NBA Trade Rumors: 10 potential trade candidates on expiring contracts

PORTLAND, OREGON - DECEMBER 26: General Manager Neil Olshey of the Portland Trail Blazers speaks with General Manager Rafael Stone of the Houston Rockets during warm ups before the game against the Houston Rockets at Moda Center on December 26, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) /

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NBA trade rumors Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

Potential trade candidate No. 8: DeMar DeRozan

DeMar DeRozan is quietly playing some of the best and most efficient basketball of his career. Since his arrival in San Antonio that fateful summer of 2018, DeRozan is averaging 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.0 steals in 34.4 minutes per game. Not known for his perimeter shooting, DeRozan is shooting a career-best 34.9 percent from behind the arc this season.

The four-time All-Star has averaged at least 20 ppg for eight consecutive seasons. DeRozan is an assassin inside the arc, converting 51.3 percent of his two-point field goals. He also possesses one of the best mid-range games in the league; according to NBA stats, he’s converted exactly half of his mid-range attempts (47-94) this season.

He can still score at will and does a good job keeping his teammates involved. DeRozan has proven that his superior scoring ability will not get in the way of his proclivity to be efficient and reliable. His unselfishness on the court, coupled with his ability to run the pick and roll, allows him to act as a secondary playmaker in a lineup. Don’t believe me? In his 12th NBA season, DeRozan is averaging a career-high 6.7 assists per game.

He’s never been an elite defender, but he gives energy and effort; in a league where coaches rarely hold their players accountable on that end anymore, that’s all you can really ask of him.

As he’s set to be an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career and with the franchise in the early stages of a rebuild, expect the Spurs to move him to a contender or a team looking to eat contracts before the March 25th deadline.