5 best buyout candidates who could be available

Shabazz Muhammad

The former UCLA player had his representatives put in a trade request roughly five days ago, making it clear that he wanted to be dealt before the deadline. The Timberwolves failed to get a deal done (although that may have been due to lack of interest) so a buyout almost certainly seems to be on the cards here for Shabazz Muhammad.

Muhammad has seen his minutes — and in turn, his numbers — slashed this season. He has only played in 31 of the Timberwolves 57 games and is averaging 9.6 MPG, which explains why very few teams were interested in trading for him.

However, Muhammad averaged 19.4 MPG for the Timberwolves last season, shot 34 percent from deep, and averaged 9.9 PPG. He also offers some versatility as he’s capable of playing and guarding both wing spots.

While the list of reasons for playoff teams to sign him isn’t the longest, there is no list of reasons not to sign him. The Pelicans are desperate to add wing depth for their DeMarcus Cousins-less playoff push, why wouldn’t they want to add Muhammad?