It’s becoming more rare to see an NBA star spend his whole career on one team. While it’s weird trying to envision Stephen Curry in a non-Warriors jersey, we might have to find out how some other superstars look in new colors.
The thirst for a winning team has spread around the league. After all, championship rings are more remarkable than countless individual accolades. So, if you fail to build a contender around your star player, he might eventually want to leave your franchise. In some other cases, it’s the team that actually wants to shake things up.
There’s been plenty of speculation around some of the following names, while others might come as a surprise. Either way, these players could be wearing different jerseys in the near future.
The next wave of NBA stars to get traded.
1. James Harden
The former MVP isn’t hiding his desire to leave the Philadelphia 76ers. Harden recently used an Adidas media event in China to call team president Daryl Morey a liar. That happened two days after the Sixers ended trade discussions involving their star guard with the Los Angeles Clippers, according to reports.
Harden exercised the player-option in his contract during free-agency, reportedly expecting to be traded away from Philadelphia. The absence of a large long-term contract offer from the 76ers is said to be the main reason for him to want a change of scenario.
Even if the Clippers, his reported preferred destination, aren’t able to offer a good enough package to Philly, it’s unlikely that Harden plays another game there. After all, he said himself how he was “never going to be a part of an organization” that Morey is a part of, right after calling the general manager a liar – even after years of a close relationship between them.
The Beard might not be the elite scorer he once was, but still one of the league’s best playmakers, coming from a season in which he led the NBA in assists. There’s no doubt he would be a great addition to a lot of contending teams looking for an All-Star level point guard.
Potential destinations: LA Clippers, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves
2. Karl-Anthony Towns
The Minnesota Timberwolves big man has been mentioned in trade talks for a while. However, parting ways might become a concrete need soon.
It’s unclear what the Timberwolves expected the hierarchy to be when they selected Anthony Edwards with the No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft. Fact is, since then, Edwards established himself as a potential superstar and already looks like their franchise-player.
If that wasn’t enough, Towns signed a supermax extension last summer, guaranteeing him $222M until 2027. A few days later, Minnesota sent multiple first-round picks to the Utah Jazz, acquiring a former Defensive Player of the Year in Rudy Gobert.
That experiment hasn’t exactly translated into victories for the Timberwolves so far, raising questions about the future of the Towns-Gobert front court pairing. With Edwards being the “new sheriff in town” and the franchise’s need to prove that trading for Gobert wasn’t a mistake, it might be time to find a fresh start for Towns.
Potential destinations: New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets
3. Pascal Siakam
The Toronto Raptors are nearing a crossroads, where they may have to choose between rebuilding (in that case, maybe just reshaping) or contending. While that path is unclear, Pascal Siakam is playing high-level basketball on a nightly basis.
After being elected Most Improved Player in 2019, Pascal has also earned two All-Star and All-NBA selections, earning himself a spot amongst the league’s best forwards. However, his name is involved in trade rumors because he’s 29, expensive, and the Raptors could decide to retool around the much-younger Scottie Barnes.
Siakam is on an expiring contract and it isn’t clear if he’ll find an agreement with the franchise to extend their eight-year tenure together. According to The Athletic, Toronto turned down a trade offer from the Atlanta Hawks, which was centered around De’Andre Hunter, AJ Griffin and draft compensation. It indicates that the Raptors are valuing more what Siakam can present on court than his contract length.
Toronto is also about to decide what to do with another important player potentially hitting the market next year, since OG Anunoby has a player option for next season and is expected to become a free agent. After watching Fred VanVleet leave to join the Houston Rockets, the Raptors might be ready to part ways with other main core pieces from the last couple of years, while turning Barnes into the team’s cornerstone.
Whether it is via trade or during the next free agency, we shouldn’t be surprised to see Pascal Siakam on a new team in the near future.
Potential destinations: Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers, Charlotte Hornets
4. Damian Lillard
There are only a handful of players and franchises in the NBA that can relate to a bond as strong as the one Lillard has with the Portland Trail Blazers. With that in mind, it’s still time to move on.
The superstar point guard asked for a trade on July 1, after seeing Portland use their No. 3 pick to draft another lead guard in Scoot Henderson and spending $160M to bring back forward Jerami Grant. Lillard wanted to be in a better position to win a championship now if he was to stay with the Blazers. Instead, it’s clear the Blazers are in the midst of a youth movement.
During a recent interview to ESPN’s Marc J. Spears, Lillard has confirmed his trade request, while refusing to speak on the Trail Blazers, but stating “there’s a lot of love and respect” for the organization and city. He also reassured how badly he wants to win the NBA, now entering the final years of his prime.
That happened less than a month after the NBA sent a memo to the 30 teams, acknowledging Lillard and his agent Aaron Goodwin asking for teams not to trade for the player, since allegedly he wouldn’t fully perform for any team other than the Miami Heat. However, his market doesn’t seem to have grown after that and the Heat are still the most motivated to get a trade done. Whether it is Miami or elsewhere, it looks like Dame Time is over in Portland.
Potential destinations: Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers
5. Zach LaVine
Do you remember who faced the aforementioned Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference play-in last season? Yes, the Chicago Bulls. This cannot be a coincidence.
Let’s make one thing clear: being in the play-in zone doesn’t necessarily mean a team is doing something wrong. A regular season plagued by injuries might send a contender there. As for promising squads, it can also mean you’re progressing — see the Memphis Grizzlies. But the red lights needs to be on when this spot seems like your aging roster’s ceiling.
DeMar DeRozan has recently turned 34 and on an expiring contract, while Nikola Vucevic will be 33 by the end of October. Neither will yield a strong haul of assets in a trade if the Bulls were to decide to rebuild. That leaves us with Zach LaVine.
LaVine might not be the go-to guy on a championship team, but he’s still one of the best scoring guards in the NBA. At 28 and under contract for the next four years for $215 million, he could be a valuable piece to multiple teams.
According to The Athletic, the New York Knicks tried to engage with Chicago over a possible LaVine trade, but backed down due to a “giant” asking price. However, if it gets to the point that the Bulls are clearly restarting, a reasonable deal might arrive at their front office, and LaVine would ultimately find a new place to show off his scoring ability.
Potential destinations: New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat
6. Joel Embiid
There were two times in NBA history when the reigning MVP was traded (Wilt Chamberlain in 1968 and Moses Malone in 1982). Even with a gap of 14 years between those events, one team was involved in both negotiations: the Philadelphia 76ers. Well, third time is definitely not a charm here.
After falling short in the playoffs again, questions are constantly surrounding the Sixers and their lack of postseason success. Whose fault is that? Doc Rivers? James Harden? Role players? The league’s MVP should be the last guy to blame, but he can’t exactly be pardoned, either.
Philly has been dealing with internal drama since Kawhi Leonard’s heartbreaking shot eliminated them from the 2019 playoffs. Jimmy Butler left to Miami the following season, and a deteriorated relationship with Ben Simmons led the Sixers to trade away their former No. 1 pick in 2022. If that wasn’t enough, now James Harden is the one asking out, less than an year after arriving.
The good news were that none of these things stood in the way of Joel Embiid’s development. After two seasons as a runner-up, he finally landed the MVP award. That should be great for the 76ers, but he could also look around and wonder if there’s a more stable situation for him elsewhere.
The 29-year-old center is closely watching how the James Harden saga unfolds. There does not appear to be a strong market for Harden, which means a potential deal is likely to hurt the Sixers’ ceiling. Considering Embiid’s recent comments about wanting to win “in Philly or anywhere else,” if the franchise doesn’t make the right moves, Embiid could be the next star on the move.
Potential destinations: Oklahoma City Thunder, New Orleans Pelicans, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks
7. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis is widely seen as a guy following the steps of Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant — greats that became legends playing for only one team. However, he recently left the door open for a change.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Antetokounmpo said, “Winning a championship comes first. I don’t want to be 20 years on the same team and don’t win another championship.“
As much as he isn’t talking about simply leaving to a bigger market, that comment should be a wake-up-call to the Milwaukee Bucks’ front office. Giannis isn’t settling for anything less than greatness, even if that means leaving the franchise he loves.
For now, the Bucks have their main core under contract. Basically that same team — with a different coach — secured the first seed in the Eastern Conference last season. Their problem is how old that foundation is.
Between Jrue Holiday (33), Khris Middleton (32) and Brook Lopez (35), Antetokounmpo’s best teammates are all on the other side of 30 and showing signs of regression.
Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo, 28, still in the best-player-of-the-league discussion and thirsty to capitalize his prime years into NBA titles. Milwaukee will have until 2025 (when his contract is no longer guaranteed) to figure out a way to show their superstar how serious they are about winning with him. That can be a tricky task when your main assets are in their mid-30s, you’re limited to only a few first-round picks, and playing in a small market city that isn’t accustomed to luring top free-agents.
Giannis might not ask for a trade if the Bucks can build a contender around him for a second time. Otherwise, they could see arguably the best player in franchise history walk out of the door when his contract runs out.
Potential destinations: LA Clippers/Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Brooklyn Nets