NBA trade deadline 2026: One player to watch on all 30 teams - ESPN

The NBA trade deadline is less than a month away, and teams are evaluating their rosters and the market to see who can make a difference in a playoff berth or a new era.

With players such as Ja Morant and Jonathan Kuminga circulating as potential trade targets, teams must decide which players are worth stashing and which could be a part of a package to facilitate a win-now or rebuild strategy before 3 p.m. ET on Feb. 5.

Whether a team makes a move or stands pat, each has at least one player who could be used in a trade to strengthen its playoff push or take further steps in a rebuilding process. ESPN analysts Bobby Marks (Eastern Conference) and Kevin Pelton (Western Conference) detail the top player on all 30 NBA rosters who could be traded and how a potential deal could help that team.

Teams are listed in alphabetical order.

Jump to a team:
ATL | BOS | BKN | CHA | CHI | CLE
DAL | DEN | DET | GS | HOU | IND
LAC | LAL | MEM | MIA | MIL | MIN
NO | NY | OKC | ORL | PHI | PHX
POR | SAC | SA | TOR | UTA | WAS

Player: Kristaps Porzingis

Trae Young was originally on the watch list before he was sent to Washington for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. The Young trade now allows Atlanta to move off Porzingis' expiring $30.7 million contract and gain flexibility to take back salary in future years — for example, Anthony Davis. But with Davis out for an extended period of time with a left hand injury, holding on to Porzingis for the remainder of the season is the more viable option. Porzingis has missed 14 games due to illness but has been effective on the hardwood, providing Atlanta with much-needed size in the frontcourt.

The Hawks do have Luke Kennard's $11 million expiring contract and the $14 million salary of the recently