NBA Teams That Must Go All-In Before 2024 Trade Deadline
There are a handful of NBA teams that should probably be heavy buyers at the trade deadline and then there are the franchises that need to go all-in.
We're talking about teams that have championship aspirations, with severe repercussions to follow if they don't reach this goal. This could include superstars either leaving in free agency or requesting a trade or simply an aging roster that's running out of chances.
Of course, these teams need to have the ability to go "all-in", meaning there has to be at least a small collection of draft picks or young talent that can be sent out. Teams like the Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota Timberwolves are all arguably all-in already following previous trades.
While other franchises should look for upgrades, these five teams absolutely need them.
Dallas Mavericks
1 of 5
Current Record/Standing: 20-15, 7th in the West
The Mavs may not carry the championship expectations of some of the other teams on this list, but the clock is certainly ticking on Luka Dončić's future in Dallas. Currently residing in the Western Conference play-in tournament, the Mavericks simply can't afford to miss the playoffs for a second straight season.
Dončić has just two guaranteed seasons remaining on his contract after this year, with unrestricted free agency looming in 2026. Of course, a trade request can come at any time from superstars, no matter how far off free agency may be.
With Nikola Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Stephen Curry and some of the game's other top stars all seemingly happy in their current situations, Dončić will be the player all other teams will be monitoring if Dallas doesn't make some significant upgrades.
While the Mavs were aggressive enough to trade for Kyrie Irving at the deadline last season, even this hasn't been enough. Lineups with Dončić and Irving still carry a fairly modest net rating of plus-4.3, with their most-used five of Dončić, Irving, Derrick Jones Jr., Grant Williams and rookie Dereck Lively II actually being beaten overall this season (minus-2.8 net rating in 219 total possessions).
Dončić is good enough to rescue the Mavs on most nights with his incredible scoring and playmaking ability. Irving is still a capable No. 2 option, although injuries and now age (he'll turn 32 in March) are beginning to factor in.
Dallas can still trade one unprotected first-round pick (2027) and has some interesting prospects at their disposal (Jaden Hardy, Josh Green, Olivier-Maxence Prosper) even if they wish to keep Lively off limits.
The Mavericks probably won't actually win the 2024 title no matter what they do, but this is a franchise that needs to prove to Dončić that it's headed in the right direction.
Golden State Warriors
2 of 5
Current Record/Standing: 16-17, 11th in the West
Between Draymond Green's suspensions, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins' struggles and various injuries, it's been a nightmare season so far for the Warriors.
While this team unofficially gave up on the two timeline experiment by trading James Wiseman last season, more decisions now need to be made in regards to Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and others.
Kuminga is actually third in scoring on the Warriors this season (12.7 points per game) despite averaging just 22.2 minutes and jumping in and out of the starting lineup, and has now reportedly lost faith in Steve Kerr according to The Athletic's Anthony Slater and Shams Charania. Moody's minutes have increased slightly in Year 3 (18.0 per game) although he's been outplayed by rookie Brandin Podziemski.
It's become painfully clear that Stephen Curry needs more help if Golden State wants to even make the playoffs, much less compete for another title together.
Assuming Curry, Thompson and Green are all still staying, the Warriors have options to mold a new-look roster around their franchise icons.
Chris Paul's expiring $30.8 million contract serves as a perfect salary matcher for another star. Contenders should still value Wiggins' two-way ability despite his drop in play and there's enough young talent and a first-round draft pick (either in 2027 or 2028) to come up with a strong offer for more win-now help.
This roster needs real tweaking. The two timeline dream should officially be dead as the Warriors look to surround Curry with more help.
Los Angeles Lakers
3 of 5
Current Record/Standing: 17-18, 10th in the West
The bad news for the Lakers is that the offense stinks, there's not enough shooting or ball-handling on the roster and LeBron James still has to do way too much for the team to win.
The good news? We saw the same thing this time last year before Los Angeles marched all the way to the Western Conference Finals.
This year's version is actually ahead of schedule, as the Lakers were 17-21 on this date in 2023 and still had Russell Westbrook on the roster. This current group is much deeper and has more trade assets at its disposal.
Depending on the health of Gabe Vincent, the Lakers may need another ball-handler to avoid running James into the ground this early into the year. Both D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves have bounced in and out of the starting lineup, begging the question why the Lakers didn't simply try to trade for Mike Conley Jr. last season instead of getting the Minnesota Timberwolves involved in the Westbrook deal with the Utah Jazz at all.
More shooters are needed around James and Davis, as Los Angeles ranks just 24th overall in three-point accuracy (35.1 percent) and 28th in made threes per game (10.7)
While keeping and developing players like Jalen Hood-Schifino, Max Christie, Cam Reddish, Jaxson Hayes and others sounds great, the Lakers simply don't have this kind of time.
Having James on your roster automatically means a championship-or-bust year.
Having a 39-year-old James who can become an unrestricted free agent next summer with a son potentially entering the NBA draft only puts more pressure on Rob Pelinka and the front office to deliver.
Miami Heat
4 of 5
Current Record/Standing: 20-14, 4th in the East
It's easy to say that Miami should stand pat at the deadline, be content to enter the playoffs at whatever seed they may be and then flip their postseason switch and dominate as we've seen in years past.
This way of thinking has led to some playoff success to be sure, but Miami has ultimately run out of gas at some point along the way. With one of the oldest rosters in the NBA, the Heat has to be more aggressive at this deadline to make sure this is truly a championship-caliber group.
Jimmy Butler is 34 and has experienced dips in his true shooting percentage, rebound percentage, assist percentage, steal percentage and an increase in turnover percentage. His free throws are down while Butler's three-point attempts are up. It's not fair of Miami to expect Butler to carry them for 40 minutes a night all the way to the Finals like last year.
While he's done an admirable job starting at point guard this season, Kyle Lowry will be 38 by the time the playoffs begin. An upgrade at floor general would be ideal, allowing Lowry to come off the bench like he did during the 2023 postseason behind Gabe Vincent.
Even if Miami refuses to part with star rookie Jaime Jacquez Jr., there are other assets here to trade, as we heard plenty about during the summer of Damian Lillard. The Heat can offer two first-round picks (2028 and 2030) and have Tyler Herro, Nikola Jović and others to chase another All-Star with.
This roster is still a tier below teams like the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets and some of the other elites in the NBA. With Butler now in his mid-30's and Lowry knocking on the door of 40, Miami shouldn't assume a switch can still be flipped. Giving Butler, Bam Adebayo and Erik Spoelstra another star could lead to another championship in South Beach.
Philadelphia 76ers
5 of 5
Current Record/Standing: 23-10, 3rd in the East
On paper, the 76ers don't look like they need a whole lot.
Joel Embiid has been the best player in the NBA this season, Philly has the top net rating (plus-10.4) in all of basketball and Tyrese Maxey has made the leap to All-Star status.
Of course, we know how the postseason can be a different story.
Going all-in for a title now should be done to maximize the prime of Embiid, who will turn 30 before the postseason begins and is on pace to lead the NBA in scoring for the third year in a row. No player in the history of the NBA can match Embiid's averages of 34.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game, which is remarkable given all of the Hall of Fame centers this league has seen.
In the playoffs, teams will regularly double-team Embiid and injuries for the MVP center have plagued his postseason career as well. The Sixers should be happy with how this season has unfolded yet not naive enough to believe the playoffs will go as smoothly.
Thanks to the James Harden trade, Philly now has first-round picks in 2026 (least favorable of Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers) and 2028 (Clippers). Should the right player become available (no, not Zach LaVine), the Sixers should welcome the chance to dump their remaining picks to give Embiid and Maxey as much help as possible.
Like with Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks, another poor playoff showing will put the future of these superstars in question, with contenders circling like sharks in chum-infested waters.
The Sixers are knocking on the door of true championship contention and should do whatever it takes at the deadline to become one.
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