At a bare minimum we're still six weeks away from the unofficial start of NBA trade season. It's still October, and a bit less than one-third of the league is still not trade-eligible because they signed new contracts in free agency. The moves usually don't begin until Dec. 15, when the bulk of those players become trade-eligible.
The strategizing for those moves, however, is a never-ending process, and even though we've only seen nine days worth of games, the entire league landscape has already been turned on its head by one of the earliest injury outbreaks in NBA history. Let's do a quick roll call: Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, Jaren Jackson Jr., Tyrese Haliburton, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Edwards and Paolo Banchero are all out with injuries that should sideline them for weeks or months at best and all season at worst. Their teams suddenly have to figure out how to manage without their best players... but everyone else has to figure out what those absences mean in the long run.
Again... we're barely a week into the season. The market could change drastically again in eight days or eight weeks. We're more than three months away from the deadline.
But so much has already happened that it's worth taking a step back and figuring out what this could mean when the deals eventually start coming. Here are five ripple effects the early rash of injuries could have on the trade market. Think about the trades Oklahoma City tends to make.
They're almost always from a position of strength. They traded Paul George to the Clippers when they had them at their mercy during Kawhi Leonard's free agency. They didn't proactively seek out Alex Caruso.
They were looking to move Josh Giddey when the perfect role player fell into their laps. They got Jared McCain with a spare first-round pick because Daryl Morey thought he was selling high. The only notable, recent occasion in which the Thunder have added a notable veteran based on an immediate need was Isaiah Hartenstein, who came in free agency.
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