NBA Trade Ideas from Latest Rumors and Buzz

Trade-rumor winds are blowing around the NBA at a progressively more frenzied rate now that we're inside one month of the Feb. 8 deadline.

Whispers and murmurs are crescendoing into yells and bellows. You can feel that a bunch of moves, of varying scales, will transpire over the next few weeks, no matter how much team mouthpieces try cautioning or declaring otherwise, culminating in the hallmark chaos that is every single deadline.

As responsible fans of #hoop who also #knowball, this is our transactional Super Bowl. Trades are not more important than the games, but they do play a critical role in shaping and molding the competitive landscape that defines what will happen during said games—and playoff series—about which we care so much.

Given the influx of scuttlebutt, it's only right that we convert the hottest loosely framed news and rumors into concrete deals. Familiar faces will appear here, because, well, that's how the speculation factory works. The same notable names are recycled ad nauseam until—or unless—they actually find a new home.

Can we suss out sensible new digs for some of the usual, and not-so-usual, suspects? We'll never know unless we try. So, let's try!

Chicago Bulls Receive: Rui Hachimura, D'Angelo Russell, Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2026 first-round swap (top-three protection), 2029 first-round pick (top-three protection through 2030), 2030 first-round swap (pending 2029 obligation; top-five protection)

Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Zach LaVine

You know the drill. Zach LaVine remains available. He would like to play for the Lakers. (And maybe the Sacramento Kings!) But his market is apparently "barren." And that reportedly includes the Lakers, who feel they would be doing the Bulls a solid, and who ESPN's Malika Andrews said during NBA Today on Tuesday have shown "no movement" in their lack of interest (h/t Laker Nation's Daniel Starkand).

Puh-lease.

The Lakers can posture all they want. Their offense is crud. Crud's crud, even. They would be lucky to bag a shot-maker and downhill threat like LaVine. Especially when he would slot in as the third option, which has always been his ideal role.

Sure, LaVine's contract is steep. He has three years and $137.9 million left on his deal after this season. But pouting and fretting about All-Star-player costs is reserved for teams that aren't asset poor and operating on a 39-year-old LeBron James' timeline.

Keeping Austin Reaves off the table is a reasonable line to draw if LaVine's market remains desolate. Neither fans nor front-office members should lose sleep over having to include Hood-Schifino, Hachimura, swaps or a distant first. The Lakers' timeline is now. LaVine advances that agenda. Figure out the rest later.

Chicago probably shouldn't accept this package in a vacuum. But LaVine's market doesn't exist in a vacuum.

Two digestible contracts, a flier on Hood-Schifino, one first and a couple of swaps seems like it's the best they can do. If better offers are out there, the Bulls should take them. Under no circumstance, though, should they continue spinning their wheels by standing pat, hoping against hope for a run or another move that slingshots them from the bottom of the middle to the middle of the middle.

Indiana Pacers Receive: Pascal Siakam, Detroit's 2024 second-round pick

Toronto Raptors Receive: Buddy Hield, Jalen Smith, Jarace Walker, 2024 first-round pick (top-eight protection, 2026 first-round pick (lottery protection)

Plenty of teams remain "in the mix" for Siakam, according to TSN's Josh Lewenberg. That includes the Pacers, who have been linked to the 29-year-old All-NBA big man for what seems like forever.

Emphasis on All-NBA. That part is important for any Indiana fans angered by this opportunity cost. You don't get someone of Siakam's caliber for pennies on the dollar just because he's about to be a free agent, and just because your team could, if it wants, carve out the cap space necessary to go after him.

More to the point: Siakam is really good! His shooting has been shaky this season but is starting to perk up. He's basically averaging 25 points and five assists while knocking down 61 percent of his twos and 47 percent of his threes (albeit on modest volume) over the past month.

Indiana is more in need of a front-line member who can shuttle between 3 and 4. But the emergence of Aaron Nesmith helps in that regard. Siakam's creation is equally, if not more, pivotal to a Pacers team that still isn't good enough when Tyrese Haliburton sits.

And it's not like Siakam is a bad fit. He and Myles Turner complement one another nicely, his defense is an upgrade over current personnel, and he can absorb some backup 5 reps while furthering the warp speed at which the Pacers play on offense.

Coughing up Walker and two firsts as well as two players currently in the rotation stings. That merely means this isn't a move you make unless you're sure Siakam will re-sign. Indiana can try finding third or fourth teams to take on extra bodies so it gets to keep Smith, too.

The Raptors' direction, meanwhile, remains murky. They telegraphed in the OG Anunoby trade that they're prioritizing actual players over draft picks. And to be honest, I wouldn't move Siakam if I were them. Re-sign him, get more shooting in the lineup, and see what you can build with him, Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett.

Still, if the Raptors don't want to bankroll Siakam's next contract or are unsure whether he'll stick around, they're better off moving him rather than risking a Fred VanVleet 2.0 situation.

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Moses Moody, Chris Paul, Cory Joseph, 2026 first-round pick (top-four protection), 2026 second-round pick (its own), 2028 second-round pick (its own)

Golden State Warriors Receive: De'Andre Hunter, Dejounte Murray

Pascal Siakam to Golden for a package built around Jonathan Kuminga, draft equity and salary is the hypothetical-trade-du-jour of the moment. That's...fine. But while Kuminga has lost faith in the Warriors, ESPN's Kendra Andrews said on The Lowe Post podcast (28:20 mark) that there are "higher-ups in this organization who are infatuated with" him. Michael Grange of TSN Sports reiterated as much in a previous dispatch, noting that Golden State is "loathe" to deal Kuminga.

That is a somewhat wild stance for the Warriors to take. They certainly aren't using Kuminga as if they're "loathe" to trade him. But let's roll with it.

Something still needs to be done. That "something" is tough to define. Chris Paul's fractured left hand does lend itself to some direction. He will be sidelined for around four to six weeks, and waiting out his return doesn't promise a light at the end of the tunnel. He won't be any younger upon rejoining the rotation. The Warriors desperately need another player who can generate their own shot.

Dejounte Murray is officially trade-eligible and readily available, as Shams Charania noted during FanDuel's Run It Back on Tuesday. He isn't what you'd call a prototypical Warriors player, but he's averaging over 20 points and five assists while splashing in 38.6 percent of his triples—including 41.2 percent of his pull-up treys, a top-six mark among 41 players to attempt at least 75 of these looks.

Though Murray's defense has slipped a notch or two this year, he's absolutely an upgrade over what Golden State is doing now—particularly with Gary Payton II sidelined. The Warriors would still skew small if they tried playing him with Stephen Curry and Brandin Podziemski, but that's a more palatable mini trio than one with 38-year-old, 6'0" Paul.

Hunter's inclusion is either prohibitive or a home run. He has three years and $69.9 million left on his contract after this one, is a suboptimal rebounder and passer and not a lockdown defender. But he has nailed his threes when healthy and, most critically, been much better than Andrew Wiggins this season.

Taking on his money at the very least incentivizes Atlanta to re-flip Murray for less than it gave up for him in the first place. The Hawks also get to leave this deal with a flier on the underutilized Moody, a first-rounder and tons of cap relief this summer—something we know their ownership group is always, always interested in, even when they won't admit it.

Housing Hunter, Kuminga and Wiggins all at once might be an overkill of 3-4s who don't pass or rebound enough. The Warriors don't have to be done moving and shaking. Murray alone makes them a much better team, and his upcoming contract (four years, $114.1 million) is reasonable enough that it could yield more trade value later.

Houston Rockets Receive: Marcus Smart

Memphis Grizzlies Receive: Jock Landale, Jae'Sean Tate, Brooklyn's 2024 second-round pick, Brooklyn's 2026 first-round pick (top-four protection)

OK, so Smart has not ambled his way into the mainstream rumor mill. Yet. But Ja Morant is out for the season with a right shoulder injury that will require surgery. This counts as breaking news, and it also means everything should be on the table for a Memphis team suddenly playing out a lost season.

Turning Smart into another first and a gritty defender in Tate (who has a club option for next season) more adequately arms the Grizzlies to make a bigger, finer-tuning move over the offseason, when they'll also presumably have a high lottery pick of their own to dangle. Yes, this amounts to less than they gave up for Smart. But his fit has been wonky.

Smart's threes aren't falling even when he's unguarded, and he's turning the ball over on nearly 28 percent of his pick-and-roll possessions. Waiting to see whether that changes next season is risky. Memphis doesn't have the sample size necessary to know whether he works in tandem with a healthy Morant. If Smart continues his offensive downturn, the two years and $41.3 million he's owed become a lot harder to offload.

Landale is included here strictly as filler. Well, almost strictly as filler. Houston can insist on using the slightly more expensive Victor Oladipo (expiring at $9.5 million), but the Grizzlies could use some reserve-big minutes, and they can always guarantee Landale's $8 million salary for next season if they need matching tools in a summertime move.

The Rockets, for their part, should prioritize offense over defense. They also need a backup floor general as Amen Thompson develops, and the complexion of Smart's role will change in a rotation that has Alperen Şengün, Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith Jr. and even Jalen Green. And there's no such thing as defensive overkill for a team with play-in/postseason/actually-winning-a-game-on-the-road aspirations. Houston can run out a five-man lineup of Şengün, Smart, Smith, VanVleet and Dillon Brooks. Honest question: Who's scoring on that group?

Reuniting Smart with head coach Ime Udoka is at least a slight bonus here. The Rockets have focused on reinventing the basketball culture, and Smart is nothing if not another injection of locker room lifeblood.

That 2026 Brooklyn pick is a tasty dish to serve up. Adding the top-four protection inoculates Houston against disaster, and it can try negotiating slightly tighter protections if this is deemed too loose.

Dallas Mavericks Receive: Jerami Grant (trade-eligible Jan. 15)

Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Richaun Holmes, Maxi Kleber, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, 2026 first-round pick (top-six protection; pending 2026 obligation to New York), 2028 first-round swap (top-eight protection)

Upgrading the "4 spot" is a priority for the Mavericks entering the trade deadline, according to NBA Insider Marc Stein. That, uh, doesn't say much about their decision to fork over a 2030 first-round swap and hard-cap themselves for Grant Williams over the summer.

Dallas has previously been linked to Grant but apparently believed the cost was too high. And, well, it's not going down now. Grant is averaging nearly 22 points while knocking down 42 percent of his threes and flirting with league-average shooting efficiency overall despite a featured role that ever so modestly overstretches his skill set.

Joining the Mavs as the No. 3 option would suit him—a perfect balance of restraint and centrality. And Dallas should be prepared to pony up this much to land him. The Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving timeline is now, and the Mavs, on many nights, look good enough to triple-down on it. The defense is ticking up, and getting contributions from Dereck Lively II, Dante Exum and Derrick Jones Jr. (when they're all healthy) has rendered the rotation deeper than expected.

Surrendering a recent first-round pick (O-Max) and the rights to two more isn't nothing. But Dallas' salary-matching tools demand it. Holmes isn't playing and has another year left on his deal (player option). And Kleber is more concept than player at this point. He has barely played this season while dealing with a toe injury and is owed another $22 million over the next two years.

Portland should find this offer suitable enough for Grant. The four years and $132.6 million left on his pact isn't unseemly, but there is a chance his value has peaked now. Netting first-round equity, a first-round wing prospect and two bigs who, when healthy, can sponge up reps amid a shallow and decimated center rotation is fair value relative to where the Blazers are at in their rebuild. Kleber is someone they might even be able to reroute down the road for more #stuff.

This package does leave the Mavs lighter on backup bigs. What else is new? Neither Kleber nor Holmes is currently playing, and they can try out a Jerami Grant-Grant Williams 4-5 combo. Reserve centers are also easier to secure on the cheap than combo forwards who typify the three-and-D-plus-more archetype.

Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.

Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference, Stathead or Cleaning the Glass and accurate entering games on Tuesday, Jan. 9. Salary information via Spotrac. Draft-pick obligations via RealGM.