The NBA trade deadline is nearly three months away, but it’s never too early to diagnose what contending teams need most and what their front offices can pull off between now and Feb. 5.
What trades can the Detroit Pistons, who have soared to the Eastern Conference lead on the strength of an 11-game win streak, make to supplement their roster around star Cade Cunningham and rising standout Jalen Duren? Should the Milwaukee Bucks think about bolstering their offense as they navigate an early absence for Giannis Antetokounmpo? And what moves should star-studded Western Conference powers such as the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors be eyeing over the next few months to improve their chances at a deep playoff run?
Our NBA insiders are examining what eight playoff contenders across the league are lacking, what restrictions they face when considering their trade options and what could come next as each settles into the 2025-26 campaign.
Jump to a team:
DET | GS | LAL | MIL
MIN | NYK | ORL | SA
Detroit Pistons
What they’re missing: As befits a team succeeding with a physical, throwback style, the Pistons are also taking an old-school approach to the 3-point line, ranking 27th in makes, 28th in attempts and 20th in percentage. Of the four Pistons who made more than 1.2 3-pointers per game last season, Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. are no longer on the team, and Jaden Ivey hasn’t played yet this season because of knee surgery; only Cade Cunningham is still here and healthy. New addition Duncan Robinson has been a valuable long-range replacement, making 3.1 3s per game on 41.8% shooting, and two-way guard Daniss Jenkins has emerged as a meaningful contributor. But the Pistons could still use another reliable shooter to stretch playoff defenses that target Cunningham and Jalen Duren down low. — Zach Kram
What they can pull off: No East playoff team is better positioned than the Pistons. For the first time since November 2020, the Pistons control their own first-round pick in each of the next seven years, are allowed to trade up to four of them and can swap in each year. Detroit also has 14 second-rounders to use in deals. Financially, the Pistons are $26.2 million below the salary cap’s first apron and can be aggressive in taking back considerable salary and contracts. Detroit has the $26.3 million expiring contract of Tobias Harris and short-term salaries of Robinson ($16.8 million), Isaiah Stewart ($15 million) and Caris LeVert ($14.1 million). — Bobby Marks
What’s next for Detroit? Ivey, who has been out nearly a full calendar year because of a broken left fibula, was just assigned to the G League, meaning his return to action is imminent. How he fits with a team that has learned to function without him, but one that can certainly use his talents, speed and shooting, will be interesting to watch. There’s an internal desire to see this group together before pressing the fast-forward button, but ownership, sources told ESPN, isn’t afraid of making a large commitment should the front office come with a proposal. Seeing if Ivey makes a star leap similar to Duren’s will be fascinating, especially as the Pistons will know more about themselves through the remainder of 2025, with a difficult West Coast trip coming at the end of December. — Vincent Goodwill
Golden State Warriors
What they’re missing: Adding Jimmy Butler III helped the Warriors succeed with Stephen Curry on the bench. Creating offense when both Butler and Curry are out remains a challenge for Golden State, which went 1-2 in the three games Curry missed because of illness, one of which Butler also sat out.
Given their ages and track records, Butler and Curry will inevitably sit out longer stretches, requiring the Warriors to find more playmaking. Ideally, Brandin Podziemski would step into that role, but his usage rate is actually down from last season with Butler’s arrival. Podziemski averaged only 11.7 points with Curry out, though he nearly had a triple-double when Butler was sidelined.
Jonathan Kuminga, meanwhile, scored 24 points in a loss at the Sacramento Kings but had just 11 on 4-of-19 shooting in the next two games. That kind of inconsistent performance has made it hard for Golden State to rely on him. — Kevin Pelton
What they can pull off: Last February, GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. was able to put together a package of contract and draft assets to acquire Butler. Despite sending their 2025 first-rounder to Miami, the Warriors still have access to four first-round picks to trade. The Kuminga signing at the onset of training camp gives Golden State a valuable $22.5 million trade option, and Kuminga is trade-eligible starting on Jan. 15. Because they are hard-capped at the second apron, Golden State is not allowed to take back more salary sent out in a trade. Besides Kuminga, the Warriors have $23 million in salary consisting of guards Moses Moody ($11.6 million), Buddy Hield ($9.2 million) and Podziemski ($3.7 million). They have only one second-round pick available. — Marks
What’s next for Golden State? Two months of internal and external information gathering. That Jan. 15 eligibility date on Kuminga’s contract gives them an unofficial starting clock on trade season. Until then, the Warriors have questions to answer about themselves and the league. Does De’Anthony Melton look like a reasonable backcourt answer when he comes back from ACL rehab (expected in December)? Can Al Horford find a rhythm and bolster their shaky center depth? How is Kuminga playing and fitting as the season develops?
The fifth-year wing generated legitimate bites from only the Kings and Phoenix Suns in restricted free agency, but the Warriors didn’t like what either offered in sign-and-trade packages. As situations change and Dunleavy is freed from the base year compensation issue, can he find an organization willing to give the type of return for Kuminga that owner Joe Lacob would require to green light? Will there be a player in a trade who will move the needle enough? — Anthony Slater
Orlando Magic
What they’re missing: Despite trading for Desmond Bane and signing Tyus Jones to remake their backcourt, the Magic remain heavily dependent on the health of starting point guard Jalen Suggs. Orlando has been as good as the team hoped with Suggs on the court, outscoring opponents by 17.2 points per 100 possessions. That sinks to minus-6.2 when Suggs sits, per NBA Advanced Stats. Jones has struggled to adapt to the Magic. He’s shooting an abysmal 0.3-of-1.4 (19.0%) on 3s and is handing out a career-low 4.3 assists per 36 minutes. That’s particularly problematic because playing the 6-foot-1 Jones compromises Orlando’s strength on defense. Anthony Black has supplanted Jones’ minutes but doesn’t supply the kind of playmaking the Magic hoped to get from their backup point guard. — Pelton
What they can pull off: The Magic went all-in this offseason, which included signing star Paolo Banchero to a five-year extension that begins next season. The moves have left Orlando with 2032 as its lone tradable first-round pick in the next seven years — the franchise does have eight second-rounders to use in potential deals — and in a precarious financial position.
The Jones signing and first year of extensions kicking in for Suggs and Franz Wagner have left Orlando $1.2 million below the first apron hard cap. They are not allowed to exceed that threshold in any trade. With Wagner, Suggs and Bane each making more than $35 million, Orlando has 11 players earning between $1.3 to $15 million, including Jones, who is a free agent in July and is averaging a career-low 12.9 minutes. One area of concern with a trade is the Magic’s willingness to take back salary stretched into future seasons, including the non-guaranteed $14.5 million salary of Jonathan Isaac. Orlando is a projected second-apron team in 2026-27. — Marks
What’s next for Orlando? The Magic got off to a slow start, but Bane’s buzzer-beater to down the Portland Trail Blazers on Nov. 10 sparked a three-game win streak. Even before Banchero sat out three straight games because of a groin injury, the Orlando front office was looking to see how the Magic would play with Bane while also ramping up Suggs after arthroscopic knee surgery in March.
The Magic need time to see how this group meshes before looking to add from outside. “We’re looking at this as hopefully a window of time where we can improve, see what we need as we go,” Jeff Weltman, president of basketball operations, told ESPN earlier in the season. “Hopefully, maybe there are more upgrades in the offing. Who knows? We have to see what it looks like first. But obviously we gave up a lot [to get Bane] because he’s a highly talented player who fits our roster very well and we’re betting on ourselves.” — Ohm Youngmisuk
New York Knicks
What they’re missing: The Knicks are rather well-rounded without any gaping roster holes. But given center Mitchell Robinson‘s injury history, New York could use another proven center as insurance for the postseason. Continuing a trend from the 2024-25 playoffs, Robinson has been crucial to the Knicks’ performance this season: New York has a plus-15.2 net rating when he’s their center, according to Cleaning the Glass, compared with a plus-7.0 when Karl-Anthony Towns is the lone big, a plus-3.2 when Guerschon Yabusele plays small-ball center, and a minus-11.6 when little-used Ariel Hukporti mans the middle.
In theory, Yabusele should be able to function as the extra big New York needs behind Robinson and Towns. In practice, the celebrated free agent signing hasn’t lived up to expectations in New York, averaging just 2.6 points in 10.2 minutes. — Kram
What they can pull off: The Knicks are in a similar position as last November: top-heavy in contracts with no first-round picks to trade and the uncertain future of Robinson. New York has 84% of its salary cap tied up in contracts for Towns, OG Anunoby, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart. They are also $148,358 below the second apron and are not allowed to take on salary in a trade.
The $12.9 million expiring contract of Robinson, the ability to swap first-round picks in three years (2026, 2030 and 2032) and eight seconds represent New York’s most appealing trade assets. If the Knicks traded Robinson for a comparable salary but money owed in 2026-27, they could be a second apron team after their roster fills out. One potential move: trading Pacome Dadiet and cash — the Knicks have $7.9 million to include — would give New York enough breathing room below the second apron to sign two players. — Marks
What’s next for New York? Probably nothing too exciting. The Knicks, as Bobby laid out, have very little flexibility due to their lack of draft assets and being snug against the second apron. With all their significant salaries coming from their top six players, any major move would need to involve subtracting one or more of them to bring in others. In the wake of the Luka Doncic trade last February, never rule anything out in the NBA, but the chances of New York making significant moves from now until the deadline feel remote. — Tim Bontemps
Milwaukee Bucks
What they’re missing: Unsurprisingly, with Damian Lillard gone and new Buck Myles Turner more of an all-around contributor, Milwaukee is in dire need of secondary scoring and playmaking beyond Giannis Antetokounmpo. This was true even before the two-time MVP left Monday’s game because of a groin injury.
According to Cleaning the Glass, the Bucks have a 125.2 offensive rating with Antetokounmpo on the court, which ranks in the 95th percentile of all lineups leaguewide. When Antetokounmpo sits, their offensive rating falls to 104.2, which ranks in the 4th percentile.
With Antetokounmpo sidelined for up to two weeks, this need is even more pressing. The Bucks are just a game over .500 with a negative point differential, and their situation could get ugly in a hurry if they’re stuck with their current no-Giannis offense for all 48 minutes of games. — Kram
What they can pull off: Milwaukee is no longer in financial purgatory and has the flexibility to either aggregate contracts sent out or take back more money in a deal. But the Bucks have only one first-rounder to trade (either in 2031 or 2032), no seconds and would be challenged to cobble together enough salary to send out. Though the Bucks have three players (Turner, Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis) earning a combined $61 million, they also have nine with salaries between $2.2 to $5.1 million. Because of their high roster turnover this summer, nine players are not eligible to be traded until Dec. 15. Guard AJ Green is ineligible because he signed an extension. — Marks
What’s next for Milwaukee? It will first have to weather the storm during Antetokounmpo’s injury recovery. But before they search for an outside upgrade, the Bucks will look to the return of Kevin Porter Jr., who began the season as the team’s starting point guard but needed minor knee surgery earlier this month. Porter hasn’t played since the first quarter of the opener, but if he stays on his initial timeline, the Bucks are hopeful he can return at some point in December. Porter’s scoring — he averaged a career-high 19.2 points across in 59 games for the Houston Rockets in 2022-23 — could give their offense a much-needed boost behind Antetokounmpo.
Then, Milwaukee should have a better assessment of how dire their guard needs are and whether they will package together one of their few remaining assets to find an upgrade. — Jamal Collier
Los Angeles Lakers
What they’re missing: Amusingly, LeBron James‘ return might help the Lakers most in terms of his shooting. With stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves both slumping beyond the arc (31.7 % and 32.6%, respectively, well below their career marks), the Lakers are 23rd in 3-point percentage. More troubling for a team trying to give Doncic space to operate, they’re 27th in attempts beyond the arc.
Getting James back in the lineup Tuesday should help, given he has shot 39% from 3 the past two seasons. And Dalton Knecht and Jake LaRavia should improve on their 32.6% and 34.0% shooting, respectively. Still, the Lakers could stand to upgrade on the minutes they’re giving to defensive specialists Marcus Smart and Jarred Vanderbilt, who are both under 30% from beyond the arc. An ace shooter who can hold his own defensively would help the Lakers contend this season. — Pelton
What they can pull off: How the Lakers prioritize cap flexibility next offseason could play a role in how active they are in trade talks. With over $100 million in expiring contracts (James, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber), the Lakers could have nearly $50 million in cap space. Because they are hard capped at the first apron, Los Angeles cannot take back more than $1 million in additional salary. The Doncic and Dorian Finney-Smith trades left Los Angeles with one tradeable first-rounder (in either 2031 or 2032) and one second in the next seven years. They do have five years of first-round swaps (2026, 2028, 2030, 2031 and 2032). — Marks
What’s next for Los Angeles?: Seeing if the type of basketball they played in James’ season debut — he was a willing passer, and Doncic and Reaves thrived offensively the same way they did when he was out — is sustainable. Though the Lakers’ 10-4 record to start was important, in many ways Tuesday’s 140-126 win over the Utah Jazz felt like the true beginning to the season. It was the first game they had all 14 rostered players healthy, and now the real work will begin for the coaching staff to find the optimal rotation and what needs to be shored up for the second half of the season. “There’s just a lot of data right now that we just don’t have,” a team source told ESPN. — Dave McMenamin
San Antonio Spurs
What they’re missing: The Spurs have shot 3s at an average rate this season but still rank 17th in attempts and 18th in makes from beyond the arc. San Antonio has a variety of players who can capably space the court for Victor Wembanyama and playmakers Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper, but no feared shooter opponents are unwilling to leave on defense.
Certainly, San Antonio hopes Devin Vassell can be that kind of player. Vassell is a career 36.7 % 3-point shooter who has made as many as 2.7 per game, suggesting he’ll probably improve on his current 34.7% accuracy. But adding an even better shooter alongside Vassell would make opponents think twice about unconventional defenses against Wembanyama that leave them exposed on the perimeter.
So far this season, only three teams have faced zone defense on more possessions than the Spurs, according to GeniusIQ tracking. — Pelton
What they can pull off: Trading four first-round picks to acquire Fox should remove San Antonio from trade conversations. But with six first-round picks in the next seven years (two that can be traded), control of Atlanta’s first-rounder in the next two years (a swap in 2026 and unprotected in 2027), three future pick swaps and 15 second-rounders, San Antonio has the draft capital to upgrade again. The Spurs also have $40 million in expiring contracts, including former first-round pick Jeremy Sochan. — Marks
What’s next for San Antonio? When San Antonio drafted what it considered to be one of the final players of its Wembanyama-centered rebuild, the mindset was to first find out what the Spurs have on the roster before making any drastic moves. Nothing has changed from that standpoint. In fact, the club added talent through the draft that it believes fits with Wembanyama (Castle, Harper and Carter Bryant). The Spurs also like the players they’ve acquired in trades and in free agency: speedy guard Fox, Luke Kornet and Kelly Olynyk. It’s unlikely San Antonio will look around at the trade deadline, but don’t count out the Spurs looking to add a potential role player who adds shooting. — Michael C. Wright
Minnesota Timberwolves
What they’re missing: Point guard. The team demoted 38-year-old Mike Conley from the starting lineup and opted for more of a committee approach to the position. Anthony Edwards leads the team in touches, Julius Randle leads in assists, Conley creates in his 20 minutes per game off the bench and Donte DiVincenzo helps as well.
One player who’s notably not on that list is Rob Dillingham, ostensibly the Timberwolves’ point guard of the future, after they traded a 2030 pick swap and an unprotected 2031 first-rounder to acquire Dillingham in the 2024 draft. But Dillingham hasn’t gained coach Chris Finch’s trust yet: He has reached 20 minutes and 10 points only once this season — in blowout wins against the Nets and Kings, respectively. — Kram
What they can pull off: The last time Minnesota traded a player on their roster, Karl-Anthony Towns was sent to New York for Randle and DiVincenzo. The trade and eventual re-signing of Randle now have Minnesota below the second apron and flexibility to aggregate contracts sent out in a trade. They are still not allowed to take back more salary because they are over the first apron. As a result of the Rudy Gobert and Dillingham trades, Minnesota does not have a first-round pick available to send in a deal. Their lone year to swap a first is 2028. — Marks
What’s next for Minnesota? Expect the Timberwolves to be linked to any starting point guard who might be available, as has been the case with Ja Morant, as speculation swirls about whether the Grizzlies will consider trading the former All-Star. But it will be challenging for Minnesota to pull off a trade for an impact player because of the restrictions on the Timberwolves’ future draft capital. It would probably require acquiring a player considered a distressed asset for Minnesota to make a major upgrade. — Tim MacMahon