NBA trade deadline tiers - Deal scenarios, outlooks for all 30 teams - ESPN

Which NBA teams are most likely to make moves at the trade deadline?

The league has seen a flurry of smaller deals, most notably the Los Angeles Lakers adding Dorian Finney-Smith and the Phoenix Suns picking up a few first-round picks.

But is there a star trade out there between now and the trade deadline of Feb. 6?

We're tiering all 30 teams based on the likelihood of a deal and adding each franchise's salary cap status and most valuable draft assets.

Plus, we're identifying one trade (or more) we'd like to see for each team at the deadline. Some feature contenders filling a need before the stretch run, while others result in the Oklahoma City Thunder accumulating more draft picks.

On to my trade deadline tiers, starting with the seven teams that could be very active over the next week and a half.

Jump to a tier:
The true dealmakers
The wild-card teams
Bottom-line watchers
Megadeal facilitators
Tradable contracts, not picks
Don't rush into a deal
The power brokers

Recent transactions:

Traded Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton to the Los Angeles Lakers for D'Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second-round picks (2027, 2030, 2031 via Lakers)

Traded Dennis Schroder and a 2025 second-round pick (via Miami if 38-59) to Golden State for De'Anthony Melton, Reece Beekman and three seconds (2026 via Atlanta, 2028 via Atlanta, 2031 via Golden State)

Keep an eye on: GM Sean Marks and forward Cam Johnson

Brooklyn's trade to regain its 2025 and 2026 first-round picks from Houston and the trade to send Mikal Bridges to New York set the stage for how Marks would conduct business this season.

Instead of competing for the play-in tournament, the Nets' goal was to establish a foundation with new coach Jordi Fernandez, increase draft