Blogtable Archive

Blogtable: Which big name could be on the move next?

Each week, we ask our scribes to weigh in on the most important NBA topics of the day.

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Jimmy Butler became the first big name to be traded this season. Who could be next?

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Steve Aschburner: I’d like to see Kyle Korver, with whom I spoke over the weekend about the possibility of a trade, get freed from the inevitable rebuild in Cleveland. He’d be a great get for Philadelphia, for instance, if they could finagle the cap math. But since there’s no urgency for the Cavs to make a deal, the time factor of “next” in the question suggests a team in dire need of … doing something. That screams Washington to me. Yeah, I know, “two in a row now,” and potentially four straight victories by the end of the week. But climbing to 6-9 isn’t reassuring with their schedule from there (Blazers and Clippers, then seven of 10 on the road). So add me to the chorus speculating about a deal involving John Wall, super-max contract and all.

Shaun Powell: Does Carmelo Anthony still count as a big name? Because he’s certainly next. But in the spirit of the question, let’s go with Kent Bazemore of the Hawks, who could look to move a big contract. Kyle Korver’s another candidate. Also, if the Wizards keep going south, there could be a midseason shakeup and it wouldn’t shock me if they move John Wall, who’s set to make $40 million-plus per season on his super max which is ready to kick in.

John Schuhmann: If the Wizards don’t turn things around, we should start there. Trading John Wall’s contract would be difficult, but there are a couple of teams out there desperate for a point guard. Bradley Beal is clearly the most tradeable of their three highest paid players, but also the one they’d most like to keep, I would imagine. With Otto Porter not living up to his deal, he’d be a tough sell. Elsewhere, we should expect the Cavs to trade at least a couple of their vets. J.R. Smith and Kyle Korver aren’t huge names, but I wonder if the Rockets, now that Butler is off the table, would call Cleveland about a Kevin Love deal. They’d only owe Love, James Harden, Chris Paul and Clint Capela a total of $592 million through the 2022-23 season.

Sekou Smith: Jimmy Butler did such a great job telegraphing his eventual move that it makes picking the next “big name” to be moved much harder to figure right now. There isn’t another disgruntled All-Star that immediately comes to mind. For a half second I thought about Draymond Green and his situation with the Golden State Warriors and what could happen if … ah, never mind that foolishness. The Warriors aren’t dealing their emotional leader just because he and Kevin Durant get in a little dust-up. The Washington Wizards have won two straight with a chance to make it three straight with Cleveland in town Wednesday night. But if the wheels fall off again before the trade deadline, might the Wizards consider moving Bradley Beal? It’s worth thinking about, if we’re just speculating about things that could happen.

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