10. Norman Powell
A considerable amount of teams would not rank Norman Powell this high and are incredibly inclined to stay away from his upcoming contract. Next season, Powell’s contract skyrockets to $9.3 Million and will gradually increase from that point.
But all it takes is one team to believe in Powell. Powell is still just 24 years old, has shown flashes of all-star potential, and was highly coveted less than one year ago.
Since that time Powell has fallen out of the rotation and is playing worse than he did even as a rookie. A huge part of Powell’s struggle have been his ability to shoot and finish at the rim. This season Powell has fallen below 30-percent from three and is shooting more than 6-percent worse in the restricted area. If you are not able to shoot from three and cannot finish around the rim, it is hard to be productive.
Any team that trades for Powell at this point will be trying to buy-low. A player that was highly coveted around the league still has value, even if he hasn’t earned it with his play so far this season.
9. Lucas Nogueira
It’s hard to put a value on Lucas Nogueira. In limited minutes Nogueira has shown athleticism, rim-protection, and defensive rebounding capabilities, without being a liability on offense.
Unfortunately for Nogueira, he has had so few opportunities. This season, Nogueira is averaging just 10.5 minutes per game and has received several coaches-decision DNPs. If Nogueira is going to improve his stock he will need to see an increase in playing time, something that will prove difficult with more talented centers on the roster ahead of him.
Nogueira’s upcoming free-agency also figures to factor into any team’s evaluation of him. Nogueira is currently in the last season of his deal and will enter restricted free-agency after this season. Teams trading for Nogueira will be happy to get a chance to match any deal he receives but may decide to just wait and pursue him this upcoming offseason.
Lucas Nogueira is too talented to be considered a throw-in, but his current contract and lack of production put a damper on his value.
8. Fred VanVleet
Last season in very limited minutes Fred VanVleet showed the potential to become a solid role-player if ever given the opportunity. This season when given the opportunity he has proven to be just that.
VanVleet provides tenacious defense, secondary playmaking, and the ability to stretch the floor, all traits that teams covet in a back-up point guard.
Like Nogueira, VanVleet will also enter this off-season as a restricted free-agent. With multiple teams lacking a back-up point guard and VanVleet being just 24-years old at the time of his free-agency, his offer might be more expensive than expected. Any team that is trading for VanVleet will be aware of his cost this off-season and will need to value him despite it.