NBA Trade Deadline Preview: 10 Players Who Could Be on the Move

With the NBA trade deadline less than a month away, here’s a closer look at 10 potential trade targets around the league.

Butler is the highest profile player who could be moved from his current team ahead of the 2025 NBA trade deadline. / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The NBA trade deadline is less than a month away, and it will be a deadline unlike any we’ve seen yet. With new rules in place from the collective bargaining agreement, it’s harder than ever for teams to pull off roster-transforming trades in the middle of the season. But that isn’t going to stop them from trying, as this year’s trade market presents several opportunities to change the championship landscape and put familiar faces in new places. 

Here are 10 players who appear most likely to be on the move, whether it’s because they’ve made a public spectacle of their attempts to get traded (looking at you, Jimmy Butler) or the state and goals of their current team suggests a change would be for the best (anyone interested in Bruce Brown?). Ranging from star players on huge deals to rotation pieces who could make a difference down the stretch, here are the names to watch closely as the Feb. 6 deadline approaches.

Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat 

Salary: $48.8 million 

Season stats: 17.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 4.7 APG

The most famous player available at the deadline, Butler is now all the way out on the Heat. He publicly declared his displeasure with the current situation before getting suspended for seven games by the franchise for conduct detrimental to the team. As laid out when Butler trade rumors first emerged, it’s very tricky for any contending team to put together a legal trade package for Butler. But the 35-year-old’s postseason résumé speaks for itself and could very well be worth the risks for the right team. 

Butler is the most significant piece available at the deadline and his acquisition could change the shape of the NBA title race this season. If healthy, his elite two-way play can win playoff series. Plural. But his substantial salary makes any trade difficult to pull off. Whether or not he gets moved will define this deadline. 

Bradley Beal, Phoenix Suns

Salary: $50.2 million 

Season stats: 18.1 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.2 APG

Beal, who was removed from the starting lineup by coach Mike Budenholzer this week, has a lot of power over the Suns’ ability to do much of anything at the deadline. With the franchise well over the second tax apron, trading Beal is pretty much the only way to make any sort of significant change to the roster. Which is clearly needed. Phoenix is struggling to stay around .500 despite the generally decent health of Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. However, Beal has a no-trade clause and has to give the go-ahead for any transaction— like, say, a deal involving Butler, with Phoenix seeming to be the disgruntled Heat star's preference.

Beal is 31 years old with two very expensive years remaining on his deal and hasn’t made a deep playoff push in years. It’s hard to find a trade that puts him in a better spot to compete while benefitting the Suns as well, and his agent just told ESPN there has been no talk of waiving his no-trade clause. But if the star guard decides to open up his options (or is just open to living in Miami), Phoenix could quickly become a key player this trade season. 

Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls 

LaVine is a gifted scorer in the midst of one of his best seasons in recent years. / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Salary: $43 million 

Season stats: 23.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 4.5 APG

The Bulls have been looking to move LaVine for a while now but he represents a tricky acquisition for any interested party. Not only is he making north of $40 million, LaVine has been the poster boy for empty stats while in Chicago, scoring points in bunches but recording just one playoff appearance in seven seasons. That isn’t entirely his fault and the reputation he has earned isn’t entirely fair, but the numbers don’t lie: LaVine is a great scorer who can’t do much else, offensively or defensively. That’s a hard player to build around and an even harder one to add to a true contender, especially at that price point, and especially with a history of knee issues. 

But with LaVine enjoying his best season in a while, scoring more than 20 points per game while hitting 44% of his three-point tries, interest is finally kindling. The Denver Nuggets were linked earlier in the year, and generally speaking, there are a few contenders who could use his scoring punch. After years of rumors, LaVine could finally end up on the move. 

Nikola Vučević, Chicago Bulls 

Salary: $20 million 

Season stats: 20.5 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 3.3 APG

In the non-star division, Vučević is one of several trade candidates who could be very useful depending on where he ends up. The 34-year-old center is quietly producing great numbers for a middling Bulls team, putting up an efficient double-double on a nightly basis. He gives up nearly as many points as he scores due to a lack of lateral agility on the defensive end, but Vučević is undeniably helpful, and the Bulls are not terribly interested in such players as they undergo a slow rebuild. 

A lot of different playoff squads could be interested in the Montenegrin center. He’s a source of instant offense and rebounding for a relatively cheap sum with only one year remaining on his deal after this season. Vučević won’t be closing playoff games by any means but he’s a good, productive player whose strengths would outweigh his weaknesses in the right situation. 

Cam Johnson, Brooklyn Nets

Salary: $22.5 million 

Season stats: 19.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.0 APG 

Among the potential rotation players available at the deadline, few offer the same balance of immediate and long-term returns as Johnson. At 28 years old with a sweet shooting stroke from outside and an average salary of $21.5 million over the next two seasons, Johnson is the kind of wing most teams desperately need. He’s hitting 43.6% of his threes on 7.5 attempts per game and can hold up fine defensively, coming up as a net-zero on most defensive tracking stats. Big wings who can shoot and aren’t black holes defensively are the most valuable filler pieces in the NBA and every great team has multiple. 

It has been a while since Johnson has had to play winning basketball; he played 24 minutes per game during the Suns’ NBA Finals run in 2021 before getting sent to Brooklyn as part of the Durant trade. But he has been there before and will be very available as the Nets go all-in on tanking for Cooper Flagg or Dylan Harper. Of all the lesser-known names available to be dealt, Johnson feels like the one with the most potential to impact the playoff race. 

Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans

Salary: $36 million 

Season stats: 22.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 5.2 APG 

The Pelicans have been trying to move Ingram since last offseason when the two sides couldn’t come to terms on a contract extension. They have obviously been unsuccessful and face the prospect of letting the former All-Star walk in free agency when his contract expires at the end of this year. It makes Ingram a top candidate to be moved, even though he hasn’t played since early December while dealing with an ankle injury. 

The book is pretty much out on Ingram at this point. He’s very capable of creating for himself and can fill it up on the right nights but is mediocre in every other regard. His salary is a high price point for that skill set— but for a half-season rental, suiting up for a team in need of his easy scoring? A match could be found, and New Orleans will be desperate to make a deal. Through that lens, it’s reasonable to expect to see his name come up in trade talks a lot over the next few weeks. 

Robert Williams III, Portland Trail Blazers

Salary: $12.4 million 

Season stats: 6.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.1 APG

Once a Defensive Player of the Year candidate for the Boston Celtics, Williams has struggled with injuries the last few seasons and is now suffering from a roster crunch in Portland. Even though he’s mostly healthy, the springy center has received a DNP in every Blazers game since the calendar flipped to 2025 as minutes are prioritized for the highly paid Deandre Ayton and rookie lottery pick Donovan Clingan. On a reasonable deal, and with memories of his elite defense not so far in the past, the Blazers will likely look to get a return on Williams at the deadline rather than letting him hang on the bench down the stretch of another bad season. 

In theory, there should be interest. Williams is still averaging 1.5 blocks in 16.5 minutes per game this season and can present a threat offensively as a rim-roller. It’s difficult to count on him with all the injuries he has suffered, but it’s easy to see a contender talking themselves into trying to rekindle the All-NBA defender version of Williams in the right circumstances.

Jordan Clarkson, Utah Jazz

Clarkson is a reliable scorer who could provide some pop off the bench for a contender. / Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

Salary: $14.1 million 

Season stats: 16.0 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.8 APG 

Clarkson is a valuable piece in Utah, a good bench scorer and the most veteran presence on a team undergoing a long rebuild. But, as a double-digit scorer in his 30s, he doesn’t fit into the immediate or long-term future of the Jazz. It would make sense for the franchise to capitalize on his trade value while he has another year left on his deal, even if Clarkson isn’t banging the table demanding to go to a contender. 

Should they decide to shop Clarkson, he would garner interest. He’s a microwave scorer reminiscent of the Jamal Crawford days, able to step onto the court and immediately put points on the board while being a total sieve defensively. It’s a limited skill set but a useful one for breaking a team out of a scoring rut—and could swing a game at the right moment. There won’t be a bidding war for Clarkson but there are plenty of championship hopefuls who could use more scoring punch off the bench. 

Kyle Kuzma, Washington Wizards

Salary: $23.5 million 

Season stats: 15.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.1 APG

Kuzma’s will be a name mentioned at the deadline as long as the Wizards are rebuilding. He has championship experience as a three-and-D wing and is under contract until 2027 at a reasonable rate. Washington is still years away from needing players like him to win games. With all that context, one would finger Kuzma as a pivotal piece of the trade deadline and someone who could play a role in changing the playoff picture while fetching the Wiz a quality return. 

The reality is rather different. Kuzma shot down a trade to the eventual West champs Dallas Mavericks ahead of last year’s deadline, hasn’t shot above 34% from three since coming to Washington, and is often hard-pressed to play a lick of defense when he’s on the court. Plus, injuries have kept him to 17 appearances this season. His reputation as a winning player has diminished since his bubble championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. Nevertheless, with the Wizards aiming for another top pick in the NBA draft, Kuzma is a prime candidate to be on the move.

Bruce Brown, Toronto Raptors

Salary: $23 million 

Season stats: 5.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.8 APG

Brown has only suited up for four games this year in Toronto as he recovered from knee surgery and returned just before the New Year. This could give both Brown and the Raptors enough runway to audition for interested parties ahead of the deadline, as it has long been assumed the Raptors acquired Brown in the Pascal Siakam trade last year for the purpose of flipping him for more assets. If Brown can show he’s still the same player who played a key role in helping the Nuggets win a championship two years ago, there should be many interested parties. 

When healthy and rolling Brown is a unique off-the-bench asset. He’s capable of defending all positions most nights and is shockingly dangerous out of the short pick-and-roll when playing as a small-ball center. His shooting remains a question, but Brown hit 35% of his tries beyond the arc on 3.2 attempts per game in Denver’s championship season. On top of all that he’s an elite glue guy, the kind of player coaches rave about for their instinct to do all the little things on the court. It’s all contingent on Brown being healthy and back in playing shape; should he get there ahead of Feb. 6, the Raptors should have their pick of suitors to deal with.

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