The five NBA teams facing the most pressure after a ridiculous trade deadline
When it comes to giant decisions for NBA franchises, there can be months of boredom — then moments of sheer terror.
Last week’s trade deadline provided dramatic moments for franchises across the league. Transaction season is essentially over until June’s draft as the business of basketball focuses back on the court. But there are already storm clouds gathering on the horizon for some teams.
Here’s a look at which teams face the most pressure in the wake of a wild midwinter shakeup:
Los Angeles Lakers
Or “the other team” as the Charlotte Hornets called the Lakers in their terse response to Los Angeles rescinding the Mark Williams trade late Saturday. To whom much is given — and the Lakers might have been given a gift when they acquired Luka Doncic — much is expected, and that’s the Lakers’ position.
Despite a hot streak that has propelled them to the No. 4 seed in the West, it’s unlikely the Lakers are title contenders, especially after an incredible midseason shakeup and the Williams trade coming undone.
But this summer, the heat will be on. Aug. 2 is the first day Doncic can sign an extension. The Lakers have the rest of this season, and then June and July, to sell Doncic on extending his contract, which is slated to end next season. They don’t have the advantage of offering a five-year supermax; that was eliminated after he was traded.
There is also LeBron James, who can be a free agent this summer. James hasn’t wavered on his desire to finish his career with the Lakers, but his situation still must be settled. And the Lakers will have to find a franchise center, a gaping hole in the wake of Anthony Davis’ departure.
Phoenix Suns
Since Mat Ishbia purchased the team two years ago this month, the Suns have been extremely aggressive in making impact moves.
But after a series of big ones — Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, firing coaches Monty Williams and Frank Vogel, to mention a few — this year’s deadline fell flat.
They failed in their monthslong pursuit of Jimmy Butler and openly shopped Durant and Beal. They’re mired in the second apron of the luxury tax, limiting ways to change the roster, and sit at .500 with the toughest remaining schedule in the league. Beal’s no-trade clause is padlocked in place, and Durant has just a year left on his contract and appears headed for a showdown with the team if he doesn’t want to extend this summer.
What’s worse than underachieving? Being expensive and inflexible, too. The story writes itself. Getting out of this will be a chore.
But the Suns’ actions indicate they know they’re in trouble, and they’re examining how to dig themselves out. They needed to — and did — explore trading Durant even though it upset him, and they needed to offload salary to get some future flexibility. And they moved in this direction, trading Jusuf Nurkic with a first-round pick on deadline day, saving $130 million in salary and taxes this year and next.
There will likely be more unsavory medicine to ingest this summer, when Durant’s future with the franchise comes back into question. How the Suns handle it and how well they execute a possible Durant trade is vital to their future.
Milwaukee Bucks
There’s a good chance in the coming years that teams will start avoiding the second apron after seeing how it impacts roster-building.
Like the Suns, the Bucks are fighting to remain in the title picture despite a crushing luxury tax that is causing the team to operate tens of millions in the red, with very limited ways to adjust the roster.
The Bucks did something the Suns did not: make a trade to upgrade the team. Milwaukee acquired Kyle Kuzma in a deal that added $20 million to its payroll in 2026-27. But the Bucks are facing a summer in which both of their centers, Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis, are free agents and it’s unlikely they can re-sign both or, perhaps, either.
Milwaukee traded away first-round picks in three of the next five drafts, and traded three other first-round swap rights, meaning it doesn’t control its first-round pick until 2031. The Bucks have also traded their next six second-round picks. They are in fifth place in the East and would not have home court in the first round of the playoffs.
The good news is superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has shown nothing but support and investment in the team. But he knows all of the above, too.
Houston Rockets
They’re having an affirming season. Their rebuild is proceeding beautifully with recent draft picks Amen Thompson, Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun looking like cornerstones. Their deep supporting roster is developing and they have a future loaded with draft assets.
This season, and a potential playoff run, is basically a free roll. No matter what happens, it will be a learning experience and they’ve already exceeded expectations.
But …
The Rockets haven’t proved they have a difference-making star, something that could become more apparent as the stakes rise. A recent losing streak, which wrapped around an inactive trade deadline, only highlighted this. Last Thursday night, Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards dropped 41 points on the Rockets, including 16 in the fourth quarter, to erase Houston’s lead.
“It’s nice to have a special player that can get buckets at the end,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said after his team managed just three field goals in that fourth quarter.
Rockets general manager Rafael Stone, the architect of the turnaround, has preached patience. We’ll see how that message is received this summer, when excitement about the next stage for Houston increases.
Dallas Mavericks
When your superstar is a few weeks shy of his 26th birthday and is months from signing a contract that will carry him into his 30s, daily stress doesn’t come with a timeline. That was last month’s reality for the Mavericks.
This month’s reality is this: Anthony Davis turns 32 next month, and Kyrie Irving turns 33. They play for an irate fan base that is demanding answers and in a title window that is very likely shorter.
The goodwill of last year’s Finals run has been vacated after the Doncic deal, and the Mavs are on the clock over the next couple of seasons to make their massive gamble pay off.
With Klay Thompson, who turned 35 over the weekend, the Mavs’ core is designed to win now and that’s the expectation. The Mavs, though, are in play-in territory and Davis got hurt in his first game, which isn’t surprising; despite a recent run of good health, he has been fairly injury-prone throughout his career.
They have quite a bit of work to create chemistry with this group and find some momentum by the postseason.
Then, in the summer, they will be faced with Irving, who can opt for free agency. Last time, with limited leverage, Irving was forced into a pay cut during his prime years. That is no longer the case after the Doncic trade and several stable, productive years. Irving will have the leverage this time and be in position to command a big raise.
As currently constructed, an Irving pay jump could put the Mavs into the second apron just as they enter win-now-or-else mode. It might force them to evaluate another trade, going more all-in. On one hand, it’s a good problem to have. On the other, it’s a scary one, especially when the Doncic gamble has the potential to backfire.
Source: espn.com