Philly Front Office

The NBA trade deadline is on February 5th, just a few weeks away. What cellar dwellers will be looking to sell come that final sale date? By my count we have 6 definites and some additional teams on the fringe. Of course, not all of these sellers have the same motivation. Take the two worst teams for example, Indiana and New Orleans. One is waiting until next year for their star to return, while the other is already in next year with no first round pick to tank for. Let’s get to it.

Tankathon’s Most Wanted¹

• INDIANA PACERS – Last year’s magical run to the Finals unfortunately meant the sacrifice of the 2025-26 season with the loss of Tyrese Haliburton. The good news is that they are the front runner for the #1 lottery odds in both record and fun narrative for a rigged system.² Outside of the Warriors a few years back, Finals teams don’t often get to play for the #1 pick. Most Pacers are locked up for the foreseeable future though, with one exception…
  • Benedict Mathurin – The former 6th overall pick did not receive an extension in the offseason and will likely enter restricted free agency this season. The Pacers are full of mid-level salaries already and extending Mathurin would likely push them close to the 1st apron. Mathurin is having his best season (though they have all been about the same) and would likely require a late 1st Round Pick (“1RP”) plus matching his $9m salary to attain.
• WASHINGTON WIZARDS – The Wizards just traded for Trae Young, but that doesn’t mean they are buyers. This team is positioning itself for next year when its young talent will be a year older and they have around $60m in cap space. Any additional draft currency they can get now will only help add to next year’s team. Because they are so young, there is surprisingly little to trade here.
  • Khris Middleton – He’s old, can’t shoot anymore, and can’t play defense. He’s also making $33m in the final year of his contract. YIKES! So why is here? because the Wizards could choose to flip his expiring deal for a slightly worse deal and take a pick for their trouble. This would eat into their cap space, but it would allow them the ability to use that contract in a trade next year. It’s really whether they want to act as an over the cap team or an under the cap team in free agency.
  • Marvin Bagley – The guy who was once drafted ahead of Luka Doncic,³ is having a solid season this year as a reserve. He is making the minimum and could provide some front court offense for a 2RP.
• SACRAMENTO KINGS – Just a disaster every year. Is this the worst franchise in sports? Ok, maybe the Cleveland Browns and Colorado Rockies are worse, but it’s close. Every year, they are guaranteed to make a bad deal at the deadline. Who will it be this year? Realistically anyone in this dumpster fire could move…
  • Zach Lavine – His game is down all around and he is owed $49m next year assuming he picks up his player option. Lavine always seemed like a player everyone wants to like, but his skillset simply doesn’t match his salary which usually limits him to dumb teams. I wish he would opt out of his contract and embrace a role as a 3rd banana Aaron Gordon type making about half of what he does. Oh well. Lavine seems destined for a Trae Young style trade…maybe even to the Wizards. There is not a lot of value here.
  • Domantas Sabonis – I doubt they would trad Sabonis, but getting value for him would be the key to a real rebuild. Unfortunately, his stats were down big time too before he missed 2 months with an injury. He wasn’t shooting, he wasn’t rebounding. He would need to have a great next few weeks for anyone to pony up multiple firsts for him and his 2/$94m remaining after this season.
  • DeMar DeRozan – In year 17, DeRozan is still doing DeRozan things. He gets his 20 points on a high percentage of 2 pointers, still gets to the line a decent amount, and doesn’t play defense despite a healthy 1.5 steals per game this year. The good part is that he makes what you wish Lavine was making, around $25m this year and next. Is that worth a late 1RP? The Kings hope so. They would probably have to take back a bad contract in order to get it though.
• UTAH JAZZ – The Jazz roster has so many names you would recognize while simultaneously not believing they are on the same roster. Kevin Love? Georges Niang? Jusuf Nurkic? The problem is that none of these guys are playing well enough to trade for any real value.
  • Jusuf Nurkic – Nurkic is a backup masquerading as a starting center due to the Kessler injury. He costs $20m, but it is an expiring $20m that Utah should be able to peddle for a 2RP and matching salary.
  • Svi Mykhailiuk – Svi is a journey man vet who is shooting very well and has a very team friendly deal with 2 years, but no guaranteed money remaining. A contender could do a lot worse than adding him to bolster the bench at the deadline.
  • Lauri Markkanen? – The time to trade him was 2 years ago, but now he is in the early stages of a max contract. He is still great and would be a difference maker if traded, but they might want to move him in the offseason if at all. It would take a haul to get him.
  • Walker Kessler? – Kessler is out for the season, but could see himself traded because he is a restricted free agent. If the Jazz want to get something for him while they can, this could be a move for someone to pick up the center’s rights. It is a reach though.
• BROOKLYN NETS – The Nets have no long term pieces and not only want to bottom out, they want more picks. They will be selling and taking your spare parts like a flea market.
  • Michael Porter Jr – MPJ has found a new level as the low stakes GUY for the Nets. He is shooting incredibly and showing that he can handle an offense. Even his $40m salary next year is starting to look better with a rising salary cap. They will be looking for a 1RP (and maybe more) for him and will be willing to take your garbage to get it.
  • Nic Claxton – Claxton is a low end starter, high end back up center who doesn’t stretch the floor, but rim runs like a MFer. He is signed to a team friendly deal that has him under a decreasing salary for the next 2 years. He is who I wish the Sixers had to back up Embiid. The Nets will be looking for a 1RP for him.
• CHARLOTTE HORNETS – The Hornets have two building blocks and they are Brandon Miller and Kon Kneuppel. Everyone else can go as they try to bottom out for a 3rd foundational piece, because the guy below ain’t one of ’em…
  • LaMelo Ball – Ball’s absurd playing style was fun at first, but now he is in his 6th season, hasn’t learned anything, and is making $40m+ for the next 3 years. He is basically a worse version of Trae Young who didn’t have any value. If someone offers them a 1RP, they should take it and call it into the league immediately to get out of the mess. If you don’t believe me, taking fit aside and just value, would the Sixers trade his contract for Paul George? Maybe they would do it for Embiid. But that’s no guarantee.
  • Miles Bridges – Would I want Bridges on my team? Never. Someone probably would though not caring about how bad a human he is. Would they get dinged for the whole abuse thing? Probably. Bridges makes $25m this year and $23m next year. Would someone take that contract and his mid-level stats off your hands for a few 2RPs? Ican’t imagine anyone is giving a 1RP for him.
  • Collin Sexton – This generation’s Jamal Crawford is in the final year of his contract making $19m. A team in need of a scoring punch and an attitude adjustment will give up some 2RPs for him but nothing more. I always wanted him for the Sixers just to give some juice to the 2nd unit.

Things to Sell, but Not Giving Up

• NEW ORLEANS PELICANS – Imagine being this bad and not having a draft pick to show for it? That’s the Pelicans after trading their unprotected 1RP to Atlanta for the right to draft Derick Queen. Yikes! They also claimed that they are not going to sell their top vets this year. Considering the draft situation, that makes some sense. Maybe they should wait until the offseason. Try to get someone though guys!
  • Trey Murphy and Herb Jones – Joe Dumars said both are off limits in trades, but someone could offer way more than you would think for them considering their all around games and affordable long term salaries. That being said, these are the kind of guys you want around building blocks Queen and Jeramiah Fears.
  • Zion Williamson – If any of the 3 untradeables get traded, it should probably be Zion. Selling him will never not be selling low, but what can they do? He is a terrible fit for New Orleans and needs to be in a highly disciplined situation like Miami to thrive. The Heat need to send the Pelicans a future 1RP and a pick swap and be done with it already.
  • Dejounte Murray – Remember him? He should be making his return from a torn Achillies Tendon soon, but he still hasn’t been able to hit the court. There is no way to know the extent of his recovery, but there’s a chance the Pelicans could sell low on him to get rid of his $30m salary for the next 1 or 2 years (I always though he would be great next to Maxey before VJ). What a mess.
• MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES – They have finally come to the realization that they do not want to be in the Ja Morant business anymore. It’s hard to blame them. His talent has finally failed to cover for his annoyance in their opinion. The rest of the league will now make the same calculation.
  • Ja Morant – Morant has 2/$87m left on his contract. For his level of talent, that’s more than fair and maybe even a deal. For his defiance and off court trouble, it might be a tough salary pill to swallow. Any chance the Pelicans and Grizz would swap the former top 2 picks? Just kidding. His price will be interesting. I can see someone ponying
• DALLAS MAVERICKS – Well, it was supposed to be the Anthony Davis trade deadline, but after his most recent injury, he is likely not going anywhere. He joins Kyrie Irving on the injured list. Does anyone want Klay Thompson? This is the “Nothing to Sell, Has Given Up” section right? Oh whoops!

Total Denial

This is a special section made up of the teams who do not believe what their fortunes have wrought. They are set up to win now but fate has left them barely clinging to playoff life. A swoon over the next few weeks will leave them gasping their final breathes and possibly cause them to repent and do the right thing. I doubt it though.

• MILWAUKEE BUCKS – The entire league understands two things: 1. The Bucks are desperate to help Giannis so he won’t leave, and 2. He will leave. They are currently 6 games under .500 and have the league’s slimiest most overrated coach. They are out of players other teams want and they would be willing to sell and have limited draft capital. Sooooo…
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo – It would be the motherload of deals. He has 1 year left at $58m (plus a player option after that he will decline) and would take players and multiple picks to obtain. If you have a young star and want to upgrade him to a star of stars, this would be how you make this move. Only a few teams have the ammo to give the Bucks a fair deal, someone like the Spurs and Rockets.
• LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS – Things were real bleak a few weeks ago, but the Clippers have won 10 of 12 and find themselves still 7 games under .500. They have no interest in tanking because they do not control their own draft pick until 2030. Still, if they wanted to get younger players to help in the future, now wouldn’t be a bad time to move any of the following…
  • Kawhi Leonard – Despite missing 11 games earlier in the year, Leonard is having a relatively healthy season and he’s been damn good. He leads the league in steals and is averaging around 30 a game. He also has that pesky NBA investigation hanging over his head which has conveniently fallen out of the news. He has $50m owed to him next year in the final year of his deal. The Clips should think about getting value for him now while they can. If he isn’t on the team, it is highly doubtful the NBA would void his contract. They would still be able to get a boat load for him considering he is a game changer when healthy.

1. If you don’t know what this is, you need to level up your NBA nerdery here ↩︎
2. Just kidding…hopefully ↩︎
3. …and Jaren Jackson, Trae Young, Mikal Bridges, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ↩︎