On Friday, we ranked the 10 best players who could be traded during the 2024-25 NBA season. Guess who wasn't on that list? Karl-Anthony Towns. While we'd like to take some credit and say that Towns technically wasn't traded during the 2024-25 season, the move was mostly a testament to how unpredictable NBA trades could be. It didn't matter that the Knicks had already given up most of their draft capital or that the Timberwolves were coming off of the best season in franchise history. They were both motivated to find a deal, so they found a deal.
So what does that say about future trade rumors? Well, more than nothing, but less than something. It's worth remembering that this trade came in the offseason, with expanded rosters and far less concern over integrating new players into a lineup. This trade might have been possible in February, but it wouldn't have been easy. The CBA complications certainly still exist. The Knicks and Timberwolves needed Charlotte's help to finish this thing, and there are only so many facilitators out there. It's still hard to imagine a Jimmy Butler trade coming during the season, for instance, because a third team would be needed for most plausible suitors.
But the Towns trade was evidence that teams are still perfectly willing and able to be aggressive and creative in making moves, and that knowledge makes it all the likelier that big deals could come. So, let's look at the 10 best players who could be moved during the season and, I suppose, the month or so left before it begins. We'll be using the CBS Sports top 100 as our ranker.
1. Brandon Ingram (50)
The Pelicans tried to trade Ingram all summer and failed. He seems very much aware of that fact. New Orleans traded for Dejounte Murray this offseason, who plays a very similar offensive role as an individual shot-creator. He shares a position with Trey Murphy and Herb Jones, younger and more versatile players that fit more easily next to franchise player Zion Williamson. Oh, and he seemingly wants a very hefty contract extension at a time when belts are tightening around the league. He's no longer a long-term fit in New Orleans. The Pelicans badly need to find a center, as they're either going to abandon the position this season or turn it over to minimum-salary free agent Daniel Theis. An Ingram trade is their best hope of filling that hole. They'd prefer to move him for fair value, but when push comes to shove, he's also a hefty expiring contract. The Pelicans can't afford to lose the salary slot, so if they have to treat him as more of a cap figure than an asset in a February trade, they might just do it.
2. Julius Randle (54)
Randle has already been traded once this offseason. That doesn't mean he's safe from another deal in February. Remember, Minnesota has Naz Reid in place and knows he's capable of starting. If this fit doesn't work, Minnesota can flip Randle's salary slot into a different sort of player in February. It might even be motivated to do so, given Randle's player option this offseason. The Timberwolves could go in any direction here. There are valid arguments for keeping Randle and extending him, letting him walk for tax savings, or trading him for different types of players. Until we see him play in a Timberwolves uniform, we just don't know what will make sense. Here's what we do know: Randle brings needed secondary creation, but as an inferior shooter to Towns, is going to cramp Minnesota's spacing. Donte DiVincenzo might be enough to offset those losses. He might not. But there are too many possible outcomes here to assume Randle is destined to remain in Minnesota.
3. Darius Garland (55)
The Athletic reported after the season that Darius Garland's camp would prefer a trade if Donovan Mitchell extended. That noise died down after Mitchell actually extended, but it came from a genuine place. Fundamentally, Cleveland has two point guards when it only needs one. Mitchell is the better player and has, therefore, had to sacrifice less. Garland has struggled to fit into an off-ball role, and injuries exacerbated those issues last season. Cleveland isn't going to trade him just to trade him. He's so good and so vital as long-term Mitchell insurance that he should only move in a deal for an equivalent wing. But if the Cavaliers can find one? Yeah, it probably makes sense to split up their backcourt.
4. Jarrett Allen (59)
Most of what I wrote about Garland applies to Jarrett Allen. He's redundant. Both he and Evan Mobley are non-shooting big men. You can't really build around two of them in the modern NBA. Mobley is younger and better. There are so many center-needy teams right now that Cleveland could probably generate a strong offer if it made him available, but remember, the Cavaliers just hired his former Nets coach in Kenny Atkinson. They seemingly want to take one last swing at making this foursome work before they really renovate their flawed roster. Allen's availability probably depends on where the Cavaliers stand in February. If they're not genuine contenders in May and June, though, he becomes an obvious trade candidate in July.
5. Zach LaVine (76)
Our first four players range from "we'd trade him if we could" to "we might trade him depending on how things play out." But Zach LaVine? He's firmly planted in "Would you please just take him off of our hands for us? We'll give you stuff!" territory. The Bulls might have had a moment in which they could have gotten off of his contract relatively painlessly. That ship has long sailed. He has three years left on a five-year max and he just played 25 games in a season that was disappointing even when he was healthy. Score-first guards that don't defend or help their teammates are out of vogue right now. Good luck moving him, Chicago. You'll need it.
6. Jerami Grant (78)
Jerami Grant really shouldn't be on the Trail Blazers, but this is what happens when you re-sign a veteran to a five-year deal one day before your franchise player asks to be traded. Portland is now stuck with a handful of veterans that should probably be moved. Robert Williams III likely will be, provided he can prove that he is healthy. Deandre Ayton is too expensive. But Grant is the most valuable of the three, and there's a bit of a clock here, given his contract and age (30). High-end offensive wings that can hold their own defensively are rare. Portland can get a first-round pick and knock a few wins off of their total this season the moment they decide to move Grant. It's just a matter of embracing the rebuild they've fully entered.
7. Jonathan Kuminga (83)
The Warriors tried to trade for Paul George and Lauri Markkanen this offseason. By all accounts, Brandin Podziemski was off limits. Do the math here. Golden State wants to trade for a veteran superstar for one last Stephen Curry-centric title push. You have to give something to get something, and even if draft picks are the center of any trade, players need to be involved for both financial and practical purposes. Kuminga is the valuable young player Golden State is open to dangling, and as he is extension-eligible, the Warriors are motivated to come to a decision on his future one way or another sooner rather than later.
8. Anfernee Simons (86)
Remember the whole "scoring guards who don't defend or help their teammates" point we covered with LaVine? Well, there's context there. Simons makes half as much, is four years younger and has a relatively clean bill of health. He's not going to fetch a superstar's price, but he's a pretty desirable player, and just as it makes more sense for Portland to trade Grant, the Blazers would probably be best served cashing in Simons now while he's still young and comes with meaningful team control. Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe make up the backcourt of the future here, and if they're not, Portland will be tanking long enough to find another high-end guard or two. Simons can help plenty of contenders (Orlando most of all), so there will be good offers out there if he ever hits the market.
9. Jalen Green (92)
Green is the slightly worse version of Kuminga for our purposes. He's extension-eligible, and his team wants to trade for a star soon. The Rockets have no shortage of backcourt alternatives. They've used back-to-back top-five picks on Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard, both of whom have more clearly defined roles on the team. Fred VanVleet is still here and on a max contract. The Rockets likely wouldn't mind locking Green up to a reasonable contract now, but he's still probably in a place where he wants to bet on his vast upside. If there's not a middle ground, it makes sense to trade him before that upside gets obscured by his actual production.
10. Bogdan Bogdanovic (97)
We've zoomed past the former All-Stars and the exciting young players down to the veteran role players. Bogdan Bogdanovic is a reliable bench creator that could fit into pretty much any offense. He's 32, likely too old for a Hawks team going young, and while the Hawks are light on guards after trading Murray, several of their forwards (Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher) are going to need the ball in their hands a bit. With Trae Young in place, it just makes more sense to turn Bogdanovic into assets that fit with that core rather than the older one that is being phased out.
