The NBA trade deadline — February 10 at 3PM Eastern — is hard to predict and players may unexpectedly find themselves on the move. But there are some trends we’ve learned.
For example, NBA teams often make a decision about a player’s free agency before the free agency period actually begins. If an organization decides that they are going to move on from a player, it makes sense to see if they can get any assets in return.
That is one of the reasons why the Knicks recently moved on from Kevin Knox, who was recently traded to the Atlanta Hawks in a deal to land Cam Reddish.
Of course, some teams may be reluctant to trade for an upcoming free agent like Knox. But it’s occasionally advantageous because if they are able to bring a player into the fold before he actually hits the open market, they get the first opportunity to establish chemistry between the two parties. If it doesn’t work out, meanwhile, it’s a way of clearing up cap space on their salary books.
As such, when surveying the league to find the players most likely to see their name in trade rumors, upcoming restricted free agents are a good place to begin.
Here are six of the players to keep an eye on as we inch closer to the trade deadline: