Tristan Thompson, Gary Harris Listed Among Top Buyout Candidates

Veteran center Tristan Thompson is now a member of the Pacers after last week’s trade with the Kings, and shooting guards Gary Harris is still with the Magic.

But on both accounts, you have to wonder for how long?

Both players have expiring contracts, making them potential valuable commodities on the buyout market for contenders.

Per Moke Hamilton of Basketball News, Thompson and Harris are just two of those who are being monitored as buyout candidates. Also listed were Spurs guard Goran Dragic, Rockets point guard Dennis Schroder and Lakers center DeAndre Jordan and forward Kent Bazemore. All have expiring deals.

Thompson is among the more intriguing names on the list, given that he has championship experience as a teammate of LeBron James and the 2016 Cavaliers. He sort of got lost in the shuffle with the Kings, but has shown that he can still be a pesky rebounder in his two appearances with Indiana.

“Teams thinking about winning the Eastern Conference will need to have at least a few big bodies to present resistance to the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Nikola Vucevic, Bam Adebayo and Kevin Durant,” Hamilton wrote.

“To that end, the 30-year-old big man — who is in the final year of a contract paying him about $9.2 million — would probably rather relocate to a playoff contender that will offer him more minutes and a chance to compete than the Pacers will.”

Similarly, Harris was a member of a Nuggets team that advanced to the West finals in the 2020 Disney bubble and is viewed as a winning player who could help a contender from the perimeter.

Of course, buyout candidates aren’t the only way to find some help. Teams will also turn to the G League, as well as scour the waiver wire and free agents who have been available for much of the season. You can find a continuously updated position-by-position list of the latter at Hoops Wire right here.