The NBA trade deadline is one of the busiest and most anticipated days of the year in the basketball world. The Dec. 15 trade restriction date is long past, and now players who were ineligible to be traded until Jan. 15 can be moved, too. That means trade rumors and deals actually being agreed to will pick up in a big way over the next few weeks until the last day to make trades, which is Feb. 6.
Almost every team gets in on the trade action in the modern NBA; it is just a matter of if franchises are buying talent or selling it off at the deadline. In fact, there has been at least 10 deadline deals every year since 2018, including 16 deals that were made at last year's deadline involving 43 players and 19 different teams.
This year, a number of stars and role players alike have heard their names in trade rumors. No trade target is more prominent than Jimmy Butler, as the Miami Heat star has doubled down on wanting out. The market has been questionable when it comes to Butler due to his financial situation, but the forward will certainly be moved sooner rather than later.
Plenty of other players will be moved, though. So in this article, we are going to look at which teams will be buyers and which teams will be sellers ahead of the 2025 NBA trade deadline.
Trade deadline sellers

Washington Wizards
With only six wins, the Washington Wizards are by far the worst team in the NBA, which makes them obvious trade deadline sellers. The Wizards are in clear rebuild mode, and they have no reason not to trade off their veterans for more draft capital and young talent.
Johnny Davis, Kyshawn Johnson, Bub Carrington, Bilal Coulibaly, Corey Kispert, and Alex Sarr were taken in the first round of recent drafts, but none of them seem suited to be a primary scoring option on a championship-caliber team. Sarr has the best chance to become as star, as he was taken second overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, but it appears defense will be his calling card.
Washington is the favorite to land the number one pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and therefore, they have a chance to select Cooper Flagg. You can never have too many eggs in the draft basket, though, and even a year after taking three first-rounders, it would be smart to trade for more draft capital. Kyle Kuzma is likely the team's most attractive trade piece, but Malcolm Brogdon, Jonas Valanciunas, and maybe even Jordan Poole could all net a decent trade return.
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls have been in the purgatory that is mediocrity for far too long now. Considering the team let DeMar DeRozan go in the offseason, they should also be looking to make trades involving Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. LaVine has been untradable in recent years because of a bad contract. Now that he is staying healthy and having a resurgence of a season, there is no better time than now to trade him.
LaVine's trade value ebbs and flows, but it is at a high right now. The guard is one of the best players on the trading block, so they should look to get a huge haul in return for him. Certain teams will likely be interested in the three-and-D skill set of Torrey Craig, too.
Miami Heat
While the Miami Heat likely won't be mass sellers, they are still here because it seems inevitable that they will be trading Jimmy Butler in the near future. The wing that has led them to two Finals appearances has requested a trade out of town, making him the biggest-name superstar on the trade market.
While the Heat are unlikely to trade Bam Adebayo or Tyler Herro, teams might come calling about them after Butler is inevitably dealt. Once one trade is made, it often starts a snowball effect of many more deals getting done.
New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans traded for Dejounte Murray in the offseason, but things have not gone according to plan for the team. Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson have (again) had injury issues, so it seems that one of the two might be on the move. Ingram is the more likely trade candidate because the Pelicans have been unable to agree to a contract extension with the Duke product.
New Orleans sits in last place in the Western Conference standings, and something has to change. While they will certainly be trade deadline sellers, they've had so many players get hurt that they actually might not have the trading power that many would have thought that they could have. Herb Jones, for example, has a torn labrum and is out indefinitely. The elite defensive player was expected to be a hot trade commodity, but nobody will be willing to acquire a player who can't play. That is why teams will be hesitant about trading for Williamson, too.
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz have refused to enter a full-blown rebuild in recent years. It might finally be time to pull the trigger on that. Regardless of whether they decide to keep or trade Lauri Markkanen, the Jazz still have plenty of tradable assets. Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, and John Collins should all be considered in trade talks.
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers will likely be trade deadline sellers, and that is out of necessity. The team has a major logjam at the center position. With Donovan Clingan, Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams, and Duop Reath all on the roster and needing minutes, one or two will have to go.
Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons are trade candidates, too. When it comes to talented veterans on the trading block, the Trail Blazers might have more talent to make a move with than any other team in the league. The only question is how much can they get in return.
Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets have clearly signaled that they will be trade deadline sellers, considering they've already made selling moves ahead of the deadline. First, the team sent Dennis Schroder to the Golden State Warriors. Then, they shipped Dorian Finney-Smith off to the Los Angeles Lakers. The team likely isn't done yet, either. This all comes after an offseason where the moved Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks and made a deal reacquiring their draft capital from the Houston Rockets.
Cam Johnson appears to be next in line for a trade. His three-and-D skill set will be coveted around the league.
Trade deadline buyers

Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic have arguably the best defense in the NBA, so even with Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero missing time this season, they are still one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. However, like last season, they are still struggling to shoot the ball from deep. They rank 26th in three-point makes and last in three-point percentage.
Making a trade deadline deal, specifically for more shooting help, makes too much sense for a team looking to break out and make a name for themselves in this year's postseason. Perhaps the team will bank on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope rediscovering his three-point stroke, as the free agent acquisition is usually reliable from deep. A consolidation move to get off some of their depth and bring in some upgrades makes sense regardless, though.
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons tied the record for the longest losing streak ever last season, and they became one of the worst teams in recent memory because of it. The team made the necessary moves in the offseason and have completely turned things around, though. Now, Detroit has a chance to make the playoffs (they are currently the eight-seed).
The Pistons would be smart to continue adding to the roster with veteran talent, though, especially considering starting shooting guard Jaden Ivey – who was having a breakout year – suffered a potentially season-ending injury. The Pistons have had the depth to chug along without Ivey, but adding more scoring pop and more shooting to surround Cade Cunningham with would be smart.
The rebuilding/tanking phase is over in Detroit, and now the team needs to do whatever it takes to get better until they become legitimate contenders out East.
Oklahoma City Thunder
As long as the Oklahoma City Thunder have a million future draft picks, then they will always have the option to be trade buyers. The team executed one of the greatest rebuilds in NBA history. They drafted for tons of picks, and they still have 13 future first-rounders coming in. And yet, they rank first in the Western Conference standings.
Their success this year with a deep and talented roster means that they don't have to make a trade, but they certainly have the firepower to do so if they choose. Oklahoma City can go star-hunting anytime they want over the next few years, and while it would make sense to hold off and give this unit a chance, championship windows don't last forever, so the team may end up making a surprise big move at the trade deadline.
Houston Rockets
Of all of the top teams in the NBA this season, the Houston Rockets seem like the most likely to pull off a move for a superstar. With a young roster full of players on rookie deals, they don't have the financial restrictions of a lot of the other top teams. Additionally, their young roster means they have plenty of intriguing trade assets.
Although Jimmy Butler has since expanded his trade request to mostly anywhere out of Miami, the Rockets were originally among the three teams he was interested in being moved to (along with the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks). A Butler deal would likely include Dillon Brooks for financial purposes, but Butler would replace his defense and bring the veteran leadership and playoff experience that the team needs.
Los Angeles Lakers
As long as LeBron James is still playing for them, the Los Angeles Lakers will always be buyers, as has been the case with every team he has ever suited up for. Everyone expected a big splash in the offseason for the Lakers, but that never happened. Perhaps something will materialize before the 2025 NBA trade deadline.
The team might have already made their big move, though. They moved off of the always streaky D'Angelo Russell in order to bring in Dorian Finney-Smith from the Nets. Finney-Smith's numbers are down since joining the Lakers, but he is only six games into his Los Angeles stint. You have to expect that he will get better as he gains chemistry with his new teammates. A three-and-D player like Finney-Smith was exactly what the LeBron James-led team needed, but Lakers fans will always ask for more.
San Antonio Spurs
Victor Wembanyama is legit. The San Antonio Spurs were smart to bring in a table setter like Chris Paul in the offseason, but they shouldn't be done bringing in veteran talent. The team should be buyers at the trade deadline, either looking for a long-term point guard (Paul is 39 years old and has had one of the longest careers ever), or for more scoring help to take some of the burden off of Wembanyama's shoulders.
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns' big three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal hasn't worked out as expected, and the trio's struggles have resulted in Beal moving to a bench role. While the guard has been effective coming off of the bench, that was by no means the plan when they originally traded for him, and a player making $50 million this year not playing with the starters is far from ideal.
The rotation change up has led many to believe that the Suns want to trade Beal. A Beal for Jimmy Butler swap with the Heat has been proposed, but nothing has materialized there yet because Beal has one of the worst contracts in the NBA. Additionally, Beal is one of two players with a no-trade clause, so he'd have to agree to any deal that the Suns could work out.
Even so, the Suns will likely scour the trade market for a Beal deal, and the team desperately needs help at center, too.
Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry isn't getting any younger, so the Golden State Warriors need to pursue one more championship run before he retires. The all-time great point guard recently established that he doesn't want his team to mortgage the future for his sake, but the team should still be active on the trade market and looking to buy at the trade deadline, regardless.
The Warriors started off the season as one of the hottest teams in the NBA, but they've since struggled all the way to the 12th seed in the Western Conference. They are one of the teams that already made a deal (trading for Dennis Schroder), but they might not be done. In addition to being involved in Jimmy Butler trade talks, the team has been linked to Lauri Markkanen before. Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic have also been linked to the team.
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers made a surprise run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, but the team got off to an underwhelming start to the 2024-25 season. Now that they've started to re-emerge as contenders, though, it would be smart to look into moves that could get them over the hump. Last year, that required trading for Pascal Siakam, but the Pacers still appear to be one player short of truly contending.