GUARDS
A few veteran guards were on the move ahead of the trade deadline and it is very likely that they will be bought out of their contracts in the coming week. Goran Dragic was traded from Toronto to San Antonio and Tomas Satoransky, after being traded to Portland from New Orleans for CJ McCollum, was traded again from Portland to San Antonio.
Both veteran guards are in the final year of their respective contracts and the Spurs could very well look to just waive them now to not create any roster problems with their young talents.
Nobody ever really knows what to expect from the Spurs, but Goran Dragic is wanting to play again this season and should be willing to negotiate a buyout agreement with San Antonio to hit the open market.
Just two seasons ago, Goran Dragic helped lead the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals in the bubble, averaging 16.2 points, 5.1 assists, and shooting 36.7% from three-point range during the 2019-20 season.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Emerging Names To Watch As NBA Buyout Candidates
Going back to Portland, Eric Bledsoe also remains a highly sought-after buyout candidate by many playoff-caliber teams in the league. Bledsoe has been tossed around the league over the last few seasons, but he is a really solid two-way guard that can still make an impact off the bench, as he proved in Los Angeles with the Clippers this season.
While a buyout is unlikely given that his contract is partially guaranteed for $3.9M next season, a much lower amount that the Blazers could absorb as dead cap compared to if they bought him out this season, many teams like the Lakers, Bucks, and even the Heat are monitoring his status as a possible cheap, experienced backcourt addition.
In Houston, the topic of discussion in the buyout market continues to swirl around former All-Star John Wall and his potential availability. According to Yahoo’s Chris Haynes, the Lakers looked to swap Russell Westbrook for John Wall ahead of the trade deadline on Thursday, but the Rockets were wanting an extra first-round pick in the deal since they were not getting anything really in this Wall-Westbrook swap.
It is unlikely that the Rockets will look to buy out Wall from his massive contract, but it would definitely make sense for them to come to some kind of agreement with the veteran and move on from having him on their roster.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Emerging Names To Watch As NBA Buyout Candidates
Here is the thing with John Wall – he is owed $91.6 million through next season and has a $47 million player option for next season that he would be foolish to decline at this point. No team in the league other than the Lakers have shown trade interest in Wall simply because nobody else can afford to match this kind of salary!
John Wall is not worth this kind of money anymore and any team that gets him will be lucky to get half the player that he used to be just because of injuries and the fact that he has not played at all.
Waiting until the offseason to try and flip Wall for Westbrook again seems like the only possibility for the Rockets to get rid of John Wall. Veteran guard D.J. Augustin was released from the Houston Rockets on Thursday and will likely land a new contract with a playoff contender as an end-of-the-bench talent given his experiences in this league.
Dennis Schroder is also linked to the Rockets organization now, as he was traded there from Boston ahead of the deadline in a package for Daniel Theis. Should he be bought out of his contract, Dennis Schroder will be the most sought-after player in the buyout market that can immediately fill a starting role for a team should they wish to use him in such a capacity. The Bulls, Lakers, Bucks, and 76ers are said to have a level of interest in Schoder, a source told NBA Analysis Network.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Emerging Names To Watch As NBA Buyout Candidates
Gary Harris in Orlando is another name that could shake things up on the buyout market. The 27-year-old shooting guard has been having a solid season with the Magic, averaging 11.7 points and shooting 38.8% from three-point range, but there are some around the league that believe that Magic could look to keep the experienced wing.
Dennis Schroder, Gary Harris, and Goran Dragic are the three main names in the backcourt to keep an eye on ahead of the March 1 deadline.
