Insider Names 5 NBA Teams Most 'Desperate' To Make A Trade

The big names have been floating out there for a while now: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Trae Young, Ja Morant, Zach LaVine, Michael Porter Jr., Trey Murphy III, Jonathan Kuminga, Keon Ellis. We know the players who could be on the move, but which teams are the most 'desperate' to make a deal and shake up their rosters?

Sam Amick of The Athletic has proposed this list of five teams who absolutely need to make a trade.

Atlanta Hawks

Trae Young's recent return to the lineup, and the associated slump the team has gone through, has made it as clearly evident as ever that the Hawks are desperate to trade Young. The Hawks went 13-9 without Young while he was out with a sprained MCL. But they're 0-5 with him since then, and are 1-7 overall since his return to health. They need to get creative to figure out a way to ship Young out, such as this 5-team blockbuster proposal to bring in their top target, Anthony Davis.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks just seem like a team without a direction, as superstar Antetokounmpo seems to have one foot in and one foot out. Even with him in the lineup, the team is a middling 11-9, with no indications of being a serious contender. They need to make a deal to show Giannis that they've got a chance to compete for a long playoff run.

LA Clippers

With a preseason over/under win total of 49.5, the Clippers are woefully underperforming this season, on a 28-win pace at 11-21. But the Clips will not be tanking, writes Amick.

"If anything, league sources say the Clippers are expected to explore the prospect of adding an impact player around Harden and Kawhi Leonard as a way to revive their season in the second half."

Golden State Warriors

This is a team that still does have a chance to get into the conversation of a playoff contender. But they'll need to make a big splash on the trade market.

But there's a problem that will make that awfully difficult, says Amick. "Team sources say they’re staunchly against the notion of trading either Draymond Green or Jimmy Butler, which creates quite a predicament when you’re trying to match salaries of high-level players."

Trey Murphy III is a somewhat more reasonable target, though head coach Steve Kerr's pinning their best trade asset, Kuminga, to the bench for nine straight games, certainly doesn't help the latter's trade value.

A recent trade proposal for Michael Porter Jr. could be something to watch.

LA Lakers

The only team on this list that is outperforming their projected over/under win total, the Lakers are on pace for 52 wins. But a below-.500 December, which saw them ranking 28th in net rating and 29th in defensive rating, shows the urgency of the need to add young, athletic, "rangy" wing defenders. Names like Herb Jones, Derrick Jones and Ellis have been bandied about.