With the start of NBA free agency mere days away, we’re naturally thinking about which players will end up with new clubs—or stay with their current ones—and how it will shape next season’s title race.
Regardless of how things shake out, we can still afford to tell you what we think should happen—which players we believe would benefit most from a change of scenery at this point in their careers.
Damian Lillard
Yes, we’ve seen Sam Amick’s report in The Athletic, which suggests Lillard has genuine interest in joining the Heat. And we also can look at the writing on the wall—which has been in plain sight for at least a few years now. The Trail Blazers’ timeline for contention looks nowhere near the same as Lillard’s, which led to their taking another incredibly talented point guard, Scoot Henderson, with the No. 3 pick in the draft, rather than dealing the selection.
It doesn’t make logical sense for Lillard to stay in Portland unless he has determined it’s not important to compete for a title in these latter years of his career. There won’t be a better time for the almost 33-year-old to be traded than there is right now, particularly as he comes off an incredible statistical campaign in which he averaged 32.2 points per game amid the most efficient shooting of his career. Neither side wants to be the one to take the next step, but it’s obvious the step should be taken.
Nikola Vučević
Speaking of noncontending situations, the Bulls would appear headed for yet another such season if they re-sign the soon-to-be 33-year-old Vučević while also bringing back Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. Without Lonzo Ball—the Bulls said last week he is unlikely to play this coming season after having missed last year, too—the team is simply stuck and needs to make a move to get out of the awful mediocrity it’s mired in at the moment. Vučević is a solid player and a double-double machine. He can certainly help someone. But he isn’t the free-agent answer for this Bulls team, which clearly needs to try something different.
Jae’Sean Tate
It wouldn’t be a surprise if incoming coach Ime Udoka wants the hardworking Tate back in the Rockets’ lineup. Udoka emphasizes diligence—particularly on defense—and team-oriented offense, and the 27-year-old forward embodies both, which make him appealing on a young team that lacked leadership at times last season. The challenge, though, is that general manager Rafael Stone just drafted a pair of high-profile forwards, Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore, in the first round of the draft. And even before that, there was talk of Houston’s interest in free-agent Dillon Brooks, who would only add to the logjam at the position. Tate, who missed much of last season due to injury, is on a good contract, so there’s no need to move him. But it will be interesting to see how the Rockets make time for him and everyone else if they’re all on the roster together.
Gary Harris
Finding himself in a slightly similar scenario to Tate is Harris, a shooting guard who missed most of the first two months of last season before logging career-best efficiency numbers for Orlando. He’ll be 29 this season and is a great veteran presence for the up-and-coming Magic. But the club did just draft a pair of guards in first-rounders Anthony Black and Jett Howard. (Last summer, the club also picked guard Caleb Houstan in addition to No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero.) By no means will Harris find himself on the outside looking in because of these picks. But he could be an appealing trade chip for any number of clubs if the Magic decide they want to give greater runway to their plethora of young guards, which also includes Jalen Suggs.
Monte Morris and Kyle Kuzma
The Wizards are in the midst of a massive overhaul, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Kuzma goes elsewhere and adds to that list of changes. He’ll be one of the most in-demand free agents, and it’d be understandable if Kuzma, who has become far more of a playmaker in recent years, seeks a club that’s ready to win now as opposed to returning to a rebuild in DC.
It’s also an open question as to whether it makes sense for point guard Morris to be back in a Wizards uniform. Aside from trading for Tyus Jones, the league’s best backup floor general, Washington also landed Jordan Poole, a player who will handle the ball a ton even if it isn’t as a point guard. It all leaves the Wizards top-heavy from a ballhandling perspective. It would also make sense if Morris, who just watched his former teammates in Denver win a title, wants to play for a team that at least has a chance at reaching the playoffs.
Malcolm Brogdon
The Celtics’ trade to bring over Kristaps Porziņģis was awkward, and not just because it required Boston to part ways with popular mainstay Marcus Smart. Before that, Boston sought to deal Brogdon, the Sixth Man of the Year award winner, before the Clippers eventually said no to taking on the guard, reportedly citing concerns over an injury he sustained during the playoffs.
No one can necessarily speak to whether Brogdon’s ego was bruised. But this past year, questions about Jaylen Brown’s future swirled in part because of how he initially responded to being included in a trade proposal for Kevin Durant. Depending on the person, that sort of realization is challenging, especially with Brogdon coming off an award-winning season in which he stayed mostly healthy. The Celtics dealt Smart and may still lose Grant Williams to free agency. So it wouldn’t be a stunner if they looked for a bigger, more defense-oriented wing to play alongside Jayson Tatum, Brown and Derrick White.
Deandre Ayton
Yes, coach Monty Williams—who Ayton once struggled to see eye to eye with—is no longer with the Suns. Still, it’s unclear whether a number of changes in Phoenix will make life easier for Ayton. In getting Bradley Beal and losing the lower-usage Chris Paul, Ayton is likely to get even fewer looks than he did when Durant first joined the rotation. Ayton had already seen his playoff usage rate drop considerably from 23.3% in 2022 to 18.6% in ’23. With Beal’s replacing Paul, one of the best pick-and-roll playmakers of all time, Ayton’s scoring opportunities could dwindle even more. But maybe the Suns go out and find a point guard on the cheap to help facilitate for Ayton a bit more once the dust settles.
Jarrett Allen
The Cleveland center, a one-time All-Star, fits the team extremely well and is a massive part of why the Cavs logged the league’s best defense this past season. Yet the team’s first-round flameout at the hands of the Knicks illustrated that coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s club could use far more depth, and a starting-caliber wing player to allow Caris LeVert to consistently come off the bench. With 22-year-old Evan Mobley still filling out and this core entering just its second season together, it might still be just a tad early, but it might be the smartest play for a Cavs team trying to take the next step.
