New NBA Trade Board Lists Top 5 Candidates to Move

Once the NBA emerges from the Christmas and New Year's period, we'll be just five weeks away from the trade deadline. All of those rumored moves and 'what ifs' will start to crystallize and become a lot closer to reality.

With that, it's worth a look at the latest trade board, from The Athletic, and who they're watching as the top 5 trade candidates in the league.

NBA trade season is here 👀@Sam_Vecenie looks at players that league sources are watching closely as teams decide to stay content or shake things up. pic.twitter.com/SkZ2ZJzqdz
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) December 19, 2025

Anthony Davis, Dallas Mavericks

Anthony Davis comes in at No. 1. This is despite the fact that some in the Dallas Mavericks organization (namely, Mark Cuban, who doesn't have nearly the say he used to) try to tell us that they won't be trading AD. The Toronto Raptors are, at this point, thought to be the only team that has seriously looked into this possibility.

Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks

Trae comes in at No. 2, largely due to the fact that the Hawks did so well, especially defensively, when Young was out of the lineup for several weeks. Since he's returned, they are 0-3 (going into Tuesday's game), 0-2 with him in the lineup, and have given up 133 and 152 points in his two games. Yikes. The Hawks are strongly considering the fact that they're a better team without Trae.

Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings

The Kings are open for business, and nearly all of their star players are available, but the one who seems to have the most marketability (aside from Keon Ellis, on a more cost-efficient scale), is Sabonis. He can make a big difference up front for any contending team that acquires him.

Coby White, Chicago Bulls

The White trade buzz has hit unprecedented levels, reports ClutchPoints. NBA insider Marc Stein reports that "teams around the league have been left with the impression that the Bulls are more open to moving White than at any point before the deadline." He's only earning $12.9 million on an expiring contract. He's averaging 21 points per game since making his season debut in mid-November, and would be a huge boost to any team's backcourt.

Quentin Grimes, Philadelphia 76ers

After accepting a one-year qualifying offer, Grimes immediately became a valuable trade chip. Contending teams in need of shooting or defense in the backcourt would be interested. But because he took the QO, he also has a no-trade clause, putting him in the driver's seat and allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. That will make completing a trade difficult. He's averaging 15 ppg with 4.4 assists.

One name they left off their list, who might be more likely than anyone to get dealt, would be Jonathan Kuminga of the Golden State Warriors. Somewhat surprising that The Athletic left him off their list. Many feel that Kuminga will be dealt the moment he's eligible, on January 15th. The latest rumors have three teams as top suitors for him.