Top 10 Most Likely Buyout Candidates After the NBA Trade Deadline

Top 10 Most Likely Buyout Candidates After the NBA Trade Deadline

The NBA trade deadline has come and gone, and oh, what a wild one it was! Deals were being made well before Thursday’s official deadline and plenty more followed in the hours leading up to the cutoff. 

While the player movement is always fun to monitor, another component to the league’s annual trade deadline is the midseason free agency that follows. This comes about as a result of several veterans having their expiring contracts bought out. When this happens, they immediately become available for contending teams to sign as they gear up for a playoff push. 

After the flurry of deadline activity that took place, several players have landed in fairly obvious buyout spots. The following highlights ten of the most likely buyout candidates following the NBA trade deadline.

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Top 10 Buyout Candidates After the NBA Trade Deadline

Dennis Schroder | PG, Houston Rockets

After being dealt from the Celtics in a deal that sent Daniel Theis back to Boston, Dennis Schroder is almost certain to have his contract bought out by the rebuilding Rockets. There is really no point in Houston keeping the veteran guard around as they aim to develop young talent for the future. The move would allow a contender to sign Schroder who is fully capable of being a quality asset for a playoff run.

Enes Freedom | C, Houston Rockets

The other piece of the Rockets-Celtics trade was Enes Freedom. The Turkish native will undoubtedly be bought out by Houston for the same reasons as Schroder above. It will be interesting to see what type of interest the former No. 3 overall pick garners from contenders as a midseason free agent.

Goran Dragic | PG, San Antonio Spurs

The actions of the Spurs at the deadline which included shipping out Derrick White to Boston clearly indicate that the franchise is set to go into a rebuild. Thus, the expiring contract of a 35-year-old veteran like Goran Dragic, who came over in a deal with Toronto, has no place on the Spurs roster. Look for San Antonio to negotiate a buyout with Dragic who is owed over $19 million this season. A contender will then be able to sign him at a cheaper cost.

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Josh Richardson | SG/SF, San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs acquired Josh Richardson from the Celtics in the aforementioned Derrick White trade. The 28-year-old has now been with more teams during the lifespan of his current four-year contract than the number of years on the deal itself. Richardson is owed north of $11.6 million in this, the final year of the deal. It would be a surprise to see the Spurs keep around a veteran with that type of price tag given their apparent futuristic outlook.

Gary Harris | SG, Orlando Magic

Our first player on this list who was not moved at the deadline is Gary Harris. With the Magic clearly rebuilding for the future, there is not much of an onus for them to hold onto an expiring contract that owes Harris over $20 million for this season. The 27-year-old would certainly generate some interest from contending teams if Orlando does in fact go through with the buyout.

Jeremy Lamb | SG/SF, Sacramento Kings

Look, it’s impossible to say for certain whether or not the Kings will actually buyout Jeremy Lamb’s expiring contract. However, it is certainly reasonable to state that they SHOULD make the move. Lamb came over to Sacramento as part of the Domantas Sabonis trade. While it actually appears that Sacramento is going to push for a playoff berth this season, Lamb probably won’t factor into the rotation much if at all. He is owed $10.5 million in this, the final year of a three-year deal.

Tristan Thompson | C, Indiana Pacers

Center Tristan Thompson hardly played for the Kings prior to being shipped out in the trade for Domantas Sabonis. Just as Jeremy Lamb figures to offer little value to Sacramento, the same can be said for Thompson in Indiana. While the Pacers certainly won the overall trade, the move would seem to suggest that the team is comfortable playing for the future. Paying Thompson north of $9 million to ride the pine isn’t in the Pacers’ best interest.

Derrick Favors | C, Oklahoma City Thunder

The funny thing about including Derrick Favors among the likely NBA trade deadline buyout candidates is that the Thunder are actually very shorthanded in the frontcourt right now. Favors has largely failed to improve his value in the eyes of contenders during his stint with the rebuilding Thunder. Thus, it was not a huge surprise that he stayed put at the deadline. Even so, it remains hard to envision OKC hanging onto such a hefty contract for a veteran, especially one the caliber of Favors at this stage in his career.

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Kevin Knox | PF, Atlanta Hawks

Kevin Knox traded places with Cam Reddish in one of the first NBA trade deadline deals to go down. Although the salaries of the two were fairly even, the Hawks have little to no use for Knox as currently constructed. Since coming over from the New York Knicks, he has played all of 35 minutes. Given that the Hawks have been playing much better of late, they would most likely prefer to unload Knox’s contract instead of worrying about developing him. 

Kemba Walker | PG, New York Knicks

Speaking of the Knicks, the feel-good vibes from a year ago have long since dissipated. One of the questionable moves New York made last offseason was signing Kemba Walker, a player who does not fit the Tom Thibodeau style of play whatsoever. With the Knicks currently sitting 12th in the Eastern Conference with a record seven games below .500, might they opt to buyout Walker after not even a full season? Let’s just say it wouldn’t come as a total surprise, especially given the apparent rift in his relationship with Thibs.