We’re two days out from the NBA trade deadline, and things felt like they officially heated up when it was reported late Monday night that the Clippers and Cavaliers are in discussions to swap James Harden and Darius Garland. Harden is apparently looking for a new home (somewhere he can compete and receive a contract extension, no doubt), and Cleveland might not be the only potential landing spot.
So, will Harden actually be moved between now and Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline? What about Giannis Antetokounmpo? He almost certainly wants to get it done now (so his six-month clock can start and he’ll be eligible to sign an extension at the start of next season as opposed to January or February of 2027 if he’s moved in the summer), but the Bucks would likely have more bidders with bigger offers in June and July. Portland keeps popping up in rumors. Is that actually possible? I doubt it. But we’ll see.
As we will with the fates of Michael Porter Jr., Jonathan Kuminga and many others. Nobody has a crystal ball, but we’re all trying to read the tea leaves. Below are five bold trade deadline predictions from the CBS Sports NBA staff.
1. The Warriors’ Kuminga saga doesn’t end
If the Warriors somehow convince the Bucks to make the Giannis trade, then the disgruntled Jonathan Kuminga will be part of that. But I don’t think the Bucks are going to rush this. We are living in a post-Luka Trade world. Nobody wants to take 50 cents on the dollar for a premium player because they don’t allow a full bidding war to develop.
So if Milwaukee is going to wait until the summer, the Warriors will likely be looking for a Kuminga-centric trade rather than being able to sort of hide him inside of a bigger one, and as we’ve already seen, nobody is going to give up much for him.
Giannis Antetokounmpo mock trades: How Knicks, Warriors, more could entice Bucks with wild multi-team deals
Sam Quinn
So the saga continues in the Bay. Kuminga remains on the team, picking up a good amount of Jimmy Butler’s minutes with the Warriors hoping he can finally raise his value high enough for someone to offer more this summer. — Brad Botkin
2. KAT gets re-homed
After a rough patch, the Knicks are suddenly playing well. But when things weren’t going so well in early January and people started pointing fingers, a lot of them got pointed in the same direction. Dangling Karl-Anthony Towns for Giannis was never going to get the Knicks very far, but that doesn’t mean unplugging KAT was a bad idea.
His counting stats are still solid, but the self-proclaimed best-shooting big man in history isn’t shooting very well. KAT is in the midst of the least-efficient shooting season of his career. Couple that with what we will charitably call questionable defense and entertaining the thought of moving him starts to make sense.
This is more of a bold thought experiment than prediction, but let’s ship KAT to the Blazers for Jrue Holiday, Robert Williams and a pick. Holiday would be a seamless fit in the New York backcourt on offense with Jalen Brunson. And with Holiday adding another switchable piece and Williams in the mix as an additional rim protector with Mitchell Robinson, the Knicks would significantly level-up on defense. As for Portland, the team is 23rd in offensive rating. Towns would certainly help on that front. Throw KAT next to Donovan Clingan in the front court and let Deni Avdija keep cooking. — John Gonzalez
3. MPJ stays in BK
Michael Porter Jr. is a classic sell-high candidate, but I’m predicting the Nets won’t trade him. More specifically, I’m predicting that a number of teams will try to get Porter, but nobody will meet Brooklyn’s asking price.
Unless the front office is terrified that Porter is going to get hurt, the Nets don’t have to rush into a trade. They don’t need to get rid of him to tank because they’re losing more than enough games with him on the roster. They don’t need to shed his contract because they have plenty of cap flexibility with it on the books. Porter should have been named an All-Star reserve, and, if the franchise is going to try to take a step forward next season (when it won’t control its own first-round pick), his skill set should be valued in Brooklyn.
This is not to say that Porter has found his new long-term home and will sign an extension in the summer. The Nets should be open to that possibility, though, and it’ll be easier to evaluate how he fits going forward when they know where they’re picking in the draft and what else they’re doing in the offseason. I don’t envision any of his suitors offering Brooklyn such a sweet deal that it decides to show him the door now. — James Herbert
4. Bucks get busy … but Giannis stays put
I’m not really sure what qualifies as a bold prediction about Giannis Antetokounmpo anymore given all of the conflicting reporting about his future. It certainly seems unlikely that he’ll still be on the Bucks when next season tips off, but when and where he’s traded remains to be seen. While it’s possible a deal gets done before the deadline, the more likely scenario is that the Bucks wait until the summer when interested teams will have more flexibility.
Antetokounmpo is not the only player who could be leaving Milwaukee soon. The team needs to tank the remainder of the season in order to ensure a top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft — they will receive the least favorable of their selection and the New Orleans Pelicans’ selection — and shipping off some vets ahead of Thursday afternoon will help them achieve that goal.
Bobby Portis, Kyle Kuzma and Myles Turner have all been mentioned as possible trade candidates in recent days and weeks, and it’s hard to imagine all of them will still be in Milwaukee come Friday. If the Bucks are going to trade Antetokounmpo, they may as well tear it all down and get as many draft picks and/or young players as possible to begin their rebuild. — Jack Maloney
5. Cavs break up their core four
OK, this prediction was bolder when it was originally made before the Darius Garland-for-James Harden rumors swirled on Monday night. But it holds true. Cleveland took the first step toward cutting down its monster payroll over the weekend when it swapped out De’Andre Hunter for Dennis Schröder and Keon Ellis, but the books are still tight. They Cavs are still looking at a payroll above $340 million, so there’s a good chance they’ll at least try to keep shedding money until the get below the second apron. That means they’re either doing something bigger, or they’re at least looking at a cap dump. If they do get below the second apron, they’ll be able to aggregate salaries again.
Cleveland is playing better lately, but is far from the 64-win monster of a year ago. They just added two guards, setting them up to explore Garland’s market. Evan Mobley has played more minutes at center than ever, suggesting that it may not make sense to pay Jarrett Allen on his upcoming contract extension. If the Cavaliers can aggregate, all sorts of doors open for them. They could even pursue Giannis Antetokounmpo if they are so inclined. More likely, they’ll attempt to bring in Harden.
For now, the Cavaliers remain far below their preseason expectations. They’re in the middle of an Eastern Conference they expected to run away with. They got better in the Hunter trade, but there’s more room to grow and more money to be shed here. I’m expecting Cleveland to keep shopping until the final buzzer rings. — Sam Quinn
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