Four NBA Stars Who Could Be Traded Next ft. Zach LaVine and more
The NBA had another big trade of the new season when the Los Angeles Clippers and the Philadelphia 76ers agreed to a deal centered around superstar James Harden.
The Clippers sent Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, Kenyon Martin Jr., a first-round pick, a second-round pick, and two pick swaps to the 76ers in exchange for James Harden, P.J. Tucker, and Filip Petrusev.
The 76ers let Harden go after a rift had been created between him and Philadelphia's front office. Harden will reunite with Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Russell Westbrook to create one of the best starting lineups in the entire NBA on paper.
The trade kicked off what is sure to be a big NBA season in terms of moves and trades. With that said, let's look at four NBA superstars who could be traded following the Harden deal.
Four NBA Stars Who Could Be Traded Next
Zach LaVine
The Chicago Bulls had one of the most exciting cores in the NBA entering the 2021–22 season following an offseason that saw them pair DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball with Zach LaVine and added Nikola Vucevic at the trade deadline of that season.
The Bulls' big four proved to be one of the best in the league when playing together, which was unfortunately a rare occurrence as injuries derailed arguably one of the biggest 'What If' teams in NBA history.
Long removed from those deals, Chicago appeared in the playoffs just once, and many analysts and media personnel expect this to be the season the Bulls hit the reset button. Many teams around the league would jump at the opportunity to obtain LaVine, as he had been the center of trade rumors all offseason into the start of the regular season.
OG Anunoby
The Toronto Raptors have been receiving calls for some time about Anunoby and it appears that he could be moved for the right price.
Toronto had signed Anunoby to a large deal in December of 2020, likely in an attempt to retain as much talent as possible for another deep playoff run following their historic NBA Championship run with Kawhi Leonard in 2019.
Since the deal, the Raptors have lost guard Fred VanVleet and head coach Nick Nurse and now look to begin a rebuild as the new NBA season begins.
Anunoby would command a nice haul for Toronto, as he has garnered trade interest from teams for several seasons now. He is contract extension eligible and a number of teams around the league would love to add his 'Three and D' wing ability.
Nikola Vucevic
Another Bulls veteran that could be on the trade block, Vucevic has proven to still be an All-Star caliber big even at 33 years old.
Vucevic joined the Bulls at the trade deadline of the 2021 season and has since been an All-Star once and posted consistent averages of around 18 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists per game.
Much like LaVine, Chicago has been receiving calls about "Vuc" for some time but has been insistent on attempting to keep the core together before now.
With a 2-5 start and their starting point guard, Lonzo Ball, still injured, this could finally be the season Chicago begins to 'tear down' their roster.
Malcolm Brogdon
Our last trade candidate is no stranger to moving around, as Malcolm Brogdon was just moved to Portland in the Jrue Holiday trade the Boston Celtics agreed to, just days before the NBA season kicked off.
Brogdon has been a very solid pro thus far and teams will surely be in talks with the Trail Blazers for the 30-year-old guard.
Portland has a lot of young guard and wing talent and trading Brogdon would pave the way to move third-overall pick, Scoot Henderson, into the starting lineup.
Many contending teams like Philadelphia, Miami, and others could use the versatility of Brogdon either as a starter or off the bench and the Trail Blazers will certainly receive a lot of trade interest because of him.