Indiana Pacers – Jalen Smith
The Indiana Pacers are a difficult team to gauge, as they’re one of the younger squads in the league but also have the talent necessary to potentially make a playoff push next season. Once a good chunk of the year has been played out, it’ll be easier to determine whether they’ll be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline.
Either way, though, Jalen Smith is the requisite piece for them to include in a deal. He’s young with plenty of potential to grow but plays at a crowded position on this roster. Plenty of teams should be interested in adding his rangy defense and possible stretch-big capabilities for the right price.
Milwaukee Bucks – Bobby Portis
The Milwaukee Bucks don’t have many assets at their disposal, so they’ll have to hope that their current roster will be enough to make another title run. If they start off slow and need to make an upgrade, though, one of their only viable trade chips that could land a return that’ll improve their chances is Bobby Portis.
Every other player on the Bucks is either too valuable, too old, or too unproven to be dealt away for a return that makes sense for them. Portis has proven himself to be one of the most versatile offensive big men in the game and has shown that he’s willing to play a reduced role for the well-being of his team. Any playoff hopeful would love to have a Bobby Portis going to war with them.