The NBA trade deadline is officially less than a month away. With February 9 right around the corner, the talks of potential deals are going to be hotter than ever. Many players could be on the move. Teams such as the Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, and Los Angeles Lakers could be making moves with their veterans, while other teams around the league will have to decide what the final piece of the puzzle will be for their team to contend for a championship.
While there is a ton of movement in the realm of possibility, there are some players that are guaranteed not to move. These players have not even a 1% chance of moving. There is no way that any of these players will be moved at the trade deadline. In comparison to the rest of the moveable assets, these players are the players that teams will continue to build around. If you were worried about there being a chance with these players traded, we are here to tell you these are untradeable NBA superstars.
Here are the most untradeable NBA superstars right now.
13. Kawhi Leonard
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It does not matter that Leonard is pushing his worst stat line since the 2017-18 season. What many forget is that Leonard was hurt that season when he played nine games and averaged 16.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. Leonard is recovering from ACL surgery that forced him to miss an entire season. Leonard is averaging 18.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. With that said, he is coming off one of his best performances of the season with 29 points against the Hawks in 38 minutes and 33 points against the Mavericks in 36 minutes.
Leonard needs time to get his sea legs back. It’s not easy for anyone, even a professional athlete, to miss an entire season and then regain All-Star form. Even with Leonard playing subpar basketball, the Clippers are the No. 6 seed and are within striking distance of a top-4 seed in the conference. If Leonard can get ramped up, this team will be dangerous. Remember, the Clippers made the Western Conference Finals in 2021 with both Paul George and Leonard healthy.
12. LeBron James
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Basketball is a game of runs and that is the Lakers’ season. LeBron is doing everything in his power to save this team. A five-game winning streak pushed the Lakers to 19-22 on the season and back into the playoff conversation. When Anthony Davis is back, the Lakers could make a push once again. For most of you, it’s the same story. The Lakers are not consistent but the one player that has been consistent all season has been James.
It’s unlikely the Lakers would deal with James because, even at 38 years old, he remains the face of this league. The Lakers pride themselves on star players. Going back to the 80s, there is always a star face of the franchise that ranges including Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and now LeBron James. Even though the Lakers could get a great haul in return from numerous teams, keeping James in the fold doesn’t just keep the team in playoff contention, but also keeps together the face of the franchise.
11. Donovan Mitchell
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Donovan Mitchell has never made an All-NBA Team. This year, that should change and he is playing toward a First Team selection. Mitchell could make a push toward the most improved player as well. He is averaging a career-high in points (29.3), and field-goal percentage (48.9%), and is shooting over 40% from three-point range for the first time in his career (40.4%). The Cavaliers gave up a haul for Mitchell and he is delivering.
The Cavaliers are just 4 games back from the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, something the team has not accomplished since the days of LeBron James. The surrounding cast is potent. The team was missing an automatic bucket and that is why the team uploaded their draft picks to get Mitchell. Right now, Mitchell is arguably the best shooting guard in the NBA and most of the NBA media agrees.
10. Zion Williamson
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The reason that trading Williamson is a consistent topic is that he can never stay healthy. Williamson has never played more than 61 games in a season. He owns 114 games in his NBA career. Adding on to that drought of missing time, Williamson is expected to miss a month after his latest injury. With that said, the Pelicans are showing what they can do when he is on the court. The Pelicans own the third-best winning percentage and are one of the best home teams in the NBA.
When Williamson comes back, he changes the game. He is averaging 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.1 steals, shooting 60.8% from the field, and an impressive 36.8% from three-point range. The Pelicans are truly a dangerous team when he is on the floor with the rest of the group. There is not a lot of buzz around the Pelicans buying at the trade deadline because their biggest addition at the deadline is getting their superstar back.
9. Devin Booker
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For the first time since the 2017-18 season, Booker has to battle some adversity when it comes to injuries. Booker has not played since December 25th and has played in 29 games this season. Before he went down with an injury, Booker was averaging a career-high in [points (27.1), field-goal percentage (47.7%, and assists (5.6). Having Chris Paul on the team has been great for Booker because he does not have to be so ball-dominant, but even when he has the ball, he is making the right decision.
Realistically, why would the Suns ever trade him? At 26 years old, Booker is entering his prime years and has been compared to having a ceiling like Kobe Bryant. An MVP season could be in his future even if it is not this season. The player that could make a run toward breaking the team’s all-time scoring mark is Booker. On top of that, his contract runs through the 2027-28 season and will eventually pay him salaries of $50 million in 2024-25 and work its way up to $62 million in 2027-28. That is not a contract that is easy to move in the first place.
8. Ja Morant
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Before Ja Morant, who would you consider the greatest Memphis Grizzlies player ever? Would it be Mike Conley Jr., Marc Gasol, or Zach Randolph? All three of those players were contributors to the 2012-13 team that made the Western Conference Finals 10 years ago. It’s the only appearance in team history and the player that could lead them back to that platform is suiting up every night for this team. Morant is already a Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player, and an All-Star. This is an elite superstar that is the face of Memphis.
What makes Morant so loveable is that he wants to bring a championship to Memphis. He has already doubled down by stating that he does not believe there are teams in the West that would be a problem for the Grizzlies. Does that sound like a player that has any interest in leaving? He believes in this team and the team believes in him.
7. Jayson Tatum
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We often forget that Tatum is only 24 years old because he has played in multiple Conference Finals and is coming off an All-Star season that featured a trip to the NBA Finals. Rumors around the league believed that the Celtics could be contenders for the Kevin Durant sweepstakes when Durant wanted out of Brooklyn. Instead, the team wanted to roll the dice with their duo of Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The combination of Brown and Tatum has proven that it is a lethal combination that can get the Celtics out of the East.
Tatum is averaging over 30 points per game (30.8) for the first time in his career. It would not be a surprise if Tatum wins the scoring title. When it comes to Durant, the Celtics have a version of Durant on their team right now who is entering his prime years. The only thing that Tatum hasn’t done for Boston in his career is winning the championship. It’s been since 2008 since the Celtics won a championship. This could be a future Finals MVP winner and you never trade a player like that away.
6. Joel Embiid
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Last month, Embiid trolled the fans in Philly by claiming that the fans wanted him out. In all honesty, the 76ers could have easily traded Embiid last year. The team was at a crossroads. They had to choose between Ben Simmons and Embiid. At the end of the day, the 76ers made their choice by flipping Simmons for James Harden and letting Embiid continue to be the face of the team. In return, they got a near MVP season from Embiid last season and he is playing like he could win an MVP in the near future.
Embiid is averaging 33.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.7 blocks. These are stats we would see from Kevin Garnett but Embiid is doing better. Given the team’s decision to keep Embiid, it’s known that the franchise believes in him. Embiid and Harden have played together 25 games this season and the team owns a 25-15 record and is 4 games out of first place. The safest decision is to roll this pair out for the rest of the season and let them carry the team as far as they can go.
5. Stephen Curry
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The richest man in the NBA could be moved. This is a costly player in the NBA that has led the NBA in salary for over five seasons. At 34 years old and with a ton of money left on his deal, it’s not a crazy topic to think about. With that said, it would be crazy to see the Warriors move on from Curry. This might be the last player that plays an entire career with one team. The days of Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant could be done with this generation. Curry grew up in that time with these players and his loyalty to the team that drafted him has been proven.
Curry is also a player that has done everything right for the Warriors in his career. The team drafted him in 2009. He grew into the best shooter of all time and is the team’s franchise leader in points, while he is the league’s leader in 3-point field goals. The investment the Warriors made has paid off, winning four titles in eight seasons. On top of that, Curry remains elite by averaging 30.0 points per game, shooting 50.0% from the field, and 43.4% from three-point range.
4. Luka Doncic
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The only trade that we will be talking about regarding Dallas trading Luka Doncic was the draft night trade for Trae Young and the Hawks. The Hawks might have come up on the lower grading scale when evaluating this trade all these years later. There are rumblings of Doncic wanting to be in Los Angeles. LeBron James loves everything about his game. However, someone might have to box owner Mark Cuban to make that happen.
Doncic is producing video games like numbers. In his fifth season, Doncic is averaging 34.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 8.7 assists. Look at his surrounding cast and then check back to how the team owns the fourth-best record in the conference. A lot of it has to do with the man right here. If anything, the Mavericks need to be trading for pieces to surround Doncic instead of trading the guy that has been carrying them all season.
3. Kevin Durant
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Had you asked this question in the summer, Durant would not be on this list. Durant asked to be traded from the Nets. There was widespread speculation that Durant was not going to play a game for the Nets this season despite having four more years on his deal. Media members around the world said that this could have been the biggest package in NBA history when it came to compensation. Instead, Durant opened up about why he wanted to stay and how the team’s play this season has helped make it easier to believe in this team more.
Two reasons make Durant untradeable. The first is the team’s play. Durant is playing like he could win the MVP Award this season. Durant is averaging 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and shooting 55.9% from the field. His defense has also improved with 1.5 blocks as well and his three-point shooting (37.6%) is also solid. You don’t trade a player that could win the MVP unless your team is in a sinkhole and the Nets (27-13) are 2 games back of the No. 1 seed. The second is the contract that pays him $42 million this season and increases by $3 million each year before maxing at $53.2 million in 2025-26. No team wants to give up that heavy of compensation right now, especially when the market price for Rudy Gobert was four first-round picks.
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
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Take your pick for what makes Giannis untradeable at this point. Giannis is playing in the second year of a five-year, $228 million contract that will eventually own a player’s option for the 2025-26 season worth $51 million. He is playing like an MVP right now and the Bucks own the third seed for now. Antetokounmpo is averaging 31.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and a shooting percentage of 52.7%.
Before Giannis resigned from the Bucks for five years, there was speculation about his future in Milwaukee. It was a similar situation to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 70s when he left the smaller market team to join the Los Angeles Lakers. Giannis did the complete opposite. He won a championship and doubled down by resigning from the team with hopes of bringing another title to town. You can easily type “Giannis trade rumors” into any search engine and it will be dry. There is not a single person on this Earth that truly believes the Bucks would move one of the faces of the NBA.
1. Nikola Jokic
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Jokic is easily the most untradeable player right now in the NBA. When the Nuggets gained back Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Michael Porter Jr. to full health, many of us believed the Nuggets would have a complete team. After all, the back-to-back MVP was running a team that was 70% healthy for the last two years. Now, the team looks really good and that is because the surrounding cast is perfect for the best player in the league. The Nuggets are keeping pace with the Celtics (30-12) for the best record in the NBA as the team is tied with the Grizzlies at the top of the West with identical 28-13 records.
Here’s the best part about Jokic this season. He is averaging 25.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 9.7 assists per game. He could be the third player to ever average a triple-double for a season and he is a 6-foot-11 center. Jokic is making far below market value for his efforts. Jokic is getting paid $32.4 million this season. His five-year, $272 million contract does not start until next season with a base salary of $46 million that works its way up to $61 million in 2027-28. Think about it. Jokic might win the MVP Award for a third consecutive season and his salary is ranked 31st in the league making only $1.5 million more than teammate Jamal Murray. Who would ever want to give that away?
Source: fadeawayworld
