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Some of the NBA offseason trade candidates for the 2021-22 campaign have been on the trade block for quite some time. Either their teams played hardball or the player didn’t push for a trade, but that doesn’t mean their situation won’t be different this summer.
NBA offseason trade candidates 2022
Before we proceed, we highly recommend NBA TPE explained or the sign and trade explained so you can get a full grasp of what we’re about to discuss here.
Some of the upcoming NBA free agents aren’t likely to re-sign with their teams, meaning they could be on their way to a new franchise before the start of next season.
Multiple All-Stars and borderline All-Stars have grown sick and tired of not being able to compete. Others would rather stay with their current teams, but they’re no longer a part of the organization’s plans as they look to get younger and take salaries off their payrolls.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the top 10 NBA offseason trade candidates and the biggest names who could be switching sides this summer:
Myles Turner
Myles Turner has been on the trade block for three years straight. But even though Domantas Sabonis is no longer in town so there’s not a logjam at his position, he could still be on the move, and there should be no shortage of suitors for his services.
Turner is one of the best rim protectors in the league and he can also guard the perimeter. Also, he’s not an offensive liability and can stretch the floor with his shooting. He’s still pretty young and could only need a new team to finally break out.
Jerami Grant
Jerami Grant was among the top NBA trade candidates last season but he ultimately stayed put with the Detroit Pistons. The word around the league is that he wants to be a primary scorer, and there aren’t many teams that could offer that kind of role. At least not many contending ones.
Grant is an outstanding defender who can guard one through five. He’s shown that he’s capable of putting up 20+ points per game in a semi-efficient fashion, and should gauge interest from championship contenders. The Pistons are putting together a young, promising core and can’t afford to take shots away from them.
Rudy Gobert
Following another disappointing outing in the playoffs, Rudy Gobert headlines several lists of NBA offseason trade candidates. The Dallas Mavericks exposed him and stretched him off the floor, and his time with the Utah Jazz seems all but over after Quin Snyder’s departure.
Even though he’s a defensive liability on the perimeter, Gobert is perhaps the best rim protector in the Association. Also, his offense has improved with time, and he wants to be more involved in that aspect of the game. Absorbing his massive contract will surely be an issue and not many teams will want to overpay for an old-school big man.
Andrew Wiggins
Andrew Wiggins has proven that he can be a major factor in a winning team. He’s no longer an inefficient volume scorer and has really turned the page on the defensive end of the floor as well. He may never live up to the expectations of being the first-overall pick, but I’d still want him on my team at a reasonable price.
The Golden State Warriors have loved every minute of Wiggins. But they have a complicated salary cap situation and Jordan Poole is in line to get a big payday. Also, they want to bring Gary Payton II back and may want to add another couple of pieces, meaning they may have to let Wiggins go even if they don’t want to.
Nikola Vucevic
Nikola Vucevic is one of the most intriguing NBA players available for trade. He’s one of DeMar DeRozan‘s best friends dating back to college, so the Chicago Bulls may not want to disrupt that. Also, they paid a steep price for his services as Arturas Karnisovas’ first big move to overhaul their roster. But he may still be available.
Vucevic regressed vastly from his impressive first half-season in the Windy City. He’s not a good fit with their starting five and makes too much money to come off the bench. The Bulls need a defensive-minded, old-school rim protector anchoring their defense, and parting ways with Vuc may be the only way to get one.
Klay Thompson
Yes, believe it or not, Klay Thompson is one of the NBA offseason trade candidates. Jordan Poole‘s breakout has made him slightly expendable and the Warriors may want to add younger players to continue contending for years to come. Even if that means breaking the Splash Brothers up for the first time in their careers.
Thompson is one of the greatest shooters of all time and he’s still an outstanding defender. But he’s entering the backside of his prime and they need to consider all options. He could be a primary scoring option somewhere else without Stephen Curry by his side, but it’d be quite weird to see him somewhere else other than the Bay area.
Collin Sexton
Collin Sexton was among the best NBA players available for trade last season and he sure heard all that noise. He was having the best year of his career through 11 games and was finally proving that he could be an efficient scorer at this level, but then a major knee injury put his promising campaign to an end.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are committed to Darius Garland as their point guard for the future, and Sexton may be the odd man out. He’s more of a shooting guard than a PG at this point, but he’s improved as a playmaker and is still quite young.
Bradley Beal
Bradley Beal was an injury away from becoming a Philadelphia 76er. Joel Embiid wanted to play alongside him and they had a deal in place. Eventually, Beal stayed in the nation’s capital and James Harden joined him, but Beal could still be on the move.
The Miami Heat and Sixers have kept tabs on him for years. He’s affirmed his desire to stay with the Washington Wizards but it wouldn’t be shocking to see them re-consider him as the franchise’s future if someone makes the right offer.
Donovan Mitchell
And last but not least, Donovan Mitchell ranks at the top of NBA offseason trade candidates right now. He’s not happy after Quin Snyder left the Utah Jazz and his rift with Rudy Gobert makes us all think that he’s ready to formally request a trade.
The Jazz could look to trade him, Gobert, or both. Mitchell is still under team control for the foreseeable future so he’s a lock to draw plenty of interest in the trade market. The New York Knicks and Miami Heat will reportedly make him an offseason priority.
