NBA Today: 5 Players who should ask for a trade
It's mid-December and about 30 games in, we already have a pretty decent picture of the top teams who'll be contending in the playoffs. With roughly 40% of the players hitting free agency last off-season, a lot of them have just recently become eligible to be on the trading block on December 15.
The road to the championship has been the most wide-open it has been in the last five years, and teams and players alike are just itching to make the best move for themselves.
With this in mind, which players could ask for a trade from their current team? Let us look at the same.
#1 JJ Redick
Last offseason, JJ Redick signed a two-year $25.5 million contract with the recently-overhauled New Orleans Pelicans. The 6'3 shooting guard hasn't missed the playoffs in his 13-year career, and with the Pelicans reeling at 14th in the West, Redick might consider asking for a trade to a contender.
There were rumors that the Lakers were interested in signing him as he'd be a great fit alongside LeBron. This didn't come to fruition though, as Redick went on to sign with the Pelicans. Although the Lakers aren't exactly missing him now as they're currently on top at 24-4, the Lakers could still look to trade for him in exchange for a point guard in Quinn Cook and a defender and shooter in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Another promising destination would be the Milwaukee Bucks. The sharpshooter will be perfect alongside Giannis as he'll be a great floor spacer and an additional scorer for the contending team. The Bucks might need another team though, as they're also interested in Covington and they don't want to give up too much for Redick's $13m/year salary.
Redick was probably looking forward to playing with Zion Williamson. However, after his surgery sidelined him even before the season started, his timeline of return remains unclear. As the young Pelicans squad isn't exactly clicking yet, Redick's playoff streak might end this year if he remains in New Orleans. The sharpshooter is already 35 years old, and although his game has aged extremely well, he might be looking to win the chip before he retires.