BY HENRY ABBOTT, JAROD HECTOR, TRAVIS MORAN, and DAVID THORPE

Everyone loves the trade deadline! For contenders, it’s a chance to leapfrog the competition. For rebuilding teams, it’s a chance to offer their fans hope for next season.
Sometimes the biggest moves aren’t necessarily the biggest names. Last year, David Thorpe tabbed the Mavericks as winners of the deadline for acquiring Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington. Who’ll come out on top this season? The team that gets Jimmy Butler? The team that ends up with a quiver of the Thunder’s gazillion picks?
This deadline doesn’t compare to the past. Upcoming changes to the salary cap and luxury tax will hinder nearly every team’s ability to sign free agents this summer. That means this trade deadline could reshape the entire league.
Prologue
Last summer, David Thorpe profiled a few moves that might shape this season—from the Thunder’s acquisition of Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein to the Knicks’ ability to sign Mikal Bridges while retaining OG Anunoby.
It’s time to trade [your superstar]
It’s time to dismantle the Bucks
Prior to the 2023-2024 preseason, David shocked the NBA world—and irked all of Milwaukee—when he suggested that the Bucks trade Giannis Antetokounmpo and start over. The Bucks responded (not necessarily to David) by signing and pairing (then) 33-year-old star Damian Lillard with Giannis. Doc Rivers also entered the fold later that season. The Bucks lost in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
A year later, Henry Abbott revisited the Bucks as an example of what could go wrong when teams hold onto their aging superstars. Need further proof? See LeBron’s Lakers.
In one of TrueHoop’s most popular articles, Henry Abbott—responding to the Warriors’ desire to acquire LeBron—uncovers ominous parallels between Joel Embiid’s 76ers and Kobe Bryant’s Lakers.
Is it time to trade Steph Curry?
A little over a year ago, David Thorpe was saying, “Yes!” And that was weeks before David pinpointed exactly where the Warriors dynasty ended. After surprising everyone by putting the Warriors on this season’s TrueHoop Championship Bus, David is certain: The Dubs are done.
What’s holding the Lakers back? Merely the face of the franchise, says Henry Abbott and David Thorpe. LeBron’s less engaged than ever, and his age is showing more frequently. How else is his longevity hurting the Lakers? Is trading Anthony Davis a solution to the Lakers’ woes?
The 2024-2025 trade deadline
The Jimmy Butler saga and the Thunder’s buffet of options
On the TrueHoop podcast, Henry and Jarod discuss the motivations behind Jimmy Butler’s trade request and marvel at the Thunder’s options as the deadline approaches.
Possible moves for rising teams
David and Jarod discuss the ascending Rockets and weigh what moves the Grizzlies could make to launch them into contention.
Henry and David lock horns over how to define “the Shai plan” employed by Thunder GM Sam Presti. What exactly does “the Shai plan” entail? And which teams should consider pivoting into that plan to jumpstart a rebuild? Should young superstars like Tyrese Maxey and Scottie Barnes be on the table?
Should the Magic trade Paolo Banchero?
Henry says it’s the Sam Presti move. David says it’s crazy.
Occasionally future MVPs are traded
Who is the next Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? Henry takes a closer look at the impact of the SGA trade and spotlights a young player who might fit the bill.
The deadline meets the draft
Can the Thunder get Cooper Flagg?
They should try, writes Henry Abbott, because they’re already confronting a massive—and mandatory—roster overhaul. On the TrueHoop podcast, Henry and Jarod discuss how the Thunder, using their bevy of upcoming picks, could position themselves to have the best chance of landing the top overall pick in this summer’s draft.
The NBA draft turned upside down
With the new CBA, teams hunting wins should be targeting practicality over potential, writes David Thorpe—older players with higher floors can help contenders more immediately. Earlier in the season, David profiled some rookies who have been helping their teams win possessions. And as David warned teams before last summer’s draft, none of it matters if you’re not prepared to develop your prospects.
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