This week's NBA Power Rankings will lean heavily into talk about the NBA trade deadline on Thursday (Feb. 5, 3 PM ET), but there's more going on than just rumors.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
(39-11, last week No. 1)
The team that could put together the best offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo — or anyone else — likely will be quiet at the trade deadline. They may look to add a little depth along the front line, but think small moves, not big. OKC's dominant win over Denver on Sunday on NBC and Peacock was a stark reminder of why they don't need to do anything at the trade deadline — 29 other teams are chasing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder.
2. Detroit Pistons
(36-12, last week No. 3)
Detroit is heading into the trade deadline with the same attitude Oklahoma City had a couple of years ago: We know we may need to add to our roster to contend for a title, but we want to see what this group can do on its own, first. Expect a quiet deadline, but depending on how the playoffs go, this could be an interesting summer in the Motor City. Congratulations to J.B. Bickerstaff, who will be coaching his first All-Star Game this year, and two of his players — Cade Cunningham and deserving reserve Jalen Duren — will join him in Los Angeles.
3. San Antonio Spurs
(33-16, last week No. 5)
Much like Detroit, San Antonio is happy to take this core into the playoffs and see what their young stars can do. That said, the Spurs are looking for more shooting, and if the right deal pops up, they could act — this team is not lacking for picks or young players to make a deal. Coach Mitch Johnson will be in Los Angeles coaching his first All-Star Game. It will be interesting to see whether he is handed the World team featuring his star, Victor Wembanyama.
4. Houston Rockets
(30-17, last week No. 2)
Houston will be without Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams for the rest of the season, and with that could be looking to add a floor general point guard or some more size on the front line at the trade deadline. Of the teams in the top five of this ranking, the Rockets could be the most aggressive, but with Kevin Durant in the fold, they are as "win now" a team as it gets. Durant will be in Los Angeles for his 16th All-Star Game, but for my money, Alperen Sengun was the biggest snub out there. He deserved a spot more than LeBron, going just on play the past year.
5. New York Knicks
(31-18, last week No. 9)
Winners of five in a row and it's all about the Knicks' defense — this team has given up less than a point per possession over its last five games. Coach Mike Brown said after the win Sunday over the Lakers that they had simplified some of their defensive rotations, and that seems to have really worked for this squad. The Knicks are in a million trade deadline rumors, but if Giannis Antetokounmpo is staying put for now (as it increasingly appears he is) then New York may ride with this core to the playoffs — and defending like this the Finals are within reach.
6. Boston Celtics
(31-18, last week No. 4)
The fact that this is in now way a "gap year" for the Celtics — whether Jayson Tatum returns or not (and if he has any questions or doubts, he should not) — has the team on the hunt for a center who can help out Neemias Queta and Luka Garza in the playoffs. The centers the Celtics want (hello, Ivica Zubac) are not available, but there are plenty of bigs on the market who can provide some front-line depth. Daniel Gafford would be the best fit if they can pry him out of Dallas, but Day'Ron Sharpe from Brooklyn could also be in play.
7. Minnesota Timberwolves
(31-19, last week No. 12)
Minnesota has found itself in the middle of the Antetokounmpo trade rumors — reportedly, he likes the idea of playing next to Anthony Edwards (who wouldn't) — but that seems a long shot at the deadline. The more likely trade is for a point guard who can help them at a position of need, and the Bulls' Coby White would be the best fit on the board. It has been a roller coaster January for the Timberwolves: They won 6-of-7, then lost five straight, and now have won four straight, including a big win over the Thunder last week. The best test this week comes on Sunday against a hot Clippers team.
8. Phoenix Suns
(30-20, last week No. 8)
Phoenix is no one-man show: It went 3-2 the past couple of weeks without Devin Booker, and that included wins over Detroit and Cleveland. Phoenix is 4-5 without Booker this season, which is a far cry from last season when it won just one game without him. Booker was rightfully voted an All-Star by the coaches. While the Suns were at the heart of trade rumors the past few deadlines, they seem to be sitting this one out.
9. Cleveland Cavaliers
(30-21, last week No. 7)
The Cavaliers are 13-5 in their last 18 and are doing it without Darius Garland and now Evan Mobley — but now help is on the way in the form of Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder. This trade was a huge win for the Cavaliers: They got rid of De'Andre Hunter's contract and saved money (more than $45 million in salary and taxes) while adding better perimeter defense and shooting in Ellis, and some point guard depth (and defense) with Schroder. Count the Cavaliers out in the East at your own risk.
10. Denver Nuggets
(33-17, last week No. 6)
Nikola Jokic is back — and back to putting up MVP-level numbers every time he steps on the court. However, a loss Sunday to the Thunder is a reminder that the margin for error for this team is slim if the goal is to get back to the Finals, and Denver remains without three starters: Anthony Gordon, Christian Braun, and Cameron Johnson. Don't expect any big trade deadline moves, at most, there is something on the fringes to add depth. Things don't get easier this week on the road against Detroit and New York.
11. Los Angeles Lakers
(29-19, last week No. 13)
It's the worst kept secret in the league that the Lakers are looking for wing defenders and depth at the trade deadline and Sunday's loss to the Knicks was a perfect illustration of why: Marcus Smart, Jarred Vanderbilt and Jake LaRavia are the Lakers' best perimeter defenders, JJ Redick needs them on the court, yet they combined to shoot 2-of-13 (15.4%) from 3-point range. Keon Ellis is off the market, but the Lakers are still looking for help at the trade deadline (Sacramento flipping De'Andre Hunter is not out of the question).
12. Golden State Warriors
(27-23, last week No. 11)
No team is pushing harder to make the Antetokounmpo trade happen before the deadline than the Warriors — their potential offer of four first-round picks, Jonathan Kuminga and matching salary might be the best deal on the table. That said, if it happens, the deal likely sends Draymond Green out of town, not the injured Jimmy Butler. If the Antetokounmpo deal does not happen, Golden State will be looking for a smaller trade (possibly including Kuminga) to acquire a player who can create shots and help make up some of what they lose without Butler.
13. Philadelphia 76ers
(27-21, last week No. 14)
The Paul George 25-game suspension doesn't change much in Philadelphia, really. They will miss him (they are 6.9 points per 100 possessions better with him on the court), but he'll be back March 25 and rested for the playoffs. This roster without George will be put to the test on a five-game road trip through the West, starting Monday against Paul George's old team, the Clippers. The biggest highlight of last week for the 76ers? Easily Tyrese Maxey game-winner against Kings (give Nick Nurse some love for a high-level play call).
14. Toronto Raptors
(30-21, last week No. 10)
Toronto has the mix of contracts and picks to make any deal, which is why they constantly get mentioned as a team lined up to take a big swing at Antetokounmpo, or Anthony Davis (who very likely isn't getting traded in the coming days), or any other potential star. Will they? Probably not, although don't be shocked if they take a flier on a young player with potential that another team is ready to walk away from. Scottie Barnes is headed to Los Angeles as an All-Star and it's well deserved — Brandon Ingram has a legitimate case as a snub.
15. Miami Heat
(27-24, last week No. 15)
Miami gets mentioned as a place on Giannis Antetokounmpo's list of places he wants to go (as much as we really know anything about that "list"), but good luck putting together a trade at the deadline that makes any sense for the Bucks. Milwaukee wants picks, Miami does not have enough of them. The Heat face some big decisions about where the franchise is headed, but they don't have to face those at the deadline. Congratulations to Norman Powell, a deserving All-Star reserve who has proven over the past couple of seasons that he can play at this level.
16. Charlotte Hornets
(22-28, last week No. 20)
There is no hotter team in the NBA — winners of six in a row, the Hornets are 1.5 games behind the Hawks for the final play-in spot in the East (and just two games back of the No. 9 seed Bulls). Charlotte has been on the fringes of trade talks — they are willing to be a third team to help facilitate a deal, and some teams have checked on the availability of wing Miles Bridges — but most likely, this is a quiet deadline in Charlotte.
17. Los Angeles Clippers
(23-25, last week No. 16)
No Clippers made the All-Star team for a game about to be played in their building in less than two weeks — and Kawhi Leonard is the biggest snub on the board. James Harden had a case, too, but Leonard has been playing at an All-NBA level this season (27.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game with elite defense) and deserved to be in the game. As for the trade deadline, the Clippers do not want to take on long-term money in any deal, but if they can find some affordable guard help, they might jump at it.
18. Orlando Magic
(25-23, last week No. 19)
Orlando needs to add shooting. Desperately. They may not want to make a big move at the trade deadline, but maybe they can find a shooter another team is ready to move on from and take a flyer on someone like Dalton Knecht? Franz Wagner would have been an All-Star the way he was playing, but he is sidelined with another injury. The good news is Jalen Suggs is back in the rotation. Orlando has a chance to get its season rolling in the right direction starting Thursday, when it begins a winnable four-game homestand (the Jazz, Nets, and two against the Bucks).
19. Chicago Bulls
(24-26, last week No. 17)
The Bulls have already done a smart bit of business at the trade deadline, acquiring Dario Šarić and getting a couple of second-round picks for their trouble (while waiving Jevon Carter). Chicago could be a seller at the trade deadline with a lot of teams interested in guards Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu (who made his case with a very strong game against Miami last week, scoring 29 points).
20. Atlanta Hawks
(24-27, last week No. 23)
Atlanta made its big deadline trade and pivot a while ago, sending out Trae Young. It also traded away wing Vit Krejčí — who they didn't need anymore since getting Corey Kispert in the Young deal — and acquired the injured but promising Duop Reath from Portland. We'll see if they have another deadline move. While, in theory, the Hawks could make one of the best Giannis Antetokounmpo offers, it would have to involve All-Star Jalen Johnson, and Atlanta wants to build something organic with the guys they have, not make a splashy all-in move.
21. Portland Trail Blazers
(23-27, last week No. 18)
The Trail Blazers trading for Vit Krejčí was clearly only the first domino — other trades are coming. The question is what. Portland is a popular third team in Giannis Antetokounmpo trade constructions because it controls future Milwaukee picks, but most of those trades shortchange Portland. Expect the Blazers to do something before Thursday afternoon. Also, congratulations to Deni Avdija on his first All-Star selection, it is well deserved.
22. Dallas Mavericks
(19-30, last week No. 21)
There will be no big Anthony Davis trade (at least not until the offseason), but don't expect the Mavericks to be quiet at the deadline. There are a lot of teams calling about big man Daniel Gafford and wing Naji Marshall. What the Mavericks want back is simple: players and picks on Cooper Flagg's timeline. He is the future, the Mavericks are and should be building around him.
23. Memphis Grizzlies
(18-29, last week No. 22)
Jaren Jackson Jr. was snubbed by the All-Star voters, but that does not mean that Memphis is going to trade him. While the Grizzlies were working the phones and finding no serious market for Ja Morant — that Morant-to-New Orleans-for-Jordan-Poole-and-Dejounte-Murray rumor was never real — Jackson was the player other teams wanted to talk about. Memphis wants to keep the former Defensive Player of the Year. Look for a quiet trade deadline in Memphis, unless you ask about their owners' business dealings.
24. Milwaukee Bucks
(18-29, last week No. 24)
Every eye in the league is trained on Milwaukee, and a whole lot of other potential trades are hung up because teams are holding onto their players and picks just in case they need them in an Antetokounmpo deal. If — as league sources have consistently told NBC Sports is going to happen — the Antetokounmpo saga drags out into the offseason, it will impact the trade deadline as some teams keep their powder dry to take their chances in the offseason. Expect the Milwaukee front office to try to come up with one more "mortgage the future" trade this summer to bring in a star, keep Giannis happy, and get him to sign that max extension next October, even if getting him to agree to that seems like a long shot.
25. New Orleans Pelicans
(13-38, last week No. 25)
Joe Dumars was not making Trey Murphy III or Herb Jones available unless there was a "Desmond Bane-sized package" coming back to New Orleans. There wasn't. There are no Zion Williamson talks (again, the market for his services is nowhere near what the Pelicans would want in return). That doesn't mean it's going to be a completely quiet trade deadline in New Orleans, there is a lot of chatter about big man Yves Missi being on the move. Still, the real decisions about this franchise's direction were pushed back into the summer.
26. Indiana Pacers
(13-36, last week No. 29)
One of the hot trade rumors of the past week is about the Pacers sending wing Bennedict Mathurin out in a deal, with a number of teams at least testing the waters. Indiana is also looking for help at the center spot, with rumors of them talking to the Nets about Day'Ron Sharpe and the Pelicans about Yves Missi. Congratulations to Pascal Siakam, who was named an All-Star reserve for the East — he deserves it, but there was a lot of speculation that the team's struggles would hold him back. The coaches saw through that and voted for him.
27. Washington Wizards
(13-35, last week No. 30)
The Wizards made their bold move, trading for Trae Young — and they don't plan to sit him for the rest of the season, Wizards general manager Will Dawkins told Mark Medina of EssentiallySports. "It's important because Trae has a decision to make. He's got the power of choice as a free agent. So you want to make sure that he's comfortable playing with the young guys, to have the opportunity to play with Alex (Sarr) and to play with Bilal (Coulibaly) and see when they move and how they fit positionally. We have a lot of questions on our team and how we play moving forward."
28. Utah Jazz
(15-35, last week No. 26)
Lauri Markkanen is not getting traded at the deadline (it looks like a quiet one overall in Utah), and the Finnish star was also one of the big All-Star Game snubs, something he talked about with Kevin Reynolds of The Salt Lake Tribune. "I think I've played at that level. The NBA is really talented and there are a lot of high-level players. Obviously, that is an individual goal of mine. I hope I make it and, like I said, I've played at that level."
29. Brooklyn Nets
(13-35, last week No. 28)
A few weeks ago, Michael Porter Jr. was at the top of the list of players expected to be traded at the deadline, but that has proven to be more smoke than fire, and now it looks like he will be in Brooklyn into the summer. There has been plenty of interest from other teams in big men Day'Ron Sharpe and Nic Claxton (particularly Sharpe), so don't be shocked if a deal gets done.
30. Sacramento Kings
(12-39, last week No. 27)
No team is working harder to be a seller at the trade deadline. The Kings have already traded Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder, but they are still talking to teams about Domantas Sabonis (a lot of interest) and Zach LaVine (some interest). They also could flip just-acquired De'Andre Hunter. However, there is not much of a market for DeMar DeRozan at the deadline.
