The NBA as it stands right now has reached its peak of holding competition throughout the league. The skill level and potential of NBA players have risen substantially in just a few years and with deep teams like the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, and Oklahoma City Thunder, how can certain mid-level contenders possibly topple these teams in a 7-game series?
Here are 5 NBA teams that are sitting just outside of the favorites that can make a single trade to enlist their names into the true levels of contention.
New York Knicks Make A Play At Snagging a Top-Tier Center in the NBA

The Knicks have had a rapid climb to success in the past few years. Qualifying for the playoffs three times out of the past four years with two of those seasons ending in a second-round heartbreaking defeat.
This offseason, they have been on a mission to ensure that they’ll be a heavy-hitting team in the postseason. After all, one could argue they were an injury-free Julius Randle away from at least making noise in the Eastern Conference Finals against Boston.
Their team as it sits currently is one of the deepest and most volatile lineups in the entire NBA. The only position in question is their center spot.
The team lost Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency to the Oklahoma City Thunder after making countless claims to secure the up-and-coming big man. The bright side of their offseason blunder is that they were able to afford a bountiful amount of extensions to their current core group. Still, this doesn’t plug the gaping hole of a talented big man to round out the team.
The ideal trade for them would be to make a play at the Atlanta Hawks big man, Clint Capela. Ever since the Dejounte Murray trade to the New Orleans Pelicans, it’s evident the Hawks are seeking picks and potential over their core group of players. If Capela is truly on the market and New York has decided to not settle with their current cards, a play to obtain the veteran big man would make sense.
The financial side of the potential trade is a big iffy. The obvious trade would be current Knicks center, Mitchell Robinson in exchange for Clint Capela with New York Knicks draft picks also to be sent over to Atlanta; however, with Robinson making $14 million anually and Capela under a $22 million contract, a third team would need to be brought in.
The Los Angeles Lakers are an ideal team to bring into trade talks as their desperatley seeking a third star to join the Anthony Davis and LeBron James tandum. Here’s how a potential three-team trade would look:
Atlanta Hawks receive: D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, 2028 1st round pick (via LAL, top-2 protected), 2030 1st round pick (via LAL, top-8 protected), 2026 2nd round pick (via GSW, via NYK), 2026 2nd round pick (via MIL, via NYK)
New York Knicks receive: Clint Capela, Jarred Vanderbilt, 2026 1st round pick (via LAL), 2027 1st round pick-swap (via LAL), 2029 1st round pick-swap (via LAL)
Los Angeles Lakers receive: DeAndre Hunter, Miles McBride, Julius Randle
This trade satisfies each team:
Atlanta is resolved of DeAndre Hunters massive contract while obtaining a massive amount of draft compensation.
New York finally part ways with the injury riddled Julius Randle and bolten down a line-up that can surely contend with the best of the league.
Los Angeles acquires their star player they’ve been seeking the entire post season in Julius Randle while also adding a versatile defensive wing in DeAndre Hunter.
The Golden State Warriors Give in to Utah’s Demands and Acquire Lauri Markkanen

The trade talks between the Warriors and Jazz have been ongoing for what seems like the entire offseason. It’s a classic ‘will they, won’t they’ scenario between two teams that are attempting to suede the other in their direction.
The Warriors want a shot at staying relevant throughout Stephen Curry’s remaining years in the league and the Jazz are on the outside of the glass looking in with hope they can return to contention within the next few years.
The current offer last examined between the two teams hasn’t developed much as the Jazz are seeking multiple first-round picks as well as substantial young talent with the idea of finding their next franchise star.
The Jazz were last requesting the rights to Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, and multiple future draft picks in exchange for Lauri Markkanen. Now, the Dubs quite clearly hold a lot of value over Podziemski’s head as that is what’s making the trade talks stall out. After all, it was the Warriors hopes that letting franchise legend Klay Thompson walk would be okay as long as they were able to keep Podziemski.
A great offer is on the table for both teams. It’s within Golden State’s best interest to let go of their stubborness and obtain Markkanen as there’s no doubt he makes the team ultimatley much stronger.
Cleveland Buckles Down and Goes After Brandon Ingram
A name that’s slipped out of the spotlight is Brandon Ingram and while he may not be producing at his peak level like he was a few seasons ago that ended with him being named an NBA All-Star, he still has a lot of production to give to a contending team.
The Cleveland Cavaliers recently signed franchise star Donovan Mitchell to a 5 year supermax deal as well as giving Evan Mobley a 5 year rookie max extension, so it’s clear this team is looking to contend for the next few years. However, after a decimating defeat in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals to the Boston Celtics, there has been reasonable question whether or not this team has what it takes to compete with the top teams in the East, let alone the NBA.
Brandon Ingram is a perfect fit for the Cavaliers. He fills a gaping hole of a position that Cleveland has been attempting to cover for years. He provides a unique and versatile scoring rythym that can alleviate pressure from off of Donovan Mitchell’s shoulders. A consistent 15+ppg scorer is exactly what Cleveland needs.
Here’s what a potential trade between the Pelicans and Cavaliers would look:
New Orleans Pelicans receive: Jarrett Allen, Georges Niang, Dean Wade, 2025 Second-Round Pick, 2027 Second-Round Pick, 2029 Second-Round Pick
Cleveland Cavaliers recieve: Brandon Ingram
It’s a sweet and simple return for Cleveland without giving away too many assets.
As for New Orleans, you finally get Jarrett Allen, someone you’ve been pushing to obtain for years while also being a good replacement for Jonas Valanciunas who left in the offseason for the Washington Wizards.
This is an excellent round out for the Cavs roster and gives them much more scoring flexibiity, while also keeping their floor spacing in mind.
The Los Angeles Clippers Refuse to Give Up and Aquire Karl-Anthony Towns

While it sounds quite ludicrous for the Timberwolves to simply give away one of their best assets after reaching the Western Conference Finals for the first time in over two decades, the performance Towns gave put in simpe terms was very poor.
Karl-Anthony Towns has struggled the past few years relative to his past success as being the franchise player in Minnesota. Now that Anthony Edwards is the king in the Twin Cities, Towns hasn’t been able to adapt to being second in command and it showed big time in the 2023-24 postseason.
The Los Angeles Clippers are desperate to pull off another blockbuster trade as both Kawhi Leonard’s and James Harden’s primes are dwindling away without anything to show for it.
Losing Paul George to the Philadelphia 76ers was certainly a gut punch, but given the team hasn’t accepted a role of mediocrity, they could make yet another league shattering move that potentially makes them much more dangerous than before.
Here’s what a potential trade scenario could look like:
Los Angeles Clippers receive: Karl Anthony Towns
Minnesota Timberwolves receive: Cameron Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Terance Mann, 2030 second-round pick
Brooklyn Nets receive: Norm Powell, Kobe Brown, Bones Hyland, P.J. Tucker, 2031 first-round pick (unprotected, via Los Angeles Clippers), 2031 second-round pick (via Los Angeles Clippers)
This gives the Clippers their third star and gives their core a few more years of contention at the very least.
Minnesota moves on from Towns and his massive contract and brings in more depth to surround Anthony Edwards.
Brooklyn obtains draft compensation and puts their rebuild as first priority.
Charlotte Admits Defeat and Agrees to Send LaMelo Ball to Orlando

It wasn’t too long ago that LaMelo Ball had the entire NBA in the palm of his hands. It seemed everyone was more than excited to see the viral highschool star finally end up in the league and dominate just as everyone predicted.
Well, present day, the Hornets haven’t gotten any better than they were since drafting LaMelo. Yet to make the playoffs still, it makes sense for the Hornets to find a suitor for the former 3rd overall draft pick.
The Orlando Magic surprisingly enough are right on the cusp of conteding in the Eastern Conference, with franchise star Paolo Banchero developing way ahead of schedule, Jalen Suggs becoming a matchup nightmare on the defensive end, and Franz Wagner being a consistent threat.
The Magic fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 7 games in the first round of the 2023-24 NBA playoffs as the fifth seed. They are truly one star piece away from completing their ongoing rebuild.
Here’s what a trade between the Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic would look like:
Orlando Magic receive: LaMelo Ball
Charlotte Hornets receive: Anthony Black, Wendell Carter Jr., Cole Anthony, 2025 first-round pick, 2025 first-round pick (via Denver Nuggets, top-five protected)
While this trade weakens Orlando’s overall depth, it strengthens a key part of their line-up that ultimately increases their chances of success in the 2024-25 NBA season.
There you have it. Five NBA teams that are just one trade away from significantly boosting their odds of being contenders.
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