After Trae Young was dealt to the Washington Wizards, these NBA stars could also be sent elsewhere ahead of the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline.
There was some major NBA trade news this week, as one star was dealt while another removed his name from a potential trade. The former involved Trae Young being sent from the Atlanta Hawks to the Washington Wizards, while the latter involves Giannis Antetokounmpo emphatically stating that he would never publicly say he wants to be traded from Milwaukee.
The 2026 NBA trade deadline is four weeks away on Feb. 5, and Young may not be the only player with All-Star appearances on his resume who could be sent to another location.
Here’s a look at other recent All-Stars who could be moved ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
Through all of Morant’s off-court incidents, suspensions, and injuries, the Grizzlies have stood firm on retaining their franchise player. However, this season has brought about on-court incidents—leading to a team-issued suspension—as well as a decline in production for Morant, which has led Memphis to be open to dealing him.
Morant’s field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, and rebounds average are all career lows, while his points per game and turnovers per game are the second-worst marks of his seven-year career. He is still only 26, though, and unlike every other player on this list, Morant doesn’t have either a lengthy injury history or is outside his prime. Thus, Memphis wouldn’t settle for pennies on the dollar, which is what Atlanta did with Young.
The Grizzlies are 6-11 with Morant in the starting lineup, compared to 10-10 without him, so if their success continues with him not on the court, then one should expect him to be playing elsewhere come the All-Star break.
Anthony Davis, Dallas Mavericks
Davis was recently diagnosed with a torn ligament in his hand that will sideline him, but it was just last year that both he and Luka Doncic were traded for each other when both were injured. So, one can’t rule out this latest ailment preventing Davis from being dealt again.
He’s seemingly been on the trade block ever since he was sent to Dallas last year, and the Mavs landing Cooper Flagg with the top overall draft pick actually increased the likelihood of Davis being traded. At 32, he doesn’t fit into the timeline of the 19-year-old Flagg, and Dallas needs to replenish its draft assets to surround Flagg with talented players of a similar age.
The Mavericks don’t have first-round picks in either 2027 or 2028, so trading away Davis—and 35-year-old Klay Thompson as well—could bring back draft compensation.
Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
If it weren’t for various injuries, Williamson would be as untouchable as any player in the league, as he’s extremely effective when on the court. “When on the court”, however, is the phrase that has Williamson as a trade candidate, as he’s played in just 237 of 511 (46.4 percent) of games since being taken first overall in 2019.
The Pelicans have made deals involving CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram and Dejounte Murray over the last 18 months, so they won’t hesitate to pull the trigger for the right offer.
Given how Williamson’s career has played out, chances are that he plays well to increase his trade value only to get hurt again, thus sabotaging his own value, sticking in New Orleans, and then appearing on this list again next season.
DeMar DeRozan, Sacramento Kings
While the Kings were competitive last season, finishing 40-42, they have the NBA’s third-worst record this year. They’re headed to another missed postseason, which would be the 19th time in the last 20 seasons, and that’s a team that’s no place for a 36-year-old like DeRozan.
While he’s averaging his fewest points in 13 seasons, his efficiency via his true shooting percentage is actually on pace to be the second-best of his 17-year career. He would fit in perfectly as a No. 3 scoring option for a contender or even in a sixth man role.
Teammate Zach LaVine also looms as a potential trade target. But with him making twice as much as DeRozan, not as many teams can fiscally make a move for him as they could with DeRozan.
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer, who has seemingly done everything in the league that there is to do, has never been traded in his career. But James has also never not been the best player on his own team, and now he’s not even the second-best player behind Luka Doncic, with Austin Reaves’s emergence.
Teams, even ones as old-school as the Lakers, study the analytics, and the metrics show that the three-man lineup combination of James, Doncic, and Reaves is actually a negative when they’re together on the court.
Doncic could very well win MVP this season, while Reaves is looking like an All-Star but is only the 138th-highest-paid player in the league. They’re also just 26 and 27 years old, respectively, which makes the 41-year-old James the outlier.
James is in the last year of his contract, as the Lakers extended Doncic’s contract this offseason, but not James’s. So, as we approach the trade deadline, expect to hear rumors of the four-time MVP heading to the Warriors, or Knicks, or even one of his former teams, in the Cavaliers or Heat.
However, unlike every other player on this list—and unlike every other player in the NBA—James has a no-trade clause in his contract. So, if he’s dealt, it will be his choice of destination, which only adds more intrigue to a potential LeBron James trade.
