The holidays are upon us, which for some people means the creation of long lists of wishes, scheduled for the North Pole to a certain chubby fellow wearing red and white.
As it so happens, NBA general managers are not so different. They constantly review their own roster constructions, second-guessing the structure of the squads they put together, wishing endlessly for upgrades in their chase for that elusive championship.
(Or course, some general managers wish for more ping-pong balls, but the ultimate goal remains the same.)
These wishes can come true, however, albeit not through the magical workings of Santa, but rather through months and months of relentless, non-stop negotiations, all of which culminate before the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
Given that the NBA schedule is closing in on 30 games played for each team, it’s fair to conclude that most organizations are well aware of where they are, competitively speaking.
As such, we will take a look at which teams are in need of making a move, and how they should approach the trade deadline, with free agents who signed during the offseason becoming eligible to be traded on Sunday.
The Atlantic Division is up first.
Boston Celtics
Status: Contenders
Approach: Buyers
The Celtics are unquestionably not looking for ping-pong balls, as they’re hoping to repeat as champions.
If a roster upgrade presents itself before the deadline, they’ll more than likely pounce on it, as long as the future financial commitment is reasonable and not too long. After all, the Celtics are over $7 million above the second apron this season and are scheduled to be almost $19 million over next year.
Boston doesn’t have a lot of holes, so the organization won’t go above and beyond to fix a problem that isn’t there. But if it could find a big man who will not only help this year but also help replace Al Horford down the line, it’ll assuredly be interested.
Worth noting, however, is salary matching will prove immensely difficult. Boston cannot take on one additional dollar on their books, nor can it aggregate contracts.
The Celtics will have to look for one-for-one player swaps, where they send out more money than they take in.
Likelihood of trade: Small
Brooklyn Nets
Status: Rebuilding
Approach: Sellers
There is no argument that speaks for the Nets adding considerable talent before the trade deadline. The Nets pressed the big red rebuild button during the summer, and they owe it to themselves to see it through.
With veterans such as Cam Johnson, Dennis Schröder, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Bojan Bogdanović on the books, the Nets could try to shop these guys to teams trying to strengthen their chances in the playoffs, hoping to extract draft compensation in return.
They could also get creative and dangle the enormous expiring contract of Ben Simmons ($40.3 million) in front of teams that are terrified of large, upcoming tax bills, offering those teams the option to take on long-term money, also for the compensation of draft capital.
The Nets are only about $1.2 million below the luxury tax line, so it’s unlikely they take on more money in trades that pushes them over that threshold. But given the amount of different contracts they have, options are plentiful.
Likelihood of trade: Huge
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New York Knicks
Status: Competitive
Approach: Careful buyers
The Knicks have made their moves for the past year, acquiring OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Karl-Anthony Towns over a period of about seven months. We’re not going to see similar splashes from them anytime soon.
However, the organization is clearly in need of depth, particularly for the purpose of the playoffs, and it’s bound to make a ton of inquiries about strengthening the bench for the right price.
That won’t be easy, due to the fact that they’re just $580,872 below the second apron, meaning things are about to get tight.
Complicating matters is the Knicks’ overall lack of assets. They went big on their main core, and as a result, they don’t have a lot to give up elsewhere. If they can make a clear upgrade, where they take back less money, they’ll do it. But that’s probably the only way they make any alterations to the roster.
Likelihood of trade: Small
Philadelphia 76ers
Status: Win-now
Approach: Need for realism
Look, the Sixers are a mess. They went for it, signing Paul George last summer and hoping for healthy years out of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey to make a play for the title.
So far, that hope seems misplaced. Embiid is in and out of the lineup, the same can be said of Maxey and George, and the team is at a point where its record should be flipped to have any optimism left in the season.
So, what can be done here? Should anything even be done? Embiid just signed a max extension, and George signed a max-level contract, and it’s fair to wonder if either will ever live up to those deals.
Sure, they could take a look at optimizing their margins, but to what end?
Jared McCain, Philly’s prized rookie, looks like a long-term backcourt partner to Maxey, meaning it might soon be time to pivot toward youth. But that won’t happen in the middle of the season — nor should it — as star trades are always best to make during the summer.
Likelihood of trade: Small
Toronto Raptors
Status: Rebuilding
Approach: Stay the course
Toronto isn’t a good team, but it also hasn’t been healthy. Immanuel Quickley has played just three games, and Scottie Barnes has missed 11.
In their absence, Jakob Poeltl and Gradey Dick have stepped up to produce, and the Raptors are now sporting a decent theoretical starting lineup, consisting of Quickley, Dick, RJ Barrett, Barnes, and Poeltl, which could even be grounds for trying to act as buyers.
However, due to their poor start, they might as well try to prioritize development and hope for some lottery luck next year and a chance at Cooper Flagg or Ace Bailey.
It makes virtually no sense for the Raptors to make any major move as this season is going, so they should simply stick to their new script and let the chips fall where they may.
Likelihood of trade: Small