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With the NBA trade deadline less than 24 hours away, lets take a look at what each Western Conference Team should do during the last day before the deadline.

Dallas Mavericks

Trade the veterans

This is the last year the Mavericks control their own first-round pick until 2031. This means they must do everything in their power to secure the highest possible pick this year. Many teams aspiring to go deep into the playoffs could use a centre, and Daniel Gafford would be the dream for a lot of them. There could be a bidding war for him, so they could get a lot for him. A lot of teams can also use a shooter like Klay Thompson on their team. In return, they should prioritize draft capital that they can use to either draft young talent around Cooper Flagg or use it as trade ammo in another trade.

Denver Nuggets

Bring in a backup point guard

The Nuggets did an amazing job bringing in much-needed depth in the offseason. However, one minor hold they have is having a secondary ball-handler for when Jamal Murray is on the bench. One option for the Nuggets is Rob Dillingham. He has severely underperformed in Minnesota, making him much cheaper to get. He does have a bad defense, but it gives them someone they can turn to when Murray’s not in the game.

Golden State Warriors

Aggressively go after Giannis Antetokounmpo

Losing Jimmy Butler was a huge blow to the Warriors. If the Warriors don’t make a big swing soon, their hopes of getting Steph Curry his 5th ring will quickly vanish. It’s why they should be very aggressive in trying to land Giannis Antetokounmpo. If the Warriors went all in, they could offer Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody, as well as control of up to eight first-round picks, including swaps. This would definitely be one of, if not the best, trade packages the Bucks will get because they get a boatload of picks and two talented young players. Giannis and Steph’s games would complement each other perfectly, allowing both of them to be more effective. This would scare the rest of the West and make them the best team in the conference outside of Oklahoma City.

Houston Rockets

Get a traditional point guard

The Houston Rockets have a lot of very talented players on their team. The only problem is that they don’t have anyone to set them up. Amen Thompson isn’t a natural point guard, and when the playoffs come around, do you really want to rely on Reed Sheppard in his first true experience in the playoffs? Tyus Jones of the Orlando Magic is not getting anywhere near as much playing time as he’s gotten in the past, which will make him an affordable option. Jones led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio four years in a row. The Rockets are currently bottom five in the league in turnover percentage, turning the ball over 15.6% of the time, making him the perfect fit.

Los Angeles Clippers

Land a backup point guard

After trading James Harden, the Clippers should look to get a backup point guard. Darius Garland has missed a lot of time due to injury this year, and the Clippers don’t have any true point guards to run the show when he’s off the floor. One option for them could be Jose Alvarado. Alvarado has shown that he can step up in big moments, and he’s also a pesky defender. That’s the exact type of player you want if you’re in a must-win play-in tournament game.

Los Angeles Lakers

Get a defensive-minded centre

The Lakers aren’t going to make any big moves because they don’t want to give away too many assets before next year. Because next year, Lebron’s salary comes off the books, giving them much more opportunity to build a championship team around Luka. With that being said, the Lakers should look to acquire a defensive-minded centre. The Lakers have the 6th-worst defensive rating and are second last in blocks per game. Brook Lopez won’t require the Lakers to give up many good assets, and he hasn’t been living up to expectations with the Clippers thus far. However, he still provides value on defense, which could interest the Lakers. He’s averaging a block a game on only 17 minutes a night, and he would bring a good interior presence on defense. Plus, he’s a free agent at the end of this year, so they don’t need to commit to the aging centre long-term.

Memphis Grizzlies

Trade Ja Morant

After trading Jaren Jackson Jr., the Ja Morant era of contention in Memphis is officially over. Ja Morant’s trade value might be extremely low right now, but the Grizzlies shouldn’t want him causing drama in the locker room with the new young guns like Taylor Hendricks. The Grizzlies got control of four first-round picks for Desmond Bane, and three for Jaren Jackson Jr. Expect them to prioritize draft capital in any trade surrounding Ja Morant.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Get a starting point guard

After sending out Mike Conley they cleared up enough room to trade for Giannis, which would be a home run for the Timberwolves if they got the Greek Freak. But if they’re not able to land him, they need to prioritize getting a point guard with good perimeter defense. Anthony Edwards has taken a step back on defense this year, Julius Randle is a poor perimeter defender, and then, of course, Rudy Gobert can’t play on the perimeter either. Meaning they only have one good perimeter defender in their starting lineup in Jaden McDaniels, that’s a recipe for disaster once the playoffs come around. Ayo Dosunmu would be the dream point guard for this team. He provides great perimeter defense, but also good playmaking skills, which the Wolves lack as well.

New Orleans Pelicans

Acquire a young guard

Many of the Pelicans best players are on the trade market, but they’re not going to force themselves to trade any of them. Their first-round pick goes to Atlanta this year because of the Derik Queen trade on draft night, so there’s no point in trying to lose. They can always trade their valuable assets next year and tank if they choose to do so. They should focus on acquiring young talent, and their biggest hole is at point guard. Jordan Poole was supposed to fill this role, but is now out of the rotation. One target for them could be Immanuel Quickley. The Raptors may want to get off his massive contract and the Pelicans can take advantage of that and swoop in.

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Oklahoma City Thunder

Trade for a big

The OKC Thunder had the best start to the regular season in the history of the NBA, starting 24-1. Since then, they’ve slipped a little bit, but part of that is because of Jalen Williams being injured. Don’t expect OKC to make any huge moves before the deadline, as they most likely want to keep their team together and not ruin the chemistry they’ve built. But if they were to make any moves, it would make the most sense to go get another big man to back up Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. One option is Day’Ron Sharpe of the Brooklyn Nets. Sharpe would provide a great interior presence, and they don’t need to worry about his shooting because the Thunder are already filled with elite shooters.

Phoenix Suns

Land a forward

The Phoenix Suns have been surpassing expectations thus far, and they should be doing everything they can to get better without giving up draft capital. It would be amazing if the Suns were able to land Michael Porter Jr. MPJ is having a career year in Brooklyn. He would tremendously help the Suns on offense, especially with Devin Booker out for the time being. There are many times the Suns’ offense gets stagnant and can’t buy a bucket; this would be when MPJ thrives. Being able to rise and shoot over most defenders, but then also having many other counters like his pull-jumper or getting all the way to the net.

Portland Blazers

Trade for a 3-D wing

Trading for Vit Krejci means the Blazers are buyers at the trade deadline. One issue the Blazers addressed was their three-point shooting by getting Krejci; they’re dead last in 3-point percentage, so getting Krejci was a great low-cost trade for them. Now they should go after getting a 3-D wing to help solidify their perimeter defense. Dorian Finney-Smith would be a great option because he will help with their perimeter defense, but also further improve their shooting.

Sacramento Kings

Trade Domantas Sabonis

Outside of Keegan Murray, Sabonis is the only King with actual trade value. Many teams have checked in on Sabonis, trying to trade for him. The Kings should absolutely be open to it. To start, he’s a negative on defense, and the Kings are 27th on that side of the floor, and having a poor rim protector is a big part of that. Plus, Sabonis would thrive the most in an offense with lots of off-ball movement and cutting because he has the IQ to be able to make the right read. But the Kings play very isolation-heavy basketball with LaVine and DeRozan. They would also get multiple draft picks in return to help them begin a rebuild if that’s what they want to do.

San Antonio Spurs

Get a perimeter defender

The San Antonio Spurs are looking like a championship contender if Victor Wembanyama can stay healthy. Although if they were to add a good perimeter defender, that would take their defense and thus their ability to win the championship to another level. As of right now, the Spurs don’t have any amazing perimeter defenders on their team. If they were able to acquire Royce O’Neal, that would further strengthen them on defense, and he wouldn’t hurt their spacing as he’s a good three-point shooter as well.

Utah Jazz

Trade Walker Kessler

After making a blockbuster trade, acquiring Jaren Jackson Jr., the Jazz now have lots of depth in the front court and don’t need Walker Kessler. He would have much more value to another team than he currently has in Utah. In return, the Jazz could look to recoup some of the draft capital they lost in the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade or prioritize getting another young guard to pair alongside Keyonte George.