FOTO: Sports Illustrated
When it comes to NBA marketthere are a couple of dates to keep an eye on: the first, without a doubt, is December 15th, from which a large part of the free agents who signed a contract in the summer become eligible for a trade; the second is that of the trade deadline of February 9th, a good couple of months away. About 2 weeks after this first turning point, it seems that there are many rumors especially regarding the centers, as reported from Evan Sidery of Forbes, who also mentions a number of names:
- Deandre Ayton e Robert Williams III
Mentioned in pairs because their situation is quite connected. In Portland, at the moment, they are tanking, this means that the primary objectives are youth development and accumulation of Draft picks/future material. Donovan Clingan, number 7 overall pick in the 2024 Draft, starting his career with 17 games in a row, and counting, with at least 1 block (4th all-time) and offering great defensive and rebounding presence will be the object of the coaching focus staff and front office for the foreseeable future. This being the case, the two big men over 25 on the roster are fully available: despite both having shown various problems related to injuries, they are valuable names, in the case of Ayton we are talking about a potential starter in a Playoffs team, if stimulated (a huge “if”), while Robert Williams is an elitist rim protector who lives in the paint. According to rumorsthe former Suns player is the one the Blazers would most willingly give up, but his contract worth almost $70 million over the next 2 years would seem to indicate the opposite. Time Lord, on the other hand, has one worth just over $25 million over 2 years, and $12.4 million in annual salary is easier to trade.
The Bulls have been trying to dismantle this roster for years now and, after Zach LaVine, the most popular to leave is the Montenegrin big man. His contract worth $20 million this year, $21.5 million next, isn’t too attractive, but his season so far is good, averaging over 20 points and nearly 10 rebounds, shooting with astonishing numbers – 62.5% from 2-point range, 44.9% from three-point range on 4.5 threes attempted per game. Who knows, it might be a good year to see the 34-year-old elsewhere.
Another player on a team in the process of being retooled, Poeltl will earn $19.5 million this season, the next and the one after that if he accepts the player option. Figures of around 13% of the cap which are suitable for a starter or a sixth man of a Playoffs team, where the Raptors big man would be able to offer rim protection, decent rolling/cutting skills and great rebounding solidity – captures 13.2 % of available offensive rebounds, 87th percentile in the NBA, and for 3 seasons now he has been consistently above the 80th percentile even in the defensive half of the court.
Reading the salary of the Nets big man this season could be misleading, given that Spotrac’s entry reads $28.4 million and just over 20% of the cap, important figures. What makes this contract attractive is its downward structure, with a progressive decline of approximately 3% season after season, until reaching 11.5% ($21.6M) in 2027/28. We’re talking about a guy who isn’t even 26 years old in prime time, investing a few picks for him could make enormous sense.
He risks going unnoticed due to his arrival in the anonymous DC, but Valanciunas is not only a solid potential long backup, but also the owner of one of the best contracts in the NBA in relation to the return he can offer: $9.9 million this year, just 7% of the cap, and then to drop in the next 2 seasons first to 6.72% and then to 5.88%. Figures from MLE or so, more than legitimate for a player with around 12 points and 8 rebounds in less than 20 minutes of use per game, shooting with good percentages (58.3 eFG%). An almost 33 year old in a team in full rebuilding, with a good contract and a decent performance: trade deadline identikit.
Centers are the early buzz for teams gauging the trade market ahead of December 15th when new signings become eligible to be dealt.
The big man market could be very robust as well: Jakob Poeltl, Nic Claxton, Deandre Ayton, Nikola Vucevic, Jonas Valanciunas, Robert Williams III. pic.twitter.com/kbssibfj3G
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) November 28, 2024
