Tag: Buyers

While the 41-game mark is the official halfway point of the NBA season, the true midway mark is the trade deadline.

This year, Feb 6. will demarcate pre and post when eventually looking back at the 2024-25 campaign. And if last season was any indication, expect plenty of wheeling and dealing right until the final buzzer. In 2023-24, a whopping 16 deals took place on deadline day before the 3 p.m. ET cutoff.

However, there is one big caveat that differentiates this year. The NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement — namely the luxury tax and trade machinations it’s put into effect — makes executing transactions increasingly complicated, especially for teams with the heftiest payrolls.

So, with the deadline two weeks away, let’s simplify things by categorizing squads expected to be major players. Whether one team ends up pulling the trigger or another chooses to stand pat, all of it will likely impact the back half of the season.

With that being said, here are the buyers, sellers and bystanders to keep an eye on heading into the 2025 NBA trade deadline:

This one should come as no surprise after they flipped their own 2031 first-rounder to the Utah Jazz for three first-round picks on Tuesday.

With the deal, the Suns tripled the number of firsts they can immediately move. And considering their middling record, massive payroll (second-highest) and new owner Mat Ishbia’s intense desire to build a contender, it’s safe to say they intend to make swift use of that newfound buying power.

Phoenix already started addressing some of its needs, acquiring Nick Richards last week to bolster its frontcourt, but it needs more. The Suns rank 11th on offence, 23rd on defence and have yet to carve out an identity under head coach Mike Budenholzer.

And it’s no secret who they’re after.

Jimmy Butler already included Phoenix as one of his preferred landing spots, some even reporting it as his top choice. And given a catalyst for his falling out with the Miami Heat was the lack of a contract extension, it bodes well for a future in Phoenix that the Suns seem ready to offer the six-time All-Star a lucrative long-term deal.

However, making it happen is anything but simple. Phoenix is well beyond the second luxury-tax apron, meaning its ability to execute trades is extremely limited. There’s also the hiccup that the salary going out in any Butler-to-the-Suns deal is likely Bradley Beal’s and he has a no-trade clause.

Phoenix may still be able to get a deal done if (and it’s a big IF):

• It can get Beal’s approval by leveraging the idea of a fresh start elsewhere, AND
• Get Miami president Pat Riley on board with its newly-acquired picks, OR
• Bring in a team(s) to help facilitate a trade by including players the Heat would want, and then spreading some players/picks to the joining team(s) for their troubles.

Either way, the Suns front office deserves credit for constantly finding ways to go all-in. The group is hardly considered even a periphery contender but it’s clear the Suns are committed to a direction, something not every team can say.

It’s truly a new era in the Motor City.

Following an off-season regime change, the Pistons have turned into the biggest surprise to this point. And for the first time in a long time, Detroit ought to consider acquiring talent rather than shipping it away.

The Pistons have an opportunity to make the post-season after half a decade, and although the injection of veterans has been transformative for a team that won all of 14 games last year, there is still plenty to improve upon.

Detroit needs a secondary creator to alleviate some of that burden off franchise star Cade Cunningham. The former first-overall pick is finally bending the corner towards an All-Star leap, but the loss of Jaden Ivey to long-term injury has made things quite cumbersome. In the 10 games Cunningham has played since losing his backcourt mate, he’s led the league with an average of 4.8 turnovers.

The rebuild may not be totally over but it’s time to take a step forward. And Detroit has far and away the most cap space in the league, so it could comfortably acquire pieces either one-on-one or by playing the facilitator role in a bigger deal. Adding some scoring pop and backup playmaking would go a long way for the Pistons to keep their trajectory moving in the right direction.

It’s been clear for a year now that this team desperately wants another key piece. They’ve made that pretty evident with many (failed) attempts to get one, like chasing Paul George in the summer or inquiring about Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James at the last deadline. Those shortcomings have Golden State on the verge of wasting another year of Stephen Curry’s brilliance.

The four-time champ and two-time MVP — averaging 22.9 points, 6.1 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 41 per cent from distance on nearly 11 attempts — isn’t getting any younger, and still can be the head of a championship calibre snake. It hasn’t even been three full seasons since Golden State last won a title! But the Warriors simply aren’t there as presently constructed.

They started the year blazing hot at 12-3, but have since fallen flat going 9-18 and punctuating their misery with a 40-point home loss to the Boston Celtics on Monday. While some of that gets explained away by injuries, their off-season additions and youngsters underperforming have only exacerbated things.

Both Curry and co-star Draymond Green have shared their belief that Golden State shouldn’t “mortgage” its entire future for a win-now move but it doesn’t necessarily have to with its available resources. Namely, Jonathan Kuminga. The 22-year-old has shown flashes, but the Warriors have yet to sign him to a multi-year extension that he’s eligible for and the fit between him and Green has always been clunky.

So, whether it’s dangling Kuminga to go after the obvious choice in Jimmy Butler, or “settling” for players like Utah’s Lauri Markkanen or Chicago’s Zach Lavine (all of whom have been linked to Golden State in trade rumours), someone new needs to land in the Bay area.

Jamahl Mosley’s squad has battled despite being decimated with injuries — currently missing seven players — and remains in the thick of the playoff mix. Now, with Paolo Banchero back following a 34-game injury absence and playing like an All-Star, the Magic should have no desire to miss the playoffs and give up valuable experience.

Like last year, Orlando is still an elite defensive squad (third in the NBA). But also like last year, their offence is pedestrian (ranked 29th) largely due to a woeful lack of outside shooting. Despite attempting the 14th most threes per game (37.0), the Magic make the fewest (11.2) and convert at a league-worst 30.3 per cent.

Those struggles were especially evident on Tuesday in a loss to the Toronto Raptors. Orlando blew a 21-point lead while shooting 29 per cent (nine-of-31) from beyond the arc en route to a fourth consecutive loss. They now have just two wins in their last 10 outings.

They had hoped signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the off-season — a career 37 per cent three-point shooter — was going to address some of that, but the two-time champ has struggled this year. Caldwell-Pope is converting at a 31.8 per cent clip and the Magic’s issues from distance have remained ever-present. Adding a shooter, preferably one that can also help their current lack of front-court depth, will be of utmost importance.

Other potential buyers: Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs

Toronto Raptors (11-32, 14th in the East)

This one shouldn’t come as a surprise considering the position they’re in.

It’s evident the Raptors are in a rebuild, which means they’re after three things right now: Draft capital, young players or expiring deals to free up space for future moves.

As things stand, Toronto has around $11 million in cap space under the first apron, a flexible roster spot after cutting Bruno Fernando and roughly $42 million in tradeable expiring deals between Davion Mitchell, Chris Boucher and Bruce Brown Jr. who the Raptors are reportedly “very motivated” to move.

Meaning, they have the wiggle room to make deals one-on-one or play the middle-man for more complex moves (like a Butler trade).

Given the team’s current state and the quality of the next couple of drafts, juicing their odds at a top pick and stockpiling assets is a practical way to go about things. And with their vets playing better of late — Kelly Olynyk is on top form, Boucher is just coming off a torrid stretch and Brown is piecing together consistent efforts — it’s a good time to strike.

They may have already nabbed Scottie Barnes’ long-term co-stars at last year’s deadline in RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, but while that remains uncertain, the Raptors need to give themselves as many kicks at the can as possible.

Just pick a direction already.

The Bulls haven’t been higher than the ninth seed more than once in the last eight seasons and are on track to finish between ninth and 11th for the fifth time in the last six years.

When Chicago made an early-summer deal to acquire Josh Giddey and ship off Alex Caruso — and let DeMar DeRozan walk in free agency — most assumed the reset button was finally being pressed. Yet, here we are, still waiting for the Bulls to move notable vets Zach Lavine and Nikola Vucevic so they can truly start fresh.

To be fair, Lavine’s contract isn’t easy for most teams to swallow (Over $40 million annually until 2026-27) and Vucevic is an aging, one-sided player. Thankfully, the pair have built up their trade value this season arguably to the highest it’s been in quite some time.

Lavine has been healthy all year and on a tear recently, averaging 28.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists while shooting 47 per cent from deep over his last 10 games. Meanwhile, Vucevic has been a lights-out all season, scoring over 20 points per game for the first time in four years while knocking down a career-best 41.1 per cent of his triples.

If there was ever a time to move either player and finally go all-in on a rebuild, it would be now.

The case is the same for all these teams. None of them have identified a true No. 1 to this point (aside from the Pelicans but their top star can’t stay on the court) and need to change that reality.

All four squads firmly want to be in the mix to win the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes so doing everything to secure losses and help those odds is the top priority. Each team also has at least a couple of mid-to-high-value players they could send packing to build up their war chests.

• Portland: Anfernee Simons, DeAndre Ayton, Jerami Grant and Robert Williams
• Utah: Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson and Colin Sexton
• New Orleans: Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, Daniel Theis and Zion Williamson (?)
• Washington: Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Poole and Jonas Valanciunas

They already started the fire sale by shipping off Dennis Schroder to Golden State and Dorian Finney-Smith to Los Angeles. And while it’s unlikely the Nets move youngsters like Cam Thomas or Nic Claxton (although not completely off the table) they still have moves they can make.

For instance, Cam Johnson remains a top trade target for many squads. His two-way ability is highly coveted in today’s NBA, especially since he can also space the floor, while his experience playing off the ball makes him an easy plug-and-play option for many teams.

The 28-year-old is also signed through the 2026-27 season on a team-friendly deal of roughly $20 million annually. A bargain considering he’s averaged 19.5 points this year while shooting 50 per cent from the field and 42.6 per cent from deep.

And like the teams above, the Nets are doing everything they can to drop in the standings. They’ve lost four straight, are 1-9 in their last 10 games and GM Sean Marks has made the objective of this season abundantly clear.

Other potential sellers: Miami Heat (but only Jimmy Butler), Charlotte Hornets

When a team has as many picks as OKC does — potentially 14 first-rounders between now and 2029 — it certainly makes sense to consider buying.

Led by MVP front-runner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and backed by the league’s No. 1 defence, the Thunder’s main goal is to win a title as soon as possible. But why fix what isn’t broken? They’re already on a 68-win pace and seven games clear of the second seed.

While Oklahoma City initially seemed interested in adding Nets wing Cam Johnson, they’ve reportedly stepped back from that idea and are committed to seeing what Hamilton’s finest and the rest of the squad can do as presently constructed.

Boston Celtics (30-13, second in the East)

Although the defending champs aren’t the infallible squad of last year, it’s hardly time for sweeping changes. As is the case in most seasons, Kristaps Porzingis staying healthy should be enough of a swing factor for Beantown to bank on.

There’s a case to be made for making a move now — the Rockets have $15 million in room under the first apron and rookie-scale extensions for Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun don’t kick in until next year — but evaluating what they have in-house appears to be a bigger priority at this point.

Houston already owns the third-best defence in the league and their offence is finally starting to catch up (ranked fourth through the last 10 games).

All the while, Rockets GM Rafael Stone has pushed back on the idea of any “fireworks” this trade season. Seeing how their ascending youngsters handle their first taste of the playoffs is what this year appears to be all about.

This one’s not exactly by choice. Milwaukee’s options are limited considering it has the third-highest payroll, seventh-oldest roster and doesn’t own or control any of its picks until 2031.

As a second-apron team trade flexibility is hard enough. Without promising young players or hardly any draft capital, making deals is nearly impossible. While there’s a world they get involved in a multi-team Butler deal, maybe even grabbing Beal in the process, the likelier hope for the Bucks is that Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard will be enough to get them over the hump.

Other potential bystanders: Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks, Sacramento Kings