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Last Updated On: January 28th, 2025
Amidst the whirlwind of the NFL playoffs, a Presidential inauguration, baseball free agency, and Oscars season, there is a small window of time every NBA fan salivates over. With the February 9 NBA trade deadline just weeks away, front offices are busy checking their ledgers and Jedi mind-tricking the competition for the best deal possible.
Yes, the league attempted to contain the wild trades and player flip-flopping through its latest Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). But rather than cool down, teams appear to have only grown craftier in their wheeling and dealing. Case in point: several marquee names are still expected to trade hands.
In this post, we’ll discuss some of those trade rumblings and the effect they could have on several players and teams. Also, it’s not shocking to see at least temporary bumps in basketball card prices when a player moves teams, which makes this an intriguing time for collectors and fans alike. We’ll also provide our take on a few proposed trades floating around the ether.
Let’s get into it!
Table of Contents
Overview
Let’s start with the CBA. If there’s one theme to the new rules, it’s this: Spread the Wealth. The CBA divided teams into three categories based on their salary situations. The First Apron applies to teams with salaries at or above $178 million for the season. These teams cannot take back more salary than they send out, they cannot sign and trade players, and trade exceptions are off the table.
The Second Apron, which covers teams at or above $189 million in total salaries, is constrained by the same parameters as the First Apron: they cannot combine contracts in trades, send cash in trades, or trade a first-round pick seven years into the future.
For context, nine teams are currently at or above the First Apron (four of the nine are above the Second Apron, as well). These are the teams you might expect: the Suns, Lakers, Heat, Bucks, Sixers, Timberwolves, Nuggets, Knicks, and Celtics. As a result, these teams will have to be extra creative when entering the trade pool.
But that doesn’t mean teams will take the trade deadline off. Teams are in a constant state of tear-down and build-up; players will be moved. As a result, we should expect some nice, if temporary, bumps in player card values.
That’s precisely what happened when Karl-Anthony Towns was traded from the Timberwolves to the Knicks this summer. Add in New York being an X-factor city for players and the perfect storm begins to brew.
Let’s talk through some reported trade rumors and how they might impact a player’s value.
Top 7 NBA Trade Targets
Jimmy Butler
Every season has its “sweepstakes” player, the accelerant a needy team convinces itself will be the difference between title success and dashed hopes. Unfortunately, that’s not really how history’s worked out. While there are plenty of examples of midseason trades working out down the road, there are rarely quick-fix solutions that have catapulted teams to the next level.
Enter Jimmy Butler. The most obvious landing spot for Butler is the Suns. That’s straight from the horse’s mouth or, well, feet. Most discussions involving Butler and the Suns necessarily also involve Bradley Beal. Interestingly, both players earned dishonorable mentions in our 2023-24 Preseason Buyer’s Guide.
Does a Butler trade make sense for the Suns? Perhaps, if only because it tracks everything Phoenix has been about since Matt Ishbia took over in 2023. The downside here is that Phoenix is essentially recreating a version of Groundhog Day: chasing fading supernovas (Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal) with the hope that their combined strength is enough to propel the team over the top.
A far more interesting trade destination for Butler is the Milwaukee Bucks. A Giannis-Jimmy combo could produce enough combustible energy to power a jet plane. Few players are as motivated to return to the top as Giannis. And where there’s smoke, there may yet be fire, per Marc Stein:
League sources have confirmed a report from The Athletic’s Sam Amick from earlier this week that Milwaukee—unlike Memphis—has received no whispered messaging intended to discourage the Bucks from trading for Butler … Whether that means Milwaukee eventually emerges as a Butler suitor remains to be seen.
While the Suns would likely bend over backward for Butler, the Bucks have reason to be more cautious in its approach. For starters, the trade would require significant trade gymnastics and the likely loss of Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton.
Does a team already light on depth want to trade two foundational pieces away for Butler? It’s the personnel equivalent of turning a page when the Bucks probably need a new book.
I’m out on Butler making much of a difference to whichever team eventually deals for his services. He’s been one of the most fun players to watch over the last seven years. But whatever highs are felt by the franchises he suits up for are almost always cut short by the reign of terror he inflicts on them when he decides it’s time to move on.
But what about Butler’s card value? Surprisingly, his Card Ladder Index has remained relatively steady, if not risen, over the last year. His card values have ticked up each time he’s made a deep playoff run. Thus, if he joins a team like Milwaukee and they go on a shock postseason tear, there might be room for growth.
We’re already bullish on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s cards, so adding another star to play alongside the Greek Freak could be the rising tide that lifts all ships.
Zach LaVine
Barring an injury-riddled campaign last year, Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine has been one of the league’s most potent scoring threats of the 2020s. He’s consistently shot around 50% from the floor and around 39% from three.
Yet, for all of LaVine’s offensive excellence, he’s a year-round mention in trade rumors. His yearly Zillow search history must look like that of a tech entrepreneur: San Francisco, Dallas, and, lately, Los Angeles.
As it stands, LaVine is in one of his peaks. He’s shooting a career-high from the field (including 45% from three), which should be enough to entice any offensive-needy team. Naturally, the Los Angeles Lakers and their sub-34% from three-point range appear the perfect suitors for LaVine.
But the Lakers’ needs are more profound than three-point shooting. Los Angeles needs help on defense, which is why a move for another big makes more sense than a LaVine snag. If the Lakers could add both LaVine and, say, Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz, now we’re talking. For now, though, the Lakers’ stars seem content on standing pat.
If LaVine jumped from Chicago to Los Angeles (or another legitimate playoff hopeful), his relatively stable card values would likely spike. Regardless of his trade status, LaVine’s basketball cards are ones to keep an eye on for the future.
What if the Lakers zag…
We might assume the Lakers are buyers based on recent history, LeBron James’ perennial title aspirations, and the lack of top-end young talent on the roster. But what if the Lakers decide to zag from the orthodox and sell?
It makes sense from a strategic standpoint. Like the Suns, the Lakers are in a strange organizational position. Currently sixth in the West (23-18), the margin separating them from the ninth-place Timberwolves (22-21) is thin.
Plus, young, hungry, and cash-free teams like the Grizzlies, Rockets, and Thunder are making a strong claim for the Western Conference. In short, the Lakers don’t stand much of a shot against any top-level competition with LeBron and Anthony Davis as their top-two.
So why not consider trading one?
Suitors for Anthony Davis should abound. His salary is substantial, but those young, competitive teams are well under both aprons. Plus, each has plenty of draft capital to send the Lakers’ way.
Saying goodbye to Davis would likely not happen. However, he won the Lakers a championship and moving him turbocharges a rebuild that is most certainly on the horizon. The question is simply whether Los Angeles wants to take matters into its own hands or wait until the issue is forced.
While leaving the limelight of Los Angeles would likely cause a hit to Davis’ card values early on, joining the right team could easily see him right the ship. A deep postseason run with, say, the Rockets or Grizzlies would undoubtedly be more meaningful for his card value than a loss in the Play-In Tournament.
Cam Johnson
Thus far, we’ve dumped frigid water on this year’s biggest trade proposals. But in Cam Johnson, we may have a bonafide trade deadline hero. His asking price is high – two first-round picks minimum – but for the Cleveland Cavaliers, it might be worth the asking price.
Before diving in, let me return to the midseason trade corollary: they are rarely differencemakers come playoff time. But Johnson ($24 million this season) is a tier below that Butler-LaVine category, albeit for a much better price.
He’s scorching teams with 19 points per game on nearly 50% shooting from the field on a hapless Brooklyn Nets team more focused on landing Duke star Cooper Flagg than lifting the Larry O’Brien Trophy this season.
The Cavaliers, meanwhile, have been one of the NBA’s best stories this season. Seated atop the Eastern Conference, they boast a potent blend of twin-towers defense led by Evan Mobey and Jarrett Allen and offensive efficiency behind guards Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.
Essentially, the calculus for Cleveland comes down to two factors: (1) how much depth would be sacrificed by this trade, and (2) does Johnson unlock a new dimension in the Cavs’ quest to take down the Celtics come the playoffs?
First, depth. The Cavs are likely looking at trading some combination of Isaac Okoro, Georges Niang, and Dean Wade. Niang and Wade have quietly been critical cogs of Cleveland’s machine, both featuring among the team’s top lineup combinations. But is this a product of their play or Kenny Atkinson’s more professionalized approach to coaching? I’m willing to bet on the latter.
Second, Boston. No matter how well the Cavaliers play this season, the playoffs will come down to overcoming the reigning Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics. It takes two things to beat Boston, as the mercurial Miami Heat teams of the early 2020s showcased: long, rangy wings and shotmaking.
Johnson isn’t the league’s best defender, but he’s plenty long. Further, he provides precisely the offensive firepower required to match punches with Boston.
The Cavaliers have shown a willingness before to surprise the league and cash in for a player (Mitchell). If the opportunity to continue building presents itself, they may be wise to take it.
Brandon Ingram
More than everyone not named Zach LaVine, New Orleans Pelicans wing Brandon Ingram’s name feels like it’s perpetually on the block. Much like his teammate Zion Williamson, Ingram seems destined for greatness until a new injury sends him back to the sidelines.
That said, something has to change in New Orleans. It’s an exemplar of how quickly fortunes change in the NBA: one minute you’re drafting Zion Williamson and securing a future-protecting haul for Anthony Davis and the next you’re surrounded by a paupers sum of injury reports and CJ McCollum.
One team that’s emerged as a potential target for Ingram’s services is the Detroit Pistons. Remember them? Another delicious example of how quickly things change is Motor City. After yet another season of mediocrity last year, the Pistons currently find themselves 7th in the Eastern Conference.
With a record better than the Magic, Heat, and Sixers, the Pistons have the chance to make things interesting in the playoffs if it plays its cards correctly. According to Bleacher Report, Ingram could make for the perfect Piston.
It would likely require sacrificing Jaden Ivey and Tobias Harris to give the Pistons a solid second option next to Cade Cunningham, whose ascension has shocked my own preseason estimations.
With Cunningham and a healthy Ingram, the Pistons have at least an interesting collection of players who could shock a team in a first-round playoff upset. Either way, this franchise has been starved of postseason basketball for long enough. Plus, playoff reps for Cunningham and the team’s young corps would surely benefit next season’s campaign.
On the other hand, going all in for Ingram is probably premature. The wiser decision is likely to keep Detroit’s powder dry, let the team continue to incubate, and join the Magic, Pacers, and Hawks as the decade’s young Eastern Conference upstarts.
Before jumping to the next team, let’s spend a second more discussing Cunningham’s stock. If you remember the Preseason Buyer’s Guide, I was pretty skeptical about Cunningham’s future as a star.
Welp, you can’t win them all. Cunningham has been electric this season, emerging from the ashes of Monty Williams’ system as a bonafide top combo guard. His Card Ladder Index reflects this movement over the last year.
With an upstart team, it is time to buy Cade Cunningham cards before the Pistons reach their full potential. They have all the makings of the fun underdog who turns into a year-to-year beast.
What do the Sixers do?
It’s somehow both mildly shocking and yet makes perfect sense that the Joel Embiid experience has led us to this point. In retrospect, it was probably always going to end this way. Barring a miracle worthy of canonization, Embiid was never going to get over his injury woes.
He was never going to walk the line between off-court maintenance and on-court dominance. In other words, Sixers fans are feeling much like how Juan Ponce de León must have in the 16th century when his much hoped-for Fountain of Youth failed to materialize.
The Sixers now face its most important organizational crossroads in over a decade. Until now, Embiid has been the franchise’s polestar. He’s been its canary in the coal mine and light at the end of the tunnel. No more.
If Cade Cunningham’s Card Ladder Index is gangbusters, Embiid’s is just, well, busters:
Where do Embiid collectors go from here? We haven’t seen rock bottom, nor have we seen Embiid’s return to the top. While the days of Embiid being a top-four player in the league might be gone, I’m bullish on his ability to muster at least a semi-impressive playoff run, even if for a short time. To that end, keep your Embiid powder dry for now and try to sell high.
Back to the trade wheel. The Sixers cannot trade Joel Embiid. However, to retain its top-6 protected first-round 2025 pick (which is sent to the Thunder in the event Philadelphia lands a pick after No. 6), Philly doesn’t need to move Embiid. The ideal move might be to move Paul George, but whoever the Sixers get back will likely quote Gordon Gekko, “a dog with different fleas.” Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain are similarly untouchable.
That leaves cashing in on someone like Guerschon Yabusele or Kyle Lowry (both make $2 million this season). They might be just enough to keep the Sixers pathetic enough to snag a top-6 pick in a loaded draft.
Mid-Tier Round Up
After addressing the big names, we can finally move on to the mid-tier names with reasonably high chances of being moved. Just because these aren’t all household names, however, doesn’t mean there isn’t value to be found. In fact, a few of these pieces could be much greater difference makers to a champion-contending team than, say, Jimmy Butler.
Here, we’re looking mainly at one or two-tool players who can be called upon to deliver in the playoffs. Think of someone like Collin Sexton, whose flamethrower might compensate for defensive deficiencies.
The Jazz are laser-focused on Cooper Flagg, so Sexton’s future in Utah doesn’t fit the same timeline. Perhaps a team like the Rockets, which are stout enough on defense, take a gander at adding some offensive firepower through Sexton.
Then there’s Bruce Brown, the Toronto Raptors big and former champion, who is looking for a new home. His playoff success might entice an outside-looking-in team like the Lakers or Heat.
Do you care about Collin Sexton or Bruce Brown’s rookie cards? Maybe not. However, one should consider that they may benefit whichever team they join. Sexton joining the Rockets and spurring them to a playoff run will, by extension, help Jalen Green, Jabari Smith, Amen Thompson, and Alperen Sengun cards, which are far more collectible.
2025 NBA Trade Targets Trending on eBay
The following eBay auction results display cards of the players discussed throughout this post, and that are getting the most bids on eBay. The results order and price ranges can be adjusted with the form filters below.
Conclusion
We often think of the NBA trade deadline in terms of Player A moving to Team Y. It’s a basic, straightforward construction of a trade which makes for obvious areas of investment. And certainly, Jimmy Butler joining the Suns should provoke some media interest and, with any luck, an increase in his card values.
But savvy collectors know how to watch the game within the game. Players like Bruce Brown and Collin Sexton (and, to some extent, Cam Johnson) may not provide instant flash and gratification. Even still, those players fill crucial gaps for playoff teams, sometimes becoming the difference maker in crunch time. For instance, midseason trade Daniel Gafford was instrumental to the Dallas Mavericks’ Finals run last season.
We may not care about Gafford’s cards, but most collectors’ ears will perk up at Gafford’s teammate, Luka Doncic. Check out what Luka’s cards did after the Mavs nearly went all the way:
This is what collectors should genuinely be looking for at the trade deadline. Instead of pulling from the headlines, dig deep into the news to find the smaller moves that pay dividends down the line. Jimmy Butler may steal the spotlight, but a player like Daniel Gafford might just be the indirect piece that earns you money.