By Aidin Ebrahimi, SuperWest Sports
We’re approaching the trade deadline and the All-Star break, and in just a few days, we’ll have the answers to many of our questions.
Will the Miami Heat trade Jimmy Butler? Will the Lakers, Suns, Warriors, or Clippers add another piece to contend? Will the Chicago Bulls blow everything up?
Get ready for one of the wildest trade deadlines in league history.
But how are the league’s ex-SuperWest players doing? As always, I’m back with my monthly SuperWest report, covering the top veterans, rookies, and up-and-coming players.
Here are my selections and summaries for January.
Hot This Month
Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls, UCLA)
One of the biggest names on the trade block right now is Zach LaVine.
It feels like yesterday when the Bulls traded Jimmy Butler to the Timberwolves for LaVine, Kris Dunn, and Lauri Markkanen, but somehow, LaVine is in his eighth season as a Bull.
His tenure in the Windy City peaked in 2021-22 when he made his second consecutive All-Star appearance and helped the team reach the playoffs. LaVine signed a five-year max contract extension that summer, but things haven’t gone so well since then.
The Bulls failed to make the playoffs in 2022-23, and LaVine was mostly injured in 2023-24. So, it’s safe to say that LaVine entered this season with tons of pressure.

He started the year off with some inconsistency but has been on fire since the beginning of 2025. In his last 14 games, the former two-time Dunk Contest winner has averaged 27.9 points a night while shooting 53.2% from the field and 44.3% from the three-point line.
Despite LaVine’s best efforts, the Bulls aren’t going anywhere this season and are fighting for a Play-In spot once again.
This has led to speculation that the Bulls are ready to blow things up and move on from their SuperWest trio of LaVine, Lonzo Ball, and Nikola Vucevic.
The Bulls tried to trade LaVine away in the summer, but most teams weren’t interested. Now that his play has improved, teams such as the Lakers, Heat, and Warriors are trying to acquire the veteran before the trade deadline.
Jaden McDaniels (Minnesota Timberwolves, Washington)
Jaden McDaniels has become an integral part of the Timberwolves’ success during the Anthony Edwards era, with his defense and grit helping the team achieve its most success since the Kevin Garnett days.
McDaniels had a good run in the 2024 playoffs and was expected to continue his solid play in 2024-25. However, he started the year slowly, averaging 9.6 points a night and an average plus/minus of -1.5 in his first 30 games.
This led many Wolves fans to call for McDaniels to be traded.

Fortunately for McDaniels and the Wolves, he has stepped up big-time since the start of the new year, particularly since mid-January. He has been forced to play more minutes on the court due to injuries to the Timberwolves’ bench, and he has not disappointed.
In his last nine games, McDaniels has put up 14.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game with an average plus/minus of +4.3. Those same angry Wolves fans are embracing McDaniels once again, and want him to stay on the team for their next playoff run.
Rookie Report
Isaiah Collier (Utah Jazz, USC)
Talk about an unexpected breakout star! Former USC Trojan Isaiah Collier only played 17.3 minutes a night in his first 24 games in the NBA as he was recovering from a hamstring injury, putting up just 3.1 points and 3.4 assists per game.
However, everything has turned around for Collier in recent weeks. During his last 13 games, Collier has put up 9.8 points and 8.0 assists per game to overtake sophomore Keyonte George as the team’s starting point guard.
Collier had his best performance on January 12 against the Nets, scoring 23 points, dishing out seven assists, and grabbing seven rebounds. He also hit the game-winning shot in overtime, giving his squad their first win after a three-game losing streak.
After the game, Jazz head coach Will Hardy called him a “good basketball player,” and it’s clear how much he trusts the rookie. Interestingly, Collier only had one game in college with 8+ assists, something he has done six times in his last seven NBA games.
Adem Bona (Philadelphia 76ers, UCLA)
Patience pays off. Just a few weeks ago, Adem Bona was a virtual unknown. The second-round pick from UCLA barely played for the Sixers at the start of the season and spent most of his time in the G-League.
But he was called up after injuries to Joel Embiid, Andre Drummond, and KJ Martin. Bona has made the most out of this opportunity, scoring a field goal in each of his last eight games and having five games with over six rebounds.
He even earned his first career start on January 19, scoring 10 points and grabbing six boards before fouling out. He gets into foul trouble regularly, but that can be fixed with more time and experience.
The Great Comeback
Lonzo Ball (Chicago Bulls, UCLA)
After not playing on an NBA court for over 1000 days, Lonzo Ball finally returned to the court this season.
He was obviously a bit rusty to start the season, but his minutes and workload have gradually increased with each passing game.
Ball got his first start in 1094 days on January 12 and has been the starting point guard since January 20.
He has averaged 10.6 PPG while adding 1.8 steals a night on the defensive end in his last eight games.
Now, multiple contenders are interested in his services, and it’ll be fun to see where he’ll end up before the trade deadline.
Top Veterans
Chris Boucher (Toronto Raptors, Oregon)
Chris Boucher has seen it all, from playing for a junior college team to playing Division I basketball with the Oregon Ducks to winning the G-League’s MVP and becoming a two-time NBA champion.
Boucher is now in the final year of his contract with the Raptors and has been putting up solid numbers. He has scored 12.3 points in just 17.2 minutes a night on an absurd true shooting percentage of 80.0 in his last 11 games.
The 32-year-old is now being linked with a move to the Knicks before the trade deadline ends.
Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers, San Diego State)
Longtime readers know just how much I admire Kawhi Leonard’s game, and the two-time Finals MVP returned to the court on January 4.
He had a bit of a slow start but has been hooping despite his minutes restriction in recent games. Leonard is averaging 26.6 points and 1.4 steals per 36 minutes in his last five outings and has shot 54.9% from the floor.
Most impressive has been his plus/minus average of 15.8 over that span.