Three NBA Stars Likely To Be Traded Soon
Most NBA teams treat the first few months of the new season as a testing phase for their current rosters before deciding their next moves- particularly whether or not they need trades to improve their current standing. In most cases, teams will wait until the final week before the trade deadline to come up with the best package possible for their targeted player.
However, that doesn’t prevent certain teams from pulling the trigger earlier than others. For some, they pull they’ll make a move to rescue their sinking ship. For others, they just want to move on.
We’re now one month into the 2022-2023 NBA season, and while the 2022 offseason was filled with plenty of drama, we can expect the mid-season trades just as mind-boggling as ever.
While observers expected some big names to be moved during the offseason who ultimately stayed put, expect fireworks to happen sooner rather than later. Afterall, not everyone will be able to wait until this season’s trade deadline on February 9th, 2023.
Draymond Green
Many believed that when Draymond Green punched Jordan Poole during a practice in the preseason, Green may have punched his way out of San Francisco. Prior to the incident, reports were already circulating that Green wanted a supermax contract extension- something that the Golden State Warriors were reluctant to offer.
It also doesn’t help Green that Golden State isn’t currently a top team in the Western Conference as many believed they would be. 14 games into the new season, the Warriors hold a 6-8 record and would be a play-in team if the season were to end today. Golden State has also failed to win a road game, sporting an 0-7 record away from the Bay Area.
Green is averaging 8.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.3 assists, one steal, and a career-high 58% shooting from the field thus far. As pivotal as Green’s production in the Warriors’ success has been in the past, he hasn’t been consistent, especially on the offensive end.
One factor why pundits believe Green’s days with Golden State are numbered is the fact that the Warriors will pay huge sums of money to both Steph Curry and Klay Thompson after this season. Not to mention Poole & Wiggins recent extensions as well. And that’s the primary reason why the Warriors have been reluctant in granting Green’s request for a supermax extension.
Already paying massive luxury tax bills annually, Golden State could choose to cut bait and run before the offseason so they can recoup some cheaper assets in return.
Russell Westbrook
The Lakers have been trying to find a way to trade Russell Westbrook since the middle of last season. It’s very likely that LA’s front office called every other team in the league by this point in an attempt to move on from Westbrooks hefty contract.
The Lakers started the new season with five straight defeats, and two wins, then lost five games again before earning another win against the Brooklyn Nets. They now stand with a 3-10 record with no signs of improvement on the horizon.
Westbrook, for his part, is averaging 16.5 points, 6.7 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. Interestingly, he may have found more success since coming off the bench. Against Kevin Durant’s Nets, Westbrook finished with 14 points, 12 assists, six rebounds, and a massive block on Durant.
However, analysts still believe Westbrook is on his way out of Hollywood at some point this year. The Lakers will try to give LeBron James a better point guard and a better chance of making it to the playoffs, as the team stands to gain nothing by tanking as they don’t currently own their 1st rounder for 2023.
Kyrie Irving
Speaking of the Nets, they also had a dramatic 2022 offseason that saw both Durant and Kyrie Irving wanting trades. Ultimately, both stars rescinded their requests and agreed to stay in Brooklyn. However, with Kyrie Irving suspended and the reaction he’s been getting since that controversial tweet where he allegedly promoted an antisemitic documentary and refused to apologize for it, many believe this could force Brooklyn’s hands to trade Irving.
Until their loss to the Lakers, the Nets were actually better since their horrible start that led to Steve Nash’s departure as head coach. And since Irving’s suspension, the Nets were winning games with Durant doing the heavy lifting.
Now, trading Kyrie Irving would mean finding someone else to cover his 26.9 points, 5.1 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.1 blocks averages he had in the eight games he played. Assuming Brooklyn wants to trade Irving soon, they would find it difficult to find a willing partner precisely because of the impact it would have on their team should they pursue him.
Irving brings a media circus wherever he goes, so whatever franchise is brave enough to kick the tires on him needs to brace itself for a national spotlight should they actually pull the trigger.
-Iggy Gonzales
Photo: Rose White. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.