NBA Stars Who Should Demand a Trade

Matt York/Associated Press

Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns

If Booker starts running out of patience with the Suns, who could blame him?

Over his four seasons in the desert, he’s gone from being a specialist sniper to a top-shelf offensive hub. In 2018-19, he was one of three players to average at least 26 points and six assists; James Harden and LeBron James were the others.

During this same stretch, the Suns have gone from bad to…well, still bad. They have 241 losses over Booker’s tenure; the next-worst team has 219.

For all the losing this organization has done, its assets are unimpressive. It lacks financial flexibility to the point it was forced to salary-dump the productive T.J. Warren at the cost of an early second-rounder. The Suns had a busy draft night, but a fairly forgettable one in terms of upside. Booker wants his close friend, and All-Star, D’Angelo Russell to fill the point guard void, but the Suns are hesitant to oblige.

So, why isn’t Booker on our actual list? Because he’s 22 years old, and Deandre Ayton is 20. If those two become special⁠—a possibility no one should rule out⁠—it may not matter what else happens around them. Until we get a better grasp of Ayton’s ceiling, it’s hard to tell Booker to walk away from a possible Kobe-Shaq reboot.

                  

Mo Bamba, Orlando Magic

Bamba would be perfect for this exercise if not for two things. One, he’s a star not by production but merely potential. Two, it’s not certain he’s in dire need of a deal, but he could be depending on how the Magic play their hand in free agency.

The 21-year-old’s potential is enormous. He looks the part of a traditional anchor as a 7-footer with a gargantuan 7’10” wingspan, but he also checks contemporary boxes for agility and outside shooting. He could be a unicorn-in-training. His best-case scenario involves becoming the Association’s best defender and ideal pick-and-roll partner, someone who can pop to the perimeter and finish above the rim.

He’s nowhere close to that ceiling, of course, which creates a funky dynamic in Orlando. The Magic just followed first-time All-Star Nikola Vucevic’s lead to their first playoff appearance in seven years. While Vooch is now a free agent, Orlando has prioritized keeping him around, probably on the type of long-term deal that would threaten to bury Bamba for the foreseeable future.

Provided Vucevic re-signs on a long, rich contract, Bamba’s search for greener grass should start immediately. He’s too talented to spend the bulk of his early 20s doing bits and pieces of developmental work. His massive wings need to fly, and he’ll never have the necessary airspace as long as both he and Vucevic call Orlando home.

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