2024 NBA trade deadline: Your complete guide on what to expect in this year's market

The NBA trade deadline has taken on significant importance over the years.

There has been a trade deadline in every NBA season, but those transactions didn’t have the same significance and league-altering implications as they have had in the past four decades.

Now, it’s one of the most important times of the season as teams look to make a championship roster better and push a roster closer to title contender or acquire draft picks to become a better team in the future.

This season’s NBA trade deadline is this week, so let’s take a look at what to expect with about 2½ months left before the postseason begins.

When is the NBA trade deadline?

The trade deadline is Thursday, Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. ET.

Team can make trades right up until the clock strikes 3 p.m. ET. You may see trades reported after this deadline but they were agreed upon before the deadline, and it takes time for the NBA office in New York to make sure the trade works under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.

What is the NBA trade deadline?

The trade deadline is the last possible date in which teams can trade players during the season. After that, there are no trades permitted until after the season. However, players can still be bought out of their contract or waived and join another team after that date.

Will this season's NBA trade deadline be busy or slow?

That’s always a great question. Last season, it was busy, especially with Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Mike Conley and D’Angelo Russell changing teams before the trade deadline.

Complicating matters is the new 2023 collective bargaining agreement which makes it more difficult and more expensive (via luxury tax) for some teams to add contracts.

Who are some of the big names who could be traded?

Atlanta’s Dejounte Murray, Washington’s Kyle Kuzma, Tyus Jones and Jordan Poole, Chicago’s Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan, Portland’s Jerami Grant and Malcolm Brogdon, Utah’s Jordan Clarkson, Los Angeles Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell, Toronto’s Bruce Brown, Charlotte’s P.J. Washington and Miles Bridges, Golden State’s Andrew Wiggins, Brooklyn’s Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie and Royce O’Neale and Detroit’s Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks.

One notable name absent from that list: Chicago’s Zach LaVine. He decided to undergo season-ending surgery on in his injured right foot.

What teams are buyers at the trade deadline?

• Los Angeles Lakers: They don’t have a championship roster right now.

• Boston Celtics: Searching for depth is the mission at the deadline.

• Denver Nuggets: Same as the Celtics, as the Nuggets seek a second consecutive title.

• Sacramento Kings: The Kings are on pace to win 50 games, but that still might not be good enough for home court in the first round.

• Los Angeles Clippers: The best team in the West since Dec. 1, the Clippers have been active in trade calls for supporting help.

• Dallas Mavericks: Getting Kyrie Irving back and healthy is key, but so is adding defensive help.

• Milwaukee Bucks: The Bucks have moved around a lot of pieces and spent considerable money in pursuit of a title and need improvement on the roster.

• Phoenix Suns: Top heavy with talent, the Suns still need additional bench scoring.

• Houston Rockets: The Rockets have draft capital to use in a trade.

Which teams are sellers at the trade deadline?

These teams should be looking to accumulate as many first-round picks as possible: Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards, Portland Trail Blazers and Charlotte Hornets.

Are any teams buyers and sellers?

• Oklahoma City Thunder: They are good enough to explore the trade market while having the draft picks other teams covet.

• Golden State Warriors: The Warriors remain in that odd territory of trying to make something happen this season while acknowledging the future is here.

• Utah Jazz: The Jazz have draft picks and players to move – for assets that can help now and in the future.

What big trades have happened so far this season?

There have been a handful of trades this season, highlighted by these four:

The Portland Trail Blazers traded Damian Lillard to Milwaukee just before the season began, and the Philadelphia 76ers traded James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers shortly after it started.

The New York Knicks acquired OG Anunoby from Toronto, and the Indiana Pacers landed Pascal Siakam from the Raptors.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When is NBA trade deadline 2024? Catch up on latest trade news, more