For my money, LaVine is the best player on this list other than Butler — even if that doesn’t necessarily make him the best trade asset because of his salary. After a lost season in 2023-24 that was shortened by injury, the 6-foot-5 guard is back to being a terrific, efficient scorer and playmaker. LaVine is averaging nearly 22 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the field, 43 percent from 3 and 80 percent from the line. He can play both on and off the ball but is best as an off-ball scorer because his decision-making isn’t always the best. He’s successful off the ball because he’s an elite catch-and-shoot player. However, on the ball, LaVine is also a legitimate three-level scorer, and that really matters in the playoffs, when defenses tighten up and things get tougher. Defensively, LaVine has been pretty good this year on the ball despite Chicago’s overall defense being atrocious. You do have to protect him and be aware of him off the ball, as he can get lost. But he hasn’t been a severely negative defender for a couple of years now.

The issue for LaVine is financial. The two-time all-star makes $43 million this year and has two additional years for a total of $95 million. While I like LaVine’s game more than most, that’s an excessive amount of money compared to the value he brings to the table. Additionally, in-season salary-matching can be quite difficult for players who make this much money, especially when the Bulls would likely want at least some version of expiring salary. If LaVine is moved, Bulls fans shouldn’t expect a king’s ransom despite him proving again this season that he still has an awful lot of game.

Bogdanović is a little older than you think, having turned 32 over the summer. He’s dealt with some injuries to start the year, and the stats are down because of that. He’s averaging just 11 points on 40 percent shooting from the field. Largely, that’s just because he’s hitting only 33 percent of his seven 3-point attempts per game. Given that he’s a 38.4 percent career 3-point shooter, it’s exceptionally difficult to imagine he won’t get back to that level at some point as he gets his rhythm back. But he doesn’t totally fit the Hawks’ new age timeline, and a number of teams would love to get a player like Bogdanović, who has a proven big-game track record on the international stage. He also averaged about 16 points per game coming into this season in his four years with the Hawks.

Bogdanović’s contract is also one that works well. He’ll make $17.2 million this season, then has $16 million on the books for next year and a team option for 2026-27 at $16 million. As long as he gets back to the level he was at before this season — he just averaged 18 points per game on excellent shooting splits for Serbia at the Olympics over the summer while helping them to a bronze medal, so there’s no reason to believe he’s fallen off — Bogdanović is a good player on a good contract. Any team looking for real offensive punch either in the starting lineup or off of the bench should have real interest.

Brown’s season has just started, but that doesn’t matter. The 2018 second-round pick is a proven winner, having played a critical role on the NBA champion Denver Nuggets in 2023 as the team’s sixth man. He played the third-most minutes on the team in the regular season and was one of the team’s six critical players during its playoff run, providing quick ball movement, sharp processing and decision-making and very high-level defense across multiple positions. He’s an interesting player type in that he can play power forward on offense but then also shift up on defense and defend at the point of attack or take on bigger wings with how physical he is. He continued to showcase that skill set last year after signing a contract with Indiana and being traded midseason in the Pascal Siakam trade to Toronto. The only real flaw with Brown’s game as a role player is that he’s an inconsistent shooter who doesn’t get guarded regularly on the perimeter in catch-and-shoot situations. Other than that, he’s effective across the board.

The issue for Brown moving at the deadline, though, is that contract he signed with the Pacers. It was essentially a two-year, $45 million balloon payment deal to get him to sign. The Raptors picked up the team option this past offseason, and his salary is $23 million. That’s a big number for salary-matching purposes midseason. The team that should strongly consider it is the Lakers, given that they desperately need help on the perimeter defensively and considered Brown last offseason before the Pacers came over the top and blew their offer out of the water. They have several mid-tier contracts they can use to get to Brown’s level and should be willing to give up a well-protected first-round pick to acquire him given his potential fit.

Sexton is having another strong offensive season, averaging 16.9 points on a true shooting percentage that is 6 percent above league average. That’s right in line with his numbers since he’s been in Utah, as over his two and a half seasons there, Sexton has averaged 17 points on a true shooting percentage five points above league average. Sexton has never been a high-volume 3-point shooter, preferring to drive and attack the basket. However, he continues to make over 40 percent of his 3s. He doesn’t have amazing vision as a passer, but he’s cut out a large number of the poor shots he used to take in Cleveland by just being willing to involve his teammates a bit more. He’s more of an undersized scoring guard as opposed to a point guard, but he can handle the ball and get you into your sets. The issues come on defense, where Sexton is a feisty defender against opposing small guards but has very little ability to slide up the lineup onto bigger opponents. He’s also not an active help defender in any way, shape or form. Even though he is aggressive on that end, he typically grades out in most metrics as a negative defensive player.

If you’re looking for offense from the backcourt, though, Sexton is probably the best bet below the $20 million salary point. He makes $18.4 million this season and has another year remaining at $19.2 million. I wouldn’t call his deal a bargain, but if you think you can get him into your scheme defensively and help minimize his weaknesses (something Utah cannot do starting him next to another small guard in Keyonte George), it’s probably about right for the value he could bring. Sexton seems to be more in line with the price point that Terry Rozier got last season than someone like Dennis Schröder. It wouldn’t stun me to see the Jazz get the equivalent of a late first-round pick back for him if they moved him. There aren’t a significant number of playmaking guards out on the market, and Sexton doesn’t turn 26 until January, meaning you can feel like you’ll have him for a season and a half of his prime.

Schröder was the first major trade domino to fall this season, as the Brooklyn Nets sent him to Golden State over the weekend in exchange for De’Anthony Melton, Reece Beekman and three second-rounders. Schröder started the season on a blistering pace, averaging 20 points and 6.6 assists per game while shooting 46.3 percent from 3 over his first 10 games. Since then, he’s been more like his typical self, averaging 15.8 points and 6.1 assists while doing so on limited efficiency. All told with Schröder, you’re getting a player who can have outbursts that will win you games blended with a style of play that can sometimes be a bit more difficult to integrate into winning situations than you’d think. Largely, that has to do with his shooting ability, as he’s a career 34.3 percent 3-point shooter and a player who tends to attempt several midrange attempts to mixed success. He’s been a bit better the last two years at 37.5 percent. But he does like to play on the ball and tends to eat up some usage. These results just haven’t been as consistently excellent in the NBA as they have been for Schröder when he’s gone to play for the German national team over his career. Still, at the very least, he’s a real ballhandler who can play in pick-and-roll situations, attack in isolation and make plays for others.

The price was right here for Schröder because of his salary. He’s on an expiring $13.5 million deal. The Nets undoubtedly looked at the price point that Terry Rozier fetched from Miami last season — a future first-round pick — as a comparable value. But Rozier’s numbers in Charlotte were a bit better than Schröder’s are so far this year in Brooklyn, and that deal itself hasn’t exactly been seen league-wide as a rip-roaring success for Miami.

Simons is one of the more difficult evaluations in the league. On one hand, he has shown the ability to be an extremely explosive scorer, averaging 22 points per game on a true shooting percentage hovering around league average. However, this season hasn’t been as clean, as he’s dealt with several injuries, including an illness and a right-hand sprain. He’s down to about 16 points per game, and his true shooting percentage is nearly 10 percent below league average. He also has real defensive deficiencies that cloud his game. On a good team, Simons is probably more of a sixth man as opposed to a definite starter. It’s possible he could find the right team and role that allows him to be a starter on a great team. But right now, his game profiles best as a microwave scorer off of the bench.

Simons is still just 25 years old and an interesting player. The problem for Portland, though, is that he only has a year and a half left on his rookie extension that he signed back in 2021. The organization has also made several investments into on-ball backcourt players, including Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe. This might be the time to try to cash in on Simons. But he makes $25.9 million this season, followed by $27.7 million next season. Those are hefty numbers for the production he’s providing. Simons’ trade value will likely be determined by how he plays here over the two months before the deadline. If he doesn’t play well, the team might be better off holding onto him to see his value rebound next year. But if he does play well, the Blazers might be able to parlay him into something interesting.

Russell is a polarizing player. Offensively, he’s typically a sharpshooter from distance who can get them up from volume who can also run ball screens and make plays for his teammates. Defensively, you need to hide him because he struggles to stay in front of opposing players and can get lost off the ball. But the issue for Russell this year is that the shot-making hasn’t really been there. He’s made only 33.3 percent of his 3s. Teams still guard him out there because of his long track record of being a shooter, but if the shot isn’t actually falling, he’s not a particularly valuable player.

Right now, a significant part of his trade value comes from his contract situation. He is a free agent this summer with an $18.7 million expiring contract. He’s an excellent salary-matching candidate in a deal for a Lakers team that desperately needs to shake up its perimeter because of its defensive deficiencies.

Brogdon is one of the many interesting guards on an expiring deal who could find themselves in a new home by February. He’s only played nine games this year — and injury concerns are always an issue for Brogdon, given that he’s only topped 40 games once in the last four years and has only topped 60 twice in the past eight years — but when he’s been out there, he’s been a perfectly useful starter for the Wizards. He’s averaging 13.8 points and finishing well on the interior, plus he rarely turns the ball over. He’s also a career 39 percent 3-point shooter, so you can rely on him there even if he’s made only 33.3 percent so far on limited volume. The issue with Brogdon comes on defense. He generally knows where he has to be and has extremely long arms and a strong physical frame, but he doesn’t have the quickness anymore to deal with particularly quick backcourt players.

Brogdon is owed $22.5 million this year, which is a large number for a player of his skill set at this point. On a good team, he probably profiles best as a seventh man or something in that vicinity. But a few teams out there could use a steadying bench presence as a guard and might be willing to swap another deal or two along with a couple of second-rounders to get him. The injuries and rental status will keep his value down below a first-round pick.

One of the more creative scoring guards off the bench in recent NBA history, Clarkson is still averaging 15 points per game. However, the issue for the Jazz is that his shooting has dived. He’s only shooting 40.6 percent from the field and 30.2 percent from 3, and this comes a year after he set a career low in terms of his efficiency while shooting 41.3 percent from the field and 29.4 percent from 3. He has also dealt with a foot injury this year and has never been a particularly conscientious defender.

Clarkson is only making $14.1 million this year and $14.3 million next year, so it’s possible that a team desperate for scoring could think he could help it off the bench. The issue right now is that he’s not performing at a level all that different from someone you might be able to find on a minimum contract. Undoubtedly, teams will be watching Clarkson to see if he can rebound. If he doesn’t, it feels like it’ll be difficult to move him as the Jazz look to embrace some of their younger guards like Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier.