Trade rumor rankings: Zion Williamson, Damian Lillard and more

Instead of the five-player ranking we usually go with in our trade rumors rankings articles, today, we’re going to rank the 10 players who have appeared most often in trade rumors over the past week, as we simply have too many players to discuss now that we’ve hit the offseason.

The way we judge players for appearances on this ranking is to go by how many times they have appeared on our Trade Rumors page over the previous week, a tried and true method that has been a predictor of big names being moved in the past, as was the case with Bradley Beal just last week. (He came in at No. 1 in our most recent trade rumors rankings article right before he got traded.)

With so many players to discuss, let’s jump right into the action.

Payton Pritchard (Boston)

After a disappointing end to their 2022-23 season, the Boston Celtics are reported to be one of the most aggressive teams in pursuing trades this offseason, with the most likely candidate to be moved coming out of their deep backcourt.

And although some might think that automatically means young floor general Payton Pritchard, it appears the likeliest candidate to get dealt might actually be his teammate and reigning Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon (via Marc Stein’s newsletter):

We’ll see if Pritchard asks out this summer anyway, as has been rumored in the past, considering his lack of playing time in Boston. The former Oregon standout is now three seasons deep into his NBA career but has seen his playing time dwindle each of his years in the Association.

For the latest Payton Pritchard trade rumors, click here.

Victor Oladipo (Miami)

The heavy scuttle surrounding Miami Heat guard Victor Oladipo as a trade candidate has subsided recently, as his name was one rumored to be headed to Washington in exchange for Beal. Now that that move has obviously fallen apart with Beal headed to the Phoenix Suns, Oladipo can seemingly rest a bit easier… for now.

If another player coming up later in this ranking does ask out of the Pacific Northwest, however, Oladipo could see himself mentioned as a candidate to be traded this offseason. Oladipo is entering a contract season, one that will pay him $9.5 million in 2023-24.

Although that seems like a very team-friendly price, the fact Oladipo went down with yet another season-ending injury last campaign will make him purely salary filler if he does get traded – other teams won’t be knocking on Miami’s door to acquire the former All-Star.

For the latest Victor Oladipo trade rumors, click here.

OG Anunoby (Toronto)

Even though the Toronto Raptors were one of the most disappointing teams of the 2022-23 season, leading many to believe they could be active sellers this summer to undergo at least a soft rebuild, that does not appear to be the case.

As proof, we can take a look at the case of OG Anunoby, the promising two-way forward who has developed leaps and bounds since joining Toronto in the 2017 draft. Anunoby, now almost 26, seems to have maxed out his offensive game over recent seasons, however, and could be seen as a good trade candidate if the Raptors did want to start to rebuild.

But no, according to Stein, Toronto is strongly reluctant to trade the former Indiana Hoosier. That goes with what the Action Network’s Matt Moore reported earlier in the week when he said the Raptors might be more willing to trade their All-Star swingman Pascal Siakam as opposed to Anunoby:

Perhaps Toronto’s form of softly rebuilding will come in the form of letting its free agents – namely, Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. – walk, rather than trading away its current players signed to longer-term deals. Regardless, simply running it back might not be the savviest move for the Raptors.

We’ll see if Masai Ujiri’s thinking on the matter changes over the coming weeks.

For the latest OG Anunoby trade rumors, click here.

Brandon Ingram (New Orleans)

The reporting surrounding the New Orleans Pelicans with regard to their trade strategies and the upcoming 2023 draft has been confusing to say the least, with some reporters saying the team is likelier to trade All-Star forward Brandon Ingram for a Top 3 pick (and the opportunity to draft potential star point guard Scoot Henderson) and others saying New Orleans would rather keep Ingram and trade his teammate, who’s coming up later on this list.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania most recently reported the Charlotte Hornets, owners of the No. 2 pick, would prefer Ingram over his troubled teammate.

(Not exactly difficult to surmise why.)

What’s more, Stein reported New Orleans would be more hesitant to trade Ingram than his former No. 1 overall pick teammate:

No matter which route this one goes, we’re sure to see some fireworks in the next day-plus as we get closer to the draft, with so much at stake and so many All-Stars rumored to be on the move for a chance to draft an elite prospect like Henderson.

For the latest Brandon Ingram trade rumors, click here.

Duncan Robinson (Miami)

Sharpshooter Duncan Robinson is in the same boat as his teammate Oladipo in that his name was hot and heavy on the rumor mill this week due to the potential of Miami going after Beal. But now that that ship has sailed, the waters have smoothened for Robinson and he should be back with the Heat next season, barring a superstar located in Oregon asking out by draft night.

Robinson might be somewhat overpaid, earning nearly $60 million over the next three seasons (with a player option on the final year) but he did show his value in the playoffs for Miami, averaging 9.0 points, shooting 44.2 percent from three and making the Heat 5.4 points per 100 possessions better when he was on the floor.

His contract isn’t great but it’s far from albatross, so next time a star player asks out, Robinson’s name might come up again as part of the potential deal.

For the latest Duncan Robinson trade rumors, click here.

Kyle Lowry (Miami)

The same goes for Heat point guard Kyle Lowry, who was popping up in a lot of trade rumors this week as it pertained to Beal. Those have since quieted down with Beal getting moved to Phoenix.

Lowry is coming off one of the least productive seasons of his career but did perform decently in the playoffs, averaging 9.2 points and 4.4 assists as Miami made a surprise run to the Finals.

And although Lowry clearly isn’t the player he once was, he proved in the postseason he can still have a role on an elite team, and that, plus the fact he’s entering the final season of his career, should make him easier to move if the Heat decide to go that route.

Look for Lowry’s name to start to pop up again in trade rumors if another star point guard comes available in the next day or two.

For the latest Kyle Lowry trade rumors, click here.

Deandre Ayton (Phoenix)

It’s not totally clear at the moment what the Suns plan to do with their former No. 1 overall pick, Ayton, this summer. There has been scuttle he could be moved following the blockbuster Beal trade but the most recent talk on the matter has indicated Phoenix might be resigned to keeping him this offseason with a lack of suitors league-wide.

Ayton has three more fully guaranteed seasons on his contract which will pay him north of $102 million through the 2025-26 season, a heavy cost for any team looking to pick him up, and considering where his value is right now –  more or less cratered after another poor postseason showing – Phoenix would be wise to keep him in the fold for now and maybe try again to move him once he puts a strong stretch of play together next season.

Chris Haynes reported Phoenix had talked to the Celtics about a potential Ayton deal:

We’ll see if anything comes of that over the coming days and weeks.

For the latest Deandre Ayton trade rumors, click here.

Zion Williamson (New Orleans)

Time for the three biggest names on the trade market right now, starting with former No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson, who, even besides the constant injuries, has seen off-court issues start to come up, too, making him likely a fairly negative asset in the eyes of teams right now.

The Athletic reported recently the Pelicans are unlikely to trade Williamson before Thursday night’s draft:

That goes against what podcast host and writer Bill Simmons said earlier in the week when he mentioned he had heard from someone reliable that Williamson wouldn’t be a Pelican come Thursday.

Now, could all this be for naught? Might Williamson use the past few months as a wake-up call, focus on his fitness and enter the 2023-24 season as a new man? Because when he’s been healthy in the past, he’s performed at a very high level, averaging 25.8 points and 7.0 rebounds for his career.

If that does turn out to be the case and Williamson focuses up, another team could have an absolute steal on their hands if the Pelicans do trade him this summer.

We do not envy New Orleans decision-maker David Griffin right now. Is he supposed to view Williamson as a sunk cost and move him before his trade value dwindles even further? Or should he believe his explosive power forward will tighten up and get back on his Hall-of-Fame trajectory?

Tricky decisions ahead for the Pelicans indeed.

For the latest Zion Williamson trade rumors, click here.

Damian Lillard (Portland)

The superstar name with the most buzz around him in the trade market right now is Damian Lillard, though that is nothing new. Very often over the past few offseasons, there has been smoke surrounding Lillard only for the former Weber State standout to come out and shut it down while re-affirming his commitment to Portland.

Commendable to be sure, though we’re getting to a point where the Blazers don’t appear close to contending while Lillard is getting older but still wants to compete for a championship, something that might no longer be plausible in Portland.

Lillard talked to our own Michael Scotto about his future recently, specifically with regard to wanting to win a championship, stating:

Nevertheless, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Portland, to this point, has been shutting down all trade calls for Lillard:

Now, that could obviously change in the next 24 hours and change if Lillard asks out.

For what it’s worth, the No. 3 pick the Blazers own does look very enticing for interested teams, especially if the rumors are true and Alabama forward Brandon Miller goes No. 2 to Charlotte, leaving Henderson available with the third overall pick.

If that comes to fruition, would the Blazers just draft Henderson, opening the door for teams like the Miami Heat or Brooklyn Nets – both rumored potential landing spots for Lillard – to make offers for the seven-time All-Star? Or would they go through with trading the pick for an Ingram, or a Williamson, or some other star, to appease Lillard and try to make a run at a championship with him?

Impossible to know now but at least we’ll have our answer within the next couple of days.

For the latest Damian Lillard trade rumors, click here.

Chris Paul (Phoenix)

Finally, we conclude this edition of our trade rumor rankings with a player who has already reportedly been traded, Chris Paul. Paul is part of the package reported to be headed to Washington in exchange for Beal… so why is he included in this exercise?

That’s because Paul might not be done switching teams, as Phoenix and Washington are reportedly trying to find a third team to take on Paul, one with championship aspirations as opposed to Washington, which is firmly early on in a rebuild.

The Los Angeles Clippers, Paul’s former team, are reported to have an interest in the Hall-of-Fame floor general…

…but with the recent news of Los Angeles being in strong talks to acquire Brogdon from Boston, that could very well change.

Washington isn’t opposed to keeping Paul, either, as reported by Wojnarowski on a television spot yesterday:

We’ll see where he winds up but there’s no question Paul can still help a team in 2023-24 thanks to his playmaking and pull-up midrange game still at respectable levels.

For the latest Chris Paul trade rumors, click here.

Story originally appeared on HoopsHype