Teams That Smell That Smelly Smell of… Desperate

These are, inarguably, the dog days of the NBA season for fans, players, and coaching staffs.

The Cup has come and gone, the early-season optimism has faded for some, there’s just enough fatigue where everyone, physically and emotionally, is in need of the All-Star break, and the playoff ramp-up feels out of reach.

That being said, we are less than a month away from the February 5th NBA trade deadline. Those that still feel like they could give a last-second heave to salvage either what is left of the season or correct good to great is in play, as well as some teams may already be looking towards the salivating prospects of the 2026 draft class.

There are some teams that will make the big swing because they reek what Eugene Krabs refers to as “that smelly smell that smells…” of desperation. And it is awfully hard to get out of uniforms.

Trae Young was the first domino to fall in that Atlanta was desperate to save the season by ending his ball-dominant play style, but it’s been all quiet on the Western Front across the league otherwise.

It’s time to sniff around and see who might have the stench with some big names that have been continuously thrown out there, but just haven’t moved yet.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks smelled of desperation before the season started when they gave Myles Turner a 4-year contract and waived Damian Lillard, a move that will now pay him $22 million over the next 5 years to play for a different team. Giannis Antetokounmpo is holding them over the barrel to either turn them into a contender or shadow trade him and look like the bad guy because Giannis looking like the villain to the city of Milwaukee, a team he brought a title to, is out of the picture to him.

Unless the Bucks fall even further out of contention for the play-in and Giannis finally opens up about wanting out, they’ll make a last-second effort to get him to stay by moving for a superstar exactly the way they did for Lillard (which didn’t exactly work!). They’re in the shopping business of names like Kyle Kuzma, Bobby Portis, or Ryan Rollins for what would only squander depth in order to appease their home-grown prince. 

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers sold their souls and assets for the next several years for an old roster, no draft picks, bad karma by embezzling money to Kawhi Leonard, and a new LA stadium. They quite literally have nothing to lose because it only benefits Oklahoma City. That being said, when you have nothing to lose, what are more assets you give up to make a big swing? They could move a lot of money in John Collins and Bogdanovic, and simultaneously get younger after Kawhi actually playing games has turned their season

around. After digging themselves into a 6-21 hole, they’ve gone 8-2, Kawhi scored over 25 in all 8 of those wins, and they’re only behind a Memphis team that wants to trade Ja Morant ahead of the deadline to get that 10th spot. It’s miraculous, and no one would be more desperate to make a roster with nothing to lose as a contender than someone mad with money like Steve Ballmer.

Miami Heat

The Heat have lost 3 in a row and are coming off two straight seasons of first-round playoff exits. They’ve gone from being the most recognizable team in a hotbed destination in the Heatles Era to making the Finals fueled by Jimmy Butler dawg-edness and “Heat Culture” to now just being a deep team with a coach that will get Norm Powell to somehow turn into an All-Star.

Not only is it not working with unforgettable seasons, but it’s also not the Heat brand. They have enough solid pieces in the Pat Riley big boss move era to make a big swing as a destination city and get out of this play-in champion hamster wheel they’ve been confined to since Jimmy requested out. Despite turning it around offensively, it’s clearly not enough, and they have the ammo to go after a superstar and still have a competent coach in Erik Spoelstra to recover the locker room if things go awry. Does that mean we’re advocating for Ja Morant to have the time of his life in South Beach? Absolutely not. Could he perform better next to Bam Adebayo instead of a team that doesn’t want him anymore? Possibly!

New York Knicks

I mean, is there any bigger pressure cooker in America than the New York sports scene? We’re up to 3 fantastic Knicks seasons in a row that have led to playoff exits before the Finals, last year the most devastating that led to the firing of Tom Thibodeau. The hiring of Mike Brown, bringing everyone back, adding bench pieces for depth, and the Pacers taking a step back lineup to be a Finals-or-bust year for the Knicks.

They haven’t pulled the desperation Giannis trigger move yet, despite reports he may want to play on the big stage. Still, after winning the NBA Cup they’ve clearly been outmatched by the Pistons in the East, they lost 5 of 6 to start the new year and the reality is that they’re relying on Jalen Brunson to be the man every night despite his size, KAT to be more than just a shoot-first big man down low after he was big bodied by Detroit. A Josh Hart injury didn’t help. They could still make moves along the margins rather than a huge move to fix their scoring woes, despite this being just a brief slump, given how well-equipped they are to win it all when everything is cooking.

Houston Rockets

This is a new one where we might be getting a big whiff of desperation for the first time in H-Town.

Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

On January 5th, the Rockets were 21-11 and just a game behind Denver for the fourth spot in a loaded Western Conference. Early MVP candidate Alperen Sengun was the clear best player on the team, allowing KEVIN DURANT to be a bonus piece before getting an ankle sprain. Reed Sheppard was fixed, shooting threes more efficiently and looking like the offensive prospect the draft nerds made him out to be, and Amen Thompson and Steven Adams were Dothrakis, attacking the boards to be the #1 rebounding team in the league.

They’ve since lost 4 of 5, with those coming to Dallas, twice to Portland, and Sacramento. Kevin Durant is throwing water bottles in frustration, and Ime Udoka is mad about “having to rely on a 37-year-old.” This was a team we thought was in the tier just below Oklahoma City and is now in the play-in tournament that fast in the West.

We thought the problems were fixed, and they no longer needed to make another win-now move to pair with Durant at the start of the year. Still, the frustration for a team with such a high ceiling that Durant came to win makes the world think you’re a desperate times come for desperate measures team, especially when Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason have been complete afterthoughts despite their physical talent on paper.