Which NBA teams make the most trade deadline deals?

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Which NBA teams make the most trade deadline deals?

Bailey Bassett, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Wed, Jan 28, 2026 ·

8 min read

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If history has shown the NBA world anything, it is that the 2026 NBA trade deadline will certainly be crazy and filled with tons of moves, both big and small. Superstars are traded every season. The Oklahoma City Thunder have proven the importance of building for the future through the trade market, and some teams plain stink when it comes to wheeling and dealing. One thing is for sure, though, and that is that nearly every team gets in on the trade action every year.

Trade deadline rumors are already picking up, as Giannis Antetokounmpo just formally requested a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks . This year's deadline will be at 3 p.m. ET on Feb. 5, and every team has already been involved in rumors . Which teams make the most trades, though? Here are the trades each team made during the trade deadline over the last decade. Only deadline day trades will be included, not the deals agreed upon in the days leading up to the deadline.

Three trade deadline deals (1 team)

Minnesota Timberwolves

While aggressive trade deadline approaches are commonplace in the modern NBA, the Minnesota Timberwolves have not jumped on that trend. The team has only made three trade deadline deals over the last decade, which is three fewer than even the next most infrequent traders.

This isn't to say the Timberwolves aren't on board with making trades, though; they just get their deals done during the offseason or well before the trade deadline when they aren't on a time crunch. For example, Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns are two of the biggest names to be traded in recent memory. Minnesota dealt for Gobert a few weeks after the 2022 NBA Draft, and they dealt Towns away not long before the start of the 2024-25 season.

When it comes to deadline deals, the Timberwolves made a 2023 deal for Mike Conley that has helped them reach back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances. Their other two deadline trades came in 2020.

Six trade deadline deals (4 teams)

New Orleans Pelicans , Indiana Pacers , Chicago Bulls , New York Knicks

Teams with exactly six trade deadline deals over the last decade aren't necessarily against trades, as first glance may allude to. Instead, they just like to conduct business before the clock strikes midnight (or around 3 p.m. ET in trade deadline sense). For example, the Chicago Bulls haven't dealt on deadline day since 2021. They've made some big mid-season trades, though. Last year's Zach LaVine trade is one example, but that deal was made a few days before the deadline.

The New York Knicks are another team willing to make trades, but one that doesn't have any desire to do them at the last second. In recent years, the team has used the trade market to add OG Anunoby , Mikal Bridges , and Karl-Anthony Towns. The former player was dealt for in Dec., and the latter two were offseason additions. The Indiana Pacers are in the same boat for how they landed Pascal Siakam . These teams, along with the Timberwolves, prove that everyone in the NBA is active in the trade market at some point or another.

Seven trade deadline deals (6 teams)

Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers , Golden State Warriors , San Antonio Spurs , Denver Nuggets , Brooklyn Nets

Over the last decade, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, and Golden State Warriors have all won at least one championship. The Warriors even had a dynasty, led by Stephen Curry , Draymond Green , and Klay Thompson . The thing that each of these teams has in common is that they've made seven trade deadline trades over the last 10 years, so perhaps seven is the magic number.

While the San Antonio Spurs and Brooklyn Nets haven't won a championship over the last 10 years, both of their futures are bright. The Spurs have an exciting young core led by Victor Wembanyama , and the Nets are littered with recent first-round draft picks.

Eight trade deadline deals (5 teams)

Charlotte Hornets , Utah Jazz , Dallas Mavericks , Cleveland Cavaliers , Milwaukee Bucks

The most noteworthy team that has made eight trade deadline deals within the last decade is the Dallas Mavericks. While their trading of Luka Doncic technically occurred before deadline day, it was certainly one of the biggest trades in NBA history, regardless of when it took place. The move was shocking at the time, and hindsight has proven it was a mistake by Dallas to trade their young star for little draft capital and an aging and injury-prone player like Anthony Davis .

Don't be surprised if the Milwaukee Bucks try to one-up Dallas' big move. Giannis Antetokounmpo officially requested a trade. The Bucks won't rush into a deal, so a trade might not come through until the last second on deadline day. The Charlotte Hornets have a noteworthy trade deadline trade in recent memory, too. Last year, the team traded Mark Williams for Dalton Knecht . The move then became the sixth rescinded trade in NBA history after Williams failed his physical and returned to Charlotte fully aware that his team didn't want him anymore.

Nine trade deadline deals (3 teams)

Portland Trail Blazers , Miami Heat , Orlando Magic

While the Miami Heat made two trade deadline deals last year, they hadn't previously gotten busy on deadline day since 2021. The team often finds hidden gems in the form of unheralded and underappreciated players. Last year, they traded Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline after he requested out of town.

The Orlando Magic made one of the bigger deadline seller moves in recent memory, too. Back in 2021, they traded Aaron Gordon to the Nuggets. Gordon has become a key piece on a perennial contender, and he helped the Nuggets hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy back in 2023.

10 trade deadline deals (3 teams)

Boston Celtics , Memphis Grizzlies , Phoenix Suns

The Boston Celtics, Memphis Grizzlies, and Phoenix Suns make, on average, one trade per year on deadline day. When Danny Ainge was the Celtics' general manager, the team was known for fleecing their trade counterparts. Ainge is with the Utah Jazz now, though, and Brad Stevens has continued the trend. In 2022, he was able to turn former draft bust Romeo Langford and a few other assets into Derrick White , a player who has gone from role player to fringe All-Star during his time in Boston.

The Grizzlies are great at making moves on the margins. They always tend to find contributors late in the draft, and they've done well in finding role players in the trade market. The team might flip the script this year, though, as Ja Morant is maybe the most likely star who will be traded this year.

The Suns made one of the biggest trade deadline deals ever in 2023 when they sent Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson , and four first-round picks out for Kevin Durant . Durant has already since been traded again, but it was huge news at the time because the four-time scoring champion is one of the best players in NBA history.

12 trade deadline deals (3 teams)

Los Angeles Clippers , Sacramento Kings , Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards already made the biggest trade of the season thus far. They dealt for Trae Young and now have an offensive engine to lead them forward. They've been pretty busy at the trade deadline in the past, too. The Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings have made 12 trade deadline trades recently as well.

The Kings are well known for making poor draft decisions, but their trade deadline experiences have been far from perfect, too. Sacramento has regularly been one of the worst teams in the NBA in recent memory.

14 trade deadline deals (1 team)

Detroit Pistons

The lone team to make 14 trade deadline trades over the last 10 years is the Detroit Pistons. All of this wheeling and dealing has resulted in the team going from the largest losing streak in NBA history just two years ago to the top team in the Eastern Conference. During their rebuilding years, they would trade veterans for draft capital. The draft capital has developed to form the core of what is now a championship contender, and now the team will likely be one of the biggest 2026 NBA trade deadline buyers.

15 trade deadline deals (4 teams)

Houston Rockets , Atlanta Hawks , Philadelphia 76ers , Toronto Raptors

Trading at the deadline is all the rage these days, but the Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Toronto Raptors have taken things to a whole different level. Each team has made 15 trade deadline trades over the last decade. The 76ers have been super busy over the last few years. They have made seven deadline trades over the last three seasons.

The Rockets were busy before that with eight deadline trades from 2016 to 2019. The correlation is obvious, and that is that Daryl Morey went from being the general manager in Houston to Philadelphia. Known for acquiring James Harden on multiple occasions, Morey is perhaps the most trade-happy front office member in the NBA.

The Raptors' trade numbers got boosted up by a busy 2025 deadline. They made four deals on Feb. 6 of last year. The biggest move was for Brandon Ingram. The Hawks were similarly busy last year. In separate trades, they cut back on costs by trading Cody Zeller , Bogdan Bogdanovic , and De'Andre Hunter.

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