The Dallas Mavericks used some of their newly acquired wing depth to make a trade for more size on the perimeter, along with cap-sheet surety. The Philadelphia 76ers picked up a younger player, who fits no matter what direction the team takes at the trade deadline and moving forward.

Here are the particulars:

Dallas Mavericks acquire: Caleb Martin

Philadelphia 76ers acquire: Quentin Grimes, 2025 76ers second-round pick

Let’s dive in!

Dallas Mavericks

Incoming salary: $8.1 million in 2024-25

• Caleb Martin (SF/PF, four years, $35 million (final season player option))

Outgoing salary: $4.3 million in 2024-25

• Quentin Grimes (SG, one year, $4.3 million)

After acquiring Max Christie in the Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis trade, Quentin Grimes was expendable for the Mavericks. Grimes and Christie overlap in position and role, as both are 3&D wings for the Mavericks. The advantage with Christie is that he’s already signed to a team-friendly contract for the next few seasons.

Grimes is a pending restricted free agent. Dallas and Grimes were unable to come to an agreement on a rookie scale extension this past offseason. That left his status up in the air, as Grimes is headed into restricted free agency this offseason.

Valuations for Grimes vary around the NBA. Some teams are worried about his injury history, and inconsistent production. Other teams value his plug-and-play ability as a good shooter that can defend all three perimeter positions. That lands Grimes as an MLE-plus player, in terms of his projected next contract.

That means Grimes could expect a first-year salary between the MLE amount (projected to be just over $14 million for 2025-26) and around $15 million. Given that Christie is signed for just $7.7 million next season, it’s easy to see why Dallas moved on.

The Mavericks have a big contractual item to work out with Kyrie Irving this offseason. That’s in addition to rebuilding the roster around a re-signed Irving and the newly-acquired Davis. That’s where adding Caleb Martin comes in.

Martin and Christie combine to make slightly more than Grimes projects to in 2025-26. In addition, both Martin and Christie are under contract through at least 2026-27. That’s the kind of surety that Dallas wants as they navigate in a post-Doncic world.

On the court, Martin brings more size than Grimes. While Grimes is more of a small wing/combo guard defensively, Martin is a big wing/combo forward. Grimes has been a lights-out shooter this season, only recent dipping below 40% on 4.3 three-point attempts per game. Martin won’t shoot quite that well, or on that kind of volume. Martin is at 38% this year, but that’s a bit above his career average. Martin’s defense has also slipped a bit this season, but he’s still a solid defender.

The big thing here is that Dallas now has a clear runway to minutes for Christie. Instead of Christie and Grimes competing for playing time, the new addition can step right into a rotation role. Christie projects to be just as good of a shooter as Grimes, and he has a bit more size. The soon-to-be 22-year-old has also flashed a few on-ball skills too. That will allow Martin to slot into a forward rotation that will feature Davis, Naji Marshall, Klay Thompson and P.J. Washington, pending any forthcoming trades.

In an uncertain environment moving forward, as Dallas retools from their mega-trade, this deal brings some security to Jason Kidd’s wing rotation. That’s worth something, even if giving up Grimes is tough to swallow.

Philadelphia 76ers

Incoming salary: $4.3 million in 2024-25

• Quentin Grimes (SG, one year, $4.3 million)

Outgoing salary: $8.1 million in 2024-25

• Caleb Martin (SF/PF, four years, $35 million (final season player option))

This is a move that can benefit the Sixers right now, as well as having some staying power for years to come. Philadelphia’s roster could be in transition from this trade deadline through the offseason. With the emergence of Ricky Council IV and Justin Edwards as younger bigger wings, the Sixers didn’t have as much need for Caleb Martin moving forward.

Adding Quentin Grimes’ defense and shooting to the backcourt fills a bigger need for Philadelphia. The Sixers have been light on backcourt defense this season. Tyrese Maxey is carrying such a heavy offensive load, that his defense has slipped a bit. Eric Gordon is on the floor for his shooting and scoring, not his defense. The team’s best backcourt defender has been Kyle Lowry…which says quite a bit at this point.

Grimes will immediately upgrade the perimeter defense. He can guard either backcourt position, plus smaller wings. In addition, Grimes’ shooting is a nice get for Nick Nurse’s rotation.

On the cap sheet, the Sixers should be in position to retain Grimes long-term. He’s young enough to fit if Philadelphia pivots to trading out some veterans ahead of the deadline. He’s also good enough right now to fit if the 76ers pursue upgrades to make a playoff push. Grimes will probably make almost double what Martin was expected to for 2025-26, but the Sixers have enough other money coming off the books to make that palatable. Having Grimes’ restricted free agent rights will also help Philadelphia to control his free agency process.

In addition, this move dropped the Sixers below the first apron. That gives the team a bit of extra flexibility in trades before the deadline. If Philadelphia stays below the first apron, they’ll have the added benefit of being able to pursue any player that hits the buyout market. Remember: apron teams can’t sign a player after a buyout if that player’s previous salary was more than the Non-Taxpayer MLE (approximately $12.8 million).

This is a good move for the Sixers. Martin is a nice player, but his place on the roster was starting to feel pretty tenuous. Grimes is a better bet moving forward, even after factoring in that he needs a new contract. In fact, don’t be surprised if Grimes emerges as the long-term backcourt running mate for Maxey, as their skill-sets mesh quite well.

Luka Doncic is a Los Angeles Laker.

That still seems crazy to read, but here we are.

In the immediate, the Lakers will be figuring out how to incorporate Doncic alongside LeBron James, while trying to add complementary talent around the two stars. But this move was more about the future in Los Angeles than it was about the present.

That future involves Luka Doncic’s next contract. But before we get there, let’s look at what Doncic was in line for with the Dallas Mavericks.

To set the stage, here’s what’s left on Doncic’s current deal:

• 2024-25: $43,031,940
• 2025-26: $45,999,167
• 2026-27: $48,967,380 (player option)

Doncic becomes extension-eligible this summer. The expectation has long been that he’d opt out of his current deal and start a new one in 2026-27. That was expected to be a Designated Veteran Player Extension (DVPE) with the Mavericks. That deal projected to look like this:

• 2026-27: $59,539,200
• 2027-28: $64,302,336
• 2028-29: $69,065,472
• 2029-30: $73,828,608
• 2030-31: $78,591,744
• Total: five years, $345,327,360

That’s a 35% of the cap max with 8% raises. It’s very likely the final season would have included a player option, as someone of Doncic’s status always commands a player option.

Unfortunately, that’s no longer on the table. In order to qualify for the DVPE, a player has to meet awards requirements (All-NBA, MVP or Defensive Player of the Year). No issue for Doncic, as he’s an All-NBA guy without any worry.

However, a player can only get a DVPE in a deal from the team that drafted them, or acquired them while they were still on their rookie scale deal. Having been traded to the Lakers, that’s now out the window for Doncic.

So, where does that leave Doncic and the Lakers? Let’s dive in!

The Veteran Extension

Doncic is eligible to sign a standard Veteran Extension with the Lakers. Let’s assume that he’s still going to opt out for 2026-27, so we’ll start there. Doncic is eligible this summer (after six months have passed from the trade to the Los Angeles) to sign an extension that can start at 140% of his previous salary in the final year of his current contract. That would take him over his max salary. So, he’ll start that deal at the max he’s eligible for. The Veteran Extension for Doncic projects to look like this:

• 2026-27: $51,033,600
• 2027-28: $55,116,288
• 2028-29: $59,198,976
• 2029-30: $63,281,664
• Total: four years, $228,630,528

That’s a 30% of the cap max with 8% raises. Doncic would be limited to signing for just four years, because a Veteran Extension plus what’s remaining on the contract can run for no longer than five total seasons. Like with any deal Doncic is going to sign, he’ll likely have a player option on the final season.

If we do a four-year-to-four-year comparison, Doncic would lose roughly $46 million in this structure vs the DVPE from the Mavericks.

That’s a pretty big chunk of change. But there’s a way Doncic can recoup some of that lost salary, while still locking in security long-term. Let’s go there next.

The “Donovan Mitchell” Extension

When the Cleveland Cavaliers traded for Donovan Mitchell, they hoped he’d be happy enough with the team that he’d extend. Like Luka Doncic, Mitchell also lost ability to sign a DVPE when he was traded from the Utah Jazz. However, Mitchell and the Cavs got creative, kind of split the difference and made the best of their now mutual situation.

Instead of locking in for every year and dollar he could on a Veteran Extension, Mitchell signed a shorter-term extension. That deal gives Mitchell the ability to opt out when he has achieved 10 Years of Service. Then, he’s eligible to sign a new deal starting at 35% of the cap.

Here’s what that would look like for Doncic on a shorter-term Veteran Extension with the Lakers. This assumes the same strategy of opting out for the 2026-27 season as the Veteran Extension did:

• 2026-27: $51,033,600
• 2027-28: $55,116,288
• 2028-29: $59,198,976 (player option)
• Total: three years, $165,348,864

Now, here you can see we included the player option on the final season. That’s because that’s the only way this works. For Doncic, after the 2027-28 season completes, he’ll have 10 Years of Service. He could then opt out and sign a five-year deal that would start at 35% of the cap.

It’s a little wonky to look that far out, because we don’t have a great handle on how the cap will continue to grow. But that new deal in 2028-29 projects to look like this:

• 2028-29: $72,042,250
• 2029-30: $77,805,630
• 2030-31: $83,569,010
• 2031-32: $89,332,390
• 2032-33: $95,095,770
• Total: five years, $417,845,050

That’s 35% of the cap max with 8% raises. And, sure, Doncic will probably get a player option and have one more chance to cash in when he’s 33 years old in 2032.

Let’s pause here to say: We have no idea what the cap growth will be by the time we get to 2028-29. That’s the final season of the current CBA, barring something very unexpected. But this is still in the range of what Doncic could sign for, if he did the shorter-term extension like Mitchell.

Re-signing with the Lakers as a free agent

Let’s say Luka Doncic decides to play out his current contract and then to re-sign on a new deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. As unlikely as that path is, here’s what that contract could look like:

• 2026-27: $51,033,600
• 2027-28: $55,116,288
• 2028-29: $59,198,976
• 2029-30: $63,281,664
• 2020-31: $67,364,352
• Total: five years, $295,994,880

This is the same 30% of the cap first-year salary as Doncic could get by signing a Veteran Extension. It also includes 8% raises. The only difference is the addition of a fifth year, which Doncic can only get by re-signing as a free agent with the Lakers. And, say it with me, that final season would likely be a player option.

Signing with another team as a free agent

Let’s say things go completely sideways for Luka Doncic in Los Angeles and he’s on the first plane out of town in 2026. This is probably the second-least likely scenario behind simply re-signing as a free agent with the Lakers, because Doncic is far more likely to extend. But for comparison’s sake, here’s what he could sign for with another team as a free agent:

• 2026-27: $51,033,600
• 2027-28: $53,585,280
• 2028-29: $56,136,960
• 2029-30: $58,688,640
• Total: four years, $219,444,480

The starting salary is the same as extending or re-signing at 30% of the cap. But this deal has only 5% raises and can run for only four seasons. And, you guessed it, the final season would likely be a player option.

Summary

Luka Doncic is going to get paid and paid handsomely on his next contract. It won’t be the so-called supermax, as he’s no longer eligible. But Doncic is still going to sign one of the biggest contracts in NBA history.

We rank the likelihood of each potential deal this way:

1. The “Donovan Mitchell” Extension
2. The Veteran Extension
3. Signing with another team as a free agent
4. Re-signing with the Lakers as a free agent

If we run the 2026-27 through 2029-30 four-year-to-four-year comparisons for each scenario we get:

• The “Donovan Mitchell” Extension: $237,391,114
• The Veteran Extension: $228,630,528
• Signing with another team as a free agent: $219,444,480
• Re-signing with the Lakers as a free agent: $228,630,528

As you can see: The “Donovan Mitchell” Extension is the most lucrative option. In addition, that comes with the added benefit of running through 2033 at a projected final-season salary of over $95 million. A truly mind-bending, yet forthcoming, single-season salary figure.

Doncic can’t really get more money by signing a Veteran Extension with the Lakers, as opposed to re-signing with the Lakers a free agent. This is especially true, when you factor in that he’s likely to opt out of the final year of any deal anyway. By extending, Doncic locks in that security a year early, which is always something players look to do. So, why wait to re-sign vs extending?

And, of course, if Doncic wanted to leave town, he’d be leaving a decent chunk of money on the table. That’s only happening if things really go wrong for him in Los Angeles. At that point, losing some money won’t be all that big of a concern.

Signing a shorter-term “Donovan Mitchell” Extension is what makes the most sense for Luka Doncic. Given that the Los Angeles Lakers have never balked at paying one of their own star players, that’s the best bet on how Doncic and the Lakers move forward. If we get to early-August, when Doncic will be eligible to extend, and we hear that he’s signed a three-year extension worth a projected $165 million, then things are set up for Doncic to really cash in with a five-year 35% of the cap max starting in 2028-29.

Another day, another blockbuster deal in the NBA! The rumored deal of De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs came to fruition, but with a twist that involved the Sacramento Kings getting Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls.

Here are the particulars:

San Antonio Spurs acquire: De’Aaron Fox, Jordan McLaughlin

Sacramento Kings acquire: Zach LaVine, Sidy Cissoko, 2025 Hornets top-14 protected first-round pick (via Spurs), 2027 Spurs first-round pick, 2031 Timberwolves first-round pick (via Spurs), 2025 Bulls second-round pick (via Spurs), 2028 Nuggets top-33 protected second-round pick (via Spurs), 2028 Kings second-round pick (via Bulls)

Chicago Bulls acquire: Zach Collins, Kevin Huerter, Tre Jones, 2025 Bulls first-round pick (via Spurs)

Let’s dive in!

San Antonio Spurs

Incoming salary: $36.9 million in 2024-25

• De’Aaron Fox (PG, two years, $71.9 million),
• Jordan McLaughlin (PG, one year, $2.1 million)

Outgoing salary: $27.7 million in 2024-25

• Zach Collins (C, two years, $34.8 million),
• Tre Jones (PG, one year, $9.1 million),
• Sidy Cissoko (SF/PF, two years, $4.1 million (final season fully non-guaranteed))

The San Antonio Spurs have been looking for a running mate for Victor Wembanyama since they drafted him. They have that guy now in De’Aaron Fox.

Fox reportedly really wanted to get to San Antonio, so this should be a match made in happiness for both the Spurs and Fox. The veteran point guard gives the team a floor leader who should be in place for years to come. Fox is likely to extend, possibly as soon as this summer. The supermax extension is no longer a possibility, but that was never overly likely to happen anyway. Fox will still get a 30% of the cap max, but the Spurs cap sheet can easily handle that.

In Fox, San Antonio has a guard who will push the pace. That should help the Spurs to take advantage of Wembanyama’s hyper-athletic game. You can already imagine the Fox-Wembanyama duo running the floor, with either one putting pressure on the rim in transition, as others space the floor around them.

There are questions remaining for the Spurs to answer. Will one or more from their large group of young players emerge to fill out the rotation around the two stars? If not, will San Antonio be able to trade them for a veteran who will? Can the front office manage the cap sheet to leave enough flexibility to build a strong roster around Wembanyama and Fox?

Those are all fair and important questions. They’re also more of a long-term thing. In the immediate, San Antonio could get involved in other deals, but that doesn’t seem likely. Yes, they now have both Fox and Chris Paul at point guard. That’s not something the Spurs see as an issue. They love what Paul has brought to their young roster. It’s unlikely he’s going anywhere, despite the overlap with Fox at the lead guard spot. There’s no urgency to make moves with the rest of the roster either. Getting Fox was the big move and it’s now complete. The next big moves will come in the offseason.

As for the price paid to get Fox, the Spurs did well there. By roping in the Chicago Bulls, San Antonio didn’t have to deliver all of the value to the Kings themselves. The Spurs moved on from Tre Jones (who had no place on the roster with Fox in the fold) and Zach Collins (who was carrying an undesirable contract). That means all of the kids (especially Stephon Castle) and the vets (especially Devin Vassell) with real value are still in pace for the rest of this season and into the summer.

Even the draft picks traded by San Antonio are a bit misleading. That 2025 Charlotte Hornets lottery-protected first-round pick? That’s going to be two second-rounders. The 2027 Spurs first should be in the mid- to late-20s, if things go as the should. The 2031 Minnesota Timberwolves first-rounder could be a good one, as we have no idea what they’ll be by then. Somewhat remarkably, the Spurs were able to complete this trade without even giving up their 2031 swap rights with the Kings. That’s potentially huge, given Sacramento’s history of being underwhelming.

Overall, this is a homerun trade for the Spurs. They landed their guy in Fox. Even if he’s a tier below superstar status, he’s still a great fit alongside Wembanyama for the next several seasons. Getting him without giving up all that much is a no-brainer for San Antonio.

Sacramento Kings

Incoming salary: $44.9 million in 2024-25

• Zach LaVine (SG, three years, $137.9 million (player option for final season),
• Sidy Cissoko (SF/PF, two years, $4.1 million (final season fully non-guaranteed))

Outgoing salary: $53.7 million in 2024-25

• De’Aaron Fox (PG, two years, $71.9 million),
• Kevin Huerter (SG/SF, two years, 34.8 million),
• Jordan McLaughlin (PG, one year, $2.1 million)

When you trade away your franchise player, it’s hard to get commensurate value in return. Either you get a package of picks and young players that resembles a mystery box. Or you get a bunch of middling salary and veterans in return. The Kings managed to land a really good player and some future assets for De’Aaron Fox, who was one of the team’s franchise players. That’s a win in what is regularly a no-win situation.

Zach LaVine is good. Actually, make that really, really good. He’s fully healthy again, with no signs of any lingering issues from his previous injuries. This has been LaVine’s best season. He’s putting up career-best numbers and has done well in the Chicago Bulls new up-tempo system.

Sacramento did well to land LaVine as the centerpiece in the return for Fox. The veteran scoring guard is a killer in the DHO/screen game with a big who can pass, and he’ll be paired with one of the best in Domantas Sabonis. LaVine is also a good passer himself, so you can run the offense with him as your primary creator.

The lack of a traditional point guard may look a bit weird for the Kings. However, LaVine, Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan and Malik Monk are all guys you can run the offense through. This also clears a runway for rookie point guard Devin Carter, who has impressed since getting healthy, to see enough minutes.

On the cap sheet, LaVine is another max guy, which gives Sacramento two $40 million-plus players with him and Sabonis. But that’s a workable number. DeRozan has one year left at a fair salary, and Monk’s contract is a great value for the Kings. Given Fox was likely to command a max deal, having LaVine in that salary slot is just fine for the Kings.

Sacramento added some additional draft capital in this deal too. The 2025 Charlotte Hornets first-round pick isn’t going to convey, so write that in as two second-round picks. But adding two first-round picks and five second-round picks, plus LaVine, for a guy who didn’t want to be there is good work. And that 2031 Minnesota Timberwolves pick could be really juicy. The Wolves could be into a rebuild by then, even with Anthony Edwards in place as a young star.

Sidy Cissoko was also an interesting get for Sacramento. He’s still only 20 years old. Cissoko’s NBA experience is limited, but his G League profile is interesting. He’s a worthy flyer, as the Kings can stash him in Stockton and let him develop more in the G League.

Again, it’s hard to get a value return when trading a franchise player. This wasn’t quite a haul for Sacramento, but they did well. LaVine is a lot better than he gets credit for. And the Kings have a lot of optionality immediately and moving forward with how they build out their roster. That’s good work, considering they had to move on from Fox sooner, rather than later.

Chicago Bulls

Incoming salary: $42.7 million in 2024-25

• Zach Collins (C, two years, $34.8 million)
• Kevin Huerter (SG/SF, two years, 34.8 million)
• Tre Jones (PG, one year, $9.1 million)

Outgoing salary: $43.0 million in 2024-25

• Zach LaVine (SG, three years, $137.9 million (player option for final season)
• Note: The Bulls also waived Torrey Craig ($2.8 million) and Chris Duarte ($5.9 million) to complete this trade

The Chicago Bulls have picked a direction…we think. At least, we hope!

By trading Zach LaVine for a collection of somewhat undesirable salaries, the Bulls should be leaning towards rebuilding. They seem to be headed that way, as every veteran on the roster is available in trade talks. That’s a good thing.

Unfortunately, that still doesn’t mean this was enough of a return for LaVine. Essentially, the Bulls provided a large chunk of the value to the Kings so that the Spurs didn’t have to. For a return of your own 2025 first-round pick unencumbered, that’s not enough.

Let’s talk about that pick for a moment…On face value, Chicago getting that pick back without the protected component, seems great. But here’s the thing: the Bulls should have been able to be bad enough to keep that pick anyway. There never really should have been all that much worry of losing it. For that to the primary return in trading away LaVine simply isn’t good enough.

Yes, Chicago got off considerable salary in this deal by moving LaVine. But Collins and Huerter combined are at over $36 million for next season. That’s not great. If either can find their game again in Chicago, then at least having them as individual movable salary has some value.

On the court, it’s hard to really evaluate much here. Kevin Huerter is theoretically a nice fit in the pace-and-space system that Billy Donovan is employing. He gives the Bulls a shooter with size that they don’t really have right now. Most of the Bulls best shooters are guard-sized players.

Zach Collins is a nice backup center. Assuming Nikola Vucevic is moved before the deadline, Collins can team with Jalen Smith to give Chicago 48 minutes of decent play at the five.

Tre Jones is a good backup point guard. The issue there is that Chicago already has so many point guards that Jones is just another body in the mix for right now. A trade moving out some of that depth is a must for the Bulls this week.

It feels like the start of something for the Bulls here. But if they don’t push this forward by moving a handful of other veterans, this will become the worst, directionless roster in the NBA. Chicago has to fully commit now to bottoming out.

They’ve already won too much this year to get in the Cooper Flagg derby, but they can still improve their pick a good amount. Mostly, this about picking a direction and going fully down Rebuild Road. You can’t drive halfway down there, change your mind and decide that’s good enough. But until they actually do it, there’s no way anyone will believe the Bulls will do anything more than going halfway, grabbing a burger for the road and heading back home to the middle.

Wow…

Just wow.

In a stunning blockbuster, the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks swapped superstars, while the Utah Jazz stepped in as a facilitator.

Here are the particulars:

Los Angeles Lakers acquire: Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris

Dallas Mavericks acquire: Anthony Davis, Max Christie, 2029 Lakers first-round pick

Utah Jazz acquire: Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2025 TBD second-round pick (via Mavericks), 2025 Clippers second-round pick (via Lakers)

Let’s dive in!

Los Angeles Lakers

Incoming salary: $56.1 million in 2024-25

• Luka Doncic (PG, three years, $137.9 million (player option for final season)),
• Maxi Kleber (PF/C, two years, $22 million),
• Markieff Morris (PF/C, one year, $2.1 million)

Outgoing salary: $54.2 million in 2024-25

• Anthony Davis (PF/C, four years, $218.6 million (player option for final season),
• Max Christie (SG/SF, four years, $32 million (player option for final season),
• Jalen Hood-Schifino (PG, one year, $3.9 million)

The Los Angeles Lakers have their post-LeBron James superstar in place. That’s what this trade was about.

James and Doncic are a bit of an odd pairing on the floor. Both are high-usage big ballhandlers. Neither is an elite off-ball player. But that’s something for JJ Redick to sort out over the coming weeks and months.

The defense will take a major hit for Los Angeles. Anthony Davis is still a one-man wrecking crew around the rim. Max Christie was the team’s best perimeter defender.

None of that really matters.

The Lakers got Luka Doncic.

Has Doncic been somewhat injury-prone recently? Are there conditioning issues with Doncic? Is he still immature in his relationships with officials?

Yes. Yes. And, yes.

Doncic is also a perennial MVP candidate. He also only turns 26 years old at the end of February. He’s an established global superstar.

You put up with all the questionable stuff because Doncic is that good. And he has been since he got to the NBA. Don’t overthink this. It’s Luka Doncic.

Moving forward, the Lakers now have the certainty of having a star in place when James eventually moves on. That’s true if James retires or decides he’d like to play elsewhere. (More on that last part in a bit.)

The other sneaky, but enormously important thing to note here: Los Angeles will get Doncic on a relative discount long-term too.

Doncic is no longer eligible to sign a Designated Veteran extension (the so-called supermax) for 35% of the cap. Players can only sign that kind of deal with the team that drafted them, or if they were acquired while still on their rookie scale deal.

That means when it’s time for the Lakers to extend or re-sign Doncic, they’ll get him for 30% of the cap. That’s a projected difference of roughly $8.5 million in first-year salary in 2026-27. That’s huge for Los Angeles, as they’ll be retooling the roster around Doncic at that time.

Speaking of retooling…Rob Pelinka still has work to do this season for the Lakers.

By trading Davis and Christie, the Lakers are severely lacking in defense now. Davis leaves a major hole at center. The only healthy non-two-way center on the roster now is Jaxson Hayes. He’s been fine as a backup, but he’s underwhelming as a starter.

Could Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris help there? Eh, probably not. Kleber is out with a broken foot and will be down for several more weeks. He’s also not really a center, as much as he is a pure four. At this point, Morris’ biggest contributions come in the locker room and in practice.

That means the Lakers need to get a center. The good news? They have the ammo to make that happen, and they can be flexible in the type of five they chase now.

Interior defense and rebounding are definitely concerns. Someone like Clint Capela, Nic Claxton, Robert Williams III, Jakob Poeltl or, yes, Walker Kessler can fill those needs. All are on acquirable contracts, which is key because the Lakers are still working around some tight margins with the aprons.

If the team’s read is that no center that they can acquire is fixing what looks like a leaky perimeter defense, they could go all-in on offense. That would open up the market for guys like Nikola Vucevic, Jonas Valanciunas or Deandre Ayton.

The player who can fill both the offensive and defensive needs best is Myles Turner, but there’s no sense the Pacers would move him for anything but a real haul.

Which brings us to the next question: What do the Lakers still have that they can offer? Picks-wise, Pelinka still has his 2031 first-round pick to offer up in deal. For players, the Lakers can send out Rui Hachimura and Gabe Vincent, who are a combined $28 million in potential salary-matching, even with each carrying one extra season beyond this one.

The Lakers should also be more open to moving Austin Reaves too. Doncic and Reaves are a terrific offensive combination, but that’s pretty rough duo defensively. It’s asking a lot of everyone else to cover for those two’s flaws on defense.

If Los Angeles is open to moving Reaves, that could up their return considerably. He’s a good player, despite the defensive issues, and Reaves would be another $12.9 million in outgoing salary.

To keep it simple: The Lakers don’t seem done rebuilding this roster. There is work to be done, both for the short- and long-term. It might be bumpy for a bit, because the Doncic-James fit isn’t exactly seamless, plus Los Angeles will likely be incorporating other new players too. But once they find their footing, the Lakers should be fine.

Now, let’s get to the elephant in the room: How does LeBron James feel about all of this?

James only public comments so far, in the immediate hours following the trade, were to dispute a report that he had grown weary of playing with Davis. James shot that down emphatically on social media.

But that shouldn’t be taken as more than anything but James not wanting others to put words in his mouth. There’s been nothing reported yet that he’s happy or upset about this deal. In the past, the Lakers superstar has spoken glowingly of Doncic. James also recruited Davis and won a title with him.

The reality is that the Lakers made this deal to prepare themselves for a post-LeBron James future. Could that come as soon as this week, before the trade deadline? That seems crazy, but this whole thing is crazy already. The Lakers and Golden State Warriors had at least some level of discussion on a trade that would have sent James to northern California a year ago. Could those be rekindled?

It’s important to note here that James has a full no-trade clause. If he’s dealt this week, or at any point, it’ll happen with his approval.

It’s also worth asking what James is going to do after this season. He’s in Year 22. James has talked openly about how the end is near. But only he knows how near it is. James has a player option for 2025-26. Could he opt out and go elsewhere? Could he simply retire and walk away?

The Los Angeles Lakers know their time with LeBron James is short, no matter if they don’t know just how short it is. They weren’t going to go without a superstar after James moves on. Now, with Luka Doncic in the fold, the Lakers have their next star already in the fold.

Dallas Mavericks

Incoming salary: $50.4 million in 2024-25

• Anthony Davis (PF/C, four years, $218.6 million (player option for final season)
• Max Christie (SG/SF, four years, $32 million (player option for final season)

Outgoing salary: $54.2 million in 2024-25

• Luka Doncic (PG, three years, $137.9 million (player option for final season))
• Maxi Kleber (PF/C, two years, $22 million)
• Markieff Morris (PF/C, one year, $2.1 million)

The Mavericks are resetting on the fly. This isn’t a rebuilding trade, nor is it a panic trade. It’s a major gamble, but one that seems to align with their organizational belief on how you build a winner.

Dallas GM Nico Harrison said post-trade reports that he believes you win championships with defense.

Enter Anthony Davis.

Yes, Davis is roughly six years older than Luka Doncic. Yes, Davis is injury prone.

But he’s still an All-NBA level of talent and a one-man defensive system. Davis still has plenty left in tank, and he’s signed long-term.

In the immediate, Davis is a major upgrade for the Mavericks. Doncic hasn’t played for most of the season and Dallas is thin up front at the moment due to injuries. Davis will help them tremendously right away.

Expect the Mavs to fulfill Davis’ long-held desire to play power forward. In the short-term, Davis will likely start next to Daniel Gafford, with P.J. Washington becoming a high-minutes super sub behind them in the frontcourt rotation. When Dereck Lively II is healthy again, he and Davis will team up as the long-term frontcourt pairing in Dallas.

Davis is a fairly plug-and-play guy. He’s awesome defensively and he’s an offensive weapon, without being someone you need to tailor your entire system around. Davis and holdover Mavericks star Kyrie Irving have long talked about playing together. Now, they’ll get to do so in Dallas, of all places.

Cap-wise, acquiring Davis beings some surety to things for the Mavericks. Instead of paying Doncic a supermax (and Doncic would have gotten the supermax or things would have gotten very ugly in Dallas), now the team has Davis locked in for what is less than they were planning for in extending Doncic. It’s not a massive amount, but it’s locked in long-term security with some additional flexibility.

That’s important because Irving can be a free agent this summer. Assuming Irving is happy about the deal (as of this writing, nothing has been reported about how Irving feels), the Mavs can move forward with locking up Irving and Davis as their star duo. There’s a chance that pairing fits just as well as the Irving-Doncic duo did.

It’s worth noting that Davis is waiving his trade bonus to be a part of this deal. That’s important for two reasons: First, it gives the Mavs some much-needed flexibility, both now and moving forward. Second, it’s an indication that Davis is ok with the deal. If he wasn’t, he could have caused issues by insisting upon getting his bonus in full.

Dallas also acquired a 2029 first-round pick in this deal. It’s impossible to know what the Lakers will be four years from now. Even with Doncic in the fold, Los Angeles will be navigating a post-LeBron James world at that point. That range of outcomes for that pick is anywhere in the first round.

Stepping back into the present, the Mavericks had made it known they wanted to upgrade their perimeter defense ahead of the deadline. Max Christie is a major get in that respect. Christie is a solid defender on the wing. He’s also become a fairly consistent shooter too. No one is going to celebrate wildly about Christie being in this deal, but he’s on a terrific value contract and shouldn’t be overlooked. Dallas did well to add him.

All that being said…the Mavericks traded Luka Doncic.

Ouch.

Doncic is a full-blown superstar. Super-duper-star, even. With Doncic, you write him into your roster and game plans in pen, then you figure out the rest. Doncic is a yearly MVP candidate and he’s only turning 26 later this month.

Doncic was also the post-Dirk Nowtizki star in Dallas. He’s a global superstar who made the Mavericks relevant around the world. All of that is hard to move on from.

There’s a lot of spin coming out Dallas right now about Doncic. Concerns over his conditioning, commitment and a tendency to pick up injuries. Those reports also say Dallas was hesitant to give Doncic a supermax deal.

If true, then the Mavericks were right to move on. If you can’t commit to your superstar, you owe it to him and yourselves to make a trade.

But the question then becomes: Why not stage a bidding war?

Let’s start out by saying, this trade isn’t bad for Dallas. In a rush to declare winners and losers, we often turn it into good and bad. The Mavericks did fine here. Davis is a star in his own right. Christie is a nice role player on a great contract. And Dallas picked up a potentially valuable first-round pick.

But could they have gotten more?

How many picks would the Spurs have given up to pair Doncic with Victor Wembanyama? Could the Nets have given their entire haul to bring Doncic to Brooklyn? Would the Rockets have given up picks and young talent? What about the Jazz? Could the Thunder have shocked the world by emptying their draft pick treasure chest, while also adding in some young talent too?

We’ll never know. And that’s unfortunate, because players of Luka Doncic’s caliber, at his age, are rarely ever actually available.

Instead, the Mavericks worked in silence and to make a win-now play. Again, it’s not bad, per se. It’s just not the kind of overwhelming return we expect in a move like this.

But that’s kind of the thing. There’s no real playbook to work off of here. A super-duper-star getting moved when he’s still in his pre-prime (at worst early-prime) years is unheard of. It’s truly incredible.

Utah Jazz

Incoming salary: $3.9 million in 2024-25

• Jalen Hood-Schifino (PG, one year, $3.9 million)

Outgoing salary: None

• Note: The Jazz will have to waive a player to complete this trade. That player is TBD.

The Jazz have jumped in yet another trade to siphon off some value by acting as a facilitator. This trade doesn’t work without Hood-Schifino going somewhere, so Utah is lending a helping hand, while getting paid two second-round picks to do so.

Hood-Schifino is a decent flyer for Utah to take. He was a former mid-first-round pick. His impact in the NBA has been almost non-existent. Last season, Hood-Schifino played well in the G League in a limited number of games. There’s talent there, even if Hood-Schifino hasn’t figured it out yet.

Basically, Utah will get a look at the young guard when he’s healthy enough to play. The Jazz already have several other young ballhandlers, so Hood-Schifino is really just a flyer. But why not? Might as well take a look, considering that’s where the Jazz are at in the rebuilding process.

Utah will acquire Hood-Schifino using a part of their Room Exception. That’s fine, as the Jazz were never going to sign anyone of note using that exception anyway.

One last note on Hood-Schifino: Let’s say he pops and really plays well for Utah. The Jazz will be limited in what they can re-sign him for. Because the Lakers declined their 2025-26 team option for Hood-Schifino, the Jazz are limited to offering him the amount of that declined option in first-year salary. That’s just over $4 million, so that shouldn’t be any kind of major impediment, should Utah want to re-sign Hood-Schifino as a free agent this summer.

The LA Clippers have been searching for a way to add some frontcourt depth. The Clippers have also been looking for a way to drop under the luxury tax. In one move, LA took care of both of those desires.

Here are the particulars:

LA Clippers acquire: Drew Eubanks, Patty Mills

Utah Jazz acquire: Mo Bamba, P.J. Tucker, future second-round pick

Let’s dive in!

LA Clippers

Incoming salary: $7.1 million in 2024-25

• Drew Eubanks (C, two years, $9.8 million (2025-26 is non-guaranteed)), Patty Mills (PG, one year, $2.1 million)

Outgoing salary: $13.6 million in 2024-25

• Mo Bamba (C, one year, $2.1 million), P.J. Tucker (PF, one-year, $11.5 million)

The Clippers have been trying to find a way to add to their frontcourt. They did that with Drew Eubanks. He’s a different player from Mo Bamba, but Eubanks is a better fit for what LA needs.

Eubanks plays solely around the rim on offense. He’s a play-finisher, in addition to being a solid screener. Eubanks should fit in well with James Harden in the pick-and-roll game when he’s in the game backing up Ivica Zubac.

On defense, Eubanks is more rugged than Bamba. He’s physical on the interior, a good rebounder and a solid rim protector. Eubanks also stays engaged all the way through the possession, while Bamba still has tendency to wander.

On the cap sheet, Eubanks’ deal is non-guaranteed at $4.75 million for 2025-26. If he’s not working out, the Clippers can move on with relative ease. That’s some nice flexibility.

The second upgrade for LA is getting out of the luxury tax. The Clippers will drop about $4.1 million under the tax and over $11 million under their first-apron hard cap. That gives the front office more than enough wiggle room to make an additional move. It also relieves any of the burdens that come with being a tax team, as far as salary-matching goes in trades.

Keep an eye on another frontcourt addition, possibly with Terance Mann (who has lost a lot of minutes as LA has gotten healthier on the wing) as the outgoing salary. Bones Hyland is very available in trades, as well. The Clippers are going to stay active in trade talks right up to the deadline.

Patty Mills’ fate in LA probably won’t be known until after the deadline. The Clippers would like to free up a roster spot to convert Jordan Miller from his two-way contract. In addition, LA wouldn’t mind having a spot to convert Kai Jones too. If the Clippers need a roster spot, Mills (and Hyland if he’s not traded) could be the roster casualty.

The Clippers only had a couple of second-round picks to trade, so this should bring them down to just one second rounder left. More importantly in the immediate, as they’ve now dipped under the tax and well under the apron, LA has no restrictions on the buyout market. The Clippers have $3.3 million left of the Non-Taxpayer MLE, which is a nice chunk to offer a player to sign on for the stretch run.

Finally, LA created a potentially handy $6.5 million traded player exception in this one. That’s big enough to be useful, either at the deadline or in the offseason.

Utah Jazz

Incoming salary: $13.6 million in 2024-25

• Mo Bamba (C, one year, $2.1 million), P.J. Tucker (PF, one-year, $11.5 million)

Outgoing salary: $7.1 million in 2024-25

• Drew Eubanks (C, two years, $9.8 million (2025-26 is non-guaranteed)), Patty Mills (PG, one year, $2.1 million)

The Jazz are miles under the luxury tax line, so this is about using that flexibility to add another asset, while taking a rest-of-season flyer on Mo Bamba. Essentially, Utah bought a future second-round pick for taking on the difference between Drew Eubanks’ and P.J. Tucker’s in salary.

On-court, Bamba should play for the Jazz. They’ve been cycling through frontcourt players all season long. Utah can take a look at Bamba and see what they have over the final 30-plus games. Eubanks was playing a lot, but he wasn’t likely a big part of the future in Utah. The Jazz were going to evaluate Eubanks and his $4.75 million non-guaranteed contract for 2025-26 against the need for a roster spot in the offseason.

P.J. Tucker likely won’t even be required to report to Utah. He’s a contract only for the Jazz. Look for Danny Ainge and Justin Zanik to keep Tucker on the roster through the deadline. If they can re-trade his contract in a deal, they will. If not, Tucker will be waived to open up a roster spot.

That open roster spot could be used to take a look at different players on 10 Day contracts. The Jazz may also look to convert Micah Potter to a standard deal. He’s played well in his opportunities this season and Utah might want to lock him up on a team-friendly deal. Elijah Harkless is another potential conversion candidate for the Jazz too.

This is Utah continuing their process of eating contracts in exchange for draft capital. They’ve facilitated several of these deals over the last couple of seasons, including eating Russell Westbrook’s contract on two different occasions. It’s solid work, given the team is so far under the tax line.

The Jazz probably aren’t done dealing. John Collins, Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton are all very available in the right moves. Utah won’t give any of them away, but if they find the right trades, any of those veterans could be a part of the continued roster shuffling.

We’re just over a week out from the NBA trade deadline on February 6. Like the past couple of seasons, NBA teams are falling into defined tiers this year. However, those tiers are a little different from the traditional ones of title contender, playoff team and tanking team.

What the Play-In Tournament has done is create a handful of different races. There are a handful of teams in each conference that are still competing for the top seed. But from there, we have a couple of other races to watch. Teams compete for homecourt advantage, but are also competing to simply be in the top-six in their conference to snag one of the assured playoff spots.

After the contenders, several teams are fighting for positioning, or even just spots, in the Play-In Tournament in each conference. (This season, this is truer of the Western Conference than the Eastern Conference.) And then, of course, you have teams that are prioritizing ping-pong balls, if we put it kindly.

That makes each team’s approach to the trade deadline endlessly more fascinating. Today, we’ll cover where each team seems to stand as far as being a buyer or seller, or either or neither, at the deadline. We’ll also give some thoughts on where we think each team should be at.

You can find the Eastern Conference teams here.

Dallas Mavericks

Approach at the deadline: Buyers

The Mavericks are looking for perimeter defensive help. In addition, with recent frontcourt injuries, Dallas would like to add a big. The challenge is that Nico Harrison isn’t sitting on a whole lot of tradable salary, and the Mavs are working under tight margins against a first-apron hard cap.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

Dallas should look for upgrades, but they need to be careful. If you can do a get-by move or two, by all means do so. But investing real assets - when these might be short-term fixes - isn’t the play.

Denver Nuggets

Approach at the deadline: Buyers

Denver is looking for rotation help. They like their top six-to-eight rotation. Beyond that, Calvin Booth is seeing what he can get. It doesn’t seem like a major move for a guy like Zach LaVine will be an in-season thing. That means shopping Zeke Nnaji and Dario Saric for a rotation upgrade.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

It makes sense for the Nuggets to be looking for upgrades. Another big would be nice. Relying on DeAndre Jordan this much behind Nikola Jokic is a little worrisome. Maybe one more guard to put in the mix would be helpful too. If they’re willing to move a draft pick, that Nnaji/Saric combo could get them a nice upgrade.

Golden State Warriors

Approach at the deadline: Buyers

This was very close to being a “Neither”. The Warriors are open to making moves, but they are insistent that they don’t want to move a lot of future assets, be it players or draft picks. That’s going to limit what they can do.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

The Warriors should be buying. Yes, this team has issues. There’s no ignoring that. But they still have a chance with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. They don’t need to get silly, but they could make upgrades without giving up everything. They should be pursuing them.

Houston Rockets

Approach at the deadline: Neither

Houston seems to be honest in their commitment to seeing this season through. It’s not the worst idea. They’ve been really good. If the right deal was there (De’Aaron Fox?) maybe their minds will be changed. But Rafael Stone has held firm thus far that the big moves are coming this summer and beyond.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

The Rockets are really good. Maybe even a player (and some postseason luck) away from making a real playoff run. The future is never guaranteed. Houston doesn’t need to be reckless and trade away guys from the young core. But they could make moves without doing that. It’s worth considering bolstering this team for now and tomorrow.

LA Clippers

Approach at the deadline: Buyers

The Clippers are looking for rotation upgrades. They aren’t likely to get involved in any blockbuster deals, but they’ve got plenty of tradable salary to add to their group. The primary focus is on adding frontcourt help.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

If there is a deal to send Tucker somewhere and bring back a ready-to-play 4/5, the Clippers should do it. (Yes, that was a copy-paste from last year!) Terance Mann has also been on the fringes of the rotation. He could be available too.

Los Angeles Lakers

Approach at the deadline: Buyers

Los Angeles already made one move to add Dorian Finney-Smith, but they’re still looking. Another ballhandler and perimeter scoring is on the list. Anthony Davis wants another big, and the Lakers are looking at those options too.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

When you have LeBron James and Anthony Davis playing this well, you owe it to them and yourselves to make your roster better. (Hey! Another copy-paste!) The Lakers are doing so. They’re going to keep searching. However, unless Rob Pelinka is suddenly willing to trade both of the future picks they can move, it won’t be the superstar deal many fans are looking for.

Memphis Grizzlies

Approach at the deadline: Buyers

Memphis is trying to find some upgrades for their rotation. They’d like to add another shooter to their mix, ideally one with some size and versatility. That’s why they were in on Dorian Finney-Smith and have been in on Cam Johnson.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

Thankfully, the Grizzlies have been less precious with their own drafted and developed players in the last year or so. That puts them in position to do something. This team is really, really close to title contention. Hitting on the right guy could put them over the top for the next few years.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Approach at the deadline: Neither

As a second-apron team, Minnesota doesn’t have the flexibility to do a whole lot. Unless they are moving Julius Randle, there’s just not much here. Expect the Wolves to poke around for vets who can be acquired using the Minimum Exception, but they can’t do much else.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Neither

This one is one the Timberwolves probably need to wait until the offseason to reset. The challenges of working around the second apron are simply too restrictive. If they can find a deal for Julius Randle that rebalances and upgrades the rotation, that’s worth considering. But that doesn’t seem very likely.

New Orleans Pelicans

Approach at the deadline: Sellers

The Pelicans are looking for deals for Brandon Ingram and C.J. McCollum. They seem to open to listening to offers for Zion Williamson, but don’t really want to move him. And if a team wants Javonte Green or Daniel Theis, all they need to do is call. Everyone else is sticking around.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Sellers

At the very least, New Orleans is going to get out of the tax by shedding Javonte Green or Daniel Theis, or both. The Pels might move Ingram. They’re still trying. C.J. McCollum might need to wait until the offseason, but teams do get desperate for guard help at the deadline. Zion Williamson? Nah. Let’s see what the rest of the season looks like and cross that bridge this summer, if necessary.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Approach at the deadline: Buyers

The Thunder are looking. There’s nothing huge coming though. They tried that last year with Gordon Hayward and it failed. That hasn’t scared OKC off trying to do anything else, but they don’t need a whole lot. Adding another perimeter on-ball playmaker seems to be the goal.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

Oklahoma City has what they need to win the Finals. They’ve been the best team in the league this season. But that doesn’t mean they can’t bolster their rotation with a move. And, we all know they have the draft-pick capital to do whatever they want.

Phoenix Suns

Approach at the deadline: Buyers

Outside of Jimmy Butler, the Suns are looking to see what they can do. They’re actively shopping Jusuf Nurkic for perimeter help. The Suns made the draft pick swap with the Jazz to have some assets to move right now.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

Without getting deep into it, a Butler deal has to involve finding Bradley Beal an acceptable home. If that can’t happen, Phoenix should try to turn Jusuf Nurkic’s contract into a couple of helpful players, even if that means moving one or two the recently acquired first-round picks.

Portland Trail Blazers

Approach at the deadline: Sellers

Portland is listening on a number of veterans. They’re open to moving Robert Williams III, Deandre Ayton, Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons and Matisse Thybulle. Williams and Thybulle seem to be drawing the most interest, but offers are reflecting their susceptibility for injury.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Sellers

The Trail Blazers should be moving their vets. It’s not quite “Everything must go!” time, but we’re not too far off that. The veteran players the Blazers have aren’t likely to see their trade value increase as time goes along. Now is the time to move some of these guys while Portland can still get a positive return.

Sacramento Kings

Approach at the deadline: Either

The De’Aaron Fox trade availability/desires threw a monkey wrench to the entire NBA. A whole new star is now available. The big question, beyond where Fox is going, is: What is the plan in Sacramento? Are they tearing things down? Are the Kings flipping Fox for win-now players? That will get answered in coming days.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Either

Sacramento needs to be honest with themselves here, and through the offseason. This group broke the playoff drought and has stagnated since. Are shuffling pieces enough to reset things and keep the Kings in playoff contention? Or is it time to rebuild? The first is hard to pull off, and rare to see succeed. The latter could set up Sacramento with assets for years to come. It’s worth at least listening to offers for the stars beyond De’Aaron Fox to see what the returns could be.

San Antonio Spurs

Approach at the deadline: Neither*

We put in the “*” because the Spurs could jump on a De’Aaron Fox trade before the deadline. He seems to want that, and it makes sense for San Antonio too. If it’s not a Fox addition, then the Spurs will probably just sit things out. They’re progressing along just fine. No reason to get crazy for minor upgrades now.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers*

Yeah, another “*”. This one is because the Spurs should go get De’Aaron Fox if the asking price is reasonable. San Antonio has some extra draft picks that look promising. They have young players, and some vet role players, they can send to Sacramento. Pairing Fox and Victor Wembanyama makes a lot of sense. It’s worth exploring, before Fox lands somewhere else and the Spurs are still looking for the point guard of the future.

Utah Jazz

Approach at the deadline: Sellers

This is the most obvious seller situation outside of maybe Portland. If you’ve been in the league longer than a few years and you aren’t Lauri Markkanen, the Jazz are open to moving you. John Collins, Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton and Drew Eubanks are all available. Walker Kessler is “available”, but only if you make a monster offer. So, good luck there.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Sellers

It makes no sense to hang onto John Collins and Jordan Clarkson for Utah. The Jazz don’t have to make a bad deal, and they won’t, but both of those vets should get moved. Collin Sexton is a nice fit, and on a pretty good deal, so keeping him as the team rebuilds would be fine. But if the right offer comes, Sexton could move too. If someone gets silly with an offer for Walker Kessler, that’s worth exploring too. The Jazz are going to be active and will probably make at least a couple of moves by the deadline.

We’re just over a week out from the NBA trade deadline on February 6. Like the past couple of seasons, NBA teams are falling into defined tiers this year. However, those tiers are a little different from the traditional ones of title contender, playoff team and tanking team.

What the Play-In Tournament has done is create a handful of different races. There are a handful of teams in each conference that are still competing for the top seed. But from there, we have a couple of other races to watch. Teams compete for homecourt advantage, but are also competing to simply be in the top-six in their conference to snag one of the assured playoff spots.

After the contenders, several teams are fighting for positioning, or even just spots, in the Play-In Tournament in each conference. (This season, this is truer of the Western Conference than the Eastern Conference.) And then, of course, you have teams that are prioritizing ping-pong balls, if we put it kindly.

That makes each team’s approach to the trade deadline endlessly more fascinating. Today, we’ll cover where each team seems to stand as far as being a buyer or seller, or either or neither, at the deadline. We’ll also give some thoughts on where we think each team should be at.

Atlanta Hawks

Approach at the deadline: Buyers

Let’s call the Hawks cautious buyers. Atlanta doesn’t have a lot of room under the tax to add salary. They aren’t good enough to go into the tax yet, so that limits what they can do. They’re looking for upgrades, but nothing major seems on the horizon.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Either

Atlanta shouldn’t be making any all-in moves, nor should they be trading any young core players. But if someone wants to make a run at Clint Capela or Larry Nance Jr., the Hawks should listen. This could be a way to continue rebalancing the cap sheet, while adding talent to keep Atlanta in the playoff race.

Boston Celtics

Approach at the deadline: Neither

Boston doesn’t have the tradable salary to do anything all that meaningful at the deadline. Their top-nine playoff guys are also fairly set too. They’re always looking around, but nothing seems imminent here.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Neither

Despite a blah last month or so, the Celtics are still the champs. Everything is set up to make another title run. There are no major needs. They’ll probably move Jaden Springer’s expiring salary to kick the can down the road with another guy who has a year or left, but don’t expect much more. Mostly, Boston will just keep things moving along.

Brooklyn Nets

Approach at the deadline: Sellers

The Nets have already started this process, but there’s more to come. Cam Johnson, Nic Claxton, D’Angelo Russell, Bojan Bogdanovic and…well…just about anyone can be had for the right price.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Sellers

Brooklyn hasn’t landed on their next franchise guy yet. They’ve got a few interesting young guys, but none of them screams out as the guy who will lead several years of playoff runs. That’ll come through the draft. Maximize assets over the next few years is the way forward for the Nets.

Charlotte Hornets

Approach at the deadline: Sellers

Charlotte already moved Nick Richards, and he was their best trade asset. They might be able to get something for Cody Martin, as more and more teams are looking for perimeter help. But the Hornets are looking at smaller deals now.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Sellers

Could Jeff Peterson jump in and help as a facilitator again? It’s possible. If they Hornets can snag some more additional assets to help move some money around, they’ll probably do it. The reality is that there just isn’t a lot of tradable salary left here. The bigger deals belong to the guys who Charlotte is building around. This should be a quiet deadline.

Chicago Bulls

Approach at the deadline: Sellers

The Bulls are sellers. Wait…really? It appears so. They are still open to moving Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic in the right deal. Patrick Williams is still very available. Basically, anyone but Matas Buzelis, and possibly Josh Giddey, shouldn’t be investing in long-term real estate in Chicago.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Sellers

The Bulls should be selling. No doubt about it. They might not get monster returns for LaVine or Vucevic, but if they could take on some undesirable money to plus-up the return packages, Chicago should be open to that. It’s been years since they’ve leaned fully into rebuilding, but it’s beyond time to pull the plug on this iteration. Mercifully, it seems that process is finally beginning.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Approach at the deadline: Buyers

Cleveland is poking around and looking for help. They aren’t touching the core, but the guys who orbit around them can be had in return for upgrades. The Cavaliers are looking for perimeter help and wouldn’t mind adding a versatile backup big too.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

The Cavs have the movable salary to get something done. Ideally, they’d make a move or two to add talent, while also getting out of the tax. Cleveland projects to be very expensive for years to come. No reason to start that clock any earlier than necessary.

Detroit Pistons

Approach at the deadline: Either

This Pistons are operating with an air of mystery right now. Their very good play has them looking for some upgrades. Their $14 million in cap space has them open to eating some salary. If there’s a way to do both, Tajan Langdon will jump on it.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

Detroit hasn’t won a single playoff game (game, not series) since 2008. Young Pistons fans could complete their entire run of K-12 schooling without seeing a single playoff win. Langdon has the ability to add help and should be active. It doesn’t have to be a crazy, sell-the-farm kind of deal. But this group has earned an upgrade or two to aid in the postseason push.

Indiana Pacers

Approach at the deadline: Neither

Indiana is in a good place. They don’t really need a whole lot, beyond staying healthy. The Pacers have stayed focused on the players they have. Myles Turner rumors abound (wouldn’t be a deadline without them!), but that seems to be more speculation that reality at this point.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Neither

If there’s a deal that comes up that can allow Indiana to get off a long-term salary for a fringe rotation guy (they don’t have any bad salary), they should be on it. The Pacers project to hit next summer without much room under the luxury tax. If they are going to re-sign Myles Turner, they need to clear some room eventually, as they aren’t likely to play the tax. Now, if they aren’t going to re-sign Turner, then they should probably think about moving him by the deadline. But that’s not the direction this will probably take.

Miami Heat

Approach at the deadline: Either

The Heat are trying to find Jimmy Butler trade that brings back win-now talent, but no long-term salary. That’s a tricky needle to thread, but maybe they can pull it off. Until Butler’s situation is settled, and possibly after, don’t expect much else from Miami.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Either

Miami is progressing along as they should be. There’s no reason to rush a Butler trade and take back a less-than-desirable return. See that through, play out the rest of the season, then pick up the pieces this summer for the long-term.

Milwaukee Bucks

Approach at the deadline: Buyers

The Bucks are always active and there’s nothing different happening at this deadline. Milwaukee is looking for more scoring help, and they’ve got some tradable salary to make it happen. They’ll have to dance around the second apron, but it’s doable with a salary-shedding more or two.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

Milwaukee is doing the right thing. They should be trying to maximize the time they have with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard playing at superstar levels. That might mean saying goodbye to some key franchise guys, but reunions down the line are made for showing love for the past. If you want to compete for another title, moves have to be made.

New York Knicks

Approach at the deadline: Buyers

New York is looking for some help. They’d like a more reliable backup for Karl-Anthony Towns. They’d also like a bigger perimeter defender too. The issue is that their draft capital is just about spent, and the Knicks only sizable matching salary belongs to oft-injured Mitchell Robinson.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

I’m calling the Knicks bargain shoppers. They don’t have much wiggle room under the second apron. That means a small move, or moving Robinson. I wouldn’t rule out either one, but not sure whatever they do is going to get folks all that fired up in New York.

Orlando Magic

Approach at the deadline: Buyers

The Magic are best termed as cautious buyers…again. Forever and always, it seems. Orlando can use help. They desperately need more shooting. But whatever vortex players pass through when they land in the Magic Kingdom seems to sap even good shooters of that particular ability. Still, the Magic are looking to see what they can do. Just don’t expect to hear a lot in advance. Jeff Weltman and crew keep things pretty quiet.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

Orlando should be looking to buy. There’s no question about it. The team is mostly healthy again and they still need shooting. The target for the Magic needs to be a shooter who fits now and over the next few years. They’ve got the tradable salary and draft picks to make it happen. A deal now could be the difference between a first round win and going home after one series.

Philadelphia 76ers

Approach at the deadline: Either

This is a mess. It’s hard to predict what the Sixers will do, because they don’t even really seem to know what their season will hold. News came out last week that ownership would like to take a few weeks to evaluate the team, but that’s after the deadline. A top-six protected pick doesn’t actually seem to be a real factor. So, look for maybe a move or two to bolster the rotation until the stars can get on the court more often.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Sellers

This doesn’t mean Philadelphia needs to move any of the three stars. Those guys can stay, unless someone gets really, really silly with an offer for Paul George (not happening). But moving role players should be on the table. Even if the 76ers aren’t going to start tanking, they can still get some future assets to help build these team back up again this coming offseason.

Toronto Raptors

Approach at the deadline: Sellers

The Raptors are still rebuilding and figuring things out. Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk are available. Chris Boucher might be available. Most of the young players are off the table, as those are the guys Toronto is building around.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Sellers

Toronto is staying on the path they set ahead of last trade deadline. Their solid play as of late is fun, and bodes well for the future, but this team is playing for a high draft pick and a potential star to add to their young core. They should listen more on Jakob Poeltl than it seems like they will, but they don’t have to give him away either.

Washington Wizards

Approach at the deadline: Sellers. The worst team in the league is shopping their veterans. This is a full-scale teardown happening exactly as planned. Kyle Kuzma, Malcolm Brogdon, Jonas Valanciunas and Jordan Poole can all be had for a decent return package. If you throw in better assets, Washington will eat some bad long-term salary too.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Sellers. Everything the Wizards are doing is super ugly, and they are 100% correct in the path they’ve chosen. The kids are playing plenty and the team is zooming towards top lottery position. If they can get a nice return for any of the vets, they should do so. Keep an eye on Richaun Holmes too. His contract was designed to be traded, and something might happen there to help another team move some money around.

The 2025 NBA trade deadline is about two weeks away.  The early trade season has been pretty active this year. We haven’t had any true blockbusters yet, but we’re already at six trades. That’s a lot compared to previous years.

Two weeks or so out from deadline day is when things usually start to pick up. Teams that insisted on multiple first-round picks for their players come down to a single first-round pick, while their partners in trades come up from offering a couple of second-rounders to offering that single first-rounder. As desperation increases, so does reasonability in trade talks.

Here’s what each of the 30 NBA teams are working with to trade as we sit a month from the deadline.

Atlanta Hawks

Cap/Tax Picture: $1.3 million under the tax

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: $25.3 million (Dejounte Murray), $10.6 million (remaining Non-Taxpayer MLE)

Draft Pick Situation: Hawks owe two future firsts (2025 and 2027) to the Spurs, as well as a swap in 2026. Atlanta is owed an unprotected 2025 first-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers. The Hawks also have a top-12 protected pick 2025 pick from Sacramento, which could come this year or next. Atlanta has their first-round picks from 2028 through 2031.

Hawks have at least six tradable second-round picks.

Most Likely to be Traded: Cody Zeller. It would have been juicy to pick Clint Capela here, but Atlanta seems likely to operate fairly conservatively at this deadline. That means Zeller is the choice, who was acquired this past offseason to make salary-matching work in the Dejounte Murray trade. Trade or waiver, Zeller probably won’t be on the Hawks much past the deadline.

Boston Celtics

Cap/Tax Picture: $7.6 million over the second apron

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: None

Draft Pick Situation: Boston owes a 2029 first to Portland. They also have a top-1 protected swap with the Spurs in 2028.

The Celtics have at least six tradable second-round picks.

Most Likely to be Traded: Jaden Springer. Look for Boston to move Jaden Springer in a similar move to the one they made to acquire him last year. They’ll trade him for team-controlled salary that extends into 2025-26.

Brooklyn Nets

Cap/Tax Picture: $677,263 under the tax

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: $23.3 million (Mikal Bridges), $3.4 million (Royce O’Neale), $12.8 million (Non-Taxpayer MLE)

Draft Pick Situation: The Nets draft pick situation is a bit confusing. They have their own picks back in 2025 and 2026. That’s the key thing to know. Brooklyn is highly unlikely to trade any of the first-round picks they own, as they are rebuilding.

The Nets have at least 16 tradable second-round picks.

Most Likely to be Traded: Cam Johnson. We’re picking Johnson here, because that would be the biggest impact move. But every player on the Nets roster is available in the right deal. They haven’t landed on their next franchise guy yet.

Charlotte Hornets

Cap/Tax Picture: $7.2 million under the tax

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: $6.5 million (Grant Williams – Disabled Player Exception: Can only be used to acquire an expiring contract)

Draft Pick Situation: Hornets owe a protected 2025 first-rounder to the Spurs (last year being lottery-protected before coming two second-round picks), but own all the rest of their own first-round picks. Charlotte has extra picks, with protections, coming from Dallas and Miami too.

The Hornets have at least 13 tradable second-round picks.

Most Likely to be Traded: Seth Curry. Because Nick Richards was recently traded, there aren’t many veterans left that the Hornets should be looking to move. If a team wants to add to the second-round pick stash to add some shooting in the form of Curry, Charlotte will happily make that move.

Chicago Bulls

Cap/Tax Picture: $4.5 million under the tax

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: $17.5 million (DeMar DeRozan)

Draft Pick Situation: Bulls owe a protected first-round pick to San Antonio in the coming years. Chicago doesn’t have a fully clear first-rounder until 2028. From there, the Bulls have all of their own first-round picks through 2031. Chicago has a lottery-protected first owed to them from the Trail Blazers, with those same protections through 2028.

The Bulls have three tradable second-round pick, as others all have conditions attached.

Most Likely to be Traded: Who knows? The Bulls have been shopping Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic for a while now without making a deal. Patrick Williams is on the block. Teams have shown interest in Lonzo Ball. There are a number of players on veteran minimum deals that could be moved. Without being overly sarcastic: We’re all still waiting on Chicago to do something, and that wait has lasted a couple or already.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Cap/Tax Picture: $3.9M under the first apron

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: $12.8 million (Non-Taxpayer MLE)

Draft Pick Situation: Cleveland owes three future first-round picks to the Jazz, as well as two years of swap rights to Utah. The first tradable first-round pick the Cavs have is in 2031.

The Cavs have eight tradable second-round picks.

Most Likely to be Traded: No one. There isn’t a great choice here. Cleveland will probably make a move to dodge the tax (as an expensive team in the coming years, not starting the repeater clock is important for the Cavs), but it might come as part of a bigger move. Caris LeVert is on a $16.6 million expiring contract, but he’s the Cavs third ballhandler most nights. The Cavaliers will do something, but it’s hard to peg what that will be.

Dallas Mavericks

Cap/Tax Picture: $526,220 under the first apron

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: $16.2 million (Tim Hardaway Jr.), $4.0 million (Seth Curry)

Draft Pick Situation: Dallas owes a top-two protected 2027 first-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets. The Mavericks also owe a 2029 first-rounder to the Nets or Rockets, and first-round swaps in 2027 (Thunder) and 2030 (Spurs). That leaves the Mavs pick in 2025 as their only free and clear tradable first-round pick.

Dallas has one tradable second-round pick.

Most Likely to be Traded: Dante Exum. The Mavs don’t have any large expiring contracts They also aren’t a small salary-dump within range of getting out of the tax. Expect Dallas to be active, as Nico Harrison’s history shows he will be, but there’s no clear standout move here.

Denver Nuggets

Cap/Tax Picture: $5.2 million under the second apron

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: $5.3 million (Reggie Jackson)

Draft Pick Situation: Denver owes future first-round picks to Orlando and Oklahoma City. They won’t be able to realistically trade a first-round pick at this deadline.

The Nuggets don’t have any tradable second-round picks. All of their second-round picks have conditions attached, or were already traded outright.

Most Likely to be Traded: Zeke Nnaji. You could also put Dario Saric here, but a trade of Nnaji would get the Nuggets off $3.7 million more in salary, plus addition salary too. Whether that move is to create clearance under the apron to free up trade flexibility, or a straight salary dump to lessen the tax bill in the real question.

Detroit Pistons

Cap/Tax Picture: $14.0 million under the cap

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: $7.9 million (Room Exception – would only be used after using cap space)

Draft Pick Situation: Detroit owes a top-13 protected first-round pick to Minnesota. That pick may actually convey, given the team’s surprising postseason push. All of the Detroit’s other first-round picks are free and clear from 2028 to 2031.

The Pistons have at least 12 tradable second-round picks.

Most Likely to be Traded: Tim Hardaway Jr. The real answer here is the Pistons $14 million in cap space. They’re going to use most, if not all, of that before the deadline. If they go for a bigger move, Hardaway’s expiring $16.2 million salary seems likely to be added to that cap space to make it happen.

Golden State Warriors

Cap/Tax Picture: $330,409 under the first apron

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: None

Draft Pick Situation: Golden State owes Washington a top-20 protected first-round pick in 2030. The Warriors own all of their other first-round picks.

The Warriors have two tradable second-round picks.

Most Likely to be Traded: Dennis Schroder. The Warriors don’t seem inclined to make the kind of big move that would necessitate putting Jonathan Kuminga or Brandin Podziemski in a deal, along with Andrew Wiggins for salary-matching purposes. Gary Payton II and Kevon Looney have meant too much to just be dumped as expiring salary. So, that leaves Dennis Schroder, who hasn’t been exactly the fit that Golden State hoped for.

Houston Rockets

Cap/Tax Picture: $10.5 million under the tax

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: $12.8 million (Non-Taxpayer MLE)

Draft Pick Situation: Houston’s first-round pick situation is somewhat messy. They have a couple of picks/swaps that are controlled by Oklahoma City. On the incoming side, the Rockets own their own firsts (or favorable swap rights) from 2028 through 2031. And they have an extra couple of picks coming their way from the Suns or Mavericks.

The Rockets have at least five tradable second-round picks.

Most Likely to be Traded: Steven Adams, Jeff Green, Jock Landale or Jae’Sean Tate. All four veteran frontcourt players are on expiring (or non-guaranteed) contracts. That makes all of them trade chips if Houston looks for a small rotation upgrade up front. The Rockets continue to insist that a trade for a superstar isn’t in the cards at this deadline.

Indiana Pacers

Cap/Tax Picture: $126,514 under the tax

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: $12.8 million (Non-Taxpayer MLE)

Draft Pick Situation: The Pacers owe the Raptors a top-four protected pick in 2026 or 2027. Beyond that, they own all of their own first-round picks.

Indiana has at least eight tradable second-round picks.

Most Likely to be Traded: James Johnson or James Wiseman. Indiana seems pretty well set with their roster. They’d probably like some additional clearance under the luxury tax, but could just ride things out as is and barely dodge the tax line. If they want the clearance, look for Johnson or Wiseman to be the sacrifice.

LA Clippers

Cap/Tax Picture: $4.8 under the first apron

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: $3.3 million (remaining Non-Taxpayer MLE)

Draft Pick Situation: The Clippers still owe a 2026 first-round pick to the Thunder (or 76ers) and then a 2028 first-round pick outright to the 76ers. LA also owes swap rights to OKC in 2025 and 2027 and top-three protected 2029 swap right to the Philadelphia. The Clippers only outright tradable first-round pick comes in 2031.

LA has two tradable second-round picks.

Most Likely to be Traded: P.J. Tucker. The Clippers haven’t used Tucker as a rotation player since he came over in the James Harden trade. If they make a deal to further fortify their rotation, he’s likely to be involved. Otherwise, Tucker will be waived following the trade deadline to open a roster spot.

Los Angeles Lakers

Cap/Tax Picture: $3.5 million under the second apron

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: None

Draft Pick Situation: Los Angeles owes Atlanta their 2025 first-round pick. They also owe a top-four protected 2027 first-round pick to Utah. Beyond that, the Lakers own all of their own first-round picks.

The Lakers have two tradable second-round picks.

Most Likely to be Traded: Rui Hachimura. This one is about salary size. If the Lakers are making another significant move, it’s likely that Hachimura’s $17 million salary will be involved.

Memphis Grizzlies

Cap/Tax Picture: $1.8 million under the tax

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: $12.6 million (Steven Adams), $6.1 million (Ziaire Williams), $8.6 million (remaining Non-Taxpayer MLE)

Draft Pick Situation: The Grizzlies have all of their own first-round picks, including favorable swap rights on two picks in 2026 and 2030.

Memphis has five tradable second-round picks.

Most Likely to be Traded: Luke Kennard or John Konchar. Same as it was last year. Either Kennard or Konchar (or both!) will likely be involved if the Grizzlies make a move to consolidate their rotation some.

Miami Heat

Cap/Tax Picture: $3.0 million under the second apron

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: $6.5 million (Kyle Lowry)

Draft Pick Situation: The Heat’s first-round draft pick situation is fascinating. Miami owes a lottery-protected pick to Oklahoma City in 2025. That pick becomes unprotected in 2026 if it doesn’t convey this year. That would wipe out the lottery-protected pick that Miami owes Charlotte in 2027. That would then make that pick unprotected in 2028. The Heat own their 2029 through 2031 first-round picks with no conditions attached.

Miami has three tradable second-round picks.

Most Likely to be Traded: Jimmy Butler. Who else were we going to pick? 

Milwaukee Bucks

Cap/Tax Picture: $6.5 million over the second apron

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: None

Draft Pick Situation: The Bucks don’t own any of their own first-round picks outright until 2031. Every other pick is either owed to another team or tied up in least-favorable swap rights.

Milwaukee has one tradable second-round pick.

Most Likely to be Traded: Pat Connaughton. If the Bucks want to get under the second apron, it’s very likely Connaughton will be in the deal. That will come either with Connaughton by himself to free Milwaukee of the burdensome second-apron restriction, or as part of a bigger deal where the Bucks finish under the second apron.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Cap/Tax Picture: $16.1 million over the second apron

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: None

Draft Pick Situation: Minnesota owes Utah three future first-round picks (and one swap), only one of which is lightly protected. The Wolves also owe a top-1 protected swap to the Spurs in 2030 and their pick outright to San Antonio in 2031. That all means they can’t trade a first-round pick directly.

The Timberwolves have at least four tradable second-round picks.

Most Likely to be Traded: No one. The Wolves don’t have a lot of tradable salary that isn’t attached to rotation players. There’s also not a deal worth doing that will really lessen their tax burden enough.

New Orleans Pelicans

Cap/Tax Picture: $2.1 million over the tax

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: $9.9 million (Jonas Valanciunas), $12.8 million (Non-Taxpayer MLE)

Draft Pick Situation: The Pelicans own all of their own first-round picks. They also have favorable swap rights in both 2026 and 2027.

New Orleans has two tradable second-round picks.

Most Likely to be Traded: Javonte Green or Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. Both players are on veteran minimum deals, which makes them easy to trade to just about anywhere. If the Pelicans feel Dejounte Murray will miss out on currently likely bonuses, then they are one small move from dodging the luxury tax. Given they’ve never paid it, a trade to avoid the tax is as good of a bet to happen as any in the NBA.

New York Knicks

Cap/Tax Picture: $535,302 million under the second apron

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: None

Draft Pick Situation: Unlike a year ago, the Knicks have traded most of their first-round draft capital now. They have one extra first-round pick potentially coming from the Wizards in 2026 (it won’t convey this year). Besides that, New York can offer 2026 and 2030 first-round swap rights in deals.

The Knicks have eight tradable second-round picks.

Most Likely to be Traded: Mitchell Robinson or Jericho Sims. If the Knicks make a move for a rotation upgrade, it will definitely include Robinson getting moved. If it's a minor move for depth, Sims may be the guy on the move.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Cap/Tax Picture: $10.4 million under the tax

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: $7.9 million (Room Exception)

Draft Pick Situation: Oklahoma City has between 10 and 14 first-round picks, pending protected picks. They have all of their own, including favorable swap rights in several years.

The Thunder have at least 16 tradable second-round picks.

Most Likely to be Traded: No one. The Thunder don’t seem overly like to make a trade. Could they firm up a rotation spot here or there? Sure. But they don’t need to. And they like all the players they have. Oklahoma City will let this playoff run tell them what they really need. If a big move is coming, it’ll come this offseason.

Orlando Magic

Cap/Tax Picture: $20.5 million under the tax

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: $7.9 million (Room Exception)

Draft Pick Situation: The Magic have an extra first-round pick coming from the Nuggets in 2025 (unless Denver implodes), in addition to all of their own first-round picks.

Orlando has 12 tradable second-round picks.

Most Likely to be Traded: Cole Anthony, Gary Harris or Moe Wagner. If the Magic make a deal, and there’s no guarantee they will, at least one of these guys will be involved. Anthony has the biggest salary, while Harris and Wagner have team options for 2025-26, which makes them essentially expiring contracts. Orlando could make a major impact move, but that hasn’t been the M.O. of this front office with in-season moves.

Philadelphia 76ers

Cap/Tax Picture: $6.1 million under the second apron

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: None

Draft Pick Situation: The Sixers owe a protected first-round pick to the Thunder in 2025, 2026 or 2027. Once that is settled, the 76ers owe a protected first-round pick to the Nets in 2027 or 2028. Philadelphia has their own picks in 2029 (or favorable swap rights with the Clippers) through 2031, as well as an additional pick from the Clippers in 2028.

The Sixers have at least five tradable second-round picks.

Most Likely to be Traded: Not Joel Embiid, Paul George, Tyrese Maxey or Jared McCain. Everyone else could be moved by Philadelphia. Things have no gone the way the Sixers hoped for. That means all of their veterans could be on the move, as the team sets things up for the future. Keep an eye on K.J. Martin, whose contract was specifically set up to be traded.

Phoenix Suns

Cap/Tax Picture: $28.2 million over the second apron

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: $3.3 million (Josh Okogie)

Draft Pick Situation: Phoenix’s draft pick situation is unique and a mess. The recent trade with the Utah Jazz gave the Suns some tradable picks. Without getting too deep into the details, Phoenix has three tradable first-round picks between 2025 and 2030, but all have least-favorable conditions attached.

The Suns have one tradable second-round pick.

Most Likely to be Traded: Jusuf Nurkic. Sure, Bradley Beal will be moved if a Jimmy Butler deal happens, but Beal’s no-trade clause complicates things. Nurkic has no such restriction, and he’s probably getting moved before the deadline if Phoenix can find a taker.

Portland Trail Blazers

Cap/Tax Picture: $3.7 million under the tax

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: $6.9 million (Malcolm Brogdon), $12.8 million (Non-Taxpayer MLE)

Draft Pick Situation: Portland owes a lottery-protected pick to Chicago. Those protections carry out through 2028. The Blazers own their own first-round picks in 2029 through 2031, including favorable swap rights in 2029 and 2030, plus an extra first-round pick in 2029 from Boston or Milwaukee.

Portland has at least seven tradable second-round picks.

Most Likely to be Traded: Robert Williams III. This one is about the Trail Blazers trading movable vets. Williams has been more or less healthy lately and he’s on an easily tradable contract. Keep an eye on Matisse Thybulle for the same contract reason, if teams think he can get healthy. Trades for Jerami Grant and Deandre Ayton may have to wait until the offseason, because they are carrying such large salary numbers.

Sacramento Kings

Cap/Tax Picture: $3.2 million under the tax

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: $6.3 million (Sasha Vezenkov), $5.9 million (Chris Duarte), $4.7 million (Jalen McDaniels), $12.8 million (Non-Taxpayer MLE)

Draft Pick Situation: The Kings owe a protected first-round pick to the Hawks in 2025 (top-12 protected) or 2026 (top-10 protected), but own the remainder of their own first-rounders. The Spurs can swap for the Kings pick in 2031.

Sacramento has one tradable second-round pick.

Most Likely to be Traded: Kevin Huerter or Trey Lyles. If the Kings make an impact move, they’ll move either Huerter or Lyles, or package them together. That combo seems to be what Sacramento is offering around the league in search of rotation upgrades up front or on the wing.

San Antonio Spurs

Cap/Tax Picture: $21.1 million under the tax

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: None

Draft Pick Situation: The Spurs own all of their own first-round picks. They also have most-favorable swap rights in several years too. In addition, San Antonio has extra first-round picks coming from Atlanta (2025 and 2027), Chicago (in 2025, 2026 or 2027) and Minnesota (2031).

The Spurs have at least 19 tradable second-round picks.

Most Likely to be Traded: No one. San Antonio doesn’t have any tax issues. They also don’t seem likely to make a major in-season move. They’ll save their big stuff for the summer.

Toronto Raptors

Cap/Tax Picture: $10.0 million under the tax

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: $12.8 million (Non-Taxpayer MLE)

Draft Pick Situation: Toronto owns all of their own first-rounders, plus a top-4 protected pick coming from Indiana in either 2026 or 2027.

The Raptors have at least seven tradable second-round picks.

Most Likely to be Traded: Bruce Brown or Chris Boucher. Brown and Boucher are both on expiring contracts. Brown seems unlikely to be back in Toronto, so he’ll probably be moved by the deadline. Boucher could help a lot of teams looking for frontcourt depth, but there’s been talks of an extension for him with the Raptors too.

Utah Jazz

Cap/Tax Picture: $27.2 million under the tax

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: $7.9 million (Room Exception)

Draft Pick Situation: Utah still has a bushel of picks coming their way, even after their 3-picks-for-1-pick trade with the Suns. The Jazz owe a protected first-round pick to the Thunder, but it’s unclear if that pick will ever convey. They own all of their own first-round picks beyond that, plus an additional five first-rounders coming from the Cavaliers, Timberwolves, Lakers and Suns.

Utah has at least three tradable second-round picks. 

Most Likely to be Traded: John Collins or Jordan Clarkson. The Jazz have been open to moving both of these veterans for months now. Clarkson makes less, but Collins is the better player. A trade for either isn’t guaranteed before the deadline, but it wouldn’t be a surprise either.

Washington Wizards

Cap/Tax Picture: $11.9 million under the tax

Notable Traded Player Exceptions: $12.4 million (Daniel Gafford), $6.4 million (remaining Non-Taxpayer MLE)

Draft Pick Situation: The Wizards owe a protected first-round pick to the Knicks, but own all of their other first-rounders. They also have the ability to swap several years of picks with the Suns, plus they own a top-20 protected Warriors pick in 2030. In addition, the Wizards added a second most-favorable pick from the Celtics, Bucks or Trail Blazers in 2029 over the summer.

Washington as has least 16 tradable second-round picks.

Most Likely to be Traded: Any veteran Wizard. No, not Gandalf or Dumbledore. But Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Poole. Malcolm Brogdon or Jonas Valanciunas can all be had for the right offers. Washington, by their own admission, is still in the deconstruction phase with this roster. Also, keep an eye on Richaun Holmes in a move to swap some salary around. Holmes’ extension was specifically designed to make his contract tradable.

The Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz linked up on a swap of draft picks. For Utah, this was a quality over quantity trade. For Phoenix, this has the Suns set up to do something (or multiple somethings) bigger.

Here are the particulars:

Phoenix Suns acquire: least favorable 2025 Cavaliers, Timberwolves, Jazz first-round pick; least favorable 2027 Cavaliers, Timberwolves, Jazz first-round pick; least favorable 2029 Cavaliers, Timberwolves, Jazz first-round pick

Utah Jazz acquire: 2031 Suns first-round pick

Let’s dive in!

Phoenix Suns

Incoming salary: None

Outgoing salary: None

The Suns have been incredibly creative in using their limited draft assets in the last couple of years. First, they used swap rights with several first-round picks to add some additional second-round picks. Now, the Suns turned their one remaining tradable first-round pick into three tradable first-round picks. That’s pretty good work, even if none of the resulting picks Phoenix holds has tremendous value.

Or do they? Probably not as any single individual asset. As a collective, the value is huge to Phoenix.

Before making this deal, the Suns were limited to trading only their 2031 first-round pick in deals. Because of The Stepien Rule, and following trading several picks for Kevin Durant, Phoenix was prohibited from including any additional firsts in trades.

Now, the Suns have unlocked the ability to trade three picks in a six-year window between the 2025 NBA Draft and the 2030 NBA Draft. There are still some challenges with that, however.

In 2026, 2028 and 2030, the Suns have already swapped their first-round picks in previous deals. The conditions are incredibly complicated, but here’s what you need to know: Depending on the year, Phoenix is set to have the worst pick out of a group that includes themselves, the Memphis Grizzlies, Orlando Magic, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and Washington Wizards.

Making it easier: In the even years, Phoenix will have a first-round pick that should land in the 20s.

With these new picks they’ve acquired, the Suns have added a whole new set of least-favorable conditions to their ledger. In the odd years from 2025 through 2029, Phoenix will get the worst pick of the Cavaliers, Timberwolves and Jazz. There are some protections on a couple of those picks too, but they aren’t likely to matter in the Suns case.

So, to make it really, really simple: The Suns traded their 2031 first-round pick for the Cavaliers 2025 first-round pick (good luck to Minnesota in trying to catch Cleveland this season!), while picking up a couple of additional first-rounders that should land in the 20s in 2027 and 2029.

Got all that? Good! Now, let’s go through what really matters.

The picks the Suns acquired are only kind of, sort of about where they might land. The key thing Phoenix acquired here is the ability to trade first-round picks at all between 2025 and 2030. That’s what this deal was really about.

Once again: James Jones was limited to offering his 2031 first-round pick in deals prior to this trade. Given the contracts the Suns are reportedly looking to move, that wasn’t going to cut it. So, Jones went out and got the ability to offer additional first-round picks to entice teams to take on some salary. That’s huge for opening up avenues for Phoenix over the next two weeks until the trade deadline.

Now, if the Suns jump into a Jimmy Butler trade and need to move Bradley Beal, Jones can offer a couple of first-round picks to help grease the wheels for a team to take on the $160 million Beal counts for on the books through 2026-27. Crucially, Phoenix might also be able to keep an additional first-round pick in reserve to convince a team to eat the $19 million owed to Jusuf Nurkic for next season.

And, of course, Jones could flip those picks in smaller deals to add depth, even if we all know the Suns are thinking bigger.

So, instead of having one pick to offer in 2031, Phoenix can now present a menu of choices to potential trade partners. You want to jump in the quagmire of “least favorable” involving a bunch of teams in the Grizzlies, Magic, Sixers, Knicks, Nets, Wizards group? Take your pick! You want to keep it simple and snag the worst pick of Cavs, Wolves and Jazz in a couple of different seasons? Absolutely!

As long as the Suns still have a first-round pick every other year, encumbered by complicated swap rights as it may be, they’re clear of violating The Stepien Rule. That’s any pick. A Phoenix pick or the worst one of any number of teams, Jones is good.

That’s the flexibility the Suns created here. And it’s probably just enough to get things moving with trading for Jimmy Butler and possibly another move alongside that one.

Now, convincing Bradley Beal to approve a trade…Well, that’s another story for another day.

Utah Jazz

Incoming salary: None

Outgoing salary: None

Before this deal, the Jazz were sitting on a bundle of first-round picks that could have totaled 14 over the next seven drafts. That sounds great, until you factor in that Utah already has 10 players on long-term contracts. That includes three rookies drafted last season, and an additional three players that were drafted in 2023.

Essentially: Utah is as stocked with young talent as a team can reasonably be. They didn’t need that many additional bites at the apple.

Instead, the Jazz retained the best and first bites at the apple over a few years, while adding a potentially really juicy whole apple several years from now.

Keeping it really simple: This trade was about trading quantity for potential quality for Utah. The Jazz happened to have extra picks in the years where the Suns really needed some picks. And Danny Ainge took those extra picks, added “least favorable” conditions to them to protect his haul, and picked up a first-round pick that could have great value.

While Ainge has earned his criticism for always “being close” to trading for various superstars over the years, no one can knock his ability to maximize draft capital. Ainge did it twice when rebuilding the Boston Celtics, and has brought that same approach to the Jazz.

We have no idea what the Suns will be in 2031. They could be deep into a rebuild. They could have flipped high-salary players and already rebuilt. They could keep things rolling and maintain being a playoff team all the way through.

But there’s a chance that 2031 pick could be awesome. Utah gave up a couple of extra picks that are likely to be in the 20s. That’s worth it for the shot at whatever current seventh-grader might be the next Victor Wembanyama or Cooper Flagg. Danny Ainge has won before playing the long-game. He’s setting up to do it again.

NBA trade wheels are back in motion! The Phoenix Suns added some frontcourt depth and the Charlotte Hornets picked up some additional draft capital in a three-weeks-to-the-deadline swap.

Here are the particulars:

Phoenix Suns acquire: Nick Richards, less favorable Nuggets or 76ers 2025 second-round pick

Charlotte Hornets acquire: Josh Okogie, 2026 Nuggets second-round pick, 2031 Nuggets second-round pick, 2031 Suns second-round pick

Let’s dive in!

Phoenix Suns

Incoming salary: $5.0 million in 2024-25

• Nick Richards (C, two years, $10.0 million (2025-26 non-guaranteed))

Outgoing salary: $8.25 million in 2024-25

• Josh Okogie (SG, two years, $16 million (2025-26 non-guaranteed))

With Jusuf Nurkic underperforming, and recently removed from the rotation, the Suns were looking for additional center depth. They got it in Nick Richards, who is quietly having a very productive season for the Hornets.

Richards has established himself as one of the better backup centers, especially for how good of a value contract he has (more on that in a bit). This season, the fifth-year big man is averaging 8.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 21 minutes per game off the Hornets bench. Richards has also shown improvement as a passer. He’s not much of a shooter, but he’s drawing a career-best 4.1 free throws per game, despite his limited minutes.

Think athleticism, energy and physicality on both ends and you have a solid profile of what Richards does. The Suns have some of those things in Mason Plumlee and rookie Oso Ighodaro, but this rounds out the Phoenix frontcourt nicely.

The Suns are now protected against injury, without having to turn back to Nurkic, assuming he even sticks around (more coming on that too). Also, if Ighodaro hits the rookie wall, Phoenix won’t be forced to make him play through it.

In addition, Richards’ contract is very team-friendly. He’s owed $5 million this season. By trading out of the $8.25 million owed the Josh Okogie, the Suns reduced their luxury tax bill by $20 million. That’s how punitive the penalties are with how deep into the tax Phoenix is. That savings can’t be discounted.

Beyond this season, Richards is signed for another $5 million for next season, which is also non-guaranteed. If, for some unlikely reason, Richards isn’t working out, Phoenix can move on without increasing their tax bill.

Trading out three seconds is offset a bit by getting one back. The 2025 second-round pick is going to be the Nuggets pick, given how far ahead of the 76ers they are in the standings. But that’s really about having an additional tradable item for the Suns, more than having a great value pick. We have no idea what the Suns or Nuggets will be in 2031, so we’ll leave those two in TBD stage for now.

Phoenix started the day nearly $31.5 million over the second apron. That left them with very restricted trade options. They did well here to use Josh Okogie’s inflated contract (Remember: Okogie was given the bigger deal to basically become a human trade exception) along with some limited draft capital, to get a rotation upgrade.

Also important: The Suns didn’t end up giving up Jusuf Nurkic in this deal. That’s huge, because now Phoenix can use his $18.1 million contract in another deal. That seems very likely, as Nurkic is clearly out of the plans in Phoenix.

Charlotte Hornets

Incoming salary: $8.25 million in 2024-25

• Josh Okogie (SG, two years, $16 million (2025-26 non-guaranteed))

Outgoing salary: $5.0 million in 2024-25

• Nick Richards (C, two years, $10.0 million (2025-26 non-guaranteed))

This trade was about getting additional draft capital in for the Hornets. Richards is a nice player, but with Mark Williams healthy, he was never going to be more than a very good backup for Charlotte. In addition, the Hornets are very high on two-way player Moussa Diabate, who has given the team good minutes when they were down other centers due to injury.

Josh Okogie could stick in Charlotte for a bit. The Hornets aren’t exactly flush with big guard/wing depth. Brandon Miller and Josh Green are solid starters, but there’s not a lot behind them. Tre Mann has been out with an injury. Nick Smith Jr. continues to yo-yo in and out of the rotation, and Cody Martin is more of a forward than a guard.

There’s a chance Okogie gets a real look. He was pretty good for Phoenix two seasons ago as a regular rotation guy. It’s a small sample size in his limited minutes this season, but Okogie is also shooting better than ever.

Think of this as a tryout of sorts, until/if the Hornets need a roster spot. If they do (possibly to convert Diabate to standard deal), Charlotte can move on with relative ease.

Part of the reason the Hornets can move on with relative ease is that Okogie’s contract is non-guaranteed for the 2025-26 season. That’s the same flexibility the team had with Richards, but Richards was never a candidate to get waived. Okogie is, given he hasn’t been a part of the long-term build for Charlotte.

The cost of this was $3.25 million on the cap sheet for the Hornets. Given the team is still over $7 million shy of the luxury tax, Charlotte has more than enough clearance for further roster shuffling.

The second-round picks are basically additional at-bats for Charlotte. They trade out what will be a late second this season, for what could possibly be a better Denver pick next season, if the Nuggets slip. And we have no idea what the Suns or Nuggets will be in six years. Both teams could be deep into rebuilds by that point.

If nothing else, Jeff Peterson added to his draft pick stash and gave himself potential assets to offer in future deals. All by trading from a position of strength and for renting a little bit of his space under the luxury tax. That’s solid work in a non-blockbuster move.