The NBA Trade Deadline is shaping up to be a massive dud. There are some huge names who could be available — Ja Morant, Anthony Davis, LaMelo Ball, Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis. But it's hard to imagine any of those players meaningfully affecting the title race this season. These are the kinds of deals that kick off rebuilds on one side and have a middling team gambling it all that someone else's trash can help them take the leap.
If Giannis officially asks out, this all changes, but right now it looks like the best teams in the league will be looking for tweaks on the margins rather than home run swings. But that doesn't mean we should expect plenty of action, even if it doesn't amount to much come May and June. So, today, we're resetting the hierarchy of the league with our new NBA Power Rankings, and then looking at what the teams at the top could be shopping for.
NBA Power Rankings, Week 13
TEAM | RECORD | LAST WEEK |
|---|---|---|
1. Oklahoma City Thunder | 36-8 | 1 |
2. Detroit Pistons | 31-10 | 5 |
3. Boston Celtics | 26-16 | 2 |
4. San Antonio Spurs | 30-14 | 4 |
5. Houston Rockets | 26-15 | 3 |
6. Minnesota Timberwolves | 27-17 | 8 |
7. Denver Nuggets | 29-15 | 7 |
8. Phoenix Suns | 27-17 | 11 |
9. Golden State Warriors | 25-20 | 12 |
10. New York Knicks | 25-18 | 6 |
11. Toronto Raptors | 26-19 | 16 |
12. Philadelphia 76ers | 23-19 | 14 |
13. Cleveland Cavaliers | 24-20 | 10 |
14. Orlando Magic | 23-19 | 13 |
15. Miami Heat | 23-21 | 9 |
16. Los Angeles Lakers | 26-16 | 15 |
17. Portland Trail Blazers | 22-22 | 19 |
18. Los Angeles Clippers | 19-24 | 17 |
19. Charlotte Hornets | 16-27 | 23 |
20. Memphis Grizzlies | 18-23 | 20 |
21. Atlanta Hawks | 20-25 | 18 |
22. Dallas Mavericks | 18-26 | 22 |
23. Chicago Bulls | 21-22 | 24 |
24. Milwaukee Bucks | 18-24 | 21 |
25. New Orleans Pelicans | 10-35 | 27 |
26. Brooklyn Nets | 12-29 | 25 |
27. Indiana Pacers | 10-34 | 28 |
28. Sacramento Kings | 12-32 | 29 |
29. Utah Jazz | 15-29 | 26 |
30. Washington Wizards | 10-32 | 30 |
Every contender's biggest trade deadline need
For our purposes here, I'm going to define contenders as teams currently in the top-10 in this week's power rankings. However, that does leave out several teams who are likely to be active and could make a jump with splashy move — teams like the Lakers, Raptors, 76ers, Heat and Magic.
Knicks: Anything to shift the vibes
New York's defense is an absolute disaster right now, but they have the personnel to be much better at that end. What they need is not so much a talent upgrade as an energy and aggressiveness upgrade. Think Collin Sexton, Jose Alvarado, Ayo Dosunmu.
Warriors: Size and frontcourt scoring
The margin for error is incredibly small with Jimmy Butler out for the season but turning Kuminga into a 4 or 5 who can score, defend or both may be their last hope. Prying Michael Porter Jr. or Nic Claxton from Brooklyn would be big wins, but even a lower-risk move like Nikola Vucevic could help.
Suns: One more scorer/slasher
Getting Jalen Green healthy could help, but his relative inefficiency and subpar defense could also rock the boat for a Suns team that has been scrapping its way to wins. The fact that they're in the playoff race means they're playing with found money, but a low-risk, buy-low move for someone like Dalton Knecht, Rob Dillingham or Lonzo Ball would be worth it.
Nuggets: A break-in-case-of-emergency big
When Nikola Jokić gets healthy, this roster has everything it needs to compete for a title. If they're going to shop for anything at the deadline, it's likely to be just one more big body they can rely on in dire circumstances behind Jokić and Jonas Valančiünas. Think someone like Chris Boucher or Nick Richards.
Timberwolves: Another creator/scorer off the bench
Donte DiVincenzo has taken over as the starting point guard and is doing the job. But the Wolves don't want to go into the playoffs having to count on big minutes from Mike Conley, Jaylen Clark, Terrence Shannon, Bones Hyland or Rob Dillingham behind him. Reasonable targets would be players like Tyus Jones, Lonzo Ball, Ayo Dosunmu and Cam Thomas.
Rockets: Another point guard
The Rockets have made it work with Amen Thompson and second-year guard Reed Sheppard as their primary point guards. But it couldn't hurt to grab one more ball-handler who can hold their own at both ends of the floor. Think Lonzo Ball, Tyus Jones, Jose Alvarado.
Spurs: A star
The Spurs are already a top-five team, with a ton of depth, young talent and plenty of upside. They don't have the pressure of needing to chase a title this year, so if they're buying anything at the deadline it's going to be a big swing, not a small upgrade. If Giannis ever formally requests a trade, they'd be in the mix. Otherwise, they're probably sitting this one out.
Celtics: Another big
Right now, the Celtics' center rotation is Neemias Queta, Luke Garza, Josh Minott, with occasional small ball appearances by Sam Hauser and Jordan Walsh. Queta has been really solid, and they're good enough, as a group, to keep the Celtics afloat during the regular season. But it's a serious weakness going into a playoff series. They don't want to swing big on someone like Anthony Davis or Nikola Vucevic, but players like Nic Claxton, Day'ron Sharpe or Nick Richards could be interesting to them.
Pistons: Another offensive weapon
The Pistons are the second-best team in the league right not and the formula is Cade Cunningham and an elite, swarming defense. They really need someone else who can both stretch the defense when they're sharing the floor with Cunningham and create their own shot without him. That offensive juice could come at any position from 2-4 so they have the flexibility to look at a lot of options. If they're looking for a smaller move, players like Ayo Dosunmu, Collin Sexton or even Khris MIddleton could be solid options. If they're thinking big (and a tad unrealistic), Michael Porter Jr. would be an incredible fit, as would Keegan Murray.
Thunder: Chris Paul?
The Thunder don't need a thing and may not want to waste a roster spot on a veteran at the expense of one of their talented young players. But it would be kind of cool if they did Paul a solid and signed him so he could finally get a ring.