Former Wildcats who could be moved at NBA trade deadline

With the NBA’s Trade Deadline slated for 3 p.m. ET on Thursday afternoon, multiple teams are looking to make moves to solidify themselves as a contender or to tank the rest of their season. With the clock counting down, several former Wildcats could be on the move.

Eric Bledsoe (again) – Trail Blazers

The Los Angeles Clippers dealt Eric Bledsoe to the Portland Trail Blazers as part of a trade earlier this week. Other Blazers moves this week suggest they’re headed for a youth movement or a rebuild around Damian Lillard.

Either way, Bledsoe likely won’t be in their long-term plans and could potentially be dealt again. When asked about it, Bledsoe said his future in Portland was “up in the air”. The 32-year old has played well this season with 10 points and 4.2 assists per game. Still, the franchise may elect to move him in hopes of acquiring another piece for their future.

De’Aaron Fox – Kings

This one is tough. At the start of the week, it looked like De’Aaron Fox had a shot at making it out of Sacramento. That was until the Kings traded away his younger backcourt partner Tyrese Haliburton to Indiana for Domantas Sabonis. The move signals a win-now mentality and a refocused effort with Fox leading the franchise. He’s picked it up after a slow start this season with 21 points and 5.2 assists per game, but the Haliburton deal was likely the worst-case scenario for Swipa.

Hamidou Diallo or Trey Lyles – Pistons

As one of the youngest teams in the league, the Detroit Pistons have a GM in Troy Weaver who’s not afraid to make a deal. One of the more surprising pieces for them has been Hamidou Diallo, who’s fifth on the team in scoring at 10.8 points per game. Diallo is still young and has had some big games this season in the Motor City, but there’s a chance they could move him in order to make more opportunity for their even younger stars.

Additionally, although he’s still just 26, Trey Lyles may not fit Detroit’s timeline. On his fourth NBA team, Lyles is actually having one of his best professional seasons with a career-high 10.4 points per game. As a low budget player, Lyles could be an under-the-radar move for a team as the Pistons try to fill their roster to fit Cade Cunningham’s timeline.

Randle, Quickley or Noel – Knicks

The Knicks’ season has continued to get worse and worse with each loss and off-court issue. They’ve now lost three straight, eight of their last 10 and sit at 12th in the Eastern Conference. Julius Randle has been the center of a lot of frustration as he’s had a significant drop off after winning Most Improved Player last season. After his latest incident with a Knicks assistant coach, the franchise could look to trade him before his extension kicks in.

New York will focus on their young players in RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley if so. After making All-Rookie Second Team last season, though, Quickley has seemingly fallen out of favor with Tom Thibodeau. His minutes have been all over the place since returning from an injury at the end of 2021. His scoring and efficiency have taken a hit because of it, too. It’d be in New York’s best interest to let Quickley develop but if the right name becomes available, the Knicks front office wouldn’t be afraid to include him.

As for Noel, he’s had an injury-plagued season after being one of the league’s best shot blockers in 2021. His trade status likely depends on what the Knicks truly think about Mitchell Robinson as their starting center. Even so, Noel has played just 25 games after signing a three-year, $27 million deal last offseason. If he can’t dodge the injury bug, New York could look to trade him to get a return on that investment.

John Wall – Rockets

Wall looked like his old self again after his trade to the Houston Rockets last season. In 40 games, he averaged 20.6 points and 6.9 assists. After shutting him down last season, the Rockets have not brought Wall back onto the roster since. It’s one of the stranger NBA storylines this season and it’s further complicated by his contract. Back in 2017, Wall signed a four-year, $170 million extension that has become one of the worst deals in the league. As the league’s third-highest paid player, Wall is likely more as a buyout candidate than anything else. Still, a trade could be possible depending on which teams would be interested to take on that deal.

PJ Washington – Hornets

A player such as PJ Washington is always in demand in the NBA. At 6-foot-7, Washington is the ideal stretch four shooting a career-high 39.1% from 3 this season. Ideally, the Hornets would like to keep a reliable asset in Washington to play alongside LaMelo Ball. The problem is Charlotte is in desperate need of frontcourt help. Washington has been linked to multiple teams ahead of the deadline including Miami, Sacramento, Houston, Dallas and Boston. If the Hornets find a big name available to start at center for them, they might be forced to throw Washington in to sweeten the deal.

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