Report: 3 NBA big men seen as likeliest to be traded before deadline

Feb 18, 2023; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; The NBA logo on the court at Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

NBA teams in the market for frontcourt help should have no shortage of options ahead of the February trade deadline.

Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported Friday that there are three NBA big men that front office personnel have labeled as the “most likely” to be traded before the deadline. They are Kelly Olynyk of the Toronto Raptors, Robert Williams III of the Portland Trail Blazers, and Jonas Valanciunas of the Washington Wizards.

Olynyk (33), Williams (27), and Valanciunas (32) are all veteran centers who are making less than $13 million this season and still have multiple years left on their respective contracts. All three currently play for rebuilding, youth-focused teams as well.

Of those options, Williams, who is the youngest and has the highest defensive upside, might be the most valuable. But we recently heard that there could be some big-market players in the mix for the other guys as well.