The trade deadline is next Thursday and, as always, this a wild time in the NBA with rumors flying around. In this piece, we look at some players in the Southwest Division that might be traded as we inch closer and closer to March 25.

LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs

It has been reported that Aldridge’s and the Spurs’ decision to part ways was mutual. The 14-year veteran has spent the last six seasons with the Spurs but, at this point, he is looking to be on a surefire championship contender. While the Spurs are having a better year than many thought they would, they are far from the sure thing they once were come the postseason.

The post player has shown he can still offer a team a veteran presence off the bench in the right situation. In the last two seasons, Aldridge has shot 35 percent from behind the three-point line on over three attempts per game. At 35-years-old, he may not be someone that can come in and play consistent starter minutes, but Aldridge would be a good second unit option that can take advantage of mismatches and carry the scoring load in spurts for almost any contender.

In the last year of his contract, his $24 million salary wouldn’t be the easiest to match, but two mid-level contracts should be able to get any acquiring team close there. The Spurs have never been one to take on bad contracts so they would likely have to be pieces that they feel would have an opportunity to crack the team’s rotation.

Trey Burke, Dallas Mavericks

Kristaps Porzingis’ name has been thrown around a lot recently. But, given his inconsistent play, injury history and large contract, the Latvian center might be more difficult to trade than anticipated. That said, if the Mavericks look to move a player and or recoup an asset, look for Trey Burke to be someone they consider moving.

Burke is having a solid season for Dallas, serving as the team’s third point guard behind Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson. That said, he’s shown himself capable of a greater opportunity and, on a deal worth next to nothing, could easily be moved to any team looking to add a player that can move the ball and contribute on the outside; Burke has shot 39.1 percent from three this season.

The team may not snag a long-term piece by trading him, but they could certainly swap for someone that might further compliment Doncic, Porzingis and the rest of Dallas’ roster.

Lonzo Ball, New Orleans Pelicans

It would appear to be just a matter of time before the Pelicans trade Ball. The fourth-year guard has played for two different teams and in his young career has not been able to find stability.

Ball’s shot was a big concern when he entered the NBA, but the last two season he has shown he can be effective from deep, as he’s shot 37.9 percent from deep. He’s also shown some consistency as a spot-up jump shooter, whether from deep or inside the arc. His vision down the court, meanwhile, is something you just can’t teach. Defensively, Ball is a strong presence on the floor with room to grow.

What’s concerning now, however, has been Ball’s inability to get downhill and attack the basket. That said, it’s a safe bet to say that Ball, 23, isn’t done developing and, if he can improve in that area, he might just prove himself a serious two-way force for whichever team that might acquire his services.

Victor Oladipo, Houston Rockets

With PJ Tucker being moved earlier this week to the Milwaukee Bucks, Oladipo is likely to be the next domino to fall for the Rockets. Earlier this season, Oladipo turned down an extension from the team, making it clear he didn’t plan to stay with them long-term. Now, having lost each of their last 20 games, Houston would appear to be on the verge of a fire sale.

It shouldn’t be difficult for a team to cobble together a package that might net them Oladipo. What teams may be concerned about, however, is their ability to re-sign him after the season. It’s long been rumored that Oladipo, whether now or as a free agent, would like to join the Miami HEAT; would any team part with anything of real value to acquire him if that proved to be the case?

As we approach the trade deadline, something to keep is the fact that, with the adoption of the play-in games, teams need only reach the 10-spot in their conference to have a shot at the postseason. The only team in the Southwest that would appear incapable of reaching even that would seem to be the Rockets — and it’s something that may impact the way a number of on-the-fence teams approach the trade deadline this season.

The NBA trade deadline — 3 p.m. EST on Mar. 25 — is nearing. The play-in tournament expanding the playoff field to the top-10 teams in each conference and the impact caused by the pandemic are why the coming days project to be mostly uneventful.

However, deadlines spur action. And if there are meaningful changes made to the NBA landscape, the Southeast Division might have a lot to do with it.

Home to two of the top-five in the Eastern Conference, the fifth-place Miami HEAT and fourth-place Atlanta Hawks could be buyers and sellers come the deadline. The HEAT recently swung a deal to acquire veteran forward Trevor Ariza — more on that later — while the Hawks are 8-0 since naming Nate McMillan interim head coach, and they’re hungry to return to the playoffs after a three-year absence.

All eyes are on the Orlando Magic as well, as the clock is ticking for them to decide whether to break up a core group of players that have consistently gotten them to the playoffs but never advanced past the first round. The Charlotte Hornets are in eighth in the East and only trail the fourth-place Hawks by 1.5 games but recently lost standout rookie LaMelo Ball to a season-ending wrist injury. That’s the type of meaningful absence that could influence the Hornets to trade some of their veterans.

Rounding out the Southeast Division is the Washington Wizards. While they aren’t going to trade Bradley Beal, per multiple reports, they could be amenable to parting with another veteran on their roster.

So, without further ado, here’s the latest intel on the division at the center of attention between now and the trade deadline.

Miami HEAT

Despite two-straight losses, the HEAT are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, surging up the standings by winning 14 of their last 20 games.

Miami already bolstered its roster, acquiring Trevor Ariza from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Meyers Leonard and a 2027 second-round pick. The NBA recently fined Leonard $50,000 for using an anti-Semitic slur while live-streaming a video game. He had to waive his no-trade clause to facilitate the deal, and the team option on his contract for the 2021-22 season was declined as part of a procedural matter in finalizing the trade.

Ariza, who comes to Miami with a championship pedigree, gives the HEAT a lengthy 6-foot-8 wing that offers defensive versatility and stretches the floor offensively. Ariza made his season and team debut Mar. 19th, logging six minutes and registering two assists in a loss to the Indiana Pacers. After opting out of the Orlando restart and not playing for a calendar year, he will need time to knock off the rust and work his way back into game shape.

Given the small price the HEAT paid to acquire Ariza, they still have plenty of ammunition to make another move or two between now and the trade deadline. 

They’re reportedly interested in LaMarcus Aldridge, a veteran big man who can space the floor offensively and is averaging 13.7 points and 4.5 rebounds this season. 

There’s also the possibility Miami moves Avery Bradley, who, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, is receiving interest from several contenders. The veteran guard signed a two-year, $11.6 million contract with the HEAT this past offseason. He’s only played in 10 games this season due to a right calf strain, but he is nearing a return. Bradley is a tenacious on-ball defender, a career 36.5 percent three-point shooter, and an effective cutter. This season, he’s averaging 8.5 points while shooting 42.1 percent from beyond the arc.

Lastly, don’t rule out the possibility Pat Riley makes an even bolder move between now and Mar. 25th, such as swinging a deal for six-time All-Star and former NBA champion Kyle Lowry.

Orlando Magic

There’s skepticism about whether the Magic are willing to trade All-Star center Nikola Vucevic. However, that hasn’t stopped teams such as the HEAT, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets and San Antonio Spurs from expressing a great deal of interest. Vucevic is averaging 24.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists this season while shooting a career-high 40.5 percent from beyond the arc. It’s going to take a massive haul to pry him from Orlando.

According to Chris Haynes from Yahoo! Sports, Aaron Gordon is reportedly open to a change of scenery. Jared Weiss and Sam Amick of The Athletic added fuel to that fire, reporting Gordon has formally requested a trade. While the belief is the Magic’s asking price is substantial, the Celtics, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, and Golden State Warriors are all making an effort to pry Gordon from Orlando. Additionally, the Portland Trail Blazers are considered a dark-horse candidate to acquire the former fourth overall pick.

Gordon missed 15 games due to a high-ankle sprain, but he returned after the All-Star break. The seven-year veteran is 25 years old, under contract through 2022 and is a dynamic player at both ends of the floor. Going to a team less reliant on his ability to generate quality shots and better suited to take advantage of his abilities as a screen-and-roll threat could help him maximize his offensive impact.

The Magic are also receiving inquiries about Evan Fournier and Terrence Ross, per The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor. The Hornets have shown interest in the former, while the Nuggets have called Orlando to discuss the latter. Fournier is averaging 19.3 points and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 39 percent from beyond the arc.  The 28-year-old wing is in the final year of his contract. As for Ross, 30, is averaging 16 points and 3.5 rebounds per game and he has two years left on his deal after this season.

According to Keith Smith of Yahoo! Sports, Khem Birch is also generating interest from teams around the league. The fifth-year center is averaging 5.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while playing on an expiring contract.

Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks’ asking price for John Collins is widely reportedly to be a high-level first-round pick and or a talented young player. The fourth-year forward turned down an extension offer exceeding $90 million and seeks a max contract in the offseason when he’ll be a restricted free agent. According to Kevin O’Connor, the Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, Pistons, and Timberwolves have all expressed significant interest in Collins, who is averaging 18.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 37.7 percent from beyond the arc. Boston and Atlanta have also discussed a potential trade that would send Marcus Smart to the Hawks in exchange for Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic.

On the injury front, Cam Reddish, who’s dealing with soreness in his right Achilles, is expected to be out for four-to-six weeks after having a non-surgical procedure last week. According to O’Connor, the Hawks and Hornets have had conversations revolving around Reddish and Lonzo Ball. 

Fellow second-year wing De’Andre Hunter is expected to return soon but hasn’t played since the end of January due to articular wear and tear in his right knee, which prompted him to undergo a non-surgical procedure. That’s why even with Bogdanovic returning from a lengthy absence stemming from an avulsion fracture in his right knee, the Hawks have to consider adding another wing.

Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets went on a four-game win streak, ascending to fifth in the Eastern Conference standings. Since then, they’ve lost three-straight matchups – road contests against upper-echelon teams in the West, the Nuggets, and the two Los Angeles-based teams, the Lakers and Clippers – dropping them to eighth. 

As mentioned earlier, Charlotte has reportedly expressed interest in a pair of players on the Magic, All-Star center Nikola Vucevic and Evan Fournier. While the former is unlikely to be dealt by the trade deadline, acquiring Fournier is a distinct possibility and one that would give a Hornets team ranking 13th in points per game off the bench a scoring boost from their second unit.

According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, the Hornets have expressed significant interest in Pacers center Myles Turner. He’d represent a significant upgrade from relying on Cody Zeller and Bismack Biyombo at the pivot. Turner’s averaging 13.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and a league-leading 3.4 blocks per game. He’s under contract for $17.5 million each of the next two seasons.

Washington Wizards

The Wizards are trying to claw their way into the play-in tournament, but they’re currently 12th in the Eastern Conference standings. Despite their struggles, Bradley Beal’s commitment to Washington remains firm. 

If the Wizards make a move, it could be to trade one of their veterans. Despite a quadriceps injury sidelining Ish Smith at the moment, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington, he is drawing interest around the league. Smith is a proven scorer off the bench, averaging double figures in three of the previous five seasons. 

With the trade deadline just three days away, will the Southeast Division be overall buyers or sellers? Between two surging teams in Miami and Atlanta, plus some fringe franchises with veteran pieces to fuel playoff pushes elsewhere, this five-set might dictate much of the action this week.

Welcome back to another edition of Deadline Watch. The trade deadline is less than a week away folks. We’ve had a few trades over the past several days that, while they may be inconsequential, it has been fun to see a few swaps go down. However, with the lack of movement that’s gone on since the blockbuster James Harden trade, nobody knows if those recent moves are just the calm before the storm or a sign of what’s to come at the deadline.

We’ve taken a look at the Central Division and Pacific Division. Today, we’re taking a gander at the Northwest Division. We’ll go over who would be the buyers and who would be the sellers.

Be warned: some teams are going to get a little more shine than others because their situations are built as more likely to harbor a trade. Let’s get to it.

Oklahoma City Thunder

When the topic of Northwest Division sellers comes up, it’s downright impossible to have the next three letters that come to mind not be O-K-C.

While the future may not be now, it’s pretty much set for the Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the face of the franchise, Luguentz Dort is a future perennial All-NBA defender and they’ve got serious draft capital to bolster the roster, via the draft itself or trades down the line.

Let’s face it though: as of now, Oklahoma City has no use for veterans Al Horford or George Hill.

Not factoring in their current salaries, Horford and Hill have been about as good as the Thunder could have realistically hoped for. Having Horford back at center, as opposed to the power forward spot where he spent much of his time with the Philadelphia 76ers, has rejuvenated his play and efficiency. Hill, likewise, had been doing about as well as you’d want from a seasoned floor general until he injured his thumb last month. The Thunder’s overall play this season might not be deemed “good,” but they’re far from terrible and those two have played a serious part in that.

Still, it would seem trading the two veterans that don’t really fit with this team’s timeline would be the logical move. Then again, Oklahoma City had the opportunity to do the same last year with Chirs Paul and they passed. Of course, they were much better last year, so they could afford to both have their cake and eat it more so than this season.

Hill is adequately paid for his services, while there are plenty of playoff teams on the lookout for a reliable playmaking guard. Philadelphia, the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Clippers are among those that could use him to boost their bench. Horford, though, would be a bit more difficult to move.

Yes, he’s rejuvenated himself as the jack of all-trades big, is a strong, positive locker room presence and does the little things that should help any team win. But he’s on the wrong side of 30 and is set to earn $26 million or more in each of the next two seasons — while his play has improved, that deal should only get worse as time goes on. That said, Oklahoma City has said that they’re not trading Horford without getting an asset back.

Good luck with that.

Here’s a crazy thought: with how well-constructed their future is, who’s to say they wouldn’t be sneaky buyers? Not for any win-now veterans, but how about the very young and talented John Collins? There seems to still be no feel as to his future with the Atlanta Hawks and Oklahoma City would have more than enough flexibility to pry him loose.

This would have likely been more plausible before Atlanta replaced Lloyd Pierce with Nate McMillan and won eight-straight. But, until Collins’ name is on the dotted line, it’s still within the realm of possibility.

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves are in an odd position. They didn’t come into this season intent to lose, but they’ve somehow managed the worst record in the league, somehow surprising everyone and absolutely no one. Some of that isn’t their fault, of course: D’Angelo Russell has spent a good chunk of the season on the shelf and Karl-Anthony Towns’ COVID-19 diagnosis sidelined him for some time.

It’s not like things have gotten any better since his return, however.

There would be no reason for Minnesota to buy at the deadline. But what do they have to sell? Obviously they wouldn’t trade Russell because of what they gave up to get him the irreparable damage his departure could do to the relationship between the team and Towns.

Despite whatever he’s dealing with off the court, teams would almost certainly love to get their hands on Malik Beasley. He’s having a career year on a team-friendly deal and is just 24-years-old. Of course, if that’s the case, why would the Timberwolves trade him?

Then there’s Ricky Rubio, but is anyone knocking down the door to acquire his services? He’s done fine in his return to Minnesota, but his numbers have dipped from last year. He’s also set to earn nearly $18 million next season.

The real reason as to why Minnesota will probably stay as is, though? Anthony Edwards. As we’ve seen more and more of Edwards this season, it’s clear to see that he’s a fixture in the future of Timberwolves basketball.

A team like the Timberwolves would usually look to sell the expendable parts, but with how exciting Edwards has been — and with things hopefully getting back to normal next season — Minnesota’s best move is to keep it together and see what they can do when the roster’s 100 percent. Warts and all, the Timberwolves might actually have something here — and they owe it to Towns and the team’s fans to see it through.

Portland Trail Blazers

Now to the buyers, with the most likely at the top. The Trail Blazers haven’t gotten nearly enough credit for how solid they’ve been in spite of what’s been thrown at them this season.

In a shortened year, with every extended injury counting more than ever before, Portland miraculously stands at 25-16 and is only half a game back of the fourth seed in the West. Damian Lillard has been on an MVP-warpath, once again placing the team on his shoulders through the absences of both CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic. And, just when you think he can’t add any more, he somehow goes further above and beyond.

And the Trail Blazers cannot afford to waste his efforts.

Portland is good, certainly capable of competing in the Western Conference. But just how good remains the question. Do they have what it takes to make a push to the NBA Finals and, if not, what move could get them there? Unlike the Clippers or Los Angeles Lakers, the Trail Blazers are not completely bankrupt of any assets so, if a move must be made, they’re certainly in the position to do so.

After this season, the team owns all of their draft picks, while they retain the services of Gary Trent Jr., Anfernee Simons and Zach Collins; that’s not going to net them a superstar, but should fetch a nice piece that can push Portland into the next tier of contenders.

If they are to make a move, they also can’t simply look at it as “will this win us a championship?” but, rather, “could this even get us there?” with LeBron James and the reigning champion Lakers set to stand in their path.

Their trump card could be to trade CJ McCollum and additional assets for a significant upgrade, but that move is unlikely to be available. If it does present itself, however, Portland, while they may consider the risk and reward of such a move, must act. Because as sweet as “Dame Time” is, it won’t last forever.

Denver Nuggets

It wasn’t pretty for Denver right out of the gate but, thanks to the play of Nikola Jokic, they are right back on track. Now 25-16, the Nuggets have won nine of their last 10 games while their featured lineup — Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr, Will Barton, Gary Harris – has improved significantly with more time on the court together.

Denver likely has better assets than Portland at their disposal in Michael Porter Jr. alone. However, unless a superstar were to magically become available — and assuming he would be good enough to willingly relinquish Porter — he’s likely not going anywhere.

What the Nuggets really need, however, is to find their Jerami Grant replacement. Denver, eventually, found their footing after Grant’s unexpected offseason departure, but that shouldn’t preclude the team from addressing his absence. In fact, filling the hole he’s left in their frontcourt should remain a priority — and seemingly has, if their interest in the Orlando Magic’s Aaron Gordon is anything to go by.

It’s much more likely, however, that the Nuggets stand pat or stick to more minor additions; given the few assets the team has that they’d be willing to move, it’s just difficult to see them adding a true difference-maker.

Utah Jazz

The Jazz have come back to earth a bit after what was probably as perfect a start as they could have asked for. That was to be expected, of course, once teams become more familiar with their gameplan, but, even after an uneven March, Utah is still the top seed in the Western Conference with the best record in the NBA. That said, they could most certainly use an upgrade or two to bolster their excellent play to this point.

Unfortunately, it just doesn’t seem like any realistic deal is out there for them.

Bojan Bogdanovic has had a pretty down year after being possibly the Jazz only uplifting side plot in last year’s postseason disaster. March has been even less kind to him, as he’s averaging 14.4 points on 37/34/93 splits. Of course, there’s likely no need to panic — even the best shooters have their slumps — but the Jazz can’t afford to wait on him to come around. Further, it wouldn’t them to upgrade at the position behind him, either.

But where could they even find such an upgrade without surrendering a significant asset or, even, Bogdanovic himself?

Of all the teams in the Northwest, Utah would seem the least likely to do make a play at the trade deadline. They’ve already proven that they’re not to be messed with — and rough stretches like these and Bogdanovic’s should pass. Better yet, they help teams like Utah for when it matters most. This stretch of March Madness, unlike last season, hasn’t been troubling enough that a major shuffle is in order. And, even if things don’t work out, they’ve got a deservedly longer offseason to mull it over.