Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

With the trade deadline quickly approaching, it’s time for us to examine what each team should do to be best poised for success, whether they’re trying to win now or prepare for the future.

Atlanta Hawks

Bolster their front court

After already dealing with Trae Young, the Hawks aren’t going to stop looking for ways to improve their roster. Their biggest weakness is in the front court; they cannot rely on Kristaps Porzingis to stay healthy. Jeremy Sochan has fallen out of the Spurs rotation, which should make him cheaper to acquire. He brings defensive versatility and decent playmaking to help fill the void that Trae Young left. Sochan is also a free agent at the end of this year, so he won’t eat into the Hawks’ projected cap space.

Boston Celtics

Acquire a centre

The Celtics have been way better than anybody expected. The plan was for this season to be a gap year and wait for Jayson Tatum to return from his Achilles injury. But now they have a legitimate chance to make some noise in the playoffs, especially considering how weak the Eastern Conference is. The C’s biggest weakness is the centre position. The Brooklyn Nets are shopping Day’Ron Sharpe, and he would be the perfect player to help anchor down the paint on defense.

Brooklyn Nets

Trade one of their centres

The Brooklyn Nets have two centres who can be vital to a championship contender in Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe. The Nets aren’t going to get a great young player for either of them, so instead they should prioritize receiving draft capital back in a trade.

Charlotte Hornets

Explore the LaMelo Ball trade market

If I was the general manager of the Hornets, I would want to trade LaMelo Ball as soon as possible. Yes, he’s a human highlight reel, but he also has horrible shot selection and doesn’t always make the right read for as great a passer as he is. The only problem is that this might be the worst possible time for the Hornets to trade him. It was only a few weeks ago that another dynamic guard with a playstyle similar to Lamelo got traded (Trae Young) and the Hawks didn’t get much in return for him. The Hornets should definitely look to trade Lamelo, but if there are no great offers, they shouldn’t force a trade. Other than that, they shouldn’t make any big moves; they’ve now won seven in a row, so they shouldn’t want to mess with that chemistry.

Chicago Bulls

Trade Coby White

When the Bulls traded Demar Derozan, Alex Caruso, and Zach Lavine, their goal was to rebuild and avoid being a play-in team. It’s the worst place to be; they weren’t good enough to compete for a championship, but they also weren’t good enough to land a top pick. But now this year, they find themselves once again stuck in the middle of the East. The Bulls should look to trade Coby White to help boost their rebuild. They already have another ball-dominant guard who isn’t good on defense in Josh Giddey; they don’t need another.

Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Cleveland Cavaliers

Land a 3-D wing to replace De’Andre Hunter

Coming into the season, the Cavaliers were seen as the favourite to win the conference after their 64 win regular season last year. However, the injury bug has hit them hard; Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen have all missed a considerable amount of time due to injury. After trading De’Andre Hunter for Keon Ellis and Dennis Schröder, they got some more back up playmaking and significantly improved their perimeter defense, which was a huge issue for them. They now have both Lonzo Ball and Keon Ellis, who can guard the best guards on the opposing team. In the East, that could be Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Maxey, or Jalen Brunson. Now they have to go find a 3-D wing who can stretch the floor and play decent defense to replace what they lost in Hunter.

Detroit Pistons

Get someone who’s above average from three

Nobody thought the Pistons would be sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference entering the year. The Pistons are an amazing team, but they have a massive flaw that can easily be exploited once the playoffs come around. Their three point shooting is awful, two of their five starters are practically non-existent from three in Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren. Allowing the defense to easily shrink the floor and stop driving angles.

Indiana Pacers

Obtain a starting centre

Like many other East teams, the Pacers need to upgrade at centre. When Tyrese Haliburton returns next year, he’s going to need a big man who can be a lob threat in the pick & roll. Yves Missi would be a great acquisition for the Pacers. He’s a great rim protector, averaging 1.4 blocks a game while only playing 19 minutes. He also has an amazing vertical jump, with it being 38.5 inches, making him the perfect lob partner for Haliburton.

Miami Heat

Pursue Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo will take this mediocre Heat team from average to one of the best teams in the league. They could offer Normal Powell or Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier’s salary, and up to six first-round picks, including swaps. They would have one of the scariest defensive front courts of all-time with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. While still having a secondary scoring option with either Normal Powell or Tyler Herro (whoever they’re able to keep).

Milwaukee Bucks

Survey the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade market

Giannis has made it clear he’s open to a new home, and the Bucks are actively listening to calls. As of right now, the teams interested are the Warriors, Raptors, Heat, Knicks, Nets, and Timberwolves. The Bucks could get a great package from one of these teams, but they might get more enticing offers if they wait until the summer. By then, teams that underperform in the playoffs could enter the sweepstakes like the Spurs or Rockets. If that’s the case, the Spurs and Rockets would have much better offers than any of these other teams.

New York Knicks

Trade Jordan Clarkson for another shot creator

Over the past five games, we’ve seen Jordan Clarkson slowly but surely start to fall out of the Knicks rotation. And in those five games, the Knicks are 5-0 and have an astonishing defensive rating of 92.6. But for the season, the Knicks have a very average offense. So trading Jordan Clarkson for another shot creator only makes sense. And Clarkson definitely still has good trade value. Just last year, he averaged 17 points a game on above average three-point shooting. A great target for them is Ayo Dosunmu of the Chicago Bulls. He’s decent on offense, being able to create his own shot, but also isn’t a negative on defense, making the Knicks perimeter defense even more scary with OG Annunoby and Mikal Bridges as well.

Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Orlando Magic

Trade for a defensive stopper

After being a great defensive team last year, the Magic have slipped on that side of the floor this year. Their offense, though, is much better this year because they brought in Desmond Bane, and that’s why they’re staying afloat. But if they want to make a push towards the top of the East, they’re going to have to get back to that defensive identity they had last year. Of course, they’ve dealt with injuries as their two best players; Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, have missed a combined 31 games. If they were able to acquire Dorian Finney-Smith that would help the Magic tremendously on defense. He has had a down year, but that hopefully makes him cheaper to acquire.

Philadelphia Sixers

Acquire a scoring wing

Everything was finally trending upwards for Philly, for the first time in what seemed like forever. Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Paul George played together for more than one game. In the last five games, the Sixers are 4th in offensive rating. Then, of course, Paul George got suspended for 25 games for drug use. Now the Sixers have to pivot and find another scoring punch. Bennedict Mathurin would fit like a glove with this team. He can space the floor and attack the net; he also fits the same timeline as Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and VJ Edgcombe, with Mathurin only being 23 years old.

Toronto Raptors

Get a backup centre

The Raptors have surprised the rest of the NBA, sitting nine games above 500. They have a top 10 defense, but that defense has started to fall because Jakob Poeltl has missed so many games. The Raptors need to find a centre who can back up Poeltl but also can slot into the starting role whenever Poeltl misses a game. Like the Pacers, Yves Missi would be a great trade target for them, and there have already been reports about the Raptors pursuing Missi. He provides that interior presence they miss whenever Poeltl is out.

Washington Wizards

Take on a salary dump

The Washington Wizards have a lot of expiring contracts coming up, meaning they could be the perfect team to take on a salary dump for some assets. Some players with negative contracts include Patrick Williams and Jemami Grant. If the respective teams want to unload their salaries, Washington could take them on and receive a second-round or maybe even first-round pick, depending on the player.