NBA trade deadline intel - Suns, Bucks among most desperate to make deal - ESPN

This is the time of the NBA season when desperation can begin to permeate front offices.

With two weeks until the Feb. 6 trade deadline, concerns about job security, contracts and playoff positioning start to apply a squeeze. Contenders of varying levels show just how motivated they are to push in their chips, while some start making plans to capitalize on both the flexibility and star power of this summer's free agency period.

With that in mind, here's what we're hearing about nine teams that league decision-makers have flagged as potential players in the stretch run of trade season — and how desperate each is to swing a deal.

We'll dive into that, plus break down the new starting lineup in Miami and deliver boots-on-the-ground reporting from the league's first two-game series in Paris between Victor Wembanyama's San Antonio Spurs and the Indiana Pacers.

Jump to intel:
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Phoenix Suns

Desperation level: Extremely high

Phoenix, fighting for positioning in the West play-in race, showed just how desperate it is by trading its unprotected 2031 first-round pick for three lower-value firsts: either the 29th or 30th pick in this year's draft, plus the worst of Utah, Cleveland and Minnesota's picks in both the 2027 and 2029 drafts.

Tuesday's deal gave the Suns some flexibility in their dealings now but at the cost of mortgaging their future even further. Maybe doing so will help get Jimmy Butler to Phoenix — sources said landing the 35-year-old forward remains the team's top objective.

But the 2031 pick had real value around the league — «In my opinion, [it's] the most valuable asset on the market right now,»