With the NBA Draft and free agency right around the corner, the anticipation is already building as fans look forward to seeing what their favorite teams are able to do in order to improve their respective rosters in free agency. One more avenue that at least a handful of teams will undoubtedly attempt to take is the trade route with a few notable players in particular available. Here’s a look the top guys on the trade block right now:
Ricky Rubio, Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves love the young core they have assembled with Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett and Zach LaVine and if they keep their No. 1 pick, they will become the first team in NBA history to have three straight No. 1 picks on their roster.
However, Minnesota would love to surround that young cast with some quality veteran starters that can help this team become a playoff contender again and it doesn’t look like former first-round pick, Ricky Rubio, fits the mold. Rubio is still only 24 years old and averaged 10.3 points, 8.8 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game a year ago but he was healthy for only 22 games. His inability to stay healthy makes him a liability with his annual salary set to skyrocket from $5 M to upwards of $12 M next season. Rubio is still owed $42.3 M over the next four seasons, which makes him hard to move. Still, he’s viewed as someone with plenty of upside, so Minnesota may be selling (somewhat) high. One more injury-prone season and they could be stuck with him.
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Joe Johnson, Brooklyn Nets
The Nets made it clear that they wanted to purge themselves of the veteran contracts they had for Johnson, Deron Williams and Brook Lopez but they weren’t able to move a single one of them. Williams will be the toughest to move since he is owed more than $43 M over the next two seasons but Johnson and Lopez might be easier to move with each player having only one more year left on his current deal. Johnson averaged 14.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 three-point shots per game while playing 80 games for Brooklyn last year. He also stepped up in the playoffs in a big way. His salary is astronomical but maybe someone is willing to take a shot if they need help on the wing.
Lance Stephenson, Charlotte Hornets
It didn’t take the Hornets very long to realize they had made a mistake signing Stephenson to a long term deal as a free agent this past summer as they reportedly put him on the trade block just a couple of months into the season. After failing to get a deal done, Charlotte will once again try to get rid of Stephenson and the $18 M they owe him over the next two seasons. Stephenson is coming off a year where he averaged 8.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game and while his move to Charlotte was a disaster, he could be worth taking a flier. Remember, he’s still just 24 years old.
Roy Hibbert, Indiana Pacers
It’s amazing to think how far Hibbert has fallen so quickly. A year and a half ago, Hibbert was one of the best centers in the NBA. However, he crashed after the All-Star break in the 2013-14 season and then struggled mightily with his consistency this past season, averaging only 10.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks while being limited to 25.3 minutes per game. The biggest issue is that it looks like the 28-year-old has lost the heart or passion to play. Either that or the concerns about how much he has left in the tank – even at such a young age – have some credence. With just one year left on his current deal at $15.5M, Hibbert is now movable because he’s an expiring contract. And some teams will want to see if they can rekindle that fire.
Tiago Splitter, San Antonio Spurs
Even after the Spurs first round playoff exit at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers and their apparent regression, it appears as though head coach Gregg Popovich and the management team is committed to bringing back the team’s veteran core three players in Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. However, there is only so much cap flexibility the team has entering this offseason and with Duncan, Ginobili, Danny Green and Marco Belinelli all free agents, and remember that Kawhi Leonard is restricted and eyeing a max deal.
They will have to get creative to bring some or all of them back for next season. Splitter has been a decent role player for San Antonio but he is 30 years old and he is still owed upwards of $16 M over the next two seasons. The Spurs aren’t desperate to trade him but he’s costing them more than what he’s worth to them. They need to move his contract to free up salary to pay others.
