Each season, front offices determining whether they will be buyers or sellers shapes the NBA season, especially at the trade deadline. However, it is worthwhile to go beyond identification and game out what being a seller would actually look like because most teams have foundational pieces that will stick around and young players they intend to develop even if this season is not going as expected.
While the next month will clarify matters, there are only six West teams that appear extremely unlikely to significantly weaken their current rosters in exchange for long-term assets like young players and picks: the Jazz, Lakers, Clippers, Suns, Trail Blazers and Nuggets. Other teams will join them but it is worth gaming out what selling would look like for the other nine franchises.
