Five playoff-caliber NBA teams that can’t afford to stand pat before Feb. 5 deadline

We are officially in the dog days of the NBA regular season — the midway point of the season when everything is a drag until the Feb. 5 trade deadline.

Yet this period can be crucial for playoff seeding. Teams that push through and avoid a midseason lull will be grateful come playoff time, when they’re hosting a first-round series instead of clawing their way into the postseason through the play-in.

One way for playoff teams who fancy themselves contenders to avoid a lapse during the midseason doldrums is by making a trade to round out a roster.

Here are five playoff-caliber teams that should make a deal. (All records and statistics are through Tuesday's play. The Golden State Warriors were on this list before Jimmy Butler suffered a torn ACL on MLK Day.)

1) Los Angeles Lakers (26-16)

The 2020 NBA champions had a roster almost entirely of two-way, defensive-minded players (Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Danny Green, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Alex Caruso, Markieff Morris, Avery Bradley, Dwight Howard). That formula worked so well that Lakers GM Rob Pelinka never followed it again. 

Now the team is devoid of quality two-way players and ranks near the bottom of the NBA defensively (25th overall). That’s a massive problem, because athletic, well-rounded players are crucial for success.

New Orleans Pelicans wing Herb Jones and Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis are obvious fits here. Jones, nicknamed  "Not on Herb," is a 6-foot-7 wing who can guard just about anyone. Ellis is a sturdy 6-foot-4 guard who can chase the guards around and knock down enough threes (41.5 percent from three for his career) to keep a defense honest.

Or perhaps the Lakers take a bigger swing and have Klutch Sports superagent Rich Paul start pushing for Golden State's Draymond Green, his client, to be traded to the Lakers.  

2) Minnesota Timberwolves (27-17)

The Timberwolves should target a point guard younger than 38-year-old Mike Conley but more playoff-ready than 21-year-old Rob Dillingham. While there are big-name guards on the market — Memphis’ Ja Morant or Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball — Minnesota doesn’t need to go big-game hunting. Someone steady like Sacramento’s Dennis Schröder or Chicago’s Tre Jones would suffice, because the Wolves simply need a professional who can defend competently, knock down open shots and organize the offense when Anthony Edwards needs a breather as the primary creator.

If they really wanted to push their chips to the center of the table, the Timberwolves could deal for Portland's Jrue Holiday, though that would likely involve trading Naz Reid and involving a third team for salary-matching purposes.

3) Houston Rockets (26-15)

The Rockets are darn good (third-best offensive rating, eighth-best defensive rating and fourth-best net rating), but have two potential roster flaws come playoff time: point guard (they rank 26th in assists) and three-point shooting (they rank 25th in made threes). 

Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard are talented young players doing an admirable job as Houston’s primary ballhandlers. But like the Timberwolves, the Rockets lack a steady, pass-first point guard who can keep the offense running efficiently during critical postseason stretches. Look for Houston to be interested in Schröder- or Jones-type backup guards.

However, because the Rockets have more trade flexibility than most contenders, they could get ambitious and go after a certain a former teammate of Kevin Durant who can not only play point guard but also shoot and score as well as anyone (Dallas' Kyrie Irving). 

Fred VanVleet + Reed Sheppard for Irving + a two-way player works in the trade machine — just sayin'!

4) Boston Celtics (26-16)

No one could imagine the Celtics would be buyers at the trade deadline when this season began. But here we are. The C’s are second in the Eastern Conference, Jaylen Brown is playing like an MVP and Jayson Tatum appears to be on the precipice of a return from injury. The team should be on the lookout for another big man to improve its solid but unspectacular 14^th-ranked defense.

Big man Daniel Gafford (Mavericks) would be a solid veteran fit with playoff experience. Boston could probably bring back former Celtic Robert Williams (Trail Blazers) on the cheap as well. Or, if the Celtics really wanted to get frisky, they could deal Anfernee Simons and a pick for versatile big man Nic Claxton (Brooklyn Nets). He would fit seamlessly into this team. 

5) New York Knicks (25-18)

The curse of the NBA Cup is real! Like the 2023-24 Lakers and 2024-25 Bucks, the Knicks are in post-Cup freefall, having lost nine of their past 11 games. New York has the best roster in the Eastern Conference, but something seems awry. And that something has the initials K...A...T. 

Given the way New York's roster and salaries are constructed, a trade around the fringes seems unlikely to bust New York out of this slump. So let's think a lot bigger...

We know the Knicks were reportedly Giannis Antetokounmpo’s (Milwaukee Bucks) preferred destination if he were traded, so why not press the issue now, while the East is wide open, instead of waiting for the offseason? Or what about a Kentucky Wildcat swap of Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Davis (Dallas Mavericks)? Or even the entertaining-as-hell LeBron-for-KAT deal that was floated this offseason?

C'mon, Knicks. Help make this trade deadline legendary!