The NBA trade market might be dormant at the moment, but it could be awash with activity this offseason.

Between teams that have already disappointed and those that will fall shy of expectations come playoff time, there should be no shortage of clubs—or even stars—desiring something different.

"There will be a lot of parts moved this offseason," one Eastern Conference executive told The Ringer's Howard Beck in February. "There's going to be some options, some high-level guys that ask to get moved."

Already, there's been buzz about marquee names potentially being on the move and franchises eager to pounce on these top-shelf talents. So, why not dig into some of this buzz and use it to construct some no-brainer summer blockbusters?

Since payrolls and rosters will change considerably once the offseason arrives, we'll focus on trade concepts as opposed to fully realized, dollar-for-dollar hypothetical deals.

Rockets Enter Phase 3 with Lauri Markkanen Trade

The Buzz

For as good as things have gone during "Phase 2" of Houston's post-James Harden rebuild, the Rockets don't want to stay in this stage for long. They're aiming to do a lot more than push for a play-in tournament ticket and "want to take a big, big swing in the trade market" to make that happen, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon (h/t NBA Central).

MacMahon opined that Houston's swing could be big enough that "one or the other" of Alperen Şengün and Jalen Green "would end up getting moved" in this star search.

The Trade

Unless a premature playoff exit convinces a megastar like Joel Embiid or Luka Dončić to demand a scenery change, there may not be anyone worth the sacrifice of Şengün or Green this summer.

What there could be, though, is a next-tier star worth several of Houston's next-best trade assets.

The Utah Jazz, who have dismantled competitive rosters to gain long-term assets at the past two deadlines, could see enough in Houston's remaining trade-chip collection to perhaps let go of star swingman Lauri Markkanen.

He's been all-caps EXCELLENT over his two seasons in Salt Lake City, but he'll need a new massive deal between now and next summer, and the Jazz could have some hang-ups about giving that kind of coin to an in-prime star when the bulk of its roster isn't ready to compete.

Two first-round picks and a future pick swap feels both reasonable and doable, particularly if packaged with at least one of Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason or Cam Whitmore. It might take two of those prospects, though, if the Rockets opt to use well-compensated defensive stopper Dillon Brooks as their primary money-matcher.

It would be a steep price, but it wouldn't come close to gutting this roster or diminishing its long-term outlook. A quartet of Markkanen, Şengün, Green and Fred VanVleet looks pretty ferocious on paper, especially when factoring in the growth potential of Şengün and Green, who are 21 and 22 years old, respectively. Even if that isn't a title contender next season, it should have a chance to become one sooner than later.

The Jazz, meanwhile, would shift their focus even further into the future while raising their long-term ceiling even higher. With more draft picks added to their impressive pile and more young talent to cultivate, Utah could have all the resources needed to eventually engineer—and enjoy—sustained success.

Kings Build Big 3 with Brandon Ingram

The Buzz

Depending on what happens this postseason, the New Orleans Pelicans could be primed for an offseason shake-up. They finally kept Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson (mostly) healthy this season and still wound up being a lot closer to decent than dominant.

"New Orleans has to make a decision between Zion and Ingram," an Eastern Conference executive told The Ringer's Howard Beck. "I think that happens this summer."

The Trade

The Sacramento Kings, who have encountered their own struggles in trying to separate from the West's crowded middle class, have been eyeing a third star for a while. Ingram could be perfect for what they need.

Despite monster seasons from De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento's offense has lost its zip and sunk to 14th in offensive efficiency. The need for an additional scorer and shot-creator is glaring, and while the Kings might hope former No. 4 pick Keegan Murray grows into that role eventually, they can't really afford to wait when Fox and Sabonis are ready to win right now.

If Sacramento could get an Ingram deal done without giving up Murray, it should pounce without a second thought. It would take multiple firsts, a few rotation regulars (like Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter) and maybe an extra sweetener like Keon Ellis or Davion Mitchell, but the potential prize would outweigh the price.

Having Fox, Sabonis, Ingram and Murray together—ideally with a re-signed Malik Monk alongside them—would give Sacramento a chance to make real noise in the increasingly crowded Western Conference. And since the soon-to-be 28-year-old Sabonis would be the senior member of that core, the Kings could have some staying power.

If the Pelicans pivoted off of Ingram, they'd want to quickly pivot toward a new co-star for Williamson. The incoming assets, paired with New Orleans' own trade chips, would have the franchise outfitted for even the highest of high-end pursuits.

Whether in an expanded multi-team trade or a separate swap, the Pels could find someone as talented as (if not better than) Ingram whose game is better suited to create on-court chemistry with Williamson.

Spurs Splurge on Trae Young

The Buzz

With the Atlanta Hawks putting the finishing touches on yet another disappointing season, the buzz around the basketball world is that big changes could be on the horizon.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported the Hawks are "likely" to trade one of Trae Young or Dejounte Murray, whose two seasons together have yielded two play-in appearances and zero playoff series wins.

The Trade

With dynamic rookie Victor Wembanyama already on his way to achieving generational-talent status, the San Antonio Spurs need to get working on assembling a formidable roster around him.

Step one of that process should involve finding a high-end floor general, as Wemby's season didn't really take off until San Antonio ditched the idea of Jeremy Sochan as a jumbo-sized primary playmaker and let Tre Jones—an actual lead guard—pilot this attack.

Jones joined the Spurs' starting five on Jan. 4. At the time, Wembanyama was averaging 18.9 points on 44.4/29.4/78.4 shooting with more turnovers (3.2) than assists (2.9) and a negative point differential (minus-6.5 per game). Since then, he's up to 22.9 points on 47.9/33.9/80.4 shooting with more assists (4.5) than giveaways (3.9) and a point differential in the green (plus-1.4).

If a point guard like Jones, whose career 15.1 player efficiency rating is almost perfectly average, can be this helpful for the 20-year-old, imagine how he'd look alongside a top-shelf floor general like Young. The Spurs have already entertained the idea and actually discussed a Young trade with the Hawks before the deadline, per The Ringer's Howard Beck.

His deep shooting range, off-the-bounce scoring and penchant for passing would all take offensive pressure off of Wembanyama. In return, the 7-footer could provide the kind of all-purpose defensive protection that actually allows a Young-led team to land inside the upper half of defensive efficiency ranks. This could prove to be a perfectly complementary pairing that gets San Antonio on the championship track sooner than later.

If the Hawks deal Young, they'd be wise to do business with the Spurs, who own two of Atlanta's future firsts (2025 and 2027) and have swap rights on another (2026)—all unprotected. San Antonio probably wouldn't fork over all three, but it could include at least one in a pick-heavy package for Young, which could also be supplemented with young talent.

The Spurs could have a different take on this, but it feels like anyone not named Wembanyama or Devin Vassell could be up for discussion in a Young deal.

Nets Bring Donovan Mitchell Back to Empire State

The Buzz

With a $37.1 million player option for the 2025-26 season, Donovan Mitchell could be just one year away from hitting the open market. Based on the latest buzz, that could be bad news for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who might need a deep playoff push to convince him to stick around.

"The buzz in NBA circles suggests that barring a run to the NBA Finals, Mitchell will decline an extension and look elsewhere, and the Cavaliers are more likely than not to move him well before he can leave outright as a free agent," wrote Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus, who also noted Mitchell is "all but certain" to decline that player option.

The Trade

The Brooklyn Nets are building around Mikal Bridges, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, which means two things. This roster has to significantly improve, and that improvement needs to happen fast, since the 27-year-old swingman (28 this August) is presumably in the heart of his prime.

Mitchell, a New York native, could serve as the offensive focal point Brooklyn badly needs. Bridges wears a bunch of different hats on the NBA hardwood, but he's not a go-to scorer. For that matter, neither is Cam Thomas, a streaky shooter with a forgettable assist-to-turnover ratio (2.9 against 1.9 per outing).

Getting Mitchell to Brooklyn—likely at the expense of Thomas, multiple firsts and whichever salary-fillers Cleveland would take—could give the Nets direction and a potential path up the Eastern Conference standings.

A healthy Mitchell is a wrecking ball on offense. A Bridges who doesn't have to run himself ragged on offense is elite on defense. That's a talented twosome to build around, and Brooklyn could still have the likes of Cam Johnson and Nic Claxton (who needs a new deal) in the supporting cast.

That probably isn't a contender without a few more pieces added to the puzzle, but it could be a second-tier team in the East. And if this season has taught us anything, it's that the conference's top tier could be shallower than you think.

As for Cleveland, if it can't get a long-term commitment from Mitchell, then it has no choice but to gauge offers for him at the very least. The Cavs paid a fortune to get him in Sept. 2022, so they can't afford to risk him leaving for nothing next summer.

And if they build back up their asset collection, they wouldn't have to be down for long, if at all. Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley still comprise an interesting core, and none is over the age of 25.

Find a difference-maker or two on the perimeter, and Cleveland could be back in business or even better built for long-term success.

Unless otherwise noted, statistics courtesy of Basketball Reference and NBA.com and current through games played on Wednesday.

Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on X, @ZachBuckleyNBA.