Jimmy Butler, Timberwolves
Even with all the reported issues in negotiation between Minnesota and other teams, Butler must make this list. He wants out, and Tom Thibodeau at least said he’d honor Butler’s trade request. It’s unclear precisely what Thibodeau means by that, but Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor could always get involved, and he’s more likely to deal Butler.
In the interest of variety, the rest of this list will ignore players with heightened trade alerts simply due to Butler’s availability. Minnesota could use this as a method to unload Gorgui Dieng. The Timberwolves could get another point guard then deal Jeff Teague or Tyus Jones. The Heat are reportedly talking about trading Justise Winslow, Goran Dragic and/or Josh Richardson for Butler.
Kyle Korver, Cavaliers
Even after losing LeBron James, Cleveland is trying to maintain perception of legitimacy. That could mean trading the 37-year-old Korver to a winner. He’s still a dangerous 3-point shooter, and his contract – $7.56 million salary this season, $3.44 million of $7.5 million guaranteed next season – is quite manageable. The Cavs could see trading Korver to a contender as doing right by him, a move that would be respected around the league. And they’d get positive assets for a player extremely unlikely to contribute to their next winning team.
Marquese Chriss, Rockets
Chriss just got traded from the Suns to Houston, but don’t assume he’ll stick there all season. Rockets general manager Daryl Morey loves to wheel and deal and is especially willing to shuffle players during the season. There’s probably a place for Chriss to develop his tools in the NBA, but it might not be on a championship contender. The 21-year-old has looked so far from understanding the game well enough to help at the highest levels. If he shines with the Rockets early, they could trade him for someone more experienced and dependable. If he doesn’t play well (or maybe even if he does), Houston might just want to unload his $3,206,160 salary considering his the luxury-tax hit.
Courtney Lee, Knicks
Lee denies he wants to be traded, but he can still see the writing on the wall: He no longer fits in New York. The Knicks are rebuilding and eying 2019 free agency. Lee is 32 and due $12,759,670 in 2019-20. That salary might make Lee difficult to move, but he can still play. Plenty of teams can use another 3-and-D wing.
Dewayne Dedmon, Hawks
Dedmon is a helpful player on an expiring ($7.2 million ) contract who’s stuck on a bad team – usually a set of factors that lead to a trade. But few good teams need a center, so his market is more limited. Dedmon’s combination of production and salary give him an edge in trade likelihood over other centers on expiring contracts on bad teams: Magic’s Nikola Vucevic, Bulls’ Robin Lopez, Kings’ Kosta Koufos. Atlanta also already has John Collins, Omari Spellman and Alex Len. The Hawks should want to get what they can for Dedmon then give more playing time to those younger bigs.
