Pistons rumors: Players on luxury tax teams that could be traded

The Detroit Pistons had a busy offseason, revamping their front office, coaching staff and roster, which you would expect after they had a historically bad season. 

The league is still trying to adjust to new CBA rules around the luxury tax, which has made it more difficult to throw money around without punishment.  

Teams that are heavily into the second apron are limited in trades and can mostly only add minimum guys, which is one reason we saw Minnesota send Karl-Anthony Towns to New York, a trade that did have some impact on the Pistons. 

The apron era will create both challenges and opportunities, making it more difficult for the big spenders to keep their players and potentially open up advantages for teams that stay financially flexible. 

We’re likely to see more players moved this season as teams try to get nimbler financially, especially from those in the luxury tax who get off to a slow start. 

Here are teams to watch as the season progresses and which players they are most likely to trade. 

Phoenix Suns: Bradley Beal, Jusuf Nurkic 

Like it or not, the Suns are probably stuck with the team they have, as they have onerous contracts that no one is going to take on and lack the assets to make it worth their while. 

It’s hard to imagine any team trading for Beal, who has the worst contract in the NBA, with three more years remaining at over $50 million per season. Beal is 31-years-old and hasn’t played more than 60 games in any of the last five seasons. 

If the Suns had a few draft picks to attach, some team would likely take him on, but they don’t own their first-round pick outright until 2031. 

There is no team in the NBA more “all-in” than the Suns, who are in championship or bust mode with no way out. 

They could try to move Nurkic, but that would barely dent their $188 million tax bill, which is nearly $30 million more than Detroit’s entire payroll for next season.