Yahoo Sports NBA teams that are now in the trade market
December 15 marks the unofficial beginning of trade season in the NBA. That’s because it is the first day most of last offseason’s free agents can finally be traded. It’s also when teams have more flexibility toward aggregating multiple minimum-salary players. The new CBA added restrictions for trading minimum players, but looser aggregation rules over the next two months allow for more trade possibilities.
Trades in December or even January rarely happen. Teams are starting to understand where they stand in the league, but it’s still early to definitively know which direction to take regarding trades. Also, a handful of players still don’t become trade-eligible until January 15, and some become eligible later than that because they signed contracts so late into the offseason. The trade market will really open up in the weeks coming up to the deadline once all recent free agents can actually be traded.
Here are four teams that will officially enter the trade market this month.
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets have raised their floor from above the lottery to at least have a spot in the Play-In Tournament. They’re off to a 12-9 start but their biggest problem so far this season is their home-away disparity with only one of their wins coming on the road. On an encouraging front, they are 8-6 above teams above .500, including three wins over the Denver Nuggets.
Head coach Ime Udoka plays his starters by far the most minutes over any other five-man group in the league. They are fundamental to the Rockets’ success and are likely all here to stay. They could become big players in the trade market with the upcoming trade-eligibility for bench players in Jeff Green and Jock Landale. Also, Victor Oladipo, who was acquired for his salary in potential trades on October 17, can be aggregated starting on December 17.
Between Green ($9.6 million), Oladipo ($9.5 million), and Landale ($8 million), the Rockets can take back up to $34.6 million in exchange for all three players. But what exactly are they looking for? They were close to signing Brook Lopez last offseason. Do they still want to acquire a rim protector? What about an All-Star? They can trade multiple first-round picks and pick swaps to acquire one. Would they go all-in on this group by trading future assets or even some of their players on rookie-scale deals to acquire one? They will be an interesting team to monitor with so many options.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland’s season so far has been plagued with injuries that held them to a 4-6 start. Their top players are healthy now, but they haven’t quite broken out into last year’s form.
Max Strus is their one free agent signing who the Cavaliers can call a success. He’s definitively a fifth starter who has added much-needed shooting without taking away from their top defense. That can’t be said about the rest of their signings. Their lack of reliable options off the bench may be the biggest indicator of their offensive struggles.
Caris LeVert ($15.4 million) becomes trade-eligible and his salary alone could bring back a lot of money. He may not project to be among their starters or closers but he’s so far been their most reliable backup guard. Georges Niang ($8.8 million) and Ty Jerome ($2.4 million) will also become eligible and could be exchanged for upgrades for their bench.
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets sit with a 16-9 record holding the league’s eighth-ranked net rating. Their starting lineup holds an 8.1 net rating, which ranks 10th among lineups that have played at least 100 minutes. They’ve struggled recently as they try to reintegrate Jamal Murray back into the lineup but it still projects to be one of the best five-man lineups for the playoffs.
Right below at 11th in the league is their lineup featuring their starters with Reggie Jackson in for Murray holding a 6.9 rating. Jackson has had a very good season so far as their most reliable bench player and playing a major role in keeping the Nuggets afloat while Murray missed time.
Jackson ($5 million) also has the highest salary among Denver’s non-starters and becomes trade-eligible on December 15. He’s been great but may not factor as prominently in the playoffs if Murray plays 40 minutes per game like he did last spring. They could still use more size, versatility, and toughness to replace some of what they lost through Bruce Brown and Jeff Green. The Nuggets could take back a player with a salary north of $10 million by aggregating Jackson and Zeke Nnaji ($4.3 million).
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers will officially enter the trade market with most of their free agents becoming trade-eligible. The name that is being circled as a potential acquisition for them is Zach LaVine. They’ll have enough outgoing salaries to match for him which could be featured with players like D’Angelo Russell ($17.3 million) and Gabe Vincent ($10.5 million). Rui Hachimura ($15.7 million) will become trade-eligible on January 15.
Now that a LaVine trade could actually be consummated, the Lakers need to weigh the pros and cons of adding him to their lineup, how they could continue building the roster with the addition of his contract, and how much value they’re willing to give up for him. Would they consider trading their limited amount of tradeable draft assets or Austin Reaves, who the Bulls reportedly covet, in a LaVine-to-Lakers deal? Perhaps there’s a deal where they instead acquire DeMar DeRozan or Alex Caruso, whom the Lakers reportedly covet more.
