The NBA trade rumor cycle seems to be never-ending, and that is certainly the case this season. While a significant portion of the league simply cannot be traded until least Dec. 15 for contractual reasons, that never stops the buzz, particularly around teams that are off to slow starts on the court in 2025-26.
To that end, NBA insiders have pointed to a couple of players who likely will not be traded, at least according to the intel as of mid-November.
Daniel Gafford off the market?
The 2025-26 season has been a nightmare for the Dallas Mavericks so far. The Mavs are a highly disappointing 3-7 with the second-worst offensive rating in the NBA. While there remains positive buzz about No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, the Mavericks have, to date, failed in providing a positive ecosystem for the young standout to grow, and that has many speculating on how Dallas can change its roster composition.
However, Marc Stein pointed to veteran center Daniel Gafford being an unlikely trade candidate, even if many have pointed to Gafford's recent three-year, $54 million extension as being signed almost with the idea of being traded. Stein wrote on Substack that, while there will be external interest, "the Mavericks to this point have not entertained the idea of trading him." Stein points to the current (and past) injury concerns for fellow big man Dereck Lively II as a potentially limiting factor, and there has always been reporting that Anthony Davis prefers to play next to a center, rather than occupying the position himself.
Gafford isn't a star-level player by any means, but he is a reasonably priced, starting-quality big that would help a lot of teams. If he remains on the sidelines in the trade market, that could limit the player pool for teams with clear needs in the middle.
Julius Randle staying in Minnesota?
The Minnesota Timberwolves aren't struggling to the level of the Dallas Mavericks. Back-to-back blowout wins over Utah and Sacramento have quieted some of the murmurs in Minnesota, as the team is now 6-4 overall and boasting a solidly positive point differential. Still, there have been persistent rumblings that the Wolves may not have the ideal roster construction around Anthony Edwards, and Julius Randle's name is often bandied about in faux trade discussions.
As part of a Bleacher Report live-stream, NBA insider Jake Fischer quieted those murmurs, pointing to the Wolves valuing Randle's secondary creation and saying "I really don't see them looking to trade Randle at all." Randle signed a three-year, $100 million deal to stay in Minnesota before the season, and he is ineligible to be traded until Dec. 15 as a result.
Minnesota does have real uncertainty in the backcourt, with Mike Conley near the end of his career and Rob Dillingham yet to cement himself as a clear starting-level option. Up front, the Wolves still have Rudy Gobert as a defensive stalwart, but his best days are behind him, and Minnesota's defense often waxes and wanes when Gobert is not in the middle.
As such, it does make some logical sense to at least consider Randle-centric trades, especially if the Wolves remain committed to Naz Reid after a considerable offseason investment in the fan favorite big man. At the same time, this reporting from Fischer is fairly definitive in its framing and, in short, it might take more than a few months of shaky-ish evidence for the Wolves to pivot away from Randle in drastic fashion.
Keep in mind that reporting like this will be worth monitoring on a weekly, or even daily, basis as the trade deadline approaches in February. For now, though, it seems like the frontcourt market could be two names lighter than some may have expected a few days ago.