Western Notes: Clippers, Durant, Mavericks, Blazers
The Clippers‘ decision to trade Tobias Harris was part of their larger plan to sign Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard this summer, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic. With its current roster, L.A. can create up to $53.19MM in cap room, enough for one maximum contract and about $20MM to chase a second star. But Amick reports that the Clippers have a plan to open space for two max deals, even if they can’t find a taker for Danilo Gallinari before today’s trade deadline. Gallinari is owed $22.6MM for next season.
The Clippers are also excited about the assets they received in the Sixers deal, Amick adds. They weren’t committed to giving Harris a max offer this summer, so they moved him for four draft picks (Miami’s first-rounder in 2021, Philadelphia’s first-rounder in 2020 with three years of lottery protection, plus Detroit’s second-rounders in 2021 and 2023) plus a promising rookie in Landry Shamet.
Amick also notes that Steve Ballmer’s willingness to spend gives the Clippers an edge in building a contender. He’s by far the wealthiest owner in the NBA and has connections to the tech industry that many players find appealing.
There’s more from the Western Conference:
- Free agency is nearly five months away, but Durant is already testy about speculation over his future, relays Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. Breaking a week-long silence with the media, Durant lashed out at reporters after Wednesday’s game. “I have nothing to do with the Knicks,” he said. “I don’t know who traded (Kristaps) Porzingis. That’s got nothing to do with me. I’m trying to play basketball. Y’all come in here every day, ask me about free agency, ask my teammates, my coaches, rile up the fans about it. Let us play basketball. That’s all I’m saying.”
- The Mavericks have traded four of their five starters over the past week as they start to build a new team around Luka Doncic, notes Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News. Harrison Barnes was sent to Sacramento last night after last week’s blockbuster that brought in Porzingis for Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews. “This week is a zoo,” coach Rick Carlisle said, “but that’s part of the compelling business of our league.”
- The Trail Blazers have a $3.5MM trade exception remaining if they want to swing one more deal before the deadline, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). Portland declined the chance to create a pair of small exceptions worth $1.5MM in the trade for Rodney Hood.
- Pelicans center Jahlil Okafor has chosen an agent after being without representation since September, tweets Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal. He signed with Excel Sports and will have Sean Kennedy as his agent.
Lakers’ Anthony Davis Trade Talks Remain Dormant
Discussions between the Lakers and Pelicans about a possible Anthony Davis trade remain “dormant” with the trade deadline about three hours away, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
According to Wojnarowski, there has been no communication between the two teams and there’s not necessarily an expectation that they’ll even talk today. New Orleans seems content to run out the clock and revisit the Davis trade market in the offseason, Woj adds.
The Lakers pursued Davis for about a week following his trade request, but reportedly pulled out of talks on Tuesday because they felt as if they were bidding against themselves. There was a belief that the Lakers’ withdrawal from discussions was designed to get the Pelicans – who never countered L.A.’s offers – to be more active. However, it doesn’t appear New Orleans in any rush to get return to the negotiating table.
The Pelicans believe there will be more options available to them in the offseason, as teams open cap room, restrictions on the Celtics‘ ability to acquire Davis lift, and the Knicks find out where they land in the draft lottery.
[RELATED: Celtics Reluctant To Make Promises But Prepared To Offer ‘Explosive’ Package For AD]
New Orleans also reportedly believes that the Lakers’ best offer – which was said to include Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Kyle Kuzma, Ivica Zubac, and a pair of first-round picks – will still be on the table in the summer, though L.A. has pushed back against that notion.
Much can change in three hours, so it’s possible the Davis rumor mill will pick up steam before today’s 2:00pm CT deadline. For now though, it appears the Pelicans may be content to try their luck on the trade market after the season.
Lamar Odom, More Former NBA Players Join BIG3
Longtime NBA forward Lamar Odom, who spent 14 seasons with the Clippers, Lakers, Heat, and Mavericks, has become the latest addition to the BIG3 player pool, the league announced on Thursday (via Twitter).
Odom hasn’t played in the NBA since 2012/13, when he wrapped up his career with the Clippers. He signed with a team in Spain in 2014, but lasted just two games before returning home with a back injury. The former NBA champion has battled addiction issues and survived a drug overdose several years ago, but is healthy now and indicated back in the fall that he intended to join Ice Cube’s three-on-three league.
Odom is one of a handful of former NBA players who have joined the BIG3 within the last week, as the league has slowly been revealing the new additions to its player pool for the upcoming 2019 season. Besides Odom, the following players are poised to play in the BIG3 for the first time this year:
- Steve Blake, G (link)
- Will Bynum, G (link)
- Daniel Gibson, G (link)
- C.J. Watson, G (link)
- Royce White, F (link)
White is a former first-round pick while the other four veterans all played in the NBA for at least seven seasons. Watson suited up for an NBA squad most recently, appearing in 62 games for Orlando in 2016/17.
As we previously relayed, the BIG3 is adding four new teams for the 2019 season and expanding its schedule. In 2018, a team featuring longtime NBA players Corey Maggette, Glen Davis, Cuttino Mobley, and Quentin Richardson – and coached by Hall-of-Famer Nancy Lieberman – won the league’s title.
Ariza, Green In Wizards’ Plans Beyond 2018/19
After making a pair of trades last night, the Wizards figure to be quiet today, according to Ben Standig of NBC Sports.
Bradley Beal, the subject of trade rumors for much of the year, will remain on the roster, along with upcoming free agents Trevor Ariza and Jeff Green, who are both in the team’s plans beyond this season, a source tells Standig.
Washington dipped below the luxury tax line Wednesday by sending Otto Porter to the Bulls in exchange for Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker and shipping Markieff Morris and a 2023 second-round pick to the Pelicans for Wesley Johnson. Porter’s contract, which pays him $55MM over the next two seasons, left the Wizards with little financial flexibility.
Ariza, who was acquired from the Suns in December, is “enthusiastic” about re-signing with Washington, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). He’s averaging career highs in points (15.2) and assists (4.2) since coming back to the Wizards. Green, who is playing for the veterans minimum, is averaging 12.5 PPG while shooting 36.5% from 3-point range.
Washington now has just four players with contracts that extend beyond this season — Beal, John Wall, Ian Mahinmi and rookie Troy Brown. Portis, Tomas Satoransky, Thomas Bryant and Sam Dekker will all be restricted free agents.
Trade Rumors: Gasol, Conley, Hornets, Wolves, Suns
The Grizzlies hold two of the NBA’s biggest trade chips as today’s trade deadline approaches, and the two teams linked most frequently to Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, respectively, remain in the hunt for those players, according to reports.
Marc Stein of The New York Times tweeted this morning that the Hornets continue to engage the Grizzlies on a potential deal for Gasol, which has been rumored throughout the week, and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski confirms (via Twitter) that the two teams are still trying to bridge the gap in those talks.
Meanwhile, on the Conley front, the Jazz have been most frequently cited as a potential landing spot for the veteran point guard. Despite whispers that Conley prefers not to end up in Utah, the Jazz haven’t abandoned their efforts to acquire him, according to Stein, who tweets that Memphis has considered waiting until the offseason to revisit Conley trade talks.
Even if Gasol and/or Conley stay put, it could still be an active deadline in Memphis. Stein notes (via Twitter) that JaMychal Green is attracting trade interest. Garrett Temple and Justin Holiday have also been mentioned as potential trade candidates.
Here are a few more trade rumors from across the league:
- While their focus is on Gasol for now, the Hornets were in the mix for Harrison Barnes before he was sent to Sacramento, according to Stein (Twitter link).
- The Timberwolves haven’t made any serious progress on any deals, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News, who observes (via Twitter) that the Jeff Teague, Gorgui Dieng, and Taj Gibson contracts won’t be easy to move due to large cap hits and – in the case of Teague and Dieng – multiyear commitments. Anthony Tolliver, on a smaller expiring contract, has generated interest and could be moved today, Wolfson adds.
- League sources tell Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic that the Suns haven’t talked to the Lakers about a Lonzo Ball deal and that Josh Jackson and T.J. Warren aren’t expected to go anywhere today.
- Although there may be an outside perception that Anthony Davis‘ trade request has destabilized the Pelicans, none of his teammates have shown even a hint of animosity toward him, as Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com details. Head coach Alvin Gentry called Davis “a great kid,” while teammate Jrue Holiday said, he “loves” having AD around. “He’s like my big brother. He takes care of me,” Jahlil Okafor said of Davis. “… Selfishly, I would love to be by him every day like I have been this year. But at the end of the day, I just want him to be happy.”
Kevin Durant Rips Media For Free Agency Speculation
After not speaking to beat reporters for nearly a week and a half – before the Knicks traded Kristaps Porzingis – Warriors star Kevin Durant broke his silence on Wednesday after the Warriors’ win over San Antonio. As Nick Friedell of ESPN.com relays, Durant sounded “angry and frustrated” as he explained why he had avoided the media since the Porzingis deal.
“I have nothing to do with the Knicks,” Durant said. “I don’t know who traded Porzingis. They got nothing to do with me. I’m trying to play basketball. Y’all come in here every day, ask me about free agency, ask my teammates, my coaches. You rile up the fans about it. Let us play basketball. That’s all I’m saying. And now when I don’t wanna talk to y’all, it’s a problem with me.”
As Durant alludes to, speculation about his free agency destination has heated up since the Knicks traded Porzingis. That move appeared designed to clear two maximum-salary slots for this summer’s free agent class, which KD will headline.
There’s an “overwhelming sense” around the NBA that Durant is destined to sign with the Knicks, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. Ethan Strauss of The Athletic conveyed a similar sentiment earlier in the week, writing that insiders around the league believe the former MVP will leave Golden State for New York.
Whether or not that’s the case, Durant doesn’t want to talk about it now, as he made clear on Wednesday night, when he singled out Strauss’ piece as an example of the type of article that irks him.
“It’s unnecessary,” Durant said of the speculation about his free agency, per Friedell. “You got a dude, Ethan Strauss, who comes in here and just gives his whole opinion on stuff and makes it seem like it’s coming from me. And he just walks around here, don’t talk to nobody, just walk in here and survey and write something like that, and now you gotta pile on me because I don’t wanna talk to y’all about that.”
Durant won’t become a free agent for nearly five more months, so there’s still time for plenty of speculation and analysis on his upcoming decision. But his comments on Wednesday suggested he’ll probably try to avoid addressing the subject.
“I just don’t trust none of y’all,” Durant told reporters, including Friedell. “Every time I say something it’s getting twisted up and thrown out and in so any different publications, trying to tear me down with my words that I say. So when I don’t say nothing, it’s a problem. I just wanna play ball. I wanna go to the gym and go home. That’s all. Is that a problem? All right then.”
Eastern Trade Rumors: Cavs, A. Holiday, Kaminsky, Raps
It has been a busy season on the trade market for the Cavaliers, who entered sell mode early and have moved Kyle Korver, George Hill, and Alec Burks in separate deals over the course of the 2018/19 campaign.
Even after all that action, the Cavaliers may not be done dealing, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who reports that Cleveland’s front office is still exploring the market in search of a possible home for J.R. Smith. Although the Cavs plan to continue their efforts to move Smith right up until today’s deadline, making a deal is “easier said than done,” a source tells Fedor.
Despite the fact that Smith is on a pseudo-expiring contract, with only $3.87MM of his $15.68MM salary for 2019/20 guaranteed, his $14.72MM cap hit for this season – and the fact that he hasn’t played in an NBA game since mid-November – will be a tough sell. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Smith ultimately ends up on the buyout market after the deadline.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- We’ve heard that the Pacers might be willing to move Cory Joseph and Darren Collison, but it’s their other point guard – rookie Aaron Holiday – who has been a popular target for teams making inquiries, writes J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star. Although Indiana initially took those calls, the club has now pulled Holiday off the table and has no plans to deal him this week, a source tells Michael.
- While the Hornets remain in the mix for Marc Gasol, they’re also still on the lookout for a potential landing spot for Frank Kaminsky, independent of a Gasol deal, tweets Sporting News’ Sean Deveney. Kaminsky, who has played just 41 minutes in Charlotte’s last 23 games, would presumably welcome a change of scenery.
- Despite some rumors this week involving the Raptors, Mike Conley, and Kyle Lowry, there’s currently no traction on a Toronto deal that would include those players, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.
- The Magic and the Bulls are among the clubs that have expressed some level of interest in Clippers point guard Milos Teodosic, according to Orazio Cauchi of Sportando, who hears that a Teodosic trade is still possible. As we heard earlier in the season, the former EuroLeague star also continues to draw plenty of interest from international teams, Cauchi notes.
Hoops Rumors’ 2019 NBA Trade Deadline Primer
The usual last-minute flurry of action, which typically takes place on the day of the NBA trade deadline, began early this year. Seven trades were officially completed on Wednesday – or very early on Thursday morning – and two more deals were agreed upon, with noteworthy players like Tobias Harris, Otto Porter, and Harrison Barnes changing teams.
As eventful as Wednesday was, we still have more than six hours until the trade deadline arrives at 2:00pm central time today. And trade candidates like Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, and – of course – Anthony Davis remain on the market.
We’ll be keeping tabs on all the latest news and rumors all day long on Hoops Rumors, leading up to 2:00pm. That includes a live deadline day chat which should get underway around noon CT.
In the meantime, here are some of our features and trackers to help you prepare for today’s action:
- Trades completed so far during the 2018/19 season
- Analysis on trade candidates from around the NBA
- Current NBA roster counts
- Players with the ability to veto trades
- Players with trade kickers
- Players who are ineligible to be traded
- Teams with traded player exceptions available
- Hoops Rumors Glossary: Explaining the traded player exception
- Teams with disabled player exceptions available
- Traded 2019 first round picks
- Traded 2019 second round picks
- Players whose draft rights are held by NBA teams
- Cash sent and received in NBA trades in 2018/19
Trade Rumors: Davis, Randolph, Wolves, Morris
The Knicks and Lakers are equal on Anthony Davis‘ list of preferred destinations, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times. The Clippers and Bucks also remain in the top four, Stein adds. New York may make a bid for Davis before the deadline, but it should be in a stronger position after the draft lottery when everyone knows where its first-rounder will fall (Twitter link).
League sources tell Stein that Davis doesn’t expect to sign his next contract before he reaches free agency in 2020, no matter where he is by then (Twitter link). That means anyone who trades for Davis won’t be assured of a long-term extension.
He has been sidelined with a fractured left index finger, but Davis intends to resume playing regardless of what happens at the trade deadline (Twitter link). He has received medical clearance to return to action, but the Pelicans haven’t divulged their plans for Davis if there’s no trade on Thursday. He was held out of two games this week to avoid further injury.
Here’s a roundup of rumors heading into the trade deadline:
- The Lakers are running out of hope that a Davis trade will be completed before the deadline, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Pelicans GM Dell Demps hasn’t responded to Magic Johnson’s latest offer, and it appears New Orleans is content to run out the clock. The Pelicans may never have been serious about dealing with L.A. and might have been trying to sabotage the Lakers as revenge for what they consider to be tampering, tweets Rachel Nichols, host of ESPN’s “The Jump.” “It’s not just possible, it’s what happened,” colleague Brian Windhorst said today in an appearance on the show.
- The Mavericks will have buyout talks with newly acquired Zach Randolph, Wojnarowski tweets. The 37-year-old hasn’t played yet this season, but he may be able to help a contender.
- The Timberwolves continue to look for someone to take Jeff Teague and Gorgui Dieng, sources tell Chris Hine of The Star-Tribune. Teague has a $19MM player option for next season, while Dieng still has two seasons left on his four-year, $63MM deal. Minnesota hasn’t found much interest, but it may be willing to attach Derrick Rose, Taj Gibson, Anthony Tolliver or Luol Deng as incentives.
- New Pelican Markieff Morris could become a buyout candidate once he’s fully recovered from a neck injury, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
- The Thunder plan to watch what the Suns do with Wayne Ellington and may be interested if he hits the buyout market, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News (Twitter link).
Kings Acquire Harrison Barnes From Mavericks
FEBRUARY 7, 12:43am: The trade is now official, according to a press release from the Mavericks. The club confirmed it has released Mejri, who will become a free agent if he clears waivers.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), assuming Dallas uses its recently-created Wesley Matthews traded player exception to absorb Randolph’s salary, the team should generate a new TPE worth $21,299,378. It would be the largest trade exception in NBA history.
FEBRUARY 7, 12:13am: Because they’re acquiring two players in exchange for one, the Mavericks will need to waive a player to finalize the trade. That player will be Salah Mejri, according to Mike Fisher of DallasBasketball.com (Twitter link). Mejri was informed of the decision during Wednesday’s game vs. Charlotte, per JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link).
FEBRUARY 6, 9:18pm: The Mavericks are finalizing a trade that will send Harrison Barnes to Sacramento, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Justin Jackson and Zach Randolph will be heading to Dallas, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). There are no picks involved in the deal, confirms Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link).
The Kings are hoping for a long-term arrangement with Barnes, who has a $25.1MM player option for next season, Woj adds (Twitter link). He has been a consistent scorer during his two and a half years in Dallas, peaking at 19.2 PPG in 2016/17. He is averaging 17.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in 48 games this season.
Sacramento, which is the only team with remaining cap space, will use $10.5MM to complete the trade, posts Bobby Marks on ESPN Now. Barnes has an 8% trade bonus that comes to $686,443 if the deal is finalized tomorrow. The Kings will have $21MM in cap room this summer if Barnes opts in or $45.2MM if he doesn’t. Today’s trades will leave Sacramento with an open roster spot.
The Kings appear serious about making a run at a playoff spot, which seems more available after the Clippers traded Tobias Harris early this morning. Sacramento started the day in ninth place at 28-25, just one game behind L.A.
The trade leaves Dallas close to being able to offer a maximum contract in free agency this summer, tweets ESPN’s Zach Lowe. Jackson will make $3.28MM next season and Randolph has an $11.7MM expiring contract. Lowe states that the position of the Mavericks’ 2019 first-round pick could determine whether they can reach a full max deal. Dallas won’t have that pick – or the associated cap hold – unless it lands in the top five.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.