Nov 12, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (25) dribbles alongside center Joel Embiid (21) during the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Do you prefer your drama on the court or off it?
If you love the NBA’s never-ending reality show then this has been a fun summer/early fall for you with the Ben Simmons circus arguably overshadowing everything else going on in the league as training camps kicked off last week and preseason games tipped over the weekend.
Predicting basketball is often an exercise in futility, but it’s safe to assume that what’s going on with the Sixers will only get more dramatic, chaotic, and ridiculous as we inch closer and closer to the start of the regular-season and the standoff between Simmons and the franchise that chose him first overall in the 2016 draft comes to a head.
Will he actually sit out games and forfeit money? Can Philly find a trade partner that will bring back enough value for its point guard who has made two-time All-Defensive squads, but has zero desire to ever suit up for the Sixers again?
“The situation is disappointing, borderline kind of disrespectful to all the guys that are out here fighting for their lives,” Sixers center Joel Embiid told reporters at training camp last week.
The 76ers’ franchise player is fed up and, at this point, sounds like just about all of us who are eagerly waiting for word that Simmons has finally been moved to another team and we can put the messiest player drama scenario the NBA’s seen since Jimmy Butler forced his way out of Minnesota nearly three years ago behind us. But the embattled Simmons isn’t the only notable name around the NBA who is easily identified as a potential trade chip as we barrel toward meaningful basketball.
Since there is no offseason for the league’s rumor mill and few things get professional basketball fans riled more than trade speculation, the start of training camp allowed some other stars around the Association, who have loosely been labeled trade candidates, to either directly address their desire to play somewhere else or declare their love and devotion to their current city and franchise. Or worse, leave things up for everyone else to interpret on their own.
Some of the guys highlighted here are going to get dealt—hello, Ben Simmons—while others have a snowball’s chance in hell of moving on this season. But none of them will escape the rumors and whispers and wild speculation that they could soon enough be suiting up for a different squad. So here are 11 trade candidates to keep an eye on before the season starts.
Ben Simmons
Describing the situation in Philadelphia right now as uncomfortable would be an understatement. The stalemate between Ben Simmons and the 76ers doesn’t appear to have a resolution coming down the pipeline and the point guard, shockingly, really could miss games just to prove his point that’s completely done playing for the organization that drafted his first overall in 2016 and never wants to play for them again. This, of course, all stems from Simmons’s horrific series against the Hawks in the Eastern Conference semis coupled with the fact Philly seriously thought about moving him for James Harden last winter. Will president of basketball operations Daryl Morey give in and get rid of Simmons just to be over this mess? Will Simmons make it hard for the Sixers to find a trade partner by digging in his heels and only agreeing to go to certain markets, despite not having a no-trade clause? It’s ugly, it’s awkward, and it’s only getting worse.
Will He Be Traded? It’s just a matter of time.
Bradley Beal
What the Wizards’ sharpshooter wants to do—and what the Wizards are willing to do—is hard to gauge. Beal says he’s devoted to DC and wants to keep running it back with the Wizards, especially after Washington spent the offseason completely remaking its roster. But since Beal hasn’t signed an extension he is currently set to become a free agent next summer when he’d have 10 years of NBA service and, therefore, would be eligible to take up 35 percent of some team’s cap. A case could be made that Beal should look to take his talents elsewhere since he hasn’t been able to accomplish much in DC—certainly not his fault—and pairing himself up with another superstar somewhere else as he nears his 30s (he’s currently 28) just might be better for his sanity and legacy. But Beal’s tough to read.
Will He Be Traded? If you believe him, and we’ll take Beal at his word, check back next summer. But don’t be surprised if feelings change in the winter.
Damian Lillard
Rumors and innuendo will continue to swirl around the Blazers point guard because he’s one of the best players in the game yet he suits up for a team that isn’t a legit contender and can’t seem to transform the roster around him into anything resembling a team that could win it all. And Dame’s prime years are running out. So that’s why the Knicks and 76ers will continue to monitor Lillard’s status in the Pacific Northwest, hoping he finally decides it’s time to move on. But the extremely loyal Lillard basically put the kibosh on any trade talk this season before training camp opened up when he said this:
“I’ve always seen everything through. Whether it was relationships, whether it was people telling me you shouldn’t be doing music, whether it was I don’t know how much I really want to compete in the Olympics and then I ended up doing it — it was all a part of where I am now. I’ve always been a person that, I go out on my shield. Every time I’ve had a fight, every time I was a part of something, I go out on my shield. Those things that I stuck with and these were the end results of it, that’s what keeps me here. What keeps me here is, I want to see it through. I want to see it happen. I mean what I say.”
Will He Be Traded? Check back next summer.
CJ McCollum
The Blazers are committed to the backcourt of Lillard and CJ McCollum and have shown zero indication of their intent on flipping their shooting guard unless something too good to pass up is presented. But McCollum, forever a borderline All-Star, is always mentioned as a trade candidate and his salary matches up quite nicely with, most notably, Ben Simmons’s. So until the Sixers figure out where they can ship their disgruntled point guard expect McCollum’s name to figure heavily in any hypothetical trade discussions. If the Blazers really want to keep their superstar—Lillard—happy then at some point you expect them to upgrade the talent around him. McCollum by far represents the organization’s best chip, but he’s still Portland’s second-best player and it’s tough pulling the trigger on a trade featuring him unless the Blazers brought back something special.
Will He Be Traded? Not likely, but he’s a million times more likely than Lillard to end up packing his bags.
Karl-Anthony Towns
Minnesota’s forever a mess. Maybe Alex Rodriguez can finally change the culture up there once he takes over as the owner. But for now, the Wolves are still Glen Taylor’s team and the latest round of nonsense tipped off just before training camp opened when the organization, out of nowhere, fired president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas. Sound organizations don’t make major hirings and/or firings right before you really get to start things rocking, but Karl-Anthony Towns has just about seen it all in Minnesota.
“Just add it to the list. It’s just the same thing every single time. It’s something that always leads to instability,” Towns told the media last week. “And I joked about it the day before, that I was like: “Man, it’s been a real quiet offseason for Minnesota. It’s very different.’ Boom. Made sure they had one left in the hat. I’ve been through the death of a head coach [Flip Saunders], who gave me this ability and this chance to play for Minnesota and I’m forever grateful to the Saunders family and I owe ‘em my life in a way. I’ve been through numerous front offices, I’ve been through numerous regimes. While being blessed to have so many great teammates to play with, I also didn’t have a chance to really build any true relationships with anybody because [there’s] always instability, always change. I mean, I’ve been through a lot. I think about it in my mind: I’ve really been through everything you could think about.”
And because of the uncertainty and instability in Minnesota, there’s forever speculation that KAT could eventually ask out. One of the most gifted offensive bigs ever, Towns can light it up from just about anywhere on the court despite being 6’11”. His desire to stay is admirable, but history tells us there’s only so much losing and chaos a player of his caliber can take before he needs new scenery.
Will He Be Traded? A snowball’s chance in hell. He still sounds committed to snowy Minnesota, despite all the front office blunders and the fact that Wolves most likely won’t sniff the playoffs this season.
D'Angelo Russell
Now, as for KAT’s close pal D’Angelo Russell…he’s a very different story. The offensively gifted point guard is reportedly available should the Wolves seriously zero in on landing Ben Simmons in a big deal. But Russell is also considered a foundational piece moving forward so the Wolves are going to want a haul in any deal involving Russell, easily their most tradeable chip out of their core three that of course centers around KAT and now features Anthony Edwards in Year 2. Minnesota feels like the most logical landing spot for Simmons right now simply because the Wolves, reportedly, continue to keep a close watch on what’s going on with him. And swapping Russell for Simmons, in theory, isn’t terribly difficult since the salaries are a close match and, obviously, both are point guards who bring very different skill sets to the table. Just remember that NBA deals, especially those featuring stars, often end up being way more complicated than we make them out to be.
Will He Be Traded? Solid chance. But take it to the bank that Russell’s getting shipped out of Minnesota way before KAT and certainly before Anthony Edwards.
Kristaps Porzingis
We’re throwing KP on here because of how poorly things went for him at the end of last season. He reportedly wanted to be traded after it was over. Well, now it sounds like an offseason of rest, reflection, and relaxation paired with a coaching change has made Porzingis alter his tune and recommit to the Mavericks. But if his second-tier status in the offense continues to grind his gears, as it reportedly did last spring, and he doesn’t quite gel with Jason Kidd, we shouldn’t be surprised if we hear KP’s name mentioned as a trade candidate come winter.
Will He Be Traded? Unlikely for now, but absolutely would not be shocked if tunes change as we near the trade deadline.
John Wall
You’re familiar with his contract, right? We laid out all the reasons why John Wall just might have a truly untradeable contract last month when news hit that Houston and Wall had agreed to find a trade for the five-time All-Star who no longer fits into the vision of the rebuilding Rockets. Wall’s 31-years-old, is owed an astounding $92 million over the next two seasons. He’s for sure a more than serviceable player at this point in his career, but he’s not the John Wall of five years ago and no GM can justify devoting that much cap room to a good, but no longer great point guard with his kind of injury history. You try making up a legitimate John Wall deal in one of those trade machines. Ain’t easy.
Will He Be Traded? Do you believe in miracles?
De'Aaron Fox
Incredibly wild speculation throwing De’Aaron Fox’s name into this group, but the Kings point guard could be a candidate to get shipped somewhere—but really, specifically, we’re talking about one city here—because he’s good, young, plays the same position as the No. 1 name on the trade market, and has a salary that’s matchable. Now to throw some cold water on this wild speculation: The Athletic reported last month that the Kings already said no to any trade ideas that featured Fox and Tyrese Halliburton being swapped for Simmons over the summer. Could a trade around Fox be tweaked? Of course. But the Kings are going to demand a lot in exchange for their 24-year-old point guard, arguably a top 10 PG in the game right now, and they should.
Will He Be Traded? He actually can’t until Nov. 24 and the only place that wouldn’t come as a total surprise would be the Sixers. If I was a betting man, no.
Kevin Love
The Cavaliers forward is forever a rumored trade candidate and if somebody wants to go get him he probably can be had. He doesn’t really fit into the youth movement the Cavaliers currently feature, but it’s also nice to have a respected veteran presence on the roster. So make the Cavs an offer they can’t refuse, otherwise you ain’t getting Kevin Love. His agent said a buyout wasn’t an option over the summer and Love addressed the rumors when training camp opened.
“I think that’s speculation,” Love said. “Sometimes shit is thrown against a wall and people are thinking who’s going to read it and who’s going to see it. So for me, that’s never been a thing. I’m still sitting here, Year 14 [of his career] as a Cav.”
Since LeBron James left for Los Angeles, it feels like Love has been a trade candidate. The extension he signed back in 2018 has two years and $60 million left on it.
Will He Be Traded? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Notably, out of all the guys mentioned above, nobody’s been rumored to be on the move as long as Love has. He’s gotta be exhausted by the speculation.
Zion Williamson
Let’s start by saying this: The only name on this list less likely to be dealt somewhere than Damian Lillard is Zion Williamson. But we just can’t help ourselves.
Kudos to the Pelicans for their successful espionage efforts to keep the fractured right foot Williamson suffered during the offseason a secret. We found out about it during New Orleans’s media day last week and while available Williamson was asked about his feelings on the organization, led by executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin, that hasn’t exactly done much to fortify the talent around the 2019 No. 1 pick.
“How I feel about the organization? Per me, I love it here,” Williamson said. “I love the city of New Orleans. Don’t want to be anywhere else. My relationship with Griff? It’s all love with me and Griff. It ain’t much to dive into. It’s just love between us. We’re both competitors. We both want to win. Do we disagree on some things? Yeah, who agrees on everything? We don’t. But I think that’s what makes our relationship great.”
The clock, of course, is ticking on Williamson’s time in New Orleans since the last superstar who called that city home (Anthony Davis) fled for Los Angeles. The Pelicans obviously will do all they can to prevent their supremely gifted forward from wanting to leave in a season or two. Remember, Williamson won’t hit restricted free agency until the summer of 2023 so it’s not like he has that much leverage. Yet.
Will He Be Traded? Only in the fever dreams of delusional Knicks fans.