The NBA trade deadline isn’t too far off, and many teams are preparing to make a move.
One of the most lucrative and interesting assets in the league is a player on an expiring contract. Those contracts are often used by teams to clear up some cap space ahead of the offseason, meaning the price to buy isn’t very high.
This season, there is a particularly long and talented list of players on expiring contracts who could be traded before the deadline. HoopsHype recently provided the names:
Victor Oladipo ($21,000,000)
Andre Drummond ($28,751,775)
Otto Porter ($28,489,239)
Thaddeus Young ($13,545,000)
Kelly Oubre ($14,375,000)
Tim Hardaway Jr. ($18,975,000)
PJ Tucker ($7,969,537)
George Hill ($9,590,602)
Doug McDermott ($7,333,333)
Austin Rivers ($3,174,603)
Patty Mills ($13,285,714)
Rudy Gay ($14,000,000)
Lou Williams ($8,000,000)
JJ Redick ($13,013,700)
JaVale McGee ($4,200,000)
Trevor Ariza ($12,800,000)
Nemanja Bjelica ($7,150,000)
Wayne Ellington ($2,564,753)
Gorgui Dieng ($17,287,640)
The next three were described as “long shots,” meaning that while they could get traded, it’s highly unlikely they’ll be with a different team.
Kyle Lowry ($30,000,000)
DeMar DeRozan ($27,739,975)
LaMarcus Aldridge ($27,739,975)
Needless to say, a lot of surprises could be in store this season as a lot of some game-changing players close out the final year of their deal.
So far, the biggest names to watch are Victor Oladipo and Andre Drummond. With the Cavs and Rockets stuck in a rut, it seems likely they’ll trade these guys now instead of taking the risk to lose them in free agency. As borderline All-Star players, they could easily shift the balance of power in the NBA.
As for the three “long shots” in Lowry, DeRozan, and Aldridge, the price might not come as cheap for those players, but it will be interesting to see where all three end up over these next few weeks — and which teams are able to capitalize on the market the most.
