For some teams who want to contend for an NBA championship, the status quo won’t work.
The question teams are facing: Is the right deal out there that satisfies the need to improve without giving up too much in return and retain financial flexibility?
It’s a delicate balance in today’s NBA, and the league’s new collective bargaining agreement and salary cap rules have more restrictions on the type of deals teams can make. It’s a new world of roster construction.
“As one GM told me after the Dorian Finney-Smith trade to the (Los Angeles) Lakers, expect more singles and doubles, less triples and home runs when it comes to transactions,” ESPN NBA front-office insider Bobby Marks said in a recent roundtable discussion.
Still, players are available.
Let’s look at 10 players who could be moved before the Feb. 6 trade deadline:
(Stats through games of Jan. 9)
Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler
The Heat-Butler saga could extend beyond the trade deadline. The Heat don’t have to trade him. They suspended Butler seven games for conduct detrimental to the team and acknowledged that Butler asked for a trade. Butler, 35, seeks one last significant contract.
∎Contract situation: Butler is under contract through 2025-26 at $52.4 million but has a player option giving him the ability to become a free agent after this season.
New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram
When addressing Ingram’s contract at the start of the season, Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin said the team faces “economic realities.” The Pelicans may not be in position to re-sign him in free agency, so a trade is a possibility.
∎Contract situation: Ingram is in the final season of a five-year, $158.2 million deal that pays him $36 million in 2024-25.
Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma
The Wizards signed Kuzma with the idea that they could trade him at the appropriate time, and it’s a team friendly deal with an annual salary that decreases. He can’t become a free agent until the summer of 2027.
∎Contract situation: Kuzma is in the second season of a four-year, $90 million contract.
Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine
Teams in need of a scoring guard are focused on LaVine, who averages 23.3 points and is shooting career-best percentages from the field (51.2%) and in 3-pointers (44.4%).
∎Contract situation: LaVine is in the third season of a five-year, $215.1 million contract but has a player option following the 2025-26 season, allowing him to become a free agent in the summer of 2026.
Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas
This was a savvy offseason signing by the Wizards. They got a veteran big man who can help younger players, they paid him and if the right situation presents itself, they can trade him. The Wizards are looking for draft picks.
∎Contract situation: Valanciunas received a three-year, $30.2 million contract in July in a sign-and-trade with New Orleans. He is a free agent in the summer of 2027.
Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic
Vucevic is still producing and doing it efficiently: 20.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game while shooting career-highs from the field (55.3%) and on 3-pointers (42.4%).
∎Contract situation: Vucevic is in the second season of a three-year, $60 million contract. He is a free agent after the 2025-26 season.
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson
Trade the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft? The player who averages 24.6 points and shoots 58.8% from the field for his career? Injuries have limited Williamson to just two full seasons. He missed an entire season (2021-22) and has played just seven games this season. A fresh start for team and player isn’t irrational.
∎Contract situation: Williamson is in the second season of a five-year, $197.2 million extension and is under contract through 2027-28. However, the contract is not fully guaranteed based on games played and weight.
Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox
With frustration compounding in Sacramento, Fox may not be with the Kings for much longer. Whether he switches teams at the trade deadline or after the season, we will see. But there’s a market for a player who does what Fox does: 26.7 points, 6.2 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting 48.6% from the field.
∎Contract situation: Fox is in the fourth season of a five-year, $163 million contract and will be a free agent after the 2025-26 season.
Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson
Johnson is having a breakout season with career highs in points (19.5 per game), field goal percentage (.496) and free throw percentage (.895) and a strong 3-point percentage (.436). The Nets remain in the market for first-round picks in return, and Johnson’s contract has value.
∎Contract situation: Johnson is in the second season of a four-year, $94.5 million contract, and he hits free agency in the summer of 2027.
Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga
If the Warriors make a trade deadline deal, Kuminga likely will be part of a package exiting Golden State. He’s a player teams want. Late last month, he had back-to-back 34-point games and he’s just 22 years old.
∎Contract situation: Kuminga is in the final season of his four-year, $24.8 million rookie contract and is a restricted free agent after this season.
Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt