Lakers Notes: Drummond, Schröder, Davis, Gasol
After a quiet trade deadline, the Lakers will shift their focus to the buyout market, according to Mark Medina of USA Today, who takes a closer look at the team’s pursuit of big men such as Andre Drummond and LaMarcus Aldridge.
While a Thursday night report from Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports confirmed that the Lakers will get an opportunity to talk to both players, Aldridge is believed to be leaning toward the Heat, according to multiple reports. If so, the Lakers figure to zero in on Drummond, and executives around the league believe L.A. is the frontrunner to land the big man after he finalizes a buyout with Cleveland.
Appearing on ESPN’s Keyshawn, JWill & Zubin Show on Friday morning (video link), ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that a number of Lakers players have already been making an effort to recruit Drummond, who could potentially slide right into a starting role in Los Angeles.
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Lakers guard Dennis Schröder strongly hinted that he plans to reach free agency rather than signing an in-season extension, telling reporters on Thursday that while he wants to stick with the Lakers, he also wants to “see my options” (Twitter link via Bill Oram of The Athletic). A Thursday report stated that the Lakers and Schröder remain far apart in extension negotiations.
- While he didn’t specifically confirm Shams Charania’s Thursday report that said Anthony Davis (calf) will miss at least two more weeks, head coach Frank Vogel said last night that Davis is “still a ways away,” tweets Medina.
- Upon returning to the Lakers this week, Marc Gasol detailed his recent bout with COVID-19, admitting that the virus seriously affected him, as Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register writes. “I had a little bit of headaches, but I’m like, ‘Well, hopefully I’m going to be pretty much asymptomatic,'” Gasol said. “And then when it hits you, it hits you really hard, at least for me.”
- The Lakers allowed fans into Staples Center for the first time on Thursday night, albeit on a small scale. The team received permission from local health officials to have 50 fans in the arena, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
Kupchak: Hornets Not Yet Ruling LaMelo Ball Out For Season
After suffering a broken wrist last week, Hornets guard LaMelo Ball underwent surgery to repair the fracture. Initial reports suggested Ball was expected to miss the rest of the season, but the team’s press release following the surgery didn’t close the door on the possibility of a return, indicating that the standout rookie would be reevaluated in four weeks.
Addressing Ball’s injury publicly for the first time today, Hornets president of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak acknowledged that the team isn’t ruling out the 19-year-old for the rest of 2020/21, as Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes.
“We don’t know if LaMelo is out for the season or not,” Kupchak said during a conference call. “There is a possibility (of Ball playing again), just based on other players who have had this injury, that maybe he does come back for some portion of the year.”
As I noted at the time of Ball’s surgery, the idea of getting him back for the end of the season, including possibly for a play-in tournament appearance or a postseason series, is a tantalizing one. The 22-21 Hornets are currently the No. 4 seed in the East, so it’s safe to assume they’ll be in the hunt for a playoff berth all the way down to the wire, if they haven’t clinched a spot by the end of the regular season.
Still, I also cautioned that the Hornets won’t be in any rush to get their potential franchise player back on the court unless they’re absolutely confident that he’s 100% healthy. Kupchak confirmed that point in his conversation with the media today.
“The one thing we know we’re not going to do in any event is put his health in jeopardy,” Kupchak said, per Bonnell. “If we get to the end of the (regular season), and we’re in a playoff hunt, and he’s not quite ready — (where) we feel we could get him back on the court and push it — we won’t do that.”
Assuming Charlotte sticks its timeline of a four-week reevaluation, we should get a formal update from the team on Ball’s status on or around April 20.
Jazz Acquire Matt Thomas From Raptors
MARCH 26: The trade is official, according to a press release from the Raptors.
MARCH 25: The Raptors are trading guard Matt Thomas to the Jazz for a future second-round pick, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. The pick will be the Warriors’ 2021 second-rounder that was owed to Utah, Blake Murphy of The Athletic tweets.
Thomas provides the Jazz with another shooter off the bench. Thomas, 26, made his NBA debut last season, appearing in 41 games and averaging 4.9 PPG in 10.7 MPG. He’s appeared in 26 games this season, averaging 2.7 PPG in 7.4 MPG. However, the 6’4” Thomas has knocked down 45.7% of his 3-point attempts over the last two seasons.
Thomas is making approximately $1.52MM. The Jazz will have to decide by the start of free agency whether to guarantee his $1.78MM salary next season.
Utah will use a $3,542,060 traded player exception to absorb Thomas’ salary, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. The Jazz had an open roster spot.
Toronto will generate a $1.5MM TPE through this transaction. The Raptors also open up a roster spot, which they may need if they deal Kyle Lowry by the trade deadline.
Southwest Notes: Ball, Thornwell, Rockets, Spurs
As of Wednesday, Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball seemed more likely than not to be traded this week. But Thursday’s deadline came and went without a Ball deal, and the former No. 2 overall pick is now on track to reach restricted free agency with New Orleans later this year.
In the view of Will Guillory of The Athletic, the Pelicans made the right move by hanging onto Ball, who has noticeably improved since joining the team two years ago and complements New Orleans’ star forwards (Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram) well. Guillory suggests there were “legitimate” offers on the table, with the Hawks, Knicks, and and Bulls among the teams in the mix, but the Pels ultimately opted to take their chances with the point guard in restricted free agency.
Ball’s free agency will provide its own set of challenges, particularly since the Pelicans also want to retain RFA-to-be Josh Hart and may have to move off Steven Adams‘ or Eric Bledsoe‘s contract to re-sign both Ball and Hart and avoid the tax. An aggressive offer sheet for Ball from a rival suitor could also force New Orleans into a tough decision. But Guillory believes there would be a trade market for Ball down the road even if his next contract is worth a little more than the Pelicans would like.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- After signing Sindarius Thornwell to a pair of 10-day contracts, the Pelicans had been considering a rest-of-season deal for the veteran guard. If that happens though, it’ll have to be a little later this spring. As Andrew Lopez of ESPN notes (via Twitter), New Orleans moved so close to the tax line following its deadline-day trade that a rest-of-season signing at this point would push team salary over that threshold.
- Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle explains the thinking behind the Rockets‘ decision to trade Victor Oladipo to Miami for a relatively modest return. As Feigen details, Oladipo’s days in Houston were likely numbered if the Rockets had hung onto him through the deadline, and the team wanted to open up more minutes for Kevin Porter alongside John Wall, so the front office opted to take the best offer available for Oladipo on Thursday.
- With several veterans on expiring contracts, the Spurs were in position to shake up their roster at the trade deadline. However, as is typically the case in San Antonio during the season, the team opted to stand relatively pat instead, making just one small financially motivated move, acquiring Marquese Chriss and cash from Golden State. Noting that the Chriss trade was the Spurs’ first deadline deal since 2014, Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News examines the club’s decision to once again remain quiet at the deadline.
Cavs, Nuggets Finalize JaVale McGee Trade
MARCH 26: The trade is official, the Cavaliers announced in a press release.
MARCH 25: The Cavaliers are finalizing a trade that will send veteran center JaVale McGee to the Nuggets, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Cleveland will acquire big man Isaiah Hartenstein and a pair of second-round picks in the deal, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Mike Singer of The Denver Post first reported that the two teams were discussing Hartenstein.
According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link), the picks headed to the Cavs are a top-46 protected 2023 second-rounder and an unprotected 2027 second-rounder.
The move represents a reunion for McGee, who was previously traded to the Nuggets at the 2012 trade deadline and spent the next three years with the franchise. The 33-year-old has played for Philadelphia, Dallas, Golden State, the Lakers, and Cleveland since then, averaging 8.0 PPG and 5.2 RPG in 33 games (15.2 MPG) this season for the Cavs.
In his return to Denver, McGee figures to slide into the backup center role behind Nikola Jokic. Hartenstein was penciled into that role at the start of the season, but had a somewhat underwhelming year, with 3.5 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 30 games (9.1 MPG). JaMychal Green, Zeke Nnaji, and Bol Bol have also seen some occasional minutes at the five, but McGee should be a more reliable veteran option for the Nuggets’ second unit.
As Singer observes (via Twitter), the Cavs were one of the teams with interest in Hartenstein before he signed with Denver last fall, so the 22-year-old should take on a bigger role in Cleveland. However, the second-rounders the Cavs are acquiring in the swap are probably a bigger factor in the team’s willingness to make the deal.
Although Hartenstein’s minimum-salary contract isn’t big enough to match McGee’s $4.2MM expiring deal, the Nuggets will be able to absorb that money using a trade exception created in last November’s Jerami Grant sign-and-trade and will still have about $5.33MM left on that exception, which expires in the offseason. The Cavs will create a $4.2MM traded player exception in the deal, while the Nuggets will generate a new $1.62MM TPE.
McGee will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Hartenstein has a minimum-salary player option for 2021/22.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Pelicans Trade Redick, Melli To Mavs; Lonzo Ball Stays Put
MARCH 26: The trade is now official, according to announcement from thes Mavericks (Twitter link) and Pelicans.
MARCH 25: The Pelicans won’t be trading point guard Lonzo Ball at today’s deadline, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). However, New Orleans has agreed to a deal that will send J.J. Redick to the Mavericks, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The Pelicans will receive James Johnson, Wesley Iwundu, and a 2021 second-round pick in exchange for Redick and Nicolo Melli, a source tells Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter links). New Orleans also received cash from the Mavericks in the deal, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times.
Charania initially reported that the Redick deal would be a three-team trade that also sent Trey Lyles from the Spurs to Dallas, but has since clarified that it will just be a direct trade between the Pelicans and Mavs.
Redick, who was averaging 8.7 PPG in 31 appearances off the bench, had expressed a desire to be dealt to a team in the Northeast, where his family resides. He’ll have to wait until the offseason to make that happen but he’ll provide the Mavericks with another 3-point threat off the bench. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent.
Melli reportedly wanted out after seeing his playing time decline in his second NBA season. He’s only appeared in 22 games this season. He can be a restricted free agent if Dallas decides to extend a $4.87MM qualifying offer. The Mavs will keep Melli at least through the end of this season, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News tweets.
Johnson has an expiring $16MM contract. He’s averaging 5.7 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 29 games this season and gives the Pelicans another frontcourt option. Iwundu has seen action in 23 games this season but has only averaged 2.1 PPG in 12.5 MPG during those outings. He has another year left on his contract but his 2021/22 salary is just $1.82MM.
As for Ball, the Bulls, Knicks, Clippers, Nuggets and Sixers had all been linked to the former No. 2 pick to varying degrees in recent weeks, but New Orleans didn’t find a package attractive enough to deal its current floor leader.
The Pelicans will have to decide after the season whether to extend Ball a $14.36MM qualifying offer and make him a restricted free agent, or let him enter the market unrestricted. Assuming they extend that QO, as is expected, they’ll then have to weigh how aggressive they’re willing to be when it comes to a long-term contract offer.
Ball is averaging 14.2 PPG and 5.6 APG for the Pelicans, who are a disappointing five games below .500.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Dana Gauruder contributed to this post.
Celtics Notes: Kornet, Smart, Fournier, R. Williams, More
After completing a three-team trade with Chicago and Washington that sent Moritz Wagner and Luke Kornet to Boston, the Celtics are expected to waive a player to pursue a veteran big man on the buyout market, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, who says Kornet would likely be the odd man out.
However, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link) hears that there are no immediate plans to drop Kornet. As Himmelsbach explains, since Daniel Theis is now a Bull and Tristan Thompson remains sidelined due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the Celtics may need some extra depth at the five in the short term.
Himmelsbach’s report makes sense — whether Kornet remains on the roster for another day, another week, or the rest of the season, the Celtics will owe him the same amount of money, so the logical move would be to hang onto him until the team lines up a deal with a free agent center.
Of course, there’s no guarantee anything will materialize on the buyout market, but the Celtics intend to weigh all the options, as Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said today (Twitter link via Keith Smith of RealGM).
Here’s more on the Celtics:
- Within his Athletic story linked above, Weiss suggests that Thursday’s series of moves provide further evidence that Celtics ownership is reluctant to green-light a “long-term deep dive” into luxury tax territory.
- Ainge assured Marcus Smart that the team wasn’t shopping him and that his name only came up in trade rumors prior to the deadline because he was being brought up by teams interested in him, a source tells Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald (Twitter link). Smart was rumored to be part of the club’s trade talks with Orlando, but ultimately stayed put.
- Having previously stated that he preferred not to use the Celtics’ massive trade exception on a player with an expiring contract, Ainge explained on Friday to reporters that he felt comfortable committing a significant chunk of that TPE toward Evan Fournier because he’s hopeful the veteran wing will remain in Boston beyond this season (Twitter links via Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston). Ainge also said part of the reason he wanted to land an impact scorer like Fournier was that he sensed internal discouragement and wanted the players and coaches to “feel hope” (Twitter link via Forsberg).
- The trade of Theis will free up a bigger role for Robert Williams going forward, according to Ainge, who said the third-year big man has been the club’s best defensive center this season (Twitter links via Smith).
- Ainge said that Wagner and Kornet could join the Celtics as soon as today, while Fournier could report to the team in Oklahoma City this weekend. Additionally, the hope is that Thompson and Romeo Langford will be available at some point next week (Twitter links via Forsberg).
Pacific Notes: Oubre, Warriors, Clippers, Zubac, Kings
The subject of a few trade rumors leading up to the deadline, Warriors forward Kelly Oubre ended up staying put. Oubre – a free agent at season’s end – said on Thursday that he’d “love” to remain with Golden State beyond this season, though he didn’t sound particularly enthusiastic about the idea of moving to the bench to accommodate Klay Thompson‘s return, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN.
“I can’t speak for the future, brother,” Oubre said. “You keep asking me questions like I’m a psychic. But at the end of the day, I’m growing, I’m honing in on my skills in this league and I can offer a lot more than coming off the bench, so at the end of the day, this is my life. I can’t tell the future. Only God can.”
As Friedell observes, the Warriors have the NBA’s most expensive roster this season and there’s no real relief coming next year, especially if the team re-signs Oubre to a deal that matches or exceeds his current $14.38MM salary.
According to Friedell, when asked if he’d accept a below-market deal this offseason to remain in Golden State, Oubre simply replied, “Next question.”
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Head coach Steve Kerr said last night that about 12 Warriors players and coaches received their COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, tweets Friedell.
- The Clippers‘ hope that Rajon Rondo will become ‘Playoff Rondo’ this spring was the motivating factor behind their decision to send Lou Williams and two second-round picks to Atlanta for the veteran point guard, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. As Greif notes, Rondo has a long-standing relationship with head coach Tyronn Lue, who began his coaching career as an assistant in Boston in 2011, when Rondo was an All-Star for the Celtics. That relationship – and the trust Lue has in Rondo – was a factor in the Clippers’ decision to make the trade.
- Within the same story, Greif says the Clippers received calls from multiple teams about center Ivica Zubac, but didn’t seriously consider moving him, as they believe he’s a key part of the roster going forward.
- James Ham of NBC Sports California broke down the Kings‘ deadline acquisitions after the team completed three separate trades.
2021 NBA Trade Deadline Recap
The 2021 NBA trade deadline was perhaps the busiest in league history. A total of 16 deals were agreed upon on deadline day, with 46 players on NBA contracts (plus two more draft-and-stash players) changing teams.
Thursday was so jam-packed with deals that the league office was unable to officially process all the trades in the queue before the end of the day, leaving three of those 16 trades to be formally finalized on Friday.
Here’s a recap all of 2021’s deadline deals:
Trades made on deadline day:
The Bulls make a surprise splash for an All-Star center (story)
- Bulls acquire Nikola Vucevic and Al-Farouq Aminu.
- Magic acquire Wendell Carter, Otto Porter, the Bulls’ 2021 first-round pick (top-four protected), and the Bulls’ 2023 first-round pick (top-four protected).
The Heat buy low on a two-time All-Star (story)
- Heat acquire Victor Oladipo.
- Rockets acquire Kelly Olynyk, Avery Bradley, and the right to swap the Rockets’ or Nets’ 2022 first-round pick with the Heat’s 2022 first-round pick (top-14 protected).
The Nuggets emerge as winners in the Aaron Gordon sweepstakes (story)
- Nuggets acquire Aaron Gordon and Gary Clark.
- Magic acquire Gary Harris, R.J. Hampton, and the Nuggets’ 2025 first-round pick (top-five protected).
The Celtics make use of (part of) their massive trade exception (story)
- Celtics acquire Evan Fournier.
- Magic acquire Jeff Teague, either the Celtics’ or the Grizzlies’ 2025 second-round pick (whichever is less favorable), and the Celtics’ 2027 second-round pick.
The Sixers acquire a veteran point guard for their playoff run (story)
- Sixers acquire George Hill and Ignas Brazdeikis.
- Thunder acquire Tony Bradley, Austin Rivers, the Sixers’ 2025 second-round pick, and the Sixers’ 2026 second-round pick.
- Knicks acquire Terrance Ferguson, Vincent Poirier, the Sixers’ 2021 second-round pick, the Heat’s 2024 second-round pick (top-55 protected; from Sixers), and the draft rights to Emir Preldzic.
The Clippers get a play-maker, while Lou-Will heads home (story)
- Clippers acquire Rajon Rondo.
- Hawks acquire Lou Williams, the Trail Blazers’ 2023 second-round pick, the Clippers’ 2027 second-round pick, and cash.
The Raptors trade a guard — no, not that one (story)
- Trail Blazers acquire Norman Powell.
- Raptors acquire Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood.
The Raptors trade another guard — again, not that one (story)
- Kings acquire Terence Davis.
- Raptors acquire Grizzlies’ 2021 second-round pick.
The Kings and Pistons swap veteran point guards (story)
- Kings acquire Delon Wright.
- Pistons acquire Cory Joseph, the Lakers’ 2021 second-round pick, and the Kings’ 2024 second-round pick.
The Bulls acquire a backup center and the Celtics dump some salary in a three-team deal (story)
- Bulls acquire Daniel Theis, Troy Brown, Javonte Green, and cash ($1.3MM from Celtics; $250K from Wizards).
- Celtics acquire Moritz Wagner and Luke Kornet.
- Wizards acquire Chandler Hutchison and Daniel Gafford.
The Heat acquire a stretch four (story)
- Heat acquire Nemanja Bjelica.
- Kings acquire Maurice Harkless and Chris Silva.
The Mavericks add some shooting (story)
- Mavericks acquire J.J. Redick and Nicolo Melli.
- Pelicans acquire James Johnson, Wesley Iwundu, the Mavericks’ 2021 second-round pick, and cash.
The Nuggets acquire a veteran to back up Nikola Jokic (story)
- Nuggets acquire JaVale McGee.
- Cavaliers acquire Isaiah Hartenstein, the Nuggets’ 2023 second-round pick (top-46 protected), and the Nuggets’ 2027 second-round pick.
The Jazz fill their 15th roster spot with a sharpshooter (story)
- Jazz acquire Matt Thomas.
- Raptors acquire the Warriors’ 2021 second-round pick.
The Warriors dump some salary (story)
- Spurs acquire Marquese Chriss and cash.
- Warriors acquire the draft rights to Cady Lalanne.
The Warriors dump some more salary (story)
- Hornets acquire Brad Wanamaker, the Raptors’ 2022 second-round pick (top-54 protected), and cash.
- Warriors acquire the Hornets’ 2025 second-round pick (top-55 protected).
Top trade candidates who stayed put:
- Kyle Lowry, Raptors (story)
- John Collins, Hawks (story)
- Lonzo Ball, Pelicans (story)
Players waived on deadline day:
- LaMarcus Aldridge, Spurs (story) (buyout)
- Mfiondu Kabengele, Kings (story)
- Jalen Lecque, Pacers (story)
- Meyers Leonard, Thunder (story)
- Jabari Parker, Kings (story)
Note: Jeff Teague (Magic) and Vincent Poirier (Knicks) are expected to be waived, and Andre Drummond (Cavaliers) is working toward a buyout, but those moves have not yet been made official.
Trades made in the week leading up to the deadline:
The Bucks acquired a playoff-tested veteran (story)
- Bucks acquire P.J. Tucker, Rodions Kurucs, and their own 2022 first-round pick (traded away in a previous deal).
- Rockets acquire D.J. Augustin, D.J. Wilson, the Bucks’ 2023 first-round pick (unprotected), and the right to swap their own 2021 second-round pick with the Bucks’ 2021 first-round pick (top-nine protected).
The Suns added a low-cost defensive specialist (story)
- Suns acquire Torrey Craig.
- Bucks acquire cash ($110K).
The Heat brought Trevor Ariza out of hibernation (story)
- Heat acquire Trevor Ariza.
- Thunder acquire Meyers Leonard and the Heat’s 2027 second-round pick.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Candidates Emerge For Aldridge, Drummond
Recently bought-out free agent big man LaMarcus Aldridge is set to chat with several reputable playoff contenders soon. Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets that the Heat, Lakers, Clippers and Nets are all expected to have a chance to woo the 35-year-old former All-Star.
A report earlier today suggested there was “increasing momentum” toward Aldridge ending up in Miami, and Haynes confirmed the Heat are the favorites, but it sounds like no decision has been made yet.
Before the Spurs agreed to shut him down ahead of a trade or buyout, Aldridge had lost his starting center role to Jakob Poeltl in his least productive season since his rookie year. He is averaging 13.7 PPG and 4.5 RPG across 21 games this season.
Aldridge is not the only decorated veteran big man looking for new digs. Haynes tweets that former All-Star center Andre Drummond, still working towards his own buyout with the Cavaliers, will talk with some of the same clubs as he considers his own next steps. The Knicks, Celtics, Hornets, Lakers, and Clippers are the teams that will have an audience with the 27-year-old former All-Star.
Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer tweets that “a lot of uncertainty” surrounds this next move for Drummond. Several of these clubs can offer vastly different roles and salaries based on their current rosters and cap situations.
Drummond, averaging a stellar 17.5 PPG and 13.5 RPG for Cleveland, seems likely to enjoy the best combination of money and opportunity on the Knicks and Hornets. The Hornets especially have long needed a major upgrade at center. However, the Lakers have been viewed as the frontrunner for the big man.