Lakers Recruiting Darren Collison?
A familiar face was in attendance at Staples Center on Thursday night, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, who writes that veteran point guard Darren Collison watched the Lakers host the Rockets in a second-row seat near team owner Jeanie Buss.
Collison, who was said last month to be mulling an NBA return, would reportedly prefer to stay on the West Coast and play for the Lakers or Clippers if he makes a comeback. A source tells ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne that the Lakers were “recruiting” Collison, who plans to discuss his next step over the next week with his agent and family. A decision appears likely to come after All-Star weekend.
For his part, Collison was unwilling to give any hints about whether his presence at Staples Center on Thursday night suggests he’s leaning toward joining the Lakers.
“Just watching the game, ain’t nothing to it,” Collison told ESPN. “Got the best seats in the house.”
Of the two Los Angeles teams, the Lakers – who could use one more play-maker in their backcourt – may have a greater need for Collison, but they currently have a full 15-man roster so they’d need to waive someone to open up a spot. The Clippers, on the other hand, are expected to have two openings once they officially waive Isaiah Thomas. For what it’s worth, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer tweeted on Thursday that league sources have “long believed” Collison would prefer the Lakers.
Of course, before Collison picks a team, he’ll have to decide whether or not he actually wants to return to the NBA after his surprise retirement last summer. ESPN analyst Matt Barnes said on Thursday that Collison told him he’s still “50/50” on whether to play.
Daryl Morey Talks Covington, Tax, Buyout Market, Playoffs
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey faced criticism in some circles this week for his decision to move center Clint Capela in a deal for Robert Covington, creating an extra-small lineup that has head coach Mike D’Antoni playing Covington and P.J. Tucker as his de facto “bigs.” While there’s skepticism that Houston can seriously contend for a title playing that form of small-ball, the experiment is off to a good start, with a road win over the Lakers in Covington’s first game on Thursday.
Speaking to Mark Medina of USA Today about the Rockets’ new-look roster and the club’s approach to the deadline, Morey said that Covington is a player Houston had been “trying to get for a long time.” He also shared a few more interesting insights on that deal and expectations for the Rockets as the postseason nears.
The interview is worth checking out in full, but here are some of the highlights from Morey:
On why the Rockets made a major trade after Morey previously suggested they likely wouldn’t:
“It was really just Covington becoming available. We’ve been working on that for a long time. We thought he’d be a perfect piece to play the style we thought would be best for two superstars on our roster. Clint is an extremely good player and one we did not want to give up. But it was required in this deal. Without the perfect piece for how we wanted to play becoming available, Clint would still be here. That was really the only way to get this done.”
On whether Rockets ownership prioritized getting out of the luxury tax:
“No. Actually, I’m being totally up front. I was getting strong encouragement to go the other way.
“… Ownership incorrectly gets beat up. We operate like every other team in the NBA. When you’re a contender, you’re right around the luxury tax line. That’s how we’ve always operated. That’s how we’ve operated since I’ve been here since 2006. We still have a huge payroll in the league. I know people like to focus on it. But that’s a weird thing. Focus on the team on the floor. If people don’t like that we don’t have a big man or don’t like how we play, that’s fine. But judge us for how we are.”
On how the Rockets will approach the buyout market:
“Honestly, we’re just going for best player. We like how we’re playing. People are saying, ‘You have to get a big this or a big that.’ But we’re going for the best player. If that’s a big, we’ll go grab it and figure out if he can fit into our style. If it’s a wing, we’ll do that. We feel very comfortable with our roster. We like where we’re at. We think this is a team that can win the championship. But if we can add a good player in the buyout market, we’ll do it. But we’re not counting on the buyout market.”
On expectations for the Rockets in this year’s playoffs:
“The Lakers deserve to be called the favorites (to come out of the West). They play better than anyone to this point. They’re playing unbelievable basketball at both ends. So they’re the favorite. We’re in a group with the Clippers, Utah and Denver and the other top contenders in the West to fight with them. But we feel very comfortable we can beat the Lakers.”
Wolves Notes: Towns, Russell, Tax, Beasley
Less than 24 hours after Karl-Anthony Towns expressed his frustration with the state of the Timberwolves – and the fact that the team can’t seem to buy a win – Minnesota’s front office made arguably the biggest trade-deadline splash, acquiring D’Angelo Russell from Golden State. Speaking to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Towns sounded pretty happy that the Wolves’ lengthy pursuit of his good friend had finally paid off.
“I’d be lying if I told you I thought it was possible,” Towns said. “I’m shocked like everybody else. We’ve been putting it into the universe since Day 1. We’ve never been shy about saying it in the media or interviews or wherever it may be. If you want something to happen, you have to keep believing and keep saying it to the universe and repeating it and one day the universe will hear it and give you your wish.”
Although Towns is only in the first season of a five-year, maximum-salary contract, the Timberwolves’ lack of forward progress this season has been troubling. The team didn’t want its franchise player to start looking for an exit ramp as its losses continued to pile up. And it appears that the acquisition of Russell should assuage those concerns, at least for now.
“I think with D-Lo here, it’s always going to be a big incentive for me to want to stay,” Towns told Krawczynski. “D-Lo is a big part of everything the vision is. D-Lo always knows he’s going to be wanted because his brother is here with him and he always knows he’s going to have his back covered because I’m always going to be there for him.”
Here’s more on the Wolves:
- Here’s more from Towns, via Krawczynski, on his enthusiasm for teaming up with Russell: “First off we’re not friends, we’re brothers. That’s like blood to me. Why I think we’re going to be great, when you see the great teams in history, they always had a great big man and a great guard. I think we now have those two things set up for success.”
- As Chris Hine of The Star Tribune tweets, and as Krawczynski writes for The Athletic, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor signed off on going into luxury-tax territory to complete the Russell trade. The team’s 2019/20 salary is currently over the tax line by just $1,324,442, per John Hollinger of The Athletic, so the penalty will be minimal. “We wanted to get going on a better year,” Taylor told Krawczynski. “I told them that if we had to do it, we’ll do it.”
- Taylor told Krawczynski that all of the Timberwolves’ moves this year were made with an eye toward acquiring Russell, which was always the team’s No. 1 priority. He also explained why Minnesota pushed to get a deal with the Warriors done now: “I didn’t anticipate that we would have this rough of a season. I wanted and expected a team that would be vying to get into the playoffs. We started that way and then we just fell apart. That is a part of the evaluation process you go through. (President of basketball operations) Gersson (Rosas) decided, rather than wait, he wanted to try to start to get his team in place now rather than wait for next year.”
- Acquiring Russell is a high-risk, high-reward move for the Wolves, according to Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune, who suggests D-Lo and Towns have the talent to become “the most influential long-term teammates in Wolves history.”
- Pointing to Russell’s and Towns’ defensive limitations, Hollinger notes at The Athletic that the team will have to complement its stars with above-average defenders at the two, three, and four.
- Newly-acquired Wolves shooting guard Malik Beasley is in a good position to squeeze the team for a big contract in restricted free agency this summer, writes ESPN’s Zach Lowe. As Lowe observes, Minnesota will be under pressure to re-sign Beasley after making him one of the key pieces in the Robert Covington trade.
2020 NBA Trade Deadline Recap
The 2020 trade deadline wasn’t quite as eventful as 2019’s record-setting deadline, but we still got a flurry of activity before the clock struck 2:00pm central time on Thursday afternoon.
Although it was a quiet week for several potential contenders, including the Lakers, Bucks, Raptors, and Celtics, big-name trade candidates like D’Angelo Russell and Andre Drummond were on the move and a total of 11 deals were officially completed on deadline day.
We’ll use the space below to recap all of 2020’s deadline deals, starting with the moves that were finalized on Thursday.
Trades completed on deadline day:
Timberwolves finally land D’Angelo Russell (story)
- Timberwolves acquire D’Angelo Russell, Omari Spellman, and Jacob Evans.
- Warriors acquire Andrew Wiggins, the Timberwolves’ 2021 first-round pick (top-three protected), and the Timberwolves’ 2021 second-round pick.
- Note: The Timberwolves’ 2021 first-round pick will become unprotected in 2022 if it’s not conveyed in ’21.
Cavaliers emerge as surprise landing spot for Andre Drummond (story)
- Cavaliers acquire Andre Drummond.
- Pistons acquire Brandon Knight, John Henson, and either the Cavaliers’ or Warriors’ 2023 second-round pick (whichever is less favorable).
Clippers beat out Lakers for Marcus Morris in three-team trade (story)
- Clippers acquire Marcus Morris and Isaiah Thomas.
- Knicks acquire Maurice Harkless, the Clippers’ 2020 first-round pick, the Pistons 2021 second-round pick, the right to swap their own 2021 first-round pick with the Clippers’ 2021 first-round pick (top-four protected), and the draft rights to Issuf Sanon.
- Wizards acquire Jerome Robinson.
Heat acquire Andre Iguodala, Jae Crowder in three-team deal (full stories)
- Heat acquire Andre Iguodala, Jae Crowder, and Solomon Hill.
- Grizzlies acquire Justise Winslow, Dion Waiters, and Gorgui Dieng.
- Timberwolves acquire James Johnson.
Hawks re-acquire Dewayne Dedmon (story)
- Hawks acquire Dewayne Dedmon, the Rockets’ 2020 second-round pick, and the Heat’s 2021 second-round pick.
- Kings acquire Jabari Parker and Alex Len.
Sixers fortify their bench (story)
- Sixers acquire Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III.
- Warriors acquire the Mavericks’ 2020 second-round pick, the Nuggets’ 2021 second-round pick, and the Raptors’ 2022 second-round pick.
Rockets flip Jordan Bell to Memphis (story)
- Rockets acquire Bruno Caboclo.
- Grizzlies acquire Jordan Bell and the right to swap the Mavericks’ or Heat’s 2023 second-round pick (whichever is less favorable) with the Rockets’ 2023 second-round pick (top-32 protected).
Magic acquire James Ennis (story)
- Magic acquire James Ennis.
- Sixers acquire the Lakers’ 2020 second-round pick.
Nuggets, Wizards swap backup guards (story)
- Nuggets acquire Jordan McRae.
- Wizards acquire Shabazz Napier
Trail Blazers trade Skal Labissiere to reduce their tax bill (story)
- Hawks acquire Skal Labissiere and cash ($1,759,795).
- Trail Blazers acquire the Hawks’ 2024 second-round pick (top-55 protected).
Clippers move Derrick Walton Jr. to open roster spot (story)
- Hawks acquire Derrick Walton Jr. and cash ($1,313,576).
- Clippers acquire the Hawks’ 2022 second-round pick (top-55 protected).
Players waived on deadline day:
- Trey Burke (Sixers) (story)
- Tim Frazier (Pistons) (story)
- Amile Jefferson (Magic) (story)
- Nene (Rockets) (story)
- Derrick Walton Jr. (Hawks) (story)
Note: Isaiah Thomas (Clippers) and Gerald Green (Nuggets) are expected to be waived and Dion Waiters (Grizzlies) will likely be released or bought out, but those moves have not yet been made official.
Trades completed in the month leading up to the deadline:
Rockets, Hawks, Timberwolves, Nuggets complete massive 12-player trade (story)
- Rockets acquire Robert Covington, Jordan Bell, and the Warriors’ 2024 second-round pick.
- Hawks acquire Clint Capela and Nene.
- Timberwolves acquire Malik Beasley, Juan Hernangomez, Evan Turner, Jarred Vanderbilt, and the Nets’ 2020 first-round pick (top-14 protected).
- Note: The Nets’ 2020 first-round pick will again be top-14 protected in 2021 if it’s not conveyed in ’20.
- Nuggets acquire Gerald Green, Keita Bates-Diop, Shabazz Napier, Noah Vonleh, and the Rockets’ 2020 first-round pick.
Mavericks acquire injury replacement for Dwight Powell (story)
- Mavericks acquire Willie Cauley-Stein.
- Warriors acquire the Jazz’s 2020 second-round pick.
Thunder reduce tax bill, acquire a rookie forward (story)
- Mavericks acquire Justin Patton and cash ($800K).
- Thunder acquire Isaiah Roby.
Trail Blazers acquire Trevor Ariza, shed salary (story)
- Kings acquire Kent Bazemore, Anthony Tolliver, the Trail Blazers’ 2024 second-round pick, and the Trail Blazers’ 2025 second-round pick.
- Trail Blazers acquire Trevor Ariza, Caleb Swanigan, and Wenyen Gabriel.
Hawks re-acquire Jeff Teague (story)
- Hawks acquire Jeff Teague and Treveon Graham.
- Timberwolves acquire Allen Crabbe.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Western Notes: Wiggins, Collison, Warriors
While Andrew Wiggins‘ contract, which has over $94MM left on it after this season, may seem like it is a negative mark on his trade value, that perception is no longer the reality around the league.
The Timberwolves knew they likely had to move Wiggins (for salary-matching purposes) and reached out to other teams about taking on the 24-year-old prior to agreeing to terms with the Warriors.
The former No. 1 pick has improved his value considerably since last season — part of that is him buying into the plan set forth by Minnesota’s player development staff. Wiggins is finding better looks and taking a more cerebral approach to the game this year after putting in substantial work during the offseason.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- The Timberwolves had spoken to the Mavericks about a Wiggins deal prior to trading him to the Warriors, per a source. It’s unclear how far those talks went.
- Former NBA wing Matt Barnes remains close with Darren Collison and says the point guard is “50/50” on returning to the league, as ESPN’s Rachel Nichols tweets. It was previously reported that if Collison returns, he’d prefer to go to the Lakers or Clippers.
- The Warriors trading Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III caught the locker room by surprise. “So this was a blindside,” one member of the team told Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Prior to the team’s matchup on Wednesday night, the front office pulled Burks and Robinson from pre-game shootaround, signaling that the duo was going to be traded.
Community Shootaround: Winners At The Trade Deadline
Although the NBA trade deadline was expected to be a quiet one, it was anything but that, with several mega-deals coming in before Thursday’s deadline.
The Timberwolves got their point guard in D’Angelo Russell, pairing him with his friend Karl-Anthony Towns. The front office believes in the duo as its pair of franchise players and the price tag for the former No. 2 overall pick ended up being reasonable, as the Wolves handed the Warriors their 2021 first-round pick (top-3 protected), a 2021 second-rounder, and Andrew Wiggins.
The Rockets made their trade a couple of days before the deadline, landing Robert Covington. The team gave up Clint Capela and a first-rounder in the deal. Houston intends to play a version of small-ball for the remainder of the season.
The Hawks benefited from Houston’s newfound strategy, as they were able to pluck Capela off the Rockets, as part of the four-team, 12-player trade. It cost Atlanta the first-rounder the team had on hand from the Nets, as well as Evan Turner‘s expiring contract. The Hawks also brought back Dewayne Dedmon and cashed in on their open roster spots, collecting roughly $3.2M in trades with the Clippers and Blazers.
The Cavaliers made perhaps the most surprising deal of the day, acquiring Andre Drummond. They didn’t necessarily need another frontcourt player, with Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, and Larry Nance Jr. crowding the paint. However, the price was modest, as it only cost them a pair of expiring deals (Brandon Knight, John Henson) and a second-round pick.
The Knicks made a trade, sending Marcus Morris to the Clippers for Maurice Harkless, a 2020 first-round pick, a 2021 pick swap with L.A., and a future second-rounder. Not a bad haul for New York, considering Morris didn’t really fit with the timeline for the franchise’s young core. The Knicks essentially used their cap space this past summer to pick up draft capital. Still, it’s a win for New York in a week where the organization could probably use one.
Do you think the Knicks or any of the aforementioned teams are the biggest winners today? If not, which team had the best trade deadline?
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!
Pistons Trade Andre Drummond To Cavaliers
9:21pm: It’s a done deal, with the Cavaliers and Pistons both issuing press releases to confirm the trade. Detroit announced in a separate release that, as expected, Frazier has been waived to make room on the roster for the incoming players.
1:19pm: The Cavaliers are finalizing a trade with the Pistons that will see them acquire center Andre Drummond, a league source tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer (via Twitter), Detroit will receive Brandon Knight and John Henson, both of whom are on expiring contracts. Cleveland will also send the Pistons a second-round pick, per O’Connor.
The pick will be the lesser of Cleveland’s 2023 own pick or the 2023 second-rounder Golden State owes the Cavaliers, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com tweets.
Drummond, the league’s premier rebounder, holds a $28.75MM option on his contract for next season and he’s expected to opt out and test a weak free agent market. The Pistons reportedly were prepared to retain Drummond after talks with the Hawks and Knicks fell through but ultimately decided to move on and go into rebuild mode. Detroit was looking for a first-round pick for Drummond but settled on the second-rounder, along with those expiring contracts.
The modest haul for Drummond was surprising but Detroit’s front office wanted to avoid the possibility of Drummond opting in, O’Connor adds in another tweet. It also gives Cleveland the opportunity to see how Drummond meshes with the young backcourt of Collin Sexton and Darius Garland.
The Pistons will now have approximately $35MM in cap space this summer, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Cleveland will be close to the cap if Drummond opts in or re-signs with the starting salary in the $29-$30MM range, Marks adds.
Knight is making approximately $15.64MM and Henson has a $9.73MM contract, so the Pistons will shave some money off this year’s cap. They were perilously close to the luxury tax line prior to the proposed deal. Detroit was less than $4,000 under the tax line but moves to $1.7MM under the threshold via this trade, according to Marks (Twitter link).
Drummond has a $857K trade bonus that will be applied to his $27.1MM cap hit for this season, Marks relays in another tweet. Drummond, who has spent his whole career with Pistons since being chosen in the 2012 lottery, is averaging 17.8 PPG and an NBA-best 15.8 RPG this season.
The Pistons will have to open up a roster spot before making the trade official since it is at the 15-man limit. It’s likely that Tim Frazier, who has served as the No. 3 point guard behind Derrick Rose and Reggie Jackson, will be waived unless Detroit makes another trade, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press tweets.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
D’Angelo Russell’s Trade Market Was Not Robust
With over a year of speculation that D’Angelo Russell would end up on the Timberwolves, he is finally there. The team gave up a lightly protected first-rounder, in addition to a second-round selection and Andrew Wiggins in exchange for the former No. 2 overall pick.
Outside of Minnesota, the market for Russell wasn’t robust, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN (podcast). The Knicks were rumored to have interest in the guard, but New York was the only other team with an offer for Golden State, per Sean Deveney of Heavy.com.
While it seemed like a deal wouldn’t happen because the two sides were far apart in value, the Wolves did not relent. The franchise remained determined to acquire Russell and continued to look for ways to do so, even speaking with other teams about taking on Wiggins, as I recently reported. In the end, the Warriors were happy to take on Wiggins and the picks for a player whose skillset overlapped with their star point guard, Stephen Curry.
Russell joined the Warriors via the Kevin Durant sign-and-trade over the summer. The franchise surrendered their 2020 first-round pick (protected 1-20) to Brooklyn to accommodate the sign-and-trade. Since it won’t convey this year, that pick will turn into a 2025 second-rounder.
Kings Trade Dewayne Dedmon To Hawks
FEBRUARY 6: Nearly 24 hours after it was agreed upon, the Kings and Hawks have officially announced their trade sending Dedmon and a pair of second-round picks to Atlanta in exchange for Parker and Len. Sacramento also confirmed that the team has released Eric Mika, as we relayed in a separate story.
FEBRUARY 5: Dewayne Dedmon will return to Atlanta, as the Kings have reached a deal to send their unhappy center to the Hawks, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Sacramento will receive Jabari Parker and Alex Len in return, while Atlanta will get a pair of second-round picks.
The two second-round selections aren’t Sacramento’s own picks, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link), who reports that the Hawks will receive Houston’s 2020 second-rounder and Miami’s 2021 second-rounder. The Kings had been owed seven extra second-round selections through the 2025 draft, so they’ll still have a surplus of picks going forward.
Because the Kings have a full roster, they’ll have to open a spot before the deal can be completed. One possibility is an early release for Eric Mika, who signed a 10-day contract on February 1.
Dedmon was the Hawks’ starting center for the past two seasons before joining the Kings in free agency last summer on a three-year, $41MM contract. Things quickly went south in Sacramento as he lost his starting job to Richaun Holmes. He became outspoken about his lack of playing time and was fined $50K in early January for making a public trade request. Dedmon averaged 5.1 points and 4.9 rebounds in 34 games with the Kings.
Sacramento adds Parker, who holds a $6.5MM player option for next season, along with Len, who has a $4.16MM expiring contract. Both are former top-five draft picks who are trying to revive their careers after disappointing starts.
Parker averaged 15.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in 32 games after signing with the Hawks as a free agent last summer. He was also traded at last year’s deadline, making the Kings his fourth team in the past two seasons. Len was averaging 8.7 PPG and 5.8 RPG through 40 games in his second season with Atlanta.
The deal didn’t catch Len by surprise, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. (Twitter link). When asked before tonight’s game about the trade that will bring Clint Capela to Atlanta, Len responded, “We have what like 24 hours left (until the trade deadline)? It’s going to be really interesting because we have four bigs. Something is probably going to happen now.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Clippers Acquire Marcus Morris In Three-Team Trade
7:37pm: The Clippers, Wizards, Knicks have issued press releases officially announcing this three-team trade sending Morris to the Clips.
Meanwhile, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic clarifies (via Twitter) that the Knicks only have the rights to swap their own 2021 first-round pick with the Clippers’ 2021 first-rounder — New York can’t swap Dallas’ 2021 first-rounder selection for L.A.’s.
1:45pm: The Clippers and Knicks have reached an agreement on a trade that will send Marcus Morris to Los Angeles, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the return for Morris will feature Maurice Harkless and multiple draft picks, including the Clippers’ 2020 first-rounder.
The deal will also include a third team, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), who reports that the Wizards will acquire Jerome Robinson from the Clippers, sending Isaiah Thomas to L.A.
The Knicks will get Detroit’s 2021 second-round pick from the Clippers, as well as the right to swap first-round picks with the Clippers in ’21, reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv (via Twitter). That pick swap will have top-four protection, adds Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN (via Twitter). Draft-and-stash prospect Issuf Sanon will also go to New York (from Washington), tweets David Aldridge of The Athletic.
When Charania previously reported that the Knicks and Clippers were in serious discussions about Morris, Jovan Buha of The Athletic suggested that Los Angeles was offering Harkless, Mfiondu Kabengele, Terance Mann and its 2020 first-round pick. The final package for the Knicks is heavier on draft assets than NBA players, with Kabengele and Mann remaining in L.A.
Morris, 30, is having a career year in New York, with averages of 19.6 PPG and 5.4 RPG to go along with a .442/.439/.823 shooting line in 43 games (32.3 MPG). The Knicks were initially believed to be leaning toward keeping him and trying to re-sign him in free agency this summer, but changed course following Steve Mills‘ removal from the president of basketball operations role earlier this week.
Morris will join a talented Clippers frontcourt that features star forwards Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter), the team plans to start all three players when everyone’s healthy, alongside Patrick Beverley and Ivica Zubac.
The Lakers were among the other teams with interest in Morris, but were reportedly unwilling to include both Kyle Kuzma and Danny Green in a potential deal.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.