The NBA trade market has been dormant since July, with the last trade occurring on July 26th. With training camp less than a month away, that may change soon as teams begin ramping up for the season. It is impossible to predict what moves might happen, but with all the rumors and reports going around this offseason, some players are very likely to be moved before the NBA trade deadline in February.
3 Players Most Likely On The Move Before NBA Trade Deadline
Anfernee Simons
It is no secret that the Trail Blazers are at the start of a lengthy rebuild. A rebuild that 2023 third-overall pick Scoot Henderson will lead alongside Shaedon Sharpe and Donovan Clingan. With the Trail Blazers already having their backcourt of the future with Sharpe and Henderson, Anfernee Simons has become the odd man out in Portland’s backcourt. Over the last three seasons, Simons has established himself as a standout shooter and a starting-caliber guard, averaging 20.2 points and 4.4 assists while shooting 38.8% from three. Those are very inviting numbers, and with Simons on a good contract, his trade market should be vast.
There have been reports that the Trail Blazers have a “goal” of moving Simons. To add more credence to the reports, Portland’s general manager Joe Cronin omitted Simons when discussing the Trail Blazers’ future. Simons is established enough that a win-now team would be interested in him, but he is still young enough (25) that a team close to completing their rebuild would want him.
Brandon Ingram
The relationship between star forward Brandon Ingram and the Peilcans organization seems to have soured. Ingram was one of just two Pelicans who missed an optional minicamp recently held by the team. His absence was extremely notable as Ingram, in the past, has organized minicamps for the rest of the Pelicans. Besides his absence, Ingram has been at odds with the Pelicans’ front office regarding what his new contract extension should look like. The team has hesitated to offer him a max contract, which Ingram feels he deserves. All of these signs point to Ingram being on the move soon. It was reported the team was looking to get a deal done before the draft, but nothing materialized.
Ingram is a talented player, but with his new contract looming and the Pelicans having Trey Murphy III, who looks ready to start, Ingram could be the odd man out. If the Pelicans want to get any value out of him, he should be on the move this season.
Jerami Grant
Jerami Grant’s role on the Trail Blazers has been confusing since Damian Lillard asked out of Portland. Grant is a good player who can help a team win, but the Trail Blazers aren’t fully focused on winning now, and with him being 30 years old, it doesn’t make sense to keep him long-term. Over the past two seasons, Grant has put up 20.7 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 40.2% from deep. Grant is the ideal wing in the modern NBA. He has the size to guard multiple positions and the offensive game to be a supplementary scorer. A team looking to win now or make a push in the second half of the season can easily convince themselves that Grant is the answer. Simons isn’t the only Trail Blazers that the team has the “goal” of moving on from, with Grant being in the same talks.
