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On October 24, 2023, the Denver Nuggets will begin their defense of the NBA championship. After beating the Miami Heat for their first franchise title, all teams will be gunning to unseat the Mile High City squad.
Some teams such as the LA Lakers and the Phoenix Suns look like they’re ready to challenge Denver with respectively vastly retooled lineups. A few other teams can also make in-season moves that will give them better chances of entering the playoffs or contending for the crown.
Here are some players who could change teams in the middle of the 2023-24 NBA season
#5 Buddy Hield - Indiana Pacers
Buddy Hield has been a staple in NBA trade rumors over the past two seasons. The Indiana Pacers haven’t given him an extension, which makes him an unrestricted free agent next season.
Teams looking for a deadeye shooter may desperately want to acquire him. He averaged 16.8 points per game on a sizzling 42.5% clip from deep.
The Pacers look like they’re looking to get even younger. Hield will turn 31 years old this season and may no longer be part of their long-term plans.
#4 Tobias Harris - Philadelphia 76ers
Like Hield, Tobias Harris will become an unrestricted free agent after the coming NBA season. What the Philadelphia 76ers will do with him will likely depend on how the James Harden situation unfolds.
“The Beard” has demanded a trade and has already tweeted that he’s willing to get “uncomfortable.” Philly president of basketball operations Daryl Morey has also emphasized that they will only trade Harden for the right return.
No one will be surprised if Tobias Harris will finish next season wearing a different NBA uniform whether James Harden will stay or not.
#3 Pascal Siakam - Toronto Raptors
NBA trade rumors have circled Pascal Siakam since the Toronto Raptors failed to extend him. The team has already seen former All-Star Fred VanVleet leave for nothing in free agency when he signed with the Houston Rockets.
If the Raptors don’t want the All-Star forward as part of their plans, they will likely trade him to get assets.
A snag in potential trade talks, however, may come from Siakam’s reported reluctance to play elsewhere. Teams don’t want to pay a high price for a one-year rental.
Still, Toronto will be looking to move him if they don’t want to give him an extension.
#2 DeMar DeRozan - Chicago Bulls
DeMar DeRozan has been named to the NBA All-Star team over the last two seasons. He may still be the league’s premier mid-range maestro. But, after reaching the playoffs in 2022, the Chicago Bulls didn’t make it to the postseason this year.
The new collective bargaining agreement will make it difficult for the Bulls to keep an expensive roster that will unlikely challenge the Eastern elites. Trading DeRozan, who is in the final year of his contract, might be on their cards.
#1 Deandre Ayton - Phoenix Suns
Most basketball fans thought the Phoenix Suns will trade Deandre Ayton to build a better roster around Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker. Suns owner Mat Ishiba didn’t seem to care about the luxury tax and shot past it by deciding to keep Ayton.
To the Suns’ credit, they’ve built a solid roster with many playing under the minimum. If Phoenix, however, struggles, they may move Ayton to retool the roster.
