Andre Iguodala Headed To Miami, Will Receive Contract Extension
The Grizzlies have reached an agreement to send Andre Iguodala to the Heat, who will give him a two-year, $30MM contract extension, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Justise Winslow will be part of the package headed to Memphis in return, Woj adds (Twitter link).
The second season of Iguodala’s extension will be a team option, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). That will allow the Heat to retain their financial flexibility to participate in a loaded free agent class in 2021. Sources tell Wojnarowski that Miami will guarantee the second season of Iguodala’s deal for $15MM if the team misses out on its top free agent targets (Twitter link).
The trade takes a player off the board who was coveted by contenders around the league for his defensive toughness and playoff experience. Iguodala was widely expected to return to Golden State next season as a free agent, but the extension removes any chance of that.
Bobby Marks of ESPN notes that Miami is limited to two years on the extension along with 5% raises on top of his current salary because of extend-and-trade restrictions. (Twitter link). Normally teams can offer extensions up to four years with 8% raises.
Heat president Pat Riley is making an effort to acquire Oklahoma City’s Danilo Gallinari as well as Iguodala, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Gallinari was expected to have a short stay with the Thunder after he was acquired in July as part of the trade that sent Paul George to the Clippers. However, OKC has emerged as a strong playoff contender with Gallinari contributing 19.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per night. The 31-year-old has a $22.6MM expiring contract.
Pistons, Suns Hit Snag On Proposed Luke Kennard Deal
Trade talks between the Pistons and Suns involving Luke Kennard are on hold because the teams haven’t been able to agree on the level of protection for a first-round draft pick, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Phoenix appeared set to send a first-rounder to the Pistons in exchange for the 23-year-old sharpshooter, who is averaging a career-high 15.8 points and 4.1 assists through 28 games and hitting at a 39.9% clip beyond the arc. Young guards Jevon Carter and Elie Okobo were mentioned as possible trade chips heading to Detroit to help match Kennard’s $3.8MM salary.
The terms of the draft pick appear to be the only thing blocking the deal, and the teams have until 3:00 pm Eastern time on Thursday to resolve the issue. However, Detroit has started talking to other teams about Kennard, according to Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).
The Suns rank 12th in our current Reverse Standings, but could easily take several steps up or down the draft order.
Heat In “Advanced Discussions” For Andre Iguodala
Miami is involved in “advanced discussions” with Memphis about acquiring Andre Iguodala, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Iguodala, an important component of the dominant Warriors teams of the past five years, hasn’t played at all since being traded to Memphis over the summer in a cost-cutting move. He is making $17,185,185 in the final year of his contract.
As we detailed yesterday, getting Iguodala to Miami won’t be easy. The Heat are operating under a hard cap and can’t take on more money than they send out in any trade. The Grizzlies will likely have to take on one or more multi-year deals, possibly James Johnson, Dion Waiters, Kelly Olynyk or Justise Winslow.
Memphis has also insisted on getting a first-round pick in return for Iguodala ever since acquiring him. Miami doesn’t have a first-rounder to offer until its conditional pick in 2025.
With the Grizzlies as a surprise playoff contender, some players have become irritated with Iguodala’s absence. Dillon Brooks said this week that the team can’t wait to face Iguodala on the court so they can “show him what really Memphis is about.”
Warriors Expected To Trade Alec Burks, Glenn Robinson III
Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III won’t play for the Warriors in tonight’s game at Brooklyn in anticipation of possible trades before tomorrow’s deadline, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times.
A trade involving Burks is “imminent,” according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link), who hears the team is closing in on a Robinson deal as well (Twitter link).
Both players have been the subject of trade rumors in recent weeks, with the Mavericks among the teams interested in Burks. Both signed one-year, minimum-salary ($1,620,564) contracts in free agency last summer, so salary matching won’t be a concern.
Burks has provided a scoring boost for the injury-depleted Warriors, averaging a career-best 16.1 PPG through 48 games while shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc. Robinson has been a full-time starter and is averaging 12.9 points per night.
Golden State guard D’Angelo Russell, who has also been mentioned prominently in trade rumors, is playing tonight, Stein tweets.
Suns Taking Calls About Kelly Oubre
The Suns are receiving calls from teams interested in forward Kelly Oubre, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times.
Stein doesn’t identify any of the teams that have inquired about Oubre or speculate about what Phoenix might want in return. The asking price figures to be steep, as the 24-year-old small forward is having a breakout year in his first full season in Phoenix, averaging career highs with 18.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while shooting 34.6% from 3-point range.
Oubre is making $15.625MM this season and is under contract for $14.375MM in 2020/21. The Suns acquired him from the Wizards in December of 2018 along with Austin Rivers in a trade that sent Trevor Ariza to Washington.
Clippers, Lakers Pursuing Marcus Morris
Reports earlier today suggested that the Knicks are expected to move Marcus Morris before Thursday’s trade deadline — it’s just a matter of where.
Los Angeles is one potential landing spot for Morris, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link via Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints), who said today that the Clippers and Lakers are competing for the veteran forward. As Woj pointed out, if either L.A. team lands Morris, it would have the added bonus of keeping him away from a top rival.
Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times provides some additional info on those talks, tweeting that the Knicks are interested in Kyle Kuzma in talks with the Lakers and Landry Shamet in talks with the Clippers. Kuzma is the more attainable player of the two — the Clips are unwilling to part with Shamet, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
While the Clippers have a logical salary-matching piece in Maurice Harkless, the Lakers’ path to absorbing Morris’ $15MM salary is less straightforward. A three- or four-player package of lower-cost guys could work, but Turner suggests in his tweet that the teams may be discussing Danny Green. The Knicks would want to flip Green to another team, according to Turner. For what it’s worth, I’d be pretty surprised if the Lakers are willing to move both Kuzma and Green for Morris alone.
Meanwhile, Marcus Morris may be the more sought-after twin, but his brother Markieff Morris is also drawing interest from contenders, including the Lakers and Clippers, reports Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer (via Twitter).
O’Connor (Twitter link) names the Bucks, Sixers, Celtics, and Rockets as other clubs that have interest in Markieff. The Pistons’ forward hasn’t had the type of season his brother has, but wouldn’t cost as much in terms of a trade package and has a modest $3.2MM cap hit.
Amick’s Latest: Rockets, Len, D-Lo, Bogdanovic, Pistons
The Rockets remain on the lookout for a center who can help the team fill the hole that will be created when Clint Capela is officially sent to Atlanta, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic. According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic (via Twitter), Houston is moving closer to a deal for a center and is in talks with a pair of Eastern Conference teams.
Both Amick and Iko indicate the Rockets have shown a willingness to take on some “bad” salary if it helps them acquire an asset or two.
Once the four-team trade involving Capela is officially complete, Houston will have limited flexibility to acquire a center or absorb an unwanted contract. However, until that point, the Rockets could try to fold a separate trade into that four-team deal, which would allow them to take back up to $12MM+ in additional salary (up to $5.8MM before reaching the tax line).
Alex Len is one potential fit for the Rockets, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic, who suggests that the Hawks would want at least a second-round pick for Len. Since Atlanta is already part of the Rockets’ four-team trade, this could be simpler than bringing a fifth club. But I wonder if the Hawks would want to get back the 2024 second-rounder they’re sending to the Rockets in addition to acquiring a separate second-rounder for Len.
Here’s more from Amick and Hollinger:
- A source confirmed to Amick that the Knicks continue to pursue D’Angelo Russell, but said none of New York’s offers have been “even remotely appealing” to the Warriors.
- Kings swingman Bogdan Bogdanovic is generating “serious” interest, but a source says the Kings are still happy to keep Bogdanovic and attempt to re-sign him in free agency, according to Amick. As of this afternoon, Sacramento wasn’t discussing a Kyle Kuzma deal with the Lakers, but many teams around the NBA have registered interest in Bogdanovic, including the Sixers and Hornets, Amick notes.
- The Pistons are “open for business” and willing to discuss just about anyone, per Amick and Hollinger. However, a source with knowledge of the situation downplayed the idea that Derrick Rose will be moved before the deadline.
- The Magic are unlikely to do anything too significant, but remain in the market for “good, young perimeter help,” says Hollinger.
Heat’s Leonard, Winslow Out Through All-Star Break
The Heat announced today that Meyers Leonard (sprained left ankle) and Justise Winslow (lower back bone bruise) will be sidelined for the team’s full five-game road trip leading up to the All-Star Game, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Leonard and Winslow didn’t travel with the team on the road trip, which begins in Los Angeles against the Clippers tonight and runs through next Wednesday in Utah. The earliest either Leonard or Winslow could return would be on February 20 in Atlanta, and there’s no guarantee they’ll be ready to go at that point.
Tyler Herro is also dealing with a sore right ankle and was in a walking boot during Wednesday’s shootaround, says Winderman. Still, head coach Erik Spoelstra thinks the rookie could return to action during Miami’s five-game road trip.
“That’s the hope, but we’ll be smart about it,” Spoelstra said. “Right now, we’re just giving him rest and treatment, trying to protect him from himself. … He really wants to be out there and he was able to grind through it for the last 10 days. But we want to take care of this right now and make sure it doesn’t become anything more.”
Leonard had started every game for the Heat this season, while Herro has been one of the club’s most-used players off the bench, so the team will have to rely on its depth during the next few games. Kelly Olynyk and James Johnson are among the candidates to see more frontcourt minutes. On the wing, Derrick Jones figures to play an increased role and Dion Waiters could get another look.
Knicks Rumors: Russell, Morris, Trier, Caruso, Ujiri
The Knicks continue to pursue Warriors point guard D’Angelo Russell with the trade deadline 24 hours away, according to Newsday’s Steve Popper and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links).
Reports earlier in the week had revealed the Knicks’ interest in Russell. However, those stories were published prior to Steve Mills‘ ouster from the front office, so it wasn’t clear if the remaining group – led by interim head of basketball operations Scott Perry – would continue to go after the fifth-year guard.
While today’s reports confirm that the Knicks remain interested in Russell, Charania hears that New York’s proposed package haven’t been enough to close the gap and meet Golden State’s asking price.
As we noted last night when we checked in on the Timberwolves’ pursuit of Russell, the Warriors were said to be seeking at least one of Minnesota’s own unprotected first-round picks — preferably in 2021, which is expected to be a strong draft than 2020. The Wolves were reportedly dangling Brooklyn’s lottery-protected 2020 first-round selection and their own protected ’20 first-rounder as part of their offer.
Presumably, the Warriors will be seeking at least one unprotected Knicks first-rounder in talks with New York. However, there’s no consensus within the Knicks’ front office on the team’s willingness to give up first-rounders to land D-Lo, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Newsday’s Steve Popper (Twitter link) is hearing that Marcus Morris will be moved before the deadline. Marc Stein of The New York Times conveys a similar sentiment, tweeting that the Knicks know they can trade Morris and now it’s just a matter of where.
- In addition to touching base about Kyle Kuzma, the Knicks and Lakers have also discussed Allonzo Trier and Alex Caruso, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Those talks took place before Mills’ ouster and didn’t advance, sources tell Begley.
- According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, Knicks owner James Dolan would like to move fairly quickly on the team’s front office search, possibly so there’s a new president in place for a head coaching search in the spring.
- An in-season search would reduce the likelihood of the Knicks landing Raptors president Masai Ujiri, Berman notes. However, a source suggests to Berman that might be okay with Dolan, who values loyalty and may not want to push Ujiri to break his contract in Toronto. Dolan may also been wary of Ujiri using the Knicks for leverage in extension talks with the Raptors, the source tells Berman.
- Within a separate SNY.tv article examining possible front office targets for the Knicks, Begley writes that R.C. Buford (Spurs) and Kevin Pritchard (Pacers) aren’t realistic options. Both executives are on long-term deals and Buford has a CEO title in San Antonio.
- Recently hired by the Knicks as a brand consultant, Steve Stoute is a “prominent voice” within the organization right now, according to Popper (Twitter link), who says Stoute is involved in the front office search.
Eastern Notes: Love, Bryant, Bertans, Augustin, C’s
Few NBA players have been mentioned more frequently in trade rumors this season than Kevin Love. However, with the Cavaliers and potential trade partners not seeing eye-to-eye on Love’s value, there appears to be no movement on a potential deal, with just over 24 hours left before Thursday’s deadline. For his part, Love sounds fully prepared to remain in Cleveland through the deadline.
“I don’t think anything is going to happen,” the Cavaliers’ power forward said, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “I really don’t, but we’ll see.”
As Fedor explains, sources have insisted for weeks that a Love trade is unlikely because the Cavaliers are unwilling to treat a deal as a salary dump. They view Love as a valuable trade chip and would balk at attaching a draft pick to him, while possible suitors believe they’d be doing Cleveland a favor by taking on the 31-year-old’s pricey long-term contract. That gap seems unlikely to be bridged by Thursday afternoon.
Here are a few more notes from around the Eastern Conference:
- Thomas Bryant, who missed 20 games earlier in the season with a right foot injury, is once again dealing with soreness in that foot, the Wizards announced today (via Twitter). Bryant has been ruled out for at least the next two games and will be re-evaluated on Monday.
- Asked today if he wants to stick with the Wizards through the trade deadline, forward Davis Bertans replied, “Of course, I love it here” (video link via Fred Katz of The Athletic).
- Although they still have a strong hold on a playoff spot, the Magic have missed D.J. Augustin‘s leadership and shooting ability recently, as John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com details. Orlando has a 3-8 record in the last month without Augustin, who will likely remain on the shelf through the All-Star break due to his left knee bone irritation, head coach Steve Clifford said today (Twitter link via Josh Robbins of The Athletic).
- Celtics head coach Brad Stevens told reporters today that Robert Williams has been cleared for full practices after the All-Star break and that Daniel Theis – out with an ankle sprain – has no set timetable (Twitter link via Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald).