2025 NBA Trade Season: Should Pistons and Spurs Go All-In at Deadline?

The NBA trade deadline is February 5. Let’s dive into the chatter and try to make sense of it all.

Morten Stig Jensen: All right, Kelly. We’re just two weeks away from the NBA trade deadline and we’ve already seen Trae Young move on, with Ja Morant and Anthony Davis rumored to follow suit.

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But instead of regurgitating those same two names, I wonder if we should identify teams that overall just need to do… well, something!

Detroit is No. 1 in the East, and that’s obviously a good thing, but I can’t escape the feeling that they’re not that heavy in the talent department.

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Tobias Harris’ expiring contract, worth more than $26.6 million, could be a big dime, and now is the time to do something about it as Jalen Duren will be earning a new salary next summer.

Lauri Markkanen is a name often bandied about in connection with the Pistons, but should they at least try to enter into negotiations with Danny Ainge?

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Kelly Iko: The Pistons are experiencing a historic season, they are loaded with young talent and have the second-ranked defense. It would be a blast for them to hold off before the trade deadline.

From an offensive standpoint, Detroit is kind of meh. They are 26th in offensive rating since Jan. 1, 23rd in half-court points per possession, 26th in 3-point attempt percentage and 22nd in 3-point shots.

In a perfect world, Cade Cunningham would be a prolific driver, capable of drawing gravity downhill and spraying perimeter shooters who could knock down catch-and-shoot looks or create their own if the defense adjusts. According to Second Spectrum, Cunningham is fifth in drives per game (16.8), but the difference between him and, say, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, is stark. Cunningham shoots 10% worse on drives and 10% worse at the free throw line than SGA.

The playoffs are essentially a math problem, and when the book is out on Detroit – swarming Cunningham at the point of attack and challenging their role players to shoot – problems could come quickly. Houston’s 2024-25 season comes to mind: An exciting young man with a formidable defense struggling in the half court. That was a first-round exit.

So yes, I think Markkanen makes sense in many ways as a jumbo creator with exceptional spacing ability. Ditto for Michael Porter Jr. and Trey Murphy. Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor recently put together a nice list of names the Pistons should pursue, but the overall theme is as great as Detroit was for a refreshing storyline, this is far from a perfect team.

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Back to you, Mort. Who is second on your list and why? Maybe a team out west…

Death: Sir, if you’re implying that I should bring the Spurs here, I won’t disappoint. This team is way ahead of where most had it pegged at this stage, and that leads to a similar conclusion to what you had with Detroit. It would be a mess if they didn’t do, well, something.

So let me throw something at you that is downright crazy.

The Spurs need a more than solid wing if they want to consistently face the Oklahoma City Thunder. We can sit here all day and talk about short-term solutions and who might be cheaper on the commercial front, but let’s put this noise aside and push for the finish line.

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Deni Avdija.

The Blazers have zero – and I mean ZERO – interest in moving on from their 26/7/7 wing, who is expected to make his first All-Star team this season.

As such, Spurs must do what we rarely see anymore: the Godfather’s offering.

Kelly Olynyk for salary matching and damn near every tradeable pick under the sun, especially the juicy ones, like Atlanta’s 2027, a future trade option from the Kings and some of their own in the 30s.

They are clearly moving away from Jeremy Sochan, and while Harrison Barnes is one of the best role players in the league, he is getting on in age. There will be a need for a power forward who can play power forward, and they need someone who can shoot, handle the ball and initiate plays in a role like that.

Why not try playing a guy who fits the timeline, is cheap ($13.1 million in 2026-2027 and $11.8 million in 2027-28) and could realistically catapult you into championship contention this very season?

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At the very least, the Blazers can get the offer. If they wish to stay with Avdija, which I think we could both understand, then so be it. But that would demonstrate some aggression on the part of Spurs in trying to accomplish their mission as soon as possible and while Victor Wembanyama is still young and (relatively) healthy.

(I don’t want to put the injury curse on him, but let’s be real. Humans who are 7-foot-5 and play professional sports historically play fewer years than, say, smaller lead guards.)

Iko: I love the idea of ​​Avdija in San Antonio. Much of what the Spurs do – from an offensive and non-Wemby standpoint – revolves around the skill of their guard play. Bringing in a taller initiator with legitimate three-level scoring ability would give them an added advantage while maintaining their spacing in Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie.

But here’s my devil’s advocate question for you. We’ve just named two teams that could benefit from activating the trade. But what about the teams that would let these assets go? Is there a world where the Blazers ponder what Avdija looks like next to a healthy Damian Lillard? Is there a world where Jazz starts to develop around Markkanen and Keyonte George? Or are those teams destined for NBA purgatory and should roll out their hot commodities while they still can?

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Death: I usually want teams in NBA purgatory not to go all in, as that often suggests they don’t have their star player.

(Neither the Blazers nor the Jazz are in purgatory due to their situation, but it’s fair to wonder whether their ceiling is limited given that none of Avdija, Markkanen, or George project as Tier 1 superstars.)

However.

Let me mention the Bulls for just a second. We don’t take competence on their part for granted, and probably rightly so, but have you seen the situation they’re in?

If new leadership were to take over, they would be licking their chops: a huge package of expiring contracts, over $80 million, control of all their picks and even some young players with trade value.

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Is this a team that should take a step back and build even more equity? Probably, but it was never his favorite song. Instead, this leadership has a history of signing and backing some questionable upgrades, such as Nikola Vučević when his contract expired in 2021, when they then followed up in free agency by acquiring both Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan.

Is this the undecided team we should be keeping an eye on?

Overall, I’m curious how teams with large trade assets will decide to act before February 5th. Do they see it as a means to buy low on, say, Zion Williamson or Ja Morant?

Williamson is reportedly off the table in trade negotiations, but pardon my French if I say, “Baloney!”

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Personally, I don’t think it’s a smart strategy, but reasonable people can disagree, and we must at least recognize that there is star quality attached to both names.

Iko: Ironically, we talked about Chicago before the season. These sneaky bulls always creep into the conversation.

I’m generally wary of anything that happens in the Windy City (DJ Moore runs included), but if I’m in the Bulls front office and contemplating whether to make a move for Morant or Williamson, why not go for both?

It seems ridiculous until you really think about it. Health and availability are obviously the biggest factors in moving for both of these players, but they’re still young enough (Zion, 25; Morant, 26) to sell a core alongside rookie Matas Buzelis, who has been a bright spot and shown underrated defensive versatility. Again, this only works if you can guarantee both play in at least 65 games (big if), but I’m tired of the Bulls being boring. Shoot the often wounded stars.

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On a more serious note, I appreciate the way each team approaches this time of year. The rumors that circulate can become a little trivial, but at least if you analyze them enough, you will be able to understand individual organizational goals and objectives. It should be a fun two weeks.