Philly Front Office

When the NBA instituted the Play-In Tournament they inadvertently created a perpetual seller’s market in the NBA. Well in theory they did, because in reality there are just fewer trades. There is simply never enough inventory to go around because only a few teams are truly out of contention. This year, there are seven dead-on sellers, one you-better-damn-well-be-a-seller, and one seller-that-should-sell-but-never-sells. Sure, other teams might pivot south or make a win-win trade, but for the most part we are looking at these nine teams to help others make moves. Who could possibly be on the move come February 6?

DEAD-ON SELLERS

Washington Wizards: They have the worst record in the league and there is very little going for them. This team is at rock bottom of a rebuild that is already not going very well. They don’t have stars or even the recipe for a star on the roster. More than any other team, the Wizards need Cooper Flagg or Dylan Harper. Their veteran players aren’t even the types of guys you want your rookies learning from. Kuzma and Poole probably have black and white pictures with a red X over them on the walls at the scouting combine with the note “DO NOT LISTEN TO THESE GUYS.” Despite not having much to trade, they are at least in a position to act as a dumping ground for bad contracts since they will not care much about competing next season either. Send us your tired, your poor shooters, your not paying attention in the huddle masses.

• Untouchables:
  • Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, Bub Carrington – I’m sorry to start a list off with a lie, but these guys are only labeled “untouchables” because they are recent draftees and the Wizards have very little to hold on to. They just won’t be traded.
  • Corey Kispert – Due to his extension, he isn’t eligible to be traded until the off-season
• Needs to Go:
  • Kyle Kuzma – They keep holding on to Kuzma for some reason. He makes about $20m per season each of the next 2 years and can provide a bit of a scoring punch but not much else (besides a horrible fashion sense). They really need to just sell him to the highest bidder, whatever that bid may be, and turn this team over completely to everyone else.
  • Malcolm Brogdon – Washington has to be hoping he recovers from his foot injury soon because he was their best bet for getting any decent value at the deadline. If he can come back even for a game or two, there is the possibility of receiving a late first round pick or a couple seconds for him.
• Good Luck!
  • Jordan Poole – Why the hell did they trade for him in the first place? The trade sent Chris Paul to the Warriors in exchange for Poole, a 2030 first round pick, and junk. You’d think that would be fine except they aren’t getting that first round pick! It is top 20 protected and turns into a second rounder if it doesn’t convey. BREAKING: Steph Curry will not be playing in 5 years. What a joke. They acted like Jordan Poole was some kind of positive asset. He isn’t. Absolutely no team would want him at the $65m he is owed over the next 2 seasons. The Warriors got Chris Paul for a salary dump.

Utah Jazz: As much as I hate Danny Ainge, he is good at what he does. The Jazz are rebuilding, and Ainge is as cutthroat as possible with his deals. He will not do you any favors. The value he received for Gobert and Mitchell will not be seen again as it is probably the most you could possibly get for a player…and he did it twice. EVERYONE on the Jazz is for sale. The Jazz are also not an apron team, so they can take back an extra $7.5m in any trade.

• Untouchable (right now):
  • Lauri Markkanen – The Jazz are not motivated to trade Markkanen, but that only makes teams want him more. Word was that he almost went to Philadelphia in the off season. He is untouchable right now only because he recently signed an extension. You could see him being moved in the offseason though, especially if they get Cooper Flagg.
• Needs to Go: All 3 of these guys are signed next year to at least reasonable-ish contracts and could help out contenders. They probably want a first-round pick for each of them. Unlike the Wizards, Utah is in a position to hold on to these guys if they do not receive the value they think they deserve. I have always wanted Sexton with the Sixers, thankfully we suck too bad to have to deal with Ainge.
  • John Collins (player option for $26.5m)
  • Colin Sexton ($19m)
  • Jordan Clarkson ($14m)
• Good Luck?
  • No one. No bad contracts on this team. No one other than Markkanen and rookies are signed past next season.

Toronto Raptors: What in the world was this team doing last year trading OG Anunoby to the Knicks for RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley? The Knicks must have been floored that they didn’t need to give up draft picks and could just jettison contracts they didn’t want anyway. Along with the Bulls, this is probably the most confounding team in the league.

• Untouchable:
  • Scottie Barnes – Not only can he not be traded due to his recent extension, but the Raptors wouldn’t trade him if they could. He is their big bet going forward.
• Needs to Go:
  • Bruce Brown Jr – Brown has had about as nice a professional roller coaster ride as you could hope for. He won the championship in Denver, signed a nice contract with the Pacers, and then was traded to Toronto in less than a year. He will now likely be on the move again to a contender. His salary and production are exactly the combination that has to get moved at trade deadlines.
• Good Luck!
  • Immanuel Quickley – I don’t think Toronto is looking to trade him. That’s a good thing considering they gave him 5 years and $162m this past summer. New York had no intention of paying him and yet he was a key cog in sending Anunoby to NYC. Still doesn’t make any sense. This deal won’t be movable for years.
  • RJ Barrett – RJ Barrett is what he is, a completely average basketball player on a bad team. He isn’t signed to a bad deal, but there isn’t a contender out there who thinks Barrett is going to improve their team. He is in the Good Luck category because they will never receive what they believe is good value for him. If you were to tell me a team got him for nothing, I would think they overpaid.

New Orleans Pelicans: They are the Down-South Sixers, just a little less screwed.

• Untouchable?
  • Trey Murphy III – Not one of the guys you thought it was going to be, huh? Murphy simply cannot be traded by league rules until the off-season due to his extension. No one on this team should be considered untouchable though.
• Needs to go:
  • Brandon Ingram – He needed to go last year but they hung on to him. Guys who average 55 games per season with no elite skill and inefficient scoring are not worth max contracts and the Pelicans are right not to give him one. They risk losing him for nothing at the end of the season.
  • CJ McCollum – CJ keeps doing CJ things and is signed to a reasonable $30m next season. His shooting is down, but no one is worried about that. He is wasting bullets on this team. It would be legitimately funny if the Bucks traded for him to pair with Dame again.
  • Dejounte Murray – I’ve always wanted the Sixers to make a move for him because he is signed to an incredibly fair deal at roughly $30m per year for the next 2-3 seasons and can do everything decently well (although his shooting is way down this year (seems to be a trend in NO)). Despite things never working out in Atlanta, he is the kind of player who can really support a team in the Jrue Holiday mold (even if he is not as good as Holiday).
• Good Luck!
  • Zion Williamson – What is New Orleans supposed to do? When he plays, he can be great. Unfortunately, here are his games played totals for his first 5 years in the league: 24, 61, 0, 29, 70. This year he is at 10 through 44 team games. No team is going to give the Pelicans adequate value for him. This is a very Joel Embiid-ish problem (just with much less inescapable doom). If they trade him, they are selling very low. If they keep him, they are building around a ghost.

Charlotte Hornets: I never read it, but this situation can be summed up with the book title “Another Bullshit Night in Suck City.” What are they doing in Charlotte? Lamelo Ball is Trae Young lite and that is not a compliment. Brandon Miller is good, but of course he’s hurt. CLEAN HOUSE CHARLOTTE!!! START OVER!!! What a cursed franchise.

• Untouchable:
  • Brandon Miller – He didn’t initially look like he would be worthy of the #2 pick, but he is pretty solid all around and has the tools to play defense. He can fit with anyone and is only in his second year. This placement may change next year as he is exactly the kind of player a team like Charlotte overpays and gets stuck with.
• Needs to Go:
  • LaMelo Ball – I get it. They are not trading him. He is the only person people come to see and is a marketable star. He is also the only one with value on the whole team (besides Miller) and someone will pay a ton for him. I think everyone wishes that team was the Lakers, but they just don’t have enough to get it done. How about the Magic? They have the assets, enough defense to cover for Ball on that end, and do not have anywhere near his creation and scoring punch on the roster. Not crazy right? It would be a blockbuster. Spurs are a sneaky contender too.
  • Everyone else – this is a cop out but if anyone is offering a second-round pick for anyone on this roster, they should say yes. As Grandpa Simpson once said “You’re as dumb as a mule and twice as ugly. If a strange man offers you a ride, I say take it.”
• Good Luck!
  • Miles Bridges – On paper, teams should want him. In reality, no one wants him. Domestic violence will do that to a person. Despite this, Charlotte gave him a 3 year, $75m contract. Great job guys. You are stuck with him for 2 more years.

Brooklyn Nets: As a pre-season favorite to be worst in the league, the Nets had a problem. They were winning too many games! 14 wins??? Are you kidding me? They rectified things though by trading away Dorian Finney-Smith and promptly lost 13 of 15. Big games are coming up with 6 of their next 12 against Washington, Philly, and Charlotte. Let’s see what these losers can do!

• Untouchable:
  • ??? – I’m sorry, I am not familiar with this term.
  • D’Angelo Russell – He is certainly NOT untouchable, but he cannot be traded until after the deadline. Expect him to get bought out eventually.
• Needs to Go: EVERYONE!!! There is no one on this team who should not be considered expendable.
  • Nicolas Claxton – A solid center signed to a solid contract who will be solidly available for the foreseeable future. He was signed to trade eventually. They don’t have to move him but they are definitely listening.
  • Cam Johnson – Perhaps the number one most likely player to be traded at the deadline. Shooting and defense signed to reasonable money on a bad team; if you have a first-round pick, the Nets will pay shipping.
  • Cam Thomas – The most polarizing player in basketball? Is he good? No one really knows. He can get a bucket for a bad team, that’s for sure. Can he do anything else? Not really. He is in the mold of Lou Williams and Jamal Crawford, he just doesn’t know it yet.
• Good Luck!
  • Ben Simmons – There is a lot to say and nothing to say at the same time. No one will pay anything for Ben Simmons, but he could be moved as place holder salary. He will probably get bought out and ride the pine for the Lakers eventually.

Portland Trailblazers: They have made a lot of puzzling moves the last few years. After writing up this section, I couldn’t help but think that all of the Needs to Go guys and one of the Good Luck guys should be on the table the next time a star is unhappy but his team still wants to contend. Portland needs a star on the rise desperately, but other than Scoot, none of their guys have that kind of ceiling. Can I interest Portland on a slightly used center with knee troubles? Hello? I think we got disconnected.

• Untouchable:
  • Scoot Henderson – He has had a rough go of things so far, but over his last few games he has shown #2 pick potential. Portland needs a “the guy” and Scoot is still their best option. If he falls apart though, I can see him being moved for a late first on draft night.
• Needs to Go:
  • Anfernee Simons – Need a bucket? Got a first-round pick? You could do a whole lot worse than Simons. He is a #3 option masquerading as a #1 on a bad team. He is another guy who would look good on a defense first roster like Orlando’s.
  • Deni Avdija – He should be untouchable due to his incredibly fair contract and all-around skill set, but they could definitely make a profit on him and should be considering it.
  • Shaedon Sharpe – Someone who will never be worthy of a max contract (but might get one from the team that drafted him) needs to go. They will not trade him though. He should probably be in the Untouchable category for that reason.
• Good Luck!
  • Jerami Grant – Why did they resign him? Who else was giving him $150m? His contract isn’t BAD bad, but he just isn’t moving the needle for anyone at that number. Portland didn’t realize the good bargaining position they were in and overpaid. He has 4 years left. No one is giving them anything for him because the deal is just too big for the production.
  • Deandre Ayton – I get it, he was part of the Dame deal and they have future picks coming, but he is still unmovable. The real question is what was Phoenix thinking matching the Indiana offer sheet? Has anyone made more money, doing less, and looking so disinterested? He has one more season at $35m left on his deal.

You-Better-Damn-Well-Be-Selling

Philadelphia 76ers: Sweet mercy, they need to be sellers. Wasting any bit of future equity on this team this year is simply lighting it on fire. Unfortunately, the Bulls REFUSE to win games and pull away. Losers of 7 straight with many more back-to-backs against winning teams on the horizon…DARYL, SELLLLLL!!!!!!!

• Untouchable?
  • Tyrese Maxey – I was almost an a-hole and refused to put anyone in this category, but I just couldn’t do it. I know he is having a frustrating season, but Maxey is everything you could want in a player. He tries, he improves, he doesn’t miss games, and he’s likeable. That last part is hard to come by these days.
  • Jared McCain – Despite decent arguments to be made that he has the most value on the whole team, giving away a rookie like him is simply bad business. He won’t be up for a new deal until Paul George is finished his. Don’t over think it. And somehow McCain is even more likable than Maxey!
  • Caleb Martin – This is purely subjective, but his deal is just too good to trade. If they happened to be good next year, they would be trying to get a guy like Martin. Trade him next year, maybe. No need to do it right now.
• Needs to Go:
  • Kelly Oubre – He is a fan favorite and it will be impossible to sign him in the off season if he leaves, but if you can get a first-round pick for him, you have to do it. Kind of like Martin, he is a player contenders need and is on a nice contract.
  • Guerschon Yabusele – The only bright spot on this team still shining. He is making almost nothing this year and can therefore go to any team for a first-round pick. Despite most reports, the Sixers can resign him for more than just a pittance. They have the option of giving him the non-tax mid level exception next year which is around $14m. Of course, they can do this if he is on another team too. We love the Dancing Bear, but he has to go.
  • Paul George – It would definitely be weird to sell him now, but if the Joel Embiid situation is as dire as I think it is, a Paul George trade needs to be considered. I don’t know what they can get for him, but he is a dead end on a team going nowhere.
• Good Luck!
  • Joel Embiid – The day-to-day designation of his injuries make it seem like he is sitting because he’s lazy rather than in actual pain. The truth is probably that’s he’s always in pain and it’s not getting better. That means it is getting worse. That means they should not have guaranteed him almost $300m for 5 years. That means no one in the league will trade for him. That means the Sixers are beyond screwed.

Seller-That-Should-Sell-But-Never-Sells

Chicago Bulls: The Bulls are not good. The Bulls are never good. The Bulls should trade and rebuild. The Bulls will never trade and rebuild.

• UntouchaBulls:
  • Despite the pun, no one on this team should be considered untouchable
  • Unfortunately, because it’s the Bulls, their entire roster is untouchable
• Needs to Go:
  • Zach LaVine – It is not often that a guy increases their trade value after injury, but Lavine is having his best season. Last season this looked like a contract that would a draft pick attached to it to move, but now LaVine is playing his best ball ever. Who would have thought? This also means the Bulls won’t trade him
  • Lonzo – It is a great story, but Chicago get something for him while you can! They are more likely to extend him than trade him I would think.
  • Coby White – The contract is so fair that he falls into this category. They can good value for him, but, again, won’t.
  • Ayo Dosunmu – A long time sneaky target of everyone, Dosunmu is wasted and buried on the Bulls. He always seemed like a guy who could help a contender and is signed to a very fair contract.
• Good Luck!
  • Nikola Vucevic – Despite having absolutely no value before last season, the Bulls signed him to a 3 year, $60m extension. He still has no value and has another year left at $20m. Almost time to sign him to another extension!
  • Pat Williams – Williams has never been good. Despite this, the Bulls just gave him a 5 year, $90m extension. Rather than cut bait on a 4th overall pick, they doubled down. Have fun with that! Granted they would never trade a player anyway, but with this one there will be no takers.

The Trade Deadline is 2 weeks away.