Top 5 NBA Players Who Will Most Likely Get Traded in the 2016-17 Regular Season: Noel, Monroe, Randolph, Gallinari and Knight
Mid-season trades are inevitable; soon, an NBA team will realize they need to shake things up in the roster to get out of a losing stump. Even during the summer, there have been rumors about players who are more likely to be traded than others due to lineup problems, log jams and contract situations.
The following are the top 5 players who are most likely to play for two teams this regular season.
1. Nerlens Noel
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The Philadelphia 76ers has a lot of talent and potential in the front court; so much so that they are probably better off trading some of their big men to restore the roster balance. One of these big men who are most likely to get traded is Nerlens Noel.
With a strong showing, Joel Embiid is making a case for staying with the Philadelphia 76ers. If Embiid can maintain his health, the Sixers will surely benefit from his strength and skills. That means either Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel will be traded to other teams. And with Noel's defensive talents, a lot of teams have expressed interest in getting him.
2. Greg Monroe
Greg Monroe has provided lots of offense to the Milwaukee Bucks. However, the team didn't make the playoffs last season. That is likely due to Monroe's defensive deficiencies. As such, he is likely to be traded to another team within the season.
That's even more of a possibility, given the fact that Monroe can opt out of his contract next summer and become an unrestricted free agent.
3. Zach Randolph
Under the new head coach David Fizdale, the Memphis Grizzlies will adopt a playing style that is different from what Zach Randolph has been accustomed to over the years: "grit and grind."
Randolph will come off the bench this season, and he will be an unrestricted free agent during the summer. That means the Memphis are likely to trade him; otherwise, he would essentially leave the team with nothing to give.
4. Danilo Gallinari
Just like Randolph and Monroe, Gallinari will also be an unrestricted free agent during the summer. In addition to this, Gallinari has been suffering from injuries these past two years, so he won't be an integral part of the Nugget's recent move of adding younger players to its roster.
5. Brandon Knight
The Phoenix Suns has a log jam in the back court in the sense that two players are capable of starting: Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe. The Suns coach has decided to bench Knight for the first time in his career.
Even if this doesn't necessarily mean Knight's minutes will be reduced, he will get some of the minutes off from the Suns other younger players who need development. The Suns probably won't say no to trading Knight if the opportunity arises if it means giving more minutes to its future core of young stars.
