NBA players most likely to be traded this season

It looks like Andre Iguodala won't report to the Grizzlies this season, but rather, wait until Memphis either trades him to a contender or buys him out, allowing him to choose which contender to join. Iggy would obviously prefer the autonomy of the latter option, but the Grizzlies believe they can at least get some type of return for the 15-year veteran who can still defend wings at a high level. The Rockets seem like a prime candidate to acquire Iguodala in a trade if they're willing to send a protected first-rounder to Memphis. If not, expect the Clippers and Lakers to have a bidding war over him if he hits the buyout market. 

Chris Paul is the most out of place looking player in the league as a member of the OKC Thunder after spending the previous eight seasons playing for contenders in the Western Conference and in the spotlight every night. Despite having one of the worst contracts in the NBA, I suspect someone will get desperate around the trade deadline and figure out a way to match salaries. Such a trade could swing the title this season with his still excellent point guard play (17 points and six rebounds and six assists per game in last year's playoffs) but ruin a team's salary cap the next two.

This one is fairly obvious. Dennis Schröder, while still a capable point guard who can come in off the bench and score 16 points, dish out four assists and play some solid defense, is not the point guard of the present (Chris Paul) and he’s not the point guard of the future (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) in OKC. He’s also not, from everything that’s been reported about his Rajon Rondo-like abrasive nature, the type of veteran you want around a team that will have a number of young players in the future. (In case you forgot: OKC has approximately 500 first-round picks from the Paul George, Russell Westbrook and Jerami Grant trades this offseason). Thus, as a decent second point guard in the last year of his contract, Schröder is exactly the type of player a smart organization would look to auction off for whatever it can get in return at the deadline.

Unless the Thunder want to make the playoffs this season, Danilo Gallinari doesn’t really fit into their long-term plans and is, therefore, likely to be dealt this year as he is a movable expiring contract that could potentially yield a first-round pick or a nice prospect for the Thunder at the deadline. Gallinari, who averaged 20 points and six rebounds per game last season, is a professional scorer and could be the missing piece for a fringe contender in need of some scoring pop. Keep an eye on the Raptors if they come out of the gates hot and decide to make a serious run at defending their crown. Same goes for the Blazers, who are in desperate need of some size and shooting on the wing.

One of the most obvious trade targets this season is Kevin Love. While Love is still a skilled inside-outside threat as a forward, last season proved what was already apparent to those who watched him during LeBron's second stint in Cleveland — your team isn't making the playoffs with Love as the focal point of the offense. And that's fine. Love can be a valuable second or third option on a contender and will consistently put up 17 points and 10 rebounds while stretching the defense with his dead-eye, three-point stroke (37 percent for his career). Will this finally be the year Love gets traded back home to the West Coast and lands with the Portland Trail Blazers? 

If the Heat make any trade of significance this season, Goran Dragic will almost certainly be involved, as he is both an expiring contract and a decent player. He's also expendable for the Heat with the signing of Jimmy Butler and emergence of the likes of Justise Winslow and Tyler Herro. Get ready for a lot of rumors involving Dragic and Chris Paul as well as Dragic and Kyle Lowry.

With big money already invested in Harrison Barnes and De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley deals on the horizon, the Kings basically had to choose between Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanović this offseason. In extending Hield to a near-max deal on the eve of the season, Bogdanović effectively became a lame duck player as his value far exceeds what the Kings will be able to offer him or match (he’ll be a restricted free agent) this summer. Therefore, the Kings should shop him this season and should receive a handsome return, as there’s always a market for young, unconscious bucket-getters. Look for a team with some cap space to offer to swap a solid veteran and/or first-round draft pick for the Serbian scorer.

Kent Bazemore is an obvious trade candidate for a number of reasons should the Blazers look to go after a Kevin Love-type player this season. For one, his $19M contract helps them match any star level incoming salary. For two, he’s an expiring contract. For three, his departure would open the door for Blazers prospects Anfernee Simons and Nassir Little to get more playing time. And lastly, while he does provide some three-and-D versatility for the Blazers, at 6-foot-4, he’s still undersized and at a substantial disadvantage when it comes to defending small forwards like Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, LeBron James and star forwards Portland might match up with in the playoffs.

Of the three Raptors on this list, I believe Serge Ibaka is the most likely to be traded this season because he could be traded whether the Raptors are buyers or sellers at the deadline. Ibaka, while still a solid two-way presence as seen by his performance in the Finals, is less impactful than Kyle Lowry or Marc Gasol, making him more expendable. He'll also be an expiring contract, so his return will likely be a second-round pick or two.

If the Raptors struggle and decide to trade off some assets at the deadline, Marc Gasol could ironically find himself in the same exact position he was last year when he is acquired by a team with championship aspirations that is willing to give up an decent asset for him. Last season, the Raptors traded Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, CJ Miles and a future second-round pick for Gasol. I'd imagine he'd draw a little less this time around (probably a player like Wright). 

With the youngest and arguably the deepest roster of any contender, it’s time for the Nuggets to consolidate some of their assets, like Malik Beasley and Michael Porter Jr., and turn them into another star level player alongside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Bradley Beal seemed like the most obvious target for this kind of deal, but seeing that he is no longer available the Nuggets may have to settle for a high-end role player. (Perhaps they bring back Danilo Gallinari?) No matter the ultimate target, Beasley is an obvious trade piece because, like Bogdan Bogdanović, his market value far exceeds the cap hit the Nuggets will be willing to swallow this offseason for a non-starter. As for Beasley, he’d likely welcome a trade as he deserves to be playing starter minutes but is stuck behind the likes of Murray, Gary Harris, and Will Barton in Denver.

While the Warriors have publicly stated that D’Angelo Russell is part of their long-term plans, his skill set overlaps too much with Steph Curry’s and the Warriors have too many other holes on their roster to not explore a potential trade of Russell. The T-Wolves, who seemed on the verge of signing Russell this offseason before the Warriors pulled off a last-minute sign-and-trade in the Kevin Durant departure, seem like an obvious fit. Such a deal could yield the type of three-and-D wing the Warriors currently lack, like Robert Covington. At the same time, if the Warriors are patient enough (which means possibly waiting until the offseason), Russell’s obvious talent could probably bring back a player or assets of greater value. The Dubs will have to decide whether going for broke this season is worth it or not as Klay Thompson recovers from his ACL injury.

Now that the Pacers extended Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner becomes a possible trade candidate if the Pacers struggle this season. It’s unclear whether Turner and Sabonis can adequately complement one another on the court. Thus, the Pacers may decide that they have to choose one or the other at some point. If a team with assets and a need for a rim-protecting, floor-spacing center like Boston makes a godfather offer (Gordon Hayward or Marcus Smart plus multiple first-rounders), the Pacers should definitely consider it, especially if the Victor Oladipo rehab has any hiccups.

This one may come off as a bit of a shocker as the Lakers made a big deal of not including Kuzma in the Anthony Davis trade this offseason. However, as seen in the first iteration of this season’s Battle for L.A., the Lakers’ lack of backcourt talent is an obvious and potentially crippling flaw. With essentially no draft picks to deal, Kuzma and his bargain contract are far and away the Lakers’ most tradeable asset and only path toward a roster upgrade. Furthermore, the fact that Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Kuzma all essentially play the same position doesn’t bode well for Kuzma’s future in purple and gold unless he suddenly develops into a reliable wing defender and hits threes like he did in his rookie season (37 percent).

For whatever reason, the Pistons are once again hell-bent on making the playoffs this season but have a roster with a first-round ceiling. With Blake Griffin out with a mysterious injury, those playoff plans could go belly-up very quickly. Should everything go wrong for Detroit, look for the Pistons to consider tanking and try to find an even more desperate team to ship Griffin and his massive contract to — Houston? Portland? If Griffin’s legs are semi-healthy, he’s still an All-NBA level player (25 points, eight rebounds, five assists per game last season), but that’s a big “if," so it’ll be interesting to see what kind of haul he would yield.