After Giannis Antetokounmpo, LaMelo Ball, and Jaylen Brown all got traded this summer, there aren’t really any superstars left on the trade block. Kawhi Leonard hasn’t officially been moved, but it’s rare that a player gets traded in the second half of the summer.
The NBA offseason, or at least the dramatic moves, are mostly over.
Sure, there could be a team or two that decides they’re missing a piece right before the season starts. That’s how Karl-Anthony Towns ended up on the New York Knicks. But for the most part, fans aren’t expecting much. Football season is on the horizon. After that, the NBA is back.
These five players haven’t demanded a trade, at least not publicly, although they probably should. Either they play for an incompetent team, don’t fit the timeline, or could enjoy more success elsewhere.
We don’t expect any of these players to demand a trade before the February deadline. We also wouldn’t be surprised if they did.
5. Trey Murphy III – New Orleans Pelicans
Trey Murphy III has been included in trade rumors for the last two seasons, and for good reason.
He just averaged 21.5 points on 37.9 percent shooting from 3-point range. Best of all, he is on a manageable contract for the next three seasons. Any team with title hopes would be thrilled to add him to the starting lineup. His current team, the Pelicans, are about as far away from contending as possible.
Between his versatile offensive skillset and reasonable contract, it’s safe to say that a team could break the bank for him. After all, value is just as important as talent. There are many fans who would prefer a player like Murphy than a certified All-Star, because the All-Star costs between $15 and $20 million more per year.
As far as 3-and-D players go, Murphy III is one of the best. In the rumor mill, teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons, and Portland Trail Blazers all make sense.
The Pelicans have made it clear that they don’t want to trade him, although if they get off to another slow start this season, he might be fed up. He doesn’t have a ton of leverage to demand a trade, but his value is undeniable.
4. Anthony Davis – Washington Wizards
Anthony Davis is probably the most talented player on the Washington Wizards. When healthy, he can be the first or second option on a title team. His health, though, is questionable at best.
After being traded from the LA Lakers for Luka Doncic, Davis suffered a series of setbacks before being sent to the Wizards. Washington is firmly all-in on youth, and would rather play youngsters like Alex Sarr, AJ Dybantsa, Bilal Coulibaly, and Will Riley significant minutes in the frontcourt.
Davis is owed $58.4 million this season and has a $62.7 million player option for the year after that. He could easily demand a trade, sign an extension, and then get shipped out, or make it clear that he won’t re-sign, and the Wizards would be better off trading him for something than letting him walk for nothing.
Davis, since joining the Lakers in 2020, has always been on a winning team. Washington, for now, is the opposite of a winner. If he’s willing to take a pay cut with his extension, he suddenly becomes one of the most tradeable players in the NBA.
Even if he doesn’t sign an extension with the Wizards, it’s hard to imagine him spending the year in the capital.
3. Keldon Johnson – San Antonio Spurs
Keldon Johnson just won Sixth Man of the Year. Heading into the playoffs, it looked like he’d finally carved out a long-term role on the Spurs.
Johnson has long been a fixture of trade rumors, but last season, he looked like he’d played his way out of talks. Then, in the postseason, he averaged only 7.7 points on 40.7 percent shooting. The Spurs could have extended him this summer, but didn’t. He’s on the last year of his contract and is owed $17.5 million.
The Spurs’ front office doesn’t see him as a long-term piece alongside Victor Wembanyama, even though he’s a locker room favorite.
Johnson has three options. He can demand a trade and get sent to a contender. That would give him a slightly bigger role than he does in San Antonio. Or, he could head to a rebuilding team, ball out, and get paid next summer.
His third option is to stay in Texas, take less money in his incoming free agency, and be the ultimate career glue guy for San Antonio. Most fans would prefer option number three, although once money and playing time get involved, tough choices are made.
If Johnson wants to win, he should stay with the Spurs. If he wants to make a ton of money and be a starter, then a trade is his best bet.
2. Devin Booker – Phoenix Suns
As soon as it became clear that the Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and Kevin Durant trio wasn’t destined for greatness, the Suns should have blown it all up. In the end, they bought out Beal and traded Durant for Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, and the tenth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Last season, despite having one of the most inefficient campaigns of his career, Booker made the All-Star Game. The Suns went 45-37, much better than expected. Still, he should be thinking about asking out.
The starting lineup of Green, Brooks, Booker, Collin Gillespie, and Mark Williams overperformed. In the Western Conference, a Booker-led team will never be able to compete with San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Los Angeles, Minnesota, or even Denver.
The Suns have virtually no draft capital. Rebuilding, even after a surprise winning season, makes the most sense. Booker has “Eastern Conference Superstar” written all over him, and a team with a lead guard that lacks an offensive spark could use him.
Detroit, Indiana, Toronto, and even Boston all make a lot of sense. If he heads East, the team that lands him is immediately in the top tier of franchises.
Suns’ owner Mat Ishbia has said time and time again that he doesn’t want to trade Booker, but even people worth $9.1 billion have to rebuild.
1. Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets
It’s hard to imagine Nikola Jokic ever playing anywhere else, but the same could be said for James Harden (in Houston, not OKC), Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Doncic. With the exception of Doncic, all of them demanded a trade after they saw the writing on the wall.
In Denver, it might be time to wave the wite flag. Trading Jokic is the last thing the Nuggets will do before fully rebuilding, so we’re still a long way from him asking out, but bookmark this article. It’s going to happen.
For starters, in Jokic’s prime, Denver has only ever made two Conference Finals. For a three-time MVP, that’s pretty disappointing.
Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray have been ideal co-stars on the court, but they struggle to stay healthy, and they’re both massively overpaid. Currently, the Nuggets are the only team over the second apron. They only own four first-round draft picks, and don’t have the flexibility to dig themselves out of a hole.
Denver is still a very good team, and Jokic is still one of the best players in the world. But in order to make the Finals, they’ll have to beat either San Antonio or OKC and Minnesota or Los Angeles. Do they have the juice?
Before Jokic asks for a trade, expect the Nuggets to move on from Murray, and see if that works. Then Gordon would go next. After that, if he still has some prime years left in the tank, expect teams to line up for him.
He’s not on a budget contract like Murphy III is, but he’s a one-man offensive engine who makes everyone around him better. The biggest issue, it seems, is that the Nuggets thought his teammates were as good as Jokic made them look. So they got paid. And now the team is handcuffed.
2028. Book it.
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