HoopsHype breaks down the eight NBA players helping their trade value the most ahead of the 2025-26 NBA trade deadline.
Yesterday, we took a look at the eight NBA players, including Ja Morant, Anthony Davis and LaMelo Ball, who have hurt their trade value ahead of the 2025-26 NBA deadline.
Today, we’re going to take a more positive approach and examine eight players who have improved their trade value as we get closer to February’s deadline for teams to deal players. Included on the list are NBA champions, breakout player,s and even former league MVPs.
Check out our full list below.
Michael Porter Jr. (Brooklyn)
Perhaps no player has had a breakout quite like Michael Porter Jr., who has gone from being the butt of online jokes due to his shoot-first, ask-questions-second style of play with the Denver Nuggets, to now being on the cusp of a first-time All-Star appearance as a member of the Brooklyn Nets.
Porter Jr. has been brilliant in 2025-26, putting up 26.1 points per game on 49.5 percent shooting from the floor and 41.1 percent from three, while further adding 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per contest, showing both a more well-rounded game than ever before, as well as some highly-efficient straight-up bucket-getting. Porter Jr. is one of just five players putting up a 26/47/3 stat line this season, a list that includes another breakout star of 2025-26, and three annual MVP contenders.
Naturally, that has led to speculation about Porter Jr.’s trade prospects, as he’s too good this season to be toiling away on a Nets squad that’s not all that close to contending for a playoff spot.
According to reports, which you can find using the link below, teams like the Golden State Warriors and the Milwaukee Bucks have shown interest in Porter Jr. Regardless of where he does end up, or if he even gets traded at all, the Nets have to be thrilled with Porter Jr.’s play this season, as his trade value at the moment is very much on the up and up.
For the latest Michael Porter Jr. trade rumors, click here.
We don’t think many could have foreseen how easily former league MVP James Harden would be winning his battle against Father Time thus far, as the bearded superstar has turned back the clock in 2025-26, putting up 25.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game on 36.3 percent shooting from three on the campaign. Harden is one of just four players putting up a 25/4/8 stat line this season, and he’s the oldest by about six years.
That has helped Harden’s trade value as we approach the 2025-26 deadline, further buoyed by the fact that Harden is on a pseudo-expiring deal considering he’s got a player option on his contract for 2026-27.
Still, Harden’s got a no-trade clause on his deal by way of his Bird rights, and, per reports, he doesn’t want out of Los Angeles, even despite the Clippers’ 13-23 record. On top of that, the Clippers reportedly don’t want to trade him either, so it looks like Harden will be staying put in Los Angeles, at least through the rest of the season.
But if, for whatever reason, that were to change, Harden’s done a great job of boosting his trade value with his play on the year thus far.
For the latest James Harden trade rumors, click here.
Lauri Markkanen (Utah)
Another player having a monstrous 2025-26 season, almost somewhat quietly, is Finnish big man Lauri Markkanen, who looks well in line to earn the second All-Star honor of his career.
Markkaken is putting up 27.9 points per game on the year, to go with 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals on 48.3 percent shooting. He is also setting some unique history, as Markkanen is averaging the fewest turnovers (1.5) by a player putting up over 25 points nightly in league history (this fun stat was brought to you by this Reddit post).
The Jazz, meanwhile, remain far from contention, as the team sits at 13-24 at the moment, 13th in the Western Conference. Normally, that would lead to speculation on Markkanen’s future with his team, as borderline elite players on bad teams are usually trade suspects.
That might not be the case here, though, as not only is Markkanen happy in Utah, but our own Michael Scotto recently reported that the Jazz want to build around the high-scoring power forward:
Scotto: «To my understanding, Utah wants to build around Lauri Markkanen. What they want to do, ideally, they have a ton of cap space this summer. Use it to make the roster better. If they’re going to be in the lottery this year, they hope that’s the last time for the foreseeable future where they can start to build this thing. Re-sign Walker Kessler, but wait until you use the cap space. Lauri draws a ton of interest around the league, but right now, Utah wants to hold onto him.»
Even so, Markkanen has been fantastic this season and has only helped boost his trade stock, if the Jazz were to go down that route.
For the latest Lauri Markkanen trade rumors, click here.
Trey Murphy (New Orleans)
Recent reports indicate that New Orleans Pelicans swingman Trey Murphy isn’t going anywhere this trade deadline…
…but if New Orleans were to change course, the three-point expert has done a great job of improving his trade value this season to help maximize the Pelicans’ potential returns.
Despite dealing with some injuries, Murphy has been on a tear of late, averaging 25.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists over his last five games, while shooting 43.5 percent from three. With numbers like that, Murphy would net the Pelicans quite the haul on the trade market, but it seems New Orleans’ first-year shot-caller Joe Dumars wants to see how his team performs over an entire season before making any major roster decisions.
Whether that’s the right call or not remains to be seen, but nevertheless, Murphy’s play has been great all season, particularly of late, and his trade value is probably as high as its ever been in his career.
For the latest Trey Murphy trade rumors, click here.
Coby White (Chicago)
As the Chicago Bulls continue to toil away in mediocrity, the likelihood of the team making a move has only continued to increase, and one of the main candidates to get moved is former UNC standout Coby White.
White has dealt with injuries this season, at the start of the campaign and more recently, but he had a strong stretch in November and December where he was playing excellent basketball. Over those 13 games, White put up 21.4 points and 5.1 assists on 44.8 percent shooting from the floor, improving his trade value before having to sit out due to calf tightness. Here’s what ESPN recently had to say on White’s trade prospects:
Many rival executives have pegged Chicago as a team to watch heading into the deadline. The Bulls could be one of the most flexible teams in the league, with many tradable salaries and expiring contracts on their roster. That includes guard Coby White, who will be a free agent this summer. Chicago also has complete control of its future draft picks, should the front office want to package them in a trade.
Of course, rival teams are going to want to see how White looks upon return, especially considering how scary calf strains can be, but if he gets back to that November form, we could see him netting Chicago some solid assets in a trade.
For the latest Coby White trade rumors, click here.
Ivica Zubac (LA Clippers)
Croatian big man Ivica Zubac has enjoyed some of the best seasons of his career over the past two years, with the veteran putting up 16.3 points, 12.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks since 2025-26, and with the Clippers having a poor season, at least until somewhat recently, we could see Zubac being a trade target.
Zubac’s great screen-setting, finishing near the cup and strong rebounding make him a productive throwback big man, but one who has proven he can still be quite effective even in the modern, spaced-out NBA.
Zubac has very much improved his trade value over the past two seasons and drawn interest in him around the NBA as we approach February’s deadline. Our own Scotto recently reported that big man-needy teams like the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics are interested in Zubac:
During earlier trade inquiries, it would have taken at least two first-round picks for the Clippers to consider parting with Zubac, league sources told HoopsHype. Among the notable teams to express interest in trading for Zubac were the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics, HoopsHype has learned.
Even so, former ESPN scribe Zach Lowe said that the Clippers have rebuffed offers on the double-double machine:
Zach Lowe: «The Clippers have shoved away people calling because the vultures are circling with Zubac. And the Clippers are shoving people away.» Bill Simmons: «I don’t know if it’s shoving. I think it’s gentle pushing.»
Zubac’s recent injury might have momentarily hurt his trade value, but considering how he’s looked since coming back – on Jan. 7, the big man went off for 22 points and 11 rebounds on 11-for-14 shooting – we fully expect teams to try and get in on a Zubac deal, especially if L.A. continues to struggle in the win-loss department.
For the latest Ivica Zubac trade rumors, click here.
Jerami Grant (Portland)
Versatile big man Jerami Grant has been the subject of trade rumors seemingly since he arrived in the Pacific Northwest, and this year has been no different. The one team that has repeatedly been mentioned with regard to a potential Grant deal is Milwaukee, as both ESPN and The Athletic connected the two parties over the past month (via The Athletic):
It remains to be seen if he can pull off anything of significance, as Milwaukee is (by its own doing) limited when it comes to assets and options. The list of names that are known to be under consideration is likely much longer than what is publicly known, but a few have emerged. The Kings’ Zach LaVine is a confirmed target, as is — according to ESPN — Sacramento’s Malik Monk and Portland’s Jerami Grant.
Grant is currently day-to-day as he deals with an Achilles issue, which undoubtedly will worry teams who are after him on the trade market, but the Blazers don’t seem overly concerned about the issue, as Grant is expected to be back before the trade deadline. Before the injury, Grant was playing great basketball, putting up 20 points and four rebounds per contest on nearly 39 percent shooting from three.
Once Grant gets back to full health, teams will be all over him, particularly if he’s able to keep up that level of three-point shooting, as outside shooting was once his biggest weakness. Add a solid three-point shot to Grant’s level of slashing, driving and defending chops, and you have an excellent modern role-playing forward.
For the latest Jerami Grant trade rumors, click here.
Jrue Holiday (Portland)
Grant’s teammate in Portland, Jrue Holiday, a bulldog of a guard with excellent two-way prowess, is also dealing with an injury at the moment, another victim of the NBA’s current calf strain epidemic. Holiday was recently upgraded to doubtful on a Portland injury report, signaling a potential return soon, a great sign for his trade value as we get closer to the 2025-26 deadline.
Before going down with the calf issue, Holiday was playing like a younger version of himself, averaging 16.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.6 steals on 36.5 percent shooting from three over the first 12 games of the campaign, hence why we have Holiday on this list. If Holiday returns soon and regains that level of form, teams will be rushing to send the Blazers trade offers for the one-time NBA champion, because the former UCLA star is a proven championship-level player with a relatively team-friendly salary.
For the latest Jrue Holiday trade rumors, click here.
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