It’s safe to say that the offseason is officially here. The Bradley Beal trade kicked things into full gear with the Suns playing their hand before anyone else.
While Beal’s storyline seems to finally have a resolution, there are plenty of other big fish in the NBA’s pond out there who could potentially be moved this summer. And it might happen very soon, too — I’m talking this week ahead of Thursday’s NBA draft.
With teams looking to make moves before the NBA’s calendar officially switches over into the next league year, some teams (looking at you, Wizards) are in a rush to make moves before the market dries up.
It’s not certain that we’ll see a ton of movement this week, but it’s very much within the realm of possibility. With that being the case, here are five NBA stars who could be on the move going in to the NBA draft — along with hypothetical odds for how likely it is we see them traded.
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Damian Lillard (+700)
I know that Damian Lillard has insisted that he’s not interested in playing elsewhere, but the tea leaves seem to indicate otherwise.
Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes indicated that there’s some real belief from the Miami Heat that Lillard could ask out this offseason.
Miami’s focus is Portland superstar Damian Lillard with the genuine belief this could be the offseason the veteran guard seeks a change of scenery, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 18, 2023
A few days following that report, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst is reporting that Lillard doesn’t want a youth movement in Portland and wants the team to trade the No. 3 pick.
.@WindhorstESPN says Damian Lillard could ask out of Portland if they don't trade No. 3 pick:
"Dame does not want a youth movement [and] wants to play with veterans." pic.twitter.com/41iQzvip1g
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) June 20, 2023
Portland hasn’t moved the pick just yet and the draft is coming up on Thursday. Obviously, it seems, there isn’t an offer out there that has moved the Trail Blazers to this point.
This is definitely a situation to keep an eye on leading up to the draft.
Zion Williamson (+2500)
Zion Williamson rumors have been swirling since The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the Pelicans were interested in moving up to No. 3 in the draft and were willing to trade their star forward to make it happen.
The rest of the NBA has been circling the wagon around the situation as things have progressed.
.@WindhorstESPN explains the likelihood of the Pelicans trading Zion Williamson and moving up in the draft to go after a guy such as Scoot Henderson 👀 pic.twitter.com/OoqZ3Scs4L
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) June 14, 2023
It’s not necessarily likely the happen, according to The Athletic’s Will Guillory, but the fact that the rumors have swirled this much lets you know that there’s something not quite right about the situation in New Orleans. It just feels like a possibility and that’s a problem in itself.
Deandre Ayton (+200)
Deandre Ayton seems like the candidate most likely to be moved in this scenario.
The Suns just made a big splash in trading for Bradley Beal. As a result, their roster is extremely expensive. The Suns’ combination of Beal, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Ayton will make a combined $164 million.
2023-24 Phoenix #Suns Salaries
Kevin Durant, $47.6M
Bradley Beal, $46.7M
Devin Booker, $36M
Deandre Ayton, $32.4M
Cam Payne, $6.5M5 players totaling $169.4M, with 10 roster spots to fill, and a Super Tax Apron of $179.5M this season.https://t.co/lFqE0ZTbil
— Spotrac (@spotrac) June 19, 2023
The problem is the Suns have 10 roster spots to fill and not a lot of wiggle room to make it happen. So breaking up Ayton’s contract by trading him and bringing back multiple players theoretically gives the team a bit of depth back and also opens things up to give Phoenix the taxpayer mid-level exception.
Ayton isn’t necessarily guaranteed to be traded, but it’s definitely something the Suns will look at.
Chris Paul (+450)
Chris Paul’s future with the Wizards is just as up in the air. There are a range of different outcomes for the former Suns’ point guard.
As things stand, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Wizards are trying to expand the Bradley Beal deal to include another team. If they could open it up, it makes room for another contender to swoop in and grab Paul.
Windhorst says there’s interest from the Clippers.
Chris Paul and the Clippers have mutual interest in reuniting, per @WindhorstESPN:
– Clippers, not the Lakers, are favorites to acquire Paul.
– Wizards and Clippers already in discussions on potential CP3 trade package.
– Another team could become involved to help take on… pic.twitter.com/y6O6lvYmwW
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) June 20, 2023
Washington is certainly looking for some sort of draft compensation in this deal, so seeing it happen before Thursday wouldn’t be surprising.
Karl-Anthony Towns (+2500)
Karl-Anthony Towns hasn’t necessarily been the most popular star on everyone’s radar so far this summer, but there’s definitely been some rumblings surrounding the Timberwolves’ big man.
The Wolves are going to be in a tight financial space, as well. Anthony Edwards is going to sign a max extension this offseason. The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski breaks it down here.
“The Wolves are about to get really expensive. They will extend Anthony Edwards a max contract offer this summer and also hope to extend Jaden McDaniels with a lucrative deal and give Naz Reid a big raise. With Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns already on max contracts, and KAT’s supermax extension set to begin in 2024-25, holding this team together over the long haul is going to be a challenge.”
While that may be the case, it doesn’t feel likely that Towns will be moved this year unless there’s an offer on the table the Timberwolves can’t refuse.
