John McCoy/Associated Press

NBA Players Most Likely on Trade Watch This Offseason

Grant Hughes

If the NBA trade deadline didn't bring you the kind of roster-shuffling you hoped for, fear not. The next chance to see the league reform itself in a flurry of action is only a few months away.

Given how many long-rumored deals didn't happen last week, this offseason is shaping up to be especially active on the trade front. Teams that couldn't get transactions over the finish line for one reason or another—low-ball offers, injuries, a wait-and-see approach—will have more clarity once the season concludes.

At that point, they'll better understand roster needs, chemistry and, most importantly, the markets for any players they're still thinking about moving.

Keep those trade machine tabs open. It won't be long until you'll need them again, and these are the names you'll plug in most often.

Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Maybe the Indiana Pacers already made their choice by trading Domantas Sabonis and hanging onto Myles Turner. It's possible, or maybe even likely, that Turner will finally operate as the lone big once he returns from a stress reaction in his foot sometime after the All-Star break.

Or maybe that stress reaction, which may have made suitors in search of win-now help antsy, is the only reason Turner is still on the team.

After all, the Pacers did more than just deal Sabonis. They also moved Caris LeVert, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and Torrey Craig. The rebuild might have been more complete if interest in Turner hadn't waned because of his injury.

Rookie big man Isaiah Jackson's energy and athleticism have produced some intriguing stretches lately. He put up 26 points and 10 rebounds in a win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 31, playing a season-high 29 minutes in Turner's absence. If Indiana wants to go all the way in on its fresh start, dangling Turner remains an option with a younger, cheaper replacement in the wings.

Turner may now be in line for the bigger role he wanted, but it's also possible the Pacers won't like the fit once he returns or will feel motivated to continue the teardown anyway. 

NBA reporter Marc Stein reported a Turner trade was basically a 50/50 proposition the Friday before the deadline. Though Sabonis was ultimately the one to go, there's no reason to expect the Pacers are completely committed to moving forward with Turner. We haven't heard the last of his name in the rumor mill.

Jerami Grant, Detroit Pistons

Bruce Kluckhohn/Associated Press

For most of the run-up to the trade deadline, Jerami Grant seemed to be one of the likeliest movers. In hindsight, we probably should have thought less about how much Grant's skill set would fill needs on so many teams and more about how few of them had what it took to make a competitive offer.

Grant remains a Detroit Piston because contenders either couldn't or wouldn't pony up a pair of first-round picks for him.

The 27-year-old forward's game will still be sought after in the offseason. Versatile defense, just-good-enough three-point shooting and capable self-generated scoring don't tend to lose their value. Come draft time, when more teams may be willing to part with picks or young players, Grant could easily be back on the block.

Talks at the deadline got pretty far down the road, with Grant providing the Pistons a list of his preferred destinations and reports emerging about what he'd want in terms of role and contract extension with a new team. This might be a "can't unring the bell" situation. And if nothing else, Detroit's willingness to entertain offers should persist. 

Remember, too, that Grant chose to sign with the Pistons in part because he wanted to be something more than a second or third thought on offense. With Cade Cunningham clearly establishing himself as the Pistons' top option and ball-dominant leader, you have to wonder whether Grant's interest in Detroit is waning. He won't be the No. 1 option with the Pistons anymore.

Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles Lakers

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

The Russell Westbrook gamble has gone wrong in all the most foreseeable ways.

An optimist could have shrugged off concerns about the damage Westbrook's lack of shooting does in the playoffs by arguing Russ would allow LeBron James and Anthony Davis to reach the postseason in better health. He'd been an innings-eating one-man show surrounded by role players before. So it stood to reason Westbrook could lead second units and take up the slack when James and/or Davis rested, preserving the stars for the games that matter.

Instead, the Lakers have been outscored by 4.6 points per 100 possessions in the minutes Westbrook has played without James. So much for raising the floor...

The Lakers sacrificed depth for an ill-fitting star whose need for the ball, shooting limitations and lack of defensive impact were obvious from the jump. With Westbrook being benched for several fourth quarters and the Lakers likely ticketed for the play-in round, there appear to be few ways out of this mess.

It may help that Westbrook's $47.1 million salary next season will be the last on his massive deal. That could also make a buyout likelier, but we should expect the Lakers to exhaust every possible trade avenue this summer.

Hopefully, they'll get a better offer than John Wall for Westbrook and a 2027 first-round pick.

Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

Amanda Loman/Associated Press

The Portland Trail Blazers' deadline goal "was to make multiple deals, to balance the roster, to create numerous tools and exceptions and severely pad our cap in order to make transactions moving forward," according to interim general manager Joe Cronin's comments to reporters.

You'll note Portland's stated aims did not include acquiring star-level support for Damian Lillard, who seems like a safe bet to miss the rest of the year rehabbing from surgery to repair an abdominal injury. The tank will proceed without him.

Maybe that help will come later, or maybe the Blazers believe Anfernee Simons and Nassir Little have high-end starter potential. Dame's help could come from the inside.

Lillard, though, might view Portland's moves with skepticism. Next year will be his age-32 season, and he has yet to win a game in the Conference Finals. The clock is ticking. Youth takes time to develop, and cap flexibility comes with no guarantees.

The instability brought about by increasing calls for trustee Jody Allen to sell the team could also contribute to Lillard finally making the trade request he's held back for so long. Even if he doesn't ask out, the Blazers might signal their own feelings on continuing the relationship when they decide whether to offer Lillard the two-year, $107 million extension for which he's eligible ahead of 2022-23.

Donovan Mitchell or Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz

John Amis/Associated Press

If the Utah Jazz make the Finals, you can forget all this. Probably.

But assuming the Jazz finish their postseason somewhere short of that level, unrest will likely follow.

Per Howard Beck of Sports Illustrated on The Crossover NBA Show podcast with Chris Mannix (hat tip HoopsHype): "I think they're in trouble. I think they're in trouble because this thing has run its course and we know there are some tensions that are in that locker room. And I've been told recently that they might be a little worse than we've even been led to believe. And so if this doesn't end well this postseason, and there's no reason to think that it will… (…) Those Donovan Mitchell 'wants out' rumors are going to be starting like as soon as the season is over."

If the Jazz had their choice, they'd surely keep Mitchell. He's four years younger and scheduled to collect $34.8 million less than Gobert between now and the end of their contracts (player options included) in 2026. As valuable as Gobert has been to Utah, it'll be tough to justify paying him $46.7 million in 2025-26, his age-33 season.

Mitchell is the one Beck rightly pegs as a flight risk. He's the dynamic, on-ball star who has more to gain by playing in a bigger, endorsement-rich city. The cliche that big men don't sell shoes may not be as true as it once was, but Mitchell's high-flying game is more marquee-worthy than Gobert's screen setting and rim protection.

Utah is no stranger to long-tenured big-small tandems that fall short of winning a title. Going out on a limb here, but the Mitchell-Gobert pairing isn't going to last like the one John Stockton and Karl Malone shared.

          

Stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. Accurate through Feb. 14. Salary info via Spotrac.

   

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