NBA Daily: Buyout Watch

The whirlwind that was the 2019 NBA Trade Deadline is officially over and done with. It’s safe to say there was no shortage of excitement, as a 48-hour period of madness brought us a plethora of player movement up to the three o’clock hour Thursday afternoon. If you don’t believe us, go see for yourself.

Of course, the fun isn’t quite finished. Stemming from the deadline is another busy period of time that almost acts like its own mini offseason—the buyout market.

It’s here where contenders and playoff hopefuls go to find a piece or two that can give their team that extra push for the rest of the season and come mid-April. Filling needs and adding depth are the main two purposes of utilizing the buyout market, which is usually full of veterans who were displeased with their status within their previous organizations or traded to a place they didn’t want to go to.

Basketball Insiders will take a look at who’s available and the directions these teams and players are going with Buyout Watch.

BOUGHT OUT/WAIVED

Wesley Matthews

Despite playing a couple of games for the New York Knicks, the writing was on the wall for Matthews. As soon as the Dallas Mavericks moved him, he wasn’t expected to stay in the Big Apple and instead preferred to join a postseason-bound ball club.

Reports have indicated that Wesley Matthews has chosen the Indiana Pacers as his next destination.

With Victor Oladipo sidelined for the rest of the season, Indiana adds a starting-caliber guard who has proven himself as a solid defender in the past and has been a 38 percent career three-baller. It’s a definite match.

Wayne Ellington

There had been a significant amount of annoyance with Wayne Ellington and his undefined role with the Miami HEAT. After playing an important role on the squad just a year ago, Erik Spoelstra had a difficult time juggling his backcourt-heavy roster, so they sent the veteran sharpshooter to the Phoenix Suns with Tyler Johnson as a part of a salary-saving transaction.

The Suns officially waived Ellington one day after acquiring him, making him an attractive option for a team in need of a savant on the perimeter. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Detroit Pistons have pounced on the opportunity and are close to signing him to a deal.

Carmelo Anthony

The Chicago Bulls waived Carmelo Anthony one week ago, freeing him to sign with any team of his choice. Who could come calling and just made room with an open roster spot? The Los Angeles Lakers.

It wouldn’t be the least bit surprising to see Anthony head west to team up with LeBron James as the Lakers seek to make a run in the postseason in a loaded Western Conference. The King likes his shooters and he likes his veterans. With this said, though, reports are suggesting ‘Melo to L.A. isn’t necessarily a foregone conclusion.

Marcin Gortat

The Los Angeles Clippers flipped their roster upside down in the span of two days. They sent out core pieces and acquired assets and young talent in return. Unfortunately for Marcin Gortat, new frontcourt players forced the organization to waive him in order to make room for a roster spot.

Yahoo Sports reporter Chris Haynes tweeted that Gortat has an interest in joining the Golden State Warriors, however, the organization is likely going to feel out the buyout market first and foremost before making a decision.

Markieff Morris

Following the trade of Otto Porter and the acquisition of Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis, the Washington Wizards likely felt there was an overabundance of forwards. So Thursday afternoon, the franchise swapped Markieff Morris with Wesley Johnson in a deal with the New Orleans Pelicans.

A short few hours afterwards, it was reported Morris was going to get a second opinion on his neck injury, something that has held him out of action in D.C. recently. That news turned into a flat out release by the Pels, meaning the buyout market added another solid name to its list. When healthy, Morris is a player that can give a team a little bit of everything, along with toughness. The veteran four should draw plenty of interest as soon as he recovers from injury.

Enes Kanter

Similar to Matthews, but there for much longer, Enes Kanter was not long for New York after playing sporadic minutes and speaking of his frustration through the media. In hindsight, opting into another year of his contract probably wasn’t the best idea.

But that situation is in the past for the Turkish big man, and he’s already drawn interest from the Boston Celtics, a team that remained quiet at the trade deadline despite the rest of the Eastern Conference acting swiftly to improve their rosters. Bringing in Kanter would be similar to a move Danny Ainge made last year, when the Celtics signed Greg Monroe following a buyout with the Phoenix Suns.

This time around, it will be more important. Aron Baynes is out through the All-Star break with a foot injury, so Kanter’s arrival would be helpful for the second unit as a scoring presence and on the glass.

Others: Greg Monroe, Michael Beasley, Zach Randolph, Ben McLemore, Shelvin Mack, Nik Stauskas, Jabari Bird, Milos Teodosic, Wade Baldwin IV

CANDIDATES FOR BUYOUT

Robin Lopez

There is going to be a good team that will want Robin Lopez to come in and provide his steady dose of screen-setting, rebounding and rim protection. Bulls vice president John Paxson told the media Thursday night, though, that the team has no plans to buy out RoLo’s $14.3 million contract. So if he’s not on the market, then it’s no dice for everybody involved.

Frank Kaminsky

The Charlotte Hornets were searching for a new home for Frank Kaminsky via a trade, yet were unsuccessful. The 25-year-old center has fallen out of the rotation since James Borrego took over as head coach this season, so there may be some teams curious about Kaminsky on the floor with more consistent playing time.

NOT BEING BOUGHT OUT

JR Smith

Up until the very minute, Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman was looking for a trade partner to take on JR Smith. He was not able to do so and has no plans to negotiate a buyout. The next opportunity to move Smith will be on draft night, and if nothing comes out of that, the Cavs will likely waive him before the final year of his contract becomes fully guaranteed on June 30.

DeAndre Jordan

Somewhat surprisingly, the Knicks have elected to keep DeAndre Jordan around instead of allowing him to play for a contender. There’s a belief that the organization sees him as a good veteran for Mitchell Robinson to learn from and potentially could stick around past this season. Oh, and there’s that whole friendship with Kevin Durant thing.

Other Notes

• The Celtics are going to be looking around the buyout market following trading Jabari Bird away to create an open roster spot.
• With multiple open roster spots, the Raptors should make for an attractive suitor as a destination for those desiring to contribute to a contender.
• After flipping Stauskas and Baldwin, Houston has 13 players under contract, leaving a couple of roster spots open for candidates in the buyout pool.
• Anthony won’t be the only name that the Lakers look at. A full survey of the buyout market is expected.
• San Antonio is going to do its due diligence on searching for an affordable wing.

As you can see, there are a ton of names out there just waiting to find a home and have the chance to play some meaningful basketball. Teams, too, want to give them a place to shine.

While this year’s trade deadline stole the show, don’t count out buyout season on delivering.