Now That NBA Trading Season Is On, Are These Players Next?
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Nobody expected the NBA trade season’s first domino to fall on New Year’s Weekend. When OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn were traded from the Toronto Raptors to the New York Knicks for RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and a 2023 second-round pick (from Detroit), the trade season officially began. The deal seemed to be a win-win for the two teams, who both filled positional needs. The Knicks desperately needed a big, sharp-shooting wing and the Raptors needed to find a future point guard.
Both teams found their guys, with the Knicks looking like Anunoby could have catapulted them into contender status. So, who’s next? We’ve pinpointed the remaining players who should be traded, and the teams that would benefit the most by acquiring them.
Dejounte Murray, Atlanta Hawks
The slashing guard and Trae Young never gelled as Atlanta envisioned when they went all-in on the duo. Murray’s need to be on ball and Young’s refusal to acquiesce, neutralized their potential. Murray has either lost a step or lost the drive to be the elite defender he was in San Antonio. But much of this is effort, leading to lazy close-outs and missed rotations. Murray navigates screens well and can be lethal in the mid-range as a third option on a championship team.
Best fits: Miami, Orlando, Los Angeles Lakers, New York (Jalen Brunson showed effectiveness off-ball while in Dallas with Luka Doncic. If the two can coexist, it could be the next Knicks Rolls-Royce backcourt since champions Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe)
Jordan Clarkson, Utah Jazz
The former 2020 Sixth Man of the Year is a lethal scorer and playmaker, and can take any fringe contender into true contender status by addition. He is a career 34% shooter from three, and his FG% this season (40.5%) is worrisome, but the Jazz’s rebuilding/tanking status compounds this. Put him on a contending team with a clear role, and watch him regain the form he had during the Jazz’s three most successful seasons (2019-2022). Clarkson could play off-ball down stretches next to Donovan Mitchell and would be someone whose shot you must respect in crunch time.
Best fits: New York, Dallas, Celtics, Denver (The champs could use a shot in the arm in their title defense. Clarkson would fill the role Bones Hyland was thought to have. He would give Denver two lethal options to close within the backcourt, along with Jamal Murray, the same way he did with Mitchell in Utah.
PJ Washington, Charlotte Hornets
Washington signed a three-year, $46,500,000 contract with the Hornets last summer to stay with the franchise as their part-time starting center. Since getting the bag, Washington has been mostly ass. He can be capable of a 32-point outing as he posted against the Heat in November, just to follow it up with three points against the Milwaukee Bucks the next game. Washington gets punished in the paint, but his 36% career shooting number from deep makes him an enticing addition to teams needing spacing upfront.
Best fits: Miami, Milwaukee, Dallas, Houston (The Rockets are turning into something special under Ime Udoka after being the worst team in the NBA for three seasons straight. Udoka has gotten the best defensively from starting center Alpern Sengun and could do the same with Washington as the perfect backup to the star big man. Washington’s spacing would allow him to play the four and five and pair with Sengun in instances where they can dominate opposing teams while providing easier driving lanes for Jalen Green.)
Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
Mitchell asking out of the Cavaliers feels inevitable, even though he has said all the right things about staying in Cleveland. Most of all, the Cavs feel stuck firmly beneath their ceiling, with no clear path to making a significant leap toward contention. Mitchell is the best player on this list and could instantly change the course of a handful of franchisees who can trade for him. His five-level scoring is hard to find, making up for his undersized and inconsistent defensive effort.
Best fits: New York, Miami. Houston, Brooklyn (The Knicks have been linked to Mitchell for years, but the Nets are the better fit. New York no longer needs a “star” level trade to be a contender. In the aftermath of squandering their big three of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, Brooklyn does. Brooklyn brings Mitchell home to New York while pairing him with the better-than-average at everything Mikel Bridges, making for a dynamic and complementary pairing.)
Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls
Since arriving in Chi-Town in 2017, LaVine has worn out his welcome. He has proven incapable of dragging the hapless Bulls to the playoffs as the undisputed number one option, with DeMar DeRozan becoming the higher-impact player and MVP candidate two seasons ago. LaVine needs to be somewhere he can be the best third option. He has the shooting touch (38% career for three) and athletic ability to be unguardable as the third option, and any move should ensure he drops in pecking order upon arrival. The issue is his contract, $43 million average per) still pays him like a first option.
Best fits: Los Angeles Lakers, Miami, Indiana (If Chicago is looking to enter a partial rebuild, as reports suggested, Indiana has the right pieces to satisfy that timeline. Obi Toppin, Jalen Smith and Buddy Hield can help Chicago stay competitive now, allowing LaVine to play positionless ball wherever he fits best next to do-it-all Tyrese Haliburton, making Indiana Lob City 2.0. LaVine gives Indiana another closer and someone whose game fits perfectly with Hali, making Indiana even harder to guard than they already are.)
Grant Williams, Dallas Mavericks
For Mavs fans of a certain age, Williams is a stark reminder of the undersized power forwards of the franchise’s past who are too slow and under-sized to make a significant impact at the four. Williams was expected to improve the Mavs’ defense, but the team has too many defensive holes to fill, and Williams comes into any matchup at a size disadvantage. He recently lost his starting spot, slotting him into the bench role he is best at, but he would benefit from playing on a team with more size and defensive acumen.
Best fits: Atlanta, Memphis, Orlando, Cleveland (Cleveland’s current frontcourt has the worst spacing in the NBA. That could be rectified with Williams, who can plug into a starting role during injury while providing stretch shooting off the bench. He could be a solid pairing with either Evan Mobley or Jarrett Allen, the Cavs two bigs, and would even play at the three for a super-sized lineup.)
Kyle Kuzma, Washington Wizards
Kuzma has been the poster child for the hapless Wizards: Empty stats and porous defense. Since leaving The Bubble championship Lakers, Kuzma has been an inefficient scorer for Washington, but, at 28, he’s hungry to win again. Plenty of teams could use his high-level shot creation and championship pedigree, even though that’s not how he’s perceived at the moment.
Best fits: Miami, Atlanta, Oklahoma City, Memphis (With the asking price a bit ridiculous, it only makes sense for a few teams in the NBA landscape to go all-in on Kuzma. One of those is Memphis, who could use his offense to help balance Ja Morant and Desmond Bane’s output as the third option. That’s the same role he had in L.A. the year they won it all, and as a more complete, albeit, still immature player at times, he would add a dependable third option.)
Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors
Siakam and the Raptors have wasted away in the years following their 2019 championship behind Kawhi Leonard. Siakam was the stellar second option on that team and demolished defenders in pick-and-roll and post-ups. He has a lot of games left at 29 years old and was named All-NBA Third Team last season.
Best fits: Oklahoma City, Atlanta, Indiana, Dallas (This is the move the Mavs need to make to finally pair Luka Doncic with the All-NBA level talent he deserves. Siakam is a physical post player with a streaky mid-range and three-ball, but his offensive output in pick and roll would let him thrive. The Mavs would have to ship out most of their “young talent” and probably Grant Williams, but it would be the all-in move they’ve been waiting for.)
Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic
The Magic have been trying to find their starting point guard for the last three years and it appears Jalen Suggs has emerged to give them their best shot at positional sustainability. That leaves Anthony as the odd man out, while serving as a valuable trade chip to improve the Magic elsewhere. He can be inconsistent, but he plays with a certain grit that makes him explosive, given the right matchup, with a higher ceiling than his pops, Greg, who played with the Knicks in the 1990s.
Best fits: Golden State, New York, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami (Since losing Gabe Vincent in free agency, the Heat need a desperate upgrade over Kyle Lowry, who showed he’s much better used as a bench stabilizer last postseason. Anthony brings dawg defense and upside to the Heat starting five, moving Kyle Lowry to the bench and giving Jimmy Butler a viable cutter and dogged defender at the point.)
Lee Escobedo writes for A.V. club, which like The Root, is owned by G/O media.