As the NBA season takes shape, trade chatter is already swirling among the league's biggest stars. NBA insider Howard Beck is shining a spotlight on three huge names in the league who could spark the NBA's “next big bang.”

Beck set the stage by arguing that loyalty no longer exists in today’s NBA, even for the league’s biggest stars.

“As we’ve noted before, loyalty is a bygone concept in today’s NBA, on both sides of the ledger. Nothing is forever. Nothing can be assumed. No one is immune. Anyone can be traded, at any time, for any reason. And with superstars, the clock is always, always ticking. Even now, two weeks into the new season.”

He then pointed to the early-season frustrations of Nikola Jokic, Bam Adebayo, and Devin Booker, while acknowledging it’s early to be talking about their futures.

“Nikola Jokic sounds a little testy. Bam Adebayo sounds a little aggravated. And Devin Booker? He just seems like a guy whose talent is being wasted. Is it comically premature to speculate about their futures? By most reasonable standards, yes. But the NBA does not abide by the laws of reasonability.”

Beck said rival front offices are watching the struggling teams closely, even though the trade deadline is months away.

“Every rival team executive is monitoring the Denver Nuggets’ struggles … and the Miami Heat’s struggles … and the Phoenix Suns’ struggles … and whatever the hell is happening in New Orleans and Sacramento. It’s the way of things in the NBA, where one team’s disaster is another team’s opportunity. The trade deadline is months away. But the monitoring, scouting, and scheming are 24/7/365 activities.”

Article Continues Below

He backed that up with a line from an unnamed team executive, “As one longtime team executive put it: ‘Twenty-nine executives are not doing their job if they’re not constantly thinking about how to get Jokic on their team.’

He also had a note for NBA aggregators on how they perceive the quote.

“Note to salivating aggregators: This quote is neither revelatory nor salacious; it’s just how the league works. Move along.”