Deal or no deal? Finding new homes for Giannis, MPJ, Morant, Davis

The NBA trade deadline is a week away, and a number of high-profile players could be on the market. However, between an already completed Trae Young deal, plus injuries to stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, and Ja Morant, it's possible the Feb. 5 deadline will pass us by without a blockbuster.

Forget that anticlimactic possibility. Let's put our GM hats on and try to find new teams for the biggest names on the market regardless.

Giannis to the Spurs

We've already discussed why it makes sense for Milwaukee to punt its Giannis decision until the offseason, and why it's risky to bet top dollar on the Greek Freak's future. But for the sake of this feature, let's imagine a world in which Antetokounmpo is moved before next Thursday's deadline. That should eliminate prospective suitors whose in-season draft capital looks underwhelming (like the Knicks and Heat, as The Third Apron's Yossi Gozlan notes).

The most sensible trade partners for Milwaukee are teams that can check the following boxes: They can acquire Antetokounmpo without gutting their current squads, they can realistically compete for championships in 2026 and 2027 (the final year-and-a-half of team control), and they can afford to trade prospects and draft picks while still having plenty of young talent and picks left over. Clubs that fit those parameters include the Thunder, Pistons, Rockets, and Spurs.

The Thunder abstained from such transactions as they ascended the NBA mountain, so it doesn't feel like they'd consummate that kind of deal while comfortably at the summit. The East-leading Pistons would be a fascinating landing spot, but they seem more likely to stand pat or make a mid-tier move than acquire a superstar (see below). And I was tempted to send Antetokounmpo to Houston in exchange for Alperen Sengun and the injured Fred VanVleet (for salary-matching purposes), but I decided against it, so San Antonio won out despite reports the Spurs won't be in-season bidders.

Harper is a blue-chip prospect, so you could argue that the Spurs wouldn't need to include three first-round picks in the trade. That's fair. Perhaps Harper and a couple first-rounders are more than enough, with Barnes and Johnson acting as salary filler. In any event, only the 2029 pick I included is San Antonio's own. The 2026 pick will almost surely be the Hawks', while the 2031 pick - the most valuable of the three - is the more favorable first-rounder between the Kings' and Spurs' selections that year.

Harper and multiple firsts would give Milwaukee the foundation of a real rebuild, while the Spurs could complete this trade and still surround Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama with De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, Luke Kornet, and Harris. Their depth would take an obvious hit, but their top five would arguably be better than anyone's. They'd also still have potential two-way stud Carter Bryant and plenty of draft equity.

Pistons land MPJ (or Trey Murphy)

Detroit could make as big a splash as it wants to this week, or the Pistons could stand pat and cruise into the spring with likely home-court advantage throughout the East playoffs. This proposal finds the middle ground. It's a half measure, but it works.

As impressive as Porter has been in his debut season with the Nets, Brooklyn must be realistic. Unless the 13th-place Nets plan to compete as soon as next season (when Houston owns their first-round pick), Porter is more valuable as a trade chip than a building block, especially with just a year-and-a-half left on his contract. But that doesn't mean Brooklyn should hold out for a massive offer it's unlikely to receive.

If the Nets can land an intriguing young player and a first-rounder or two, they should gladly accept. In this proposal, Harris is the salary filler, with Ivey serving as a high-upside play for Brooklyn. The speedy guard has yet to find his rhythm since being sidelined by left leg and right knee injuries. It's a classic case of a dynamic young player needing a fresh start and a change of scenery. Ivey could find that - and a much bigger role - in Brooklyn, while Porter would help the Pistons plug their biggest hole.

Among teams that currently hold top-six seeds, only the Raptors and Spurs have shot worse from deep than Detroit's 35%, with the Pistons ranking 27th in 3-point attempt rate. The team's 11th-ranked offense is a fine complement to its second-ranked defense, but a dynamic scorer, shooter, and off-ball threat like Porter could really complete their two-way puzzle (even if it entails a slight defensive drop-off).

If Ivey and one or two picks is enough for the Nets, Detroit should pounce.

A player who could similarly address the Pistons' shooting issues while providing more of a defensive presence is Trey Murphy. The Pelicans forward is two years younger than Porter, makes roughly $13 million less per season, and his contract runs two years longer (at less than 17% of the cap). Detroit wouldn't need to include as much outgoing salary, but you could argue New Orleans should demand more draft compensation. How about Ivey, Caris LeVert, two picks (one of which is protected), and a swap?

AD to the ... Hornets?

Let's get weird.

I'm the last person who believes in a LaMelo Ball-led squad - I would've tried to move the mercurial guard in order to build around Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller. But Ball has shown some growth around the edges this season, and the Hornets have looked legitimately good when their three cornerstones are in the lineup. Charlotte is 16-11 when Ball, Knueppel, and Miller suit up, and lineups featuring that trio are outscoring opponents by a whopping 11.6 points per 100 possessions.

The trio's success is rooted in its offensive firepower. Among the 300 most used three-man combinations this season, only Nikola Jokic-led lineups in Denver have scored more efficiently than the combo of Ball, Knueppel, and Miller. What would it look like if the three young stars had a defensive anchor like Davis behind them? And what if Charlotte could acquire a star of AD's caliber without mortgaging much of its future?

In my proposal, Kalkbrenner is the only intriguing youngster headed to Dallas. Bridges, Russell, and the expiring contracts of Connaughton and Sexton serve as salary filler, while neither of the first-rounders included are Charlotte's own.

Banking on Davis' health is always a dicey proposition, but the Hornets could talk themselves into Finals contention at full strength next season while still boasting Ball, Knueppel, Miller, and all their own first-rounders to build with post-Davis. Not bad for a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 2016 and a franchise that still hasn't made a conference finals appearance.

With Ball earning approximately 25% of the salary cap going forward and both Miller and Knueppel on rookie-scale deals for the next two-to-four years, the Hornets' young core is uniquely equipped to absorb Davis' cap hit ($54.1 million this season, $58.5 million next year, $62.8-million player option in 2027-28).

As for Dallas, the suddenly rebuilding Mavericks would regain control of their 2027 draft selection (originally dealt as a top-two protected pick for P.J. Washington). They'd also add a solid young big man in Kalkbrenner and an extra first-rounder in 2029 (the least favorable selection between the Jazz, Cavaliers, and Timberwolves). It's not exactly breathtaking, especially considering Davis was the centerpiece of the disastrous Luka Doncic trade just one year ago, but it's not a bad way for the Mavs to put the saga behind them.

Kings gamble on Morant

I wrote earlier in January about why Morant's trade value has tanked. He's a non-shooting point guard who doesn't defend and doesn't get to the rim as often as he used to, and he comes with plenty of off-court concerns. Would I give up multiple first-rounders for him, including a 2027 swap that could come come back to bite me? Absolutely not, but I'm also not the Sacramento Kings, who are always liable to make a shortsighted maneuver.

In this proposal, Sacramento takes a flier on a two-time All-Star who's 26 and has two-and-a-half years of team control left. The Kings would also dump some bad long-term money (Monk), while only $10 million of DeRozan's outgoing contract is guaranteed. As a reward for taking on those contracts, the Grizzlies squeeze a second first-rounder out of the deal. They also land Ellis, a promising two-way guard who should've received a much bigger opportunity in Sacramento.

The Grizzlies might scoff at such an offer, deciding to retain Morant rather than trade him while his value is at its lowest. However - barring a miraculous return to form by a player who hasn't appeared in more than six consecutive games since the 2022-23 campaign - Morant's value won't surge any time soon. In fact, multiple first-round picks might be an overpay at this point.

Joseph Casciaro is theScore's lead NBA reporter.