With a sizeable portion of the NBA season already complete, we can see which teams are emerging as contenders, and which are destined once more to return to the lottery next summer.
There have been great early-season success stories in the form of the Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards, while the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks may have to start panicking soon.
Somewhere in amongst all of this though are the NBA players who should maybe get traded by organizations that have failed to maximize their talents. The individuals who, if they were playing for basically any other franchise in the league, would surely have had more success than they are currently experiencing.
NBA players who need to be traded to save their careers
Before you ask, no, Ben Simmons will not be making an appearance on this list of three NBA players who need to move cities ASAP.
Obviously, Simmons needs to leave the Philadelphia 76ers to save his career, but everybody already knows this to be the case. Where is the fun in examining a well-worn path when nothing has changed for player or team since the season began?
Instead, we are going to focus on those who would certainly garner interest from other franchises if they were made available. The catch here, however, is that the team who lets them go could end up looking very silly if they did so. It would take a big offer to pry any of these guys away from their current employers, and we live in a time when front offices are more shrewd than ever.
If any of these guys, two of which have already been named All-Stars, were to get moved though, then their career would surely take another sizeable step forward.
For now, all we can do is dream, but if guys like Russell Westbrook (twice) and John Wall can get traded, then never say never with these younger NBA players with more upside.
NBA players who need to be traded to save their careers: 3. Domantas Sabonis
Unfortunately for Domantas Sabonis, he finds himself in the worst situation possible with the Indiana Pacers right now. With other NBA players like Myles Turner, Malcolm Brogdon, T.J. Warren, and promising rookie Chris Duarte on the roster, the Pacers are, in theory, in a position to compete for a playoff spot.
However, the Pacers are also stuck in the unenviable position of being too good to be truly bad, but not good enough to be properly relevant. At 8-11, the season has gone even worse than the organization would have hoped for, but in Sabonis, they have a two-time All-Star who at 25 hasn’t even hit his prime yet.
Teams don’t just give up NBA players like that easily. Even if the Pacers do decide to blow it up and return to the bottom of the standings by choice, they’d still be wise to keep Sabonis and build around him.
Both Brogdon and Turner would have trade value, meaning that plenty of youngsters could then be put next to Sabonis as he continues to ascend.
Is that really what you want to see happen to him though? His situation echoes that of Nikola Vucevic, who spent most of his prime with an underperforming Orlando Magic roster that made the postseason a couple of times, and that’s it. Vucevic is now only getting the credit he has always deserved, and that’s as a fourth option who sees a lot less of the ball with the Bulls.
Vucevic was also a two-time All-Star when with the Magic, and he put up big numbers and was paid accordingly. But Sabonis has such a silky offensive game that seeing him go deeper in the postseason would be great.
His numbers are actually down in many categories this season, but don’t be fooled. He would thrive next to a legitimate superstar, and we’d love to see it.
NBA players who need to be traded to save their careers: 2. De’Aaron Fox
Probably the least surprising player to end up on this list, De’Aaron Fox has endured a bumpy ride since being drafted by the Sacramento Kings in 2017. Now in his fifth year, but still only 24, the most notable thing the Kings have done recently is fire another head coach in Luke Walton. Before that, it was passing up on Luka Doncic… and Trae Young… and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Right now, Fox should be in the same position as Ja Morant. A young superstar on the rise with an upstart roster like the Memphis Grizzlies, and he should be in line to make the All-Star game for the first time. Instead, he lingers on a Kings team that seems to take one step forward every 18 months or so, before then taking several steps back.
Can you imagine how exciting it would be if Fox was a part of the New York Knicks, for example? That would actually be a great match for both too, as Kemba Walker is already missing time and Julius Randle could do with a second All-Star level player to run a devastating two-man game with.
At 6-12, and even with the Western Conference seemingly not as competitive as it has been, Fox already faces an uphill battle to even make it to the play-in game. His own personal stats have taken a hit, and the 24.4 percent he is shooting from deep on over four attempts a night is a poor return.
Tyrese Haliburton and Davion Mitchell look like two NBA players who could really help Fox and form the basis of a reliable core. Yet even the prospect of this seems less exciting, or perhaps less likely to succeed, purely because they are based in Sacramento. We watched DeMarcus Cousins toil away for too long out there, so let’s hope Fox does not have to go through more of the same.
NBA players who need to be traded to save their careers: 1. Brandon Ingram
Without a doubt, this is the most obvious answer in the entire NBA right now. Brandon Ingram needs to do whatever it takes to get away from the New Orleans Pelicans. Only they could get a king’s ransom from the Lakers in return for Anthony Davis and proceed to do really mediocre things with all the assets in the world.
Trading Jrue Holiday made some sort of sense with three first-round picks coming back. However, Holiday was also clearly the perfect veteran to guide both Ingram and Zion Williamson.
Nevertheless, they still had an ideal young point guard in Lonzo Ball who was the perfect fit alongside both Ingram and Williamson. Nope, he was allowed to join the Chicago Bulls.
Both Holiday and Ball have thrived in their new destinations, while Ingram has put up big numbers and been an All-Star, but has faded from the view of more casual fans and has seen his progress stall. Even if this is partly down to playing in a smaller market, to see a star dim like this is sad, especially one as gifted offensively as Ingram is.
Comparisons to Kevin Durant have rightly died down in recent years, but Ingram’s plight is even worse as long as he is in New Orleans. This is because he is not even thought of as the franchise player and the guy who they can build around. That title still belongs to Williamson, a guy who we discovered at media day this year has a stress fracture in his ankle.
Commenting on the weight and body shape of another person is cruel and judgemental, and Williamson certainly had hops when on the court, despite his stout frame. But he does look some way away from true game shape, yet Ingram has continued to ball out as often as he can, albeit rarely with a smile on his face.
Imagine if he played for the Magic, how much the fans would adore him and how he would be the man right away. Heading to Orlando wouldn’t do much for his brand exposure compared to New Orleans, but if even playing there is seen as a step up, then you know things have gotten bad.
Ingram is a top-15 talent in the league, but right now he is wasting away on a directionless team where he isn’t even entrusted to be the man.