The 2024 NBA trade deadline is quickly coming, and while some clubs have already made changes, there are still plenty of others that need to.
With that in mind, we asked our experts to suggest trades they’d want to see at the Feb. 8 deadline, whether it’s a little deal to help a contender fill a hole or a larger move that might shake up the league.
They worked their magic in the ESPN Trade Machine and came up with six moves they want to see over the next ten days, including one involving the Los Angeles Lakers.
Sixers fortify their backcourt
Philadelphia 76ers receive: Tyus Jones
Washington Wizards acquire: Robert Covington, Kenyon Martin Jr., and two second-round picks.
This transaction fulfills two goals for the 76ers: it gives them a proven ball handler to run the second unit (something this team urgently needs), and it may also assist lower Tyrese Maxey’s minutes load. Maxey, the favorite for most improved player, leads the NBA in minutes per game with 37.5, a significant increase from 33.6 last season. Jones has appeared in the postseason each of the last three seasons, has averaged less than one turnover per game during his career, and is shooting 41 percent from 3-point range, all of which the 76ers need.
If the 76ers can make a couple of moves like this to strengthen their rotation over the following few weeks, they will have a legitimate shot at competing with the East’s elite teams. It would also give Daryl Morey another option for the 76ers’ cap room outside pursuing a great player, which becomes less likely by the day.
Washington, meanwhile, receives a couple of second-round picks for Jones, who does not fit into the team’s long-term plans. This is the type of maneuver Washington is likely to make several times before the deadline.
The Knicks add another ball handler.
New York Knicks receive: Malcom Brogdon
Portland Trail Blazers acquire Evan Fournier, 2024 first-round selection, and 2024 second-round pick.
The Knicks had an NBA-best 11-2 record and the league’s strongest defense since the calendar moved to 2024. OG Anunoby has been an excellent fit for the club, with a plus-minus of +239 in January, the best in the league during that time.
In 2023-24, the Heat acquired Terry Rozier from the Hornets in exchange for Kyle Lowry and a fifth-round pick.Kevin Pelton
NBA Trade Deadline 2024: What Every Contender Needs for a Successful Playoff Run
Anunoby has been an incredible one-man wrecking crew defensively, especially when coupled with the Knicks’ second unit, which frequently includes Miles McBride, Quentin Grimes, and Precious Achiuwa. The difficulty there, of course, is that there isn’t much ballhandling or shot creation among that group, which would cause problems come playoff time. It is completely understandable how the Knicks got here. They added Immanuel Quickley, last season’s runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year, as part of the transaction with the Toronto Raptors to acquire Anunoby.
The absence of bench offense hasn’t mattered much so far — and it certainly didn’t when the Knicks thrashed the reigning champion Denver Nuggets Thursday at the Garden — but it’s evident that New York will want a reserve playmaking upgrade at some point sans Quickley. Who better to do that than the person who defeated Quickley for Sixth Man?
There will always be injury concerns with Brogdon, but when he is available, he is a consistent scorer who can play alongside backups and starters equally. And he knows the Eastern Conference well, having played in Boston and Milwaukee and facing the Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs last season.
The move would provide Portland with valuable draft capital, though the Trail Blazers may demand more. Fournier’s contract is set to expire, thus Portland might go for a young player like Grimes. However, given New York’s wealth of late first- and second-round picks, the Knicks would be wise to dress up the deal without including an actual rotation piece. After all, you never know when a hard-nosed, Tom Thibodeau-coached team will require an additional body.
Thunder adds some size.
Oklahoma City Thunder acquires: Andre Drummond.
Chicago Bulls acquire Aleksej Pokusevski, a 2025 second-round selection (via PHI), and two 2027 second-round picks (via PHI and MIN).
The Thunder are currently competing for the Western Conference’s top seed, so the prudent course of action would be to analyze their existing group in the playoffs and then attempt to fill any gaps in the offseason. However, nothing is certain in the future (just ask the 2012 Thunder), so while it’s highly possible that OKC will be in this situation again and for many years to come, the Thunder should still strive to strengthen their squad.
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Drummond’s addition solves one of the Thunder’s only vulnerabilities, which is defensive rebounding. The Thunder are 29th in defensive rebounding %, and opponents average 15 second-chance points per game, second best among all teams.
According to Cleaning the Glass, Drummond ranks in the top percentile for offensive and defensive rebounding at his position. In just 15.9 minutes per game, he averages 8.4 rebounds. Drummond averaged 17.4 rebounds per game over seven games when he was called upon to start in place of Nikola Vucevic.
Giving up two second-round selections for a player on an expiring contract like Drummond appears to be too risky, but Oklahoma City has a league-high 21 seconds available, while Pokusevski is averaging a career-low 6.1 minutes. He is a free agent during the offseason.
Lakers acquire another star.
Los Angeles Lakers receive: Dejounte Murray
Atlanta Hawks get Spencer Dinwiddie, a 2029 first-round pick (via Lakers).
Brooklyn Nets acquire: D’Angelo Russell
The Murray-Lakers pairing is a natural one. He’s a Klutch client and the greatest player the Lakers could possibly add before the trade deadline. The key issue is the Lakers’ matching salary. Russell’s salary is nearly comparable, but the Hawks would not want him to activate a $18.7 million player option, which may preclude them from re-signing restricted free agent. Saddiq Bey without incurring the luxury tax.
Enter the Nets, who may bring Russell home to boost their struggling offense. Russell’s lone All-Star appearance came as a member of a youthful Brooklyn club that shared many similarities with the current group. With Dinwiddie struggling this season, Russell would be a significant offensive boost for the Nets, who can easily handle his 2024-25 player option. Dinwiddie is in the final season of his contract, so Atlanta can either re-sign him to a cheaper deal with Bird rights or let him depart in unrestricted free agency.
Raptors continue their deconstruction.
Oklahoma City Thunder acquire Jakob Poeltl and Dennis Schroder.
Toronto Raptors acquire Davis Bertans, Aleksej Pokusevski, Tre Mann, Aaron Wiggins, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks.
The Thunder are primed to compete this season and still have a plethora of draft picks in the bank. The Raptors have already sold two of their starters for young players and draft picks, indicating a desire to rebuild. This agreement allows both sides to trade surplus resources for assistance in regions of need.
The Thunder boast one of the league’s strongest starting lineups, but they lack experienced depth at both big man and point guard. With this bargain, they get starter-level quality from both. While Chet Holmgren is a front-runner for rookie of the year as a center, he is still a rookie with a slender build who missed the entire season due to injury. Poeltl is a walking double-double threat, with a natural center’s size (7-foot, 260 pounds). Holmgren, who is agile and has an outstanding jump shot, may also play with Poeltl.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder’s point guard, is an MVP candidate, but he is a scoring lead guard rather than a genuine floor general. Josh Giddey, on the other hand, is a more natural distributor, although his jump shot is inconsistent. Schroder complements both as a scoring point guard with size and a good shooting stroke. Schroder, who played two seasons in OKC, has led playoff teams, has experience as both a starter and a sixth man, could play in the same backcourt as either SGA or Giddey, and would provide the Thunder with insurance in case of injury.
In the last eight months, the Raptors have changed coaches, let starting point guard Fred VanVleet leave in free agency, sold their only All-Star, Pascal Siakam, and parted ways with another starter, defensive whiz OG Anunoby. The writing is on the wall. They are rebuilding, most likely around former Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes and new signings RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. Draft picks are the preferred currency for rebuilding, and acquiring four picks (two of which are first-rounders) is adequate compensation for a sixth man and an experienced big man. This move would complete their rebuilding efforts for the season and put them in a position to either add a lot of young talent in the draft or move the picks to try to bring in young players with potential to be part of their future nucleus.
The New York Knicks receive the following: Mikal Bridges
Brooklyn Nets acquire Evan Fournier, Quentin Grimes, 2024 first-round selection (from Dallas, top-10 protected); 2025 first-round pick (from Milwaukee, top-4 protected); 2025 first-round pick (from New York, unprotected); 2027 first-round pick (from New York, unprotected); and 2029 first-round pick (from New York, top-5 protected).
Bridges to New York are not going to happen. If you want proof, turn back the clock to 1983. That was the last time the Knicks and Nets traded. (The Knicks traded a 1984 second-round pick to the Nets for Len Elmore.) During my 20-year time in New Jersey, the two teams had no trade discussions.
But they are not “trades we think will happen,” but “trades we want to see.”
So, what if Knicks president Leon Rose phones Nets general manager Sean Marks one morning and offers him an unprecedented five first-round picks plus Quentin Grimes? That’s two more firsts than the Cleveland Cavaliers traded to the Utah Jazz for All-Star Donovan Mitchell.
Would Marks graciously decline, as the prospect of Bridges in a Knicks uniform would be difficult to bear? Perhaps he’d be bold and ask for even more: The Knicks can trade up to eight firsts.
Given that New York was apprehensive about surrendering draft money for Mitchell, why would the Knicks suddenly reverse course now? The difference is that Grimes would be the only rotation player the Knicks would give up in this transaction, ensuring the roster’s viability for the foreseeable future.
As Adrian Wojnarowski revealed, the Nets’ front management intends to develop around Bridges rather than deal away their best player. Bridges is one of the NBA’s best two-way players, with two years remaining on his contract after this season.
But what if Brooklyn’s losses continue? Would Brooklyn change course if the most generous first-round selection package ever offered was made available?
