Anthony Slater: Draymond Green is coming up in trade talks (1:01)Anthony Slater joins “NBA Today” to discuss why Draymond Green’s name is coming up in trade talks. (1:01)
NBA insidersMultiple AuthorsFeb 4, 2026, 07:00 AM ET
The 2026 NBA trade deadline (Thursday, 3 p.m. ET) is one day away, with a flurry of blockbuster deals already beginning, including James Harden’s exit from the LA Clippers to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Darius Garland.
While the league and fans wait for another blockbuster deal, the regular season carries on, and teams turn their attention toward the postseason.
In the East, the Charlotte Hornets have gotten hot — riding a seven-game winning streak behind Rookie of the Year candidate Kon Knueppel. In the West, the Portland Trail Blazers have fallen due to a recent losing streak.
This week, we asked our NBA insiders to break down the player under the most pressure on each team. Whether it’s concerning the trade deadline, offseason expectations or general pressure for postseason success, which names should we be watching for the rest of the season?
Note: Team rankings are based on where members of our panel (ESPN’s Anthony Slater, Dave McMenamin, Jamal Collier, Kevin Pelton, Michael C. Wright, Bobby Marks, Tim Bontemps, Tim MacMahon, Vincent Goodwill and Zach Kram) think teams belong.
Cunningham might have the most responsibility of any No. 1 option, considering there’s not a high-level No. 2 in Detroit. The MVP candidate is the engine for everything Detroit does, leading the league in assists (9.8 per game). For the Pistons to perhaps make it to the conference finals or even further, he’ll have to be an even greater two-way player than he’s been. — Vincent Goodwill
After not getting an extension of his rookie contract done, Watson went into the season determined to prove his value. He’s responded with a breakout campaign, averaging a career-best 15.0 points while shooting 50.4% from the floor and 42.8% from 3-point range going into Tuesday’s game, positioning himself to be one of the offseason’s top free agents if he can maintain that production.
Watson starred during Nikola Jokic’s absence — averaging 22.1 points over 16 games — proving that he can be more than a 3-and-D role player. The challenge for Watson, 23, will be to continue doing the dirty work necessary for the Nuggets to make a deep playoff run while blocking out the distractions of his looming restricted free agency. — Tim MacMahon
Sochan hasn’t played in seven of San Antonio’s past 10 games due to injuries, and he’s fallen out of the club’s rotation, in part, because of the emergence of rookie forward Carter Bryant. But Sochan hasn’t fallen out of favor within the organization. The Spurs continue to compliment the 22-year-old’s professionalism in the face of inactivity.
When the former top-10 pick has gotten opportunities, he’s provided quality minutes. It’s likely that he’ll soon be doing that for another team, and that’s where the pressure will come for Sochan, who is set to become a restricted free agent. — Michael C. Wright
The All-Star leads the league in rebounding (11.9 per game), he’s a feared three-level scorer and could be the league’s best floor-spreading big. And yet, he always leaves people wanting more. He’s in the quiet center of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade talks, so he has to perform at a high level to get the Knicks out of the East and into the Finals. Where Jalen Brunson is the constant, Towns is always subject to critique. — Goodwill
Kevin Durant (sprained ankle) missed Monday’s victory against the Pacers, paving the way for second-year guard Sheppard to start his first game since Dec. 1. The pressure on Sheppard will be self-inflicted, considering the 21-year-old understands Houston sees him as a potential star in the future.
The absence of veteran Fred VanVleet provides more opportunity for Sheppard to grow at an accelerated rate. Sheppard has connected on 50% or better from the field in just two of his past 13 appearances, but the Rockets want him to maintain aggression offensively while continuing to make strides on the other end. — Wright
After being acquired for Anfernee Simons on Tuesday, Vucevic will likely be the one significant addition to a Celtics team that has overachieved without Jayson Tatum after several key players departed last summer. Vucevic is a quality shooting big (37% this season on over four attempts per game), who also has long been a reliable rebounder, which will make him useful in coach Joe Mazzulla’s center rotation with Neemias Queta. — Tim Bontemps
Unless something changes between now and Thursday afternoon, Edwards will remain under pressure as the Timberwolves continue searching for a point guard to take some of the creative load off the superstar guard’s plate. Up to this point, they haven’t been able to do so with former lottery pick Rob Dillingham failing to get going in Year 2. — Bontemps
At 31-20 through 51 games, the Suns are one of the undisputed feel-good teams this season, with a new coach in Jordan Ott and a revamped roster around Devin Booker. Jalen Green, however, has not been part of that story. Green has been limited to five games because of a pesky right hamstring issue, making his role with this Suns group largely unknown. He will see how he fits as he gets healthy with the playoffs approaching. — Dave McMenamin
Murray-Boyles’ veteran teammates might be facing more pressure overall. Brandon Ingram, for instance, has never won a playoff series.
But due to Jakob Poeltl’s lingering back injury, Murray-Boyles has been thrust into a situation filled with tremendous pressure: He’s now the 6-foot-7 starting center for a playoff team and charged with anchoring (along with Scottie Barnes) a top-10 defense as a rookie. Toronto might alleviate some of that pressure if it trades for a big man before the deadline, but for now the No. 9 pick in last year’s draft is poised to enter a gauntlet this spring. — Zach Kram
While there are arguments for how Luka Doncic is under pressure to lead L.A. on a playoff run as the new face of the franchise, or how LeBron James faces pressure to maximize what’s left of his career, the true pressure falls on Reaves’ shoulders.
The fifth-year guard was enjoying a career-best season, averaging 26.6 points, before being sidelined since Christmas with a left calf strain. While Reaves returned Tuesday night against the Nets with 15 points and one assist, he needs to stay healthy with a $241 million max extension potentially on the table this summer. — McMenamin
With Harden’s exit officially ending the Clippers’ LA-laden approach — with only Kawhi Leonard remaining from their former SoCal foursome that once included Paul George and Russell Westbrook — in comes the new kid from Gary, Indiana.
While Garland became a two-time All-Star in Cleveland, the end of his time with the Cavaliers was marred by his lack of availability — he missed four playoff games last season and 25 games so far this season. It’s imperative that he return to the court to show what he can do for his new franchise. — McMenamin
If he remains with the Warriors, there is an expectation that he will get a runway in the absence of Jimmy Butler III. Steve Kerr has already said he will be a major part of the rotation when he returns from a minor bone bruise in the coming days. — Slater
The Clippers loss has been to the benefit of the Heat. Acquired in the offseason, Powell became only the seventh player to make their first All-Star game in his 11th season or later. For the second straight campaign, Powell is averaging greater than 20 points while shooting 39% on 3-pointers.
Going into Tuesday night’s game, the Heat were five games above .500 in the contests Powell played. An unrestricted free agent in the offseason, Powell is eligible until June 30 to sign a four-year $128.5M extension. — Bobby Marks
Players under the most pressure: Baron Davis, Eddie Jones, Brad Miller, David Wesley and the 1999-2000 Hornets
Their eight-game winning streak has been the longest in Charlotte for more than a quarter-century, but the Hornets are a win away from matching it. Thanks in large part to their 55-point win at Utah, the Hornets finished January tied with the Miami Heat (December 2010) for the best point differential in road games in a month in NBA history.
Charles Lee was rewarded as Eastern Conference Coach of the Month, while Brandon Miller earned his first career Player of the Week nod. — Kevin Pelton
It is rare that a player not selected in the lottery eventually becomes the face of a franchise. But with Trae Young now in Washington, the responsibility has fallen on Johnson. Named to his first All-Star game as a reserve, the 24-year-old is averaging career highs in points (23.3), rebounds (10.5) and 3-point shooting (36%). More importantly, Atlanta is 10-5 this season when Johnson has shot greater than 50% from deep. — Marks
The Bulls have seven players with expiring contracts on their roster approaching the deadline, including White, the seventh-year guard whose future is the most uncertain within the organization. White will expect a significant raise in the offseason after outplaying a three-year, $36 million contract.
Still, he has also had an uneven season while recovering from a nagging calf injury. Chicago has been testing the market for White but has been unable to find a significant return as the Bulls hope to alleviate the logjam in their backcourt. — Collier
The Blazers need Avdija to get healthy to keep their offense afloat. On Sunday, when Avdija was deservedly chosen for his first All-Star Game, he also missed his sixth game in the past two and a half weeks with a back strain.
Avdija also sat out Tuesday’s game at Phoenix, leaving his debut for All-Star weekend in jeopardy. Sunday’s loss was their fifth in a row, and while point guard Scoot Henderson is on the verge of returning from a season-long absence due to a severe hamstring strain, expecting Henderson to step immediately into a leading role is unfair. — Pelton