5 NBA Teams That Need to Make a Trade Before the Deadline

Dec 15, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and forward Anthony Davis (3) on the floor against the Atlanta Hawks in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Clippers currently sit at second place in the West, but have reportedly been very active in trade talks ahead of the deadline. It sounds like they want Marcus Morris, who has been playing lights out for the Knicks this season. And while the Clippers have beat the Lakers twice this season already, you'll likely need even more fire power to beat LeBron and Anthony Davis in a playoff series. Morris, or someone with his similar skillset would surley make the Clippers feel better about a potential playoff showdown with their crosstown rival. 

We might as well stay in Los Angeles and the Lakers, who despite having the best record in the conference, could still manage to add some upgrades to the roster. We all know they've been dangling Kyle Kuzma in trade talks, but it's unclear what sort of player they'd like to get back in any deal. The Lakers have been linked to Marcus Morris, but in our eyes, it would make much more sense for them to target a guard to upgrade over Rajon Rondo. Of course, they could trade for someone like Morris and then sign Darren Collison, who would slide in as a lead guard on the team. 

The Sixers currently sit at the sixth spot in the East and are almost six games out of the second seed. That's clearly not where they'd thought they'd be at this point in the season, but their consistently inconsistent play has put the team in flux, with many fans calling for Brett Brown to be fired. Who knows if that's going to happen, but it's clear that the Sixers need to make a move. It's unlikely that they completely blow up their core in a move like trading Ben Simmons or Joel Embiid, but they defintely need to add some shooting to the lineup. Where that comes from? Your guess is as good as ours right now. 

The Dallas Mavericks are one of the biggest surprises of this NBA season and currenlty sit at the sixth seed in the West. They seem to be a year early in their team development, but after the injury to Dwight Powell, it would make some sense to keep adding talent after trading for Willie Cauley-Stein. Dallas could also do well to add some extra wing depth to their lineup, especially after the Rockets added Robert Covington before the deadline. 

The Miami Heat have been very good this season and Jimmy Butler is continuing to prove that he's a legit star in this league. While the Heat sit at the fourth seed in the East, they could stand to upgrade their roster, and we know Pat Riley will always be aggressive to make moves. The Heat likely need to add a big at the deadline, especially someone who could stretch the floor. They've been rumored to be after Iggy, but who knows if Memphis will even move him at this point.