Potential NBA Buyout Candidates Who Could Help Contending Teams
The NBA’s trade deadline is where the most mid-season roster moves usually stem from.
However, many times there are players who are still on the same team post-deadline who would have preferred a possible new destination, which leads them to negotiating a buyout in order to hit free agency and find them a new home for the remainder of the season.
With that in mind, here are the best possible buyout candidates for the current NBA season.
Goran Dragic, Point Guard
For quite some time, Goran Dragic had plenty of stability in his NBA career.
Since being traded to the Heat at the 2015 trade deadline, Dragic had played every season with Miami, making an All-Star team and going to an NBA Finals along the way.
However, an off-season move to Toronto as part of the Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade changed that sense of comfort for Dragic.
The 2014 Most Improved Player played in only five games for the Raptors before a ‘personal matter’ left him out of the lineup until a trade deadline move to San Antonio.
But with the Spurs rebuilding, they had no use for the veteran guard.
Dragic has already agreed to a buyout with a Spurs, so now he will have his selection of teams to sign with.
For a player who has long been a reliable creator and scorer, Dragic could be the missing piece a possible championship contender needs to get over the hump.
Dennis Schroder, Point Guard
Another guard who could soon join Dragic on the buyout market is Dennis Schroder.
Schroder spent time with the Celtics this season, where he provided help as both a starter and a sixth man.
But Boston chose to move his expiring contract to the Rockets at the deadline in exchange for Daniel Theis’ longer deal, so now Schroder is stuck on one of the worst teams in the league.
But with his deal being relatively cheap, could Schroder soon agree to part ways with Houston?
Time will tell. If he is to hit the open market, Schroder would have high demand for his services as an impact bench scorer.
Teams like the 76ers or Knicks could really use that type of player right now.
Robin Lopez, Center
Veteran center Robin Lopez has always been a solid hand as a low post scorer, but his talents are being wasted on a listless Magic team.
Lopez has found himself losing minutes to the younger big men on the Magic roster, and it would probably be beneficial for both sides if they parted ways.
Lopez could provide some instant offense for any playoff hopeful team who needs some size.
We’ve seen how devastating his patent hook shot can be in the past, so it’s about time that Lopez put that shot to use for a team actually going places this season.
Mike Muscala, Forward/Center
Stretch five Mike Muscala has been an underrated role player for the Thunder this year, scoring eight points per game while also posting a staggeringly efficient 20.2 PER.
Muscala has long been one of the better three point shooting bigs in the league but, similar to the aforementioned Lopez, he is stuck on a young rebuilding team in the OKC.
Muscala has been to the playoffs before, but never has played a significant role in the postseason.
Arguably playing the best basketball of his career over the past two seasons, Muscala deserves a chance to make an impact in the playoffs.
Therefore, a buyout agreement between Oklahoma City and Muscala would be beneficial for the former Bucknell standout.
Joe Tuman is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email him at joentuman@gmail.com.
