Mar 8, 2020; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) controls the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
It somehow feels like the NBA offseason has just started and simultaneously almost been over in the blink of an eye. On Monday night the news broke that the NBA and NBPA had come to an agreement on an amended Collective Bargaining Agreement that will has set up the 2020-21 season to take place and start in December. That means the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat will have an offseason of just over 40 days. Pretty wild.
With free agency starting Nov. 20, there still hasn’t been a set day for the transaction window to open up—allowing teams to make trades and decisions of contract options—but that should happen before the draft takes place on Nov. 18.
When that transaction window does open up, there’s a strong chance we see a lot of movement rather quickly in the form of trades. Teams have had weeks to think about ways to improve their roster and the rumors are already flying. We haven’t had a deal made since last season’s trade deadline, and there have to be more than a few itchy trigger fingers out there in the NBA ready to deal.
Here are some of the players we think could be on the move this offseason.
Chris Paul
While he might not be the most talented guy on this list anymore, Chris Paul certainly is one of the biggest names that could be dealt this offseason. Last year, he felt like a guy who was going to be a negative asset thanks to his mammoth contract that he signed with Houston. Now, after a resurgent season in Oklahoma City, Paul’s stock is high. While no one expects him to be the superstar he once was, Paul certainly remains one of the better point guards in the league.
For most of his career, Paul has been the lead guy on every team he’s been on. That could continue to be the case if he winds up on a team that doesn’t have championship aspirations. Last year he helped make Shai Gilgeous-Alexander an even better young guard, and he could be asked to take on a similar role next season elsewhere. The other option is that a team that plans on raising the Larry O’Brien Trophy next summer swoops in and makes a move for Paul. Then, it would make sense for him to take a backseat to another star in an effort to finally be crowned a champion.
Potential suitors: Bucks, Knicks, Suns
Jrue Holiday
It was reported last week that Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin has been listening to offers for Jrue Holiday. It feels as if Holiday’s name has been circulating for quite some time as a guy that could be potentially be on the move. The Pelicans are one of the youngest teams in the league with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram the team’s best players and building blocks. With Holiday having turned 30 this summer, their competitive window doesn’t necessarily align with when he will be at peak level.
Holiday is one of the better players potentially available, and could net one of the best returns of anyone in the NBA. He does have a player option for next season of $26.2 million, or could become a free agent. If any team does trade for him, working out an extension would be ideal at the time of the trade. The Pelicans certainly don’t have to trade Holiday this offseason. They can play out the season with him and make a run towards the playoffs and decide on what comes next when that day comes, but if they do deal him they may be better set up for the immediate future.
Potential suitors: Nuggets, Nets, Hawks
Rudy Gobert
The Jazz was sold a few weeks ago to local tech entrepreneur Ryan Smith for $1.6 billion. While it’s not a certainty, there is a line of thinking that leads to the Jazz being more willing to spend big money. This would qualify as good news for Rudy Gobert as he is eligible for an extension once the offseason begins. While he’s eligible for a supermax, it’s unlikely that he would receive that type of money at this point in his career. The pivot the Jazz could make is that this team isn’t going to become a championship contender within the next couple of years unless Donovan Mitchell takes another leap up the league’s rankings to one of its best players. Even then, more will be needed to win a title in Salt Lake City.
Moving on from Gobert makes sense right now. He’s going to be expensive, approaching 30, and has showed signs of slipping on the defensive end. When all that is added to the fact that he’s a player reliant on others to be successful on the offensive side of the court, moving on from Gobert now may be the smart move for the Jazz. For all this to make sense, the return obviously needs to be satisfactory. While everything written above about Gobert is true, he still is one of the game’s best rim defenders and lob threats, and should bring back a significant haul for the Jazz if they opt to move him.
Potential suitors: Warriors, Celtics
Derrick Rose
Derrick Rose isn’t the guy he once was, and that’s not a secret. Rose isn’t going to lead any team to glory at this point in his career, but he might be able to come off the bench and help provide a scoring punch for a team that needs it. Rose isn’t going to bring much to the table defensively moving forward, and he’s been a pretty significant negative in that area over the last few years, but he has thrived in the role of a sixth man when put in the right opportunity.
Rose has only started 28 of 101 games he’s played in over the last two seasons, but has been able to put up 18.1 points per game over that stretch. Making a trade easier, Rose is on an expiring contract, making only $7.6 million this season. A contending team could grab Rose for a small asset, but one that would be valuable for Detroit as it enters a rebuild.
Potential suitors: Lakers, 76ers
Victor Oladipo & Myles Turner
There’s been some weird noise coming out of Indiana regarding Victor Oladipo over the last couple of months. Oladipo hasn’t looked the same since his quad injury suffered during the 2018-19 season. The Pacers found a way to be moderately successful without Oladipo at his best, although they would certainly hope to hang on to him and build with the Indiana University product. Oladipo is eligible for an extension this offseason, and can reach free agency next summer. After his return from injury was a bit underwhelming, it makes sense if the two sides don’t come to terms on an extension that he could become a legitimate trade candidate.
As for Myles Turner, the Pacers have a bit of a surplus of bigs right now with he and Domantas Sabonis. The feeling is that if they’re going to move on from one of them, Turner is the more likely option, and should net a pretty strong return thanks to the face he’s under contract until the end of the 2022-23 season. If the Pacers want to continue to be competitive, or even climb up the ranks of the Eastern Conference, trading one, or both of these guys, might be the avenue that they need to take.
Potential Oladipo suitors: Nets, Bucks
Potential Turner suitors: Pelicans, Wizards
Eric Bledsoe
The Bucks have their backs against the wall if things play out how many expect them to this offseason. Giannis Antetokounmpo can sign a supermax extension that would tie him to Milwaukee for the next six seasons. The Bucks will likely offer this to Antetokounmpo the exact second that they’re allowed. If he chooses not to sign it, that doesn’t mean he’s going to for sure bolt in free agency next summer, but it does begin to make the organization sweat a little bit more than they it currently is. Regardless of Antetokounmpo signing the extension or not, the last two postseasons have showed us that winning the most games in the regular season doesn’t mean a thing when it comes to the Bucks. They’ve done that and then flamed out in the playoffs. If that happens again, it could mean the end of the Antetokounmpo era.
One spot the Bucks certainly need to upgrade is the point guard position. During the spring of 2019 the Bucks inked Eric Bledsoe to an extension, and then declined to sign Malcolm Brogdon during the summer, instead sending him to Indiana in a sign-and-trade in a move that’s second guessed more every day. Bledsoe is an outlier on this list in that he’s not being traded because his current team is trying to recoup assets for the future. The Bucks need to upgrade here and move on from Bledsoe, or else it could mean Antetokounmpo is upgrading and moving on from them.
Potential suitors: Pacers, Thunder
Buddy Hield
After the Kings came close to making the playoffs in 2019, this past season has to be considered a failure. Things have gotten so bad between the team and Buddy Hield that he won’t even return coach Luke Walton’s text messages, according to The Athletic. If that is the case, it’s sort of hard to imagine that he will be on Sacramento’s opening night roster. Hield has skills that everyone wants on the perimeter and should be able to attract a high return after shooting over 41 percent from 3-point range thus far in his career.
The Kings should have no shortage of suitors for Hield if they were to make him available. Shooting in the NBA is the premium skill right now and it’s hard to see that changing anytime soon. He’s the type of guy that can help put a team over the top despite not being a star that needs to dominate the ball.
Potential suitors: 76ers, Timberwolves
Al Horford
The biggest question about the contract that Al Horford signed in Philadelphia last offseason is debating if it’s a better or worse deal than the massive contract Tobias Harris signed to stay in Philly. Horford was a bad fit when he was on the floor with both Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons and was eventually relegated to coming off the bench. With Daryl Morey now in charge of the show for the Sixers, there’s certainly going to be some moving and shaking going on. Morey has historically tried to build his roster with a pair of stars and the ideal complementary role players around them. He has that in Embiid and Simmons, and it’s pretty clear that Horford isn’t the best fit.
What the Sixers will be able to get in a return for Horford is an interesting one. it’s difficult to think that many teams will be lining up to take on the rest of Horford’s contract that runs through the 2022-23 season. Horford is already 34 years old and hasn’t been great in either his last season in Boston or his first season in Philadelphia. The Sixers may have to attach a draft pick in order to get anything worth getting in return for him at this point, though.
Potential suitors: Kings, Wizards
Kevin Love
Kevin Love’s name may have appeared more in trade conversation over the last five years (without actually getting traded) than anyone in basketball. It feels like every offseason we hear his name as one that could be on the move, but to date he’s stayed in Cleveland. Love’s contract extension runs for three more seasons, including 2020-21, but does slightly dip in value for his last season. The reason Love hasn’t been traded is likely due to his hefty contract, but as time ticks away and fewer years remain on the deal, it becomes possible a team can stomach the amount of money left to pay.
Love has struggled to stay healthy in the post-LeBron Cleveland years, but has still be a solid contributor when he’s been able to stay on the court. If the health is there and a team can be assured that they’re going to get a walking double-double that shoots near 40 percent from beyond the arc, Love is a gamble worth taking.
Potential suitors: 76ers, Trail Blazers
Caris LeVert
The Nets absolutely do not need to trade Caris LeVert. Let’s put that out there at the start. LeVert is a good young player that still has a bit of untapped potential. The Nets have done everything in their power to develop him and stick by him through a couple of pretty nasty injuries. With that said, if the Nets feel they need to go out and get a third start to add to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, LeVert is the best asset they have at their disposal. He may very well be one of the three best players available in trade on teams that have a realistic chance to win a championship this year.
The type of player that would have to become available in order for LeVert to be made attainable in a trade is an interesting question. If Washington makes Bradley Beal available—which seems pretty unlikely—or if someone like Devin Booker asks out, then LeVert would certainly be offered as the start of a return package for Brooklyn. But if the Nets are trying to trade for Jrue Holiday or Victor Oladipo? Then it’s far less of a no-brainer for the Nets and something that needs to be carefully thought about.
Potential suitors: Any team that might move an All-NBA level guy