Three Trades the NBA Needs to Make Before the Deadline

Three Trades the NBA Needs to Make Before the Deadline | Deadspin.com

Sports news January 29, 2026

Jan 23, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) walks from the court following the game against the Denver Nuggets at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The trade deadline is rapidly approaching and one of the biggest names in the NBA — in stature, not just number of letters — is a near-certainty to be swapped.

Last season, nobody knew Luka Dončić was available when the Los Angeles Lakers pulled off one of the biggest heists in NBA history from the Dallas Mavericks. But this time around, everybody knows that Giannis Antetokounmpo is unlikely to suit up again for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Antetokounmpo is sidelined with a calf injury and won’t be healthy until after the deadline. The Bucks are going nowhere fast and Giannis’ frustration level is reaching the boiling point now that he has passed his 31st birthday.

Giannis isn’t the only player that should be moved. There is no reason for DeMar DeRozan to be finishing out the season with the dismal Sacramento Kings. And if the New York Knicks think they can better last season’s run, they need to call the Portland Trail Blazers and land Jrue Holiday.

Giannis fit for Timberwolves

It was just earlier this month that two-time NBA MVP Antetokounmpo said it wasn’t his nature to ask the Bucks to trade him. Formal request or not, that was a pretty gigantic hint that he was ready to be moved. Where is the trickiest part.

Speculation about the Golden State Warriors being a possibility with injured Jimmy Butler III as part of the trade doesn’t seem realistic. He complained his way out of the winning Miami Heat culture, so why would he want anything to do with a Milwaukee team that will be among the worst teams in the NBA? The Bucks will want Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski while coach Steve Kerr will beg them to take Jonathan Kuminga.

Minnesota could build a package with Julius Randle and either Jaden McDaniels or Naz Reid (if you want Rudy Gobert instead, he’s all yours) and include some young assets and draft picks. You package Giannis with all-everything guard Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves are finally getting over the hump and reaching the NBA Finals.

DeRozan’s short drive down freeway

The Sacramento Kings are one of the worst franchises in the NBA and the 36-year-old DeRozan has to be moved before the deadline. The Kings have all kinds of guards and wings like Zach LaVine, Keegan Murray, Russell Westbrook, Dennis Schröder, Malik Monk in addition to DeRozan, so some roster adjustments are deeply in order. Why are Westbrook, Schröder and Monk all on the same team?

One team that could use DeRozan is the Warriors. Now that Butler is lost for the season, Stephen Curry is in the same need of help he was a year ago before Golden State landed Butler from Miami. DeRozan, an unselfish player who can score 25 or 30 on any given night, would provide the Warriors with much-needed scoring punch.

The Kings would need to receive Trayce Jackson-Davis because Domantas Sabonis doesn’t have much help in the frontcourt. Golden State might try to dump Kuminga on the Kings or can get creative with some draft picks.

Backcourt defense needed at MSG

Nov 14, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Aaron Holiday (0) defends against Portland Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday (5) during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks are not a bad defensive team, but they can improve with one move at the deadline. If they want to reach the NBA Finals in a season where it’s wide open on the Eastern Conference side, they should obtain veteran guard Jrue Holiday.

The Trail Blazers are a better team than in recent years, but they are playing to land a play-in spot. Holiday can help get Portland there, of course, but the rebuilding project gets better for the Trail Blazers if they trade Holiday for some younger assets. Plus, Scoot Henderson’s season-long hamstring injury just may heal someday this season. (We think.)

Tyler Kolek and some draft assets might do the trick. If the Trail Blazers insist on Miles “Deuce” McBride, that gets Portland a little extra scoring pop. But the Knicks get a two-time NBA champion that will be worth more than whatever they give up.

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The Tar Heels got just that from starting pitcher Jason DeCaro.

Facing elimination against Southern California, the Tar Heels stayed alive in the NCAA baseball tournament with a 4-0 win at home to even their Super Regional series at 1-1. And DeCaro was the star, as the righty went the distance for a complete game shutout, allowing just two hits and one walk, while striking out eight.

DeCaro was aggressive on the bump, and that paid off in a huge way as he reached an 0-2 count on 14 of the 31 batters he faced Saturday. Speaking with ESPN after the game, the first nine-inning shutout of his collegiate career, DeCaro said that was completely by design.

“Just trying to go after them, they’re a pretty aggressive bunch. We figured we’d get ahead [in the count] a good bit,” said the UNC starting pitcher.

And despite throwing over 100 pitches — 117 to be exact — DeCaro still had his velocity in the ninth inning, as he was consistently in the mid-90s during his final inning of work.

Yet the final out came on this devastating breaking ball, for a strikeout to complete the outing:

While the Tar Heels did not need much offense on Saturday, thanks to DeCaro’s stellar game, they got what they needed thanks to home runs from Colin Hynek and Erik Paulsen. Each drilled a solo shot to spark the North Carolina offense.

Their other two runs came via sacrifice flies.

But DeCaro was the story, as the righty delivered a true gem in likely his final start in front of the North Carolina faithful, as he is a likely early pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. It was also something of a redemption arc for DeCaro, who lasted just over three innings in each of his last two starts, before stepping up when UNC needed him the most on Saturday.

“We knew we had to win two games no matter what this weekend, so just keeping that mindset,” added DeCaro after the game.

The two team will meet tomorrow with a spot in the Men’s College World Series on the line.

#Jason #DeCaro #delivers #gem #UNC #avoids #elimination #USC">

mwasimuddin125 0

North Carolina needed a hero to extend its season on Saturday.

The Tar Heels got just that from starting pitcher Jason DeCaro.

“Just trying to go after them, they’re a pretty aggressive bunch. We figured we’d get ahead [in the count] a good bit,” said the UNC starting pitcher.

And despite throwing over 100 pitches — 117 to be exact — DeCaro still had his velocity in the ninth inning, as he was consistently in the mid-90s during his final inning of work.

Yet the final out came on this devastating breaking ball, for a strikeout to complete the outing:

Their other two runs came via sacrifice flies.

“We knew we had to win two games no matter what this weekend, so just keeping that mindset,” added DeCaro after the game.

The two team will meet tomorrow with a spot in the Men’s College World Series on the line.

#Jason #DeCaro #delivers #gem #UNC #avoids #elimination #USC">Jason DeCaro delivers a gem as UNC avoids elimination against USC

North Carolina needed a hero to extend its season on Saturday.

The Tar Heels got just that from starting pitcher Jason DeCaro.

“Just trying to go after them, they’re a pretty aggressive bunch. We figured we’d get ahead [in the count] a good bit,” said the UNC starting pitcher.

And despite throwing over 100 pitches — 117 to be exact — DeCaro still had his velocity in the ninth inning, as he was consistently in the mid-90s during his final inning of work.

Yet the final out came on this devastating breaking ball, for a strikeout to complete the outing:

Their other two runs came via sacrifice flies.

“We knew we had to win two games no matter what this weekend, so just keeping that mindset,” added DeCaro after the game.

The two team will meet tomorrow with a spot in the Men’s College World Series on the line.

#Jason #DeCaro #delivers #gem #UNC #avoids #elimination #USC

Reigning world champion Marc Marquez claimed his first Sunday race win of the season after holding off young Spanish compatriot Pedro Acosta to win the Hungarian MotoGP.

Francesco Bagnaia finished a distant third, while the top two in the standings, Aprilia pair Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin, crashed out at the first corner.

In a battle of generations, the 33-year-old Marquez, who also won Saturday’s sprint, and 22-year-old Acosta exchanged the lead a couple of times before the veteran pulled away in the closing laps.

Marquez beat Acosta by 1.343 seconds. It was the veteran’s 100th victory across all categories and Ducati’s 100th win in the sport.

“I’m super happy,” said Marquez, who rushed back after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder and a broken foot following a crash at the French Grand Prix in early May.

“The price was expensive, but happy to have another comeback.”

The 4.8km Balaton Park circuit, which hosted its first MotoGP last year, is narrow, twisty and not conducive to overtaking. Most riders do not like it, but Marquez feels right at home. Last year, the Spaniard swept the board, taking pole position, sprint race, fastest lap and overall victory.

An additional advantage for Marquez was that Balaton Park is one of the six circuits this season that run anticlockwise. The Spaniard has always preferred left-hand corners, and they were even more helpful this weekend because he was nursing his right shoulder.

“I don’t know if I’ll have chances like this again in the upcoming races. I wasn’t feeling great on Friday, but I made a good step forward on Saturday,” he said.

Bagnaia finished 11.632 seconds behind Marquez on a factory Ducati, a ride that Acosta, who is with KTM, is widely expected to take over next season.

At the start, bikes tumbled like bowling pins going into the first corner.

Martin, who is second in the standings, locked up coming out of the short start straight, lost control and flew into the tightly bunched pack along with his bike, hitting Bezzecchi. Fermin Aldeguer of Ducati Gresini, Raul Fernandez of Trackhouse and Fabio di Giannantonio on a VR46 Ducati also went down.

Bagnaia said he saw Martin coming out of the corner of his eye.

“When I started to brake, I just saw something arriving so fast, and it was Martin arriving at double speed,” Bagnaia said.

“Maybe he was too inside and locked the front, because the new tarmac on corner one was very slippery.”

ALSO READ: F1 Monaco Grand Prix 2026: Verstappen retires on opening lap after car stalls at start

Di Giannantonio remounted and collected four points after finishing 12th.

Marquez had sped off from pole position and was already clear of the chaos behind him. Only Acosta, who narrowly avoided the wave of crashing bikes, was able to give chase and quickly closed in before moving past.

By halfway, the leading pair had pulled six seconds clear of Bagnaia.

Marquez overtook on lap 14 and held off Acosta’s immediate counter-attack before pulling clear and easing off on the final lap.

“We tried everything, it was a really good battle, I hope that everyone at home enjoyed it,” said Acosta, who is still chasing his first MotoGP victory. “The pace was good. Qualifying again was good. Back-to-back podiums, I’m quite happy.”

Ai Ogura of Trackhouse was fourth, while Luca Marini finished fifth for Honda.

Bezzecchi, Martin and Di Giannantonio remained in the top three places in the standings. Acosta climbed to fourth, while Marquez moved up to fifth.

Published on Jun 07, 2026

#Hungarian #MotoGP #Marc #Marquez #beats #Pedro #Acosta #Bezzecchi #Martin #crash #early">

Hungarian MotoGP: Marc Marquez beats Pedro Acosta as Bezzecchi, Martin crash out early Reigning world champion Marc Marquez claimed his first Sunday race win of the season after holding off young Spanish compatriot Pedro Acosta to win the Hungarian MotoGP.Francesco Bagnaia finished a distant third, while the top two in the standings, Aprilia pair Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin, crashed out at the first corner.In a battle of generations, the 33-year-old Marquez, who also won Saturday’s sprint, and 22-year-old Acosta exchanged the lead a couple of times before the veteran pulled away in the closing laps.Marquez beat Acosta by 1.343 seconds. It was the veteran’s 100th victory across all categories and Ducati’s 100th win in the sport.“I’m super happy,” said Marquez, who rushed back after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder and a broken foot following a crash at the French Grand Prix in early May.“The price was expensive, but happy to have another comeback.”The 4.8km Balaton Park circuit, which hosted its first MotoGP last year, is narrow, twisty and not conducive to overtaking. Most riders do not like it, but Marquez feels right at home. Last year, the Spaniard swept the board, taking pole position, sprint race, fastest lap and overall victory.An additional advantage for Marquez was that Balaton Park is one of the six circuits this season that run anticlockwise. The Spaniard has always preferred left-hand corners, and they were even more helpful this weekend because he was nursing his right shoulder.“I don’t know if I’ll have chances like this again in the upcoming races. I wasn’t feeling great on Friday, but I made a good step forward on Saturday,” he said.Bagnaia finished 11.632 seconds behind Marquez on a factory Ducati, a ride that Acosta, who is with KTM, is widely expected to take over next season.At the start, bikes tumbled like bowling pins going into the first corner.Martin, who is second in the standings, locked up coming out of the short start straight, lost control and flew into the tightly bunched pack along with his bike, hitting Bezzecchi. Fermin Aldeguer of Ducati Gresini, Raul Fernandez of Trackhouse and Fabio di Giannantonio on a VR46 Ducati also went down.Bagnaia said he saw Martin coming out of the corner of his eye.“When I started to brake, I just saw something arriving so fast, and it was Martin arriving at double speed,” Bagnaia said.“Maybe he was too inside and locked the front, because the new tarmac on corner one was very slippery.”ALSO READ: F1 Monaco Grand Prix 2026: Verstappen retires on opening lap after car stalls at startDi Giannantonio remounted and collected four points after finishing 12th.Marquez had sped off from pole position and was already clear of the chaos behind him. Only Acosta, who narrowly avoided the wave of crashing bikes, was able to give chase and quickly closed in before moving past.By halfway, the leading pair had pulled six seconds clear of Bagnaia.Marquez overtook on lap 14 and held off Acosta’s immediate counter-attack before pulling clear and easing off on the final lap.“We tried everything, it was a really good battle, I hope that everyone at home enjoyed it,” said Acosta, who is still chasing his first MotoGP victory. “The pace was good. Qualifying again was good. Back-to-back podiums, I’m quite happy.”Ai Ogura of Trackhouse was fourth, while Luca Marini finished fifth for Honda.Bezzecchi, Martin and Di Giannantonio remained in the top three places in the standings. Acosta climbed to fourth, while Marquez moved up to fifth.Published on Jun 07, 2026 #Hungarian #MotoGP #Marc #Marquez #beats #Pedro #Acosta #Bezzecchi #Martin #crash #early

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Reigning world champion Marc Marquez claimed his first Sunday race win of the season after holding off young Spanish compatriot Pedro Acosta to win the Hungarian MotoGP.
Francesco Bagnaia finished a distant third, while the top two in the standings, Aprilia pair Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin, crashed out at the first corner.
In a battle of generations, the 33-year-old Marquez, who also won Saturday’s sprint, and 22-year-old Acosta exchanged the lead a couple of times before the veteran pulled away in the closing laps.
Marquez beat Acosta by 1.343 seconds. It was the veteran’s 100th victory across all categories and Ducati’s 100th win in the sport.
“I’m super happy,” said Marquez, who rushed back after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder and a broken foot following a crash at the French Grand Prix in early May.
“The price was expensive, but happy to have another comeback.”
The 4.8km Balaton Park circuit, which hosted its first MotoGP last year, is narrow, twisty and not conducive to overtaking. Most riders do not like it, but Marquez feels right at home. Last year, the Spaniard swept the board, taking pole position, sprint race, fastest lap and overall victory.
An additional advantage for Marquez was that Balaton Park is one of the six circuits this season that run anticlockwise. The Spaniard has always preferred left-hand corners, and they were even more helpful this weekend because he was nursing his right shoulder.
“I don’t know if I’ll have chances like this again in the upcoming races. I wasn’t feeling great on Friday, but I made a good step forward on Saturday,” he said.
Bagnaia finished 11.632 seconds behind Marquez on a factory Ducati, a ride that Acosta, who is with KTM, is widely expected to take over next season.
At the start, bikes tumbled like bowling pins going into the first corner.
Martin, who is second in the standings, locked up coming out of the short start straight, lost control and flew into the tightly bunched pack along with his bike, hitting Bezzecchi. Fermin Aldeguer of Ducati Gresini, Raul Fernandez of Trackhouse and Fabio di Giannantonio on a VR46 Ducati also went down.
Bagnaia said he saw Martin coming out of the corner of his eye.
“When I started to brake, I just saw something arriving so fast, and it was Martin arriving at double speed,” Bagnaia said.
“Maybe he was too inside and locked the front, because the new tarmac on corner one was very slippery.”
ALSO READ: F1 Monaco Grand Prix 2026: Verstappen retires on opening lap after car stalls at start
Di Giannantonio remounted and collected four points after finishing 12th.
Marquez had sped off from pole position and was already clear of the chaos behind him. Only Acosta, who narrowly avoided the wave of crashing bikes, was able to give chase and quickly closed in before moving past.
By halfway, the leading pair had pulled six seconds clear of Bagnaia.
Marquez overtook on lap 14 and held off Acosta’s immediate counter-attack before pulling clear and easing off on the final lap.
“We tried everything, it was a really good battle, I hope that everyone at home enjoyed it,” said Acosta, who is still chasing his first MotoGP victory. “The pace was good. Qualifying again was good. Back-to-back podiums, I’m quite happy.”
Ai Ogura of Trackhouse was fourth, while Luca Marini finished fifth for Honda.
Bezzecchi, Martin and Di Giannantonio remained in the top three places in the standings. Acosta climbed to fourth, while Marquez moved up to fifth.
Published on Jun 07, 2026

#Hungarian #MotoGP #Marc #Marquez #beats #Pedro #Acosta #Bezzecchi #Martin #crash #early">Hungarian MotoGP: Marc Marquez beats Pedro Acosta as Bezzecchi, Martin crash out early