Dallas Mavericks trade rumors: 5 bold predictions for the 2023 Trade Deadline

Dallas Mavericks 2023 trade deadline bold prediction: 3. West gets wild with deals

The Western Conference standings have been tight all season. The Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs are both headed toward the lottery and more than 20 games under .500. That is it, though. They are the only two teams that are out of the race.

On the morning of Jan. 30, the Lakers are 13th in the West, but they are just two games out of the play-in tournament and five games behind third. Crazier yet, fifth and ninth in the standings are separated by 0.5 games. Fourth and 11th are two games apart. Yes, a team can go from having homecourt in the first round of the playoffs to missing the play-in tournament with a two-game skid.

Things are wide open in the conference for the first time in a while and every team is looking to take advantage. The Kings are starving to get into the postseason and snap their 17-year playoff drought. The Timberwolves and Clippers are all in. Dallas, Phoenix, and New Orleans all believe they can win the Western Conference with a small upgrade to their roster.

Expect deals to be flying left and right because the standings are so crowded, and there will be some basketball-related trades too. Teams will be swapping big men for guards and getting creative as they look to gain an edge in the jam-packed standings.