5 NBA players who might be preparing to demand a trade in 2022-23
4. Mike Conley needs to be on an NBA Finals contender
You have to feel bad for Mike Conley a little bit. The stoic and effective veteran point guard has done everything that’s been asked of him and then some throughout his 15-year career in the NBA. The Memphis Grizzlies, acknowledging the writing on the wall with an impending rebuild on the horizon in 2019, tried to do right by trading him to a contending team in Utah.
But after just three seasons playing with a core of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, he’s been caught in the crossfire of another rebuild. Even though it seems counter to his personality, Conley should be a little aggressive here and talk to Danny Ainge about formally requesting a trade.
Conley doesn’t deserve to go into training camp being pelted with questions about what was, what could have been, and why he’s still in Utah with precious time left to compete for an NBA championship.
Conley averaged a serviceable 13.7 ppg, 5.3 apg, 3.0 rpg and 1.3 spg throughout the 2021-22 season. But, finding someone to take on his $22.6 million contract might be challenging for a contending team unlikely to have the assets to match salaries.
Ideal destinations: Dallas Mavericks, LA Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors
5. Richaun Holmes odd man out in Sacramento?
Sacramento Kings big man Richaun Holmes may be finding himself in a radically different role after Domantas Sabonis was acquired at the trade deadline last February and Keegan Murray was drafted this summer.
Sabonis is a two-time All-Star and is going to be a centerpiece of the team’s offense with the aforementioned Murray and young guard De’Aaron Fox. Murray looked like an absolute stud in Summer League and Sabonis is a much better player than Holmes, which means Holmes is like to see a shift in his role on the team.
He already had his role shift a bit from 2020-21 to last season, seeing about a 5.5-minute per game reduction in his playing time. His playing time is likely to see an even bigger dip this season to prioritize the development of Murray.
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If he becomes dissatisfied with his new role, he may approach the front office looking for a trade that could land him in a better situation with more playing time.