The 2023 NBA trade deadline is on Feb. 9, meaning trade season is rapidly approaching. Will it be an active deadline with a ton of wheeling-and-dealing or a relatively quiet one? That remains to be seen.
With so much parity around the league, there should be plenty of buyers. But which teams will emerge as sellers? That's what NBA executives are waiting to find out between now and the deadline.
Basketball News recently asked our staff the following question: Which trade do you want to see before the deadline? Here's what our writers had to say:
Ethan Fuller: "I don’t know if the Toronto Raptors even should sell, but if they do, teams should be jostling to land Gary Trent Jr. Dallas could certainly use Trent’s microwave scoring and active defensive hands, even if they stick with Tim Hardaway Jr. and their current guards. Luka Doncic is an offensive juggernaut, but that doesn’t mean he should sustain his workload. Trent can help ease the burden."
Alex Kennedy: "I'm a sucker for a blockbuster. The most interesting trade deadlines typically feature a star player changing teams. As this year's deadline approaches, there aren't too many rumblings about a star asking out. The closest is rival executives wondering whether Trae Young may ask the Atlanta Hawks for a trade since the team is struggling and dealing with some drama behind the scenes, but that just seems like speculation at this point.
"Assuming a star doesn't become available over the next month, I'll settle for Bojan Bogdanovic getting traded to a contender. He has been terrific this season, averaging a career-high 21.2 points along with 3.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.4 threes (while shooting 48.7% from the field, 41.5% from three and 88.5% from the free-throw line). Bogdanovic is 33 years old, so it'd be great to see him join a playoff team (such as the Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat or Phoenix Suns) rather than simply putting up great numbers on a bottom-feeder. The Detroit Pistons are rebuilding and would likely move Bogdanovic for the right offer, so I'm hoping we get to see him join a win-now squad."
Nekias Duncan: "I want the Denver Nuggets to trade Jeff Green, Davon Reed and a 2026 second-rounder to the New York Knicks for Isaiah Hartenstein. Frankly, it has pained me to watch Hartenstein — an underrated but effective passing hub — rarely get that usage. (To be fair, I’m sure Thibs has been equally dismayed by Hartenstein’s defense and rebounding presence. Fair play, Mr. Head Coach.) If he isn’t going to be maximized on offense (and cause wincing on defense), a move may be best for both parties.
"The Nuggets are familiar with using their bigs as high post or Delay hubs; they have the best one in the league in Nikola Jokic. They’ve attempted to use DeAndre Jordan as an elbow connector at times with the second unit; I’ll go out on a limb and say Hartenstein would give them more juice in that regard. Green would give the Knicks some veteran depth in the frontcourt whenever he recovers from his hand injury. Reed is a nice flier on multi-positional defense. A light bit of draft capital wouldn’t hurt either."