5 Biggest NBA Trade Dominoes: Stars Who Could Move Before The 2026 Deadline

The trade deadline is less than a month away, and the phones are ringing. Not the usual “checking in” calls—actual conversations. The teams chasing a playoff run are looking to add. The ones going nowhere fast? They’re ready to detonate.

This isn’t a list of the biggest names in trade rumors — it’s the five stars most likely to actually get moved before February 5th, and where they’re most likely headed. Once one domino falls, a chain reaction starts. The clock’s ticking — so let’s take a look at the five most likely stars to find a new home.

1. Trae Young – Atlanta Hawks

Snapshot

• Age/Position: 27-year-old point guard
• Contract: $45.9M this season, $48.9M player option for 2026-27
• 2024-25 Stats: 19.3 PPG, 8.9 APG, 1.5 RPG
• The Problem: Hawks are 15-13 without him, 2-8 with him on the floor

Why He’s on the Board

ESPN dropped the bomb in December: the Hawks and Trae’s camp are “working together” on a trade, talks described as “positive and collaborative.” Translation: both sides want out, they’re just being polite about it. Atlanta declined to offer Young a max extension last offseason, signaling doubt. The numbers back them up—this team plays better basketball without him on the floor, and his defensive limitations haven’t magically disappeared with age.

Atlanta’s young core — Jalen Johnson and others — thrives in a system that doesn’t revolve around Trae. The Hawks are choosing flexibility and modern roster building over a broken formula. Once the franchise savior. Now the exit interview.

Realistic Destinations

Washington Wizards – The name that keeps surfacing in reports, and it makes sense on multiple levels. Washington needs a point guard badly. CJ McCollum’s expiring contract provides a natural trade anchor without compromising their future. The Wizards get a headline name to anchor the rebuild, mentor Alex Sarr and the young core, and sell tickets — all without jeopardizing their 2026 draft position.

Dallas Mavericks – NBA Betting markets have Dallas as the favorite for Trae’s next team, which tells you two things: there’s real smoke, and the cap math is a nightmare. The Mavericks are already shopping Anthony Davis and constantly surfacing in star-trade rumors, so adding Trae to the conversation isn’t a far stretch.

Long-Shot Chaos Option

San Antonio Spurs – Not currently reported, but hear me out: what if the Spurs decided to accelerate the timeline and go for it this year? Trae runs the offense. Wemby locks down everything else. That’s a championship formula overnight. They’ve got the picks and cap space to pull it off. It’s pure speculation — but just plausible enough to start an argument over beers.

2. Anthony Davis – Dallas Mavericks

Snapshot

• Age/Position: 32-year-old forward/center
• Contract: $54.1M this season, escalating into high-50s/low-60s with a player option down the line
• 2024-25 Stats: 20.3 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 2.7 APG, 50.6% FG
• The Complication: His camp doesn’t expect an extension in Dallas and prefers a trade to a team that will commit long-term

Why He’s on the Board

The Mavericks are listening to offers and will keep listening through February 5th—but here’s the twist: they don’t feel pressured to move him before the deadline. That’s not the same as “off limits.” Reports are that Dallas is open for business, and the real pressure is coming from AD’s side. His representatives don’t expect to reach an extension with the Mavs and would rather be dealt to a franchise that will pay him into his mid-30s.

Dallas is trending toward a soft reset around Cooper Flagg, and Anthony Davis — 32, injury-prone, and due for a massive extension — doesn’t exactly fit that timeline.

Realistic Destinations

Atlanta Hawks – The most frequently linked destination, and it tracks. Atlanta could pivot from the Trae Young era by landing an elite frontcourt anchor who fixes their biggest weakness: interior defense. AD paired with their young, sizable forwards (Jalen Johnson, etc.) gives them the defensive force they wanted from Kristaps Porzingis before health derailed that experiment. 

Toronto Raptors – Specifically mentioned as monitoring AD, and it makes sense if Toronto is accelerating around Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett rather than slow-playing a rebuild. AD would give them the All-NBA-caliber big they haven’t had since the peak Gasol/Bosh days. The fit is clean—Barnes handles creation, AD anchors the defense, and finishes inside. The risk is obvious: betting on AD’s health in Year 13, but for a franchise stuck in mediocrity, high-upside gambles beat staying put.

Detroit Pistons – Reported as interested, and this falls into the “we’ll take the risk to land a headliner” category. AD would instantly give Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey a true star big to play off—pick-and-roll gravity, rim pressure, elite help defense. The problem? It would warp Detroit’s long-term cap sheet and compress its competitive window. But if you’re the Pistons and sick of being irrelevant, that might be a trade worth making.

Long-Shot Chaos Option

Chicago Bulls – The hometown angle always gets floated by fans: bring AD back to Chicago. The problem is, reports say the Bulls aren’t interested. The age and timeline don’t match their young core, and Chicago has already learned the “expensive veteran star on a rebuilding team” lesson the hard way. This one’s likely a non-starter, but it’s out there enough in the rumor mill to acknowledge it.

3. Zion Williamson – New Orleans Pelicans

Snapshot

• Age/Position: 25-year-old forward
• Contract: $39.4M this season, escalating into low/mid-40s over the next few years
• 2024-25 Stats: 22.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.3 APG, 55.7% FG
• The Crossroads: Recent surge has flipped the narrative from “sell low” to “perfect sell-high window.”

Why He’s on the Board

New Orleans is at a franchise-altering crossroads with Zion, and recent reporting suggests a “handful of suitors” are already mulling offers before calling the Pelicans. The timing matters: trading him early this season would’ve been selling low after another injury-plagued stretch. His recent surge—healthy, explosive, putting up efficient numbers—has created a narrow window where his trade value actually matches his talent.

The Pelicans have shifted attention toward Derik Queen, a new skilled big man drawing rave reviews and quietly eating into Zion’s “franchise” status. And unlike Atlanta with Trae,New Orleans isn’t desperate — they’ll only move Zion for real value. The question is, how many more chances does the front office give a star whose availability and conditioning are always in doubt?

Realistic Destinations

Miami Heat – The name that keeps popping up in trade-idea columns and rumor mill chatter. Miami betting on Heat culture to keep Zion locked in and engaged is the entire pitch. The fit is both obvious and messy: Zion gives them the downhill rim-pressuring star they’ve lacked since peak LeBron/Wade days. A Bam + Zion frontcourt would be a matchup nightmare offensively—two explosive athletes who live in the paint and finish above the rim. Spacing’s a question mark, sure. But Spo’s made chaos look like a system before.

Long-Shot Chaos Option

Oklahoma City Thunder – Not a real rumor right now—more of a “what if?” But the fit is absurd: SGA + Chet + Zion is a three-headed monster of slashing, spacing, length, and rim pressure. Thunder have the assets to blow New Orleans away without blinking. The problem? This team doesn’t chase headlines — and with a 30–7 record, they don’t have to. But if they pulled this off? Internet meltdown.

4. Lauri Markkanen – Utah Jazz

Snapshot

• Age/Position: 28-year-old forward/center
• Contract: Fresh 4-year extension worth ~$190-196M, runs through 2029
• 2024-25 Stats: 27.7 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 47.7% FG
• The Dilemma: Utah’s best player on a team actively trying to lose games

Why He’s on the Board

Utah hasn’t officially shopped him. The Jazz keep signaling they love him (big extension, public praise), yet league chatter won’t die because the math doesn’t work. Two massive pressure points are forcing the conversation:

Timeline mismatch – Lauri is 28 and entering his prime. The rest of Utah’s core (Keyonte George, Walker Kessler, Ace Bailey) is significantly younger and years away from contention. He’s winning them games they don’t want to win.

Draft pick pressure – The Jazz owe a top-8 protected pick to Oklahoma City, and they’re currently hovering right in that danger zone. Lauri’s impact—27.7 points per game of All-Star production—makes tanking borderline impossible.

Do you really trade your best player just to keep a pick? For Utah, the answer might be yes. They already extended him, which complicates things, but if the right offer arrives and their draft positioning stays precarious, the front office has shown it’s willing to make cold, strategic moves. 

Realistic Destinations

Star-Short Contenders Needing Size and Shooting – This is less about specific logos and more about the archetype: teams that already have a ball-dominant star but lack a legitimate 6’10″+ floor-spacer who can score 25 a night. Lauri fits perfectly as a 1B or second option next to a heliocentric guard or big wing. Think franchises with a primary creator who need someone to punish help defense, space the floor to 28 feet, and occasionally take over as a scorer.

Picks + Young Talent Packages (Kings/Mavs Archetype) – Fans and analysts frequently throw around Sacramento or Dallas in Lauri frameworks because both have the draft capital and young assets to make a deal, and both can instantly bump their ceiling by adding a big man who scores like a guard. These aren’t hard rumors—they’re logic-based fits. Utah wants picks and timeline-appropriate young talent. Contenders with both can construct a compelling offer without gutting their core.

The Long-Shot Chaos Option

Golden State Warriors – Purely speculative, but it’s a popular fan/analysis talking point: what if the Warriors push their remaining chips in during the Curry window? Lauri as the new-era offensive hub and stretch big to carry them into the post-Curry phase makes conceptual sense. A package built around picks, plus someone like Jonathan Kuminga, gets floated constantly. It’s not a rumor, and it’s probably not happening — but for Warriors fans chasing one last magical Curry run, it’s a fun one to sleep on.

5. Domantas Sabonis – Sacramento Kings

Snapshot

• Age/Position: 29-year-old forward/center
• Contract: ~$42.3M per year, two more seasons remaining
• 2024-25 Stats: 17.2 PPG, 12.3 RPG, 3.7 APG, 51.0% FG
• The Reality Check: Elite offensive hub on a team that’s gone from “light the beam” darlings to existential crossroads

Why He’s on the Board

Sacramento’s post-Fox era experiment isn’t working, and Sabonis has quietly become the symbol of that failure. Recent reports link the Wizards, Suns, and Bulls as teams with interest, and while reports note that Sabonis is “prepared to remain” in Sacramento, rival teams still believe the Kings can be talked into a deal at the right price. 

Realistic Destinations

Washington Wizards – Linked in multiple reports as a team that could use Sabonis to short-circuit the rebuild. He’d give Washington a proven offensive big man to organize around—someone who can facilitate for their young guards, set screens, hit the glass, and run delay actions. It’s not a win-now move, but it’s a “let’s stop being completely terrible and give our young guys someone who can actually run an offense” move.

Phoenix Suns – Also mentioned as a suitor, and the fit is obvious: Sabonis gives them an elite DHO partner and short-roll playmaker to pair with their scoring wings (Booker, Durant, etc.). He’s the connective tissue their offense has lacked since they lost Ayton’s rim gravity. The questions are financial: How many picks do they have left? Do they want to commit to another high-salary star in his late-20s when their competitive window is already fragile? Phoenix loves making big swings. This would be another one.

The Long-Shot Chaos Option

Toronto Raptors – The Raptors are monitoring big-name centers, including Sabonis, as potential frontcourt targets. The fit is intriguing: Toronto has long, switchable wings (Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett) and could use a passing hub big to glue everything together offensively. Sabonis running delay actions with Barnes slashing downhill? That’s a real offense threat.

Conclusion

Five stars. Five franchises at crossroads. Five potential trades that could rewrite the playoff bracket, shift title odds, and determine which teams are buyers, sellers, or stuck in between.

These moves don’t happen in a vacuum — they trigger chain reactions. One deal breaks the dam. February 5th is coming fast, and every front office knows it. The calls are happening. The leverage games are starting. And when the dust settles, we’ll know who’s chasing rings — and who’s headed back to the lottery.