10 NBA Players Who Could Be Dealt next After Bradley Beal Trade
New York, New York (PSF) - Draft week is the unofficial start of the trade season with every pick besides the San Antonio Spurs with the No. 1 overall selection, believed to be Victor Wembanyama. The trade season started with a splash of the Phoenix Suns trading Chris Paul, Landy Shamet, and some picks to the Washington Wizards for All-Star guard Bradley Beal and Isiah Todd.
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The 10 players who could be dealt soon after the Beal trade, in my opinion, could start with:
Deandre Ayton: due to him and the Suns not being a good fit, especially with the addition of Kevin Durant, and now Beal will limit his offensive touches, also with his hefty three-year $102 million deal. The best trade landing spots for Ayton would be the Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards, and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Next, would be OG Anunoby of the Toronto Raptors, as the Raptors are very uncertain of this offseason, and teams will call about Anunoby's availability. If the Raptors decide to rebuild, it only makes sense to try and find a contender or a suitable spot for OG and get back some assets since he’s a good three-and-D wing. The best trading spots for OG would be the Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers, and Sacramento Kings.
Next would be John Collins of the Atlanta Hawks. It is believed the Hawks will try to move on from Collins due to the fit and his production not matching up with his three-year, $78.5 million contract remaining on his deal. Collins simply doesn’t fit this team anymore, so the best landing spots for a trade would be the Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, and Utah Jazz.
Buddy Hield of the Indiana Pacers should be next on the list, every team needs a wing who can shoot, and with Buddy entering the final year of his contract it wouldn’t be a shock if the Pacers try to move on from the guard. The best landing spots for a trade would be the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Zach Lavine has been on the trade market in rumors this off-season. If the Bulls want to go in a different direction due to the team not being as successful as they thought, with Lavine having four years and $178 million remaining on the extension he signed, these would be destinations he could end up via trade, the Philadelphia 76ers (if James Harden leaves), Miami Heat, and Toronto Raptors.
The biggest name in the trade market, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, has been in talks in the last few years. Since the success in Portland hasn’t taken many leaps and can grow frustration for all parties, these are the best-fit teams for Lillard via trade if possible, Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, and New Orleans Pelicans.
Surprisingly, I have Kyle Lowry up here due to his good performance all playoffs and in the Finals. I can see Lowry being a trade asset for the Heat to gain another player around Jimmy Butler. These teams would be good trade landing spots for the 37-year-old Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, and Philadelphia 76ers.
Ironically, Chris Paul makes this list with the Wizards monitoring the situation to see what they can get for the future Hall of Famer guard. These are the best landing spots for Chris, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, and Miami Heat. (I would prefer him to be on the New Orleans Pelicans).
With all the noise surrounding the Blazers about Lillard, another Blazer that may be on the move is Anfernee Simons if the team wants to add someone next to Dame and try to build off that and their No. 3 overall draft pick in this week's upcoming draft. These are the best trade landing spots for Simons, the Toronto Raptors, New Orleans Pelicans, and Brooklyn Nets.
Finally on the list not a real surprise, is Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans might be ready to move on from the All-Star forward due to his durability and production not matching up to his contract. However, the Pelicans were the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with Zion playing, so it's very shocking they would try to move on from him after seeing what the team can be with him on the court with others. These are the best landing spots for trade the Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, and New York Knicks.
Well, see what happens this week with the NBA Draft going on with a lot of trade speculation.
