2024 NBA trade deadline: Who could be moved? And who could be looking to make a deal?
The Toronto Raptors jump-started the NBA's trade season in recent weeks, dealing OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks and Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers for draft picks and established young talent. You can read all about bothtransactions from the very best analysts in the business, right here at Yahoo Sports.
As for everything else you need to know about the league's forthcoming trade deadline, well ...
When is the NBA's 2024 trade deadline?
The NBA's trade deadline is 3 p.m. ET on Feb. 8.
Who are the biggest names on the market?
Dejounte Murray, Atlanta Hawks
Statistics: 21 PTS (47/38/83), 4.8 REB, 4.8 AST (2.2 TO), 1.4 STL
Contract: $17.7M (2023-24) • $24.8M (2024-25) • $26.8M (2025-26) • $28.8M (2026-27) • $30.8M (2027-28)
The lowdown: "Murray has generated a substantial market during preliminary conversations around the league. The Hawks have been considered one of the more aggressive front offices this season, sources said, in terms of teams that have been willing to approach rival executives with actual trade concepts as opposed to general interest in specific players. And at this juncture, to varying degrees, the Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons are five suitors expected to engage Atlanta about acquiring Murray over the coming days and weeks." — Jake Fischer, Yahoo Sports
Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls
Statistics: 20 PTS (45/35/85), 5.3 REB, 4 AST (2.1 TO), 0.9 STL
Contract: $40.1M (2023-24) • $43M (2024-25) • $46M (2025-26) • $49M (2026-27)
The lowdown: "There’s still plenty of doubt among league personnel the Bulls will find an amenable trade partner for LaVine. A team that is both willing to assume the four years and roughly $180 million left on LaVine’s contract and furnish Chicago with preferred pieces who can help the ninth-seeded Bulls keep pace in the Eastern Conference postseason picture has been hard to come by. The franchise that may harbor the most interest in LaVine, the Los Angeles Lakers, could also take themselves out of the running by trading for another difference-maker such as Murray." — Fischer
DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls
Statistics: 22 PTS (46/35/85), 5.3 AST (1.4 TO), 4 REB, 1.1 STL
Contract: $28.6M (2023-24)
The lowdown: Word of DeRozan's availability has ranged from "very likely to be on the move" to him being "deeply valued internally," which means the Bulls do not want to trade him for nothing, even if he is a free agent at season's end. According to multiple reports, the two sides are "far apart" on extension talks that have stalled. While DeRozan said "I love it here" in Chicago, the Heat and Knicks are among his preferred trade destinations, The Athletic's Sam Amick reported. Meanwhile, Amick's Athletic colleague, Jovan Buha, reported that the Lakers would prefer a package of DeRozan and Alex Caruso to one centered on LaVine.
Alex Caruso, Chicago Bulls
Statistics: 9.8 PTS (49/42/77), 3.5 REB, 2.6 AST (1.3 TO), 1.3 STL
Contract: $9.5M (2023-24) • $9.9M (2024-25)
The lowdown: Every contender is monitoring Caruso's availability, league sources told Yahoo Sports, since his contract is so affordable and he fits seamlessly into any rotation. However, the Bulls consider Caruso "almost untouchable," according to the Sun-Times' Joe Cowley and NBC Sports Chicago's K.C. Johnson.
Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz
Statistics: 24 PTS (50/40/88), 8.8 REB, 1.8 AST (1.1 TO), 0.9 STL
Contract: $17.3M (2023-24) • $18M (2024-25)
The lowdown: "The Jazz are by no means expected to trade [Markkanen] at this juncture. He has been a true favorite of Jazz officials, sources said. But Utah has indeed left opposing executives with the sense that Markkanen is no longer untouchable in trade conversations, league sources told Yahoo Sports. ... But it would surely take a massive haul for some team to pry the 26-year-old from the Jazz." — Fischer
Terry Rozier, Charlotte Hornets
Statistics: 24 PTS (46/38/88), 6.7 AST (2 TO), 3.7 REB, 1.1 STL
Contract: $23.2M (2023-24) • $24.9M (2024-25) • $26.6M (2025-26)
The lowdown: "The Hornets have indicated they will be more active this deadline, with influence from new ownership, than how the front office has conducted business in previous transaction windows. Charlotte is said to have all players available outside of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Mark Williams, per league personnel. Rozier’s strong play has made him a more viable trade candidate than ever at his $24 million average annual salary, with a known preference to join Miami, league sources told Yahoo Sports. And while there’s plenty of rival interest in veteran wing Gordon Hayward, he seems more likely to change teams by way of a buyout, as opposed to a rival club sending out $30 million to match his expiring salary." — Fischer
Jerami Grant, Portland Trail Blazers
Statistics: 21.4 PTS (46/41/80), 3.6 REB, 2.4 AST (2.1 TO), 0.7 STL
Contract: $27.6M (2023-24) • $29.8M (2024-25) • $32M (2025-26) • $34.2M (2026-27) • $36.4M (2027-28)
The lowdown: "Jerami Grant would represent an absolute difference-maker for both Dallas and the Sacramento Kings. ... The Kings have made Harrison Barnes, Kevin Huerter and Davion Mitchell available in trade conversations, sources said. However, Portland is not expected to seriously entertain offers for Grant, league sources told Yahoo Sports, in contrast to veteran point guard Malcolm Brogdon." — Fischer
Which teams might be most active at the deadline?
Philadelphia 76ers
The Sixers can create maximum salary cap space this summer, but they may be more apt to chase a third co-star to Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey on the trade market, considering an already thin 2024 free-agency class is getting thinner by the transaction. Everyone on the Sixers not named Embiid, Paul Reed and Jaden Springer is working on an expiring contract, including Maxey, an impending restricted free agent. Along with a cache of first-round draft picks that doubled in the James Harden trade, those deals could get them in the door for any trade conversation, but pulling the trigger might also eliminate their offseason flexibility.
Philadelphia's reported lack of interest in both Murray and LaVine could signal either smaller moves on the margins or an even bigger swing we have not yet considered. Never count out their president of basketball operations, Daryl Morey, but the Sixers are more likely to tinker around the edges than go all in on a deal.
Miami Heat
Erik Spoelstra's charges need help scoring. The Heat are currently sixth in the East, owners of the worst offense among the conference's teams currently vying for a guaranteed playoff seed.
Miami holds Kyle Lowry's $29.7 million expiring contract, Nikola Jovic and a collection of draft picks — first-rounders in 2028 and 2030, as well as swaps in 2024, 2027 and 2029 — as collateral for another top-flight scorer, either in the backcourt or on the wing, around Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro.
New York Knicks
The Knicks are 7-2 since acquiring Anunoby, climbing within a game of a home playoff seed, and they are not done pursuing a superstar to lead them. They do not expect The Next Great Knick "to become available until this summer at the earliest," per The Athletic's Fred Katz, but they are reportedly interested in finding talent that can both help them win now and sweeten potential trade packages in the offseason.
There are holes to be plugged in two rotational spots — a secondary playmaker alongside Brunson in the backcourt and another big to bolster Isaiah Hartenstein in the absence of injured center Mitchell Robinson. The Knicks will be hesitant to include any draft capital of significance, but they still have Evan Fournier's expiring $18.9 million salary to pair with Quentin Grimes in their quest for stopgap solutions. Keep an eye on Bruce Brown, just traded to the Raptors in the Siakam deal, as someone who fits New York's needs.
Orlando Magic
The Magic have been one of the NBA's most welcome surprises this season. They have a wealth of young talent fighting behind rising stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner for a play-in tournament berth. Two players squeezed by that depth are Markelle Fultz and Wendell Carter Jr., both recently returned from injury and now available in trade discussions, according to Marc Stein's Substack. Orlando can offer any of its own draft picks, plus two more first-rounders, along with Fultz or Carter, but moving on from either requires an upgrade in offensive talent that can only be accomplished by landing one of the few stars on the market.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder are one or two pieces away from serious title contention. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams are the foundation of a bright future, and a couple complementary veterans — another wing and a more brutish big, specifically — would make them more dangerous in the present.
The fit of Josh Giddey is a frequent topic of conversation around the league. He is a 6-foot-8 playmaker, and those do not grow on trees, but he is not a 3-and-D wing (although his 3-point accuracy and defense are improving). There are deals to be made that could benefit both the team trading for Giddey and the Thunder, who can package the 21-year-old with however many first-round draft picks it takes to improve.
Los Angeles Lakers
It is no secret that the Lakers are in need of another high-level scorer. LeBron James may have told reporters, "I don't play fantasy basketball," but there is no doubt he would welcome an offensive upgrade to a roster that currently has the league's 22nd-ranked offensive rating (112.6 points per 100 possessions).
An injury to free-agent addition Gabe Vincent, which will sideline him through the deadline, complicates matters. Fellow guard D'Angelo Russell might already be traded if Vincent were healthy. Russell's mid-tier deal, along with their 2029 first-round draft pick, would be the centerpieces of any trade, especially if the Lakers are not willing to part with Austin Reaves, as Fischer reported. Is that enough to land any of the remaining available stars? Only if the rest of these teams decide they do not want to put their best offers on the table.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks could use help on the wing, where they are relying heavily on Derrick Jones Jr. and Grant Williams, among other inconsistent options. Josh Green and Jaden Hardy are promising prospects that Dallas could choose to package with contracts and a 2027 first-round draft pick for upgrades at forward.
While Grant would represent the more exciting return, the Mavericks have also registered interest in Andrew Wiggins, P.J. Washington and former Dallas wing Dorian Finney-Smith, according to Fischer. None of them represents a surefire shot at contention, which could leave the Mavericks holding their best assets.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors, now four games below .500 and 12th place in the Western Conference, have only so many chances left to salvage the remainder of the Stephen Curry era. Assuming Golden State will not part with mainstays Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, that leaves Wiggins as their big-money chip to match salaries in a blockbuster deal. Whether other teams consider his deal — a four-year, $109 million extension that began this season — one worth acquiring is another matter, since this is the worst year of his career.
The Warriors could also pair the injured Chris Paul's expiring $30 million contract with Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and/or their 2028 first-round draft pick for another high-priced player, but removing Wiggins' money from future salary cap sheets would be more helpful to the bottom line. There are also real questions as to whether any realistic trade target would be enough to return the Warriors to contention this season. If waiting is an option, it is probably Golden State's best at this point, but desperation forces tough choices.
