When the Detroit Pistons landed Cade Cunningham with the first pick in the NBA Draft, they got a guy they can build around for the foreseeable future.
He’s a budding star on a rookie deal, which is one of the most valuable things in the NBA, similar to a star rookie QB in the NFL, as it allows the team to invest resources in the players around them while getting big production at a discount.
We’ve seen that just about anyone in the NBA can be traded, and no one is truly untouchable, but there are 11 guys who I’d say are pretty close.
They range from the MVP candidates who mean so much to their franchises and the cities they are in, the next group of potential MVP’s that are still on moderate (or incredibly low) contracts for their production and the next generation of stars who are still on their rookie deals.
Here are the NBA’s 11 untouchables, the guys whose teams wouldn’t trade them even for a king’s ransom. I had to leave a lot of great players off this list, as I just don’t see someone like Trae Young as “untouchable,” though fans of Atlanta may disagree.
Let’s start with the MVPs, guys who are on max or super max contracts but are earning every penny.
Cade Cunningham and the NBA’s untouchables
Stephen Curry: 34-years-old
Curry is the oldest player on this list and the guy making the most money, generally not a combination that leads to a player being untouchable. Even though he is older and set to make $59 million in 2025-26, there is no way the Warriors would trade him, as he is one of a handful of guys in the NBA who can pack an arena every night.
He’s not only one of the most popular players now, but one of the most popular of all time. The Warriors drafted him and even if it cost them double what they are paying now, Curry is going to retire a Warrior.
Joel Embiid: 28-years-old
This probably wasn’t true a few seasons ago, but Embiid has established himself as a legitimate MVP candidate and a guy who can carry a team to the playoffs. He’s not the draw that Curry is, but it’s hard to imagine the 76ers getting equal value for him in a trade unless they were getting one of the other guys on this list. Embiid is set to make $54 million in 2026-27, when he’ll be 33-years-old, so his combination of MVP-caliber play now coupled with the risk of that deal pretty much make him untradable. I’d say Embiid is on the shakiest ground of anyone in this tier.
Nikola Jokic: 27-years-old
Depending on which NBA fan you talk to, Jokic is either the most overrated or underrated player in the league. I lean towards the latter, as Jokic is another one of the players who can drag a terrible team to the playoffs, as he did this season. The only way I could see the Joker traded is if he got sick of not having a supporting cast in Denver and demanded out, but he doesn’t seem like the type to make such a demand. Jokic makes $32 million next season, a bargain for an MVP, but he’s about to get paid. Like, paid paid. Like, more money that many small countries, paid.
Giannis Antetokounmpo: 27-years-old
Giannis is the best player in the NBA in my opinion, a guy who is usually the best player on both ends, and hardly misses games.
His versatility makes him easy to build around, and he’s a really nice guy who fans love and who doesn’t seem to mind playing in a smaller market. To me, he’s the most untouchable player of this group, a guy who will be an MVP candidate for the foreseeable future.
Notable omissions: Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, LeBron James, Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal, James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, Paul George, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis
Cade Cunningham and the NBA’s untouchables
Devin Booker: 25-years-old
This group of four guys are sniffing at the heels of being MVP’s themselves and one of them will likely win the award in the next 2-3 seasons.
Booker is still just 25 somehow but already one of the NBA’s elite scorers. The 3-time All-Star is the best player on the best team in the NBA and is hoping to take his team back to the NBA Finals.
Booker is set to make $36 million in the 2023-24 season, which is actually a bargain for a guy who produces like him.
Jayson Tatum: 24-years-old
Jayson Tatum just turned 24-years-old in March and was a fringe MVP candidate this season, leading a flawed Boston team back from a slow start into the second round of the playoffs (so far), where they are down 2-1 to the Bucks.
Tatum has the right combination of offense, defense and temperament to be an MVP and is under contract until 2025-26, when he’ll be paid $37 million.
His next contract will be ridiculous, but for now the Celtics are enjoying having one of the best under-25 players in the NBA, so he is not going anywhere.
Luka Doncic: 23-years-old
Even though I think Luka is the player in this tier most likely to win an MVP award, I’m going to put one guy higher simply based on contract. Doncic is a walking triple double, who is one of the few guys in the NBA who could take a bad team to the playoffs. I like Jalen Brunson, but it says a lot about Luka that he was able to drag this Mavs team to a top-4 seed with Brunson as his second-best guy.
Luka is locked up to a deal that will pay him $48 million in 2026-27, and the Mavericks would be willing to commit to him beyond that if they could.
Ja Morant: 22-years-old
Ja Morant gets the top spot in this tier because of his age, contract and the fact that Memphis would rather move the team than trade Morant.
He’s one of the most popular players in the NBA even though he plays in the smallest market. He was a fringe MVP candidate who is still on a rookie deal that will pay him just $12 million next season, and he’s a homegrown product who the Grizzlies drafted and love.
The Grizzlies are the team the Pistons are trying to emulate, as they have built their roster from the draft and are building around a dynamic star guard.
There might not be a single player in the NBA you could trade Ja for straight up, as no one else is producing like this on a rookie deal. He’s shown he can be the guy to build around and I hope his knee injury isn’t serious, as I am loving watching him compete against the Warriors and be the best player on the floor.
Notable omissions: Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Pascal Siakam, Brandon Ingram, Jordan Poole, Karl-Anthony Towns
Cade Cunningham and the NBA’s untouchables
Evan Mobley: 20-years-old
Mobley showed himself to be a impact player on both ends, and was one of the big reasons the Cavaliers made the leap from the cellar to the play-in this season, a move the Pistons hope to follow.
Mobley didn’t win Rookie of the Year, but I still think he is more untouchable than the guy who did based on his ceiling as a defender and as a big who has all of the tools to be a 3-level scorer.
I think Scottie Barnes is amazing, and will be a multiple time All-Star, but I think Mobley has a chance to be an MVP candidate some day and it’s hard to imagine that for Barnes.
Anthony Edwards: 20-years-old
Anthony Edwards is only 51 days older than Cade Cunningham and is actually younger than Evan Mobley, so when you look at his body of work already, it’s hard not to be impressed.
He’s a two way wing with elite athleticism who can score from all three levels, and did I mention that he’s still only 20?
Edwards led the lowly Timberwolves to the playoffs for the first time since 2017-18 and is already the best player on the team. The Timberwolves would definitely jettison KAT before Edwards, which says a lot.
Cade Cunningham: 20-years-old
HOMER ALERT!
I think Cade Cunningham is the most untouchable player in this tier for a few reasons: He’s the easiest one to build around, as he is versatile enough to play several spots, be your primary ball handler, scorer and facilitator. He’s also a quality defender who takes defense seriously and wants to be great on that end as well.
He has the demeanor of an MVP, wants to take the big shots, be the team leader and is a guy who has 100 percent bought in on the culture of Detroit, which doesn’t always happen.
Given his combination of skill, age and contract, it’s hard to imagine the Detroit Pistons entertaining a trade for him that didn’t involve the words Luka Doncic.
Cade Cunningham is trying to restore the Detroit Pistons to their former greatness and will be a guy the Pistons try to keep for the entirety of his career.
Notable omissions: Zion Williamson, LaMelo Ball, Scottie Barnes, Jalen Green, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, Josh Giddey