
NBA Trade Value Rules
Here to Help Trade Value Guides Go Right
Salaries matter. Would you rather pay De'Aaron Fox $5.5 million a year or Russell Westbrook $35.7 million?
Age matters. Would you rather have Fox for the next 15 seasons or Russ for the next five?
Contract length matters. These days, 18-20 GMs have their owner convinced that every major free agent is signing with them next summer. “WE NEED CAP SPACE!!! He’s coming!” (Note: He’s probably not coming.)
Pretend the league passed the following rule: For 24 hours, any player can be traded without cap ramifications, but with luxury-tax and next-day-cap ramifications. If Team A tells Team B, “We’ll trade you Player X for Player Y,” would Team B do it?
Concentrate on degrees. For instance, a Simmons-Doncic swap ain’t happening for either side, but Philly would at least say, “Wow, Luka’s available?” That counts in the big scheme of things.
This list runs in reverse order. If Donovan Mitchell is no. 20, then players 1 through 19 are all players about whom Utah’s braintrust would either say, “We hate giving up Donovan, but let’s have a meeting ASAP,” or, “Done! Call this deal in!” And Utah wouldn’t trade him straight-up for any player listed between nos. 21 and 55.
The 2019 NBA Trade Value Rankings 2.0: Pre-Trade-Deadline Edition
Statistics updated through 2/3/19
Honorable Mention
OUT: John Wall, Jeff Green, Dillon Brooks, MarShon Brooks, Josh Jackson, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Aaron Holiday, Zach LaVine
STILL HONORABLE MENTION: Kevin Love, Miles Bridges, Mikal Bridges, Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell, Joe Ingles, Chris Paul, Al Horford, Dennis Smith Jr., Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Isaac, Nikola Vucevic, Mo Bamba, Brad Stevens, Josh Richardson, Kyle Kuzma, Danilo Gallinari
NEW HONORABLE MENTION ADDS: Jerami Grant, Malcolm Brogdon, DeMarcus Cousins, Spencer Dinwiddie
DEMOTED TO HONORABLE MENTION: Tobias Harris (55 last update), Khris Middleton (54), Jimmy Butler (53), Collin Sexton (51), Jaylen Brown (44), Mike Conley Jr. (38), Marc Gasol (37)
And here’s the Top 55.
Group m
“You Realize He’s a Free Agent Next Summer, Right?”
LaMarcus Aldridge


D'Angelo Russell


Group l
“We Can’t Trade Him; People Will Realize We Have No Clue What We’re Doing”
Lonzo Ball


Justise Winslow


Jusuf Nurkic


Caris LeVert


Brandon Ingram


Trae Young


Group k
“Sorry, He’s Worth More to Us Than to You”
Kyle Lowry


Blake Griffin


Myles Turner


Domantas Sabonis


Clint Capela


CJ McCollum


John Collins


Pascal Siakam


Jrue Holiday


Draymond Green


DeMar DeRozan


Steven Adams


Group j
“No Thanks — We Don’t Want Him Coming Back to Haunt Us”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander


Kevin Knox


Wendell Carter Jr.


Deandre Ayton


Lauri Markkanen


Jamal Murray


Buddy Hield


Group i
“If You’re Shopping Him NOW, Then Either You Can’t Sign Him This Summer or Something’s Wrong”
Klay Thompson


Kemba Walker


Kyrie Irving


Group h
“If You Tell Woj, I’ll Deny It to the Death … but I’m Listening”
Rudy Gobert


Group g
“Too Young, Too Cheap, Too Good … Stop Calling Me”
Marvin Bagley III


Jaren Jackson Jr.


Kristaps Porzingis


Group f
“Lemme Save You Some Time: N-O”
Victor Oladipo


Bradley Beal


Russell Westbrook


Group e
“Look, I Dunno If He’s a Franchise Guy, but He’s OUR Franchise Guy”
Jayson Tatum


Devin Booker


Donovan Mitchell


Karl-Anthony Towns


Ben Simmons


De'Aaron Fox


Group d
“True Franchise Guys”
Damian Lillard


Paul George


Group c
“I’m Hanging Up and Calling You Back From a Burner Phone”
Kawhi Leonard


Kevin Durant


Group b
“The Untouchables”
Joel Embiid


Nikola Jokic


Luka Doncic


Group a
“Completely and Utterly Untouchable”
LeBron James


Anthony Davis


James Harden


Stephen Curry


Giannis Antetokounmpo

