The 2021-22 season had the most parity in recent memory and this year is trending in that direction so far. This is largely thanks to the flattening of the lottery odds and the implementation of the play-in tournament, which has disincentivized more teams from bottoming out.
December 15 marks the unofficial start of trade season with many recent free agents set to become trade eligible. The next month or so will be critical for several teams in determining where they stand in the league and if they should become buyers or sellers.
We are now just past the one-third mark of the regular season and we’re starting to figure out who these teams are. Many squads have set high expectations for themselves this season and there will be a handful that will fall short of them. Few teams like the Celtics and Bucks have separated themselves as likely contenders, while several other up-and-coming teams like the Cavaliers, Pelicans, and Grizzlies are meeting or exceeding expectations. We have more teams competing to make the playoffs than usual in recent seasons but not everyone will make it.
So here is a list of teams with the most pressure heading into the trade deadline…