Examining The NBA Trade Market: Big Men
Many of the prominent players involved in trade rumors this season have been big men. That list includes stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Domantas Sabonis and Karl-Anthony Towns.
In addition to those four players, we'll take a look today at several other power forwards and centers who are candidates to be on the move ahead of the February 5 trade deadline. Let's dive in...
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 1/22/2026
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included whether the Pistons should keep Tobias Harris, a potential deal for the Warriors in the wake of Jimmy Butler's injury, the Celtics' difficult financial decision, Giannis Antetokounmpo's future in Milwaukee and more!
How The ‘Under-15’ Rule Is Impacting Teams, Two-Way Players
A player who is on a two-way contract is ineligible to be active for more than 50 regular season games, and several two-way players around the NBA are fast approaching their respective individual game limits.
However, some players on two-way contracts are also subject to a lesser-known game limit that applies to teams as a whole and can prevent players from suiting up even before they reach the 50-game mark. Known as the "under-15" rule, this restriction prevents a team carrying fewer than 15 players on its standard roster from having its two-way players active for more than 90 combined games.
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Two-Way Contract]
In other words, if a team with 14 players on standard contracts has all three of its players on two-way contracts active for each of its first 30 games of the season, it would reach its 90-game limit and would be unable to use its two-way players until a 15th man is added to the standard roster.
Nearly half of the NBA's teams have carried 14-man standard rosters for most of the season, largely due to luxury-tax and hard-cap concerns. Twelve of those 13 teams are operating in tax territory, while the 13th would've surpassed that threshold if it had opened the season with a full 15-man roster.
Today, we're taking a closer look at how those 13 teams have been - and will be - impacted by the under-15 rule, and how it may influence upcoming roster moves made by those clubs.
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 1/15/2026
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included whether any team will gamble on an Anthony Davis trade, Trae Young's chances of playing again this season, the Pistons' options at the deadline, the three players most likely to be traded and more!
Hoops Rumors Mailbag: MIP, Hawks, Warriors, Morant, More
Our latest Front Office mailbag takes a look at the early frontrunners for the Most Improved Player award. We also answer several questions from readers that Luke Adams was unable to get to during Monday's live chat.
Bob asks:
Early thoughts on Most Improved Player? I'm thinking either Jalen Johnson or Deni Avdija, but I'm sure I'm missing some worthy candidates.
Five Potential Sellers Who Could Shape The Trade Deadline
Several teams who currently sit well below .500 - including the Bucks, Clippers, and Pacers - are viewed as unlikely to sell off veterans at the February 5 trade deadline due either to a belief they can still make a run this season or a desire to preserve their core for next season.
Certain other teams projected to end up in the lottery - like the Jazz and Wizards - have few appealing veterans to sell off to begin with, since their rosters are heavy on young players and veteran cornerstones they're reportedly not looking to move, such as Lauri Markkanen in Utah and Trae Young in Washington.
With 20 playoff or play-in spots up for grabs and several of those bottom 10 teams not preparing to hold fire sales, the door could be open for a handful of would-be sellers to fill the void and conduct some favorable business in the coming weeks.
We're looking today at five teams well positioned to cash in on several trade chips -- if they choose to go that route.
Let's dive in...
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 1/8/2026
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included how the Trae Young trade will affect the Wizards, potential targets for the Pistons and Bulls, DeMar DeRozan's market value, the chances of Anthony Davis winding up with the Hawks and more!
Six Teams Who Should Consider Pursuing Michael Porter Jr.
Team context and opportunity are the two most important factors for individual success for the grand majority of NBA players. Those factors are also the primary determinants of whether a contract is viewed as being team- or player-friendly.
Consider, for example, former NBA big man Richaun Holmes. After being selected 37th overall in the 2015 draft, Holmes spent the first four years of his career providing energy and athleticism off the bench in Philadelphia and Phoenix. At 6'9" and 235 pounds, Holmes was undersized for a center, and seemed unlikely to ever have a full-time starting role.
Holmes' career trajectory changed when he signed with Sacramento in the 2019 offseason. Playing on a two-year, $10MM contract, Holmes averaged 13.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 28.8 minutes per game over the next two seasons as the Kings' starting center, shooting 64.1% from the floor and 79.2% from the foul line.
Holmes parlayed his newfound success into a four-year, $47MM contract in the summer of 2021. He played quite well over the first 20 games of the 2021/22 campaign, but then got hurt and became embroiled in a child custody battle that resulted in him missing time for personal reasons (he eventually prevailed in court). Around the same time, the Kings traded Tyrese Haliburton for Domantas Sabonis.
The addition of Sabonis significantly reduced Holmes' importance in Sacramento, making him look both unnecessary and overpriced. He never really regained a foothold in the rotation, and spent the past few years bouncing around the league as a veteran backup. Now 32, Holmes signed with Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos over the summer after he was unable to find an attractive NBA opportunity.
What does Richaun Holmes have to do with Michael Porter Jr.? That's a fair question.
Each Western Conference Team’s Most Likely Trade Candidate
Not every NBA team will make a trade between now and the February 5 deadline, but every club will at least entertain the possibility of doing so, engaging in discussions with potential trade partners in the coming weeks.
So which players are the most likely to come up in those talks, and which are the most likely to actually be on the move in the month-and-a-half? We're exploring that subject, taking a closer look at all 30 teams and identifying the player we believe is most likely to be dealt by each club.
After examining the 15 Eastern Conference teams last week, we're shifting our focus today to the Western Conference.
Let's dive in...
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 12/30/2025
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included a potential Ivica Zubac trade, Most Improved Player candidates, the Bulls' options with Coby White, the Rockets' approach to the trade deadline and more!