In-season trades are part of what makes the NBA such a fun league to follow.
Almost every player’s name is thrown out at some point in the year. Some can be immediately dismissed. Others are more intriguing because they make sense for all parties involved.
When looking at the full picture of the NBA, including cap space, tax situations, team needs and the rumor mill, certain names start to stand out as strong trade candidates.
Here are the ones that make the most sense to get moved before the 2025 trade deadline, ranked from most to least likely.
POSITIONAL RANKINGS: PG | SG | SF | PF | C
The Pelicans haven’t paid the luxury tax in their entire franchise’s history. They’re just $1.6 million over the tax line entering the season, meaning that a trade is 99.9 percent coming before February to shed some money.
Ingram could be that guy moved.
The Pelicans have been rumored to be shopping him, but there isn’t much interest given that he’s looking for a maximum contract once he hits free agency after this season. His $36 million salary this year also makes him tough to trade for.
The Pelicans badly need some help at center, so some sort of trade where they acquire big man depth and shed a tiny bit of salary is likely to happen eventually.
LaVine is another big scorer who has been shopped with little interest around the league. The Bulls don’t seem willing to attach an asset to move him, so he needs to prove that he can stay healthy and be worth the $43 million he will make this season.
LaVine doesn’t make much sense on a Bulls team that should be trying to keep their top-10 protected pick this year. He could be moved for matching salary to a contender that needs more 3-point shooting and shot creation.
MORE: Why Zach LaVine is a better trade candidate than portrayed
The Lakers didn’t have the opportunity to do much this offseason, in part because Russell unexpectedly picked up his $18.7 million player option. His expiring represents the easiest option for them to upgrade their team. Hachimura’s $35.3 million over the next two seasons is another option that could be combined with Russell to bring in a big name.
Moving one or both should happen, given that Anthony Davis and LeBron James proved during the Olympics that they still have plenty of gas left in the tank. This current roster is not good enough to be classified as a true contender, and those two stars need help.
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The Blazers have a crowded center rotation after drafting Donovan Clingan with the No. 7 pick of the 2024 NBA Draft. One of Williams or Ayton could be moved, with Williams being the more likely, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
Williams makes only $12.4 million this season, making him an easy fit for many teams. Ayton is a tougher match given his $34.0 million salary and up-and-down play.
The Blazers are projected to be one of the worst teams in the league, so they’ll be looking for young players or picks in any sort of deal back. The Pelicans and Grizzlies both need center depth. They could be potential trade partners.
The Raptors know they’re not going to be a great team this year. Jakob Poeltl said as much during the team’s media day.
Brown’s presence on the roster seems mostly for trade purposes, then.
The 28-year-old guard showed he could be an important rotation piece for a championship team with the Nuggets in 2023. He’s a versatile defender who can do a little bit of everything on offense with his playmaking, cutting and shooting. He’s on an expiring $23 million deal and could add depth to a playoff rotation.
The Nets signaled they are taking a step back when they traded Mikal Bridges over the summer and reacquired their own 2025 first-round pick, making tanking a more appealing option this season. They still have some good veterans who can help other teams, chief among them Finney-Smith and Johnson.
Wings are in short supply throughout the league, and both have shown that they can be rotation players for contending teams.
Finney-Smith has seen his shooting numbers drop since leaving Luka Doncic and the Mavs, but he’s still a good defender who has hit 35.5 percent from deep for his career. Johnson has been overtaxed in Brooklyn but could be a great support piece as a high-volume knockdown shooter.
Harden’s new deal with the Clippers was somewhat surprising after they elected to let Paul George leave in free agency. He’s going to have to carry the load for them now, particularly given Kawhi Leonard’s continued knee issues.
If he’s not capable of carrying them to the playoffs in a brutal Western Conference, Harden has shown before that he’s more than willing to request a trade.
Harden has a built-in veto on any trade given the structure of his contract — a guaranteed $33.7 million this season and a player option for $36.3 million next season. He could control where he goes if the Clippers find themselves floundering and want to get younger.
Vucevic’s remaining $41.5 million over the next two seasons has generated zero interest in the trade market, per the Sun Times’ Joe Cowley.
The two-time All-Star is still putting up decent scoring and rebounding averages, but his shooting has fallen off a cliff and he’s one of the league’s worst rim-protecting bigs. He also makes zero sense on a rebuilding Bulls team.
If any team did need some low post scoring and rebounding, then Vucevic is right there for the taking. The Bulls wouldn’t be asking much to get off his deal early.
Valanciunas is a huge body who can offensive rebound with the best of them and provide buckets in the post. His slow feet on defense make it tough to close games with him, but he can soak up a ton of minutes during the regular season.
The Wizards signed Valanciunas to a reasonable three-year, $30.3 million deal in the offseason. The thought around the league was that his low salary made him instantly tradeable.
LeBron James was reportedly willing to take a pay cut if the Lakers could sign Valanciunas over the summer. Los Angeles could be a destination for him down the line given James’ interest and Davis’ reluctance to play full-time center.
Collins and Kessler are both good players, but they haven’t worked well at all together. One of them needs to go.
Collins’ 3-point touch returned last season after he fully recovered from a hand injury. He’s still a good play finisher who averaged 15.1 points per game in 2023-24 on good efficiency. He’s not as bad of a help defender as his reputation suggests, and his $26.6 million salary this season doesn’t look as rough as it did a few seasons ago when the Hawks were struggling to get rid of him.
Kessler has been shopped, but the asking price has been rumored to be outrageous. According to SNY’s Ian Begley, the Jazz rejected a Knicks offer of two first-round picks over the summer.
Kessler is a great rim protector who needs to work on setting better screens and being more of an offensive threat.
Moody should be playing a lot more for the Warriors, but he’s never found a consistent niche in Steve Kerr’s rotation. The two sides haven’t been able to come to an agreement on an extension either.
If the disconnect between them continues, there will be plenty of interest in the do-everything shooting guard. The Warriors play better whenever he’s on the floor because he finds so many ways to contribute.
Moody and Jonathan Kuminga are the two obvious trade candidates if the Warriors do decide to make one last run with Stephen Curry. They have two first-round picks they could move to get more win-now help.
MORE: Why Brandon Ingram, James Harden are ideal Warriors targets
Butler and the Heat couldn’t come to terms on an offseason extension, and that has led to trade rumors heating up.
Butler’s name came up in talks with the Warriors at the start of the offseason, per NBA reporter Nick Friedell. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon has said that “there are at least some eyes on Butler” as the next big star to get traded.
The Heat are an expensive team that is limited in trade proposals. They couldn’t take in a player that makes more than Butler’s $48.8 million salary. If they did move on from him, it would probably signal them taking a step back and getting some younger players into their system.
