Lottery Picks Who Need a New Home This Trade Deadline

The NBA Trade Deadline is this Thursday, March 25th. We’ve already heard of some players who will likely be dealt away or at least on the trade block (Andre Drummond, Victor Oladipo, Aaron Gordon, etc.). But the names we’ve heard have mainly been veterans, players already off their rookie deals.

Some of these guys need a change of scenery while others simply don’t fit their team’s direction. Here, we’ll look at the recent lottery picks (2017-2019) who may need a change of scenery to save their careers from falling far from expectations. We most likely won’t see some of these guys get moved but it would be best for them if their teams simply moved on and let them grow elsewhere.

Lauri Markkanen: 7th Overall Pick in 2017 NBA Draft

‘20-’21 Stats

18.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 49.3 FG%, 40.1 3P%, 30.6 MPG, 21 Games Played/21 Started

Markkanen is a solid NBA player. He’s a solid floor spacer who can create his own shot every now and then. His efficiency as a scorer has vastly improved this season. However, his issues are his health, defense, and lack of impact on winning. He’s played fewer games every season since he was drafted and always seems to have nagging injuries that take him out for chunks of seasons.

Defensively, he mostly looks lost as he offers minimal to no rim protection, isn’t strong in the post, and lacks lateral quickness when defending on the perimeter. Even when healthy, Markkanen hardly makes a difference for the Bulls. Yes, he has some standout games where he looks like a future All-Star, but then he reverts back to an average PF who hurts his team more than he helps. Markkanen may be due for a change of scenery before hitting Restricted Free Agency.

Possible Destinations

Cleveland Cavaliers: Markkanen may fit best next to a C like Jarrett Allen for the future. The glaring issue in that frontcourt would be strength/power as the two 7 footers are both slender athletes.

Miami Heat: Markkanen would be an upgrade over Kelly Olynyk as Bam Adebayo’s frontcourt partner. His defensive effort may not match Olynyk’s but that can possibly be worked on by Coach Spoelstra. His outside shooting and offensive versatility fit the Heat’s offense almost seamlessly.

Frank Ntilikina: 8th Overall Pick in 2017 NBA Draft

‘20-’21 Stats

4.6 PPG, 0.9 SPG, 37.1 FG%, 47.2 3P%, 15.0 MPG, 15 Games Played/3 Started

To be honest, Ntilikina’s NBA career is likely nearing an end. Not many teams, if any, are in the market for an undeveloped 22-year-old combo guard who offers minimal offense, even with solid defensive skills. Ntilikina still looks timid on the court, 193 games into his career. Maybe that can be changed under the right coach, or maybe he’s just a poor man’s Dante Exum/Kris Dunn. Either way, things aren’t looking up for him in New York, he needs to be moved or we’ll see him fall out of the league soon.

Possible Destinations

Charlotte Hornets: With LaMelo Ball out, Charlotte can use some more depth at guard. He’ll have to fight for minutes but he’d be a solid defensive addition for the Hornets. He’d likely get minimal minutes, but at least he’d have a shot at cracking the rotation.

Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers are in a horrible position now with both Anthony Davis and LeBron James out. Would Ntilikina help the team stay afloat? No, but he’d definitely help the defense maintain as Montrezl Harrell and Dennis Schroder carry the load offensively (and Kyle Kuzma).

Marvin Bagley: 2nd Overall Pick in 2018 NBA Draft

‘20-’21 Stats

13.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 50.2 FG%, 35.4 3P%, 25.7 MPG, 37 Games Played/37 Started

Bagley isn’t a bad NBA player. He’s averaging 19 and 10 per36. He’s a solid rebounder at the PF spot and his improving outside shot has increased his value. Like Markkanen, however, Bagley just isn’t an impactful player. He often looks lost on defense, despite his immense athleticism. He doesn’t protect the rim and struggles defending switches and pick and rolls. He often just “exists” on the court, despite his efforts flying around the court. Sacramento has another season to work with Bagley, but it may be a lost cause for him in this organization.

Possible Destinations

Houston Rockets: A Bagley-Christian Wood frontcourt would be interesting to see. One player has extremely exceeded expectations while the other has underwhelmed immensely. Bagley would learn a lot from Wood, even though Wood is just three years older. The two bigs would form a high-energy, versatile frontcourt for the Rockets in their rebuilding phase.

Cleveland Cavaliers: The reasons for his fit here are the same as Markkanen’s reason. Cleveland’s C would be able to mask Bagley’s weaknesses while he still offers solid rebounding and floor spacing. Also, offensively, the Cavs need another dynamic, which Bagley could offer. Cleveland’s frontcourt is currently loaded but they’re looking to move forward without Kevin Love and Andre Drummond, which leaves minutes open for another big besides Jarrett Allen and Larry Nance.

Mo Bamba: 6th Overall Pick in 2018 NBA Draft

‘20-’21 Stats

4.6 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 0.9 BPG, 47.7 FG%, 10.2 MPG, 22 Games Played/0 Started

I remember when Bamba was seen as the next Rudy Gobert. He was a rim-running, rim-protecting big man who had upside with a fluid jumper and great length. Three seasons in and we’ve yet to witness any sort of breakout from Bamba. He’s buried on the bench behind Nikola Vucevic and Khem Birch, even with Orlando being towards the bottom of the Eastern Conference. His chances of breaking out have consistently been shut down as Orlando resigned Vucevic and doubled down on not looking to trade the All-Star big. Bamba needs a change of scenery to be able to have a shot at tapping into his potential.

Possible Destinations

Boston Celtics: Boston already has a project big man who is limited offensively with Robert Williams, but he stands at only 6’8”. Bamba may not be as mobile/athletic as Williams but his size gives him the advantage as a high-impact defender. He also possesses an outside shot to work with while Williams is purely a rim-runner. At worst, Bamba can eventually become a backup C for Boston, used for particular lineups as Williams forms into their starting C… eventually.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the league’s best Cs but also one of the league’s least effective Cs on defense. He’s made strides this season, but he’s far from a rim-protector. Minnesota is once again underperforming, so taking chances on project players fits their timeline. Taking a shot on Bamba wouldn’t hurt the team, at the right cost. Bamba next to, or behind, KAT would give the Wolves a possible future frontcourt, rather than throwing out indistinct PFs to play alongside KAT.

Toronto Raptors: Toronto is suffering behind the losses of Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol. The two big men were replaced by in-house project Chris Boucher (who has panned out) and Free Agent signee Aron Baynes (a disaster for them this season). Swapping Baynes for Bamba may not seem like an upgrade when you consider their pasts, but Bamba’s style fits Toronto a lot better than Baynes’ does. The Raptors would have to either allow Bamba to start or pair Boucher and Pascal Siakam to start as two 6’9” bigs. Adding Bamba may help this team get back into the playoff hunt, even though he’s still a project.

Kevin Knox: 9th Overall Pick in 2018 NBA Draft

‘20-’21 Stats

4.8 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 39.8 FG%, 40.0 3P%, 14.1 MPG, 29 Games Played/0 Started

Kevin Knox was one of the worst players in the league in his rookie season (according to advanced statistics). Somehow, that was arguably his best season as a pro. Now 21, Knox still looks like an unsure player on the court. He often disappears in his few minutes on the court, only to recapture the audience’s attention with an ill-advised, contested, pull-up jumper. On paper, Knox plays like Brandon Ingram, but on the court, he’s less efficient than Cam Reddish. A change of scenery may help, but it can also become the beginning of the end of his NBA career.

Possible Destinations

Houston Rockets: With Houston now in rebuild mode, they’d be a prime team to take a chance on Knox. The team has some solid building blocks with Christian Wood, Jae’Sean Tate, and now Kevin Porter Jr., so adding Knox would simply give Coach Silas another young prospect to work with. The futures of John Wall and Victor Oladipo are still up in the air, and neither player sees many minutes at the forward spots, so it wouldn’t affect those veterans. With P.J. Tucker gone, there would be enough minutes to include Knox in the rotation.

Detroit Pistons: Detroit is becoming “another chance” central with players like Josh Jackson, Dennis Smith Jr., and Jahlil Okafor, why not add yet another young prospect who needs a chance? It may be tough for Knox to crack the rotation in Detroit, but it would take just one injury or absence to get him a solid shot at proving his value in the league.

Romeo Langford

14th Overall Pick in 2019 NBA Draft

‘20-’21 Stats

0 Games Played

Langford had a solid freshman season at Indiana but questions around his shot and overall game translating on the next level led him to drop towards the end of the lottery. Since his selection, we’ve only seen Langford play 32 games in the league and none of those have been this season. It feels like Langford is just slipping out of the league despite him still being just 21 years old. He simply doesn’t fit Boston’s lineup as the team still sees itself as a contender and trying to develop him doesn’t fit their timeline. He’s only in his 2nd season but it’s looking eerily similar to James Young’s career with the Celtics. Both were young wings who needed minutes to develop but Boston’s aspirations superseded their developments. Instead of falling into obscurity, he needs to go to a team willing to give him time on the court and play through the growing pains.

Possible Destinations

Houston Rockets: Houston’s inability to compete has thrown them into rebuild mode. Swapping a vet for Langford wouldn’t be a bad look for them (though matching contracts would be difficult). Both Wall and Oladipo miss games in spurts, meaning there should be plenty of time to fit Langford into the lineup, even if sporadically.

Cleveland Cavaliers: The Cavs don’t have much depth behind Darius Garland and Collin Sexton at the guard spots, sometimes playing Cedi Osman at SG. And with the split of the Cavs and Kevin Porter Jr., there aren’t a lot of young prospects for Cleveland to use in either guard spot. Isaac Okoro can play SG (same with Dylan Windler), but their backup PGs are currently Quinn Cook and Matthew Dellavedova. Langford may be able to compete with the two vets to earn backup minutes.

Charlotte Hornets: This one is simple. LaMelo Ball is out, making room for minutes behind Terry Rozier, Devonte’ Graham, and Malik Monk. Can Charlotte use either Caleb or Cody Martin at SG instead of taking a chance on Langford? Yes, but why not look to capitalize on a player who was recently a highly regarded prospect?