We’re about a month out from the NBA’s trade deadline on Feb. 6, and we’ve already seen a few teams make moves, as well as some superstar drama with a standoff between Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat.
But what other major trade deadline storylines should we be watching? The era of the second apron is in full effect, and trade season has been relatively quiet compared to the past. But there is still room for teams to make some big splashes to help improve their rosters before the postseason.
New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram and Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine are two of the bigger names expected to be available at the deadline, but what other major moves can we expect to be made in the next month?
Our NBA experts debate some of the biggest trade deadline questions, including whether the Los Angeles Lakers will make another move to address LeBron James’ quest for another championship, and which teams in the East and West will have a new-look roster come February.
Which team needs to make a big trade splash to boost its standings?
Tim Bontemps: There’s no shortage of options here, with the Minnesota Timberwolves being one of them. It felt like the Karl-Anthony Towns trade was a two-step move, and we’re still waiting for the second move to happen. The Wolves, thanks in large part to Mike Conley looking his age, have been clunky offensively and could use another shot creator and ball handler. It’ll be interesting to see whether they look different come Feb. 6.
Bobby Marks: The Sacramento Kings. The Kings changed their roster in the offseason, trading Harrison Barnes to San Antonio and acquiring DeMar DeRozan from the Bulls. The addition of DeRozan and re-signing of Malik Monk were supposed to boost a roster that won 46 games last season. Instead, Sacramento is on the outside of the play-in and fired coach Mike Brown. Because the Kings owe the Atlanta Hawks a top-12 protected first in 2025 and top-10 protected first in 2026 if not conveyed the prior season, the earliest Sacramento can trade a first is in 2028. Besides their draft assets, Sacramento has the $16.8 million contract of Kevin Huerter (he has $17.9 million owed in 2025-26) and $8 million expiring contract of Trey Lyles. Most recently, they have been linked to Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson.
Kevin Pelton: The Golden State Warriors have the best combination of ability to make a trade and take advantage of one. I’m not sure adding Jimmy Butler would make the Warriors championship contenders at this stage of Stephen Curry‘s career, but a consolidation trade for another All-Star would put Golden State in a strong position to claim a top-six seed in the West and potentially be favored in the first round of the playoffs.
Michael Wright: Moving Jimmy Butler won’t necessarily boost Miami’s standings, but it probably needs to jettison the star as soon as possible to prevent distractions that could cause the Heat to slip back in the East. They lost by 36 to the Utah Jazz in their first game after Butler was suspended for “conduct detrimental to the team.” The suspension, which ends before a Jan. 19 matchup against the San Antonio Spurs, has raised constant speculation and questions regarding the forward. Given the limitations that accompany the current collective bargaining agreement, trading Butler will be difficult. But not moving him could end up tanking Miami’s season.
Jamal Collier: The Warriors. After a fast start to the season, Golden State has been struggling for weeks and dipping in the standings. The Warriors have been chasing a star for some time now, but it’s clear they need to find some help for Curry if they want to make it out of the play-in tournament, let alone make a deep playoff run. If not, teams will be more than comfortable sending double and triple teams for Curry while daring the rest of the Warriors role players to beat them.
Which star (other than Jimmy Butler) is most likely to be moved at the deadline?
Wright: Brandon Ingram appears to be a major priority for the New Orleans Pelicans, as he’s in the final year of his contract, seeking more than the Pels can pay and in an environment where the team faces future financial restrictions. Ingram has played in 65 games or more only once — his rookie season — and he’s currently advancing through the rehab process to return from a sprained left ankle. Multiple teams are reportedly showing interest, but they’ll likely wait to see how he looks returning from injury and they’ll want to be certain he’s ready for the second half of the season.
Bontemps: This might not be a fun answer, but I’m going with no one. Every conversation I’ve had with scouts, executives, agents and league personnel for months has been centered around how stiff the trade market is due to the combination of money on teams’ books, the lack of draft capital among contenders and, most importantly, the collective bargaining agreement coming fully online this season. Unless big salary players are being swapped for each other, it’s hard to see a huge star making a move in the next month.
Pelton: A Brandon Ingram trade makes too much sense not to happen … right? Ingram is heading toward unrestricted free agency on a team that now has the NBA’s worst record. New Orleans can no longer afford to be picky about getting value for Ingram. Anything better than what the Pelicans could get this summer in a sign-and-trade would still be a win, given their payroll issues going forward.
Marks: As one GM told me after the Dorian Finney-Smith trade to the Lakers, expect more singles and doubles, less triples and home runs when it comes to transactions. As a result, Butler could be the lone All-Star-level player moved at the deadline and even that is not a certainty. Besides the New Orleans Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram, keep an eye on the Nets’ Cameron Johnson. Although he is not considered a star level player, Johnson is averaging a career high in points (19.3), field goal percentage (49.1%) and three-point percentage (43.2%). His $22.5 million salary is less than half of Butler and the Chicago Bulls Zach LaVine.
Collier: Brandon Ingram. He was already a candidate to be traded before he hit unrestricted free agency this summer and that was before the Pelicans season turned into a disaster with a league low record. Now with New Orleans in need of a shakeup, it makes sense they would find Ingram a new team after contract extension talks have repeatedly fizzled, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Tim MacMahon.
Fact or fiction: the Lakers will make another trade before the deadline?
Bontemps: Fact, though I’d suspect it’s something along the lines of the Dorian Finney-Smith deal rather than something bigger. Again, it’s hard for teams to stack up a bunch of money, making it hard for the Lakers to make a big swing, but they do have a couple of mid-sized deals that they could send out to get another solid player. Some of this, though, will likely depend on where the team sits in the standings in the next month, and if LeBron James and Anthony Davis can remain healthy.
Wright: Fact. It won’t be easy. But even after acquiring two-way wing Dorian Finney-Smith, the Lakers are reportedly still looking to add some frontcourt depth. It’s been rumored that Los Angeles is hoping to land Washington Wizards’ Jonas Valanciunas as it still holds a couple of second-round picks as assets. But Washington’s asking price might be too rich for the Lakers, which will surely have competition for Valanciunas’ services. Luckily for the Lakers, Valanciunas isn’t the only option as multiple teams are shopping potential backup centers.
Marks: Fact. The Lakers added Dorian Finney-Smith at the cost of three second-round picks and still have the resources in draft picks (up to two firsts available) and financial flexibility ($3.5 million below the second apron) to continue improving the roster. With the emergence of forward Max Christie in the starting lineup, the priority in Los Angeles is acquiring a center that can complement Anthony Davis or back him up. The Lakers rank in the bottom five in points in the paint and second chance points allowed.
Pelton: Fact, as the Lakers have overwhelming financial incentive to trade away Christian Wood and cut their tax bill. Will they add a rotation player in a trade? It’s a tossup, though I’d lean toward more likely yes than no. The Lakers could still use an upgrade to their center depth, but if it costs them a first-round pick to improve marginally, they should wait to see what happens on the buyout market.
Collier: Fact. The expectations are always high in Los Angeles with an aging superstar in LeBron James and an improving Anthony Davis. Since their Finals championship in 2020, the Lakers have struggled in the postseason and they can’t stand pat if they expect this team to remain in the top six in the West with aspirations of a deep playoff run.
The team in the East that will be most improved after the deadline is ____?
Bontemps: The Philadelphia 76ers, just because Daryl Morey has a history of being aggressive at the trade deadline to improve his team. The 76ers have several first round picks to move and salary that they can package to add players. However, none of the teams at the top of the Eastern Conference have a ton of flexibility to make moves, so this answer could easily be turned into the Nets — simply because of a successful teardown putting them in position to secure the highest-possible lottery odds.
Marks: The Orlando Magic . The Magic could pass on the trade deadline and still be the most improved team on February 6. Orlando has consistently remained in the top 4 of the Eastern Conference without starters Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Banchero was averaging 29 points per game before he suffered a torn right oblique. Wagner also averaged a career high 23 points suffering a torn right oblique in early December.
Wright: It’s got to be the 76ers, given their win-now mentality, slow start and where they currently sit in the East standings with a president of basketball operations in Daryl Morey, who will be looking to maximize the team’s window for contention with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George. Philadelphia’s roster is currently top heavy, but it does own six second-round picks it can use in a trade and add size in the front court.
Pelton: The Magic, because there are no trade additions who can possibly be as good as getting Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner back healthy. Orlando has slipped out of the race for a top-three seed in the East, where the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks have separated themselves from the pack. But I still like the Magic’s chances of holding off a large group of contenders for fourth in the standings so long as Banchero returns before the end of January.
Collier: The Sixers. The biggest things they need in the second half of the season will be actually having Joel Embiid healthy and on the court. Philly is currently No.11 in the East standings but is still only three games out of the No.6 seed, something they can easily achieve if Embiid is healthy enough to take them there.
The team in the West that will be most improved after the deadline is ____?
Bontemps: The Houston Rockets if — and it’s a very big if — they can add another reliable scoring option on the perimeter. But Houston is more likely to save its big chips for the offseason to make a much larger move. So I’ll make a speculative pick and say the Dallas Mavericks, who have also shown to be aggressive under general manager Nico Harrison will make a significant move between now and Feb. 6 to improve.
Marks: The Memphis Grizzlies. Before the Lakers came in at the last minute, the Grizzlies were positioned to acquire forward Dorian Finney-Smith from the Nets. The framework of the trade, Luke Kennard, John Konchar and a 2025 protected first confirms that Memphis is not content with the second-best record in the Western Conference and will want to make some type of move for their frontcourt .
Pelton: The Sacramento Kings. Not only do I expect the Kings to upgrade via trade, they figure to improve simply with better fortune in close games. Sacramento’s plus-1.3 differential ranks eighth in the West, yet the Kings are stuck 12th in the standings in large part because they’ve lost a league-high 13 games that qualify as clutch by the definition on NBA Advanced Stats (game within five points at any point in the last five minutes).
Wright: It’s a tossup between the Warriors and Rockets because both of those teams own nice mixes of young players and draft assets to make deals. But let’s go with the Warriors because they’re currently in play-in territory as a “very mid” team “right now,” according to Curry with nowhere to go but up. Curry’s comments sounded like a plea to general manager Mike Dunleavy, who has a maximum of three first-rounders and a pair of second-round picks available to trade.
Collier: The LA Clippers. Similar to the Sixers, they’re also adding back into the mix a big piece with Kawhi Leonard, who made his season debut Saturday. The Clippers were able to stay afloat without him at 19-15 and seventh in the West, but they’ve got a chance to improve in a difficult conference and be well positioned heading into the playoffs if they can keep Leonard on the floor.