NBA players likely to be traded by the 2016 trade deadline

It has been widely reported that the Heat is shopping center Chris Andersen. Andersen, who has one year left on his contract, has been with the Heat since 2012, but it appears the “Birdman” will be playing in another city sooner than later.

The time has come for New Orleans Pelicans brass to realize that the Ryan Anderson experiment has failed. Anderson, a stretch-four, would be an attractive trade chip for a team looking to add shooting from the outside. At 11-26, the Pelicans should look to gear up for next season, and seeing what assets they can acquire for Anderson in a trade should be part of that process.

The question isn’t whether Kings forward Caron Butler will be traded, but when? The Kings have publicly stated that the 35-year-old will be traded before the deadline, so count on Butler being moved.

It seems like the New York Knicks have been trying to trade point guard Jose Calderon ever since they acquired him in 2014. Never the best fit for the triangle offense, Calderon’s tenure in New York has been a poor one. A change of scenery would benefit both parties.

Every year Jeff Green’s name seems to be mentioned in NBA trade rumors. This year is no different. With the Grizzlies having taken a step back this year in the West, Memphis may be looking to overhaul part of its roster, and Green would their easiest player to move. The 29-year-old has one year left on his contract and could help a contender right away.

Acquired in the offseason from the New York Knicks, talented shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. can’t even scratch the court for the Atlanta Hawks. Clearly, Hardaway Jr. and the Hawks need to move on from each other, and considering he’s still on his rookie contract, a trade shouldn’t be a difficult feat to pull off.

Perhaps the slowest player in the NBA, center Roy Hibbert has failed to impress anyone in Los Angeles. With the Lakers needing to give as much time as possible for their younger players to develop, Hibbert is a likely trade candidate. And the fact that he has an expiring contract makes him much easier to deal.

Averaging the lowest points per game total of his NBA career, the Washington Wizards will almost certainly look to offload center Nene Hilario before the trade deadline. The 33-year-old is still a pretty decent player when healthy, but with Marcin Gortat available in the paint for the Wizards, it’s time for the Brazilian to find a new home.

Rumors have been swirling around NBA circles for the past month that Dwight Howard is not happy in Houston. Truth be told, Howard is just not the player he used to be in his prime in Orlando, and with a bad back, it’s unlikely the seven-footer is ever going to be the dominating force in the paint he once was. An eight-time All-Star, Howard can opt out of his contract at the end of the season, so moving Howard would make sense on many levels.

Although he has only played seven games in the 2015-16 NBA season due to injury, the Detroit Pistons have clearly moved on from Brandon Jennings. With just one year left on his contract, Jennings would be a low-risk, high-reward gamble for a team in need of a point guard who can score the basketball.

The second-highest paid player in the NBA, Nets guard Joe Johnson should be a hot commodity as the trade deadline nears. Although there is a good chance the Nets will just keep him and let his contract run out, the Cleveland Cavaliers are publicly known to covet Johnson and are expected to make a run for him.

Losing LaMarcus Aldridge, Robin Lopez, Nicolas Batum and Aaron Afflalo has put the Portland Trail Blazers in rebuild mode. Veteran center Chris Kaman is not part of the team's future plans, and his expiring contract could easily fetch the Blazers a draft pick.

The tire fire continues in Phoenix, with its top trade asset being guard Brandon Knight. A player with All-Star potential, if the Suns truly want to rebuild, trading Knight would land them largest return possible.

Ty Lawson’s NBA career is on life support. After several successful seasons with the Nuggets, problems with alcohol led Denver to trade the talented point for next to nothing in the offseason to the Rockets. Lawson has failed miserably to catch on in Houston, and the Rockets have been looking to trade him for months now. If any deal can be made for Lawson, the Rockets will agree to it; the problem is, at this point no one wants the 28-year-old. For a player who averaged 9.6 assists per game just a season ago, it’s truly a shame.

If there’s one thing that Celtics general manager Danny Ainge loves, it’s assets. Veteran power forward David Lee has an expiring contract that could fetch him a few more draft picks.

Thunder power forward Mitch McGary is a teasing talent. He was impressive in his playing time as a rookie last season, but back problems have held his progress as a basketball player in purgatory. The Thunder is built to win now, and a promising young player like McGary could help fetch the organization a player who puts OKC in a better position for a deep playoff run.

He might be the oldest player in the NBA, but by the way he plays you would never guess it. Andre Miller, 39, is of the smartest point guards the NBA has seen in recent memory. Languishing in Minnesota, don’t be surprised if someone like George Karl with the Sacramento Kings decides to give up a second-round pick to acquire the veteran point guard.

The Phoenix Suns and power forward Markieff Morris are headed for a divorce. Morris has essentially been told to stay away from the team after he threw a towel at head coach Jeff Hornacek. The 26-year-old has also held a grudge against the team for trading his twin brother, Marcus, in the offseason. Expect the Suns to do the same with Markieff by the Feb. 18 deadline.

Simply put, this season has been a disaster for former Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah. For whatever reason, he just can’t seem to fit in with new head coach Fred Hoiberg and the style of play he demands. With an expiring contract, it seems unlikely Noah return to the Bulls next season. The Bulls would be wise to deal Noah for any sort of assets while they still can, however.

After trading a first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks to acquire him, nothing has gone right in Minnesota for power forward Adreian Payne. Payne receives almost no playing time and is already in need of a fresh start somewhere else. He is only 24, so it’s not out of the question that another team could take a chance on him.

With future superstar Karl-Anthony Towns owning the center position in Minnesota, it’s inevitable that the Timberwolves will need to move Nikola Pekovic. Pekovic, a quality center in his own right, would be much more of an attractive player to other teams if he didn’t have three years left on his contract. Still, there are 29 other teams in the NBA, and if Minnesota is willing to take on an undesirable contract in return for Pekovic, a trade is more than possible.

An integral part of the Warriors' championship run last season, center Marreese Speights now finds himself stuck on Golden State’s depth chart behind both Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli. With a trade-friendly contract, Speights is the most likely player to leave the Bay Area by the February trade deadline.

Once again, the Lance Stephenson experiment in a new city has failed. Last year it was Charlotte; this year it’s Los Angeles with the Clippers. Stephenson is posting career-low numbers all across the board and now usually just finds himself at the end of Doc Rivers' bench. At this point, the only thing that may save Stephenson’s career would be a trade back to the Indiana Pacers.

The Miami Heat found a diamond in the rough with center Hassan Whiteside. Whiteside is a dominant shot blocker and force around the rim, and at 26 he is just entering the prime of his career. The problem is that Whiteside will be a free agent after this season, and the Heat might not have the financial flexibility needed to keep him. Team President Pat Riley may look to offload Whiteside before the deadline for whatever assets he can, simply out of fear that the Heat will not be able to re-sign that talented big man in the offseason.

After one successful season with the Lakers, it appears Nick Young has worn out his welcome in Los Angeles. “Swaggy P” has two years left on his contract, but with the cap expected to rise exponentially next season, moving Young is far from impossible. A playoff team in need of a scorer off the bench would be a sensible place for Young to land.

What is there left to say about the train wreck that is the Philadelphia 76ers? General manager Sam Hinke has turned this once great franchise into a punchline, under the guise of a “five-year plan.” Although Jerry Colangelo has been brought in to the organization to provide some stability, Hinke is still playing the Sixers' hand, and nothing is out of the question when it comes to the construction (or lack there of) of this roster. Every 76ers player is on the trading block.