NBA trade deadline likely to feature ‘lots of buyers, few sellers’

It appears that this year’s deadline will be a buyer’s market, according to ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski.

And why not? In an NBA that currently features a great deal of parity, there are plenty of teams that believe they are a move or two away from true contention. (Here’s looking at you, Los Angeles Lakers.)

But to have buyers, you have to have willing sellers. Woj reported that there will be some of those, too.

“Lots of buyers, few sellers,” Wojnarowski wrote as part of his weekly Q&A on the social media platform Threads. “Part of that is the Play-In tournament, which has kept more teams trying to reach the postseason instead of dropping down into the lottery.

“Also, this isn’t considered a strong draft class at the very top, so there’s even less motivation to trade a postseason berth vs. a few extra ping-pong balls in the lottery. There will be trades. There will be sellers. But the asking price is going to be high from the really bad teams to move off assets — so that slows down.’

Along with the Lakers, teams such as the Celtics, Knicks and maybe even Nuggets are expected to be among those aiming for an in-season boost.

Meanwhile, the Hornets, Wizards and oh-so-awful Pistons are expected to be the three teams most likely to unload veteran players. But as Woj indicated, they will want plenty in return. And why not? If you’re going to be bad on the floor, you may as well shoot for the moon in trades.