Eight NBA players who have a real chance to be involved in trade rumors soon

Dec. 15 marks the day that teams can begin trading their newly acquired free agents

Dec. 15 is known by many fans as the unofficial start to NBA trade rumor season. It's the day that players who signed new contracts in free agency can be traded by the team they signed with. Is that big target from the offseason not working out well? Put him on the block and see what's out there. Need salary cap filler in a larger deal? Throw in that minimum-contract veteran who never plays.

There's a handful of players this season who are not working out in their current situation, playing well enough to earn interest from another team or just taking up salary cap space on a team looking to blow it up. 

Here are eight players who could be coming up in trade rumors very soon:

Nerlens Noel and the Mavericks seem prime for a breakup. The fourth-year big man was forced to take a qualifying offer this summer when he wasn't able to reach a deal with Dallas as a restricted free agent. Now he rarely plays, and when he does get on the floor, it's only for a brief period of time. The highlight of his season involves eating a hot dog at halftime.

When Noel becomes available he would be a popular option for a young rebuilding team that is willing to take a risk on him. Someone like the Hawks or Bulls wouldn't be the worst destination for him to just get playing time in. However, with him set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, any deals involving Noel are going to have minimal return for Dallas.

It wouldn't be surprising to see Noel on the move, but expect something any deal with him going down closer to the trade deadline. Dallas doesn't appear to be in any rush to move him and it's still a little too early for teams to be thinking about rental players.

George Hill and the Kings have been an absolute disaster together. Hill is reportedly unhappy with Sacramento because he was expecting the team to win. The Kings are unhappy with him because his play has just been dreadful. His on-floor net rating is a minus-12.9, he doesn't play defense and his offense has fallen off across the board. This is a far cry from the player that entered last offseason looking for a max deal after a great season with Utah.

With the Kings moving further with De'Aaron Fox and Frank Mason there's less room for Hill. He's in need of a major change of scenery and the Kings, who have struggled all season, could flip him to a good team for assets. He would also fit in well on teams within the playoff picture but not completely out of it yet. The Wizards or Nuggets are two that come to mind.

This is something that feels like it will happen sooner rather than later. The fit with Hill has been awkward from the start and there's no need to wait on this any longer. Just cut bait while it's still possible.

Kentavius Caldwell-Pope is having a really good season so far for the Lakers. However, it's hard to see him as part of their long-term plans. Caldwell-Pope signed with Los Angeles to prove to teams he was worth the hefty contract he was asking for last offseason. While he hasn't proved to be worth that, he's shown that he can be a quality defender and a solid 3-point shooter. 

Most of the scenarios that involve Caldwell-Pope being traded are salary related. If the Lakers have a chance at a superstar in a trade then they would move him to create the space for it, or they could just move him in a smaller deal to create the space for another trade. 

The Lakers have made it clear they want to use their salary cap next season on a superstar or two so it's hard to see them moving Caldwell-Pope for anything besides salary. He isn't really worth the risk of a rental, but if a playoff-hopeful team really needs some perimeter defense then the Lakers might be willing to listen

When Miami doubled down this summer on last season's late success there was always risk something like this could happen. The Heat have been painfully average to bad all season long and they don't have much flexibility. Dion Waiters has said publicly he isn't a bench player so the Heat aren't going to have much luck making changes with him.

The Heat have the potential to blow everything up and start over. If they do that, one of the bigger names that could be on the move is Waiters. He's turned into a really solid creator and shooter. The over-the-top confidence aside, Waiters can help a good team win games. Someone in need of a sixth man role, or just a wing that isn't afraid to shoot, would be smart to give Waiters a look.

With Waiters on a brand-new, four-year contract it would be very risky to make a move for him. He'd need to go to a contender or potential contender. Building or re-building teams aren't going to risk assets on a long-term deal they didn't give out. This would be a deadline day deal.

Like Waiters, Kelly Olynyk is in the same situation where if Miami chooses to blow it up he could be on the move. He showed in Boston that he's a capable big man. He's good at what he's good at and not much else. He's a surprisingly good defender and he provides at least a little floor spacing.

Olynyk is only being moved if the Heat go full firesale. He's also on a four-year deal, making him rather difficult to move. However, if the Heat are just trying to hit the reset button then they'd be willing to take on more smaller contracts to move a larger one like Olynyk's.

Unfortunately for Olynyk, this means he could end up on an even worse team. He's the exact type of player a team that is just trying to unload contracts would trade for. However, considering the circumstances needed to move him, it feels unlikely that he gets moved this season.

Ersan Illyasova is a stretch big man that has played pretty well for the Hawks. He's shooting 37 percent from 3-point range and is putting himself in all the right spots. Considering how bad the Hawks are, they will gladly move anyone on their roster if it means they can get an asset of some kind in return. 

However, most teams know what Illyasova is and aren't going to give up too much for him. He's more likely to be a player that gets involved in a larger trade. When teams need to make a three-team deal work they'll sometimes throw in a random veteran, like Illyasova, to make the salary work.

Illyasova could be moved really at any time. It just depends on what's going on in the rest of the NBA.

It would be stunning to see Danilo Gallinari, one of the Clippers star acquisitions over the summer, actually be moved mid-season, but that's just how Los Angeles' season has gone. The Clippers have faced a multitude of injuries to key guys. They've turned it around a bit as of late, but the season may already be lost cause for them.

If the front office decides that enough is enough, then Gallinari is someone they could flip midseason and blow everything up. He's a talented veteran, albeit injury prone, but any good team would be interested in his services. He'd provide the ability to draw free throws and create for himself. Something that any team could use.

A Gallinari deal feels unlikely, but if it were to happen it would probably be around the trade deadline. Maybe earlier if the Clippers completely fall apart by January.

Although Ekpe Udoh probably isn't going anywhere, and although he isn't even the most likely big man to be moved on his roster, he hasn't been playing much since Rudy Gobert returned from injury. The plus-minus genius can help out anyone, no matter the roster he's on, so fit doesn't matter. It just depends how Utah values him.

If a team calls up the Jazz with a good offer for Udoh, knowing he doesn't play much, then it's possible they consider a deal involving him. When teams have a good player that isn't playing it's always smart to turn that into another asset of some kind, or just get value out of a good player.

This feels like a deadline deal. The Jazz have no reason to even consider trading Udoh right now and the teams that would need someone like him probably haven't realized it yet.

Here is a full list of newly acquired players who can be traded after Dec. 15.

Atlanta Hawks

• Luke Babbitt
  
• Dewayne Dedmon
  
• Ersan Ilyasova
  
• Mike Muscala
  

Boston Celtics

• Aron Baynes
  
• Gordon Hayward
  
• Shane Larkin
  
• Daniel Theis
  

Brooklyn Nets

• Tyler Zeller
  

Charlotte Hornets

• Michael Carter-Williams
  
• Julyan Stone
  

Chicago Bulls

• Justin Holiday
  

Cleveland Cavaliers

• Jose Calderon
  
• Jeff Green
  
• Kyle Korver
  
• Derrick Rose
  

Dallas Mavericks

• Maxi Kleber
  
• Nerlens Noel
  
• Dirk Nowitzki
  
• Jeff Withey
  

Denver Nuggets

• Paul Millsap
  

Detroit Pistons

• Reggie Bullock
  
• Langston Galloway
  
• Eric Moreland
  
• Anthony Tolliver
  

Golden State Warriors

• Omri Casspi
  
• Kevin Durant
  
• JaVale McGee
  
• Zaza Pachulia
  
• David West
  
• Nick Young
  

Houston Rockets

• Tarik Black
  
• Nene
  
• Luc Mbah a Moute
  
• P.J. Tucker
  
• Troy Williams
  

Indiana Pacers

• Bojan Bogdanovic
  
• Darren Collison
  
• Damien Wilkins
  

Los Angeles Clippers

• Danilo Gallinari
  
• Marshall Plumlee
  
• Willie Reed
  
• Milos Teodosic
  

Los Angeles Lakers

• Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
  
• Tyler Ennis
  

Memphis Grizzlies

• Mario Chalmers
  
• Tyreke Evans
  
• Ben McLemore
  
• Wayne Selden
  

Miami Heat

• Udonis Haslem
  
• James Johnson
  
• Jordan Mickey
  
• Kelly Olynyk
  
• Dion Waiters
  

Milwaukee Bucks

• None
  

Minnesota Timberwolves

• Jamal Crawford
  
• Marcus Georges-Hunt
  
• Taj Gibson
  
• Shabazz Muhammad
  
• Jeff Teague
  

New Orleans Pelicans

• Tony Allen
  
• Ian Clark
  
• Darius Miller
  
• Rajon Rondo
  

New York Knicks

• Ron Baker
  
• Michael Beasley
  
• Tim Hardaway Jr.
  
• Jarrett Jack
  
• Ramon Sessions
  

Oklahoma City Thunder

• Nick Collison
  
• Raymond Felton
  
• Patrick Patterson
  

Orlando Magic

• Arron Afflalo
  
• Khem Birch
  
• Shelvin Mack
  
• Jonathon Simmons
  
• Marreese Speights
  

Philadelphia 76ers

• Amir Johnson
  
• J.J. Redick
  

Phoenix Suns

• Alan Williams
  

Portland Trail Blazers

• None
  

Sacramento Kings

• Vince Carter
  
• George Hill
  
• Zach Randolph
  

San Antonio Spurs

• Pau Gasol
  
• Rudy Gay
  
• Manu Ginobili
  
• Joffrey Lauvergne
  
• Brandon Paul
  

Toronto Raptors

• Alfonzo McKinnie
  
• C.J. Miles
  

Utah Jazz

• Jonas Jerebko
  
• Royce O'Neale
  
• Thabo Sefolosha
  
• Ekpe Udoh
  

Washington Wizards

• Jodie Meeks
  
• Mike Scott