The Philadelphia 76ers have a big dilemma on their hands. A 7-foot, 280-pound dilemma named Joel Embiid.

Or, if you prefer years and numbers: A four-year, $248 million dilemma named Joel Embiid.

By now, you know Embiid is out for the rest of this season. He’s got a chronic left knee issue. Embiid said it would not be corrected until he could have further surgery. Yet, for some reason, he continued to play for several more games. Eventually, the pain became too much. And after another week of obfuscation, Embiid was shut down for the season.

It was clear from watching him play this season, that things were never really right for the former MVP. Embiid looked like he was dragging his left leg up and down the floor. He’s so talented, that he was still putting up decent counting stats, but the efficiency and impact on both ends of the floor were basically gone.

Embiid put up his lowest points, rebounds and blocks since his shortened rookie season. What really took a hit was his efficiency. The Sixers center hit just 44.4% from the field, including only 29.9% on three-pointers. In addition, Embiid was averaging under a block per game for the first time in his career.

In a sad, but perfect, example of the eye test matching the stats, Embiid wasn’t the same guy.

When Joel Embiid was coming into the NBA, an often-made comp was to Patrick Ewing. Dominant, strong big man who could control the glass, protect the rim and score in a variety of ways on offense. Ewing was regularly billed as the best jump-shooting center (he didn’t take threes, because that wasn’t a thing for most centers when Ewing played) during his career. The same label has been applied to Embiid.

Now, their careers appear to be taking the same tragic turn. After an injury-filled rookie season, Ewing began a run of All-Star and All-NBA appearances that lasted for decade, but sadly, an NBA title eluded the Knicks big man. Then injuries hit again.

Over the final three seasons of his Knicks career, Ewing regularly missed time. Then he finished his career with two forgettable and somewhat injury-plagued seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics and Orlando Magic.

By the end, Ewing couldn’t really move or jump. He was still semi-effective because he had that nice touch on his shot and he was strong enough to hold his position on defense. But he was no longer much of a defensive presence, the rebounding was down and ability to dominate games in the paint was gone.

Sounds familiar, right? Sadly, this could be where we’re headed with Joel Embiid. One major difference? Ewing wrapped up his career as a role player making role player money. Embiid hasn’t even started his next max contract yet.

The Contract

Joel Embiid is currently wrapping up his third NBA contract. Embiid signed a four-year, Designated Veteran Extension that was set to run from 2023-24 through 2026-27. Embiid ended up cancelling out his player option on that final season to sign a new three-year Veteran Extension that will run from 2026-27 through 2028-29. All total, here’s what Embiid is owed over the next four seasons:

• 2025-26: $55,224,526 (final season of current contract)
• 2026-27: $59,539,200 (first season of three-year Veteran Extension)
• 2027-28: $64,302,336
• 2028-29: $69,065,472 (player option)
• Total: four years, $248,131,534

We’re going to go ahead and include that player option as being picked up as we do any future analysis of Embiid’s situation. He’ll turn 35 years old during the 2028-29 season and barring something unexpected, he’s almost guaranteed to pick up that option.

It’s worth noting that the 2026-27 season is based on Embiid maxing out at the 35% of the cap marker. There’s always the possibility that the cap comes in slightly lower than 10% growth in each of the next two seasons, but that seems unlikely.

Another point worth noting: There are no protections for Philadelphia in Embiid’s current deal or his previous deal. Embiid’s rookie scale extension famously had several benchmarks, that if missed could have allowed the 76ers to get out of the contract relatively free and clear. Those protections don’t exist on Embiid’s current contract, nor his extension that starts in 2026-27.

Last, but not least, point worth noting: Embiid is one of three max players on the Sixers books through at least the 2027-28 season. Paul George and Tyrese Maxey are both on maximum contracts for the next three seasons too. Here’s what the trio of Embiid, George and Maxey combine for against the projected cap for each of the next three seasons:

• 2025-26: $144,849,376 against a projected cap of $154,647,000
• 2026-27: $154,436,100 against a projected cap of $170,112,000
• 2027-28: $164,471,286 against a projected cap of $187,123,000

Essentially, even with projected cap growth outpacing salary growth, the Embiid, George, Maxey trio takes up the entire salary cap by themselves. Factor in other players, roster minimums and draft picks, Philadelphia will be over the cap and working around the luxury tax and tax aprons for the next few years with these three on the roster.

And that leads us to the decision points for the Sixers.

Trade Options

Philadelphia could look at all of the above and say that they and Joel Embiid have fought the good fight together, but now it’s time to go their separate ways. In that case, the Sixers could search out trade options for the big man.

Going that route opens up a couple of questions: Can Philadelphia trade Embiid? And who would trade for an injury-prone max contract center in today’s apron-fearing, perimeter-based NBA?

The first one is easily answered. There are no restrictions for the 76ers to trade Joel Embiid. He doesn’t have a no-trade clause of any kind. He’ll be trade-eligible by the offseason. That’s the easy part.

The harder part is finding a team who would take on Embiid and his massive contract. But the old saying in sports comes into play here: It only takes one…we’ll let finish that quote yourselves.

Some team, maybe even a few of them, will convince themselves that they, and their medical staff, can get Embiid right. They’ll look at it as maybe even stealing a former MVP and a regular All-Star on the cheap, in terms of trade capital.

In addition, there are a couple of teams who might look at their cap sheet and roster and will decide that they can deal with it if Embiid misses time. Maybe those teams are deep enough that they can manage the big man through the season by playing him 45-50 games a year.

Finally, there might be a team or two who are stuck enough that taking a chance on Embiid isn’t any bigger of a gamble than being a perennial lottery team anyway.

Without getting into specific trade ideas, we’ll probably have plenty of time for that over the next couple of years, someone would trade for Joel Embiid and the nearly $250 million he’s owed. It only takes one, after all.

Waive and Stretch

More than a few times while talking about Joel Embiid, someone has asked “Could Philly just waive and stretch him?”

Let’s say the 76ers decided to just press the red button and activate the nuclear option this offseason, they could attempt to waive and stretch Embiid. That would take the $248 million that Embiid is owed and spread that out over a whopping nine seasons at approximately $27.6 million per season. 

Quick explainer: The stretch provision takes the money owed to a player and spreads it evenly over a number of years that is twice the years remaining on the contract, plus one additional year. In Embiid’s case, the player option on his final season would be exercised. That would give him four years and $248 million on his contract. That would be stretched over nine seasons at $27.6 million per season.

Now, forget all of that.

Teams aren’t allowed to waive and stretch a player if the amount of the player’s stretched salary will exceed 15% of the salary cap for the season the player is being waived.

If this was to happen this upcoming season, 15% of the projected cap is $23.2 million. So, no dice there, as Embiid’s stretched salary amount would be more than 15% of the projected cap. The same would be true of the 2026-27 season too.

If Embiid is still on the roster, and things are so bad that Philly can’t trade him and they need to waive and stretch the big man, the earliest they could do that would be ahead of the 2027-28 season.

But it won’t ever get that far. If things are that bad, there’s an outside chance another option will have come into play before the summer of 2027.

Medical Retirement

If it’s believed at any point that Joel Embiid can no longer play, the 76ers could petition the NBA for an injury exclusion due to a medical retirement. In his case, Embiid would continue to receive his full salary, but Philadelphia would see his contract fully removed from their books moving forward.

If things got to this point, the Sixers would waive Embiid and his entire contract would stay on their books. At a point that is one year from his last NBA game, Philadelphia could then petition for an injury exclusion. (There’s also a clause where if the player plays 10 games or fewer in a season, the can back-date things back to the previous season’s final game played.)

From the point where the team petitions for the injury exclusion, the NBA and NBPA would jointly select a doctor/physician, or they would convene the Fitness to Play panel, to review the player’s injury history and the medical case. That doctor/physician or the Fitness to Play panel would then determine if the player’s injuries will prevent them from playing again.

If the finding is that the player can no longer play, then the contract is immediately removed from the team’s cap sheet. If the team is still over the cap following removal of the player’s salary, they are still over the cap. They don’t get an exception to replace the player.

A few more notes:

• If the player beats the odds and returns to play, his salary is put back on the team’s cap sheet (through the terms of the original contract), provided that the player plays in 25 games in any one season after the exclusion was approved.
• If the injury exclusion is approved, the player cannot re-sign with that team. The team also cannot re-acquire that player via trade or waivers.
• An injury exclusion can be sought only during the terms of the original contract. If the player was waived and stretched, the team must petition for the injury exclusion during the terms of the original contract, not the years that the salary was stretched over.
• If the player makes it back to play, but then is unable to play in the future, the team can reapply for a subsequent injury exclusion for the remainder of the contract. The process would be exactly the same as the original petition.

To be abundantly clear: There is no indication that the 76ers or Embiid are anywhere near this point. All statements from the team, and all reporting from both the team and player sides, are that Embiid intends to return to play. We are simply laying this option out as one Philadelphia could take at some point over the next four years.

Summary

The Philadelphia 76ers are in a tough spot with Joel Embiid, just as Embiid is in a tough spot with his own career. Yes, Embiid could simply walk away, the Sixers could apply for the injury exclusion and everyone sort of wins. Embiid still gets paid and the 76ers get out of the contract.

But it’s not nearly that simple. Embiid wants to play. No matter how much criticism you might want to lay on the guy, Embiid has worked very hard to play. He played in the Olympics when he probably shouldn’t have. He played through injuries this season when he definitely shouldn’t have. Given there is an option to get paid to not play and Embiid hasn’t taken it, it’s clear he wants to play.

Beyond that, Philadelphia clearly wants their All-Star center on the floor. We can argue if they’ve handled Embiid well (the argument here would be that they haven’t in recent years), but the Sixers aren’t trying to get him off the roster. If they were, they wouldn’t have continued to give him maximum contract extensions.

For now, the plan seems to be for Embiid to get further surgery or to rehab with the idea to be back at some point next season. Ideally, this process will start ASAP and Embiid will be ready close to the start of next season. However, it does seem like all parties involved are invested in getting this right this time around. If the rehab process lasts into next season, so be it. There’s a lot more at stake here than some regular season games.

Beyond this season, it’s anyone’s guess. If Embiid is able to get moderately healthy and return to being a productive (if no longer dominant) player, then the Sixers will be happy to have him in the fold.

If Embiid can’t return to form, then we start to consider trade options. If he can’t get moderately healthy, then we look at the other options we laid out. But those are 2026 questions. For now, all anyone can do is hope that Embiid can get right and get back to being himself again for next season. Any course of action from there will be determined down the line.

Anthony Edwards receives a one-game suspension for receiving his 16th technical foul during the Timberwolves-Lakers game on Feb 27th, 2025.

Edwards will lose $242,939 for the one-game suspension.

Bobby Portis of the Milwaukee Bucks has been suspended 25 games by the league for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program. Portis' salary for this season is $12,578,286, therefore he'll stand to lose $114,348 per game (1/110 of salary for being suspended 20+ games).

Financial Implications:

• Portis will lose $2,858,701 in salary from the suspension.
• Milwaukee will receive a tax variance credit of $1,429,351.

All-Star Game

Winner: $125,000 / player
2nd Place: $50,000 / player
3rd/4th Place: $25,000 / player

Rookie-Sophomore Game

Winner: $25,000 / player
Loser: $10,000 / player

All-Star Skills Competition

Slam Dunk
1st Place: $105,000
2nd Place: $55,000
3rd Place: $20,000
4th Place: $20,000

Three-Point Shootout
1st Place: $60,000
2nd Place: $40,000
3rd Place: $25,000
4th Place: $15,000
5th Place: $15,000
6th Place: $15,000
7th Place: $15,000
8th Place: $10,000

Skills Challenge
1st Place: $55,000
2nd Place: $40,000
3rd Place: $20,000
4th Place: $20,000
5th Place: $15,000
6th Place: $15,000
7th Place: $15,000
8th Place: $15,000

The 2025 NBA trade deadline is behind us. We’ll still have a handful more transactions to come, but for the most part, the major moves are done. Extensions are the big deals to watch, along with some buyouts, signings and two-way conversions also on tap. That means it’s time to look forward to the summer of 2025!

The 2025 NBA offseason looks like a weird one. The new media rights money will start hitting, but the NBA and NBPA agreed to cap the cap growth at no more than 10% from one year to the next. That means the cap is projected to go from $140.6 million this season to just over $154.6 million for next season. That $14 million jump is a big one, but it’s not going to result in a whole of cap space around the NBA.

The reason for that is teams have gotten really aggressive in recent years with extensions. More and more players are forgoing free agency and taking the certainty of extensions. In the 2024 offseason, the only big-name All-Star to change teams via direct free agency was Paul George. A few others moved via sign-and-trades and standard trades, but free agency itself wasn’t how stars moved.

That’s likely to continue in the summer of 2025. As you’ll see, there’s barely any cap space projected to be out there this summer. Also, the free agent class projects to be devoid of stars. Most of the All-Star level guys are good bets to re-sign with their current teams, or to extend before free agency opens.

However, that doesn’t mean having spending power is completely useless. With the Apron Era fully upon us, NBA teams are embracing exceptions in different ways. This summer, there will be some value signings available, simply because the means to overpay those players as free agents aren’t available. That should make for an active summer of role player movement.

In addition, it’s going to be a big-time trade summer. If you want to acquire a star, a trade will be the way to do it. And if deadline and post-deadline rumblings are any indicator, there are going to several stars available this offseason.

With all that said, here’s how things look today for 2025 offseason spending power around the NBA. For reference: The Non-Taxpayer MLE projects to be $14.1 million for 2025-26. The Taxpayer MLE projects to be $5.1 million.

(Note: These projections are made using the noted cap and tax figures above, draft pick cap holds based on projected standings and a projection on all option and guarantee decisions by players and teams. No extensions or trades have been projected. We will call out where those types of situations could impact a team projection.)

Cap Space Team – 1 Teams

1. Brooklyn Nets: $54.8 million in cap space

The Brooklyn Nets currently project to be the only team we can say with certainty will hit the summer with cap space. How much is somewhat up in the air. The Nets didn’t move Cam Johnson, Nic Claxton, or most of their high-salaried players at the deadline. So, they remain in place for now.

What could swing this projection even higher is the status of pending restricted free agent Cam Thomas and Day’Ron Sharpe. If the Nets were to let Thomas and Sharpe leave town, they could create up to $76.3 million in cap space.

Here’s the thing though: Why let Thomas and Sharpe leave for nothing? Brooklyn isn’t ready to spend all that much, as they are in the early stages of their rebuild. Thomas and Sharpe are good players. With no other cap space teams out there, the Nets might be able to get both back on team-friendly deals.

And, of course, keep an eye on Sean Marks with restricted free agents from other teams too. When Brooklyn previously had copious amounts of cap space, Marks tossed around several offer sheets. In the end, no matter what direction they take, the Nets are in a great place to be active players this offseason.

Swing Cap Space and Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception Teams – 3 Teams

1. Detroit Pistons: up to $24.6 million in cap space
2. Memphis Grizzlies: up to $6.9 million in cap space
3. Utah Jazz: up to $30.0 million in cap space

The Pistons could be a cap space team this summer, with up to $24.6 million to spend. That could aid in bringing back Malik Beasley, if he’s looking at more than the Non-Taxpayer MLE (NTMLE). If Detroit can get Beasley to come back for the NTMLE, they’re better off staying over the cap and using various Bird Rights to re-sign players like Dennis Schroder and Tim Hardaway Jr.

Utah is pretty straight forward: if John Collins opts in, they’ll be over the cap. If he doesn’t, the Jazz could have over $30 million in cap space. Given Collins will find it hard to recoup the $26.6 million he’d give up by opting out, bet on Utah to stay over the cap.

Memphis is in a super interesting situation. The Grizzlies can’t create any kind of meaningful cap space. The most they can get to is about $6.9 million, while retaining restricted free agent rights for Santi Aldama. That’s not normally enough cap space for a team to bother with, and they’ll just stay over and use the NTMLE.

However, in this specific situation, that could be enough to bump up Jaren Jackson Jr.’s salary to over $30 million in a renegotiation-and-extension. That’s an interesting way to use cap space, given the Grizzlies wouldn’t have to give up on Aldama to get it done. Of course, if Jackson makes All-NBA, he’ll be eligible for a 35% of the cap max and the Grizzlies will then stay over the cap.

Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception Teams – 7 Teams

1. Atlanta Hawks
2. Charlotte Hornets
3. Chicago Bulls
4. Houston Rockets
5. LA Clippers
6. San Antonio Spurs
7. Washington Wizards

This is an interesting group of teams. A few playoff teams, some up-and-coming teams and a few rebuilding teams.

Atlanta is firmly in this mix. They moved out some long-term salary, but to re-sign some free agents, or replace them, the Hawks will stay over the cap. But they should have enough clearance to use the NTMLE.

Charlotte took themselves out of the running for cap space when they took on Jusuf Nurkic’s contract for next season. That’s fine though, since the Hornets got paid a first-round pick to do so. They’re fine being a NTMLE for another season, as the rebuild continues.

Chicago moved Zach LaVine, but kept everyone else. The Bulls will have enough room to use the NTMLE, as long as things don’t get silly with Josh Giddey’s new contract.

Houston is firmly in NTMLE range. They’ll probably work out a new deal with Fred VanVleet after declining their team option, but that won’t be enough to get the Rockets to being a cap space team.

The Clippers have done such a good job managing their roster and cap sheet. LA will be able to bolster an already-strong roster by adding an NTMLE signing to the mix next season.

It feels like the Spurs shouldn’t have much money on the books, but after bringing in De’Aaron Fox, they’ll be over the cap. And that’s fine. They’ve got a strong, developing roster and they’ll be able to add to it with a NTMLE player.

Washington went the pre-agency route and took on salary for next season early by trading for Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart. That will keep the Wizards over the cap. Don’t rule out a value NTMLE signing, as they did a nice job in the Jonas Valanciunas sign-and-trade a year ago, but Washington’s real work will get done via the trade market.

Swing Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception Teams and Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception Teams – 6 teams

1. Indiana Pacers
2. Milwaukee Bucks
3. New Orleans Pelicans
4. Philadelphia 76ers
5. Portland Trail Blazers
6. Sacramento Kings

Another mix of teams that are would-be contenders, plus teams just trying to find their footing as they reset their rosters.

Indiana will be around or over the tax line, and potentially pushing the first apron, if they re-sign Myles Turner. Given they didn’t trade him for the umpteenth deadline in a row, bet on Turner getting a new deal from the only NBA team he’s ever known.

Milwaukee did a good job getting off money at the deadline. That will put the Bucks in position to possibly use the NTMLE. The big question will be how much Brook Lopez re-signs for this offseason, assuming the veteran center doesn’t call it a career.

The Pelicans are in transition. Brandon Ingram is gone, but New Orleans still has a lot of money on their books for next season and beyond. Look for more rebalancing trade, as where the team lands in the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery might determine their direction moving forward.

The Sixers are kind of a mess. Things haven’t gone as planned, as Joel Embiid and Paul George have been unable to stay healthy. With those two on the books, the team is very, very expensive. But Philadelphia might be able to squeeze in a NTMLE signing, if they make another move or two around the core group.

Portland is far too expensive for a bad team. The Blazers didn’t make any moves at the deadline. That means this roster remains flush with a confusing mix of veterans and young players trying to find their way in the NBA. There’s a lot of work to be done here this offseason.

The Kings took on some long-term money by adding Zach LaVine and Jonas Valanciunas, but they also got off some money too. Sacramento will be straddling the line of NTMLE vs Tax MLE, and hard-capping themselves at the first apron might not be worth it for using the NTMLE.

Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception Teams – 4 teams

1. Denver Nuggets
2. Miami Heat
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
4. Toronto Raptors

This group is a bit larger than usual. The Nuggets and Thunder are title contenders. Miami is resetting, while the Raptors are starting to push their rebuild forward.

Denver should have just enough room to fit in a Taxpayer MLE signing. However, that would mean another hard cap at the second apron. The Nuggets might want to avoid that complication for a third consecutive season.

The Heat moved off Jimmy Butler, but they took on some other long-term money in that deal. Their roster is also mostly full. If there’s the right guy to use the Taxpayer MLE on, Miami will do it, but don’t lock that in.

The Thunder have a full roster. Their big question i: How will they fit in at least two, and possibly more, first-round picks? They could use the Taxpayer MLE, but why go into the tax now? It’s probably best to delay the inevitable for as long as you can in Oklahoma City.

When Toronto extended Brandon Ingram, they pushed right up to the tax line. They have enough room to fit in a Taxpayer MLE signing, but will they want to? It’d have to be someone who can really lift the Raptors. Otherwise, this group will focus on bringing back Chris Boucher and maybe some smaller moves around the edges of the rotation.

Swing Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception Teams and Second Apron Teams – 4 teams

1. Golden State Warriors
2. Los Angeles Lakers
3. Minnesota Timberwolves
4. Orlando Magic

Four teams that all have playoff aspirations, even if all have stumbled at points this season. That will probably be the same story a year from now.

Golden State locked into being a tax team when they extended Jimmy Butler. The big question: Can they fit in a Taxpayer MLE signing before hitting what would be a second-apron hard cap?

The Lakers situation will be determined by LeBron James. Will he take a little less for some flexibility with a signing? Will he take the max he can get? Will James just pick up his player option? Will he stay in LA? Will James retire? It feels like everything is on the table more than ever.

If Minnesota re-signs Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, they’ll be a second apron team. If they lose Reid, the Taxpayer MLE comes into play. It’s really that simple for the Wolves.

Orlando might be a surprise here, but they’ve got a max extension kicking in Franz Wagner and a near-max first-year salary coming online for Jalen Suggs. Add to it that the Magic have aggressively re-signed their own players, and this team is carrying a lot more salary than most realize. They’ve got a little flexibility to get under the tax line, but things are tighter in Orlando than they have been in years.

Second Apron Teams (no signing exceptions) – 5 Teams

1. Boston Celtics
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Dallas Mavericks
4. New York Knicks
5. Phoenix Suns

This group grew throughout the season. Boston and Phoenix have been here and will continue to be, barring something really unexpected. The Celtics are still title favorites, so their second-apron status feels earned. The Suns aren’t, and a Kevin Durant trade could throw things into flux. But given the salary-matching rules, it’s not overly likely a Durant trade would get Phoenix all the way under the second apron.

Cleveland will join this group by virtue of acquiring De’Andre Hunter, along with extensions kicking in for Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley. The Cavs have never shied away from paying for a contender, so they’ll likely end up even deeper into the tax after re-signing a couple of key free agents too.

Dallas moved Luka Doncic, but Anthony Davis is starting a max extension next season. Kyrie Irving is likely to opt out and push for a max or near-max deal too. The Mavericks have a solid roster, but they are going to be a second-apron team with limited resources to improve it.

When New York landed Karl-Anthony Towns, they basically locked in second-apron status. Yes, Jalen Brunson took less to give the Knicks some flexibility, but this team is still carrying a ton of guaranteed salary. That’s not the worst thing, given New York is a contender. But it’s going to be hard for them to do much, beyond minor moves around the edges of the rotation.

Brandon Ingram and the Toronto Raptors have agreed to a 3 year, $120 million contract extension after having been traded from the New Orleans Pelicans at the 2025 NBA Trade Deadline. The contract reportedly has a 2027-28 Player Option.

Estimated Contract Structure:
2025-26: $38,095,238
2026-27: $40,000,000
2027-28: $41,904,762 (Player Option)

This will bring Ingram's career earnings to $303 million if the contract is completed in full.

The Cleveland Cavaliers loaded up to aid in a title push. The Hawks reset their roster and cap sheet bit.

Here are the particulars:

Cleveland Cavaliers acquire: De’Andre Hunter

Atlanta Hawks acquire: Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, right to swap 2026 first-round picks with the Cavaliers, right to swap 2028 first-round picks with the least favorable of Cavaliers and Jazz, 2027 Cavaliers second-round pick, 2029 Cavaliers second-round pick and 2031 Cavaliers second-round pick

Let’s dive in!

Cleveland Cavaliers

Incoming salary: $21.7 million in 2024-25

• De’Andre Hunter (SF/PF, three years, $69.9 million)

Outgoing salary: $25.1 million in 2024-25

• Caris LeVert (SG/SF, one year, $16.6 million)
• Georges Niang (PF, two years, $16.7 million)

The Cavaliers are all in. De’Andre Hunter should be a terrific fit for the Cavaliers. He’ll likely start as the team’s small forward, but he’ll slide up and play plenty of small-ball power forward too. That’s the sort of versatility that Cleveland was lacking from their forward group.

Hunter has put together his best offensive season this year. He’s done well as a spot-up shooter, and in creating his own looks. Hunter has become a bit overrated as a defender, but he’s still solid on that end. He’ll give Cleveland more size to throw at the likes of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby among their chief competitors in the Eastern Conference.

What makes this an all-in move is two-fold. Cleveland gave up most of their remaining draft capital in this deal. The Cavs traded away three seconds, while also giving Atlanta first-round swap rights in a couple of other years.

The other all-in component is on the cap sheet. The Cavaliers now have over $198 million in guaranteed salary for eight players on their books for next season. By the time they fill out the roster, Cleveland will have one of the most expensive teams in the NBA next season. That’s why ducking the luxury tax in this trade was important. That keeps the repeater clock from starting for one more year.

The Cavs did lose some on-ball playmaking in Caris LeVert, but they’ve got enough in reserve to cover for that with Ty Jerome and Craig Porter Jr. Georges Niang was a nice stretch-four for Cleveland, but Hunter and Dean Wade should be able to handle Niang’s role without much worry.

Cleveland does have a couple of roster spots to fill, so they’ll be active on the buyout market. Keep an eye on a backup center and possibly a veteran point guard.

The Cavaliers are right there in terms of being a title contender. They’ve had a terrific season to date, but there was still a sense they needed one more player to truly compete with Boston at the top of the conference. Now, Cleveland should feel good about their chances, no matter who they run into in the postseason.

Atlanta Hawks

Incoming salary: $25.1 million in 2024-25

• Caris LeVert (SG/SF, one year, $16.6 million)
• Georges Niang (PF, two years, $16.7 million)

Outgoing salary: $21.7 million in 2024-25

• De’Andre Hunter (SF/PF, three years, $69.9 million)
• Note: Atlanta also sent Cody Zeller’s $3.5 million contract to the Houston Rockets in a roster/salary clearing 

When you combine this move with their other deals, the Hawks really reset things with their roster and cap sheet. Moving De’Andre Hunter seems like a step backwards, but Atlanta got back players who can play.

Caris LeVert is a good scorer and ballhandler. With Jalen Johnson out for the season, Atlanta has really been struggling for shot creation outside of Trae Young. LeVert will help with that quite a bit. He’s not the defender Hunter is, but the Hawks defense wasn’t exactly their calling card with Hunter.

Niang is also a nice addition. Atlanta didn’t really have a stretch big on the roster. Niang should give them solid minutes beside Onyeka Okongwu and Clint Capela in the frontcourt.

In the Zeller salary-dump, the Hawks gave the Rockets back their 2028 second-round pick. That deal helped Atlanta clear a roster spot and to get under the tax. Considering Zeller never actually joined the Hawks after being a throw-in as part of the Dejounte Murray deal last summer, that’s not a loss.

On the cap sheet, Atlanta has cleaned things up considerably. Even though he’s played well this season, let’s not forget that a year ago many were suggesting that Hunter’s deal was a cap-clogger. Now, that’s gone.

The Hawks aren’t in line to have cap space next summer, but they should be well clear of the luxury tax. More importantly, in the summer of 2026, which is shaping up to potentially have a monster free agent class, Atlanta could be real players.

This trade might not make the Hawks better this season. But it probably won’t make them worse. And they added a lot of draft capital and cap flexibility for the future. That’s a win for a team that was very much stuck in the middle.

The LA Clippers added a perimeter shooting threat, and a bundle of second-round picks. The Hawks cleared out a little bit of future salary, while adding a versatile perimeter playmaker.

Here are the particulars:

LA Clippers acquire: Bogdan Bogdanovic, 2025 Timberwolves second-round pick, 2026 top-42 protected Grizzlies second-round pick, their own 2027 second-round pick

Atlanta Hawks acquire: Terance Mann, Bones Hyland

Let’s dive in!

LA Clippers

Incoming salary: $17.3 million in 2024-25

• Bogdan Bogdanovic (SG/SF, three years, $49.3 million (final season team option))

Outgoing salary: $15.6 million in 2024-25

• Terance Mann (SG/SF, four years, $58.4 million)
• Bones Hyland (PG, one year, $4.2 million)

The Clippers needed to add more shooting for their playoff push. Bogdan Bogdanovic’s history says he’ll bring that in spades.

This season, Bogdanovic has struggled with his shot. He’s looked tired after a long summer with the Serbian national team. There’s a good chance Bogdanovic will rebound after getting off his feet during the upcoming All-Star break.

If he does, the Clippers have added a knockdown shooter, who can score on spot-ups, on on-the-move catch-and-shoots and off the dribble. Bogdanovic is also used to coming off the bench, which will be his role in LA.

Look for Bogdanovic to be used to space the floor in lineups that feature Kris Dunn and possibly soon-to-be-signed Ben Simmons. Those two will benefit from Bogdanovic opening up the floor for them. Also, on nights when he has it going, Bogdanovic can be a part of the Clippers closing lineups, if they need more shooting on the floor.

Terance Mann’s role with the Clippers was a bit uncertain. He had lost a lot of minutes over the course of the season to Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr. and Amir Coffey. Look for LA to extend Coffey before the season ends, given his increased role in the team’s rotation.

Getting back three second-round picks is good work for the Clippers here, and fairly surprising. Atlanta did have a bunch of extra seconds, so it’s to the Clippers advantage that they were able to pull a few away.

Through the course of the deadline moves, LA was able to add a backup center in Drew Eubanks, perimeter shooting in Bogdanovic, a veteran locker room voice in Patty Mills and soon, some versatility on both end of the floor with Simmons. That’s really solid work for a team that many thought would fall out of the playoff picture this season.

Atlanta Hawks

Incoming salary: $15.6 million in 2024-25

• Terance Mann (SG/SF, four years, $58.4 million)
• Bones Hyland (PG, one year, $4.2 million)

Outgoing salary: $17.3 million in 2024-25

• Bogdan Bogdanovic (SG/SF, three years, $49.3 million (final season team option))

The Hawks added a little bit of long-term salary in this move, but they needed a player like Terance Mann more than they needed Bogdan Bogdanovic. That’s why this isn’t nearly as bad of a move as some have panned it as being.

Mann will bring Atlanta some additional on-ball juice. The team has been lacking that since Jalen Johnson went down. By adding both Mann and Caris LeVert in deadline deals, the Hawks have solved some of their shot creation issues.

Mann’s shooting has fallen off a bit over the last two seasons. It’s unclear what’s caused that, but that will be something to monitor with Atlanta. That’s especially true, given Mann’s three-year, $47 million extension kicks in after this season.

That was part of the reason for this trade. The Hawks will have Mann long-term, whereas Bogdanovic only had one more guaranteed year after this year. Mann is also four years younger than Bogdanovic. That’s a factor for a Hawks team that is building for the future.

Atlanta is waiving Bones Hyland, so his inclusion in this deal will have no on-court impact. The Hawks did give up there second-round picks in this deal, but they acquired three in their other trade with the Cavaliers. So, that nets out evenly for Atlanta.

This may seem like a strange trade for the Hawks, but when you look deeper it makes sense. They can give Bogdanovic’s designated-shooter role to Garrison Mathews, who has hit for 39% from deep this season. In addition, Vit Krejci can fill in scorer off the bench. And that’s before getting to Mann, who will help with shot creation and as a solid defensive player. All of that, plus some savings on the cap sheet over the next couple of years, makes this a solid trade for Atlanta.

The LA Clippers cleaned up a potential logjam on their roster by taking a flyer on a young player. The Bucks added some backcourt depth, while moving a player who was no longer part of their roster plans.

Here are the particulars:

LA Clippers acquire: MarJon Beauchamp

Milwaukee Bucks acquire: Kevin Porter Jr.

Let’s dive in!

LA Clippers

Incoming salary: $2.7 million in 2024-25

• Marjon Beauchamp (SG/SF, one year, $2.7 million)

Outgoing salary: $2.2 million in 2024-25

• Kevin Porter Jr. (SG/PG, two years, $4.8 million (2025-26 player option))

The Clippers no longer had a need for Kevin Porter Jr. in their backcourt. Kris Dunn has assumed the primary backup point guard role, Patty Mills was added earlier in trade season for depth, and Ben Simmons is joining the team after a buyout from the Nets. Off-ball, the team Norman Powell, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Amir Coffey in front of Porter.

Porter has been a bit of a wild-card in the past when he’s not playing regular minutes. That’s something that LA can no longer guarantee him with the depth they’ve added.

MarJon Beauchamp is a flyer for the Clippers. If he shows enough, LA could bring him back on a team-friendly contract next season as a developmental player.

On the cap sheet, there is a little bit more clarity for next season. Beauchamp had his fourth-year rookie scale option declined, so he’ll be an unrestricted free agent. Porter has a $2.5 million player option, which he’s likely to decline. Now, the Clippers can go into the offseason knowing they’ll certainly have that roster spot open.

Milwaukee Bucks

Incoming salary: $2.2 million in 2024-25

• Kevin Porter Jr. (SG/PG, two years, $4.8 million (2025-26 player option))

Outgoing salary: $2.7 million in 2024-25

• Marjon Beauchamp (SG/SF, one year, $2.7 million)

The Bucks protected themselves in case of a backcourt injury in this move. MarJon Beauchamp was long longer a part of the plans in Milwaukee, as witnessed by the team declining their rookie scale team option for Beauchamp for next season.

Porter could be in line for a regular rotation role for the Bucks. Milwaukee is a bit thing behind Damian Lillard at point guard, as two-way player Ryan Rollins has become the primary backup ballhandler. That’s a spot where Porter can step in and help.

Long-term, if Porter opts in for next season, he’ll make just above the veteran minimum amount. That’s solid value for the production he can bring.

After making two deals earlier in trade season that left with him a hole at center, the Lakers went all-in to fill it. The Hornets continued picking up draft capital and young players.

Here are the particulars:

Los Angeles Lakers acquire: Mark Williams

Charlotte Hornets acquire: Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, rights to swap 2030 first-round picks, 2031 Lakers first-round pick

Let’s dive in!

Los Angeles Lakers

Incoming salary: $4.1 million in 2024-25

• Mark Williams (C, two years, $10.4 million)

Outgoing salary: $6.3 million in 2024-25

• Dalton Knecht (SF/SG, four years, $14.5 million (rookie scale deal))
• Cam Reddish (SF/SG, one year, $2.1 million)

After trading Anthony Davis in the deal to get Luka Doncic, the Los Angeles Lakers were really thin at the center position. Los Angeles had Jaxson Hayes, two-way players and small-ball options. They filled that need with Mark Williams.

When healthy, Williams has been a solid starting center. He’s a good rebounder, decent rim protector and a solid finisher around the rim. Williams is the type of athletic lob-catch that thrives playing with Doncic. The two should make a very good pick-and-roll pairing for years to come.

The issue is that Williams has rarely been healthy in his NBA career. He’s missed considerable time in each of his first three seasons. The good news is that none of the injuries are directly related and none of them seem to a chronic thing.

The other issue with this trade is that the Lakers gave up their remaining draft capital to add Williams. Paying a first-round pick in six years, plus a swap the year before, is a lot for a guy who will probably never be more than a solid starter. In addition, Los Angeles gave up Dalton Knecht, who was a prized draft pick in just this past draft.

In the immediate, the loss of Knecht isn’t that big of a deal. The Lakers weren’t going to be able to play him with two of Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves very often. Not without Davis to clean up for them. That was going to limit Knecht’s role. Given those three players seem entrenched in Los Angeles for now, it was best to move Knecht while they could get something for him. Cam Reddish has been out of the rotation while, so there’s no production loss there.

The Lakers needed to do something up front. They reportedly sought out Doncic to find out what type of center he wanted to play with. Williams fits that mold. This was just a very high price to pay for a non-All-Star.

Charlotte Hornets

Incoming salary: $6.3 million in 2024-25

• Dalton Knecht (SF/SG, four years, $14.5 million (rookie scale deal))
• Cam Reddish (SF/SG, one year, $2.1 million)

Outgoing salary: $4.1 million in 2024-25

• Mark Williams (C, two years, $10.4 million)

This trade is a massive win for the Hornets. It’s not that Mark Williams isn’t a good player. He is. Williams was also a good fit with LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller on the young Charlotte roster.

But Williams wasn’t projecting to be an All-Star. He’s also regularly out of the lineup due to injuries. Center is a spot where teams can find affordable talent almost every offseason. And the Hornets got paid handsomely to move on from Williams.

Knecht is a nice prospect to work with, even if he’s eight months older than Williams, who was drafted two years earlier. Charlotte needs more shooting and scoring on the wing. With Miller out for the season, Knecht should have a clear runway to minutes. He’ll help the Hornets with his shooting and knack for drawing contact and free throws.

The real get here though is the control of the Lakers draft in the “who knows?” years. 2030 and 2031 will be post-LeBron James and we have no idea what Los Angeles will look like at that point. That’s so far out, there’s a decent chance Doncic may have also moved on. If nothing else, it’s worth the gamble for the Hornets.

The Milwaukee Bucks shoot up their roster, while the Washington Wizards took on some salary for draft capital, while the Knicks and Spurs helped to facilitate.

Here are the particulars:

Milwaukee Bucks acquire: Kyle Kuzma, Jericho Sims, second-most favorable 2025 Pistons, Suns or Warriors second-round pick, 2026 top-55 protected Spurs second-round pick

Washington Wizards acquire: Khris Middleton, A.J. Johnson, draft rights for Mathias Lessort, right to swap least favorable 2028 Bucks or Trail Blazers first-round pick, Cash

New York Knicks acquire: Delon Wright, draft rights for Hugo Besson, Cash

San Antonio Spurs acquire: Patrick Baldwin, Cash

Let’s dive in!

Milwaukee Bucks

Incoming salary: $25.6 million in 2024-25

• Kyle Kuzma (PF/SF, three years, $64.4 million)
• Jericho Sims (C, one year, $2.1 million)

Outgoing salary: $36.6 million in 2024-25

• Khris Middleton (SF/SG, two years, $65.7 million (player option for final season))
• A.J. Johnson (SG, four years, $14.6 million (rookie scale deal))
• Delon Wright (PG, one year, $2.1 million)

The Bucks seemingly wanted to shake things up at the trade deadline. They did so by trading away beloved Buck Khris Middleton to bring in talented, but inconsistent forward Kyle Kuzma. Milwaukee also gave up first-round pick swap rights in the deal and 2024 first-rounder A.J. Johnson.

Middleton was oft-injured over the last few seasons. Milwaukee was often left without the veteran wing during key moments, including during the playoffs. This season, Middleton has struggled to find his form. Bucks coach Doc Rivers recently commented that it was hard for Middleton to get into a rhythm with being constantly in and out of the lineup.

Kuzma has largely been healthy in recent years. He’s been inefficient this season, but that’s come while playing with a lot of young players on a Wizards team with nothing to play for.

Milwaukee is hoping that Kuzma will give them more size on the wing, in addition to a player who will be more regularly available. The Bucks are also betting with better talent around him that Kuzma will find his shooting form again.

The Bucks also picked up Jericho Sims. Despite being given chances over the last few seasons, Sims has never been able to seize a rotation role for the Knicks. Still, Milwaukee was very thin behind Brook Lopez at center, and Sims will provide them with some depth at the five.

In addition to adding frontcourt depth, the Bucks were able to save some money for this year and next by swapping out Middleton for Kuzma. That’s big for a team that was above the second apron prior to their deadline deals.

Washington Wizards

Incoming salary: $34.5 million in 2024-25

• Khris Middleton (SF/SG, two years, $65.7 million (player option for final season))
• A.J. Johnson (SG, four years, $14.6 million (rookie scale deal))

Outgoing salary: $26 million in 2024-25

• Kyle Kuzma (PF/SF, three years, $64.4 million)
• Patrick Baldwin (SF/PF, one year, $2.5 million)

Like in their other deadline moves, the Wizards picked up additional draft capital for taking on some short-term salary over the next two seasons. Washington has talked about adding Khris Middleton to help with their younger roster, but this was really about getting a draft pick while shedding an additional year of salary for Kyle Kuzma.

Middleton may very well contribute to the Wizards for the remainder of this season, and possibly for part of next. He could also decide that making $34 million for a lottery team isn’t appealing and could decline his player option. That’s not very likely, but don’t take it offer the table.

If Washington can get Middleton back into form, he’ll become an attractive trade chip for next season, as he’ll have a large expiring salary. In the interim time, he can help a young group of wings including Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George and A.J. Johnson learn how to succeed in the NBA.

Johnson is being treated as a throw-in part of this deal, but he could be more than that. Johnson is fairly athletic and is very young. There’s potential there and he’ll have a chance at minutes on the rebuilding Wizards.

San Antonio Spurs

Incoming salary: $2.5 million in 2024-25

• Patrick Baldwin (SF/PF, one year, $2.5 million)

Outgoing salary: None

The Spurs were in this deal to act as a facilitator. They took on Baldwin’s contract for more than enough to cash to cover it. Baldwin was already waived by San Antonio.

New York Knicks

Incoming salary: $2.1 million in 2024-25

• Delon Wright (PG, one year, $2.1 million)

Outgoing salary: $26 million in 2024-25

• Jericho Sims (C, one year, $2.1 million)

The Knicks inclusion in this deal was an odd one. New York already has a glut at point guard with Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride, Cameron Payne and Tyler Kolek. All of those players are more productive than Wright is. The Knicks did get enough cash to cover Wright’s deal, so that’s likely all this was about.

New York may very well waive Wright if they need a roster spot, but that would be a down-the-line thing. The Knicks are already working with open roster spots and apron issues at it is, waiving Wright will only come if there is a real need.

The Phoenix Suns and Charlotte Hornets became familiar trade partners during this trade season. The two teams linked up for another deal ahead of the deadline, after working a previous deal a few weeks earlier.

Here are the particulars:

Phoenix Suns acquire: Cody Martin, Vasilije Micic, 2026 second-round pick

Charlotte Hornets acquire: Jusuf Nurkic, least favorable 2026 Suns, Grizzlies, Magic or Wizards first-round pick.

Let’s dive in!

Phoenix Suns

Incoming salary: $15.8 million in 2024-25

• Cody Martin (SF, two years, $16.8 million (2025-26 non-guaranteed))
• Vasilije Micic (PG, two years, $15.8 million (2025-26 team option))

Outgoing salary: $18.1 million in 2024-25

• Jusuf Nurkic (C, two years, $37.5 million)

This trade for the Suns was about cutting their luxury tax bill, while also adding some depth to their roster. And they managed to do that while shedding Jusuf Nurkic, who was no longer part of the plans in Phoenix.

Martin enters a crowded wing mix for the Suns. Even if you subtract Kevin Durant, who plays mostly at power forward, Martin will be competing for minutes alongside Devin Booker with Royce O’Neale, Grayson Allen, Bradley Beal and Ryan Dunn. That’s a tough group to crack.

In addition, Martin is the only player from that mix that doesn’t have guaranteed money on the books for next season. Maybe Phoenix takes a look, but we’ll see.

Micic is in a similar situation at point guard. He’ll be behind Tyus Jones and Monte Morris, and whatever minutes that Beal and Allen log at point guard too.

Micic also isn’t carrying money into next season. The Suns will hold an $8.1 million team option for the veteran point guard. There are already reports that Micic hopes that option will be declined so that he can return to Europe next season.

If nothing else, the Suns saved some on their tax bill this season, while also shaving over $19 million off the books for next season. There is a chance Phoenix could use Martin’s or Micic’s salary in a trade in the offseason, but that will depend on where things are at. This trade was about savings and flexibility, and the Suns achieved that.

Charlotte Hornets

Incoming salary: $18.1 million in 2024-25

• Jusuf Nurkic (C, two years, $37.5 million)

Outgoing salary: $15.8 million in 2024-25

• Cody Martin (SF, two years, $16.8 million (2025-26 non-guaranteed))
• Vasilije Micic (PG, two years, $15.8 million (2025-26 team option))

The Hornets were miles from the luxury tax before taking on money in a few different deals. As they did in their other moves, Charlotte added draft capital. In this trade, that was in the form of a future first-round pick.

Jusuf Nurkic should have a chance to play for the Hornets. Charlotte doesn’t have much at the center position, and Nurkic is eager to prove he can still play. Look for him to get some minutes, as the Hornets would like to rebuild his trade value ahead of Nurkic having an expiring contract next season.

Throughout trade season, the Hornets have reshaped their roster while adding future draft picks. That’s what you should be doing when you’re a lottery team. In addition, Charlotte didn’t have to take back any bad salary that stretches beyond next season. That’s a win.

The Toronto Raptors used some of their room under the luxury tax to help the Indiana Pacers create room under the luxury tax.

Here are the particulars:

Toronto Raptors acquire: James Wiseman, Cash

Indiana Pacers acquire: 2031 top-55 protected Raptors second-round pick

Let’s dive in!

Toronto Raptors

Incoming salary: $2.2 million in 2024-25

• James Wiseman (C, one year, $2.2 million)

Outgoing salary: None

The Raptors had plenty of room under the luxury tax. With the Pacers willing to cover Wiseman’s salary with cash, Toronto did them a favor.

Wiseman was released, which auto-declined the team option on his contract for next season. The young big man will spend the rest of this year rehabbing from a torn Achilles’ tendon. Because he was injured while with the Pacers, Wiseman can continue to rehab with the team, their medical staff and using their facilities.

Indiana Pacers

Incoming salary: None

Outgoing salary: $2.2 million in 2024-25

• James Wiseman (C, one year, $2.2 million)

This move was about creating a roster spot and some clearance under the luxury tax for Indiana. The Pacers could now be involved in adding a player via the buyout market. Keep an eye on big men, as Indiana is still a bit light in terms of depth behind Myles Turner and Thomas Bryant.

The Toronto Raptors again went the “pre-agency” route. The Pelicans got value for a player who was no long a part of their future plans.

Here are the particulars:

Toronto Raptors acquire: Brandon Ingram

New Orleans Pelicans acquire: Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, 2026 top-four protected Pacers first-round pick, 2031 Raptors second-round pick

Let’s dive in!

Toronto Raptors

Incoming salary: $34 million in 2024-25

• Brandon Ingram (SF, one year, $34 million)

Outgoing salary: $35.8 million in 2024-25

• Bruce Brown (SG/SF, one year, $23 million)
• Kelly Olynyk (C, two years, 26.3 million)

For the fourth consecutive trade deadline, the Toronto Raptors have traded a future first-round pick to acquire a pending free agent. This strategy has worked for the Raptors in the past, but this one is the biggest move yet.

Toronto has no real path to acquiring a player as good as Brandon Ingram in free agency. The Raptors don’t have cap space, nor is Toronto a free agent destination. That means not waiting to get your work done in free agency. By acquiring Ingram now, the Raptors make a pre-agency move to be in position to offer him more than anyone else can.

Ingram is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Ingram remains extension eligible, but he’s bound by signing for no more than is allowable via the extend-and-trade rules. That restriction remains in place for six months, which clearly takes us past the start of free agency. That means a max extension of up to three season, starting at 120% of Ingram’s current salary with 5% raises.

That means from today through June 30, Ingram could sign a three-year extension worth up to $136 million. Which begs the question: Is that enough? That’s not a max deal, but it’s not far off of one. And is a max deal coming for Ingram anyway?

Those are the questions that Ingram, his reps and the Raptors have to look at over the next several months. Toronto has some flexibility, but they are already carrying long-term money for Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickly, RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl. That’s starting to be a lot of money locked up for a team that hasn’t proven anything.

In addition, only the Brooklyn Nets project to have cap space this coming offseason. Given they are rebuilding, they aren’t likely to be up for a max deal for Ingram. Sign-and-trade deals could be in play, but that involves Toronto playing ball.

Basically, the Raptors don’t have full control here, but they should feel good about re-signing Ingram.

As far as his next contract goes, Ingram is really good. He’s a three-level scorer, and a good playmaker and rebounder. He’s also fine defensively, especially when playing with other good defenders. That’s the kind of guy who lands a near-max deal.

That core, plus Ingram, is probably a playoff team in the Eastern Conference next season. And there’s young talent behind that core group, and a high draft pick coming too.

Mostly, the Raptors didn’t trade a first-round pick and a couple of good players, to mess around with re-signing Ingram. If he’s reasonable and doesn’t demand a full max, there’s room to get something done before unrestricted free agency in July.

New Orleans Pelicans

Incoming salary: $35.8 million in 2024-25

• Bruce Brown (SG/SF, one year, $23 million)
• Kelly Olynyk (C, two years, 26.3 million)

Outgoing salary: $34 million in 2024-25

• Brandon Ingram (SF, one year, $34 million)

It’s been clear for a while now that Brandon Ingram’s time in New Orleans was coming to an end. The team and Ingram were reportedly far apart in extension talks. The Pelicans were leery of locking into another big deal with Ingram, given long-term money they already have committed to several players. Ingram’s challenges with staying on the court could also be a challenge for New Orleans, given that issue persists with other players as well.

The Pelicans aren’t going to buy out either Bruce Brown or Kelly Olynyk. They’ll use both as rotation players for the remainder of this season. Olynyk should slot in nicely as a third big in a rotation with Zion Williamson and Yves Missi. Olynyk’s spacing will help spread the floor for the other big man to work inside.

Brown will give New Orleans some much-needed backcourt depth with Dejounte Murray out for the season and Herb Jones sidelined for a while longer. But this offseason is where things will get interesting for Brown.

This time around in unrestricted free agency, there won’t be any offers for $40 million-plus for Brown. But that doesn’t mean his Bird rights won’t have real value for him and the Pelicans. With almost the entire league over the cap, and several operating around the aprons, Brown could get to his next destination via sign-and-trade. Even if his annual salary is cut in half, that’s still reason enough to not take a buyout and then have to work without Bird rights this summer.

On the Pelicans side, a potential sign-and-trade of Brown could replenish some depth. And, of course, New Orleans and Brown could find that they enjoy this partnership over the next couple of months. That could lead to Brown re-signing to stay with the Pelicans beyond this season.

Overall, this is a new direction for New Orleans. They have Jones and Trey Murphy III as more-than-capable fill-ins for Ingram on the wing. The Pelicans will have a high draft pick this year to add more talent too. Getting some flexibility, both on the cap sheet and with two good players, for a guy who wasn’t in the long-term plans is good work.

The Memphis Grizzlies moved some salary out to create financial flexibility. The Sacramento Kings picked up a potential rotation player. The Washington Wizards added to their draft capital by taking on some future salary.

Here are the particulars:

Memphis Grizzlies acquire: Marvin Bagley III, Johnny Davis, least favorable 2025 Pistons, Warriors or Suns second-round pick, 2028 Kings second-round pick

Sacramento Kings acquire: Jake LaRavia

Washington Wizards acquire: Marcus Smart, Colby Jones, Alex Len, 2025 lottery-protected Grizzlies first-round pick

Let’s dive in!

Memphis Grizzlies

Incoming salary: $17.8 million in 2024-25

• Marvin Bagley III (C/PF, one year, $12.5 million), Johnny Davis (PG, one year, $5.3 million)

Outgoing salary: $23.6 million in 2024-25

• Marcus Smart (PG, two years, $41.7 million), Jake LaRavia (PF/SF, one year, $3.4 million)

The Memphis Grizzlies tried to make a blockbuster move. They were reportedly in on stars, including Jimmy Butler and Kevin Durant. Memphis also tried to acquire Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith. In the end, the Grizzlies chose to create some financial flexibility, which should aid them in keep some of their own players around long-term.

On the court, Memphis didn’t lose all that much here. Marcus Smart was injured for much of his Grizzlies tenure. When he did play, Smart struggled to get much going. Scotty Pippen Jr. has emerged as perfectly solid backup for Ja Morant. Losing Smart in a salary-clearing move didn’t come with a loss of much on-court production.

Jake LaRavia is a bit of a different story. LaRavia was playing well, but his time was likely growing short in Memphis. The Grizzlies declined LaRavia’s fourth-year rookie scale team option. That means he wasn’t overly likely to return next season. In addition, with GG Jackson and Vince Williams Jr. finally healthy, Memphis has players ready to go to replace LaRavia’s spot in the rotation.

This trade was all about creating flexibility with the cap and luxury tax as soon as next season. There’s a world where Memphis could create a small amount of cap space next summer, while retaining Santi Aldama’s restricted free agent rights.

With that cap space, Memphis could then renegotiate-and-extend Jaren Jackson Jr. this offseason. That would allow them to bump Jackson’s salary up to around $30 million for next season (more if the Grizzlies were to shed some additional salary in the offseason), then to extend Jackson off that new first-year salary. Of course, this could all be made moot by Jackson making All-NBA this season, which would open up a Designated Veteran Player Extension for the Grizzlies and their star forward.

With either path with Jackson, Memphis can retain Aldama. That’s important, as he’s become a crucial part of the Grizzlies frontcourt rotation. Memphis can control the free agency process for Aldama, as they’ll have his restricted rights. That should keep things from get out of control with offers for the forward/center.

It’s unknown at this point what will happen with Bagley and Davis. Both could be waived, as Memphis has enough clearance under the tax to replace them with prorated veteran minimum signings. Neither Bagley nor Davis has money carrying into next season, and neither’s free agent rights are valuable enough to keep the Grizzlies from waiving them now.

All around, it stings to not have done something bigger for right now with Smart’s contract. Memphis is a tier below the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference. A major addition could have pushed the Grizzlies over the top. They tried, but not succeeding doesn’t make this trade deadline a failure. It just means you have to wait a bit longer to see the results.

Sacramento Kings

Incoming salary: $3.4 million in 2024-25

• Jake LaRavia (PF/SF, one year, $3.4 million)

Outgoing salary: $4.2 million in 2024-25

• Colby Jones (SG/SF, three years, $6.7 million (final two seasons non-guaranteed))
• Alex Len (C, one year, $2.1 million)

For the Kings, this was a chance to add a good player in Jake LaRavia at the cost of players who had already been replaced in the rotation. LaRavia has built on a strong finish to last season by continuing his solid play this season. The third-year combo forward has become a very good shooter and scorer, in addition to being an improved rebounder and passer.

There is one wrinkle to this deal for Sacramento, and it might not be a positive one. Because the Grizzlies declined LaRavia’s fourth-year rookie scale team option, he can’t make more than the amount of that declined option in first-year salary by re-signing with a team. That restriction carries over to the Kings, even though the Grizzlies were the ones to decline the option.

For LaRavia, that limits him to up to $5.2 million if he re-signs in Sacramento. A reasonable path forward, is probably a 1+1 deal, with a player option for $10.7 million over the two seasons. That would allow LaRavia to get back on the market in 2026, and the Kings would have his full Bird rights at that point.

Colby Jones had flashed at times for Sacramento, but was buried in the team’s wing rotation. There was no real path towards playing time for Jones with the Kings, following the team other acquisitions.

Len was replaced in a previous deal when Jonas Valanciunas was traded to Sacramento. He’d already lost most of his playing time to Trey Lyles in smaller lineups. With Valanciunas in the fold, and Lyles still around, there wasn’t really a place for Len on the roster.

Washington Wizards

Incoming salary: $24.4 million in 2024-25

• Marcus Smart (PG, two years, $41.7 million)
• Colby Jones (SG/SF, three years, $6.7 million (final two seasons non-guaranteed))
• Alex Len (C, one year, $2.1 million)

Outgoing salary: $17.8 million in 2024-25

• Marvin Bagley III (C/PF, one year, $12.5 million)
• Johnny Davis (PG, one year, $5.3 million)

As they did throughout trade season, the Wizards continued to collect assets by taking on salary. In this case, that salary for Marcus Smart stretches into the 2025-26 season. But that’s why Washington was able to get a first-round pick in this deal.

Essentially, the Wizards did at the deadline what they were likely to do with their cap space next summer: eat unwanted contracts while adding draft capital. Instead of waiting until July, Washington acted now.

Despite some buzz to the contrary, Smart won’t be bought out by the Wizards. It doesn’t make sense for him or them, considering he has money on his deal into next season. Instead, Smart will play some with a young Washington team. They’ll try to rehab some of his trade value, and then a trade for Smart will come next season when he’s on an expiring deal.

Colby Jones is a nice flyer for the Wizards. He’s shown flashes with the Kings. With Washington committed to their rebuild, he has a nice opportunity to show what he can do.

Alex Len should assume the role that Jonas Valanciunas was playing for Washington. The Wizards frontcourt is fairly thin behind rookie Alex Sarr. That should give Len an opportunity to play as a physical, rugged backup.

Neither Bagley nor Davis were playing much of a role for Washington. Bagley has been out with a knee injury, while Davis was never able to crack the regular rotation during his entire Wizards tenure.

The Jimmy Butler saga is over! It was a complicated five-team deal in the end that saw a lot of player and draft pick movement.

Here are the particulars:

Golden State Warriors acquire: Jimmy Butler

Miami Heat acquire: Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, Davion Mitchell, 2025 Warriors top-10 protected first-round pick

Detroit Pistons acquire: Dennis Schroder, Lindy Waters III, least favorable 2031 Warriors or Timberwolves second-round pick

Utah Jazz acquire: KJ Martin, Josh Richardson, least favorable 2028 Pistons, Hornets, Clippers, Heat or Rockets second-round pick, most favorable 2031 Pacers or Heat second-round pick, Cash

Raptors acquire: P.J. Tucker, 2026 Lakers second-round pick, Cash

Let’s dive in!

Golden State Warriors

Incoming salary: $48.8 million in 2024-25

• Jimmy Butler (SF, two years, $101.2 million (final year player option))
• Note: Butler declined his player option for 2025-26 and signed a two-year, $112.5 million extension

Outgoing salary: $50.3 million in 2024-25

• Andrew Wiggins (SF, three years, $84.7 million (final season player option))
• Dennis Schroder (PG, one year, $13 million)
• Kyle Anderson (PF, three years, $27.7 million (final season fully non-guaranteed))
• Lindy Waters III (SG/SF, one year, $2.2 million)

The Warriors were committed to landing a star at this deadline. And they wanted to do so without giving up multiple first-round picks or Jonathan Kuminga.

Mission accomplished.

Butler comes in and seems very happy to be in the Bay Area. That’s a huge plus, given we know what happens when Butler isn’t happy. Part of the reason Butler is happy is to be out of Miami. The other part is the shiny new $112.5 million extension that he signed with the Warriors.

This trade probably doesn’t happen without Butler’s willingness to sign that extension. Sure, you can quibble about spending that kind of money for a 36-year-old perimeter player who has averaged 22 missed games per season over his past three full seasons. That deal probably won’t look good in Year 3.

But for the Warriors, you let tomorrow’s problems be tomorrow’s problems. They wanted to give Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr help to make another run. Butler does that.

Butler isn’t a shooter. That means Golden State will need to keep Curry and at least one or two other shooters on the floor when Butler and Green share the floor. But that’s about the only weakness in Butler’s game.

The veteran wing is still an outstanding creator, both for himself and his teammates. Butler excels in getting to his spots for midrange jumpers, and he’s still a strong finisher around the rim. He’s also terrific at setting up teammates. His skill-set should fit in quite well within the Warriors read-and-react system.

On defense, Butler is better defending bigger wings at this point in his career. He’s not quite as versatile as Andrew Wiggins, who he’s replacing, but Butler is still an above-average defender.

Giving up a first-round pick was a bit rough, but the Warriors don’t really have time for developmental projects. They’d rather use that roster spot in the coming years on a veteran addition that can give them productive minutes now.

Golden State has some more roster work to do. They started that process by converting Quinten Post from his two-way deal to a standard contract. Post has played well and gives the Warriors a stretch-five element that they’ve lacked.

Golden State still has three more open standard roster spots (they’ll have to fill at least two of them eventually), and now and open two-way spot. Because they are only $1.37 million under their first-apron hard cap, expect the Warriors to play some roster games with 10 Day deals until making rest-of-season signings late in the regular season.

Miami Heat

Incoming salary: $41.5 million in 2024-25

• Andrew Wiggins (SF, three years, $84.7 million (final season player option))
• Kyle Anderson (PF, three years, $27.7 million (final season fully non-guaranteed))
• Davion Mitchell (PG, one year, $6.5 million)

Outgoing salary: $51.9 million in 2024-25

• Jimmy Butler (SF, two years, $101.2 million (final year player option))
• Josh Richardson (SG/PG, one year, $3.1 million)

Considering the Heat were backed into a corner with trading Jimmy Butler, they did pretty well here. Miami saved a good amount of money in the near term, while adding three helpful players.

Andrew Wiggins is a good player and should fit in well alongside Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro in the Heat’s starting lineup. Don’t be surprised to see Wiggins push back to nearly 20 points per game in Miami’s equal opportunity offensive system. The veteran wing is also a solid defender, who adds some versatility to Erik Spoelstra’s defensive schemes.

Davion Mitchell just seems like a Heat player. Given all the off-court uncertainty with Terry Rozier III, and his slipping on-court production, Mitchell could be a long-term player in Miami. He’s a bulldog defensively and showed some playmaking skills for Toronto at points this season. At the very least, Mitchell will be the best backcourt defender on the roster.

It’s unknown what kind of role Kyle Anderson will play. Early reports were that Miami was trying to move Anderson on to another team, but was unable to do so. The 12th-year forward is a solid connector on offense. He moves the ball well and he can hit the occasional jumper too. Anderson is also a solid defender. Don’t be surprised if Spoelstra finds a way to work him into his rotation.

Getting the Warriors first-round pick is a nice addition in this deal for the Heat. Miami has drafted well in the back half of the first round previously. This pick will likely convey this year in the mid-to-late teens. That’s good, given Miami has been out some draft picks in recent years.

Butler put the Heat in a nearly impossible situation. There was no way they could bring him back. That would have been a disaster for all parties involved. Now, the team can move forward with some solid players, some roster certainty and hopefully far less drama.

Detroit Pistons

Incoming salary: $15.2 million in 2024-25

• Dennis Schroder (PG, one year, $13 million)
• Lindy Waters III (SG/SF, one year, $2.2 million)

Outgoing salary: $7.9 million in 2024-25

• KJ Martin (PF/SF, two years, $16 million (final season non-guaranteed))
• Note 1: We’ll also cover the Pistons acquiring KJ Martin from the Philadelphia 76ers here in a previous trade
• Note 2: The Pistons waived Wendell Moore Jr. to create the roster space to complete these moves

Detroit did well with their cap space. For a little bit, it looked like Trajan Langdon was going to eat a couple of a salaries for assets. That would have been fine, but a late swerve brought in Dennis Schroder as a helpful rotation player. Don’t count out Lindy Waters III either.

In this five-team deal and the earlier deal with the Sixers, the Pistons added a sum total of two new second-round picks (three in, one out). But this wasn’t just about the picks for a change. Detroit added roster help too.

Schroder will play an immediate role for the Pistons as a backup ballhandler. With Jaden Ivey out for a while longer (Ivey could return before the end of the regular season), JB Bickerstaff really needed another on-ball playmaker. Too much of the burden to create everything was falling on Cade Cunningham. If the Pistons want to make a real run at the playoffs, they can’t burn out Cunningham in the regular season.

That’s where Schroder will help. He’s still a good scorer, and he’s a far better fit in the Pistons pick-and-roll heavy offense than the Warriors read-and-react system. Schroder will work the screen games to get downhill, to get to his pullup or to set up teammates.

Waters is a shooter. On nights when Malik Beasley or Tim Hardaway Jr. are out or off the mark, Bickerstaff can go to Waters.

The mechanics of the Pistons deadline maneuvering were fascinating too. Detroit entered the day with $14 million in cap space. They first used some of that space to acquire KJ Martin in a salary-shedding move from the 76ers. Detroit then flipped Martin to the Jazz in this five-team deal, with Schroder eating up most of the remaining cap space. Waters was then acquired via the Minimum Exception. Crucially, this sequence of moves left the Pistons with the full $7.9 million Room Exception. That could be handy to help Langdon outbid rivals during buyout season.

For the 76ers part in the previous trade of Martin to Detroit, they got a minimal amount of cash. The real get for Philadelphia was getting under the luxury tax for this season.

Utah Jazz

Incoming salary: $11 million in 2024-25

• KJ Martin (PF/SF, two years, $16 million (final season non-guaranteed))
• Josh Richardson (SG/PG, one year, $3.1 million)

Outgoing salary: $11.5 million in 2024-25

• P.J. Tucker (PF, one year, $11.5 million)
• Note: The Jazz waived Jalen Hood-Schifino to create the roster space  to complete this trade

The Jazz jumped into this deal to act as a facilitator, while picking up some additional draft capital. In addition, Utah will take a flyer on Martin for the remainder of this season. As his contract is non-guaranteed for 2025-26, the Jazz can move on at no cost this summer, if Martin doesn’t work out.

Martin is an uber-athletic forward. He should get a chance to show what he can do, as Utah has regularly been holding their veteran players out of games. Given the Jazz chances at good lottery odds, don’t expect that to stop anytime soon. That will give Martin the opportunity to show he can be someone worth keeping around beyond this season.

Richardson will reportedly be waived. He could still help a team that needs some backcourt help. The challenge for Richardson has been getting and staying healthy this season.

Toronto Raptors

Incoming salary: $11.5 million in 2024-25

• P.J. Tucker (PF, one year, $11.5 million)

Outgoing salary: $6.5 million in 2024-25

• Davion Mitchell (PG, one year, $6.5 million)

The Raptors used some of their space under the luxury tax to help facilitate this trade. In exchange for taking on Tucker’s salary, Toronto picked up a second-round pick.

Trading Mitchell might seem like a giveaway, but Toronto wants to give the backup point guard minutes to rookie Jamal Shead. Considering Shead is younger version of Mitchell in many ways, it makes sense to prioritize playing time for the rookie.

It’s expected the Raptors will eventually waive Tucker. Toronto is in the midst of churning the bottom of their roster, including promoting Jamison Battle from his two-way contract.

The Philadelphia 76ers added some guard depth on a two-way contract, while clearing out some salary and adding some second-round draft capital. The Wizards used some of their tax room to eat a salary, while adding a first-round pick.

Here are the particulars:

Philadelphia 76ers acquire: Jared Butler (two-way player), most favorable of 2027 Warriors or Suns second-round pick, 2028 Warriors second-round pick, 2030 Warriors second-round pick, most favorable of 2030 Suns or Trail Blazers second-round pick

Washington Wizards acquire: Reggie Jackson, least favorable of 2026 Rockets, Clippers or Thunder first-round pick

Let’s dive in!

Philadelphia 76ers

Incoming salary: None (two-way players count as $0 in trade)

Outgoing salary: $2.1 million in 2024-25

• Reggie Jackson (PG, one year, $2.1 million)

Jackson had been a rotation regular for Nick Nurse, but the Sixers have a decent amount of point guard depth. This move was part of a series of moves to that helped Philadelphia to get under the luxury tax line.

In addition to getting under the tax, the Sixers picked up four future second-round picks in exchange for a first-round pick. That’s adding to the coffers long-term.

Lastly, let’s not overlook the addition of Butler. He’s an NBA-caliber backup point guard. Don’t be surprised if Butler is eventually converted to a standard contract by the Sixers before the send of the season.

Washington Wizards

Incoming salary: $2.1 million in 2024-25

• Reggie Jackson (PG, one year, $2.1 million)

Outgoing salary: None (two-way players count as $0 in trade)

This one is pretty simple from the Wizards side. They use some of their considerable space under the luxury tax, plus a bunch of extra second-round picks to add another first-round pick. That’s solid work.

Jackson was waived. He’s got enough left in the tank to help a playoff team that needs some point guard depth. Look for Jackson to catch on with someone on a rest-of-season contract.

The Houston Rockets used some of their room under the luxury tax to pick up a couple of second round picks. The Boston Celtics saved $15 million in luxury tax payments by moving off a non-rotation player.

Here are the particulars:

Houston Rockets acquire: Jaden Springer, 2026 Pelicans or Trail Blazers second-round pick, 2030 Celtics second-round pick

Boston Celtics acquire: 2031 top-55 protected Rockets second-round pick

Let’s dive in!

Houston Rockets

Incoming salary: $4 million in 2024-25

• Jaden Springer (SG, one year, $4 million)

Outgoing salary: None

The Rockets had about $10.5 million in space under the luxury tax. As such, they used a portion of the Non-Taxpayer MLE to bring in Jaden Springer. Houston subsequently waived Springer.

Essentially, the Rockets spent $4 million to buy two second-round picks from Boston.

Springer is a solid defensive player, but his lack of offense has kept him from progressing forward. That said, he’s young enough that a rebuilding team should take a look at him for the rest of the season.

Boston Celtics

Incoming salary: None

Outgoing salary: $4 million in 2024-25

• Jaden Springer (SG, one year, $4 million)

This was all about saving some money for the Celtics. Boston got off $4 million in salary by trading Springer, who wasn’t a regular rotation player. But the real savings came with the luxury tax. Because the Celtics are so deep into the tax, they saved about $15 million in tax penalties with this move.

Boston has a deep roster, and they should be in position to acquire second-round pick down the line, should they need them. The Celtics already re-invested some of the saving by agreeing to a contract with veteran wing Torrey Craig.

The NBA trade deadline has passed. For most, that means it’s time to take a breath and reset. For NBA front offices, they get right back to work.

The buyout market is the less-glamorous cousin to the trade deadline. With what an insane blockbuster-filled deadline we’ve head, the 2025 buyout market seems even less-glamorous than usual.

That said, there will still be some recognizable names on the buyout market…maybe.

As they were a season ago, teams are working under new rules in the buyout market. Gone are the days of the most expensive teams filling out their roster by snagging a high-salaried player who gave up the equivalent to a prorated veteran minimum to chase a ring.

Under the current CBA, teams who are over the first or second apron are restricted from signing a player after a buyout (or waiver) whose previous contract was greater than the Non-Taxpayer MLE for the current season. For this year, that’s $12,822,000.

So, on one side, you have a handful of contenders out of the mix to add a formerly high-salaried player. On the player side, they may be less likely to take a buyout if their options for the next team are limited.

For example, if you are making $20 million-plus, but your options are limited of where to go next, you may be better off staying where you are. This is especially true of players who have full Bird Rights as a free agent in the summer of 2025. That could lock in a bigger contract via re-signing or sign-and-trade than is prudent to give up by taking a buyout.

The same is true for teams. If they are capped out, they might prefer to have a player on an expiring deal, as opposed to buying them out. Similar to the player side, a team would rather be able to use that player’s Bird Rights to bump up their salary in an outgoing sign-and-trade deal.

So, if you add it all up, this buyout market could look vastly different from previous ones. Several players will still hit the market, as their contract situations now and moving forward won’t prevent them from taking a buyout.

As of this writing, the following teams are over the first or second apron and will be restricted from signing a player who makes more than $12,822,000 currently:

• Boston Celtics
• Denver Nuggets
• Los Angeles Lakers
• Milwaukee Bucks
• Minnesota Timberwolves
• New York Knicks
• Phoenix Suns

In addition, the Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors are so tight to the first apron (at which they are hard-capped), they’re unlikely be heavily involved in the buyout market (pending additional moves).

Lastly, it’s important to remember that a lot of buyout players are more name than game. As one NBA GM put years ago, “There’s a reason they’re available in the middle of the season for the minimum.”

With all of that said, here are some of the players to keep an eye in the 2025 buyout market!

(Note: This list is presented in alphabetical order. Players with a * are restricted from signing with an apron team due to the rules explained above.)

Marvin Bagley III (Memphis Grizzlies, C/PF, 26 years old)

Remaining Salary: $12.5 million

Bagley’s salary slides in right under the threshold for an apron team. Teams looking for frontcourt depth might be interested in bringing the veteran big man in for a rest-of-season look. Memphis could also keep Bagley, but they are flush in frontcourt depth as it is. This one screams traditional buyout scenario.

Bojan Bogdanovic (Brooklyn Nets, SF/PF, 36 years old) *

Remaining Salary: $19 million

Bogdanovic hasn’t played this season, but teams know what he’s capable of. If the Nets move on because of a need for a roster spot (they have some interesting two-way conversion candidates in Tyrese Martin and Tosan Evbuomwan), Bogdanovic could be bought out or waived. At this point, contenders who need a shooter with size might take a look.

Malcolm Brogdon (Washington Wizards, PG/SG, 32 years old) *

Remaining Salary: $22.5 million

Brogdon would normally be a great candidate for a buyout. Given that he can’t join any of the apron teams, Brogdon would need to have something lined up to join a non-apron contender. On Washington’s side, the Wizards already project to have cap space this summer. That makes Brogdon’s Bird Rights less valuable for them. But those Bird Rights are still valuable to Brogdon. He may not want to give them up.

Bruce Brown (New Orleans Pelicans, SG, 28 years old) *

Remaining Salary: $23 million

Brown is being traded to the Pelicans in a deal that sends Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors. New Orleans is rebuilding and has high-priority players at Brown’s position. But the Pelicans don’t plan to stay down for long. That means Brown’s Bird Rights have value. Call this a 50-50 situation at best.

Torrey Craig (Chicago Bulls, SG/SF, 34 years old)

Previous Salary: $2.8 million

Craig was waived to allow Chicago to complete their three-team deal with the San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings. Craig has dealt with a lot of injuries this season. He’s also getting a bit long in the tooth. But when he’s right, Craig can give a team a 3&D wing presence. Someone might give him a look on a rest-of-season contract.

UPDATE - Agreed to signed with Boston (2/6/25)

Seth Curry (Charlotte Hornets, PG/SG, 34 years old)

Remaining Salary: $2.1 million

This one is really about if the Hornets need a roster spot or not. Moussa Diabate and K.J. Simpson are candidates to be converted to a standard contract from their two-way deals. If that happens, Curry could be a roster casualty. From there, Curry could head off to ring chase with a contender in need of some bench shooting.

Reggie Jackson (Washington Wizards, PG, 35 years old)

Remaining Salary: $2.1 million

Jackson was moved to the Wizards in a salary-clearing move by the Philadelphia 76ers. There’s no real place for Jackson with Washington. He’s likely to be waived. From there, he could catch on with a playoff team that needs some backcourt depth.

Tre Jones (Chicago Bulls, PG, 25 years old)

Remaining Salary: $9.1 million

Jones is a high-quality backup point guard. Teams are always looking for depth at that position. In addition, the Bulls have a bunch of other guards, including ones they have an investment in. Keep an on Jones popping free.

Vasilije Micic (Phoenix Suns, PG, 31 years old)

Remaining Salary: $7.7 million ($8.1 million team option for 2025-26)

Micic is now caught up in a quagmire of point guards in Phoenix. The Suns aren’t likely to have a need for both him and Monte Morris as depth at point guard. That could see Micic set free. From there, it’s 50-50 if he’d sign with another NBA team or return back to Europe, where he was a star.

Monte Morris (Phoenix Suns, PG, 29 years old)

Remaining Salary: $2.1 million

See above, then note: Morris has fallen out of the Suns rotation. He’s on a Veteran Minimum deal already, so there won’t be a buyout here. But if Phoenix thinks they have more of a need and need a roster spot. Morris could be a straight waiver candidate. He can still play, so a team in need of a point guard could sign Morris, or even claim his deal, given his Minimum status.

Chris Paul (San Antonio Spurs, PG, 39 years old)

Remaining Salary: $10.5 million

We’re only including Paul because he’s been bandied about as a buyout candidate, given the Spurs acquisition of De’Aaron Fox. Don’t bet on that happening. The Spurs love what Paul has brought them. They think playing him and Fox together is fine for the rest of the season. If Paul did shake loose, he’d vault to the top of the available point guard rankings.

Cam Reddish (Charlotte Hornets, SF/SG, 25 years old)

Remaining Salary: $2.5M

Reddish was thrown in to the deal that brought Dalton Knecht from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Charlotte Hornets for Mark Williams. That was to get to the Lakers off some salary and to open a roster spot. Given all the injuries on the wing in Charlotte, Reddish could get a chance to play. This one will come down to if the Hornets need an open roster spot or not. If waived, Reddish could link up with a team that wants to see if they can finally pull the 3&D player out of the 25-year-old wing.

Josh Richardson (Utah Jazz, SG/PG, 31 years old)

Remaining Salary: $3.1 million

Richardson is being moved to the Jazz for salary-matching/clearing purposes in the Jimmy Butler trade. He hasn’t been able to play much this season due to injuries. Utah doesn’t have a need for Richardson, especially given the injury issues. If Richardson is healthy, he could help a contender that needs a combo guard on their bench.

Ben Simmons (Brooklyn Nets, PG, 28 years old) *

Remaining Salary: $40.3 million

Simmons is a possible buyout candidate, but a lot will depend on the Nets situation. If Brooklyn needs a roster spot (they have some interesting two-way conversion candidates), they could look to buy out or waive Simmons. There’s also a chance Brooklyn and Simmons would rather use his Bird Rights for something bigger this coming summer.

Daniel Theis (Oklahoma City Thunder, C, 33 years old)

Previous Salary: $2.1 million

The Thunder waived Daniel Theis after eating his contract to help the New Orleans Pelicans get under the luxury tax. Oklahoma City wanted to open a roster spot to convert Ajay Mitchell to a standard contract. That’s where this likely heads eventually for the Thunder.

P.J. Tucker (Toronto Raptors, PF, 39 years old)

Remaining Salary: $11.5 million

Tucker is probably going to get straight waived by the Raptors, without a buyout. It’d be surprising if any team signs him, because Tucker hasn’t played in nearly a year. At this point, the veteran forward epitomizes the “more name than game” philosophy.

Delon Wright (New York Knicks, PG, 33 years old)

Remaining Salary: $2.1 million

Wright is about the eighth point guard on the Knicks. That’s a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much. He could be set free to join a team where he’d see more time. However, Wright lost his role as the Milwaukee Bucks backup point guard this season. There might not be much left in the tank here.

Lonnie Walker IV (Zalgiris (Lithuania), SG, 26 years old)

Remaining Salary: N/A

We’re adding Walker here, because there is considerable interest in him from NBA fans. Walker has an NBA out with Zalgiris that has to be triggered by February 18, per reports. If triggered, Walker would presumably be signing a rest-of-season minimum deal. However, it’s worth noting that Walker has struggled against EuroLeague competition. He’s shot 38.5% in 18 EuroLeague games, including 33.6% on three-pointers. For a player whose primary value is his shooting and scoring, that’s worrisome for a potential return to the NBA.

The Sacramento Kings got creative with their exceptions to add a long-wanted backup for Domantas Sabonis. The Washington Wizards picked up some additional draft capital for moving along a short-term veteran.

Here are the particulars:

Sacramento Kings acquire: Jonas Valanciunas

Washington Wizards acquire: Sidy Cissoko, 2028 Nuggets second-round pick, 2029 Kings second-round pick

Let’s dive in!

Sacramento Kings

Incoming salary: $9.9 million in 2024-25

• Jonas Valanciunas (C, three years, $30.3 million (final season non-guaranteed))

Outgoing salary: $1.9 million in 2024-25

• Sidy Cissoko (SF/PF, two years, $4.1 million (2025-26 non-guaranteed))

The Kings had been searching for a viable backup for Domantas Sabonis for a few years. Alex Len has been serviceable, but is more of a third string center. Trey Lyles does what he can, but he’s a pure stretch four.

Jonas Valanciunas should more than capably fill that backup role. There are even some potential lineups constructions where Valanciunas could play alongside Sabonis in a double-big look.

This season, Valanciunas has adapted well to being a backup on the rebuilding Wizards. The veteran center is still an effective scorer, screener and rebounder. Washington mostly used him as a protector for Alex Sarr and to help set a tone off the bench.

With the Kings, Valanciunas will probably play less than he did with the Wizards. But less may be more, as Valanciunas should be able to play his physical, rugged style without worry of foul trouble or conserving energy for longer minutes.

The mechanism used to acquire Valanciunas saw Sacramento take advantage of the new rules that allowed them to use a portion of their Non-Taxpayer MLE as a Traded Player Exception. That allows the Kings to keep the big $16.8 million TPE that they created in the Kevin Huerter trade whole. Considering the MLE expires at the end of the season, this is solid use of it as a TPE.

Sacramento still has two open roster spots. They’ll have to fill one within the next couple of weeks. The Kings are about $2.5 million under the luxury tax, which will act as a de facto hard cap for the team.

While Sacramento isn’t quite good enough to pay the tax for this group, they have improved their team quite a bit over the last few days. That’s a hard needle to thread when you trade a former franchise player, but the Kings have pulled it off.

Washington Wizards

Incoming salary: $1.9 million in 2024-25

• Sidy Cissoko (SF/PF, two years, $4.1 million (2025-26 non-guaranteed))

Outgoing salary: $9.9 million in 2024-25

• Jonas Valanciunas (C, three years, $30.3 million (final season non-guaranteed))

We aren’t going to focus much on getting Sidy Cissoko for the Wizards. Reports are that he’ll be waived, if he’s not moved in a subsequent trade before the deadline.

This deal for Washington was about adding some additional draft capital. Jonas Valanciunas didn’t turn into a first-round pick, but getting two seconds for him is solid work.

The Wizards are still in the early stages of their rebuild. That means collecting assets. This one came in somewhat unconventional means, as Valanciunas was added via sign-and-trade this past offseason. But that’s the kind of creative, forward-thinking move you have to make when rebuilding.

The time Valanciunas spent in Washington also allowed the team to not have to force Alex Sarr to start at center until he was ready. And going against Valanciunas in practices for a half-season has helped Sarr.

With Valanciunas off the books, the Wizards project to be a cap space team this coming offseason. Effectively, Washington is shedding $10 million off their 2025-26 books by trading Valanciunas, but they’ll likely take on around that much when they complete the trade that swaps Khris Middleton for Kyle Kuzma.

It wouldn’t be an NBA trade deadline without Sam Presti coming away with at least one future draft pick. That’s exactly what happened, as the Oklahoma City Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans linked up in a small deal.

Here are the particulars:

Oklahoma City Thunder acquire: Daniel Theis, less favorable 2031 Pelicans or Magic second-round pick

New Orleans Pelicans acquire: Cash

Let’s dive in!

Oklahoma City Thunder

Incoming salary: $2.1 million in 2024-25

• Daniel Theis (C, one year, $2.1 million)

Outgoing salary: None

This is a pretty simple deal for both teams. The Thunder are using some of their considerable space under the luxury tax to eat Theis’ contract, while adding yet another second-round pick.

Theis will probably stick in Oklahoma City, at least until Chet Holmgren returns. Theis gives the team solid center depth behind Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams.

When Holmgren is back, the Thunder could move on from Theis to free up a roster spot to convert two-way player Ajay Mitchell to a standard contract. Mitchell was in line for the promotion before suffering a turf toe injury. The rookie guard is out for several more weeks, as he recovers from a surgical procedure for the injury.

The pick the Thunder are getting in this trade is so far off, that it’s impossible to know what it will be. But Oklahoma City previously had only their own second-round pick in 2031, and that just couldn’t stand. Now, Sam Presti has the requisite extra pick that he must have in every round of every draft.

New Orleans Pelicans

Incoming salary: None

Outgoing salary: $2.1 million in 2024-25

• Daniel Theis (C, one year, $2.1 million)

The New Orleans Pelicans streak of never paying the luxury tax in franchise history will continue. By moving Theis, and with Dejounte Murray set to miss out on some currently likely bonuses due to missing the rest of the season, the Pelicans will dip below the tax line.

Expect New Orleans to use some of their newfound room beneath the tax to convert Brandon Boston Jr. to a standard contract. Boston has played well for the injury-ravaged Pelicans and they’d like to have him on a longer-term deal.

Paying the price of a second to dodge the tax is worth it for the Pelicans. The team isn’t anywhere near contention this year, and there’s a chance that New Orleans will be expensive down the line. It’s best to put some extra cash, via both this trade and the upcoming luxury tax disbursement, in ownership’s coffers now. Then, if the tax can’t be avoided down the line when the team is back in as a playoff contender, hopefully they’ll have bought some goodwill and the go-ahead to stay over the tax.

The Dallas Mavericks used some of their newly acquired wing depth to make a trade for more size on the perimeter, along with cap-sheet surety. The Philadelphia 76ers picked up a younger player, who fits no matter what direction the team takes at the trade deadline and moving forward.

Here are the particulars:

Dallas Mavericks acquire: Caleb Martin

Philadelphia 76ers acquire: Quentin Grimes, 2025 76ers second-round pick

Let’s dive in!

Dallas Mavericks

Incoming salary: $8.1 million in 2024-25

• Caleb Martin (SF/PF, four years, $35 million (final season player option))

Outgoing salary: $4.3 million in 2024-25

• Quentin Grimes (SG, one year, $4.3 million)

After acquiring Max Christie in the Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis trade, Quentin Grimes was expendable for the Mavericks. Grimes and Christie overlap in position and role, as both are 3&D wings for the Mavericks. The advantage with Christie is that he’s already signed to a team-friendly contract for the next few seasons.

Grimes is a pending restricted free agent. Dallas and Grimes were unable to come to an agreement on a rookie scale extension this past offseason. That left his status up in the air, as Grimes is headed into restricted free agency this offseason.

Valuations for Grimes vary around the NBA. Some teams are worried about his injury history, and inconsistent production. Other teams value his plug-and-play ability as a good shooter that can defend all three perimeter positions. That lands Grimes as an MLE-plus player, in terms of his projected next contract.

That means Grimes could expect a first-year salary between the MLE amount (projected to be just over $14 million for 2025-26) and around $15 million. Given that Christie is signed for just $7.7 million next season, it’s easy to see why Dallas moved on.

The Mavericks have a big contractual item to work out with Kyrie Irving this offseason. That’s in addition to rebuilding the roster around a re-signed Irving and the newly-acquired Davis. That’s where adding Caleb Martin comes in.

Martin and Christie combine to make slightly more than Grimes projects to in 2025-26. In addition, both Martin and Christie are under contract through at least 2026-27. That’s the kind of surety that Dallas wants as they navigate in a post-Doncic world.

On the court, Martin brings more size than Grimes. While Grimes is more of a small wing/combo guard defensively, Martin is a big wing/combo forward. Grimes has been a lights-out shooter this season, only recent dipping below 40% on 4.3 three-point attempts per game. Martin won’t shoot quite that well, or on that kind of volume. Martin is at 38% this year, but that’s a bit above his career average. Martin’s defense has also slipped a bit this season, but he’s still a solid defender.

The big thing here is that Dallas now has a clear runway to minutes for Christie. Instead of Christie and Grimes competing for playing time, the new addition can step right into a rotation role. Christie projects to be just as good of a shooter as Grimes, and he has a bit more size. The soon-to-be 22-year-old has also flashed a few on-ball skills too. That will allow Martin to slot into a forward rotation that will feature Davis, Naji Marshall, Klay Thompson and P.J. Washington, pending any forthcoming trades.

In an uncertain environment moving forward, as Dallas retools from their mega-trade, this deal brings some security to Jason Kidd’s wing rotation. That’s worth something, even if giving up Grimes is tough to swallow.

Philadelphia 76ers

Incoming salary: $4.3 million in 2024-25

• Quentin Grimes (SG, one year, $4.3 million)

Outgoing salary: $8.1 million in 2024-25

• Caleb Martin (SF/PF, four years, $35 million (final season player option))

This is a move that can benefit the Sixers right now, as well as having some staying power for years to come. Philadelphia’s roster could be in transition from this trade deadline through the offseason. With the emergence of Ricky Council IV and Justin Edwards as younger bigger wings, the Sixers didn’t have as much need for Caleb Martin moving forward.

Adding Quentin Grimes’ defense and shooting to the backcourt fills a bigger need for Philadelphia. The Sixers have been light on backcourt defense this season. Tyrese Maxey is carrying such a heavy offensive load, that his defense has slipped a bit. Eric Gordon is on the floor for his shooting and scoring, not his defense. The team’s best backcourt defender has been Kyle Lowry…which says quite a bit at this point.

Grimes will immediately upgrade the perimeter defense. He can guard either backcourt position, plus smaller wings. In addition, Grimes’ shooting is a nice get for Nick Nurse’s rotation.

On the cap sheet, the Sixers should be in position to retain Grimes long-term. He’s young enough to fit if Philadelphia pivots to trading out some veterans ahead of the deadline. He’s also good enough right now to fit if the 76ers pursue upgrades to make a playoff push. Grimes will probably make almost double what Martin was expected to for 2025-26, but the Sixers have enough other money coming off the books to make that palatable. Having Grimes’ restricted free agent rights will also help Philadelphia to control his free agency process.

In addition, this move dropped the Sixers below the first apron. That gives the team a bit of extra flexibility in trades before the deadline. If Philadelphia stays below the first apron, they’ll have the added benefit of being able to pursue any player that hits the buyout market. Remember: apron teams can’t sign a player after a buyout if that player’s previous salary was more than the Non-Taxpayer MLE (approximately $12.8 million).

This is a good move for the Sixers. Martin is a nice player, but his place on the roster was starting to feel pretty tenuous. Grimes is a better bet moving forward, even after factoring in that he needs a new contract. In fact, don’t be surprised if Grimes emerges as the long-term backcourt running mate for Maxey, as their skill-sets mesh quite well.

Luka Doncic is a Los Angeles Laker.

That still seems crazy to read, but here we are.

In the immediate, the Lakers will be figuring out how to incorporate Doncic alongside LeBron James, while trying to add complementary talent around the two stars. But this move was more about the future in Los Angeles than it was about the present.

That future involves Luka Doncic’s next contract. But before we get there, let’s look at what Doncic was in line for with the Dallas Mavericks.

To set the stage, here’s what’s left on Doncic’s current deal:

• 2024-25: $43,031,940
• 2025-26: $45,999,167
• 2026-27: $48,967,380 (player option)

Doncic becomes extension-eligible this summer. The expectation has long been that he’d opt out of his current deal and start a new one in 2026-27. That was expected to be a Designated Veteran Player Extension (DVPE) with the Mavericks. That deal projected to look like this:

• 2026-27: $59,539,200
• 2027-28: $64,302,336
• 2028-29: $69,065,472
• 2029-30: $73,828,608
• 2030-31: $78,591,744
• Total: five years, $345,327,360

That’s a 35% of the cap max with 8% raises. It’s very likely the final season would have included a player option, as someone of Doncic’s status always commands a player option.

Unfortunately, that’s no longer on the table. In order to qualify for the DVPE, a player has to meet awards requirements (All-NBA, MVP or Defensive Player of the Year). No issue for Doncic, as he’s an All-NBA guy without any worry.

However, a player can only get a DVPE in a deal from the team that drafted them, or acquired them while they were still on their rookie scale deal. Having been traded to the Lakers, that’s now out the window for Doncic.

So, where does that leave Doncic and the Lakers? Let’s dive in!

The Veteran Extension

Doncic is eligible to sign a standard Veteran Extension with the Lakers. Let’s assume that he’s still going to opt out for 2026-27, so we’ll start there. Doncic is eligible this summer (after six months have passed from the trade to the Los Angeles) to sign an extension that can start at 140% of his previous salary in the final year of his current contract. That would take him over his max salary. So, he’ll start that deal at the max he’s eligible for. The Veteran Extension for Doncic projects to look like this:

• 2026-27: $51,033,600
• 2027-28: $55,116,288
• 2028-29: $59,198,976
• 2029-30: $63,281,664
• Total: four years, $228,630,528

That’s a 30% of the cap max with 8% raises. Doncic would be limited to signing for just four years, because a Veteran Extension plus what’s remaining on the contract can run for no longer than five total seasons. Like with any deal Doncic is going to sign, he’ll likely have a player option on the final season.

If we do a four-year-to-four-year comparison, Doncic would lose roughly $46 million in this structure vs the DVPE from the Mavericks.

That’s a pretty big chunk of change. But there’s a way Doncic can recoup some of that lost salary, while still locking in security long-term. Let’s go there next.

The “Donovan Mitchell” Extension

When the Cleveland Cavaliers traded for Donovan Mitchell, they hoped he’d be happy enough with the team that he’d extend. Like Luka Doncic, Mitchell also lost ability to sign a DVPE when he was traded from the Utah Jazz. However, Mitchell and the Cavs got creative, kind of split the difference and made the best of their now mutual situation.

Instead of locking in for every year and dollar he could on a Veteran Extension, Mitchell signed a shorter-term extension. That deal gives Mitchell the ability to opt out when he has achieved 10 Years of Service. Then, he’s eligible to sign a new deal starting at 35% of the cap.

Here’s what that would look like for Doncic on a shorter-term Veteran Extension with the Lakers. This assumes the same strategy of opting out for the 2026-27 season as the Veteran Extension did:

• 2026-27: $51,033,600
• 2027-28: $55,116,288
• 2028-29: $59,198,976 (player option)
• Total: three years, $165,348,864

Now, here you can see we included the player option on the final season. That’s because that’s the only way this works. For Doncic, after the 2027-28 season completes, he’ll have 10 Years of Service. He could then opt out and sign a five-year deal that would start at 35% of the cap.

It’s a little wonky to look that far out, because we don’t have a great handle on how the cap will continue to grow. But that new deal in 2028-29 projects to look like this:

• 2028-29: $72,042,250
• 2029-30: $77,805,630
• 2030-31: $83,569,010
• 2031-32: $89,332,390
• 2032-33: $95,095,770
• Total: five years, $417,845,050

That’s 35% of the cap max with 8% raises. And, sure, Doncic will probably get a player option and have one more chance to cash in when he’s 33 years old in 2032.

Let’s pause here to say: We have no idea what the cap growth will be by the time we get to 2028-29. That’s the final season of the current CBA, barring something very unexpected. But this is still in the range of what Doncic could sign for, if he did the shorter-term extension like Mitchell.

Re-signing with the Lakers as a free agent

Let’s say Luka Doncic decides to play out his current contract and then to re-sign on a new deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. As unlikely as that path is, here’s what that contract could look like:

• 2026-27: $51,033,600
• 2027-28: $55,116,288
• 2028-29: $59,198,976
• 2029-30: $63,281,664
• 2020-31: $67,364,352
• Total: five years, $295,994,880

This is the same 30% of the cap first-year salary as Doncic could get by signing a Veteran Extension. It also includes 8% raises. The only difference is the addition of a fifth year, which Doncic can only get by re-signing as a free agent with the Lakers. And, say it with me, that final season would likely be a player option.

Signing with another team as a free agent

Let’s say things go completely sideways for Luka Doncic in Los Angeles and he’s on the first plane out of town in 2026. This is probably the second-least likely scenario behind simply re-signing as a free agent with the Lakers, because Doncic is far more likely to extend. But for comparison’s sake, here’s what he could sign for with another team as a free agent:

• 2026-27: $51,033,600
• 2027-28: $53,585,280
• 2028-29: $56,136,960
• 2029-30: $58,688,640
• Total: four years, $219,444,480

The starting salary is the same as extending or re-signing at 30% of the cap. But this deal has only 5% raises and can run for only four seasons. And, you guessed it, the final season would likely be a player option.

Summary

Luka Doncic is going to get paid and paid handsomely on his next contract. It won’t be the so-called supermax, as he’s no longer eligible. But Doncic is still going to sign one of the biggest contracts in NBA history.

We rank the likelihood of each potential deal this way:

1. The “Donovan Mitchell” Extension
2. The Veteran Extension
3. Signing with another team as a free agent
4. Re-signing with the Lakers as a free agent

If we run the 2026-27 through 2029-30 four-year-to-four-year comparisons for each scenario we get:

• The “Donovan Mitchell” Extension: $237,391,114
• The Veteran Extension: $228,630,528
• Signing with another team as a free agent: $219,444,480
• Re-signing with the Lakers as a free agent: $228,630,528

As you can see: The “Donovan Mitchell” Extension is the most lucrative option. In addition, that comes with the added benefit of running through 2033 at a projected final-season salary of over $95 million. A truly mind-bending, yet forthcoming, single-season salary figure.

Doncic can’t really get more money by signing a Veteran Extension with the Lakers, as opposed to re-signing with the Lakers a free agent. This is especially true, when you factor in that he’s likely to opt out of the final year of any deal anyway. By extending, Doncic locks in that security a year early, which is always something players look to do. So, why wait to re-sign vs extending?

And, of course, if Doncic wanted to leave town, he’d be leaving a decent chunk of money on the table. That’s only happening if things really go wrong for him in Los Angeles. At that point, losing some money won’t be all that big of a concern.

Signing a shorter-term “Donovan Mitchell” Extension is what makes the most sense for Luka Doncic. Given that the Los Angeles Lakers have never balked at paying one of their own star players, that’s the best bet on how Doncic and the Lakers move forward. If we get to early-August, when Doncic will be eligible to extend, and we hear that he’s signed a three-year extension worth a projected $165 million, then things are set up for Doncic to really cash in with a five-year 35% of the cap max starting in 2028-29.

Another day, another blockbuster deal in the NBA! The rumored deal of De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs came to fruition, but with a twist that involved the Sacramento Kings getting Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls.

Here are the particulars:

San Antonio Spurs acquire: De’Aaron Fox, Jordan McLaughlin

Sacramento Kings acquire: Zach LaVine, Sidy Cissoko, 2025 Hornets top-14 protected first-round pick (via Spurs), 2027 Spurs first-round pick, 2031 Timberwolves first-round pick (via Spurs), 2025 Bulls second-round pick (via Spurs), 2028 Nuggets top-33 protected second-round pick (via Spurs), 2028 Kings second-round pick (via Bulls)

Chicago Bulls acquire: Zach Collins, Kevin Huerter, Tre Jones, 2025 Bulls first-round pick (via Spurs)

Let’s dive in!

San Antonio Spurs

Incoming salary: $36.9 million in 2024-25

• De’Aaron Fox (PG, two years, $71.9 million),
• Jordan McLaughlin (PG, one year, $2.1 million)

Outgoing salary: $27.7 million in 2024-25

• Zach Collins (C, two years, $34.8 million),
• Tre Jones (PG, one year, $9.1 million),
• Sidy Cissoko (SF/PF, two years, $4.1 million (final season fully non-guaranteed))

The San Antonio Spurs have been looking for a running mate for Victor Wembanyama since they drafted him. They have that guy now in De’Aaron Fox.

Fox reportedly really wanted to get to San Antonio, so this should be a match made in happiness for both the Spurs and Fox. The veteran point guard gives the team a floor leader who should be in place for years to come. Fox is likely to extend, possibly as soon as this summer. The supermax extension is no longer a possibility, but that was never overly likely to happen anyway. Fox will still get a 30% of the cap max, but the Spurs cap sheet can easily handle that.

In Fox, San Antonio has a guard who will push the pace. That should help the Spurs to take advantage of Wembanyama’s hyper-athletic game. You can already imagine the Fox-Wembanyama duo running the floor, with either one putting pressure on the rim in transition, as others space the floor around them.

There are questions remaining for the Spurs to answer. Will one or more from their large group of young players emerge to fill out the rotation around the two stars? If not, will San Antonio be able to trade them for a veteran who will? Can the front office manage the cap sheet to leave enough flexibility to build a strong roster around Wembanyama and Fox?

Those are all fair and important questions. They’re also more of a long-term thing. In the immediate, San Antonio could get involved in other deals, but that doesn’t seem likely. Yes, they now have both Fox and Chris Paul at point guard. That’s not something the Spurs see as an issue. They love what Paul has brought to their young roster. It’s unlikely he’s going anywhere, despite the overlap with Fox at the lead guard spot. There’s no urgency to make moves with the rest of the roster either. Getting Fox was the big move and it’s now complete. The next big moves will come in the offseason.

As for the price paid to get Fox, the Spurs did well there. By roping in the Chicago Bulls, San Antonio didn’t have to deliver all of the value to the Kings themselves. The Spurs moved on from Tre Jones (who had no place on the roster with Fox in the fold) and Zach Collins (who was carrying an undesirable contract). That means all of the kids (especially Stephon Castle) and the vets (especially Devin Vassell) with real value are still in pace for the rest of this season and into the summer.

Even the draft picks traded by San Antonio are a bit misleading. That 2025 Charlotte Hornets lottery-protected first-round pick? That’s going to be two second-rounders. The 2027 Spurs first should be in the mid- to late-20s, if things go as the should. The 2031 Minnesota Timberwolves first-rounder could be a good one, as we have no idea what they’ll be by then. Somewhat remarkably, the Spurs were able to complete this trade without even giving up their 2031 swap rights with the Kings. That’s potentially huge, given Sacramento’s history of being underwhelming.

Overall, this is a homerun trade for the Spurs. They landed their guy in Fox. Even if he’s a tier below superstar status, he’s still a great fit alongside Wembanyama for the next several seasons. Getting him without giving up all that much is a no-brainer for San Antonio.

Sacramento Kings

Incoming salary: $44.9 million in 2024-25

• Zach LaVine (SG, three years, $137.9 million (player option for final season),
• Sidy Cissoko (SF/PF, two years, $4.1 million (final season fully non-guaranteed))

Outgoing salary: $53.7 million in 2024-25

• De’Aaron Fox (PG, two years, $71.9 million),
• Kevin Huerter (SG/SF, two years, 34.8 million),
• Jordan McLaughlin (PG, one year, $2.1 million)

When you trade away your franchise player, it’s hard to get commensurate value in return. Either you get a package of picks and young players that resembles a mystery box. Or you get a bunch of middling salary and veterans in return. The Kings managed to land a really good player and some future assets for De’Aaron Fox, who was one of the team’s franchise players. That’s a win in what is regularly a no-win situation.

Zach LaVine is good. Actually, make that really, really good. He’s fully healthy again, with no signs of any lingering issues from his previous injuries. This has been LaVine’s best season. He’s putting up career-best numbers and has done well in the Chicago Bulls new up-tempo system.

Sacramento did well to land LaVine as the centerpiece in the return for Fox. The veteran scoring guard is a killer in the DHO/screen game with a big who can pass, and he’ll be paired with one of the best in Domantas Sabonis. LaVine is also a good passer himself, so you can run the offense with him as your primary creator.

The lack of a traditional point guard may look a bit weird for the Kings. However, LaVine, Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan and Malik Monk are all guys you can run the offense through. This also clears a runway for rookie point guard Devin Carter, who has impressed since getting healthy, to see enough minutes.

On the cap sheet, LaVine is another max guy, which gives Sacramento two $40 million-plus players with him and Sabonis. But that’s a workable number. DeRozan has one year left at a fair salary, and Monk’s contract is a great value for the Kings. Given Fox was likely to command a max deal, having LaVine in that salary slot is just fine for the Kings.

Sacramento added some additional draft capital in this deal too. The 2025 Charlotte Hornets first-round pick isn’t going to convey, so write that in as two second-round picks. But adding two first-round picks and five second-round picks, plus LaVine, for a guy who didn’t want to be there is good work. And that 2031 Minnesota Timberwolves pick could be really juicy. The Wolves could be into a rebuild by then, even with Anthony Edwards in place as a young star.

Sidy Cissoko was also an interesting get for Sacramento. He’s still only 20 years old. Cissoko’s NBA experience is limited, but his G League profile is interesting. He’s a worthy flyer, as the Kings can stash him in Stockton and let him develop more in the G League.

Again, it’s hard to get a value return when trading a franchise player. This wasn’t quite a haul for Sacramento, but they did well. LaVine is a lot better than he gets credit for. And the Kings have a lot of optionality immediately and moving forward with how they build out their roster. That’s good work, considering they had to move on from Fox sooner, rather than later.

Chicago Bulls

Incoming salary: $42.7 million in 2024-25

• Zach Collins (C, two years, $34.8 million)
• Kevin Huerter (SG/SF, two years, 34.8 million)
• Tre Jones (PG, one year, $9.1 million)

Outgoing salary: $43.0 million in 2024-25

• Zach LaVine (SG, three years, $137.9 million (player option for final season)
• Note: The Bulls also waived Torrey Craig ($2.8 million) and Chris Duarte ($5.9 million) to complete this trade

The Chicago Bulls have picked a direction…we think. At least, we hope!

By trading Zach LaVine for a collection of somewhat undesirable salaries, the Bulls should be leaning towards rebuilding. They seem to be headed that way, as every veteran on the roster is available in trade talks. That’s a good thing.

Unfortunately, that still doesn’t mean this was enough of a return for LaVine. Essentially, the Bulls provided a large chunk of the value to the Kings so that the Spurs didn’t have to. For a return of your own 2025 first-round pick unencumbered, that’s not enough.

Let’s talk about that pick for a moment…On face value, Chicago getting that pick back without the protected component, seems great. But here’s the thing: the Bulls should have been able to be bad enough to keep that pick anyway. There never really should have been all that much worry of losing it. For that to the primary return in trading away LaVine simply isn’t good enough.

Yes, Chicago got off considerable salary in this deal by moving LaVine. But Collins and Huerter combined are at over $36 million for next season. That’s not great. If either can find their game again in Chicago, then at least having them as individual movable salary has some value.

On the court, it’s hard to really evaluate much here. Kevin Huerter is theoretically a nice fit in the pace-and-space system that Billy Donovan is employing. He gives the Bulls a shooter with size that they don’t really have right now. Most of the Bulls best shooters are guard-sized players.

Zach Collins is a nice backup center. Assuming Nikola Vucevic is moved before the deadline, Collins can team with Jalen Smith to give Chicago 48 minutes of decent play at the five.

Tre Jones is a good backup point guard. The issue there is that Chicago already has so many point guards that Jones is just another body in the mix for right now. A trade moving out some of that depth is a must for the Bulls this week.

It feels like the start of something for the Bulls here. But if they don’t push this forward by moving a handful of other veterans, this will become the worst, directionless roster in the NBA. Chicago has to fully commit now to bottoming out.

They’ve already won too much this year to get in the Cooper Flagg derby, but they can still improve their pick a good amount. Mostly, this about picking a direction and going fully down Rebuild Road. You can’t drive halfway down there, change your mind and decide that’s good enough. But until they actually do it, there’s no way anyone will believe the Bulls will do anything more than going halfway, grabbing a burger for the road and heading back home to the middle.

Wow…

Just wow.

In a stunning blockbuster, the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks swapped superstars, while the Utah Jazz stepped in as a facilitator.

Here are the particulars:

Los Angeles Lakers acquire: Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris

Dallas Mavericks acquire: Anthony Davis, Max Christie, 2029 Lakers first-round pick

Utah Jazz acquire: Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2025 TBD second-round pick (via Mavericks), 2025 Clippers second-round pick (via Lakers)

Let’s dive in!

Los Angeles Lakers

Incoming salary: $56.1 million in 2024-25

• Luka Doncic (PG, three years, $137.9 million (player option for final season)),
• Maxi Kleber (PF/C, two years, $22 million),
• Markieff Morris (PF/C, one year, $2.1 million)

Outgoing salary: $54.2 million in 2024-25

• Anthony Davis (PF/C, four years, $218.6 million (player option for final season),
• Max Christie (SG/SF, four years, $32 million (player option for final season),
• Jalen Hood-Schifino (PG, one year, $3.9 million)

The Los Angeles Lakers have their post-LeBron James superstar in place. That’s what this trade was about.

James and Doncic are a bit of an odd pairing on the floor. Both are high-usage big ballhandlers. Neither is an elite off-ball player. But that’s something for JJ Redick to sort out over the coming weeks and months.

The defense will take a major hit for Los Angeles. Anthony Davis is still a one-man wrecking crew around the rim. Max Christie was the team’s best perimeter defender.

None of that really matters.

The Lakers got Luka Doncic.

Has Doncic been somewhat injury-prone recently? Are there conditioning issues with Doncic? Is he still immature in his relationships with officials?

Yes. Yes. And, yes.

Doncic is also a perennial MVP candidate. He also only turns 26 years old at the end of February. He’s an established global superstar.

You put up with all the questionable stuff because Doncic is that good. And he has been since he got to the NBA. Don’t overthink this. It’s Luka Doncic.

Moving forward, the Lakers now have the certainty of having a star in place when James eventually moves on. That’s true if James retires or decides he’d like to play elsewhere. (More on that last part in a bit.)

The other sneaky, but enormously important thing to note here: Los Angeles will get Doncic on a relative discount long-term too.

Doncic is no longer eligible to sign a Designated Veteran extension (the so-called supermax) for 35% of the cap. Players can only sign that kind of deal with the team that drafted them, or if they were acquired while still on their rookie scale deal.

That means when it’s time for the Lakers to extend or re-sign Doncic, they’ll get him for 30% of the cap. That’s a projected difference of roughly $8.5 million in first-year salary in 2026-27. That’s huge for Los Angeles, as they’ll be retooling the roster around Doncic at that time.

Speaking of retooling…Rob Pelinka still has work to do this season for the Lakers.

By trading Davis and Christie, the Lakers are severely lacking in defense now. Davis leaves a major hole at center. The only healthy non-two-way center on the roster now is Jaxson Hayes. He’s been fine as a backup, but he’s underwhelming as a starter.

Could Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris help there? Eh, probably not. Kleber is out with a broken foot and will be down for several more weeks. He’s also not really a center, as much as he is a pure four. At this point, Morris’ biggest contributions come in the locker room and in practice.

That means the Lakers need to get a center. The good news? They have the ammo to make that happen, and they can be flexible in the type of five they chase now.

Interior defense and rebounding are definitely concerns. Someone like Clint Capela, Nic Claxton, Robert Williams III, Jakob Poeltl or, yes, Walker Kessler can fill those needs. All are on acquirable contracts, which is key because the Lakers are still working around some tight margins with the aprons.

If the team’s read is that no center that they can acquire is fixing what looks like a leaky perimeter defense, they could go all-in on offense. That would open up the market for guys like Nikola Vucevic, Jonas Valanciunas or Deandre Ayton.

The player who can fill both the offensive and defensive needs best is Myles Turner, but there’s no sense the Pacers would move him for anything but a real haul.

Which brings us to the next question: What do the Lakers still have that they can offer? Picks-wise, Pelinka still has his 2031 first-round pick to offer up in deal. For players, the Lakers can send out Rui Hachimura and Gabe Vincent, who are a combined $28 million in potential salary-matching, even with each carrying one extra season beyond this one.

The Lakers should also be more open to moving Austin Reaves too. Doncic and Reaves are a terrific offensive combination, but that’s pretty rough duo defensively. It’s asking a lot of everyone else to cover for those two’s flaws on defense.

If Los Angeles is open to moving Reaves, that could up their return considerably. He’s a good player, despite the defensive issues, and Reaves would be another $12.9 million in outgoing salary.

To keep it simple: The Lakers don’t seem done rebuilding this roster. There is work to be done, both for the short- and long-term. It might be bumpy for a bit, because the Doncic-James fit isn’t exactly seamless, plus Los Angeles will likely be incorporating other new players too. But once they find their footing, the Lakers should be fine.

Now, let’s get to the elephant in the room: How does LeBron James feel about all of this?

James only public comments so far, in the immediate hours following the trade, were to dispute a report that he had grown weary of playing with Davis. James shot that down emphatically on social media.

But that shouldn’t be taken as more than anything but James not wanting others to put words in his mouth. There’s been nothing reported yet that he’s happy or upset about this deal. In the past, the Lakers superstar has spoken glowingly of Doncic. James also recruited Davis and won a title with him.

The reality is that the Lakers made this deal to prepare themselves for a post-LeBron James future. Could that come as soon as this week, before the trade deadline? That seems crazy, but this whole thing is crazy already. The Lakers and Golden State Warriors had at least some level of discussion on a trade that would have sent James to northern California a year ago. Could those be rekindled?

It’s important to note here that James has a full no-trade clause. If he’s dealt this week, or at any point, it’ll happen with his approval.

It’s also worth asking what James is going to do after this season. He’s in Year 22. James has talked openly about how the end is near. But only he knows how near it is. James has a player option for 2025-26. Could he opt out and go elsewhere? Could he simply retire and walk away?

The Los Angeles Lakers know their time with LeBron James is short, no matter if they don’t know just how short it is. They weren’t going to go without a superstar after James moves on. Now, with Luka Doncic in the fold, the Lakers have their next star already in the fold.

Dallas Mavericks

Incoming salary: $50.4 million in 2024-25

• Anthony Davis (PF/C, four years, $218.6 million (player option for final season)
• Max Christie (SG/SF, four years, $32 million (player option for final season)

Outgoing salary: $54.2 million in 2024-25

• Luka Doncic (PG, three years, $137.9 million (player option for final season))
• Maxi Kleber (PF/C, two years, $22 million)
• Markieff Morris (PF/C, one year, $2.1 million)

The Mavericks are resetting on the fly. This isn’t a rebuilding trade, nor is it a panic trade. It’s a major gamble, but one that seems to align with their organizational belief on how you build a winner.

Dallas GM Nico Harrison said post-trade reports that he believes you win championships with defense.

Enter Anthony Davis.

Yes, Davis is roughly six years older than Luka Doncic. Yes, Davis is injury prone.

But he’s still an All-NBA level of talent and a one-man defensive system. Davis still has plenty left in tank, and he’s signed long-term.

In the immediate, Davis is a major upgrade for the Mavericks. Doncic hasn’t played for most of the season and Dallas is thin up front at the moment due to injuries. Davis will help them tremendously right away.

Expect the Mavs to fulfill Davis’ long-held desire to play power forward. In the short-term, Davis will likely start next to Daniel Gafford, with P.J. Washington becoming a high-minutes super sub behind them in the frontcourt rotation. When Dereck Lively II is healthy again, he and Davis will team up as the long-term frontcourt pairing in Dallas.

Davis is a fairly plug-and-play guy. He’s awesome defensively and he’s an offensive weapon, without being someone you need to tailor your entire system around. Davis and holdover Mavericks star Kyrie Irving have long talked about playing together. Now, they’ll get to do so in Dallas, of all places.

Cap-wise, acquiring Davis beings some surety to things for the Mavericks. Instead of paying Doncic a supermax (and Doncic would have gotten the supermax or things would have gotten very ugly in Dallas), now the team has Davis locked in for what is less than they were planning for in extending Doncic. It’s not a massive amount, but it’s locked in long-term security with some additional flexibility.

That’s important because Irving can be a free agent this summer. Assuming Irving is happy about the deal (as of this writing, nothing has been reported about how Irving feels), the Mavs can move forward with locking up Irving and Davis as their star duo. There’s a chance that pairing fits just as well as the Irving-Doncic duo did.

It’s worth noting that Davis is waiving his trade bonus to be a part of this deal. That’s important for two reasons: First, it gives the Mavs some much-needed flexibility, both now and moving forward. Second, it’s an indication that Davis is ok with the deal. If he wasn’t, he could have caused issues by insisting upon getting his bonus in full.

Dallas also acquired a 2029 first-round pick in this deal. It’s impossible to know what the Lakers will be four years from now. Even with Doncic in the fold, Los Angeles will be navigating a post-LeBron James world at that point. That range of outcomes for that pick is anywhere in the first round.

Stepping back into the present, the Mavericks had made it known they wanted to upgrade their perimeter defense ahead of the deadline. Max Christie is a major get in that respect. Christie is a solid defender on the wing. He’s also become a fairly consistent shooter too. No one is going to celebrate wildly about Christie being in this deal, but he’s on a terrific value contract and shouldn’t be overlooked. Dallas did well to add him.

All that being said…the Mavericks traded Luka Doncic.

Ouch.

Doncic is a full-blown superstar. Super-duper-star, even. With Doncic, you write him into your roster and game plans in pen, then you figure out the rest. Doncic is a yearly MVP candidate and he’s only turning 26 later this month.

Doncic was also the post-Dirk Nowtizki star in Dallas. He’s a global superstar who made the Mavericks relevant around the world. All of that is hard to move on from.

There’s a lot of spin coming out Dallas right now about Doncic. Concerns over his conditioning, commitment and a tendency to pick up injuries. Those reports also say Dallas was hesitant to give Doncic a supermax deal.

If true, then the Mavericks were right to move on. If you can’t commit to your superstar, you owe it to him and yourselves to make a trade.

But the question then becomes: Why not stage a bidding war?

Let’s start out by saying, this trade isn’t bad for Dallas. In a rush to declare winners and losers, we often turn it into good and bad. The Mavericks did fine here. Davis is a star in his own right. Christie is a nice role player on a great contract. And Dallas picked up a potentially valuable first-round pick.

But could they have gotten more?

How many picks would the Spurs have given up to pair Doncic with Victor Wembanyama? Could the Nets have given their entire haul to bring Doncic to Brooklyn? Would the Rockets have given up picks and young talent? What about the Jazz? Could the Thunder have shocked the world by emptying their draft pick treasure chest, while also adding in some young talent too?

We’ll never know. And that’s unfortunate, because players of Luka Doncic’s caliber, at his age, are rarely ever actually available.

Instead, the Mavericks worked in silence and to make a win-now play. Again, it’s not bad, per se. It’s just not the kind of overwhelming return we expect in a move like this.

But that’s kind of the thing. There’s no real playbook to work off of here. A super-duper-star getting moved when he’s still in his pre-prime (at worst early-prime) years is unheard of. It’s truly incredible.

Utah Jazz

Incoming salary: $3.9 million in 2024-25

• Jalen Hood-Schifino (PG, one year, $3.9 million)

Outgoing salary: None

• Note: The Jazz will have to waive a player to complete this trade. That player is TBD.

The Jazz have jumped in yet another trade to siphon off some value by acting as a facilitator. This trade doesn’t work without Hood-Schifino going somewhere, so Utah is lending a helping hand, while getting paid two second-round picks to do so.

Hood-Schifino is a decent flyer for Utah to take. He was a former mid-first-round pick. His impact in the NBA has been almost non-existent. Last season, Hood-Schifino played well in the G League in a limited number of games. There’s talent there, even if Hood-Schifino hasn’t figured it out yet.

Basically, Utah will get a look at the young guard when he’s healthy enough to play. The Jazz already have several other young ballhandlers, so Hood-Schifino is really just a flyer. But why not? Might as well take a look, considering that’s where the Jazz are at in the rebuilding process.

Utah will acquire Hood-Schifino using a part of their Room Exception. That’s fine, as the Jazz were never going to sign anyone of note using that exception anyway.

One last note on Hood-Schifino: Let’s say he pops and really plays well for Utah. The Jazz will be limited in what they can re-sign him for. Because the Lakers declined their 2025-26 team option for Hood-Schifino, the Jazz are limited to offering him the amount of that declined option in first-year salary. That’s just over $4 million, so that shouldn’t be any kind of major impediment, should Utah want to re-sign Hood-Schifino as a free agent this summer.

The LA Clippers have been searching for a way to add some frontcourt depth. The Clippers have also been looking for a way to drop under the luxury tax. In one move, LA took care of both of those desires.

Here are the particulars:

LA Clippers acquire: Drew Eubanks, Patty Mills

Utah Jazz acquire: Mo Bamba, P.J. Tucker, future second-round pick

Let’s dive in!

LA Clippers

Incoming salary: $7.1 million in 2024-25

• Drew Eubanks (C, two years, $9.8 million (2025-26 is non-guaranteed)), Patty Mills (PG, one year, $2.1 million)

Outgoing salary: $13.6 million in 2024-25

• Mo Bamba (C, one year, $2.1 million), P.J. Tucker (PF, one-year, $11.5 million)

The Clippers have been trying to find a way to add to their frontcourt. They did that with Drew Eubanks. He’s a different player from Mo Bamba, but Eubanks is a better fit for what LA needs.

Eubanks plays solely around the rim on offense. He’s a play-finisher, in addition to being a solid screener. Eubanks should fit in well with James Harden in the pick-and-roll game when he’s in the game backing up Ivica Zubac.

On defense, Eubanks is more rugged than Bamba. He’s physical on the interior, a good rebounder and a solid rim protector. Eubanks also stays engaged all the way through the possession, while Bamba still has tendency to wander.

On the cap sheet, Eubanks’ deal is non-guaranteed at $4.75 million for 2025-26. If he’s not working out, the Clippers can move on with relative ease. That’s some nice flexibility.

The second upgrade for LA is getting out of the luxury tax. The Clippers will drop about $4.1 million under the tax and over $11 million under their first-apron hard cap. That gives the front office more than enough wiggle room to make an additional move. It also relieves any of the burdens that come with being a tax team, as far as salary-matching goes in trades.

Keep an eye on another frontcourt addition, possibly with Terance Mann (who has lost a lot of minutes as LA has gotten healthier on the wing) as the outgoing salary. Bones Hyland is very available in trades, as well. The Clippers are going to stay active in trade talks right up to the deadline.

Patty Mills’ fate in LA probably won’t be known until after the deadline. The Clippers would like to free up a roster spot to convert Jordan Miller from his two-way contract. In addition, LA wouldn’t mind having a spot to convert Kai Jones too. If the Clippers need a roster spot, Mills (and Hyland if he’s not traded) could be the roster casualty.

The Clippers only had a couple of second-round picks to trade, so this should bring them down to just one second rounder left. More importantly in the immediate, as they’ve now dipped under the tax and well under the apron, LA has no restrictions on the buyout market. The Clippers have $3.3 million left of the Non-Taxpayer MLE, which is a nice chunk to offer a player to sign on for the stretch run.

Finally, LA created a potentially handy $6.5 million traded player exception in this one. That’s big enough to be useful, either at the deadline or in the offseason.

Utah Jazz

Incoming salary: $13.6 million in 2024-25

• Mo Bamba (C, one year, $2.1 million), P.J. Tucker (PF, one-year, $11.5 million)

Outgoing salary: $7.1 million in 2024-25

• Drew Eubanks (C, two years, $9.8 million (2025-26 is non-guaranteed)), Patty Mills (PG, one year, $2.1 million)

The Jazz are miles under the luxury tax line, so this is about using that flexibility to add another asset, while taking a rest-of-season flyer on Mo Bamba. Essentially, Utah bought a future second-round pick for taking on the difference between Drew Eubanks’ and P.J. Tucker’s in salary.

On-court, Bamba should play for the Jazz. They’ve been cycling through frontcourt players all season long. Utah can take a look at Bamba and see what they have over the final 30-plus games. Eubanks was playing a lot, but he wasn’t likely a big part of the future in Utah. The Jazz were going to evaluate Eubanks and his $4.75 million non-guaranteed contract for 2025-26 against the need for a roster spot in the offseason.

P.J. Tucker likely won’t even be required to report to Utah. He’s a contract only for the Jazz. Look for Danny Ainge and Justin Zanik to keep Tucker on the roster through the deadline. If they can re-trade his contract in a deal, they will. If not, Tucker will be waived to open up a roster spot.

That open roster spot could be used to take a look at different players on 10 Day contracts. The Jazz may also look to convert Micah Potter to a standard deal. He’s played well in his opportunities this season and Utah might want to lock him up on a team-friendly deal. Elijah Harkless is another potential conversion candidate for the Jazz too.

This is Utah continuing their process of eating contracts in exchange for draft capital. They’ve facilitated several of these deals over the last couple of seasons, including eating Russell Westbrook’s contract on two different occasions. It’s solid work, given the team is so far under the tax line.

The Jazz probably aren’t done dealing. John Collins, Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton are all very available in the right moves. Utah won’t give any of them away, but if they find the right trades, any of those veterans could be a part of the continued roster shuffling.

We’re just over a week out from the NBA trade deadline on February 6. Like the past couple of seasons, NBA teams are falling into defined tiers this year. However, those tiers are a little different from the traditional ones of title contender, playoff team and tanking team.

What the Play-In Tournament has done is create a handful of different races. There are a handful of teams in each conference that are still competing for the top seed. But from there, we have a couple of other races to watch. Teams compete for homecourt advantage, but are also competing to simply be in the top-six in their conference to snag one of the assured playoff spots.

After the contenders, several teams are fighting for positioning, or even just spots, in the Play-In Tournament in each conference. (This season, this is truer of the Western Conference than the Eastern Conference.) And then, of course, you have teams that are prioritizing ping-pong balls, if we put it kindly.

That makes each team’s approach to the trade deadline endlessly more fascinating. Today, we’ll cover where each team seems to stand as far as being a buyer or seller, or either or neither, at the deadline. We’ll also give some thoughts on where we think each team should be at.

You can find the Eastern Conference teams here.

Dallas Mavericks

Approach at the deadline: Buyers

The Mavericks are looking for perimeter defensive help. In addition, with recent frontcourt injuries, Dallas would like to add a big. The challenge is that Nico Harrison isn’t sitting on a whole lot of tradable salary, and the Mavs are working under tight margins against a first-apron hard cap.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

Dallas should look for upgrades, but they need to be careful. If you can do a get-by move or two, by all means do so. But investing real assets - when these might be short-term fixes - isn’t the play.

Denver Nuggets

Approach at the deadline: Buyers

Denver is looking for rotation help. They like their top six-to-eight rotation. Beyond that, Calvin Booth is seeing what he can get. It doesn’t seem like a major move for a guy like Zach LaVine will be an in-season thing. That means shopping Zeke Nnaji and Dario Saric for a rotation upgrade.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

It makes sense for the Nuggets to be looking for upgrades. Another big would be nice. Relying on DeAndre Jordan this much behind Nikola Jokic is a little worrisome. Maybe one more guard to put in the mix would be helpful too. If they’re willing to move a draft pick, that Nnaji/Saric combo could get them a nice upgrade.

Golden State Warriors

Approach at the deadline: Buyers

This was very close to being a “Neither”. The Warriors are open to making moves, but they are insistent that they don’t want to move a lot of future assets, be it players or draft picks. That’s going to limit what they can do.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

The Warriors should be buying. Yes, this team has issues. There’s no ignoring that. But they still have a chance with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. They don’t need to get silly, but they could make upgrades without giving up everything. They should be pursuing them.

Houston Rockets

Approach at the deadline: Neither

Houston seems to be honest in their commitment to seeing this season through. It’s not the worst idea. They’ve been really good. If the right deal was there (De’Aaron Fox?) maybe their minds will be changed. But Rafael Stone has held firm thus far that the big moves are coming this summer and beyond.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

The Rockets are really good. Maybe even a player (and some postseason luck) away from making a real playoff run. The future is never guaranteed. Houston doesn’t need to be reckless and trade away guys from the young core. But they could make moves without doing that. It’s worth considering bolstering this team for now and tomorrow.

LA Clippers

Approach at the deadline: Buyers

The Clippers are looking for rotation upgrades. They aren’t likely to get involved in any blockbuster deals, but they’ve got plenty of tradable salary to add to their group. The primary focus is on adding frontcourt help.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

If there is a deal to send Tucker somewhere and bring back a ready-to-play 4/5, the Clippers should do it. (Yes, that was a copy-paste from last year!) Terance Mann has also been on the fringes of the rotation. He could be available too.

Los Angeles Lakers

Approach at the deadline: Buyers

Los Angeles already made one move to add Dorian Finney-Smith, but they’re still looking. Another ballhandler and perimeter scoring is on the list. Anthony Davis wants another big, and the Lakers are looking at those options too.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

When you have LeBron James and Anthony Davis playing this well, you owe it to them and yourselves to make your roster better. (Hey! Another copy-paste!) The Lakers are doing so. They’re going to keep searching. However, unless Rob Pelinka is suddenly willing to trade both of the future picks they can move, it won’t be the superstar deal many fans are looking for.

Memphis Grizzlies

Approach at the deadline: Buyers

Memphis is trying to find some upgrades for their rotation. They’d like to add another shooter to their mix, ideally one with some size and versatility. That’s why they were in on Dorian Finney-Smith and have been in on Cam Johnson.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

Thankfully, the Grizzlies have been less precious with their own drafted and developed players in the last year or so. That puts them in position to do something. This team is really, really close to title contention. Hitting on the right guy could put them over the top for the next few years.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Approach at the deadline: Neither

As a second-apron team, Minnesota doesn’t have the flexibility to do a whole lot. Unless they are moving Julius Randle, there’s just not much here. Expect the Wolves to poke around for vets who can be acquired using the Minimum Exception, but they can’t do much else.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Neither

This one is one the Timberwolves probably need to wait until the offseason to reset. The challenges of working around the second apron are simply too restrictive. If they can find a deal for Julius Randle that rebalances and upgrades the rotation, that’s worth considering. But that doesn’t seem very likely.

New Orleans Pelicans

Approach at the deadline: Sellers

The Pelicans are looking for deals for Brandon Ingram and C.J. McCollum. They seem to open to listening to offers for Zion Williamson, but don’t really want to move him. And if a team wants Javonte Green or Daniel Theis, all they need to do is call. Everyone else is sticking around.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Sellers

At the very least, New Orleans is going to get out of the tax by shedding Javonte Green or Daniel Theis, or both. The Pels might move Ingram. They’re still trying. C.J. McCollum might need to wait until the offseason, but teams do get desperate for guard help at the deadline. Zion Williamson? Nah. Let’s see what the rest of the season looks like and cross that bridge this summer, if necessary.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Approach at the deadline: Buyers

The Thunder are looking. There’s nothing huge coming though. They tried that last year with Gordon Hayward and it failed. That hasn’t scared OKC off trying to do anything else, but they don’t need a whole lot. Adding another perimeter on-ball playmaker seems to be the goal.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

Oklahoma City has what they need to win the Finals. They’ve been the best team in the league this season. But that doesn’t mean they can’t bolster their rotation with a move. And, we all know they have the draft-pick capital to do whatever they want.

Phoenix Suns

Approach at the deadline: Buyers

Outside of Jimmy Butler, the Suns are looking to see what they can do. They’re actively shopping Jusuf Nurkic for perimeter help. The Suns made the draft pick swap with the Jazz to have some assets to move right now.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

Without getting deep into it, a Butler deal has to involve finding Bradley Beal an acceptable home. If that can’t happen, Phoenix should try to turn Jusuf Nurkic’s contract into a couple of helpful players, even if that means moving one or two the recently acquired first-round picks.

Portland Trail Blazers

Approach at the deadline: Sellers

Portland is listening on a number of veterans. They’re open to moving Robert Williams III, Deandre Ayton, Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons and Matisse Thybulle. Williams and Thybulle seem to be drawing the most interest, but offers are reflecting their susceptibility for injury.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Sellers

The Trail Blazers should be moving their vets. It’s not quite “Everything must go!” time, but we’re not too far off that. The veteran players the Blazers have aren’t likely to see their trade value increase as time goes along. Now is the time to move some of these guys while Portland can still get a positive return.

Sacramento Kings

Approach at the deadline: Either

The De’Aaron Fox trade availability/desires threw a monkey wrench to the entire NBA. A whole new star is now available. The big question, beyond where Fox is going, is: What is the plan in Sacramento? Are they tearing things down? Are the Kings flipping Fox for win-now players? That will get answered in coming days.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Either

Sacramento needs to be honest with themselves here, and through the offseason. This group broke the playoff drought and has stagnated since. Are shuffling pieces enough to reset things and keep the Kings in playoff contention? Or is it time to rebuild? The first is hard to pull off, and rare to see succeed. The latter could set up Sacramento with assets for years to come. It’s worth at least listening to offers for the stars beyond De’Aaron Fox to see what the returns could be.

San Antonio Spurs

Approach at the deadline: Neither*

We put in the “*” because the Spurs could jump on a De’Aaron Fox trade before the deadline. He seems to want that, and it makes sense for San Antonio too. If it’s not a Fox addition, then the Spurs will probably just sit things out. They’re progressing along just fine. No reason to get crazy for minor upgrades now.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers*

Yeah, another “*”. This one is because the Spurs should go get De’Aaron Fox if the asking price is reasonable. San Antonio has some extra draft picks that look promising. They have young players, and some vet role players, they can send to Sacramento. Pairing Fox and Victor Wembanyama makes a lot of sense. It’s worth exploring, before Fox lands somewhere else and the Spurs are still looking for the point guard of the future.

Utah Jazz

Approach at the deadline: Sellers

This is the most obvious seller situation outside of maybe Portland. If you’ve been in the league longer than a few years and you aren’t Lauri Markkanen, the Jazz are open to moving you. John Collins, Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton and Drew Eubanks are all available. Walker Kessler is “available”, but only if you make a monster offer. So, good luck there.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Sellers

It makes no sense to hang onto John Collins and Jordan Clarkson for Utah. The Jazz don’t have to make a bad deal, and they won’t, but both of those vets should get moved. Collin Sexton is a nice fit, and on a pretty good deal, so keeping him as the team rebuilds would be fine. But if the right offer comes, Sexton could move too. If someone gets silly with an offer for Walker Kessler, that’s worth exploring too. The Jazz are going to be active and will probably make at least a couple of moves by the deadline.

We’re just over a week out from the NBA trade deadline on February 6. Like the past couple of seasons, NBA teams are falling into defined tiers this year. However, those tiers are a little different from the traditional ones of title contender, playoff team and tanking team.

What the Play-In Tournament has done is create a handful of different races. There are a handful of teams in each conference that are still competing for the top seed. But from there, we have a couple of other races to watch. Teams compete for homecourt advantage, but are also competing to simply be in the top-six in their conference to snag one of the assured playoff spots.

After the contenders, several teams are fighting for positioning, or even just spots, in the Play-In Tournament in each conference. (This season, this is truer of the Western Conference than the Eastern Conference.) And then, of course, you have teams that are prioritizing ping-pong balls, if we put it kindly.

That makes each team’s approach to the trade deadline endlessly more fascinating. Today, we’ll cover where each team seems to stand as far as being a buyer or seller, or either or neither, at the deadline. We’ll also give some thoughts on where we think each team should be at.

Atlanta Hawks

Approach at the deadline: Buyers

Let’s call the Hawks cautious buyers. Atlanta doesn’t have a lot of room under the tax to add salary. They aren’t good enough to go into the tax yet, so that limits what they can do. They’re looking for upgrades, but nothing major seems on the horizon.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Either

Atlanta shouldn’t be making any all-in moves, nor should they be trading any young core players. But if someone wants to make a run at Clint Capela or Larry Nance Jr., the Hawks should listen. This could be a way to continue rebalancing the cap sheet, while adding talent to keep Atlanta in the playoff race.

Boston Celtics

Approach at the deadline: Neither

Boston doesn’t have the tradable salary to do anything all that meaningful at the deadline. Their top-nine playoff guys are also fairly set too. They’re always looking around, but nothing seems imminent here.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Neither

Despite a blah last month or so, the Celtics are still the champs. Everything is set up to make another title run. There are no major needs. They’ll probably move Jaden Springer’s expiring salary to kick the can down the road with another guy who has a year or left, but don’t expect much more. Mostly, Boston will just keep things moving along.

Brooklyn Nets

Approach at the deadline: Sellers

The Nets have already started this process, but there’s more to come. Cam Johnson, Nic Claxton, D’Angelo Russell, Bojan Bogdanovic and…well…just about anyone can be had for the right price.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Sellers

Brooklyn hasn’t landed on their next franchise guy yet. They’ve got a few interesting young guys, but none of them screams out as the guy who will lead several years of playoff runs. That’ll come through the draft. Maximize assets over the next few years is the way forward for the Nets.

Charlotte Hornets

Approach at the deadline: Sellers

Charlotte already moved Nick Richards, and he was their best trade asset. They might be able to get something for Cody Martin, as more and more teams are looking for perimeter help. But the Hornets are looking at smaller deals now.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Sellers

Could Jeff Peterson jump in and help as a facilitator again? It’s possible. If they Hornets can snag some more additional assets to help move some money around, they’ll probably do it. The reality is that there just isn’t a lot of tradable salary left here. The bigger deals belong to the guys who Charlotte is building around. This should be a quiet deadline.

Chicago Bulls

Approach at the deadline: Sellers

The Bulls are sellers. Wait…really? It appears so. They are still open to moving Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic in the right deal. Patrick Williams is still very available. Basically, anyone but Matas Buzelis, and possibly Josh Giddey, shouldn’t be investing in long-term real estate in Chicago.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Sellers

The Bulls should be selling. No doubt about it. They might not get monster returns for LaVine or Vucevic, but if they could take on some undesirable money to plus-up the return packages, Chicago should be open to that. It’s been years since they’ve leaned fully into rebuilding, but it’s beyond time to pull the plug on this iteration. Mercifully, it seems that process is finally beginning.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Approach at the deadline: Buyers

Cleveland is poking around and looking for help. They aren’t touching the core, but the guys who orbit around them can be had in return for upgrades. The Cavaliers are looking for perimeter help and wouldn’t mind adding a versatile backup big too.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

The Cavs have the movable salary to get something done. Ideally, they’d make a move or two to add talent, while also getting out of the tax. Cleveland projects to be very expensive for years to come. No reason to start that clock any earlier than necessary.

Detroit Pistons

Approach at the deadline: Either

This Pistons are operating with an air of mystery right now. Their very good play has them looking for some upgrades. Their $14 million in cap space has them open to eating some salary. If there’s a way to do both, Tajan Langdon will jump on it.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

Detroit hasn’t won a single playoff game (game, not series) since 2008. Young Pistons fans could complete their entire run of K-12 schooling without seeing a single playoff win. Langdon has the ability to add help and should be active. It doesn’t have to be a crazy, sell-the-farm kind of deal. But this group has earned an upgrade or two to aid in the postseason push.

Indiana Pacers

Approach at the deadline: Neither

Indiana is in a good place. They don’t really need a whole lot, beyond staying healthy. The Pacers have stayed focused on the players they have. Myles Turner rumors abound (wouldn’t be a deadline without them!), but that seems to be more speculation that reality at this point.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Neither

If there’s a deal that comes up that can allow Indiana to get off a long-term salary for a fringe rotation guy (they don’t have any bad salary), they should be on it. The Pacers project to hit next summer without much room under the luxury tax. If they are going to re-sign Myles Turner, they need to clear some room eventually, as they aren’t likely to play the tax. Now, if they aren’t going to re-sign Turner, then they should probably think about moving him by the deadline. But that’s not the direction this will probably take.

Miami Heat

Approach at the deadline: Either

The Heat are trying to find Jimmy Butler trade that brings back win-now talent, but no long-term salary. That’s a tricky needle to thread, but maybe they can pull it off. Until Butler’s situation is settled, and possibly after, don’t expect much else from Miami.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Either

Miami is progressing along as they should be. There’s no reason to rush a Butler trade and take back a less-than-desirable return. See that through, play out the rest of the season, then pick up the pieces this summer for the long-term.

Milwaukee Bucks

Approach at the deadline: Buyers

The Bucks are always active and there’s nothing different happening at this deadline. Milwaukee is looking for more scoring help, and they’ve got some tradable salary to make it happen. They’ll have to dance around the second apron, but it’s doable with a salary-shedding more or two.

Ideal approach at the deadline: Buyers

Milwaukee is doing the right thing. They should be trying to maximize the time they have with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard playing at superstar levels. That might mean saying goodbye to some key franchise guys, but reunions down the line are made for showing love for the past. If you want to compete for another title, moves have to be made.

New York Knicks

Approach at the deadline: Buyers