It's less than a month until the trade deadline of February 6th and it's been super quiet on the trade front. The Western Conference is ridiculous right now, with the 8th seed Spurs only four games above the 14th seed Pelicans. This means every team other than the Warriors have a realistic hope of sneaking into the playoffs. The east by contrast, has a seven game difference between the current 8th seed Brooklyn Nets and the 14th seed Knicks. All that said- I expect the Eastern Conference to be much more active in initiating trades. Below are the most likely teams to trade and who will be the focus:
New York Knicks
The Knicks are super heavy in the front court with Taj Gibson, Marcus Morris, Bobby Portis, and Julius Randle. If i were the Knicks, i'd focus on retaining Morris & Randle. The Blazers, Celtics, and Rockets all could all benefit from frontcourt depth and the defensive toughness of Gibson and/or Portis.
Cleveland Cavs
I don't see anyone on the entire roster as off limits. They have several talented but expensive veterans that simply don't match with the youth movement of the team. Portland is the most likely destination, but the timeline of Nurkic's injury could play a factor as well as how competitive they think they can be in the playoffs (if they even make it). I see the Jazz or Rockets taking a serious look at Love. Both teams are a step below both LA teams, and may be a shade below the Nuggets as well. Love would complement the defensive-minded Gobert and give the Jazz some offensive punch. The Rockets' GM Daryl Morey is not gun shy when it comes to making big moves and he must know that the roster isn't good enough to even make it to the Western Conference finals as currently constructed.
Detroit Pistons
Blake Griffin is done due to injury and Drummond is at the tail end of an expensive deal. They're going to focus on trading Jackson (as they've done since they originally made the poor signing), and everyone else on their roster is likely available. I see Drummond as the most likely to be traded and it sounds like the Hawks are very interested in making something happen.
