Trade Deadline Notes: Bucks, Raptors, C’s, Heat, Thunder, More
The 2:00pm CT trade deadline has now passed, but word of last-minute deals can sometimes trickle in after the buzzer. That won’t be the case for the Raptors and Bucks though, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, who reports (via Twitter) that the Eastern Conference’s top two teams didn’t make a move today.
Here are more deadline updates:
- It was a fairly quiet deadline for many of the top Eastern teams. The Celtics didn’t make a trade either, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). And the Pacers also stood pat, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
- The Heat were active earlier in the day, finalizing a trade to acquire Andre Iguodala. However, the team didn’t expand that deal to include Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald confirms (via Twitter). As Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald explains (via Twitter), the Heat’s extension talks with Gallinari were more of a hang-up than the trade talks with the Thunder, given Miami’s desire to keep its cap clear for 2021.
- The Thunder, having held onto Gallinari, didn’t make any deadline deals, tweets Wojnarowski.
- The Jazz stood pat today as well, tweets Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. So did the Spurs, says Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).
Deadline Rumors: Warriors, Oubre, Valentine, J. Robinson
The Warriors remain in the market for further deals after reaching agreement on a trade that sends D’Angelo Russell to Minnesota for Andrew Wiggins, tweets Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. If nothing else happens today, more roster shake-up is expected this summer.
Antony Slater of the Athletic notes that Golden State has traded six of the 14 players on its roster in the past two weeks (Twitter link). In addition to Russell, Willie Cauley-Stein, Alec Burks, Glenn Robinson III, Omari Spellman and Jacob Evans have all found new homes.
There’s more deadline-related news to pass along:
- The Suns are listening to offers for Kelly Oubre, but aren’t close to making a deal, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Post. The Magic are among the teams that have made a call to Phoenix.
- The Bulls aren’t any closer to trading Denzel Valentine, relays K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, (Twitter link).
- The Wizards are hoping to acquire Jerome Robinson from the Clippers, tweets David Aldridge of TNT. They liked Robinson in the 2018 draft, but he wound up in L.A.
- The Knicks contacted the Pacers about point guard Aaron Holiday, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv. The attempt was made before Steve Mills was fired as team president, and it’s unclear if there has been any more discussion. Indiana reportedly brought up veteran forward Marcus Morris, who is headed to the Clippers, as part of the return.
Wolves, Grizzlies Swap James Johnson, Gorgui Dieng
UPDATE: This trade is now official. See this story for more details.
The Timberwolves and Grizzlies have agreed to a trade that will send forward James Johnson to Minnesota and big man Gorgui Dieng to Memphis, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Johnson is technically still a member of the Heat but is being traded to Memphis in the six-player Andre Iguodala trade. The Dieng deal with the Wolves may be folded into that transaction to make it a three-team trade, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
As Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian observes (via Twitter), swapping Johnson for Dieng will add a little more salary to Memphis’ books this season and next year, but the Grizzlies view the big man as a better fit on their depth chart.
Dieng, who is under contract for $16.23MM in 2019/20 and $17.29MM in 2020/21, has averaged 7.4 PPG and 5.6 RPG in 46 games (16.9 MPG). He was particularly effective during Karl-Anthony Towns‘ injury absence, posting 12.9 PPG and 8.9 RPG on .463/.409/.806 shooting in 15 starts during that time.
Johnson is making approximately $15.34MM this season and holds a $16MM option for next season. By trimming more payroll, the Tiimberwolves will be just $1.1MM above the luxury tax line with this move, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.
Both teams have been extremely active prior to the deadline, as Minnesota was also part of four-team blockbuster that landed it D’Angelo Russell.
Clippers Talking To Knicks About Marcus Morris; Lakers Won’t Offer Kyle Kuzma
The Clippers are in serious talks with the Knicks about acquiring Marcus Morris, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
L.A. is offering Maurice Harkless, Mfiondu Kabengele, Terance Mann and its 2020 first-round pick, sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic (Twitter link). Harkless’ $11MM contract would be needed to help match Morris’ $15MM salary.
There has been progress in talks since this morning, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link). However, it doesn’t appear the Clippers are willing to part with Landry Shamet, whom the Knicks would like to add.
The Lakers, who were also interested in Morris, have decided not to make Kyle Kuzma available, Charania reports (Twitter link). The Knicks aren’t willing to send Morris to the Lakers without Kuzma involved, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne (Twitter link).
Rockets Inquire About Thompson, Wood
Hawks Acquire, Waive Derrick Walton Jr.
5:06pm: The Hawks have officially confirmed their acquisition of Walton, announcing in the same press release that he has been waived. Atlanta sent its 2022 second-round pick (top-55 protected) to the Clippers in the deal. The exact amount of cash the Hawks received is $1,313,576, tweets Hollinger.
12:24pm: The Clippers and Hawks have reached a trade agreement to send Derrick Walton Jr. to Atlanta, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
The Clippers are sending $1.3MM in cash to Atlanta in the deal and will receive a top-55 protected second-round pick from the Hawks, tweets John Hollinger of The Athletic.
The minor move will open up a roster spot for the Clippers and create a modest trade exception worth Walton’s $1,445,697 salary. It also gives them a little more breathing room below the tax line, as Jovan Buha of The Athletic observes (via Twitter).
The Clippers have been linked to a handful of trade candidates leading up to the trade deadline and could be active on the buyout market as well, so that extra roster spot figures to come in handy.
According to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic (Twitter link), the Hawks aren’t planning to keep Walton. The 24-year-old guard has appeared in just 23 games, averaging 2.2 PPG in 9.7 MPG for the Clippers this season.
A year ago, the Hawks accommodate a Jabari Bird salary dump on deadline day in order to acquire cash from Boston, then waived Bird. This is a similar maneuver, as Atlanta will make some money in exchange for allowing the Clippers to open a roster spot — the Hawks will only have to pay the prorated portion left on Walton’s salary.
Wizards Have No Plans To Trade Bertans
The Wizards have given forward Davis Bertans assurances that he won’t be traded, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington tweets.
GM Tommy Sheppard has taken a hard stance against dealing Bertans, an unrestricted free agent after this season. Sheppard hopes to re-sign Bertans this summer, Hughes adds.
The 6’10” Bertans has enjoyed a breakout season in his first year with Washington after spending his first three seasons with the Spurs. He’s averaging 15.0 PPG and 4.6 RPG in 40 games this season, including four starts, while making 42.9% of his 3-point attempts. Bertans was acquired last July as part of a three-team swap.
Multiple teams inquired about Bertans but the Wizards have maintained that they view him as a long-term part of their plans despite his free agent status. Their asking price for Bertans was two first-round picks, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer (via Twitter).
Eastern Conference Notes: Thompson, Sixers, Horford, Knicks
Kevin Love doesn’t want to see long-time teammate Tristan Thompson get traded, but he understands it might be the best move for both him and the organization, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The Cavaliers are reportedly seeking a first-round pick in return for Thompson, who will be a free agent this summer. If Cleveland can’t find an acceptable deal, management still has interest in re-signing the 28-year-old center or possibly working out a sign-and-trade.
“That’s my brother, man,” Love said. “I would always go to war with him. I would run through a wall for him. He’s the best. Just the type of guy he is, he’s a lifelong friend of mine, so it would be tough to see him go. I would like to have him around selfishly, but if there’s a better situation out there for him, going to make him happier, have a chance to win a championship, then so be it. I only know Tristan Thompson as a Cavalier and I like it that way.”
There’s more from the Eastern Conference as the trade deadline draws nearer:
- Trey Burke, Kyle O’Quinn and Jonah Bolden were all absent from the Sixers‘ shootaround this morning, tweets Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Philadelphia has to trim two players from its roster by 3pm Eastern to complete a trade that will bring Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III from the Warriors in exchange for three second-round draft picks.
- Al Horford hinted at trouble in the Sixers‘ locker room in comments after Wednesday’s practice, relays Jon Johnson of KYW Radio (Twitter link). “There’s some stuff going on in our locker room,” Horford said, “and we’ll keep that internal.”
- A pair of Knicks youngsters have signed with Rich Paul and Klutch Sports for representation. Ian Begley of SNY.tv reports (via Twitter) that Mitchell Robinson is one of Paul’s newest clients, while Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter) says Allonzo Trier has joined Klutch Sports too.
Karl-Anthony Towns: “I’ve Been Losing For A Long Time”
The Timberwolves may have a problem with their franchise cornerstone, as Karl-Anthony Towns erupted after the team’s 13th straight defeat last night, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Towns displayed minimal interest and effort throughout the home loss to the Hawks, Krawczynski adds, then spoke about his frustration after the game.
“I’ve been losing for a long time,” Towns said. “I’m not trying to do that (expletive) anymore. So every possession means a lot. You obviously see my patience running low with a lot of things. There’s no excuses. We gotta get it done.”
Towns’ personal losing streak is even longer, as he missed a month with a knee injury and subsequent illness and hasn’t been part of a victory since November 27. He also watched his best friend on the team, Robert Covington, get shipped to Houston this week in a four-team trade.
Towns posted 21 points and 11 rebounds last night, but his disengagement was obvious, Krawczynski observes, adding that there were several fourth-quarter possessions when he didn’t cross half court. Towns also wasn’t aggressive on offense, even though he had a size advantage over defenders Damian Jones and John Collins.
Krawczynski speculates that Towns may have been registering his displeasure with the Covington trade. After news of the deal broke late Tuesday night, Towns texted some of the team’s younger players to tell them they were getting a lessons in the business side of the NBA.
“I hope this is a great learning experience for them because this is what it is,” Towns said. “You could be very close and you could be with someone you cherish a lot and they could be gone the next day, not only in basketball but in life. I hope this a lesson and reminder for them.”
There were reports last month that the Knicks and Warriors were monitoring the situation in Minnesota to see if Towns might become available, but Wolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas responded by calling the 24-year-old center “as untouchable as they come.” While nothing is expected to happen before today’s deadline, it’s a story to watch, especially if the losing in Minnesota continues.
Pistons Unlikely To Trade Drummond Or Rose
It appears the Pistons‘ top two trade candidates will remain in Detroit past today’s deadline. There’s an “increased likelihood” that an Andre Drummond deal won’t materialize, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, while Derrick Rose is expected to stay unless the team gets an unexpected offer, writes Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports.
The Pistons have been trying for weeks to find a taker for Drummond, with the Hawks and Knicks being prominently mentioned. However, interest from both teams cooled because of Detroit’s asking price and the expectation that Drummond will opt out of his $28.75MM salary for next season, making him a short-term rental if his new team isn’t ready to heavily invest long-term.
Sources tell Goodwill that the Pistons will consider moving Rose if they receive a lottery pick in return, but it’s hard to imagine that a non-contender would give up a high draft choice for the 31-year-old guard. The Lakers, Clippers and Jazz all inquired about Rose, Goodwill adds, but none of them has the draft capital the Pistons are looking for.
Rose has said he likes playing in Detroit and doesn’t want to be traded, even though the Pistons are a disappointing 19-34 and four games out of a playoff spot. Rose signed a two-year deal over the summer and will make $7.68MM next season.
With major deals apparently off the board, the Pistons will shift their focus to trying to move Markieff Morris and Langston Galloway, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter link). However, he notes that many of the contending teams have already completed trades, so the Pistons may not get the assets they want in return (Twitter link).
Detroit turned down an offer from the Celtics for Christian Wood, tweets James Edwards III of The Athletic. Wood, who has an expiring $1.6MM contract, may be the long-term replacement at center if Drummond leaves.