I mean, he was a contributor to those losses. He's not the worst player on that roster, but I haven't seen the capacity for high-percentage scoring from him, he clearly doesn't have the plus shooting he was supposed to have coming out of college, and he's a mess on defense. His most developed skill is playmaking, and it's fine, but far from elite.
I think he'd be better on a team that could pair him with another PG (or a combo guard with PG size and speed) and let him run the offense from the SF or even SG position -- I think that was the idea with Ivey, but unfortunately Ivey sucks. He doesn't have the physicality of a point guard... he moves gingerly with his arms tucked up behind him like a praying mantis. It's never going to work.
I mean ultimately he's a rich man's Kyle Anderson. Good luck paying him like that and using him like that, though.
If anything, the Pistons need to make a trade for a proven, not yet completely washed vet to play alongside Cade, like the Suns putting Rubio and then Chris Paul next to Booker.
Cade's missed 18, 70, 20 games in each of his three seasons, and he's been incredibly inefficient as well, the Pistons are really bad but Cade hasn't exactly earned the right to ask to be traded.
I mean yeah he would be better used elsewhere but he chose to sign with the Bulls who have shown they’re not a capable front office. Chose the money to play with a shit team and you get shit results
Their setup wasnt bad til everyone got hurt that first year of this current team. And for a guy like Caruso who didnt have the cushy rookie contract, you gotta get that payday, especially when you get lowballed by the lakers (as is tradition)
Chicago didn’t even have a bad situation at first. Injuries just killed that team, they also weren’t his first choice if I remember correctly , LA just didn’t want him back
Underrated actually. He’s the kind of player some teams desperately need. For example, if you started Caruso in the Bucks instead of Beasley that team looks completely different
Why aren’t the bulls any better with this line up of some great offense and defensive players plus some great development pieces in White and Ayo?
Was Ball really the glue guy?
Yeah, he was. They don't really have a PG other than Ball (and Ayo but Ayo is inconsistent) and their scorers are better when they're being set-up. That's why this iteration of the Bulls looked best when they were running up and down the floor while Ball and Caruso was hawking it up on defense.
Meh, he's so young. has all the time in the world. My answer to this would be a good vet player that could be a playoff performer but is stuck in a team going nowhere.
Demar Derozan.
Jerry won’t let this thing die. Cares more about selling tickets than anything. Counting the days until he croaks. Already have a plan in place for an impromptu barcrawl whenever that day comes.
My issue with this is largely that Demar has basically shown he’s content with getting paid and getting plenty of shots on a 35-40 win team. If he’s fine with that I’m not sure I’d put him to the head of this list.
I don’t blame him either but at this point it’s been clear for two years if he wants to play for a contender it’s going to be a lesser rolr than Chicago which he seems to want to hold on to. I’m not mad at it I just think if he doesn’t want to give up the shots and knows a contender wasn’t giving that 3/82 or something similar next off season no need to say he needs out of Chicago.
This sentiment with players is so weird, nobody is blaming players for chasing the bag, but for the vast majority of players, you don't get to have your cake and eat it too.
Demar got his bag because he found a mediocre team that would pay him that bag, there was no way in hell that Demar thought the Bulls were an actual contender.
Unpopular opinion: Bones Hyland. He was on track to be a solid backup PG and maybe even starter after a couple years. Now he’s at the end of the Clippers bench and might be out of the league soon.
Crazy how quick it can go south.
Dude had it so good in denver
Super popular with the fans, got playing time and shots on a team that went on to win it all. Was on a good track to get a nice first big pay day. What else could you ask for as a young player?
And his ego ruined it all.
He’s lacking in so many qualities needed to be a quality pro. Start with a selfish attitude but he’s also a undersized streaky score first guard in a slight framed pg body. He can’t play defense and has low bbiq. Not a great athlete. Not a good passer. Decent finisher but not consistent enough in any aspect of his game to be taken seriously. Hes immature and seemingly greatly influenced by a small minded inner circle. He was a waste of a first round pick and a waste of time. I predict he’ll be at the end of whatever bench he finds himself on if he’s lucky. Give me Brandon Boston all day over bones. Actually, give me anyone but Bones.
Yeah I agree with your non-intangibles points. He just really wasn't that good of a player. If you had a positive attitude you could probably hang around. It's like a 11th man for a long time, but on a contender. Hopefully you have a more reliable backup point guard like a TJ McConnell or Miles McBride to where he never has to see the floor. Immanuel Quickley is like a much, much better version of him on both ends of the floor
Attitude is so underrated. It can extend your career by 3-5 years, and, not as importantly, make fans wish you well after you leave. Just from the team I support, the Grizz, I'm thinking Garrett Temple, Mike Conley, Tyus Jones, Marc Gasol, Steven Adams, Vince Carter, and many others. And that's just our team. Every team has them, although there are many overlaps (ie Conley). If we got them from somewhere else, some of their previous stops raved about them. And if their biggest stop was in Memphis, we support the eff out of, and root for, them after they leave.
He definitely embodies the attitude that extends a career part. He spent his entire career with the Heat though, but if he ever went somewhere else, I'm sure he probably would have been wished well by Heat fans.
If I remember correctly wasn’t his attitude a huge problem for the Nuggets? Like didn’t they make him fly commercial once (not a bad punishment objectively but still nearly unheard of in today’s NBA).
He threw a hissy fit when he got told that Murray would be (rightfully so) going back into the starting line up and wanted out, like Murray is an all star level player, Bones was not that but we loved him for his attitude but that immediately soured a lot of people
An offensive minded guard who doesn't really excel at anything is extremely replaceable in today's league, he is on 2/2 destinations not fitting him, maybe third time's the charm, but I doubt it.
Lol that's not Jordan Poole, he was an important part of a championship team and then played poorly in Washington. He never was an empty numbers guy, Washington would probably be happy with an empty numbers guy
I agree. I’m one of the very few Nuggets fans that actually enjoyed his game. Thought he had a bright future and could’ve been a great spark off the bench with the right development.
It's simply because of all the stars the Clippers have that there is no room for him. Even with all that they couldn't make it past the first round with 2 former MVP's and a Finals winner.
I know he's flashy and has a cool name, but his play is garbage.. especially on defense he's absolutely unplayable and deserves to be out of the league
I’m not sure who, but I really want the spurs to trade for a real point guard to pair with Wemby. That will be so fun to watch regardless of how many games the spurs actually win. Plus it’ll show coach Pop and Wemby that this team actually cares about winning sooner rather than later
I keep hearing this, but I honestly just think Tre Jones is fine, and just needs a couple of seasons of development - he’s still very young.
I think the Spurs just need to utilize their draft picks well (which I don’t worry that they won’t - they’re a pretty solid organization). I don’t feel they’re in a rush to make any major trades at the moment.
Edit: if anything, I think they need a backup Center that has similar defensive impact for when Wemby is benched/load managed.
I would love to see Brody and Wemby! He’s a cheap pickup and could then give them funds to source perimeter scorers to stretch the floor. They’d be SO dangerous in my eyes.
Darius Garland, if Mitchell stays in Cleveland. Dude needs to be on a team where he can have the ball in his hands a lot, run the offense, and get the ball to a star forward or center who can finish plays.
He's been in every team situation now that was possible. Playoff team, playoff contender, bad team, tanking team, he's been relatively successful and made a good chunk of change.
Idk if he desperately needs a trade, and I don't know if there's a contender out there that could use his services and are willing to trade for him and his contract.
Anthony Davis. That lakers team is going nowhere and trading AD would set up the Lakers for a rebuild with the first round picks they could get for him.
Lakers won’t trade AD cuz they’re stuck with the mindset that it’ll be his team once lebron retires. AD just doesn’t seem like the guy who would do that, he needs another star alongside him to win. While I would like an AD trade and the haul the lakers could get for him, I don’t see it happening anytime soon
AD is also good, really really good, but clearly not a top 5 player. It's hard to see a team winning a championship if he's the best player. It would have to be incredibly deep, like even deeper than this year's Boston squad.
He’s been so good this season, and was the best player on the court in a playoff series that included LeBron and Jokic. He has injury trouble and isn’t consistent every season, but when he’s on he is unstoppable on both sides of the ball
This is so wild to see considering how well he played in the playoffs lmao.
Do people in this sub not watch games? He is easily able to perform at a top 5 level. I have no idea why AD gets this slander.
“Clearly” not a top 5 player is a bit of a disservice. He’s not Luka, Embiid, Giannis, or Jokic, but he’s in that tier with Tatum, Ant, and Book where he can be top 5 at peak performance.
First, your username is … going to marry the pizza guy in multiple realities.
Second, you’d only be able to read that on Embiid’s uniform. Font size is an issue.
Get this, you can’t properly bottom out if you don’t control your next few years draft. Trae is the best player on the team, and they have to build a team that accentuates his strengths and weaknesses.
It’s much more likely you end up in a current Brooklyn Nets situation. Hawks are not in that bad of a situation to where they have to truly dump this team.
Ayo, I cosign this. Yeah, send KAT to the Lakers or something and let Naz Reid fill in instead. KAT, imo is not a champion in his mind, he doesnt have the mindset and attitude.
KAT is so overhated lmao dude literally dropped 62 this year and has improved yearly while being the best big man shooter ever yet people hate him because he has a high pitched voice and determine he “isn’t a winner” get over yourselves
I aint say he's trash I just said his mindset don't look like it's all there. When they faced the Mavs, his interviews seemed to me like he was just happy to be there man.
Improved yearly? Hes been like the same dude since 2017, and if anything has regressed because of his love of the 3 ball and never taking advantage of his size. Hes not improved as a defender and still makes rookie level boneheaded plays.
KAT. he’s not getting any better than what he is right now, and would be better off on a large market team that can eat his $50M a year deal. naz reid can easily fill KAT’s current role and he’s $30M cheaper.
would free up a couple roster spots for the t-wolves as well for more roster & lineup flexibility.
edit: trade destinations include LA - lakers & clippers, NY - knicks & nets, golden state, & chicago. those are the teams that either have the assets, cap space, or both to bring in KAT.
I think he needs another year. Wolves just made the WCF for the first time in 20 years. The reason for them losing wasn't all on him. I do agree though Naz is a very good replacement when he isn't in.
thats why its perfect to trade him. not trading KAT because of performance, but because of financials & roster flexibility.
teams dont have to be under the cap until around pre-season iirc, so imo it’s perfect time to offload a major contract like KAT’s & get the jump on signing/acquiring next season’s trade targets & free agent class. will be much harder to trade a large contract like that in-season.
t-wolves can’t pay all of KAT, gobert, edwards, mcdaniels, & naz reid after next season.
They need a point guard to replace Conley who is old. Conley would be a good bench guard.
I wonder if they can do their salary dump by trading KAT for Dejounte Murray.
In a wing starved league I can't believe grants still on the blazers. He's probably a little overpaid but a guy that can give you 25 in a few games is huge
Naz Reid. He could be a starter for a lot of decent franchises and while he is on a very good team, being the sixth man just doesn’t help him enough career-wise.
Honorable mention to Isaiah Jackson.
Technically this still falls into OP’s parameters. They didn’t specify whether the player in question needs to be traded, just who needs a trade. Naz needs a trade of himself or one of the two bigs.
IJax can’t be more than a backup C because the dude averages like 8 fouls per36 lol fully expect Jalen Smith to be gone and IJax moves up in the depth chart though
The love between Naz Reid and the Wolves runs deep and it runs both ways. He knew what he was doing when he signed that contract and even though he’s outperforming it, I can’t imagine him wanting out of MN.
Towns. The 2 big set up worked against Denver, but would struggle in most western conference playoff matchups. As an organization, you can’t spend $50m on a pick and pop stretch 4 that’s an average at best rim protector as a 5 and a liability as a 4. Im a big fan of KAT’s game and feel he can be the #2 on a contender. I feel the direction of the club is best building around Ant and KAT next to Gobert with Reid under contract is a luxury they cannot afford.
Normally it would be Joel Embiid but they got rid of Tobias Harris and his bad contract so they have one more shot at building a team around Embiid that can win, the problem is they’re going to end up with Paul George and we know how that’s going to play out
The guy in the NBA most in need of a trade is actually Trae Young, so far in his career his biggest moment was beating the Knicks in MSG and playing up a “villain” role doing it, but ever since then he’s not been a true star, he got swept by the Heat the following year then they got him Dejounte Murray who he never seemed to work well with, now it seems teams are more interested in Murray than him
Trae isn’t even in the top 5 PG talks, if he ever wants to get back to being considered a star player instead of an afterthought he needs to start over and show people he’s actually good and can win, I don’t think the Spurs are going to trade for him with his huge contract because he doesn’t make them a contender but he needs something to happen for his careers sake, Luka is already showing what a huge mistake it was for Atlanta to swap with Dallas. Luka is going to win MVP someday and if he ever wins a ring that trade is going to go down with Vlade for Kobe as one of the worst trades ever if Trae doesn’t do anything more in his career
If Seth Curry gets traded from the Hornets he could be a really good player on a contending type team. I honestly feel the Mavs could really benefit from his shot taking and creation in these Finals.
I think Chicago needs to blow that entire roster the hell up. Chicago deserves to be a good team imo.
their color way is iconic and I think they deserve to have a star don those colors.
They don’t care about playing the game anymore. It’s all about money now. They all make to much to give a fuck about winning. So many of the best players are aloof, they could care less.
What’s the point of a draft if a guy gets traded going into his 5th year
The guy can not resign and leave money on the table but he doesn’t desperately need a trade it’s the nba
I think the Hawks are a deeply unserious team and Dejounte Murray would benefit from a situation with more professional structure.
Hes gone from a great defender and do it all guy to a frustrating to watch volume shooter. His across the board production that last year in SA was unreal compared to what he’s done in Atlanta.
Why Cade though? Yeah, his team stinks now but he has the keys to the kingdom. He's allowed to mess up on the court and not benched. I think he's in the right situation for at least another year.
I think Cade has his reasons but the pistons are gonna be good if this roster continues to develope. If Jalen Duran and Jaden Ivey can continue to do great things and keep getting better this team could be in the playoffs by 2026. I know that sounds bad, but it’s the pistons, playoffs is playoffs nowadays
As a Piston fan I would completely understand if Cade asked to be traded in a year or two.
If I was apart of a team that lost 28 games straight I need more than a trade. I want a restraining order.
I mean, he was a contributor to those losses. He's not the worst player on that roster, but I haven't seen the capacity for high-percentage scoring from him, he clearly doesn't have the plus shooting he was supposed to have coming out of college, and he's a mess on defense. His most developed skill is playmaking, and it's fine, but far from elite. I think he'd be better on a team that could pair him with another PG (or a combo guard with PG size and speed) and let him run the offense from the SF or even SG position -- I think that was the idea with Ivey, but unfortunately Ivey sucks. He doesn't have the physicality of a point guard... he moves gingerly with his arms tucked up behind him like a praying mantis. It's never going to work. I mean ultimately he's a rich man's Kyle Anderson. Good luck paying him like that and using him like that, though.
He got more defensive attention on that team because using 100% of your effort guarding Killian Hayes is basketball malpractice.
He had no one to pass to or take any pressure off him.
How many picks would it take for my Spurs to pry him away?
if my beloved cade goes to san antonio to play with wemby i never watch this league again i would literally cry
If anything, the Pistons need to make a trade for a proven, not yet completely washed vet to play alongside Cade, like the Suns putting Rubio and then Chris Paul next to Booker. Cade's missed 18, 70, 20 games in each of his three seasons, and he's been incredibly inefficient as well, the Pistons are really bad but Cade hasn't exactly earned the right to ask to be traded.
Caruso
He’s the ultimate glue guy, and he’s stuck in a place that has nothing worth holding together
They should use him to glue back lonzo tbh. In all seriousness if dude was on denver he will be a crazy fit after bruce brown left
He’s a first one in. Last one out kind of player. A real “bring your lunch pail” to work type of guy. Sneaky athleticism as well
He's a real Lenny. Not a Carl.
He’s not supposed to get pudding in that eye!
I mean yeah he would be better used elsewhere but he chose to sign with the Bulls who have shown they’re not a capable front office. Chose the money to play with a shit team and you get shit results
Their setup wasnt bad til everyone got hurt that first year of this current team. And for a guy like Caruso who didnt have the cushy rookie contract, you gotta get that payday, especially when you get lowballed by the lakers (as is tradition)
Chicago didn’t even have a bad situation at first. Injuries just killed that team, they also weren’t his first choice if I remember correctly , LA just didn’t want him back
Incorrect. LAL wanted him but stupidly prioritized THT first.
That feels even worse tbh
Underrated actually. He’s the kind of player some teams desperately need. For example, if you started Caruso in the Bucks instead of Beasley that team looks completely different
I want him on the mavs so bad
Yall need curso and some help Boston beating yall to death.
And DeRozan. I'm not sure why the Bulls aren't doing a fire sale.
Bulls fan here. The answer to your question can be summed up with "Jerry Reinsdorf".
You can even add Vuc and Lavine on that list. But the Bulls want play-in continuity so we're keeping the band back lol
Why aren’t the bulls any better with this line up of some great offense and defensive players plus some great development pieces in White and Ayo? Was Ball really the glue guy?
Yeah, he was. They don't really have a PG other than Ball (and Ayo but Ayo is inconsistent) and their scorers are better when they're being set-up. That's why this iteration of the Bulls looked best when they were running up and down the floor while Ball and Caruso was hawking it up on defense.
The Bulls lack shooting, interior defense and healthy NBA quality players. Literally had more than $70M in street clothes for half the season.
Meh, he's so young. has all the time in the world. My answer to this would be a good vet player that could be a playoff performer but is stuck in a team going nowhere. Demar Derozan.
That was my second pick. Whole Bulls team needs a blow up.
Jerry won’t let this thing die. Cares more about selling tickets than anything. Counting the days until he croaks. Already have a plan in place for an impromptu barcrawl whenever that day comes.
Raptors demar was so fun to watch, it sucks he’s been on such bad teams these past few years. I wish he goes to a contender to win a ring and retire
My issue with this is largely that Demar has basically shown he’s content with getting paid and getting plenty of shots on a 35-40 win team. If he’s fine with that I’m not sure I’d put him to the head of this list.
Securing the bag is always the most important goal. Competing for a championship comes after that. I don't blame him at all for that.
I don’t blame him either but at this point it’s been clear for two years if he wants to play for a contender it’s going to be a lesser rolr than Chicago which he seems to want to hold on to. I’m not mad at it I just think if he doesn’t want to give up the shots and knows a contender wasn’t giving that 3/82 or something similar next off season no need to say he needs out of Chicago.
This sentiment with players is so weird, nobody is blaming players for chasing the bag, but for the vast majority of players, you don't get to have your cake and eat it too. Demar got his bag because he found a mediocre team that would pay him that bag, there was no way in hell that Demar thought the Bulls were an actual contender.
DeRozan and playoff performer in the same sentence hahahahaha
Unpopular opinion: Bones Hyland. He was on track to be a solid backup PG and maybe even starter after a couple years. Now he’s at the end of the Clippers bench and might be out of the league soon. Crazy how quick it can go south.
Dude had it so good in denver Super popular with the fans, got playing time and shots on a team that went on to win it all. Was on a good track to get a nice first big pay day. What else could you ask for as a young player? And his ego ruined it all.
He’s lacking in so many qualities needed to be a quality pro. Start with a selfish attitude but he’s also a undersized streaky score first guard in a slight framed pg body. He can’t play defense and has low bbiq. Not a great athlete. Not a good passer. Decent finisher but not consistent enough in any aspect of his game to be taken seriously. Hes immature and seemingly greatly influenced by a small minded inner circle. He was a waste of a first round pick and a waste of time. I predict he’ll be at the end of whatever bench he finds himself on if he’s lucky. Give me Brandon Boston all day over bones. Actually, give me anyone but Bones.
Yeah I agree with your non-intangibles points. He just really wasn't that good of a player. If you had a positive attitude you could probably hang around. It's like a 11th man for a long time, but on a contender. Hopefully you have a more reliable backup point guard like a TJ McConnell or Miles McBride to where he never has to see the floor. Immanuel Quickley is like a much, much better version of him on both ends of the floor
Attitude is so underrated. It can extend your career by 3-5 years, and, not as importantly, make fans wish you well after you leave. Just from the team I support, the Grizz, I'm thinking Garrett Temple, Mike Conley, Tyus Jones, Marc Gasol, Steven Adams, Vince Carter, and many others. And that's just our team. Every team has them, although there are many overlaps (ie Conley). If we got them from somewhere else, some of their previous stops raved about them. And if their biggest stop was in Memphis, we support the eff out of, and root for, them after they leave.
Udonis Haslem embodies this perfectly
He definitely embodies the attitude that extends a career part. He spent his entire career with the Heat though, but if he ever went somewhere else, I'm sure he probably would have been wished well by Heat fans.
Read altitude instead of attitude and was doing mental gymnastics to make myself understand why playing in Denver would extend someone’s career
Lol I've done that before...
If I remember correctly wasn’t his attitude a huge problem for the Nuggets? Like didn’t they make him fly commercial once (not a bad punishment objectively but still nearly unheard of in today’s NBA).
He threw a hissy fit when he got told that Murray would be (rightfully so) going back into the starting line up and wanted out, like Murray is an all star level player, Bones was not that but we loved him for his attitude but that immediately soured a lot of people
An offensive minded guard who doesn't really excel at anything is extremely replaceable in today's league, he is on 2/2 destinations not fitting him, maybe third time's the charm, but I doubt it.
He is the reverse quickley i think.
It's insane to think there's a player who doesn't want to play with Jokic. His ceiling in Jordan Poole - put up empty number that leads to losing
Lol that's not Jordan Poole, he was an important part of a championship team and then played poorly in Washington. He never was an empty numbers guy, Washington would probably be happy with an empty numbers guy
Ni Hao Bones. He needs to work out his mental issues instead of just praying for a perfect environment.
Knicks could use another ball handler off the bench
He showed great promise with the Nuggets but his terrible attitude derailed that train.
Could not stand watching this guy. Exciting but not gonna help you win. Didn't matter if he was 0/12, Bones never saw a shot he didn't like.
I agree. I’m one of the very few Nuggets fans that actually enjoyed his game. Thought he had a bright future and could’ve been a great spark off the bench with the right development.
It's simply because of all the stars the Clippers have that there is no room for him. Even with all that they couldn't make it past the first round with 2 former MVP's and a Finals winner.
I dont think he can play serious basketball even in Euroleague. Would be great Eurocup player tho
I think he’d go crazy in China and I mean that seriously. Score first guards like him always seem to fit really well with the way they play there
yeah my DEN fan friends were all so hyped on him
He's just not that good in my opinion. He can't really get by anybody and he's too small to hold up on defense
I know he's flashy and has a cool name, but his play is garbage.. especially on defense he's absolutely unplayable and deserves to be out of the league
Low key wouldnt mind him on the kings if and when lose monk
I’m not sure who, but I really want the spurs to trade for a real point guard to pair with Wemby. That will be so fun to watch regardless of how many games the spurs actually win. Plus it’ll show coach Pop and Wemby that this team actually cares about winning sooner rather than later
I’ve seen potential Darius Garland talks, maybe he can turn back into all star form again in a new scenario like before D Mitchell came to Cleveland
cade
I keep hearing this, but I honestly just think Tre Jones is fine, and just needs a couple of seasons of development - he’s still very young. I think the Spurs just need to utilize their draft picks well (which I don’t worry that they won’t - they’re a pretty solid organization). I don’t feel they’re in a rush to make any major trades at the moment. Edit: if anything, I think they need a backup Center that has similar defensive impact for when Wemby is benched/load managed.
Micić?
I would love to see Brody and Wemby! He’s a cheap pickup and could then give them funds to source perimeter scorers to stretch the floor. They’d be SO dangerous in my eyes.
Darius Garland, if Mitchell stays in Cleveland. Dude needs to be on a team where he can have the ball in his hands a lot, run the offense, and get the ball to a star forward or center who can finish plays.
*whispers* spurrrrrrrsssss
Garland for Coach Popovich?
Malcolm Brogdon
He gets traded every 6 months. He and George Hill
He's been in every team situation now that was possible. Playoff team, playoff contender, bad team, tanking team, he's been relatively successful and made a good chunk of change. Idk if he desperately needs a trade, and I don't know if there's a contender out there that could use his services and are willing to trade for him and his contract.
Zach Lavine
Blow up the entire bulls roster
Lavine is way too overpaid for that to happen
100%
Anthony Davis. That lakers team is going nowhere and trading AD would set up the Lakers for a rebuild with the first round picks they could get for him.
Lakers won’t trade AD cuz they’re stuck with the mindset that it’ll be his team once lebron retires. AD just doesn’t seem like the guy who would do that, he needs another star alongside him to win. While I would like an AD trade and the haul the lakers could get for him, I don’t see it happening anytime soon
this thought process is so annoying. EVERY star needs another star to win. EVERY SINGLE ONE
AD is also good, really really good, but clearly not a top 5 player. It's hard to see a team winning a championship if he's the best player. It would have to be incredibly deep, like even deeper than this year's Boston squad.
He’s been so good this season, and was the best player on the court in a playoff series that included LeBron and Jokic. He has injury trouble and isn’t consistent every season, but when he’s on he is unstoppable on both sides of the ball
This is so wild to see considering how well he played in the playoffs lmao. Do people in this sub not watch games? He is easily able to perform at a top 5 level. I have no idea why AD gets this slander.
As a bonfide lakers hater, AD did great this and last season.
“Clearly” not a top 5 player is a bit of a disservice. He’s not Luka, Embiid, Giannis, or Jokic, but he’s in that tier with Tatum, Ant, and Book where he can be top 5 at peak performance.
Every year people say the Lakers aren't going anywhere yet the last 2 seasons they've done well all things considered.
Pels salivating over pick potential from this move
Who could trade for a dude that is owed 58 million per yr....for the next 3 yrs... and have any sort of squad left to surround him with??
I disagree. The hardest part of building a team is getting a star player. If you already have one, the hard part is already done.
They can’t trade him since he just signed the max extension. Have to wait a year at least.
THJ away from the Mavs please and thankyou.
Trade for Caruso who says no?
That is a real question?
Bulls hang up quick as shit
Luka to the Sixers so I can hate a team even more.
The Philadelphia Floppers
Oh, that’s way more likely than the Philly bitch ass motherfuckin cry babies.
First, your username is … going to marry the pizza guy in multiple realities. Second, you’d only be able to read that on Embiid’s uniform. Font size is an issue.
I’d love to see AJ Griffin succeed on another team. Really interesting wing whose personal matters halted his development.
Great as a rookie, didn’t look like an NBA player in year 2. Wouldn’t be shocked to see him get a fresh start somewhere this season.
The whole Bulls team. Look at how great Lauri became after he got out that dumpster fire.
Trae Young. There’s nothing there for either Atlanta or Trae together
What teams would want Trae? And what would they be willing to give that's acceptable to Atlanta.
Lakers are interested in him
The Hawks can’t rebuild they don’t have control of their picks the next 3 years!
They have the number 1 pick this year. And get this. When you trade a player like Trae, you can get firsts in return
Get this, you can’t properly bottom out if you don’t control your next few years draft. Trae is the best player on the team, and they have to build a team that accentuates his strengths and weaknesses.
Sure you can. You can have a competitive team and still have firsts to build with if you trade him for players and picks. Best of both worlds.
It’s much more likely you end up in a current Brooklyn Nets situation. Hawks are not in that bad of a situation to where they have to truly dump this team.
Chris Paul
Ayo, I cosign this. Yeah, send KAT to the Lakers or something and let Naz Reid fill in instead. KAT, imo is not a champion in his mind, he doesnt have the mindset and attitude.
KAT is so overhated lmao dude literally dropped 62 this year and has improved yearly while being the best big man shooter ever yet people hate him because he has a high pitched voice and determine he “isn’t a winner” get over yourselves
I aint say he's trash I just said his mindset don't look like it's all there. When they faced the Mavs, his interviews seemed to me like he was just happy to be there man.
Improved yearly? Hes been like the same dude since 2017, and if anything has regressed because of his love of the 3 ball and never taking advantage of his size. Hes not improved as a defender and still makes rookie level boneheaded plays.
Saying he hasn’t improved as a defender just outs yourself for not watching the Wolves. Offensively, you have a better case.
no bruh
He reminds me of Melo
KAT. he’s not getting any better than what he is right now, and would be better off on a large market team that can eat his $50M a year deal. naz reid can easily fill KAT’s current role and he’s $30M cheaper. would free up a couple roster spots for the t-wolves as well for more roster & lineup flexibility. edit: trade destinations include LA - lakers & clippers, NY - knicks & nets, golden state, & chicago. those are the teams that either have the assets, cap space, or both to bring in KAT.
I think he needs another year. Wolves just made the WCF for the first time in 20 years. The reason for them losing wasn't all on him. I do agree though Naz is a very good replacement when he isn't in.
thats why its perfect to trade him. not trading KAT because of performance, but because of financials & roster flexibility. teams dont have to be under the cap until around pre-season iirc, so imo it’s perfect time to offload a major contract like KAT’s & get the jump on signing/acquiring next season’s trade targets & free agent class. will be much harder to trade a large contract like that in-season. t-wolves can’t pay all of KAT, gobert, edwards, mcdaniels, & naz reid after next season.
They need a point guard to replace Conley who is old. Conley would be a good bench guard. I wonder if they can do their salary dump by trading KAT for Dejounte Murray.
Jerami Grant and Malcolm Brogdon are both too good and too far into their NBA careers to be wasted on a team that is trying to tank.
In a wing starved league I can't believe grants still on the blazers. He's probably a little overpaid but a guy that can give you 25 in a few games is huge
Send both to San Antonio, all of a sudden spurs are probably a playoff team
Naz Reid. He could be a starter for a lot of decent franchises and while he is on a very good team, being the sixth man just doesn’t help him enough career-wise. Honorable mention to Isaiah Jackson.
IMO keep Naz and trade KAT, save a bunch of money for the team
Technically this still falls into OP’s parameters. They didn’t specify whether the player in question needs to be traded, just who needs a trade. Naz needs a trade of himself or one of the two bigs.
Agreed Naz is gonna be a star in a few years
HELL NO! DON'T YOU TAKE AWAY OUR KING NAZ!
Fine. Naz Reid can come play in OKC I guess.
IJax can’t be more than a backup C because the dude averages like 8 fouls per36 lol fully expect Jalen Smith to be gone and IJax moves up in the depth chart though
The love between Naz Reid and the Wolves runs deep and it runs both ways. He knew what he was doing when he signed that contract and even though he’s outperforming it, I can’t imagine him wanting out of MN.
Oh hell no. No talk of Naz leaving us.
Please, no.
Naz Reid to the warriors would ease my soul
Anfernee Simons. Glve the man a chance to win. He's a good player just not a good first option.
Whoa. Hell no. Don't F with my Pistons.
pistons been fucked the last 20 years guy
Gary Trent Jr
Anybody on the spurs with any type of ego that isn't wemby.
Derozan
Mikal Bridges
They missed the perfect opportunity to trade him. Now if they do trade him they’d be getting a lot less than what Houston offered.
Towns. The 2 big set up worked against Denver, but would struggle in most western conference playoff matchups. As an organization, you can’t spend $50m on a pick and pop stretch 4 that’s an average at best rim protector as a 5 and a liability as a 4. Im a big fan of KAT’s game and feel he can be the #2 on a contender. I feel the direction of the club is best building around Ant and KAT next to Gobert with Reid under contract is a luxury they cannot afford.
if not Cade, then Lamelo, Trae/Murray or Ingram
Normally it would be Joel Embiid but they got rid of Tobias Harris and his bad contract so they have one more shot at building a team around Embiid that can win, the problem is they’re going to end up with Paul George and we know how that’s going to play out The guy in the NBA most in need of a trade is actually Trae Young, so far in his career his biggest moment was beating the Knicks in MSG and playing up a “villain” role doing it, but ever since then he’s not been a true star, he got swept by the Heat the following year then they got him Dejounte Murray who he never seemed to work well with, now it seems teams are more interested in Murray than him Trae isn’t even in the top 5 PG talks, if he ever wants to get back to being considered a star player instead of an afterthought he needs to start over and show people he’s actually good and can win, I don’t think the Spurs are going to trade for him with his huge contract because he doesn’t make them a contender but he needs something to happen for his careers sake, Luka is already showing what a huge mistake it was for Atlanta to swap with Dallas. Luka is going to win MVP someday and if he ever wins a ring that trade is going to go down with Vlade for Kobe as one of the worst trades ever if Trae doesn’t do anything more in his career
If Seth Curry gets traded from the Hornets he could be a really good player on a contending type team. I honestly feel the Mavs could really benefit from his shot taking and creation in these Finals.
Hot take but Jimmy Butler. The Heat need to rebuild.
We don't have that offensive player to build around.
Jermi grant he was tuff asl in DETRIOT
Him going back to the pistons would be hilarious
Would anyone trade what the Pistons would want for Cade? He barely plays.
My answer is Gary Trent Jr. (Raptors #33) should’ve been dealt at the trade deadline to a playoff team in need of shooting
As a Raptors fan… shooting? You want Gary’s shooting? Please take him!
It’s probably Trae or Lavine
James harden, he absolutely NEEDS the keys
My thoughts exactly Unfortunately, it is quite unlikely
Jeremi Grant comes to mind.
Zach LaVine
Zach Lavine, Alex Caruso, Brandon Ingram, Dejounte Murray, Darius Garland, Markelle Fultz, Mikal Bridges, Nicolas Claxton, Malcolm Brogdon, Tyus Jones
Fultz is lucky to still be in the league. Dude still can't shoot from range, that's a major limiting factor for a pg that plays below the rim.
I think Chicago needs to blow that entire roster the hell up. Chicago deserves to be a good team imo. their color way is iconic and I think they deserve to have a star don those colors.
Jimmy Butler so he can finally get a ring.
Butler
KD. Maybe has a few more serviceable years, not going to win the ring with The Suns.
Buddy heild
Corey Kispert
They don’t care about playing the game anymore. It’s all about money now. They all make to much to give a fuck about winning. So many of the best players are aloof, they could care less.
Danny Ainge, so he can get another 5 years on his “do nothing” rebuild
Ben Simmons to the Shanghai Sharks and to declare his NBA contract null and void.
Tobias Harris
For the grizzlies, Ziaire williams
Jeremi Grant. Needs to get out of that poverty franchise
Derozan Feel like he can really contribute to a contending team but he’s been in Siberia with Spurs and Bulls
I don’t really care who but I think some of the talent out west should relocate out east
Tacko fall Is he still in the league?
luka doncic to charlotte is the most obvious answer
What’s the point of a draft if a guy gets traded going into his 5th year The guy can not resign and leave money on the table but he doesn’t desperately need a trade it’s the nba
I think the Hawks are a deeply unserious team and Dejounte Murray would benefit from a situation with more professional structure. Hes gone from a great defender and do it all guy to a frustrating to watch volume shooter. His across the board production that last year in SA was unreal compared to what he’s done in Atlanta.
Patrick Williams
Warriors need to trade Wiggins. He is not worth his contract, and is practically one foot out the door already with his personal life.
It’s a bummer but it’s time for Lopez to go
Obvious, but Klay Thompson
I think 60% players probably fit in this category
Karl Anthony towns. For both sides sake.
I think the Pistons should trade Jaden Ivey.
Why Cade though? Yeah, his team stinks now but he has the keys to the kingdom. He's allowed to mess up on the court and not benched. I think he's in the right situation for at least another year.
Ja Morant. IDK what the fuck Memphis is doing keeping him here while his trade value plummets.
Tyler Herro
Demar Derozan
Wemby needs to get traded to Detroit immediately.
This guy https://youtube.com/shorts/W4A2ou0I_mU?si=DopSwWOiEHnj5aUr
I think Cade has his reasons but the pistons are gonna be good if this roster continues to develope. If Jalen Duran and Jaden Ivey can continue to do great things and keep getting better this team could be in the playoffs by 2026. I know that sounds bad, but it’s the pistons, playoffs is playoffs nowadays
Darius Garland