Playing Trade or Keep with NBA's Top Trade Targets

Should they stay or should they go?

For NBA teams possessing players who have already popped up in trade rumors or who are likely to do so at some point this season, this is the question they all need to consider.

What are the pros and cons of keeping said player? When can they leave in free agency? When is the best time to maximize their value via a trade? If the relationship has gone sour, can it be fixed?

Contention timelines need to be considered, as does the ceiling of the team with the player in question. Can we realistically win a championship with this player soon, or does trading him give us the young talent and draft picks necessary to build a true contender in a few years?

It's time to play trade or keep with some of the NBA's top trade targets today.

Reasons to Keep

Let's start with the player who's most likely to be dealt before all others.

The reason for keeping Simmons is simple; his trade value is at an all-time low. For someone who's as experienced at pulling off trades as Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, he will know selling low on a star player is one of the worst moves a front office executive can make.

Philly isn't interested in accumulating future picks and young talent, they need to win now around Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Danny Green, Seth Curry and others. Trading Simmons for assets only sets the Sixers up in case another star point guard becomes available, which may or may not happen this season.

Moving Simmons also takes Philly out of any potential Damian Lillard deal, should he ask out of Portland.

If the two sides can (momentarily) work out their differences and begin the season together while Simmons shows off an improved offensive game, he could throw gasoline on his trade value fire and improve the offers Philly receives.

Reasons to Trade

As much as it would benefit the Sixers for Simmons to begin the season and shake off the bad memories of the Atlanta Hawks series, that doesn't seem like an option.

Simmons told 76ers governor Josh Harris in a face-to-face meeting that he wasn't going to show up to training camp, even if it meant being fined up to $1.3 million per week, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst. This relationship seems over, no matter what.

If Simmons is refusing to play, there's no chance to inflate his trade value, meaning waiting to instigate a deal is pointless. While more players will become trade eligible in mid-December after signing new offseason deals, the Sixers would suffer without their second-best player in the lineup for two months with no replacement.

Philly isn't going to get any monster package in return, but even netting a talent like CJ McCollum, Malcolm Brogdon, Dejounte Murray or Collin Sexton (with some additional pieces) would be solid value at this point.

Conclusion: Trade before training camp for best available return.

Reasons to Keep

Reddish was viewed as a boom-or-bust prospect coming out of his freshman season at Duke, offering enough upside and intrigue to be selected No. 10 overall by the Hawks in 2019.

Now going into his third year, injuries have prevented us from getting a clear picture of who Reddish is and who he could be.

With just 84 games under his belt in two seasons, now is not the time to give up on Reddish.

With a nearly identical frame to Paul George at 6'8" and 218 pounds, Reddish turned 22 years old this month. We've seen flashes of his outside shooting ability (going 6-of-7 from three against the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals), even if his career mark (30.9) isn't inspiring just yet.

Reddish also has elite defensive potential with his size and 7'1" wingspan in a league that now craves wing defenders. Add in a natural scoring ability, and Reddish could be a two-way force if he can stay healthy.

A sore Achilles robbed most of his sophomore season, but Reddish is too talented to trade now.

Reasons to Trade

While the Hawks aren't actively shopping Reddish, the team seems willing to at least talk about the possibility of a trade. Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor reported in August the Cavaliers had "been in contact" about Reddish, but that the price remained high.

Even if Atlanta likes Reddish and wants to keep him long term, there will be some financial complications associated with it.

Trae Young just signed a five-year, $207 million rookie extension, John Collins agreed to a five-year, $125 million deal and the Hawks still have DeAndre Hunter, Kevin Huerter and Onyeka Okongwu on rookie deals who will need to be paid in the upcoming years.

Reddish isn't even a guaranteed starter on this team, with Hunter, Huerter and Bogdan Bogdanovic all fighting over the two wing spots.

If the Hawks want to go big-game hunting on the trade market, Reddish would likely have to be the centerpiece of any deal as well.

Conclusion: Hold on to Reddish for now, his skill level (and trade value) should only improve.

Reasons to Keep

Beal is entering his 10th season in Washington, growing from a 19-year-old, No. 3 pick into one of the NBA's best scorers at age 28.

An All-Star in three of the last four seasons (but deserving to make all four), Beal has topped the 30 points-per-game mark in each of the last two.

Only 18 players in the history of the NBA have averaged 30 points or more in multiple seasons, a list that includes names such as Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson. In Wizards franchise history, Beal is the only player to ever average 30 or more points per game in a season.

Despite never playing for a Washington team that has made it past the second round, Beal has remained loyal to the Wizards, something rarely seen in today's NBA.

While Washington may fight just to qualify for the playoffs this year, the roster has far more flexibility to add talent now with Russell Westbrook and his monster contract off the books, if Beal can remain patient a little longer.

Reasons to Trade

Three words that should terrify any team with a star player: unrestricted free agency.

Beal will almost certainly not opt in to a $37.3 million player option next offseason because he can earn far more money by becoming a free agent and signing a five-year, $235 million to stay with the Wizards, per ESPN's Bobby Marks.

This is where the Wizards have to ask Beal to be honest with them.

If he's looking for a change of scenery, trading him at the deadline would still bring back some significant assets and help jump-start a rebuild. Losing Beal in free agency for nothing would be devastating, however.

There has to be open communication between player and team about the direction of the franchise, with both sides being transparent. As long as Beal is happy in Washington, the Wizards should keep him.

Conclusion: Keep Beal until the deadline and see if he wants a trade or will be willing to re-sign.

Reasons to Keep

Wood was Houston's best player following the trade of James Harden last season, and he kept them surprisingly competitive before an ankle injury put the Rockets in tank mode.

He's a lock to start at center even with the signing of Daniel Theis and drafting of Alperen Sengun, giving the lineup the spacing it needs. With John Wall, Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. all requiring driving lanes, Wood should help the development of everyone with his three-point shooting and pick-and-pop ability.

Sengun turned 19 in July, so keeping Wood around helps ease the teenager into his NBA career and takes scoring pressure off everyone else as well.

Reasons to Trade

Wood hasn't popped up in any serious trade rumors to date, but that doesn't mean Houston shouldn't be looking to capitalize on his value.

While he's often mentioned as part of the Rockets' "young core" along with Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr., Sengun and others, there's a near seven-year age gap between the team's 19-year-old rookies and Wood, who's set to turn 26 later this month. With two years left on his deal, Wood will become an unrestricted free agent before the Rockets are even close to becoming contenders.

Players who average 21.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks while shooting 37.4 percent from three are rare. Those who do so while only making $14 million on average the next two years are nearly non-existent.

This makes Wood extremely valuable, as teams like the Golden State Warriors, Charlotte Hornets, Dallas Mavericks and others who could use an upgrade at center wouldn't have to package much salary in return to make a deal work.

Moving Wood with multiple years left on his deal would bring some significant young talent and/or draft picks to Houston's rebuild.

Conclusion: Trade a 26-year-old Wood before the deadline to help the rebuild.

Reasons to Keep

Where to begin?

The 2021-22 season will be Lillard's 10th as the starting point guard for the Blazers, a run that's already included six All-Star appearances, six All-NBA teams and eight straight playoff trips.

Assuming he stays relatively healthy, Lillard will also likely pass Clyde Drexler for the No. 1 scorer in franchise history (1,225 points behind), a title very few players ever have the chance to claim.

Lillard is still in his prime at age 31, is one of the most clutch players in the NBA and is viewed as a consensus top-10 talent. He's beloved in Portland and has done nothing but represent the city with class.

Unlike Bradley Beal, there's no danger of Lillard leaving in free agency anytime soon with three years and a player option left on his deal. As his recent Instagram post indicates, Lillard is happy to be back for more heading into 2021-22.

Reasons to Trade

Among all the players on this list, Lillard would bring the most value back via trade given his talent and remaining contract. While he hasn't asked to leave, he's seemed more frustrated than ever following another first-round playoff exit.

Even after re-signing Norman Powell to a five-year deal, adding Larry Nance Jr. via trade and picking up Cody Zeller, Tony Snell and Ben McLemore in free agency, the roster around Lillard isn't good enough to win a title.

Trading Lillard to a championship contender like the Philadelphia 76ers would be doing right by someone who's meant so much to the franchise, much like the Toronto Raptors agreeing to a sign-and-trade that sent Kyle Lowry to the Miami Heat.

Conclusion: Keep Lillard unless he formally requests a trade. Players like this (especially in small markets) don't come around often.