Dec. 15 has come and gone, which means NBA trade season has officially commenced.
Players who changed teams over the offseason are now able to be traded, which opens up a world of functionality and flexibility across the trade market. It’s now a race to Feb. 6, a nearly two-month window for teams to figure out where exactly their aspirations begin and end for the 2024-25 season.
It feels like the actual trade season has started earlier than ever too. Already, we’ve seen two teams try to solve a problem, with the Golden State Warriors acquiring Dennis Schröder to help their backup point guard problem and the Indiana Pacers trading for Thomas Bryant to get some backup center depth.
Expect to see more trades in the coming days, although it is worth noting that NBA teams have been clear in conversations with The Athletic that the new collective bargaining restrictions on trades — particularly for teams already spending a substantial amount of money on their roster — have made things more difficult.
Even with the difficulty of accomplishing deals under this CBA, expect several players to be moved around. The Los Angeles Lakers need perimeter defenders, as do the Milwaukee Bucks. The Philadelphia 76ers might need some depth if they end up buying at the deadline. The Cleveland Cavaliers could use another body in the frontcourt. Several teams, such as the Brooklyn Nets, will also likely be looking to position themselves for a race to the bottom, with players like Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper awaiting in the 2025 NBA Draft.
One thing to watch: The Pistons waived Paul Reed over the weekend to maximize their cap space ahead of the deadline, according to league sources. Under new head of basketball operations Trajan Langdon, Detroit could be an incredibly valuable facilitator in three-team deals. Look for every team trying to swing a complicated maneuver to get in contact with the Pistons to see if they can help out.
Let’s take a look at some of the players available on the market. (Statistics are as of Monday afternoon.)
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This is the big fish on the market this spring, with ESPN reporting that the Heat are opening to listen to offers on Butler and noting that there are four destinations that he would be interested in: Phoenix, Dallas, Houston and Golden State. Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, has aggressively disputed this in a series of posts on X. And yet, it makes all the sense in the world that Butler would be on the market. He has a player option this summer for a season that would pay him $52 million in 2025-26. Miami is stuck in the middle of the Eastern Conference. And while that hasn’t stopped the Heat from making a run to the NBA Finals before, this era of the East seems a bit different with the looming specter of the Boston Celtics (who swept a Butler-less Heat in the playoffs) hanging over the proceedings.
In that vein, of course, the Heat should at least listen to offers. They’d be wrong not to. Butler is averaging 18.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists. He’s as efficient as ever, shooting 55 percent from the field and 36 percent from 3. He still lives at the foul line. But things don’t seem to come quite as easily. He definitely picks his spots more often than when he was in his early 30s and was a mainstay on All-NBA teams. Still, this is the best player who could move teams at the deadline. Butler is outstanding still on defense and is a real playmaker with elite competitiveness and feel for the game. He probably is best suited to being a No. 2 option on a real contender, but he’d be among the better ones in the league.
Among the four teams referenced above, the Warriors seem most likely to me. Phoenix would have to move Bradley Beal to Miami to do the trade, and Beal has a no-trade clause. Dallas would need to do something along the lines of a four-for-one deal, and those trades are remarkably complicated to complete in-season (imagine removing more than a quarter of your team midseason then figuring things out on the fly without much time to practice). The Rockets have the expiring salaries they can use to get Butler, but they have shown a preference so far not to do anything drastic with their young core given their success.
Pairing Butler with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green makes a lot of sense to me for the Warriors. He’d fit within the scheme, and the team could desperately use more playmaking around Curry both when he’s on the court to shift him off the ball and when he’s off the court. The Grizzlies are another team that makes an immense amount of sense to me and could enter the contender zone if they were to acquire Butler. They need a wing, Butler’s toughness fits their style, and they have the contract assets and draft picks to get into the discussion easily.
Trade value
Multiple first-round picks
Best fits
Warriors, Rockets, Grizzlies, Suns
Expiration
2026 (player option)
For my money, LaVine is the best player on this list other than Butler — even if that doesn’t necessarily make him the best trade asset because of his salary. After a lost season in 2023-24 that was shortened by injury, the 6-foot-5 guard is back to being a terrific, efficient scorer and playmaker. LaVine is averaging nearly 22 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the field, 43 percent from 3 and 80 percent from the line. He can play both on and off the ball but is best as an off-ball scorer because his decision-making isn’t always the best. He’s successful off the ball because he’s an elite catch-and-shoot player. However, on the ball, LaVine is also a legitimate three-level scorer, and that really matters in the playoffs, when defenses tighten up and things get tougher. Defensively, LaVine has been pretty good this year on the ball despite Chicago’s overall defense being atrocious. You do have to protect him and be aware of him off the ball, as he can get lost. But he hasn’t been a severely negative defender for a couple of years now.
The issue for LaVine is financial. The two-time all-star makes $43 million this year and has two additional years for a total of $95 million. While I like LaVine’s game more than most, that’s an excessive amount of money compared to the value he brings to the table. Additionally, in-season salary-matching can be quite difficult for players who make this much money, especially when the Bulls would likely want at least some version of expiring salary. If LaVine is moved, Bulls fans shouldn’t expect a king’s ransom despite him proving again this season that he still has an awful lot of game.
Trade value
Matching salary that includes interesting assets
Best fits
Magic, Rockets, Nuggets, Heat
Expiration
2027 (player option)
Johnson is about as perfect a trade deadline candidate as you can find, because he fits like a glove everywhere and shouldn’t be all that difficult to integrate midseason. He’s in the middle of a career year, averaging 18.5 points, four rebounds and three assists. One of the league’s elite shooters, Johnson is a 6-foot-8 wing who has made 39.6 percent of his 3s on nearly six attempts per game over a six-year career. He’s deadly from the corners and can also make shots off all sorts of movement actions because he’s one of the rare shooters who can make 3s from nearly any footwork. All you need to do to bring him into the mix midseason is plop him in the corner, allow him to relocate or run him off a few simple actions and he’ll provide space for your best scorers and ballhandlers. Defensively, Johnson isn’t a difference-maker, but he generally puts himself in the right spots, and he’s big enough not to be hunted in mismatches regularly.
The only question here is regarding whether the Nets decide to actually move him. Because he’s such a good shooter, he’s a perfect developmental player to have around as the team enters a rebuilding era. His contract is also entirely reasonable. Johnson makes $22.5 million this season and has two years remaining for a total of $43 million. Given the way salaries will continue to rise over the next two years, he’s probably a bit of a steal for a starting-quality player at that price point. The Nets can keep him and maintain all of their salary flexibility in future years. Because the market for him will be wide with his ability to fit anywhere (and because the team doesn’t have to move him), expect the price point to be quite high if the Nets do trade him. Expect at least a first-rounder and a good prospect, if not just two first-rounders outright. Otherwise, they can just keep him.
Trade value
A first-round pick and interesting prospects
Best fits
Thunder, Mavericks, Lakers, Grizzlies, Cavaliers
The Pelicans need to decide whether they want to build around Ingram moving forward by extending him. That’s the first decision. He’s eligible to be extended right now, and recently changed representation from Excel Sports and Jeff Schwartz to Klutch Sports and Rich Paul. If the Pelicans — loaded with wings in Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones and Zion Williamson along with a bigger guard in Dejounte Murray who likes to operate in similar areas to Ingram — don’t want to extend him as they sputter along to start the season because of injuries, it makes sense for everyone to trade him before the deadline. It behooves the Pelicans to trade him to get value for him before he hits unrestricted free agency in the summer. And it helps Ingram a lot to get moved to a location that would be willing to use their Bird rights to re-sign him in the summer. The current free-agency marketplace does not look particularly kind to players like Ingram, because there aren’t exactly a lot of teams that have upwards of $30 million in space. Maybe the Nets or Wizards would be willing to spend on a 27-year-old shot-creator, but they’re both firmly in the middle of rebuilding.
All of this really does come down to how you feel about Ingram as a player. He’s a successful on-ball player who is excellent at creating his own shot with his shifty handle and the high release point on his jumper. He’s been markedly consistent, averaging between 20 and 23 points, between 4.9 and 6.1 rebounds and between 4.2 and 5.8 assists per game in all six of his seasons in New Orleans. His 46.5 field goal percentage, 36.4 3-point percentage and 83.1 free-throw percentage are all within one percentage point of his career marks in New Orleans, too. But while those shooting averages look solid on their face, the shot distribution has always been the problem. He lives in the midrange and hasn’t been above the league-average true shooting percentage in any of the last four years. He’s probably good enough to be your third offensive option on a top-four team in a conference but might not be good enough to be a No. 2 despite potentially wanting to be paid like one. On top of that, he has a sprained ankle that is keeping him out of competition. What would someone like this even get on the trade market given his expiring status? The Ingram situation is probably more complicated than any other across the league.
Trade value
First-round pick and matching salary
Best fits
Trail Blazers, Wizards, Nets, Hornets, Clippers
The Hawks are thought by other teams to be very open to discussing their highly paid veterans as they start to skew younger around a core of Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson and Zaccharie Risacher. Hunter has been very good this year, but he does fit into that older age bracket, and he was absolutely available last season. Could the Hawks view this incredible start for Hunter as a way to cash in and get off Hunter’s large extension? So far, Hunter is averaging 19.6 points while shooting 48 percent from the field and 45 percent from 3. The 3-point number is going to come down at some point, but the jumper looks a bit smoother and quicker this year. He’s also been a bit more aggressive hunting mismatches and attacking downhill. Teams used to be able to hide smaller guys on him because he would typically hang out behind the 3-point line or get to a one-dribble pull-up from the midrange area. But this year, he’s been better about trying to punish teams for doing that. Hunter also continues to be a long, difficult matchup on-ball defensively for tough wings even though he’s not quite as active as an overall help defender and tends not to rebound all that much for his size or position.
Hunter makes $21.7 million this year and is owed $48 million over the next two years. With the way he’s played this year, he’s absolutely worth that deal and should be considered a player they build around — especially given the model of long wings who can shoot that they’ve found success with this season. What the Hawks (and other teams) have to decide on is if this kind of play will continue. Has something tangibly changed with Hunter’s approach that can make you believe he’s figured it out after being a top-five pick in 2019? Or is this a flash in the pan? That answer might not be the same for each organization. This deadline is the inflection point for the Hawks with Hunter. They have to decide if they’re going to sell high on Hunter or double down on his development.
Trade value
First-round pick or equivalent value
Best fits
Cavaliers, Pistons, Grizzlies, Timberwolves
Bogdanović is a little older than you think, having turned 32 over the summer. He’s dealt with some injuries to start the year, and the stats are down because of that. He’s averaging just 11 points on 40 percent shooting from the field. Largely, that’s just because he’s hitting only 33 percent of his seven 3-point attempts per game. Given that he’s a 38.4 percent career 3-point shooter, it’s exceptionally difficult to imagine he won’t get back to that level at some point as he gets his rhythm back. But he doesn’t totally fit the Hawks’ new age timeline, and a number of teams would love to get a player like Bogdanović, who has a proven big-game track record on the international stage. He also averaged about 16 points per game coming into this season in his four years with the Hawks.
Bogdanović’s contract is also one that works well. He’ll make $17.2 million this season, then has $16 million on the books for next year and a team option for 2026-27 at $16 million. As long as he gets back to the level he was at before this season — he just averaged 18 points per game on excellent shooting splits for Serbia at the Olympics over the summer while helping them to a bronze medal, so there’s no reason to believe he’s fallen off — Bogdanović is a good player on a good contract. Any team looking for real offensive punch either in the starting lineup or off of the bench should have real interest.
Trade value
First-round pick
Best fits
Magic, 76ers, Raptors, Warriors, Nuggets
Expiration
2027 (team option)
Brown’s season has just started, but that doesn’t matter. The 2018 second-round pick is a proven winner, having played a critical role on the NBA champion Denver Nuggets in 2023 as the team’s sixth man. He played the third-most minutes on the team in the regular season and was one of the team’s six critical players during its playoff run, providing quick ball movement, sharp processing and decision-making and very high-level defense across multiple positions. He’s an interesting player type in that he can play power forward on offense but then also shift up on defense and defend at the point of attack or take on bigger wings with how physical he is. He continued to showcase that skill set last year after signing a contract with Indiana and being traded midseason in the Pascal Siakam trade to Toronto. The only real flaw with Brown’s game as a role player is that he’s an inconsistent shooter who doesn’t get guarded regularly on the perimeter in catch-and-shoot situations. Other than that, he’s effective across the board.
The issue for Brown moving at the deadline, though, is that contract he signed with the Pacers. It was essentially a two-year, $45 million balloon payment deal to get him to sign. The Raptors picked up the team option this past offseason, and his salary is $23 million. That’s a big number for salary-matching purposes midseason. The team that should strongly consider it is the Lakers, given that they desperately need help on the perimeter defensively and considered Brown last offseason before the Pacers came over the top and blew their offer out of the water. They have several mid-tier contracts they can use to get to Brown’s level and should be willing to give up a well-protected first-round pick to acquire him given his potential fit.
Trade value
First-round pick
Best fits
Lakers, Jazz, Pacers, Kings
Sexton is having another strong offensive season, averaging 16.9 points on a true shooting percentage that is 6 percent above league average. That’s right in line with his numbers since he’s been in Utah, as over his two and a half seasons there, Sexton has averaged 17 points on a true shooting percentage five points above league average. Sexton has never been a high-volume 3-point shooter, preferring to drive and attack the basket. However, he continues to make over 40 percent of his 3s. He doesn’t have amazing vision as a passer, but he’s cut out a large number of the poor shots he used to take in Cleveland by just being willing to involve his teammates a bit more. He’s more of an undersized scoring guard as opposed to a point guard, but he can handle the ball and get you into your sets. The issues come on defense, where Sexton is a feisty defender against opposing small guards but has very little ability to slide up the lineup onto bigger opponents. He’s also not an active help defender in any way, shape or form. Even though he is aggressive on that end, he typically grades out in most metrics as a negative defensive player.
If you’re looking for offense from the backcourt, though, Sexton is probably the best bet below the $20 million salary point. He makes $18.4 million this season and has another year remaining at $19.2 million. I wouldn’t call his deal a bargain, but if you think you can get him into your scheme defensively and help minimize his weaknesses (something Utah cannot do starting him next to another small guard in Keyonte George), it’s probably about right for the value he could bring. Sexton seems to be more in line with the price point that Terry Rozier got last season than someone like Dennis Schröder. It wouldn’t stun me to see the Jazz get the equivalent of a late first-round pick back for him if they moved him. There aren’t a significant number of playmaking guards out on the market, and Sexton doesn’t turn 26 until January, meaning you can feel like you’ll have him for a season and a half of his prime.
Trade value
First-round pick
Best fits
Clippers, Magic, Pistons, Rockets
On a per-minute basis, there won’t be another big available at the deadline as impactful as Williams. He’s averaging 9.4 points and 5.6 rebounds with a steal and 1.6 blocks per game in just 18.5 minutes per contest. He’s an utterly terrific defender across the board, having made an All-Defense team back in 2022 for the Celtics before injuries wiped out his next two seasons. He is elite in help defense, versatile in ball-screen coverages and communicates. He’s also a perfect low-usage offensive big man. He finishes over 70 percent of his shots at the rim, but he also throws terrific short-roll passes and screens well at the top of actions for guards.
Alas, the injuries are a significant worry. He’s played just 41 games in the last two years and has never played more than 61 in a single season. He’s already missed 18 of Portland’s first 26 games this year, too, as his knees have never consistently held up. Teams will ask whether they can trust him to get to playoff time in a healthy state given his history. However, the price point is right, as when he’s on the court, his $12.5 million contract is a steal with only one year remaining at $13.3 million. When I’ve asked around about what other teams would consider a reasonable price point, I’ve gotten anything from a late first-rounder to a couple of second-rounders. But with the team having used a draft pick this year on Donovan Clingan and Deandre Ayton seeming like a difficult sell on the trade market, it would make sense for the Blazers to explore Williams’ market.
Trade value
Late first-rounder
Best fits
Rockets, Pelicans, Hawks, Bulls, Pacers, Lakers, Suns, Cavaliers
Another one of those players who is a tailor-made fit as a deadline acquisition. He doesn’t command a significant number of touches. He makes shots from 3, having already hit 42.2 percent from distance this season and 37.3 percent from 3 since 2019-20 on over 1,800 attempts. Finney-Smith is also a versatile defender. He’s not quite as good as he was back when he was in his mid-to-late 20s with Dallas, but he’s a plus there and still very long and competes at a high level on that end.Any team in need of an influx of shooting and defense — and many of them could use such a skill set contained in just one player’s toolbox — would be interested.
Finney-Smith makes $14.9 million and has a player option for $15.4 million next year that will be an interesting decision. Does he try to maximize for another year or decline and get a deal for the longer term? Based on how he’s playing so far, I think he should probably decline it, which means the Nets would do very well to move him before the deadline. He feels like one of the most likely players to be dealt.
Trade value
Late first-rounder or multiple good second-rounders
Best fits
Lakers, 76ers, Pacers
Expiration
2026 (player option)
Schröder was the first major trade domino to fall this season, as the Brooklyn Nets sent him to Golden State over the weekend in exchange for De’Anthony Melton, Reece Beekman and three second-rounders. Schröder started the season on a blistering pace, averaging 20 points and 6.6 assists per game while shooting 46.3 percent from 3 over his first 10 games. Since then, he’s been more like his typical self, averaging 15.8 points and 6.1 assists while doing so on limited efficiency. All told with Schröder, you’re getting a player who can have outbursts that will win you games blended with a style of play that can sometimes be a bit more difficult to integrate into winning situations than you’d think. Largely, that has to do with his shooting ability, as he’s a career 34.3 percent 3-point shooter and a player who tends to attempt several midrange attempts to mixed success. He’s been a bit better the last two years at 37.5 percent. But he does like to play on the ball and tends to eat up some usage. These results just haven’t been as consistently excellent in the NBA as they have been for Schröder when he’s gone to play for the German national team over his career. Still, at the very least, he’s a real ballhandler who can play in pick-and-roll situations, attack in isolation and make plays for others.
The price was right here for Schröder because of his salary. He’s on an expiring $13.5 million deal. The Nets undoubtedly looked at the price point that Terry Rozier fetched from Miami last season — a future first-round pick — as a comparable value. But Rozier’s numbers in Charlotte were a bit better than Schröder’s are so far this year in Brooklyn, and that deal itself hasn’t exactly been seen league-wide as a rip-roaring success for Miami.
Trade value
Second-rounders
I don’t totally understand what’s happening in Atlanta with Nance. He started the season hurt but came back after the first week and played well in nine games. He’s never been a guy whose presence pops on the stat sheet, but he’s averaging 8.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in about 16 minutes per night. More than that, though, everywhere Nance goes, his team gets better when he’s on the court. Every season of his career outside of last year, from 2015-16 onward, Nance’s teams have both been better on offense and better on defense when he’s been on the court. Even last year, when the Pelicans morphed into a powerhouse that finished fifth in the league in net rating from Dec. 28 through the rest of the year, New Orleans was still better with him out there on both ends. Why does this happen? It’s because he’s the perfect low-usage player. Nance does everything well except create his own shot. He’s a semi-real shooter now, having hit 37 percent from 3 since 2019-20. He passes well and makes quick decisions. The ball never sticks in his hands. He finishes efficiently around the rim and picks his spots well. On defense, he’s constantly in the right position, rotates exceptionally well and is always available for his teammates.
The best part for Nance is that he makes about $11.2 million and is on an expiring contract. Given that he’s not in the rotation, it’s pretty easy to see other organizations driving a hard bargain and not necessarily giving up a ton of assets for him. But a significant number of organizations might get involved here because they think Nance could help in a late-season push with frontcourt depth. The top two teams that come to mind are the Cavaliers and Bucks, both of whom need an influx of smart defensive play off the bench.
Trade value
Second-rounders
Best fits
Cavaliers, Pacers, Lakers, Bucks
After a couple of years in the wilderness, Collins is back to being a very productive NBA player. From 2018-2021, Collins averaged 19.3 points and nine rebounds while shooting 56.5 percent from the field and 38.4 percent from 3 while taking three attempts per game. That’s what got him a five-year, $125 million deal. However, after the Hawks got Clint Capela during the 2020-21 season and began using him more in ball screens with Trae Young, Collins’ numbers began to drop. Then, he was traded to Utah, where he took a season to adjust. Over the 2021-2024 seasons, Collins averaged just 14.7 points and 7.6 rebounds.
So far this year, he’s back to 17.9 points and 8.4 rebounds while playing 29 minutes per game and has been quite effective as a rim-runner and on the offensive glass. The issue for Collins, though, is what it always is. You need the perfect center next to him to get the best out of him. He’s not good enough as a rim protector to play the five, even though his best role offensively is as a five. He needs to be a five on offense and a four on defense, which means your center has to be able to shoot it to maintain adequate spacing in the playoffs. Otherwise, you’re best utilizing him as a third big. He showed positive defensive moments in Atlanta, but I wouldn’t say those have been particularly evident in Utah.
Collins’ salary would be quite large if a team wanted him as a third big at $26.6 million. Because of that, his market will likely be limited. Next year might be an easier sell on the trade market when he’ll likely be on an expiring $26.6 million salary, assuming he picks up his player option.
Trade value
Second-rounders and salary matching
Best fits
Cavaliers, Pacers
Expiration
2026 (player option)
Simons is one of the more difficult evaluations in the league. On one hand, he has shown the ability to be an extremely explosive scorer, averaging 22 points per game on a true shooting percentage hovering around league average. However, this season hasn’t been as clean, as he’s dealt with several injuries, including an illness and a right-hand sprain. He’s down to about 16 points per game, and his true shooting percentage is nearly 10 percent below league average. He also has real defensive deficiencies that cloud his game. On a good team, Simons is probably more of a sixth man as opposed to a definite starter. It’s possible he could find the right team and role that allows him to be a starter on a great team. But right now, his game profiles best as a microwave scorer off of the bench.
Simons is still just 25 years old and an interesting player. The problem for Portland, though, is that he only has a year and a half left on his rookie extension that he signed back in 2021. The organization has also made several investments into on-ball backcourt players, including Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe. This might be the time to try to cash in on Simons. But he makes $25.9 million this season, followed by $27.7 million next season. Those are hefty numbers for the production he’s providing. Simons’ trade value will likely be determined by how he plays here over the two months before the deadline. If he doesn’t play well, the team might be better off holding onto him to see his value rebound next year. But if he does play well, the Blazers might be able to parlay him into something interesting.
Best fits
Clippers, Magic, Pistons, Rockets
Sharpe missed the first 21 games of the year with a strained hamstring, but he’s back now and working his way into action. Last season, as a bench big, he was among the more productive in the league, averaging 6.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in just 15 minutes per night. He’s a monster rebounder but also has a bit more skill and footwork than initially meets the eye. At 23, he has the look of a long-term backup big in the NBA with some starting upside in a pinch down the road if things break right with his development on the defensive end. So given that, why would a rebuilding Nets team be looking to trade him? He’s a restricted free agent this summer, and the team just signed Nic Claxton to a nine-figure deal last year. I don’t know that I would want to necessarily stick around if I were Sharpe. I also don’t know that I’d necessarily want to pay Sharpe if I were Brooklyn, even if the price shouldn’t be outrageous. A couple of second-round picks seem like a reasonable price point for everyone. He could end up proving himself a useful backup big man this year.
Trade value
Second-rounders
Best fits
Lakers, Pelicans, Thunder, Nuggets, Wizards
Expiration
2025 (restricted)
Russell is a polarizing player. Offensively, he’s typically a sharpshooter from distance who can get them up from volume who can also run ball screens and make plays for his teammates. Defensively, you need to hide him because he struggles to stay in front of opposing players and can get lost off the ball. But the issue for Russell this year is that the shot-making hasn’t really been there. He’s made only 33.3 percent of his 3s. Teams still guard him out there because of his long track record of being a shooter, but if the shot isn’t actually falling, he’s not a particularly valuable player.
Right now, a significant part of his trade value comes from his contract situation. He is a free agent this summer with an $18.7 million expiring contract. He’s an excellent salary-matching candidate in a deal for a Lakers team that desperately needs to shake up its perimeter because of its defensive deficiencies.
Trade value
Salary matching in a bigger trade
Valančiūnas signed a three-year, $30 million contract this offseason with the final year non-guaranteed. For a player who brings lower-end starter-quality value, I thought that deal was something of a steal for the Wizards. He’s the perfect big man to provide an interior presence for skinny, developmental big man Alex Sarr. And the deal immediately became a useful trade chip because teams are always looking for size at the deadline, even in a backup role. On this contract, it’s completely reasonable for him to be a backup on an excellent team. This year, Valančiūnas is averaging 12 points and 7.6 rebounds in just 19.7 minutes per game. He’s physical on the interior and crushes the glass on both ends still. He’s an offensive force with how physical he is. He will occasionally step out and take one of those slingshot 3s, even though those have been fewer and farther between this year.
You probably will struggle to play him in the playoffs because of his lack of foot speed at this point. But again, at a totally reasonable price for a backup big man, you probably don’t have to focus much on what he’s bringing in the playoffs. Any team that needs more depth on the interior could look to add Valančiūnas and receive help. I can’t imagine the price point being more than a couple of second-rounders. If I were the Sixers, I would be calling the Wizards every day. No team needs an elite backup more than the Sixers, and Valančiūnas would be perfect for the role. Other teams like Indiana, Denver and Sacramento could use another big too.
Trade value
Second-rounders
Expiration
2027 (team option)
Vucevic is in the middle of one of the most surprisingly awesome seasons in the NBA right now. Playing as a top-two option on a feisty Bulls team that bombs away from 3 and plays at a breakneck pace, Vucevic is averaging a robust 21.7 points and 9.9 rebounds while shooting a blistering 59.2 percent from the field and 46.8 percent from 3. The 34-year-old, two-time All-Star hasn’t played at this level since his Orlando days back in 2020 before he got traded at the midseason deadline in March 2021. Given that production, why isn’t he much higher on the list? Well, Vucevic is unfortunately one of the least impactful defensive players in the league at this stage. The Bulls have the 26th-ranked defensive rating in the NBA, and he might be the biggest reason why because of his lack of interior rim protection. He’s not an active help defender and doesn’t really have enough mobility anymore to hold up in ball screens as a primary big defender. He has very little chance in switch scenarios when he gets left on an island too. The Bulls give up 120.5 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the court versus 114.4 when he’s off it.
Those defensive attributes are why it’s hard to see him being truly prioritized at the deadline despite those incredible numbers. He is owed $20 million this season and has another year at $21.5 million. His best role on a really good team at this stage might be as a sixth man who comes in and feasts on opposing backups. He would be a killer in that role. But will another team want to pay the premium price tag for that? It’s hard to find the exact landing spot for him. Maybe the Pelicans would be willing to give it a shot as a nice complement to Yves Missi for the next couple of years if they ever get healthy enough? I would be surprised to see him fetch a first-rounder even in such an impressive season.
Trade value
Second-rounders
Best fits
Pistons, Pelicans
Expiration
2026 (player option)
Brogdon is one of the many interesting guards on an expiring deal who could find themselves in a new home by February. He’s only played nine games this year — and injury concerns are always an issue for Brogdon, given that he’s only topped 40 games once in the last four years and has only topped 60 twice in the past eight years — but when he’s been out there, he’s been a perfectly useful starter for the Wizards. He’s averaging 13.8 points and finishing well on the interior, plus he rarely turns the ball over. He’s also a career 39 percent 3-point shooter, so you can rely on him there even if he’s made only 33.3 percent so far on limited volume. The issue with Brogdon comes on defense. He generally knows where he has to be and has extremely long arms and a strong physical frame, but he doesn’t have the quickness anymore to deal with particularly quick backcourt players.
Brogdon is owed $22.5 million this year, which is a large number for a player of his skill set at this point. On a good team, he probably profiles best as a seventh man or something in that vicinity. But a few teams out there could use a steadying bench presence as a guard and might be willing to swap another deal or two along with a couple of second-rounders to get him. The injuries and rental status will keep his value down below a first-round pick.
Trade value
Second-rounders
Best fits
Clippers, Magic, Pistons, Rockets
The Wizards might end up regretting not trading Kuzma at last year’s deadline or in the offseason. His numbers are down across the board. Last year, he averaged 22.2 points per game. This year, he’s at just 15.8. His rebounding is down, and his assists have been cut in half. Defensively, there hasn’t been much worth getting excited about. And he’s shooting just 42 percent from the field and 28 percent from 3 on much lower 3-point volume. There may not be a player in the league who has seen such a substantial downgrade in his performance this season.
Could another team potentially sell itself on Kuzma returning to form once he gets out of the Wizards’ situation? Maybe. Kuzma’s contract was seen as a bargain for his production this time last year. He makes $23.5 million this year on a descending deal that will only see him make $19.4 million in 2026-27 after the salary cap has jumped multiple times. He’s dealt with a rib injury throughout the early portion of the season, so the first goal should be to recover from that. I think he’d have to start playing better, though, for him to become a real trade target.
Tate is out of Houston’s rotation because the Rockets are incredibly deep. At 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, Tate is a physical, tough player who can take on tough defensive assignments and quickly process what’s happening around him. He passes well and can drive the ball in a straight line. He moves well without the ball and creates chaos as a cutter and short-roll option. Defensively, he can defend perimeter players as well as a good number of forwards. He does not shoot it well, as a career 30.5 percent shooter from distance. But anyone who misses out on Bruce Brown might look at Tate as a reasonable second option who could provide similar value. It would be overstating it to say he can be that level of player, but if he could find the right scheme, he could be a lower-end version at a fraction of the cost.
Tate’s contract is quite cheap. He makes $7.6 million this year as an expiring contract. I also wonder if he might be the rare candidate for an extend-and-trade scenario, given that he is out of the rotation in a contract year. But several teams could realistically look at him as a potentially cheap option for both now and into the future. Could a younger team like Brooklyn or Charlotte trade for him to keep him around as a good vet who can play to help developing players at a relatively cheap cost? Or could someone in need of perimeter defense and toughness for depth in a playoff run decide he’d be a valuable depth piece?
Trade value
Second-rounders
Best fits
Celtics, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Cavaliers
Huerter hasn’t really found his rhythm this year in Sacramento, and that’s unfortunately been true for the past two years. Typically a real shooter — he made 38.2 percent of his 3s over his six-year career coming into this season — Huerter has only hit 31 percent from 3. He also hasn’t brought value on defense. When Huerter isn’t shooting at a high level, it can be hard to have him out on the court even though teams do continue to guard him as a guy they have to stay attached to.
More than that, though, the Kings have a lot of depth at the guard and wing positions. In the backcourt, they have De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk. On the wing, Keegan Murray, DeMar DeRozan and Keon Ellis have outplayed Huerter so far. Rookie Devin Carter is progressing positively from his offseason shoulder surgery and could be an impact guy later in the season. Huerter makes $16.8 million before getting $18 million next year. Those are high numbers for what he’s been in the past but not all that bad if he can get back to the level he was at in his final year in Atlanta and his first year in Sacramento. It feels like Sacramento would look to move him in a basketball trade as opposed to just looking to dump his contract. Can the Kings combine a draft pick with Huerter to get a player who can shoot and defend in the frontcourt?
Trade value
A good frontcourt player for Huerter and a pick
Best fits
Pistons, Bulls, Hornets, Nets, Raptors
Capela has done a lot of the dirty work for a scrappy, fun Hawks team this year, averaging 10.2 points and 9.5 rebounds. He’s a killer on the offensive glass and generally does a solid job in drop coverage defensively even if he’s not as mobile as he was in his mid-20s. But in his 11th year in the NBA, Capela continues to be a starting-quality center for one of the more fun stories in the league. Still, the Hawks are thought by other teams to be very open to discussing their highly paid veterans.
Capela makes $22.3 million this season, and that’s a large amount of money for another team to pay to acquire him given his production. Teams out there could certainly use real center depth and would love a backup big man, but this is a difficult price point to meet because matching that salary would often mean moving at least one real rotation player from your team. It’s certainly not impossible that Capela could be moved, but it seems like a deal would be difficult if the Hawks want anything positive in return (and they should, given how important Capela is to their defensive infrastructure).
Trade value
Second-rounders
One of the more creative scoring guards off the bench in recent NBA history, Clarkson is still averaging 15 points per game. However, the issue for the Jazz is that his shooting has dived. He’s only shooting 40.6 percent from the field and 30.2 percent from 3, and this comes a year after he set a career low in terms of his efficiency while shooting 41.3 percent from the field and 29.4 percent from 3. He has also dealt with a foot injury this year and has never been a particularly conscientious defender.
Clarkson is only making $14.1 million this year and $14.3 million next year, so it’s possible that a team desperate for scoring could think he could help it off the bench. The issue right now is that he’s not performing at a level all that different from someone you might be able to find on a minimum contract. Undoubtedly, teams will be watching Clarkson to see if he can rebound. If he doesn’t, it feels like it’ll be difficult to move him as the Jazz look to embrace some of their younger guards like Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier.
Trade value
Second-rounder
Okogie is seen as the player most likely to be moved by the Suns as they look for upgrades. He makes $8.25 million, and he has a non-guaranteed $7.75 million contract for next year, essentially making this an expiring deal. Remember, the Suns can’t take back more money than they send out in a trade and can’t aggregate players in a deal. Okogie is a borderline rotation player, and the Suns will be looking to upgrade (particularly in the frontcourt with a bit more size). They’d need to find the right basketball deal that allows them to add a draft pick to Okogie to get the right player. We’ll see if they can find someone for this cheap price point or if they have to move someone with a bigger contract.
Trade value
A good frontcourt player for Okogie and a pick
Expiration
2026 (non-guaranteed)
Craig is the classic deadline target for teams looking for wing depth on defense. The Suns have acquired him twice at the deadline previously in hopes of doing just that, and in 2021, he played a nice role for them as their eighth man as they made a run to the NBA Finals. But it would be aggressive to expect much more than bench depth from Craig. He’s 34 and isn’t a particularly useful offensive player at this stage. Teams don’t really choose to guard him away from the rim, and he largely camps out in the corners and lifts to the wings for open 3s on offense. He’s still tough and physical on defense but not quite as impactful as he was back when he was 30. He wouldn’t cost more than a protected second-round pick, but he’s on a minimum deal, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a team that needs some toughness on the wings grab him as a break-glass-in-case-of-injury option.
Trade value
Late second-rounder
Martin’s deal with the Sixers was seemingly signed with the express goal of trading him midseason after the 23-year-old forward averaged under four points per game last year. He makes about $8 million this year with a non-guaranteed season at $8 million next year, essentially making this an expiring deal. The Sixers will look to add his deal to others along with draft picks to upgrade the roster. One issue? He’s not eligible to be moved until Jan. 15, so they’ll have to wait until then to see what’s available.
Trade value
A good frontcourt player for Martin and a pick
Expiration
2026 (non-guaranteed)
This has not been Ayton’s best season so far. In his second year in Portland, his scoring numbers have dropped to a career low, as have his rebounding numbers. He’s shooting a lower percentage from the field than ever, although that can be tied to him taking a 3-pointer per game. He’s also taking several midrange jumpers, and those aren’t falling to the same extent they did last year (he’s actually posting a career mark around the basket). All told, the Blazers are about four points per 100 possessions worse with Ayton on the court as opposed to when he’s off the court. Largely, that has to do with defense. Undeniably, in the games Robert Williams III has played, he’s looked better than Ayton.
That’s a problem for the Blazers, as Ayton makes $34 million this season and $35.6 million next season. Based on what he’s done so far this year, he’s not worth anything near that kind of deal. I don’t see another team particularly prioritizing acquiring Ayton on this deal at the deadline. But is it possible he could be used to salary match another player’s contract from a team that is looking to keep that salary spot on their books for next year?
Trade value
Matching salary
Grant signed one of the more dumbfounding contracts in recent memory in the summer of 2023, as the Blazers decided to give him a five-year, $160 million deal months before trading Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks and starting a total rebuild. In the second year of the deal, Grant makes $29.7 million this year and still has nearly $103 million remaining for the following three years. The bigger issue for the Blazers, though, is that his production has fallen off in a big way, and he’s now over 30. He’s averaging just 16.1 points per game on a true shooting percentage that is 9 percent below league average. While the 3-point numbers have been fine, Grant has been an incredibly poor finisher at the rim this season in addition to struggling from the area just beyond it. He’s also not quite the defender he used to be either. The good news? He still makes catch-and-shoot 3s.
The Blazers have seemingly set a high price tag for him over the years, but I don’t think he’s worth a first-rounder right now. If the team wanted to get off the contract and move on, it’s possible it could do that with a team desperate for size and shot-making on the wing. But he’s more of a fourth or fifth option now and being paid like a top-three option over a longer term that extends pretty far into his 30s. This feels like a tough contract to move.
Trade value
Salary matching and second-rounders
Expiration
2028 (player option)
Simmons is here purely because he’s finally on an expiring contract now that his rookie-scale max contract has run its course. Simmons makes $40.3 million this season and obviously would only be moved if the Nets decided that they wanted to spring a deal for a star player. Simmons has played 19 games this year and is getting 24 minutes per night. He’s averaging 5.1 points but also getting 5.6 rebounds and dishing out 6.5 assists. The Nets play him as a sort of makeshift point center who grabs and goes on the break and takes advantage of odd-man opportunities. This has been my sort of dream role for Simmons going back to his later days in Philadelphia, idealizing the theory of becoming a modern Draymond Green-style forward. Simmons is switchable, but I don’t think he necessarily seems to love dealing with bigs on the block in the way Green does. He also doesn’t seem to have enough confidence as a scorer. But if the Nets don’t move him at the deadline because his price tag is too high, I’d be somewhat intrigued by him as a buyout candidate for a defense-needy team if he’d be willing to come in and play a role off the bench. He’s had real flashes on defense this year, flying around in space and sliding to cut off drives against wings.
Trade value
Salary matching in a bigger trade
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(Illustration: Meech Robinson / The Athletic; photos: Rich Storry / Getty Images; Joe Murphy, Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)