5 NBA Stars Who Could Be Traded Next

Damian Lillard was dealt to Milwaukee this summer, Kevin Durant was sent to Phoenix and Kyrie Irving to Dallas at the trade deadline in February.

But who will be the next superstars to be traded in the NBA?

We'll leave James Harden out of the equation, since the Los Angeles Clippers have put any talks to acquire him on hold indefinitely, and, let's face it, there's no other team in the league with any interest in acquiring The Beard.

So let's have a look at the next 5 biggest names—in chronological order—who could potentially be next to change uniforms via trade.

DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls are really at a crossroads. The latest incarnation of the team, featuring DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball has been a bust. Granted, a good portion of that can be attributed to the fact that Ball will be missing at least 2½ seasons (when all is said and done) with a knee injury.

But DeRozan is now in the final year of his contract, and will become an unrestricted free agent at season's end. Now 34, it seems like it would behoove the Bulls to trade him at the deadline and get a nice package back for this prized, expiring asset.

Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls

The aforementioned LaVine won't be a free agent for quite some time—he still has 4 years left on his $215M deal. But he, too, is a likely candidate to be dealt at the trade deadline, for a lot of the same reasons. The Bulls probably need to rebuild, and being saddled with that contract for four more years isn't a great way to do it.

Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors

An All-NBA star entering the final year of a contract, he does want to stay in Toronto for the long-term, but the Toronto Raptors seem to be ready to deal Spicy P at a moment's notice, and there is a pretty strong market for him.

Does Masai Ujiri risk losing another championship star player for nothing in free agency next summer? Or is a trade at the deadline a much more likely scenario?

Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves

KAT's name has been in the rumor mill for some time now, but the Minnesota Timberwolves never really got a chance last year to see how their 'twin tower' arrangement with Rudy Gobert and Towns would actually work. KAT only played 29 games last season due to injury.

But with Anthony Edwards clearly the face of the future for the T-Wolves, it wouldn't be surprising to see Towns be dealt if things aren't working out with him and Gobert by the trade deadline.

Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

Ah, yes. We saved the best for last. We've all heard the questions: How long will the reigning MVP's patience hold out if this Harden situation drags on all year and the Sixers struggle? The New York Knicks have been front and center in the rumors, but no one expects this to happen—if it does—before next offseason.

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