Robert Williams III, Portland Trail Blazers
While the Portland Trail Blazers have shown some life so far this season, this is a team that is still probably a year or two away from being in the postseason picture in the Western Conference. Because there is still some rebuilding to take place, it would make sense for the Blazers to sell off some of their veteran talent. One underrated bench player who could be extremely valuable on the trade block for the Blazers is Robert Williams III. If he can continue to prove that he can remain healthy, there could be a surprisingly strong market for the 27-year-old center.
And with just one year remaining on his contract after this season, Williams would not be viewed as a huge risk for any team that acquires him via trade. Again, most of Williams' trade value will come down to whether or not teams believe he can remain healthy over the course of a season. But in the right system and role, there's reason to believe that Williams could play an important role off the bench for a contender down the stretch. He's proven it before in his career and perhaps he has finally put injuries in his past.
Marcus Smart, Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies have quietly been one of the best teams in the Western Conference so far this season. However, if there's one player who continues to struggle to find a comfort zone on the team, it's Marcus Smart. He hasn't been helped by injuries during his one-year-plus with the team, but he's been incredibly inconsistent once again so far this season. At this point, with just one year remaining on his contract after this season, it wouldn't be all that surprising if the Grizzlies did end up exploring his trade value leading up to the deadline.
Even though Smart hasn't looked like the best fit for the Grizzlies, that doesn't mean he can't change the narrative on a different team. At this point, the argument could be made that Smart needs a fresh start and that the Grizzlies would benefit from moving him for a player who would be a better fit on the team. I'm not saying the Grizzlies should move on from Smart, but I do believe there's a chance that the team does come to that conclusion.