m really trying my best. Sometimes my emotions get the best of me. But that’s just kind of what comes with it.”
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown spoke to Sam Amick and Jared Weiss of The Athletic about the heartbreak of losing the NBA Finals, the Ime Udoka controversy, and a handful of other topics. Tatum described the Udoka situation as “extremely frustrating,” noting that there’s still a lot that the team hasn’t explained, presumably for legal reasons.
- After missing Brooklyn’s last two games for personal reasons, forward Royce O’Neale is expected to return for Friday’s game in Toronto, a source tells Brian Lewis of The New York Post. As Lewis observes, with O’Neale back, the Nets will be as healthy as they’ve been all season, putting them in position to build some chemistry and perhaps extend their four-game winning streak.
- Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said on Tuesday that he hopes Tyrese Maxey is able to practice with the club later this week, though it’s not trending that way for now, tweets Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com. Maxey, recovering from a left foot fracture, has been doing some running and shooting, but hasn’t yet been able to fully practice.