30 players most likely to be moved at the NBA trade deadline

In a now-annual tradition at SB Nation, we are scouring through the internets endless supply of NBA trade rumors and asking around our NBA team site network to ask our local experts (alongside some national analysis from yours truly) to see which player(s) each team is most likely to move before the Feb.

6 NBA trade deadline.

Last years version correctly predicted seven of the 31 players moved at the deadline, and considering that not every single team made a trade, the actual hit rate was 7/21, so basically getting 1/3rd right isnt bad.

Lets see if we can do better this year.

Atlanta Hawks Larry Nance Jr.

For once, the usual Hawks suspects dont seem to be as prominently featured in rumor mills this season.

The Hawks recently pivoted to a younger core while remaining competitive in the, um, not-so-competitive Eastern Conference.

So, I project veteran big Larry Nance Jr.

as the most likely player to get traded.

Nance has fallen behind Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu in the center pecking order, and at this stage in his career hes probably not spry enough to play the 4 full time.

Still, hes a strong shooter for a 5, on an expiring contract, and is a great locker-room presence who could find minutes for a needy team elsewhere.

Wesley Morton, Peachtree Hoops Boston Celtics Jaden Springer The Celtics have a stacked roster that is way into the second apron.

Barring injury, they wont be trading any of their top 8 or 9 players.

Most of the rest of the roster is made up of minimum players with little or no trade value.

The one exception is Jaden Springer, who has a $4 million expiring contract.

The defensive specialist has some potential but hasnt shown enough on offense to contribute to a title contender this year.

Brad Stevens could attach draft compensation to a team willing to take on his salary and give Boston tax relief.

Or perhaps Boston could take on a longer-term contract in return, they just cant take back more than Springers $4M, so options could be limited.

Jeff Clark, CelticsBlog Related Brooklyn Nets Cam Johnson The Nets arent necessarily in a rush to trade Johnson, but if the right deal comes across the table then theres belief hell be moved.

They have 31 picks over the next 7 years and they want to Johnson will be the second-highest-paid Nets player in 2025-26, and its also worth noting theyll need to create space for the four first-round picks they currently have in the 2025 draft.

Anthony Puccio, NetsDaily Related Charlotte Hornets Miles Bridges The Hornets are very tricky to figure out this season because theyve yet to truly establish an identity under new coach Charles Lee.

While Miles Bridges has been one of Charlottes most productive scorers (particularly while LaMelo Ball has been out), hes also a bizarre fit in the Hornets rotation.

The long-term focus of this team appears to be LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Mark Williams with the other two players being predominantly defense-foicused, something that all three of the former struggle with at times.

Bridges has been a minus-level defender this season and its clear that Lee has been wanting to get more minutes out of rookie Tidjane Salaun.

That puts Bridges in a position to be traded, and hed likely be a fairly intriguing prospect for any team in need of scoring, so long as theyre willing to overlook his off-court issues .

James Dator, SB Nation Chicago Bulls Nikola Vucevic The Bulls should be motivated to unload several veterans with the team flirting with losing its top-10 protected draft pick, and that list starts with Vucevic.

The veteran center has turned himself into a legitimate stretch-5 this season with a 40.6% three-point stroke and the best true shooting percentage of his career.

Vuc has lost a step defensively (and he was never that good to begin with) so he may ultimately still be a pricey backup center.

Still, his ability to take defenders off the dribble, score inside, act as a pass hub from the elbows, and stroke three-pointers should be appealing on the open market.

Hes owed another $20 million next season, but during a time when everyone is looking for bigs who can shoot, Vuc is available to the highest bidder.

Ricky ODonnell, SB Nation Cleveland Cavaliers Jaylon Tyson The only first-round pick the Cavs can trade is in 2031.

That leaves them with few future assets that can be moved for a big swing.

Jaylon Tyson is the only young player on the roster who could conceivably be moved and have value as a young prospect for other teams.

Tyson has looked good in his NBA minutes, but the Cavs are too deep to have him consistently in the rotation.

This has forced the rookie to play more G League minutes so far this season.

The Cavaliers could go all in to give themselves the best possible chance to win a title this season.

If they were to do so, Tyson would have to be involved in that deal considering their lack of other assets.

The Cavs would like to keep a young player who could grow into the type of cost-controlled piece they need long-term, but they might not have time for Tyson to develop into that player.

Their title window is open now.

Theres no guarantee that it will be a few seasons from now when Tyson is ready.

Jackson Flickinger, Fear the Sword Related Dallas Mavericks Quentin Grimes Trade rumors were swirling around Daniel Gafford before Dereck Livelys ankle injury was upgraded to a stress fracture in his foot .

Now that Gafford is the only legitimate option at center for Dallas for at least the next two months, Quentin Grimes is perhaps the only Dallas Maverick the team may consider moving on from who holds any real trade value.

He will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season and will likely command enough to put Dallas over the first salary cap apron unless other moves are made to make room to match the offers hell receive from other teams.

So Grimes becomes an interesting test case, to say the least.

Moving him before the deadline would indicate the Dallas front offices aversion to going over that first apron.

Keeping him may indicate a willingness to deal with the consequences of going over the first apron.

Keeping him only to let him go for nothing at the end of the season would be lunacy, and Nico Harrison has not made a name for himself as a lunatic.

Matt Martinez, Mavs Moneyball Related Denver Nuggets Michael Porter Jr.

This is admittedly a bit of an MPJ-esque heat check to start, but looking up and down the Nuggets roster, they dont have that many obvious contracts that scream trade-worthy.

Nikola Jokic (duh), Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray (both recently extended) arent going anywhere, and Porter is their only other contract big enough ($35 million this year) to chase the types of big moves they were getting linked to earlier in the year (remember when they were interested in Zach LaVine? ).

Even Porter himself has been almost unbelievably candid about the reality that hes the member of the teams 2022 championship core most likely to be moved, telling ESPN during Denvers season-opening swoon that If we dont win it this year...

we all know they might have to break it up, and then telling local reporters in December that while the Nuggets have told him they have no desire to move me right now that hes also aware they wouldnt tell me if they wanted to move me.

But the Nuggets have been playing much better since then, so it remains to be seen how big Denvers appetite is to rock the boat now, a few months after all that turbulence.

Plus, they may not have much ammo to do so anyway.

In terms of tradeable picks, the Nuggets can currently only deal their 2031 first-rounder , so while Zeke Nnaji is a mid-sized contract they could move, his low value and low-ish salary ($8.8 million) makes it unlikely hed bring back the sort of upgrade worth giving up a first-rounder that far out for.

So if the Nuggets are actually going to take a big swing at the deadline, Porter is the name to watch.

Harrison Faigen, SB Nation Detroit Pistons Tim Hardaway Jr.

The Pistons seem primed to make a deal, and their most tradeable asset is simply the $14 million in cap room they have on hand to help facilitate trades for other teams .

But talking about money is no fun, so lets turn our attention to players.

Of the veterans, it seems that Tim Hardaway Jr.

is the most expendable.

He is on an expiring $16.5 million deal (there we go, talking about money again).

If the Pistons are going to need to move money around, it feels like Hardaway is the biggest name that would be packaged in any such deal.

They would miss his shooting and veteran leadership, but he was always destined to be a placeholder.

New president Trajan Langdon has been explicit in wanting to use this season to add assets (young players and picks), and I dont think Langdon will let sentimentality or Detroits place as a play-in contender get in the way of his long-term goal.

Sean Corp, Detroit Bad Boys Related Golden State Warriors Andrew Wiggins This probably isnt the name that people are expecting to see here.

That name is Jonathan Kuminga.

But theres a fundamental problem keeping Kuminga from being the likeliest outgoing piece (in addition to the fact that he has an injury that might sideline him through the deadline ): the Warriors are very hesitant to trade Kuminga, and his salary for this year is just $7.6 million.

Would the Warriors trade Kuminga in the right deal? Absolutely.

But that deal would only be for a star, and the Warriors hard-capped and a few hundred thousand short of the first apron have no means of acquiring a star without shedding significant salary.

Thats where Andrew Wiggins comes in.

With Steph Curry and Draymond Green off the table, Wiggins (who makes $26.3 million this year) is pretty much Golden States only option for matching the salary of the type of bonafide star theyre seeking.

Only after salaries match can the Warriors worry about whether theyre trading Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, Trayce-Jackson Davis, or Moses Moody.

Brady Klopfer, Golden State of Mind Related Houston Rockets JaeSean Tate This is an interesting question because Houston has several guys who you can foresee being traded as the Rockets look for how to manage this roster moving forward.

A possible case could be made for everyone from Fred VanVleet or Dillon Brooks to Reed Sheppard or Cam Whitmore.

But Houstons number one need is shooting, and while Rafael Stone seems happy with Houstons core, making a deal on the margins for an extra shooter seems the most likely route to me.

Im saying JaeSean Tate and his expiring contract (while remaining useful on the court) is the most likely to go right now.

This is a situation potentially in flux, however.

Darren Yuvan, The Dream Shake Indianapolis Pacers Myles Turner The reigning Eastern Conference Finals participants have been painted as buyers at this NBA trade deadline after already swinging a smaller deal for backup center Thomas Bryant, with a few reports painting them as one of the suitors for the previously mentioned Cam Johnson.

Trading their starting center would seem to fly in the face of that.

However, there have been several reports that the Pacers are discussing an extension with Turner, and could trade him if they dont reach an agreement before the deadline.

The 28-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent after this season if an extension cant be reached, and is making approximately $19.9 million in the final year of his current deal...

a number that just so happens to almost exactly line up with Johnsons $22.5 million this year.

A one-for-one swap sending Turner to Brooklyn is obviously unlikely given Brooklyns tank ambitions, but could a team willing to pay Turner more than the Pacers this summer be willing to pony up a pick to help Indiana grease the wheels on a Johnson trade in some sort of multi-team deal? It would be slightly out of left field, but crazier things have happened at the deadline.

Harrison Faigen, SB Nation Los Angeles Clippers PJ Tucker The Clippers are hard-capped at the first apron as a result of signing Nicolas Batum to the bi-annual exception last summer, and so they only have about $4 million in wiggle room to make a deal.

But if theyre looking to make upgrades anyway and theyve been perpetually aggressive under Steve Ballmers ownership then shipping out PJ Tucker seems like a near certainty.

The 39-year-old has been waiting at home as the team looks to trade him, and as such essentially functions as a human trade exception worth approximately $11.5 million in potential savings for teams looking to free up offseason cap room, making him the nominee here for the second year in a row .

This year his salary is expiring, though, potentially making his contract less onerous to potential sellers only looking for draft picks and matching salary.

The Clippers also have been linked to center upgrades like Chris Boucher and Robert Williams, both of whom probably not coincidentally make nearly the same amount as Tucker.

Harrison Faigen, SB Nation Los Angeles Lakers Gabe Vincent This spot would have likely be reserved for DAngelo Russell prior to the Lakers trading him for Dorian Finney-Smith .

Now, a different guard takes the spot as Gabe Vincent, who has battled injury throughout his time in Los Angeles, is on a tradeable contract ($11 million this year and $11.5 million for next) while also having played poorly enough for most of his tenure in purple and gold that an upgrade over him seems feasible.

Jacob Rude, Silver Screen and Roll Related Memphis Grizzlies Luke Kennard Just like Tucker, Kennard is a repeat nominee here, and just like Tucker, he is arguably more likely to be moved because his deal is expiring now.

The 28-year-old reserve shooter is playing fewer minutes for an improved Grizzlies team this season, but is still shooting over 40% from three, making him a vet capable of opening up the floor for a rebuilding team, much like Malik Beasley in Detroit.

The Grizzlies are not frequent in-season movers under this front office regime (and may not need substantial upgrades), but Kennard appears the most likely to get dealt from a contract and rotational need perspective.

Harrison Faigen, SB Nation Miami Heat Nikola Jovic It took everything in me not to put myself as the trade piece, to get me off of this rollercoaster involving star player Jimmy Butler and Pat Riley.

Conventional wisdom would point to Butler being shipped out, considering he and Riley have been sending shots at each other like cannon fire.

However, I dont think the Butler saga is ending anytime soon, so Im looking elsewhere on the roster.

Jovic is a tough one, because hes shown he can wear many hats for this Heat team offensively.

But hes also their best trade chip with guard Tyler Herro being the new engine of the offense, so I wouldnt be surprised if he gets dangled in trade talks.

J.P.

Acosta, SB Nation Related Milwaukee Bucks Delon Wright As much as some fans would like to move on from Bobby Portis or Pat Connaughton whose $12 million and $9.4 million salaries, respectively, are much better salary-matchers I think both will stay because they each have a player option this summer.

Connaughton is a lock to pick his up since hes fallen off so much, which means other teams wont want him.

Portis will probably opt out, but I think that after a rough start to the year, he provides the Bucks with necessary scoring punch off the bench, and they have no legit NBA bigs behind him.

Hes back in many fans good graces too.

MarJon Beauchamps expiring salary (his fourth-year option was declined) has essentially no value since he hasnt developed, so I would guess hes waived.

All that said, Im picking Wright because though I really like what he brings the Bucks defensively, hes not a ballhandler and has lost his three-point stroke completely.

Andre Jackson Jr.

is a superior and younger defender, while two-way guard Ryan Rollins has defensive chops of his own and has run the offense well enough for multiple games this year when Damian Lillard has been out.

Wright wont fetch much himself, but I see him being traded alongside Milwaukees last remaining second (2031) for any vet whos also on a minimum salary, exactly like what the Bucks did last year when they swapped Cameron Payne and a second for Patrick Beverley.

Im sure theyd prefer another ballhandler in return, but a defensive wing or big man depth would be good too.

Van Fayaz, Brew Hoop Minnesota Timberwolves Julius Randle Let me start with the obvious.

The Timberwolves are a second-apron team, and as anyone who has tried to use the trade machine can tell you, that makes any deal incredibly difficult and user-unfriendly.

Its also worth noting that part of the push to trade Randle is to improve the optics of the return the Wolves got for trading potential All-Star starter Karl-Anthony Towns.

However, a Julius Randle trade would have to walk a thin line of both bringing back a long term piece and also not locking the Wolves out of resigning their key free agents in Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

Ducking the second apron this year isnt a possibility but the cap dangers of a Randle non-trade could extend even further.

Randles 30.9 million dollar player option, if he were to accept it, would carry serious ramifications for Minnesotas roster structure and flexibility this summer and going forward.

For that reason, the Wolves could look to flip Randle for a more surefire expiring contract in hopes of offering Naz Reid the title of starter and bringing back the two best developmental stories in this era of Timberwolves basketball.

Thilo Latrell Widder, Canis Hoopus New Orleans Pelicans Literally anyone on the roster Fine, this is maybe a copout, but after this Pelicans season from hell, there is literally no one on the roster Id be surprised to see them deal at the deadline as they look to recoup assets.

Sending Brandon Ingram somewhere that wants to pay him? Sure.

Sending out Zion Williamson to hit the repeat button on this era? I could see it.

CJ McCollum or Dejounte Murray getting sent to a team looking for a backcourt upgrade? Its feasible.

There is no one you could name on the current team Id be surprised to see New Orleans test the market on in a lost season, which made it impossible for this coward to pick just one player.

Harrison Faigen, SB Nation New York Knicks Precious Achiuwa Will Mitchell Robinson return soon? Will he be effective? Who knows.

Financial constraints and Robinsons potential unavailability until possibly after the Feb.

6 trade deadline complicate the Knicks ability to make significant roster changes.

Currently, the Knicks urgently need a rim protector who can either allow Karl-Anthony Towns to shift to the four position in the starting lineup or solidify the paint defense with the second unit.

With Towns latest thumb injury, the need for a reliable center only increases.

Nick Richards was on the radar before Phoenix snagged him.

Look for the Knicks to take a swing at Jonas Valanciunas before the deadline, which would likely cost them Precious Achiuwa and one or two draft picks.

Russell Richardson, Posting & Toasting Oklahoma City Thunder Luguentz Dort If Sam Prestis track record is anything to go off of, the real answer here is that hes unlikely to make any big midseason deals.

Last years trade for Gordon Hayward is one of the few attempts Presti has ever made at adding to his teams rotation midseason...

and Hayward ended up barely playing for OKC before retiring after the season.

But if Presti does use move to consolidate some picks from his treasure chest of assets to upgrade the rotation of a team that already appears to be a title favorite, Dort could make sense as the outgoing piece.

The Thunders books are relatively clear of big money right now, with Dorts $16.5 million as the teams third-highest salary this season.

If Oklahoma City does look to consummate their rumored pursuit of Cam Johnson , then moving Dort to upgrade their three-and-D wing slot could make sense.

Harrison Faigen, SB Nation Orlando Magic Cole Anthony Just like the Thunder, the Magic are not known for in-season transactions to add to their rotation, but if they do look to clear up their guard glut and reinforce their core to see if they can go on a run in the Eastern Conference playoffs this year, Cole Anthony profiles as the player theyre most likely to move.

There have been whispers that Orlando has been surveying the trade market for Anthony, and his $12.9 million salary this year could be paired with the Magics treasure trove of picks to make an addition to their roster.

Harrison Faigen, SB Nation Philadelphia 76ers KJ Martin The Sixers signed KJ Martin essentially with the intent to trade him.

They had his Bird Rights which allowed them to exceed the salary cap to re-sign him.

Respectfully, the hyper-athletic forwards contract is what you would call a balloon deal inflated and not reflective of what he wouldve gotten on the open market.

A couple things have complicated matters with Martin.

The first thing is hes actually played well and might be worth hanging on to.

The second is that hes currently out with a stress reaction in his left foot.

Martin is under contract (non-guaranteed) for 2025-26 so the team could hold on to him, either hoping he can help them or be part of a true all-in move at next years deadline.

If the Sixers do move Martin, look for the return to either be a long-term fit at the 4 or a dynamic guard that can help mitigate the loss of standout rookie Jared McCain.

Paul Hudrick, Liberty Ballers Related Phoenix Suns Grayson Allen The Phoenix Suns dont have many desirable assets at their disposal not named Kevin Durant or Devin Booker.

Jusuf Nurkic? Nice contract, but who wants the lumbering (and now-benched) Bosnian Beast? Josh Okogie? His inflated contract might be appealing to a team looking to come off some money and wants to pay a defense-only guy $7.8 million next year.

But then theres Grayson Allen.

Every team needs shooting.

And Grayson Allen is a shooter.

Hes owed $15.6 million this year as he is on year one of a four-year (player option in year four), $70 million deal.

Trading Allen wouldnt get them out of the second apron, so Phoenix would strictly be looking for someone who could add to their championship aspirations, although those are quickly fading as the team nears doomsday .

John Voita, Bright Side of the Sun Related Portland Trail Blazers Jerami Grant or Anfernee Simons The Trail Blazers are sitting on two veteran players with skills to burn, players who might not fit their current agenda.

The first is Jerami Grant, a power forward who combines defense, scoring, and three-point shooting.

Hes suffering in all three departments playing with a young, incomplete roster in Portland.

A change of scenery would do him good.

He also checks nearly every box a contending team could want.

The catch: Hes scheduled to make $34 million per year for the next three seasons.

The second is Anfernee Simons, a seven-year veteran who is just 25 years old.

Simons can score 20 as easily as he can breathe but the Blazers are replete with shooting guards and his experimental time at point hasnt paid dividends.

Simons makes $26 million this year, $27.5 million next.

Dave Deckard, Blazers Edge Related Sacramento Kings Kevin Huerter What a difference a few weeks makes.

When the Kings were spiraling under Mike Brown, it looked like DeAaron Fox might be the player to name here if Sacramento blew it up.

But the Kings have been resurgent under Doug Christie, and may have pivoted back to being buyers as they chase a playoff berth.

With that in mind, Kevin Huerters $16 million contract profiles as the best combination of size and expendability amidst a down shooting year to pair with the Kings available first-round picks to pursue an impact player.

They are another team to be connected to Cam Johnson , but it remains to be seen if theyre willing to offer enough draft capital to get Brooklyn to send him over.

If they can reach a deal with Brooklyn, Huerter gets the Kings most of the way to Johnsons approximately $22.5 million salary .

Harrison Faigen, SB Nation San Antonio Spurs Malaki Branham Many Spurs fans might expect to see Zach Collins or Keldon Johnsons name on this list.

This is a bit of a zag because San Antonio doesnt seem like a team that will make a big splash at the deadline.

This front office has proven to be patient.

Waiting until the offseason to make a big move allows them to construct a roster around whatever players they decide to surround Victor Wembanyama with.

Because of that, San Antonio will likely keep their tradeable contracts for a potential big move in the summer.

That doesnt mean they wont make any moves.

Smaller, marginal moves like going after a backup center make a lot of sense for San Antonio.

A move like that will likely include some draft capital or young players.

Malaki Branham makes sense here.

Hes had a rocky start to his NBA career, showing signs of shot creation from three and in the mid-range, all the while struggling on the defensive end.

Branham has found himself on the outside looking in of the Spurs rotation, with no clear path to meaningful minutes.

But on a cheap contract with one more year of team control, he may be worth a flyer for a team heading toward the bottom of the standings while the Spurs look for a player that can help them ascend.

Jacob Douglas, Pounding the Rock Related Toronto Raptors Bruce Brown The clock is ticking on getting anything back for Bruce Brown before his contract expires.

Brown came to Toronto as a part of the Pascal Siakam deal one year ago, and the idea from the jump was that he would be a good trade piece.

The Raptors held onto him through the draft and offseason, and by the time the season started it was announced that Brown needed a knee procedure.

He has been back on the court mere weeks, but so far the return looks decent.

It would be shocking if the Raptors did not deal Brown for something by the deadline, especially since they should be active in the 2025 draft.

Chelsea Leite, Raptors HQ Utah Jazz Collin Sexton With all the inconsistency of this season for the Utah Jazz , the one constant has been Collin Sexton putting up great numbers.

The problem is theyre too good and it has cost the Jazz in the tank race multiple times.

Sexton is averaging splits of 47% FG/42% FG3/90% FT.

Having a player playing a lot of minutes and averaging a near triple-double is not a great recipe for a team seeking the #1 pick.

The only drawback is that Sexton is undersized and grades out badly on the defensive end.

The teams that might want Sexton will likely be a team wanting an off-ball scorer, or possibly a high-level sixth man.

James Hansen, SLC Dunk Related Washington Wizards Jonas Valanciunas The Wizards have multiple players who are trade targets.

Ultimately, center Jonas Valanciunas appears to be a practical lock to be traded.

He is still a very serviceable post with a big body who can play both physically around the rim and be able to make shots from the perimeter.

His $10 million cap hit this year makes him a very moveable piece.

Though the Lakers ultimately didnt acquire him and Malcolm Brogdon in December talks, multiple teams will still make their offers for Valanciunas, who probably wont be in Washington for much longer given that he could be a valuable rotation piece on a playoff team.

Albert Lee, Bullets Forever Related.

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