10 NBA players in need of a trade in 2017-18
Heading into the 2017-18 NBA season, there are several prominent players who are in need of a change of scenery. Here are 10 players that could use a trade.
The NBA has become a never-ending cycle of player movement. Player X has joined Team Y in free agency. Superstar Z is unhappy and wants a trade. As the Golden State Warriors wage their holy war on league parity and any hopes of a competitive postseason, the rest of the remaining contenders are jumping into the arms race by stockpiling star talent.
In a bizarre offseason that saw stars like Paul George, Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving, Isaiah Thomas, Chris Paul, Gordon Hayward, Paul Millsap and even the No. 1 draft pick all trade hands, the dust hasn’t even settled from the summer’s NBA trade season yet.
However, that’s not to say everyone’s happy in their current situation, or that no one will need to make additional moves in 2017-18. As we see every year as the February trade deadline approaches, sometimes a change of scenery is best for both parties.
As we eagerly wait for the new season of NBA basketball, there’s no better time to look at the lay of the land and examine a few players who are in need of a trade sometime during the 2017-18 campaign.
Honorable Mentions
Brandon Knight — Knight needs a change of scenery more than anyone on this list, but it’s not going to happen this season since he’ll miss the entire 2017-18 campaign recovering from an ACL tear.
Cole Aldrich — Aldrich only averaged 8.6 minutes per game last season as a backup center, and now the Minnesota Timberwolves have rookie Justin Patton to play with.
Luol Deng — A veteran who has little to contribute to a rebuild outside of the locker room, and whose ugly contract needs to be shed for the Los Angeles Lakers to reach for their lofty free agency goals next summer.
Kosta Koufos — Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere, Georgios Papagiannis, Harry Giles…unless Koufos is some kind of otherworldly mentor, the Sacramento Kings have enough players to feed minutes to in that frontcourt.
Kyle Singler — Singler’s minutes have steadily declined over the past three seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and with Doug McDermott in town, they’re going to slip again, this time from a career-low 12.0 minutes per game.
Tyson Chandler — Chandler loves his young brothers on the team, but said he’d like to see the Phoenix Suns add some established veterans in free agency. That didn’t happen, so perhaps the guy who asked not to be traded at last year’s deadline and still has plenty left in the tank is approaching a change of heart.