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

Tis the season for conversations around the NBA as general managers gauge who’s available, fire up their trade machines, and see if a deal can be agreed upon to instantly enhace their roster before the trade deadline. While all indications are names like Bradley Beal, Zach LaVine, and Aaron Gordon won’t get shipped, Andre Drummond is the most obvious trade candidate right now. Buyouts and the subsequent signings of big name players by contenders will likely represent the most notable transactions. Regardless, just about every team looking to make a run in the playoffs will consider an upgrade.

Some squads have more glaring needs right now compared to others—like the Jazz and Clippers who appear to be on cruise control, the Blazers expect a bunch of key players to return from injuries in due time, and the Nets are most likely sticking to the buyout market. So we decided to highlight eight teams—four in the East and four in the West—and what ails them as well as who precisely could provide a boost before the March 25 trade deadline. Enjoy the speculation.

Duh, everybody needs more shooting. While the Sixers are the Eastern Conference’s top squad (at least according to records) and feature a top 3 MVP candidate in Joel Embiid, they could definitely use another sharpshooter or two since they’re a middling 3-point shooting team (17th at 36.2 percent from deep) and trail other contenders. And that’s despite Seth Curry shooting lights out (47.9 percent) and Tobias Harris knocking them down at a career-high clip (42.7 percent). But when Embiid is your third-best 3-point shooter (39.7 percent), well...let’s just say it ain’t a bad thing, but we’d rather see him dominate down low. Plus, more shooters space things out for Embiid and Ben Simmons to do what they do best. As for Philly’s defense, it got exposed against the Suns last weekend and they clearly could use another athletic wing player/reserve guard because it’s going to be a herculean task trying to defend Brooklyn’s three-headed monster when the finally faceoff.

Former Sixer and current Pelican JJ Redick is an obvious choice here to help with outside shooting. The Pelicans were rumored to have him on the trading block and if they appease Redick, who from all indications would prefer to land somewhere in the Northeast, the Sixers would likely welcome his return. Kings reserves Nemanja Bjelica, who has largely fallen out of Sacramento’s rotation, is another name to keep an eye on. Recent rumors have linked Detroit’s Delon Wright and OKC’s George Hill as potential trade targets. Sacramento’s Buddy Hield would be ultra-intriguing, but most likely too far-fetched.

Milwaukee’s a mess right now. Five straight losses after five straight double-digit wins have never been done before in NBA history and a 16-13 record is not what any of us expected from the Bucks. They get a slight pass since Mike Budenholzer has been experimenting with new sets and schemes. Which makes sense since Milwaukee was embarrassed the past two postseasons for refusing to make adjustments. That’s a big reason why Giannis Antetokounmpo hasn’t put up MVP-caliber numbers and the Bucks have been relatively beatable. While the offensive numbers have been robust (No. 3 offensive rating per 100 possessions), it’s been the Bucks’ inability to get stops that’s most troubling, like we saw—again—Thursday night against the Raptors who smoked the Bucks. Milwaukee’s defensive rating so far this season is 111.86 per 100 possessions, in stark contract to last season’s NBA-leading mark of 103.36. The Bucks rank 25th in opponents’ 3-point field goal percentage, 26th in opponents’ 3-point attempts allowed, and 20th in opponents’ points per game,. What the hell happened to the Bucks?

Milwaukee needs another defender who can handle himself on the perimeter. Preferably a 3-and-D guy who can add an element of danger from beyond on the arc on the opposite end of the court. Hield, who plays a little bit of defense, would be a home run. But acquiring him seems improbable. Plus, why would Milwaukee deal with Sacramento again after the offseason debacle that was the Bogdan Bogdanovic sign-and-trade fiasco? Hill, who played 106 games with Milwaukee over the past two seasons and currently averaging 11.8 PPG and hitting 38.6 percent of his 3-pointers with the Thunder, isn’t sexy, but he’s sensible.

We all know the Celtics are broken right now. At 14-14 and losers of 11 of their last 17 games, Boston has been more pretender than contender in February. Injuries have played a role along with the ineffectiveness of point guard Kemba Walker as well as the absence of Jayson Tatum after he caught COVID. But the lack of depth behind Tatum and Jaylen Brown is what’s most glaring. Subs Tristan Thompson and Jeff Teague have underperformed and if the Celtics are going to make another serious run at the Eastern Conference Finals again their issues must be addressed.

General manager Danny Ainge has a massive trade exception ($28.5 million) at his disposal thanks to the sign-and-trade Boston orchestrated with Charlotte for Gordan Hayward. Ainge will use it or lose it. It’s just a matter of how much of it will he use and whom will he use it on. Many of the same characters other contenders will pursue could be good a fit in Boston like Drummond, Redick, Sacramento’s Harrison Barnes, and Atlanta’s John Collins. Basically, Boston just needs an infusion of talent—any talent—right now to help steady their sinking ship.

Injuries and absences—most notably Jimmy Butler’s—are the biggest reasons why the Heat has sputtered through the first-half of the season to a 12-17 record. But the magic we saw from them down in the bubble on their run to the NBA Finals is missing and Miami needs to find its mojo ASAP—the Heat has suffered through losing streaks of three games or more three times this season.

“I mean, it’s the same thing over and over for us,” Butler said following Thursday’s win in Sacramento. “Like you get a lead, we’re giving it up, we’re getting lazy, we’re messing around with the game. Good teams don’t do that. And I think we’re a ways away from being a good team right now. I’m not gonna lie.”

Kind of like Boston, Miami needs a shot in the arm. Somebody, anybody with some discernible talent could help jolt a team that should be way better than its record. Despite their pronounced struggles, Miami sits right on the outside looking in of a play-in spot in the Eastern Conference. Reports and rumors indicate Miami will likely do something before the deadline. They own a $7.5 million trade exception from last year’s deal involving James Johnson that expires March 22. It isn’t a ton, but it’s something. They could also end up qualifying for a disabled-player exception after losing reserve Meyers Leonard to season-ending shoulder surgery that could be worth nearly $5 million. Notably, those two exceptions can’t be combined into a bigger exception. The Kings’ Bjelica is a name that’s been loosely linked to the Heat. Drummond will get mentioned as a candidate. Kyle Lowry of the Raptors is a name that’s also been rumored and would provide a huge lift in the backcourt. Financially, though, it could be a very tough fit since Miami doesn’t have much wiggle room with the salary cap and Lowry makes a lot of money ($30 million).

Anthony Davis’s injury situation is one of the biggest storylines in the NBA right now. With a healthy AD the Lakers are the favorites to repeat as champions. A compromised AD and the Lakers are vulnerable. You would expect them to be cautious with Davis—Lakers coach Frank Vogel said Thursday the All-NBA forward is expected to miss four weeks with what’s been diagnosed as a calf strain—so he can be preserved for the playoffs. That means LA could really use some help at power forward, preferably someone who can provide scoring off the bench since Kyle Kuzma will be AD’s replacement in the starting lineup and losing his 22.5 PPG isn’t easily made up. Yes, Montrezl Harrell dons the purple and gold and remains a super sub. But LA has to compensate for AD’s missing numbers somehow—not to mention his superb defense—and the unknown of how much playing time Harrell will get in the postseason because of his liabilities is yet one more reason to get another competent body who can stay on the floor when it really matters.

The Lakers, nor any other team that has a sane general manager, would ever trade for Blake Griffin because of the massive amount of money he’s still owned and diminished skills make that a non-starter. But if the Pistons buyout the 31-year-old, oft-injured forward and Griffin is free to sign with whatever squad he likes, the Lakers could make some sense if LA feels Griffin—nowhere near the same athletic player he used to be—could provide some punch off the bench. He wouldn’t be a perfect fit for a lot of reasons, but it would be easy to sell the former Clipper on a return to Staples Center and you’d like to think he’d be motivated to perform for the defending champs. Maybe a better/more intriguing option is if LA can peel PJ Tucker away from the Rockets, but there hasn’t been much, if any, noise around that hypothetical.

Phoenix is rolling right now, Tuesday’s debacle against the Nets aside. The Suns are one of the hottest teams in the NBA, Devin Booker is cooking up defenders, Chris Paul continues to do Chris Paul things, and the rest of the roster Phoenix pieced together during the offseason is humming along quite nicely. It all means the Suns will make the playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons. But what’s Phoenix’s ceiling? Quite frankly, the Suns feel like a second-round kind of squad with an outside shot of making the Western Conference Finals if a few key injuries befell other contenders and Phoenix got lucky. Does it make sense for the Suns to do something drastic and screw around with a roster that’s starting to make strides and easily earmarked for the franchise’s first postseason action in a decade? It does not.

Regardless, the Suns could use reinforcement. A reliable veteran, specifically behind Booker and Paul, would provide an obvious boost considering CP3 and Jae Crowder are the only players on the roster with discernible playoff experience. There haven’t been any rumors linking the Suns to specific players so far, but the Suns would be wise to upgrade the bench. Could Phoenix get Austin Rivers from the Knicks since his playing time has been cut in recent weeks? He’s not a sexy name, but Rivers can provide scoring and steady play off the bench. We’ll assume the bad vibes between Rivers and CP3, stemming from their days with the Clippers, are long gone since that was five years ago.

The chances of the Nuggets looking outside for a shot in the arm don’t appear great since The Athletic reported last week that Denver wasn’t looking to screw around with its roster. But after a trip to the Western Conference Finals last season, the Nuggets have underperformed so far—despite Nikola Jokic playing at an MVP level—highlighted by the inconsistencies Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. (not to mention Porter’s complete lack of defense). The Nuggets are 20th in defensive rating (113.60 per 100 possessions) and currently find themselves eighth in the West, just two games above .500. We all know the identity and strength of Denver has never been predicated on defense. But if you don’t defend at least a little you don’t really stand a chance.

The 35-year-old Tucker could be a great stabilizing presence for the Nuggets since he would provide rebounding, defense, grittiness, and the ability to hit the corner three. Rivers is not too expensive, reliable, and his contract isn’t guaranteed past this season. Collins would be the ultra-intriguing option since he would add another explosive scorer and rebounder to the rotation, but it doesn’t seem likely and he, like Porter, plays zero defense.

We don’t deserve Curry’s greatness, but let’s enjoy it while it lasts. Turning 33 next month, Curry is a legit MVP candidate as he’s nearly averaging a career-high in points (30.0) while featuring a PER (23.9) that’s inching closer and closer to the rating he put during his back-to-back MVP campaigns in 2014-15 and 2015-16. Without Klay Thompson, or another truly dynamic scorer to rely on, Curry basically has to do it all offensively for the Warriors if they’re going to reach the postseason (currently seventh in the West standings, three games above .500). While he’s been brilliant, Curry’s usage rate (32.2) hasn’t been this high since the 2015-16 season (we’re not counting last year’s five-game season) and you wonder how much of the load can the injury-prone guard handle before he breaks down?

Curry could really, really use a competent sidekick, but the Warriors’ cap situation—roughly $40 million OVER the luxury tax threshold—makes the addition of another quality, difference-making scorer borderline improbable. Golden State could still make a lateral move, however. Kelly Oubre was rumored to illicit interest from others teams, most notably the Pelicans, but he likely wouldn’t bring back a true impact scorer. Even if Golden State arguably holds the most valuable asset in the NBA—Minnesota’s top-3 protected 2021 first-round pick acquired in the Andrew Wiggins trade—there hasn’t been much noise that the Warriors will be active on the trade market. For better or worse, Golden State is going to ask Curry to carry them to the postseason.