Updated Dec. 9, 2025, 2:45 a.m. ET
As we inch closer to the NBA trade deadline of 2026-27, bigger names are starting to pop up in rumors, including that of one former NBA MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.
Today, that player leads off our latest Trade Rumors Rankings series, in which we rank the five players who have appeared most often in trade rumors over the previous week.
Check out the full list below.
5. Trae Young (Atlanta)
Four-time All-Star Trae Young hasn’t played since Oct. 29, and yet the Atlanta Hawks are off to as good a start as they’ve had in years, sitting at 14-11.
Like other enigmatic point guards, Young has heard his name mentioned in trade rumors this season, including in this report from ESPN:
Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball, Memphis’ Ja Morant and Atlanta’s Trae Young all seem to be stuck in a sort of limbo with the franchises that they’ve been the faces of since entering the league as high lottery picks. There is rampant speculation among rival teams that Ball, Morant and Young could all be available leading up to the Feb. 5 trade deadline. For a variety of reasons, from their maximum contracts to their major flaws, it’s not a discussion that generates much enthusiasm despite their status as big names who have put up big numbers. “I wouldn’t want any of them,” a Western Conference general manager told ESPN. That was a popular opinion in an informal poll of executives, scouts and coaches conducted by ESPN. There wasn’t a consensus about which one of the three would command the biggest return if they ended up getting shopped in the trade market, as votes were split among Ball, Morant and Young. “They all might have negative value,” an Eastern Conference executive said.
Speaking of how well the Hawks are playing without Young, an anonymous source criticized Young more to ESPN:
In other words, the Hawks with Young in the lineup would rank dead last in the league in defensive efficiency. Without him, the Hawks have defended at a top-five level. “He’s just small and doesn’t play any defense,” an East scout said. That scout valued Young more than Morant and Ball, primarily because of his offensive prowess and lack of off-court concerns. Several people mentioned the long-running perception that he’s unpopular with teammates as worrisome, especially considering that Young creates so many dunks and open looks with his passing prowess.
The thing is, Young has proven in the past to be up to the task of leading a team on a deep playoff run. He just has to have a great team around him. Maybe Atlanta will be fine staying put with Young at the helm once he returns, as the team does have a strong roster this season.
Either way, it doesn’t seem his trade value is all that high right now.
For the latest Trae Young rumors, click here.
4. Trey Murphy (New Orleans)
The New Orleans Pelicans, owners of the worst record in the NBA at 3-22, don’t have much going right for them these days, including Zion Williamson being set to miss even more time due to injury. As such, the team is naturally hearing a lot of noise as far as potential trades recently.
One player who has come up in such rumors is 25-year-old swingman Trey Murphy, who is averaging 20.5 points and 6.5 rebounds on 36.3 three-point percent shooting this season.
According to NBA reporter Jake Fischer, the Pelicans are starting to listen to offers on the Murphy trade front:
And there are definitely teams that believe that have told me as recently as today that New Orleans is now starting to listen and at least show some type of willingness to listen on guys like Herb Jones and Trey Murphy as well. And those guys are going to have a lot of interest around the league.
That report was negated by a Pelicans blogger, though…
Sharmit Dua: The Pelicans have not had any conversations with teams regarding Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, or Zion Williamson per source familiar with the matter
…so it should be taken for what it’s worth.
In the NBA, players are untouchable until they aren’t, and considering how far off the Pelicans are from contention, there shouldn’t be a player on their roster who is not up for grabs on the trade market, at least anyone who isn’t a rookie.
New Orleans is certainly a team that should be kept an eye on as we get closer to the trade deadline.
For the latest Trey Murphy rumors, click here.
3. Ja Morant (Memphis)
Fischer dropped another surprising nugget recently when he reported that the Miami Heat of all teams have had internal discussions about picking up Ja Morant.
Miami was already shaping into a surprising buyer on this trade market even before this week’s Giannis headlines. League sources say that the Heat, for example, have had internal discussions about Memphis’ Ja Morant and how Miami’s infrastructure could benefit him.
We’re not entirely sure how that fit would work, especially with how steady Davion Mitchell has been running point for Miami this season. With the Heat performing better than expected this year, and the team fully at peace after the departure of Jimmy Butler, going after Morant doesn’t make the most sense for Miami, in our estimation.
At the same time, there’s no denying his massive talent level. And Miami probably won’t contend this season without more truly elite talent, so who knows? Maybe this is a swing they decide to take in an attempt to hit a grand slam.
According to the New York Times, the Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves are monitoring the Morant trade front:
Teams such as Sacramento and the Minnesota Timberwolves (and likely many more) that were known to be monitoring the situation before will continue to do so, all while watching closely when Ja Morant returns (his initial timeline had him slated for a possible early December return). Still, the Grizzlies going from their loud and ugly 4-11 start to this quiet and impressive bounce-back (now 9-12) is enough to make these next few months all the more interesting in Memphis.
With so much smoke, the Morant situation in Memphis is one that has to continue to be monitored.
For the latest Ja Morant rumors, click here.
2. Anthony Davis (Dallas)
Since returning from injury, former No. 1 pick Anthony Davis has shown flashes of his former prime self, enjoying 32- and 29-point performances. Overall, in his last four games, Davis is averaging 20.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.8 blocks on 51.5 percent shooting.
However, according to a recent report, teams might be hesitant to trade for Davis anyway due to cap restrictions:
The reluctance of teams to trade multiple first round picks into the future is expected to impact the trade packages for Davis and potentially even Giannis Antetokounmpo. “What I’m telling you is that when I talk to executives and these executives are not in trade talks with the Bucks or another for a star player right now, the mood in the NBA right now is not give up four first round picks for anybody,” said Brian Windhorst on The Hoop Collective podcast on Friday. “Okay, maybe if Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) came on, or Victor (Wembanyama)… Like people don’t want to do that because the aprons have spooked so many teams. All these teams are worried about getting into apron trouble where they can’t reset their rosters. And you get into a situation like the Celtics were in where you got to rip your team down.”
Also making teams wary is his troubling injury history, including in this very season:
Brian Windhorst: I don’t know what the value of Anthony Davis. Some of the stuff that I have heard from executives talking to me about what they think Anthony Davis’ trade value is… I’m not even going to say it because then I’d get aggregated and people would be jumping down my throat and I would just be repeating something somebody else said. When I have heard what people are saying Anthony Davis’ trade value is right now, not because of him as a player, to be clear, not because he’s diminished as a player, but because of the idea of paying an injury-prone mid-30s guy $50, $60 million dollars in the apron era is unpalatable.
We aren’t entirely sure how the Davis saga unfolds. On one hand, he doesn’t fit the team’s current time frame, especially not with Kyrie Irving set to miss so much of this season. On the other, the Mavericks are a proud franchise and winners of four of their last five, so maybe they’d rather try to compete with Davis now healthy.
For the latest Anthony Davis rumors, click here.
1. Giannis Antetkounmpo (Milwaukee)
The most interesting storyline of this trade deadline centers in Wisconsin, as reports have indicated that Giannis Antetokounmpo has already asked out of Milwaukee in favor of joining the New York Knicks…
Brian Windhorst: The Bucks called the Knicks and asked for an offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo, because Giannis said, ‘I want to be a Knick.’ …. Guys, Giannis has asked to be traded already. It appears Giannis committed to himself for the season to the Bucks. But the Bucks are not good. This year, when Giannis hasn’t played, the Bucks are 1-5. When he has played, they’re 9-8. Would his viewpoint change? I don’t know.
…while the Bucks have reportedly told teams that the Greek superstar is not available:
As trade season draws close, everyone is talking about Giannis. Even though — and I want to underline this — the Bucks continue to tell teams: ‘He’s not available. We don’t want your trade pitches.’ So, it’s this weird deal where the Bucks keep shouting into the wind: ‘Listen to us! We don’t want to talk trades with you about Giannis Antetokounmpo!’ And the rest of the league just ignores it and obsesses about him.”
Since the initial report from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst came out, a plethora of reporting on the matter from other sources has come to light.
ESPN’s Shams Charania, for example, reported afterward that Antetokounmpo and his camp have started talks with Milwaukee about whether or not Antetokounmpo will stay with the Bucks long-term:
ESPN also reported that it wouldn’t be New-York-or-bust for Antetokounmpo:
Over the offseason, Antetokounmpo explored external options and was open to playing for one team outside of Milwaukee — the New York Knicks — as a potential trade home. Sources described it as an exclusive negotiating window for the Knicks over a multiweek period in August, but that will not be the case moving forward. Multiple other teams would be expected to emerge as suitors for the nine-time All-Star if trades are explored.
Doc Rivers, frustrated with the media and reporting on the matter, then said that Antetokounmpo hadn’t asked for a trade:
The Lakers, Clippers and Heat were also reportedly mentioned as other potential suitors for the former league MVP, though they were waiting until he could hit free agency in 2027.
And all of that is just a taste of the huge amount of reporting on the Antetokounmpo trade front over the last week. For even more in-depth reporting on the matter, just follow the link below.
For the latest Giannis Antetokounmpo rumors, click here.