The 2021 NBA trade deadline is on March 25 and teams will have to decide whether they are buyers or sellers in the next few weeks.
Key names to watch include former All-Stars such as Andre Drummond, LaMarcus Aldridge and Kyle Lowry, as contending teams will look to add players to potentially get them over the hump come playoff time. Also, will teams like the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers decide to punt on the playoffs and make their key contributors available in a deal?
League insiders are predicting a quiet market this year, in part due to the expanded postseason format that includes play-in games for the final two spots in each conference. However, we’ve already seen some movement, at least in the buyout market, as Blake Griffin agreed to give up more than $13 million to leave Detroit and join the Brooklyn Nets.
Get all of the news, intel and analysis from our experts here, including trade grades and potential destinations for the top players on the market.
TRADE DEADLINE RESOURCES: Intel on all 30 teams | Roster breakdowns | Restricted players | Draft assets
March 19 updates
7 a.m. ET: Several contenders have contacted the Cleveland Cavaliers about center JaVale McGee, but some are gauging the likelihood of a buyout before offering assets. And Hawks power forward John Collins is drawing heavy interest ahead of the deadline, league sources told ESPN’s Zach Lowe.
7 a.m. ET: As the Orlando Magic have sunk in the standings, they’ve sent signals that players are available, sources told ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, and Aaron Gordon is one of several power forwards around the league who have drawn interest.
March 17 updates
7:08 p.m. ET: The Houston Rockets are finalizing a deal to send P.J. Tucker, Rodions Kurucs and a 2022 first-round pick (via Milwaukee) to the Milwaukee Bucks for D.J. Augustin, D.J. Wilson and a 2023 unprotected first-round pick, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Houston will also get the right to swap its 2021 second-round pick for Milwaukee’s first-round pick unless it falls 1-9. In a corresponding move, the Bucks will send Torrey Craig to the Phoenix Suns.
Trade Grades: Can Tucker get Bucks over the hump?
2:28 p.m. ET: The Oklahoma City Thunder are finalizing a trade to send Trevor Ariza to the Miami Heat for Meyers Leonard and a 2027 second-round pick, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Leonard must still waive his no-trade clause because of the one-year Bird restriction on his deal, which he’s expected to do for Miami. Once the trade is completed, there’s no expectation that Leonard would be a part of the Thunder moving forward.
Trade Grades: How much can Ariza help Miami?
March 12 updates
8:08 p.m. ET: The Oklahoma City Thunder are trading guard Hamidou Diallo to the Detroit Pistons for forward Svi Mykhailiuk and a 2027 second-round pick (via the Houston Rockets), sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Diallo will be a restricted free agent this summer.
Trade Grades: Who wins the Diallo-Mykhailiuk deal?
3:49 p.m. ET: Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon will miss four to six weeks with a strained groin, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Gordon, 32, had been a target of several teams ahead of the March 25 trade deadline, but the injury largely assures that he will finish his fifth season in Houston.
March 11 update
11:55 p.m. ET: Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas and P.J. Tucker mutually agreed upon the 11-year veteran not playing anymore until both parties can find an amicable solution. “He decided that he was just not really with it, and we decided that that’s a good idea,” said Silas on Thursday. “Let’s move on.” The Rockets have had several concurrent trade discussions with teams in recent weeks involving Tucker as talks are expected to result in a deal before the March 25 trade deadline.
March 10 updates
8:05 p.m. ET: Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry doesn’t know where his future lies after this season or even after this year’s trade deadline. But he is sure of one thing: Whenever his career comes to an end, he will be retiring in a Raptors uniform. Lowry’s name has repeatedly surfaced in recent weeks as a potential trade target for teams.
7:55 p.m. ET: San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said that LaMarcus Aldridge will no longer be with the team. “We’ve mutually agreed for him to work on some opportunities elsewhere,” said Popovich regarding the seven-time All-Star. Aldridge, who averaged 19.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in his six seasons with the Spurs, is in the last year of a three-year, $72.3 million contract extension.
The best LaMarcus Aldridge trade and buyout destinations