As NBA trade season approaches,we looked at sellers last week, and now it's time to look at some teams that could end up being buyers before the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
Detroit Pistons
They are 20-5 and sitting atop the Eastern Conference, but this team is in dire need of more shooting and a firm secondary scoring option.
Lauri Markkanen makes a lot of sense, and facilitating a deal for him wouldn't be particularly difficult, at least through the lens of matching salaries or attaching draft equity, because the Pistons control their future draft assets.
The beauty of Detroit's flexibility is it can go in a bunch of different ways and it can also put Jaden Ivey on the table in negotiations. But the Pistons do need to move now, as Jalen Duren is up for a new contract next summer.
New York Knicks
So, this is complicated.
The Knicks should be looking for whatever upgrade they can get their hands on to improve their depth and make a real Finals run with the East being as open as it is.
However, they're so short on assets and less than $150,000 away from the second apron, so it's almost unrealistic to expect them to do something major. That doesn't mean they shouldn't try, though.
Orlando Magic
This is a weird team, and the pieces may not all fit together. But that's all the more reason to try to make a real upgrade, if one is there for the taking.
The contract of Tyus Jones ($7 million, expiring) could bring the Magic something, but their first apron buffer is at just $1.2 million, which in the NBA is peanuts.
As such, look for the Magic to package Jones with Jett Howard to see if they can extract a larger contract elsewhere.
Oklahoma City Thunder
They can get just about anyone they want to, but given the fact that they're as good as they are right now, they can easily choose to stand pat.
Denver Nuggets
They improved their depth last summer and remain $2.8 million under the second apron, which does give them some flexibility for the trade deadline.
More than likely, they'll stick with their main core and instead make moves around the margin.
They're not in bad shape by any stretch, so we'll see what — if anything — they cook up.
Houston Rockets
It was tempting to leave them out, simply due to the Fred VanVleet injury, but at 16-6 and with Kevin Durant on the roster, that would be indefensible.
They need a point guard. Full stop. They probably won't be able to acquire a big-name player, but they could attempt to use VanVleet's $25 million salary to facilitate something.
Going into the rest of the season short on playmaking guards wouldn't be advisable.
San Antonio Spurs
Victor Wembanyama will, more than likely, sign a full-max contract extension next offseason, which means the Spurs are on the clock to round out the roster as they see fit.
They have multiple expiring contracts in the form of Harrison Barnes and Kelly Olynyk ($32.4 million in total), a plethora of draft picks and plenty of young players, all of which could be combined to make a push for another star — such as Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Whichever player the Spurs identify, they have enough juice to do something big if they want to.
Los Angeles Lakers
When you have a team with Luka Dončić, you're almost always in a state of competitiveness, meaning you're automatically looking to buy and add pieces around him.
While the Lakers will more than likely wait to do something big during the offseason, that doesn't mean they won't be on the lookout for something that makes sense.
They have expiring contracts, but very little draft equity and are short on young players. That's a tough mix, which could lead them to try their luck in free agency instead.
