The NBA trade deadline is where teams start to position themselves for the future. It’s that magical time of year where Adrian Wojnarowski takes over Twitter and fills us in on the latest trade deadline news. Whether it’s loading up for the playoffs, or getting a jump start on the offseason, GM’s are about to get busy. Teams play about 70% of their games leading into the NBA trade deadline. Usually, that’s enough of a sample size to figure out who are the buyers and sellers. This year is a little more challenging than most, as all but a couple teams are still in the playoff picture.
Sifting through the Eastern Conference
The Head of the Pack
The Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards, and Toronto Raptors are all clearly buyers. The next two teams in the standings are the Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks. The Pacers are on a tear lately and have won seven straight. Indiana has been great at home (20-6) this year but struggled on the road (9-16). Both C.J. Miles and Jeff Teague will be free agents this summer. Indiana will be active either in the next couple weeks or around the draft. Rodney Stuckey or Monta Ellis could be on the move for younger players still on their rookie contracts and an expiring contract. Moving one of the two players would help set Indiana up for the offseason, and wouldn’t have a big impact on the team’s success this season.
The Hawks are hard to figure out
The Atlanta Hawks are a complete mystery. Few teams have openly put players on the market more than Atlanta has over the last two seasons. They run the risk of losing Al Horford and Paul Millsap in two seasons with no return to show for it. They’re also right in the thick of a playoff race, and just a half-game back from leading their division. Atlanta’s had three big swings this year. They started off winning 9 of their first 11 games. Then they lost 14 of their next 20 games. Then they won 9 of 10, and have been back and forth in their last 11, with 6 wins and 5 losses.
Atlanta looked as though they were going to have a fire sale a couple weeks ago, but pulled back after dealing Kyle Korver to the Cavs. Whether or not Millsap is in Atlanta’s future may determine the direction Atlanta takes in the coming weeks. Millsap will be turning 32 years old early next season, and will likely have signed a massive contract in the offseason. Atlanta seems to have committed to signing him by pulling him off the trade block. However, things can change quickly, and if they start questioning their desire to sign him long term, they may consider an offer they’ve already received.
Eight teams and two playoff spots
The Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons currently hold the final two playoff spots, but there are six other teams that are within 5.5 games of the eighth seed. The New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, and Charlotte Hornets are all teams that had expectations of making the playoffs.
Carmelo Anthony‘s no-trade clause handcuffs the Knicks and their ability to start building around Kristaps Porzingis. New York doesn’t have much in terms of assets to offer outside of Anthony and Porzingis, and Porzingis isn’t going anywhere. The Knicks may start to seriously consider an entire rebuild, but they have some contracts that may be hard to sell in Lee and Noah.
The Bucks have gone from a young playoff team to a slightly older lottery team in just a couple seasons. That’s not the way it’s supposed to work, but they’ve done it. Kris Middleton is expected to return to action after the All-Star break, which will be a welcomed addition. Still, they have a number of players that will be available at a decent price. John Henson and Greg Monroe could both find themselves on another team soon.
Charlotte has fallen hard over the last month, as they’ve lost 12 of their last 15 games. It is still unlikely that the Hornets will turn into sellers, as they’ve committed to eight players for the next three years.
The remaining three teams are the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, and Philadelphia 76ers. Orlando’s roster is a bit of a mess right now, and will likely be sellers at the NBA trade deadline. The Sixers rode the Joel Embiid train for a while and catapulted their win totals in the process. Philly has since gone on a four-game skid, and are very likely to trade Jahlil Okafor soon. The Heat are inexplicably vaulting up the standings. They’ve been on an eleven game win streak, but will likely remain as sellers.
Sifting through the Western Conference
The top six teams in the West will be in the ‘buyers’ column, but they may not do much buying. The Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies all have competent rosters that are playing at a high level. If any of those teams make any moves they will be of the small tweak variety.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are in a tough situation going forward. Next season, they are slotted to have 38.8% of their cap space tied up at the Center position with Enes Kanter and Steven Adams. It could have been expected to see Kanter placed on the block for this NBA trade deadline to shift the cap usage to another position. However, with Kanter sidelined with a self-inflicted injury, the Thunder will have to wait until the offseason to explore trade scenarios. Thunder GM Sam Presti is still an active GM, so he should be heavily involved in the coming weeks.
Who wants the eighth seed?
The Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns appear to be the only two teams whose playoff hopes are down to a small flicker. The rest of the bunch are within four-and-a-half games of the eighth seed. The Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, New Orleans Pelicans, and Minnesota Timberwolves would all love to see the playoffs this season. These teams will be actively looking to improve their roster leading into the NBA trade deadline. Minnesota and New Orleans may be more willing to take a step back, while Dallas, Portland, and Sacramento will likely be more aggressively looking to add talent.
Who are the Buyers, Sellers, and Who’s on the Fence?
Buyers
| Cleveland | Boston |
| Indiana | Detroit |
| Washington | Toronto |
| Oklahoma City | Houston |
| Utah | San Antonio |
| Golden State | LA Clippers |
| Portland | Dallas |
| Memphis |
To Be Determined
| Atlanta | Chicago |
| Charlotte | Milwaukee |
| New Orleans | Minnesota |
| Denver | Sacramento |
Sellers
| Brooklyn | Philadelphia |
| New York | Orlando |
| Miami |
| LA Lakers | Phoenix |
Who’s Buying and who’s Selling as the NBA Trade Deadline Approaches
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