Buyout Market NBA 2024: Top 5 Potential Candidates
With the NBA trade deadline finally approaching, many teams in the league have been making moves to improve themselves and get a little closer to winning an NBA title. It is difficult to blindly accept trade rumors until they materialize as even stars like LeBron James can reportedly be traded.
Now that the trade deadline has approached, most NBA teams have made moves to get better. Others have moved on from players who are older or have larger contracts. By selling such players, teams free up salary space to pay their young stars or focus on the rebuilding process.
Teams that bring such players to their roster usually choose to buy them out and waive them for the rest of the season. This allows other teams that are still interested in acquiring these veterans to offer them significantly lower than their previous contracts and acquire them from the buyout market. That said, here are the top candidates on the 2024 NBA buyout market.
Spencer Dinwiddie was traded to the Raptors and will be waived
The Toronto Raptors have made some interesting moves in the trade market over the past several weeks. They traded franchise cornerstones like Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby. The Raptors recently traded Dennis Schroder to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie.
Toronto Raptors plan to waive Spencer Dinwiddie to avoid upcoming contract bonus of $1.5M for games played, sources report @athletic @stadium,
A major new entry into the NBA’s buyout market that many playoff teams would love to see. pic.twitter.com/ec3oVEBmCZ
– Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) 8 February 2024
Dinwiddie is only 30 years old and is averaging 12.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 6 assists this season. Despite this, the Raptors have made it clear that they plan to waive Dinwiddie and trade him out. This means that any team interested in acquiring him will be able to do so.
Robin Lopez will be waived by the Kings
Robin Lopez started this season with the Milwaukee Bucks and was part of the roster along with his twin brother Brook Lopez. Since the Bucks are looking to compete for a title and do not have the roster space and salary, they ended up trading Robin to the Kings, who did not hesitate to waive the NBA center.
The Milwaukee Bucks are trading Robin Lopez to the Sacramento Kings, sources tell ESPN. Lopez is expected to clear waivers and become a free agent.
– Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) 8 February 2024
Lopez has not been given much time on the court for the Bucks this season and has only played in 16 games. So, it definitely makes sense for the Bucks to move on from him and for the Kings to acquire him.
Danuel House Jr. expected to be purchased by Detroit Pistons
If there is any team in the league in the process of rebuilding, it would be the Detroit Pistons. After all, the Pistons have the worst record in the entire NBA and have no hope of making the playoffs or even the play-in tournament. House is averaging just 4.2 points and 1.7 rebounds for the 76ers this season.
Detroit has waived Daniel House Jr., sources say @athletic @stadium, https://t.co/MygAseuFjE
– Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) 8 February 2024
So, Philadelphia traded him to Detroit to create more flexibility in their cap space and potentially make a move to acquire someone else from the buyout market. Although the House exemption has not been confirmed at this time, there is every possibility that it will happen.
Joe Harris has also been waived by the Pistons
Of all the Pistons’ stars, veteran three-point shooter Joe Harris has the biggest contract as he is on a 4-year contract worth approximately $75 million. While Harris is still a good shooter and has a lot to offer, he has only played 16 games this season and is averaging 2.4 points per game.
Since the Pistons likely want to focus on the development of their young and less experienced core, it doesn’t make sense to keep Harris on the roster and continue paying him. So, Detroit has signed him and he is now on the buyout market.
Seth Curry expected to be waived by the Hornets
A big move toward the end of the trade deadline was to trade Seth Curry and others from the Dallas Mavericks to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for PJ Washington. There were already several reports indicating that the Mavs were looking for a forward who could play good defense and score efficiently.
PJ has averaged 13.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists this season. He is also 25 years old, which means he has yet to enter his peak and elevate his game to the competitive list.
While this is good for Washington, it could mean the Hornets will waive Seth Curry and force him to enter the buyout market. There, he will have to hope that another team in the league shows interest in acquiring him and bringing him onto their roster.
