Detailed Analysis: What Do NBA Contenders Need Before the Trade Deadline?
Even though the NBA trade deadline is still three months away, it’s a good time to analyze the needs of contending teams and the possible strategies that executive offices could implement before February 5th. At Alofoke Deportes, we deeply explore the options of several playoff teams, addressing their deficiencies, the limitations they face, and the possible plays that could make a difference in their postseason aspirations.
What moves could the Detroit Pistons, who have led the Eastern Conference thanks to an eleven-game winning streak, make to strengthen their roster around their stars Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren? Should the Milwaukee Bucks consider reinforcing their offense in the early absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo? And, what decisions should teams in the Western Conference, such as the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, make to improve their chances of advancing in the playoffs?
Our NBA experts analyze the shortcomings of eight contending teams, the restrictions they face when considering their trade options, and the possible strategies to follow in the 2025-26 season.Team Analysis
- Detroit Pistons
- Golden State Warriors
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- New York Knicks
- Orlando Magic
- San Antonio Spurs
Detroit Pistons
Weaknesses: The Pistons, known for their physical and classic style of play, also take a traditional approach to three-point shooting, ranking 27th, 28th, and 20th in terms of three-pointers made, attempts, and percentage, respectively. Of the four Pistons players who averaged more than 1.2 three-pointers per game last season, Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. are no longer on the team, and Jaden Ivey has yet to play this season due to knee surgery; only Cade Cunningham is healthy and available. Duncan Robinson has been a valuable long-range replacement, scoring 3.1 three-pointers per game with a 41.8% success rate, and Daniss Jenkins has emerged as a significant contributor. However, the Pistons could benefit from another reliable shooter to spread the floor, especially to counter defenses that focus on Cunningham and Jalen Duren in the paint.Possible Moves: The Pistons are well-positioned to make strategic moves. For the first time since November 2020, they control their own first-round pick in each of the next seven years, and they can trade up to four of them. In addition, Detroit has 14 second-round picks available for potential deals. Financially, the Pistons are $26.2 million below the first salary threshold and can be aggressive in taking on salaries and considerable contracts. They have Tobias Harris’ $26.3 million contract, and the short-term contracts of Robinson ($16.8 million), Isaiah Stewart ($15 million), and Caris LeVert ($14.1 million).Next Steps: Ivey, who has been out for almost a year due to a fracture in his left leg, was assigned to the G League, indicating an imminent return to action. It will be interesting to see how he adapts to a team that has learned to function without him, but which could certainly benefit from his talent, speed, and shooting ability. There is an internal desire to evaluate the entire team before making hasty decisions, but management is not afraid to make a large investment if management presents a proposal. Observing whether Ivey makes a leap similar to Duren’s will be fascinating, especially as the Pistons gain more information about themselves during the rest of 2025, with a difficult trip down the west coast at the end of December.Golden State Warriors
Weaknesses: The addition of Jimmy Butler III helped the Warriors succeed with Stephen Curry on the bench. Creating offense when both Butler and Curry are out remains a challenge for Golden State, which had a 1-2 record in the three games Curry missed due to illness, one of which Butler was also absent. Given their age and careers, it’s inevitable that Butler and Curry will miss more games, which will force the Warriors to look for more playmaking. Ideally, Brandin Podziemski should take on that role, but his usage rate has decreased since Butler’s arrival. Podziemski averaged only 11.7 points with Curry out, although he nearly achieved a triple-double when Butler was absent.Meanwhile, Jonathan Kuminga scored 24 points in a loss to the Sacramento Kings, but only had 11 with 4 of 19 shooting in the following two games. That kind of inconsistent performance has made it difficult for Golden State to trust him. — Kevin Pelton
Next Steps: Two months of gathering internal and external information. That January 15 eligibility date in Kuminga’s contract gives them an unofficial timer for the trade season. Until then, the Warriors have questions to answer about themselves and the league. Does De’Anthony Melton look like a reasonable answer for the backcourt when he returns from ACL injury rehab (expected in December)? Can Al Horford find a rhythm and bolster their shaky center depth? How is Kuminga playing and fitting in as the season progresses? The fifth-year forward generated legitimate offers only from the Kings and the Phoenix Suns in restricted free agency, but the Warriors didn’t like what they offered in the sign-and-trade packages. As situations change and Dunleavy is freed from the base-year compensation issue, can he find an organization willing to give the kind of return for Kuminga that owner Joe Lacob would require to give the green light? Will there be a player in a trade that moves the needle enough?
Orlando Magic
Weaknesses: Despite signing Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones to revamp their backcourt, the Magic still heavily rely on the health of starting point guard Jalen Suggs. Orlando has been as good as the team hoped with Suggs on the court, outscoring their opponents by 17.2 points per 100 possessions. That figure drops to minus 6.2 when Suggs is on the bench, according to NBA Advanced Stats. Jones has struggled to adapt to the Magic. He’s shooting a dismal 0.3 of 1.4 (19.0%) from three-pointers and dishing out a career-low 4.3 assists per 36 minutes. This is particularly problematic because playing Jones, who is 6-foot-1, compromises Orlando’s strength on defense. Anthony Black has supplanted Jones’ minutes, but he doesn’t provide the kind of playmaking the Magic hoped to get from their backup point guard.Possible Moves: The Magic gave it their all this offseason, which included signing star Paolo Banchero to a five-year extension that begins next season. The moves have left Orlando with 2032 as their only negotiable first-round pick in the next seven years – the franchise has eight second-round picks to use in potential deals – and in a precarious financial position. The Jones signing and the first year of extensions that kick in for Suggs and Franz Wagner have left Orlando $1.2 million below the first-tier hard cap. They are not allowed to exceed that threshold in any trade. With Wagner, Suggs, and Bane each earning over $35 million, Orlando has 11 players earning between $1.3 and $15 million, including Jones, who is a free agent in July and averaging a career-low 12.9 minutes. One area of concern with a trade is the Magic’s willingness to take back extended salaries into future seasons, including Jonathan Isaac’s non-guaranteed $14.5 million salary. Orlando is a projected second-tier team in 2026-27.Next Steps: The Magic got off to a slow start, but Bane’s game-winning shot against the Portland Trail Blazers on November 10 sparked a three-game winning streak. Even before Banchero missed three straight games due to a groin injury, Orlando’s front office was looking to see how the Magic would play with Bane while also bringing Suggs up after knee arthroscopic surgery in March. The Magic need time to see how this group fits together before looking to add from outside. “We’re looking at this as, hopefully, a period of time where we can improve, see what we need as we go,” said Jeff Weltman, president of basketball operations, at the beginning of the season. “Hopefully, maybe there are more improvements on the horizon. Who knows? We have to see what it looks like first. But, obviously, we gave up a lot [to get Bane] because he’s a very talented player who fits very well into our roster and we’re betting on ourselves.”New York Knicks
Weaknesses: The Knicks are fairly well-balanced without any major holes in the roster. But, given the injury history of center Mitchell Robinson, New York could need another proven center as insurance for the postseason. Following a trend from the 2024-25 playoffs, Robinson has been crucial to the Knicks’ performance this season: New York has a net rating of plus 15.2 when he is their center, according to Cleaning the Glass, compared to plus 7.0 when Karl-Anthony Towns is the only big, plus 3.2 when Guerschon Yabusele plays small-ball center, and minus 11.6 when the little-used Ariel Hukporti mans the middle. In theory, Yabusele should be able to function as the extra big that New York needs behind Robinson and Towns. In practice, the celebrated free agent signing has not lived up to expectations in New York, averaging only 2.6 points in 10.2 minutes.
Milwaukee Bucks
Deficiencies: As expected, with the departure of Damian Lillard and the new Buck Myles Turner, plus a complete contributor, Milwaukee desperately needs secondary scoring and playmaking beyond Giannis Antetokounmpo. This was true even before the two-time MVP left Monday’s game due to a groin injury. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Bucks have an offensive rating of 125.2 with Antetokounmpo on the court, which puts them in the 95th percentile of all league lineups. When Antetokounmpo sits, their offensive rating drops to 104.2, which puts them in the 4th percentile. With Antetokounmpo out for up to two weeks, this need is even more pressing. The Bucks are only one game above .500 with a negative point differential, and their situation could quickly turn ugly if they stick with their current offense without Giannis during the 48 minutes of the games.
Next Steps: First, they will have to weather the storm during the recovery of Antetokounmpo’s injury. But before they look for an external improvement, the Bucks will seek the return of Kevin Porter Jr., who began the season as the team’s starting point guard, but needed minor knee surgery earlier this month. Porter hasn’t played since the first quarter of the first game, but if he stays on his initial schedule, the Bucks hope he can return sometime in December. Porter’s scoring, averaging a career-high 19.2 points in 59 games with the Houston Rockets in 2022-23, could give their offense a much-needed boost behind Antetokounmpo.
So, Milwaukee should have a better assessment of how desperate their guard needs are and whether they will gather one of their few remaining assets to find an upgrade.Los Angeles Lakers
Weaknesses: Curiously, LeBron James’ return could help the Lakers more in terms of their shooting. With stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves in free fall beyond the arc (31.7% and 32.6%, respectively, well below their career marks), the Lakers are 23rd in three-point percentage. More problematic for a team trying to give Doncic space to operate, they are 27th in attempts beyond the arc.
The return of James to the lineup on Tuesday should help, given that he has shot 39% from the 3-point line in the last two seasons. And Dalton Knecht and Jake LaRavia should improve their 32.6% and 34.0% shooting, respectively. Still, the Lakers could improve the minutes they are giving to defensive specialists Marcus Smart and Jarred Vanderbilt, who are below 30% from beyond the arc. A shooter who can defend well would help the Lakers compete this season.Possible Moves: How the Lakers prioritize salary flexibility next offseason could influence how active they are in trade talks. With over $100 million in expiring contracts (James, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, and Maxi Kleber), the Lakers could have nearly $50 million in cap space. Because they are hard-capped, Los Angeles cannot take back more than $1 million in additional salary. The Doncic and Dorian Finney-Smith trades left Los Angeles with a negotiable first-round pick (in 2031 or 2032) and a second in the next seven years. They have five years of first-round swaps (2026, 2028, 2030, 2031, and 2032).Next Steps: See if the type of basketball they played in James’ season debut (he was a willing passer, and Doncic and Reaves thrived offensively in the same way they did when he wasn’t there) is sustainable. Although the Lakers’ 10-4 start was important, in many ways Tuesday’s 140-126 victory over the Utah Jazz felt like the real start to the season. It was the first game in which all 14 players on the roster were healthy, and now the real work will begin for the coaching staff to find the optimal rotation and what needs to be reinforced for the second half of the season. “There’s a lot of data right now that we just don’t have,” a team source told Alofoke Deportes.San Antonio Spurs
Weaknesses: The Spurs have launched threes at an average rate this season, but still rank 17th in attempts and 18th in scoring from beyond the arc. San Antonio has a variety of players who can competently space the floor for Victor Wembanyama and playmakers Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox, and Dylan Harper, but no feared shooter that opponents are unwilling to leave on defense.Certainly, San Antonio hopes Devin Vassell can be that type of player. Vassell is a career 3-point shooter at 36.7% who has scored up to 2.7 per game, suggesting he will likely improve on his current accuracy of 34.7%. But adding an even better shooter alongside Vassell would make opponents think twice before unconventional defenses against Wembanyama that leave them exposed on the perimeter.
So far this season, only three teams have faced zone defense in more possessions than the Spurs, according to GeniusIQ tracking.Possible Moves: Trading four first-round picks to acquire Fox should eliminate San Antonio from trade talks. But with six first-round picks in the next seven years (two that can be traded), control of Atlanta’s first-round pick in the next two years (a swap in 2026 and unprotected in 2027), three future pick swaps, and 15 second-round picks, San Antonio has the draft capital to improve again. The Spurs also have $40 million in expiring contracts, including former first-rounder Jeremy Sochan.
Next Steps: When San Antonio selected what it considered one of the last players in its Wembanyama-centered rebuild, the mindset was to first figure out what the Spurs have on the roster before making drastic moves. Nothing has changed from that point of view. In fact, the club added talent through the draft that it believes fits with Wembanyama (Castle, Harper, and Carter Bryant). The Spurs also like the players they have acquired in trades and free agency: the speedy point guard Fox, Luke Kornet, and Kelly Olynyk. It is unlikely that San Antonio will look at the trade deadline, but don’t rule out the Spurs looking to add a possible role player who adds shooting.Minnesota Timberwolves
Weaknesses: Point Guard. The team demoted 38-year-old Mike Conley from the starting lineup and opted for a more collective approach to the position. Anthony Edwards leads the team in touches, Julius Randle leads in assists, Conley creates in his 20 minutes per game off the bench, and Donte DiVincenzo also helps. A player who is notably not on that list is Rob Dillingham, supposedly the Timberwolves’ point guard of the future, after they traded a 2030 pick swap and an unprotected 2031 first-round pick to acquire Dillingham in the 2024 draft. But Dillingham has yet to earn the trust of coach Chris Finch: He has reached 20 minutes and 10 points only once this season, in crushing victories against the Nets and Kings, respectively.
