Potential Lakers Target Fred VanVleet To Decline Player Option & Become Unrestricted Free Agent
NBA trade deadline 2023: 65 players who could be traded, including Spencer Dinwiddie, OG Anunoby, Jae Crowder
Martes 07 de Febrero del 2023
The 2023 NBA trade deadline is set for Thursday at 3 p.m. ET
The 2023 NBA trade deadline is set for Thursday at 3 p.m. ET
Mike Conley
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UTA • PG • #11
Contract: $22.7M, $24.4M partially ($14.3M) guaranteed
PPG10.3
RPG2.5
APG7.6
In the short term, Conley is important to Utah's offense, even though he hasn't been particularly efficient himself this season. He is 35, though, and was initially acquired three-and-a-half years ago to take a team built around Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert to the next level. Utah's timeline is different now, so Conley is a natural trade target for win-now teams, provided that those teams have the contracts to match. The money isn't extremely onerous, given that his 2023-24 salary is not fully guaranteed, but that stipulation only matters if the team trading for him is happy to waive him (or reroute him) after the season -- it becomes guaranteed 48 hours after the draft.
One of the many helpful players the Jazz added in the Gobert trade, Beasley is a high-volume 3-point shooter who can get buckets on the move, spotting up and off the dribble. At 26, with an affordable team option next season, the front office can reasonably demand a first-round pick for him ... or simply keep him around and try to negotiate an extension or a new contract. (According to Bleacher Report on Feb. 3, Utah might already have multiple suitors offering a first for Beasley. And in an unusual development, Beasley appeared on Chris Haynes and Marc Stein's podcast and said that he's heard "almost every team" come up as potential destinations. "I know for sure Atlanta, New York, Cleveland, Phoenix," Beasley said. "It's been a lot of options. I don't even look at that stuff anymore.")
Kelly Olynyk
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UTA • PF • #41
Contract: $12.8M, $12.2M partially ($3M) guaranteed
PPG11.9
RPG4.9
APG3.2
The key to appreciating Olynyk is to not think about him as a big man. He's not much of a rim protector or rebounder, but he's an extremely skilled offensive player who has been more efficient than ever this season, save for his 27 games with Houston after the 2021 trade deadline. It has been fun to watch the 31-year-old thrive as a handoff hub, floor spacer, scorer and ball mover in Utah's offense, but it's also fun to imagine him juicing the second unit in places like Golden State, Denver, Sacramento, Miami (again) or Phoenix. Maybe the Jazz can create a bidding war.
Jordan Clarkson
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UTA • PG • #00
Contract: $13.3M, $14.3M player option
PPG20.9
RPG4.0
APG4.3
Clarkson has graduated from his sixth-man role this season, he has changed his game accordingly. On a per-minute basis he's averaging more assists than he has since he was running point for the Lakers, and he's scoring more efficiently than he has for the past couple of seasons. According to The Athletic, the Jazz love having the 30-year-old guard around and are interested in signing him to a contract extension. If they're not comfortable with the price tag, though, then they can either trade Clarkson or risk losing him for nothing -- he has a $14.3 million player option for next season.
I still can't believe Utah was able to pry Vanderbilt away from Minnesota. He's one of the league's best energy guys because he brings so much more than energy -- the 23-year-old is a hyper-versatile defender who loves to push the ball, pass on the move and scavenge for buckets off cuts and offensive boards. Vanderbilt is not a floor spacer, but, in a motion offense with shooting around him, he knows how to make himself a threat. The Jazz want a first-round pick for him, according to Yahoo Sports. (On Feb. 3, The Athletic reported that Portland is among the teams interested in Vanderbilt. Blazers star Damian Lillard said in September that he'd like to play with him, and, in December, after a game against Utah, not-so-subtly reiterated this by quote-tweeting (and soon deleting) the eyes emoji.)
See also: Nickeil Alexander-Walker (RFA), Talen Horton-Tucker (PO), Rudy Gay (PO)
What is going on in Toronto?
Are the Raptors going to pivot? If so, what would that even look like? They've been perhaps the league's most disappointing team this season, but they have options. They could decide to have a fire sale, add some size/shooting or do anything in between.
Typically, NBA front offices do not trade homegrown, 28-year-old All-NBA players unless they feel they have no other choice. Siakam hasn't asked out, isn't on an expiring contract and is in the middle of the best season of his career. If the Raptors trade him, they could get a wealth of picks and young players that, in all likelihood, will never turn into a player as good as Siakam. So why even entertain the idea? Because they might look at their theoretical paths to title contention with Siakam over the next few seasons, then look at their theoretical paths to title contention with more flexibility and a longer timeline, and decide that they'd prefer the latter.
Fred VanVleet
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TOR • PG • #23
Contract: $21.3M, $22.8M player option
PPG19.1
RPG4.3
APG6.5
Like Siakam, VanVleet is one of the biggest success stories in franchise history and hasn't turned 29 yet. Unlike Siakam, he is all but certainly going to be a free agent in the offseason -- he has a $22.8 million player option and is in line to make more than Toronto is allowed to offer him on an extension. VanVleet's efficiency has dipped this season while dealing with back issues, but, if the front office can find other ways to field a deeper, more balanced roster, he could still lead the next Raptors team that makes a team playoff run. If Toronto isn't prepared to pay market value to retain him, though, it has to consider its trade options.
The Raptors have been offered three first-round picks for Anunoby before, per the Toronto Star, and everybody wants 6-foot-7 stoppers who can dribble, pass and shoot, especially if they happen to be in their mid-20s. Anunoby, who turns 26 in July, doesn't dribble, pass or shoot at an incredibly high level -- he has made 31 percent of his non-corner 3s in the past two seasons -- but he can use his strength and speed to overpower people on offense and might be the league's best on-ball defender. SNY recently reported that the Knicks were willing to part with multiple first-round picks for Anunoby earlier in the season, and The Athletic reported on Jan. 30 that the Suns are interested, too..
Gary Trent Jr.
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TOR • SG • #33
Contract: $17.5M, $18.8M player option
PPG18.6
RPG2.5
APG1.5
Trent can fill it up from 3 and midrange, and at his best, he's an active, disruptive perimeter defender with a knack for deflections. He'll surely turn down his $18.6 million player option, so Toronto needs to weigh his Bird rights against whatever's out there on the trade market. This year's offense is heavily dependent on his shooting, but, if the Raptors decide to go the full fire-sale route, then that won't matter.
What would this unconventional player look like on a more conventional team? Was his 2020-21 shooting (38.3 percent from deep on 3.9 attempts per game) just an aberration? Even though Boucher is 30 years old -- I'm not lying; he didn't start playing organized ball until he was 19 and didn't sign a standard NBA contract until he was 26 -- there is some intrigue here. He's on a declining contract, and potential suitors know for sure that he'll bring energy, block shots and create second-chance opportunities.
See also: Malachi Flynn, Thaddeus Young, Otto Porter Jr., Khem Birch
What is going on in Chicago?
The Bulls made a win-now move two deadlines ago, and they went all-in the following offseason. Already, there's a case they should start over or at least try to get some of their flexibility back.
Zach LaVine
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CHI • SG • #8
Contract: $37.1M, $40.1M, $43M, $46M, $49M player option
PPG23.8
RPG4.6
APG4.1
LaVine just signed a max contract, and he's had a weird season -- he started slowly, coming off knee surgery, then rounded into form in December, but he hurt his hand on Jan. 11 and his 3-point shooting has suffered since. When the Bulls' season was at a low point, The Athletic reported that LaVine wasn't seeing eye to eye with the organization and had met privately with DeMar DeRozan multiple times to talk through their on-court issues. If Chicago trades LaVine, who turns 28 in March, it could, in theory, either use the stuff it gets back to build a more balanced team around DeRozan or move the other guys on this list and start from the bottom.
DeRozan has been even more efficient in his second year with the Bulls, and, if they were to make him available, they could ask for the moon -- he has clearly outplayed the three-year, $81.9 million contract he signed in 2021. On a related note, DeRozan will be eligible for a four-year extension worth more than $150 million in the summer. If Chicago isn't sure whether or not it wants to offer it to him, then it must consider its trade options, either now or after the season.
Speaking of extensions, Vucevic is eligible for one right now. In December, both ESPN and Yahoo Sports reported that there were no negotiations about this taking place. If he is not extended, then the 32-year-old center will be an unrestricted free agent in July. And while his jump shot has been much more reliable than it was last season, his value is not nearly what it was when the Bulls traded for him a couple of years ago. All of this means that he and the team are in an odd place -- in assessing potential trades, the front office must think more about what he'll cost to retain than about what it gave up to get him.
Alex Caruso
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CHI • SG • #6
Contract: $9M, $9.5M, $9.9M partially ($3M) guaranteed
PPG5.6
RPG3
APG3.3
Just about every contender would love to have Caruso, and the same goes for the middle-of-the-pack teams that are trying to climb up the standings. As the deadline approaches, will Chicago fit in the latter category? If not, then there is logic in trading him. Caruso is flat-out one of the best defenders in the NBA, and his contract is one of the biggest bargains there is. Should the Bulls decide that they aren't that concerned about where they finish this season, they'll pit his suitors against each other and see how much they can get.
See also: Coby White, Andre Drummond, Goran Dragic, Derrick Jones Jr.
John Collins is going to be on this list again, right?
You bet. And he's not the NBA's only perpetual trade candidate. It will be funny if these guys all stay put once again.
John Collins
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ATL • PF • #20
Contract: $23.5M, $25.3M, $26.6M, $26.6M player option
PPG13.5
RPG7.7
APG1.2
Collins' usage has dropped below 17 percent this season, a career low, and, after a nasty finger injury last March, his 3-point shooting has declined, too. He's been on the block forever, but it has never been more obvious that he needs to be on a different team, playing a different role. Utah and Washington have been among the interested teams, according to The Athletic, and recently he has also been linked to the Pelicans by Bleacher Report, the Rockets by The Athletic and the Pacers by Yahoo Sports. Indiana is an intriguing destination because it has a center that can both protect the rim and space the floor when Collins is a roll man... for now, at least.
Indiana used its $17 million of cap space to renegotiate Turner's current contract, effectively front-loading a two-year, $58 million extension. The structure of the deal means that, technically, he can still be traded before the deadline, according to CBA expert Larry Coon. And given that he has mostly stayed healthy, made almost 40 percent of his 3s, increased his free throw attempts and generally been more assertive as a roller and a scorer this season, his salary will be extremely team-friendly when the extension kicks in. But while the extension makes him a more attractive trade target, it also makes him a trickier one -- matching his $34.6 million salary this season isn't easy for most teams -- and, according to the Pacers, he isn't going anywhere. At his introductory press conference on Jan. 30, coach Rick Carlisle said he's "off the trade block," team president Kevin Pritchard said they "don't sign a player to trade a player" and Turner himself said he's "here to stay."
Eric Gordon
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HOU • SF • #10
Contract: $19.6M, $20.9M non-guaranteed
PPG12.5
RPG2.1
APG2.7
Gordon is the Rockets' lone holdover from the Mike D'Antoni era, and he's the only player in their rotation who entered this season with more than three years of NBA experience. His numbers aren't as awesome as they were last season, but the 34-year-old guard can still help a contender with floor spacing and playmaking. His $19.6 million salary this season is an impediment to a deal, but his $20.9 million 2023-24 salary is fully non-guaranteed. (One twist on that: It becomes fully guaranteed in the event that his team wins a championship.)
See also: Terrence Ross, Richaun Holmes
What about upcoming unrestricted free agents?
If a team doesn't anticipate re-signing a player who is about to hit free agency, then it makes sense to move that player elsewhere, particularly if the team isn't a title contender and can find a trade preferable to playing the sign-and-trade game.
