Southwest Notes: Tucker, DeRozan, Mavs, Wood, Porter Jr.
P.J. Tucker has been traded by the Rockets to the Bucks but the veteran forward thought he’d be wearing a different uniform much sooner, Kelly Iko and Sam Amick of The Athletic report. Following a team meeting in January, Tucker expected to be included in the James Harden deal where he’s wind up in either Brooklyn or Philadelphia. Instead, Tucker – who is seeking an extension — spent two months waiting for the front office to find a new home for him.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- DeMar DeRozan has rejoined the Spurs, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. DeRozan had been away from the team for four games to attend his father’s funeral. DeRozan will be available to play against Cleveland on Friday.
- With the Mavericks planning to rest Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis periodically, they might look to add another starting-caliber player before the trade deadline, Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News speculates. Another experienced player off the bench who could provide an offensive boost would also be helpful, Caplan notes. But there are also some compelling reasons for the club to stand pat as well, which Caplan details.
- With Christian Wood back in the lineup after a lengthy absence due to an ankle injury, he can now work on his chemistry with guard Kevin Porter Jr.., Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. Porter Jr. has averaged 19.6 PPG and 8.0 APG since returning from the G League.
Raptors Notes: Lowry, Powell, Trade Deadline
Teams inquiring about Kyle Lowry‘s availability have been told that the Raptors aren’t planning on trading him, sources tell Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. Lewenberg is the second Raptors beat reporter to suggest as much, as Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca wrote last week that the team is very unlikely to move its veteran point guard.
Both Lewenberg and Grange have presented their reports with the caveat that things could change between now and March 25, especially if Lowry’s preference is to move on. But with only six days left until the 2021 trade deadline, the 34-year-old still seems most likely to finish the season with Toronto.
Here’s more on the Raptors:
- The Raptors shouldn’t trade Lowry just because he’s getting older and is about to reach free agency, argues Dan Devine of The Ringer. In Devine’s view, the connection Lowry has formed with fans in Toronto is rare, and the return the team would get in any trade is unlikely to be worth ending that relationship unless the point guard decides he wants out.
- Norman Powell, who is eligible for free agency at season’s end, has been the subject of some trade speculation lately, but he’s not letting that bother him, as Lewenberg details. “I don’t concern myself with (trade rumors),” Powell said on Wednesday. “I’m just focused on trying to get these wins, trying to help the team win. I used to concern myself with that earlier in my (career), and now it’s just whatever happens, happens.”
- Blake Murphy of The Athletic ran through a series of hypothetical Raptors trades – many involving Powell – soliciting feedback from his fellow beat writers at The Athletic.
Hawks Notes: Collins, Dunn, Vaccinations
Hawks big man John Collins is receiving “heavy interest” ahead of next Thursday’s trade deadline, league sources tell Zach Lowe of ESPN. However, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on the latest episode of The Woj Pod that he believes Collins is unlikely to be dealt, suggesting it’ll be hard for Atlanta to get good value for the 23-year-old, given his small cap hit and his looming restricted free agency.
“I think they can figure out John Collins’ future,” Wojnarowski said. “I know there was a limit they were willing to go in negotiations – around $90MM – on a (preseason) extension. … They can figure that out after the season.”
Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Insider link) conveys a similar sentiment, reporting that the Hawks have told teams inquiring on Collins that they intend to match any contract offer for him in the offseason.
While that hasn’t stopped the trade offers from coming, per Windhorst, Atlanta remains focused on making the playoffs and has been red-hot since Nate McMillan took the head coaching reins, winning seven straight games and moving up to the No. 5 seed in the East. Collins figures to play a crucial part in the club’s efforts to secure a postseason berth.
Here’s more on the Hawks:
- According to a team press release, veteran guard Kris Dunn returned to modified team practice on Wednesday and is traveling with the Hawks on their eight-game road trip, which gets underway Saturday in Los Angeles. Dunn, who is coming off of ankle surgery, has yet to play a game for Atlanta, but there’s optimism he’ll make his debut before the end of the month.
- As of Thursday night, 36 members of the Hawks’ organization, including 14 players, had received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. As Spencer explains, all of those individuals meet the current eligibility requirements in Georgia, while the three players who have yet to receive their first dose aren’t yet eligible.
- Injured forward De’Andre Hunter (knee) is due to be re-evaluated today. The Hawks have yet to issue an update on his status, but the expectation is that he’ll be available at some point during the team’s upcoming road trip.
NBA Trade Candidate Watch: Top Veteran Targets
With the March 25 trade deadline fast approaching, Hoops Rumors is taking a closer look at players around the NBA who are candidates to be moved this month, breaking them down into several categories based on their age, contracts, on-court value, and other categories. Today, we’ll zero in on the top veteran trade targets on the market.
The January blockbuster trade that saw James Harden, Victor Oladipo, and Caris LeVert change teams is unlikely to be topped in the next six days. No player in Harden’s class are believed to be available, and it’s possible that the best player to be dealt by March 25 will be… well, Oladipo himself, who is back on the block just a couple months after being acquired by Houston.
Bradley Beal, Zach LaVine, and Karl-Anthony Towns have been the subject of some trade speculation, but that appears to be wishful thinking. The Bulls are in the playoff hunt, and Beal and Towns will likely only be moved if they push for it — so far, there’s no indication that they are.
Still, even if no All-NBA type players are on the move in the next few days, there are plenty of intriguing veteran players who could be had. The final installment of our Trade Candidate series today will focus on those players.
Let’s dive in…
Probably off-limits, but you never know:
- Nikola Vucevic, Magic
- Kyle Lowry, Raptors
- Thaddeus Young, Bulls
- Myles Turner, Pacers
- DeMar DeRozan, Spurs
Vucevic has said he’s happy where he is, but he has drawn significant interest from several teams. It would take a huge package to convince the Magic to move their lone All-Star, especially since he’s under contract for two more years after 2020/21.
Lowry’s $30.5MM expiring contract would make salary-matching tricky, and the Raptors won’t simply move him for the best offer — if the veteran point guard wants a change of scenery and Toronto can get something worthwhile in return, he could be on the move. But it seems more likely that he’ll stay put through the deadline and the Raptors will figure out his future in the offseason.
Young would help just about every contender and looked at one point like a prime trade candidate. But the Bulls are playing pretty well under head coach Billy Donovan and seem far more likely to push for the postseason than to essentially throw in the towel by selling off Young and their other veterans.
Turner was discussed in trade talks during the offseason, but he’s been tremendous for the Pacers this season, leading the NBA in blocked shots and anchoring Indiana’s defense. He’s not necessarily untouchable, but the price will be higher now than it was back in November.
As for DeRozan, there have been rumblings that he could be on the trade block if he and the Spurs don’t agree to an extension, but San Antonio typically doesn’t do anything too big during the season, so I’d be surprised if he’s dealt.
Intriguing targets who could realistically be available:
Aaron Gordon, Magic- Evan Fournier, Magic
- Terrence Ross, Magic
- Buddy Hield, Kings
- Harrison Barnes, Kings
- Victor Oladipo, Rockets
- Norman Powell, Raptors
- Larry Nance Jr., Cavaliers
- Cedi Osman, Cavaliers
While Vucevic may be off the table, the Magic have a trio of other key contributors whose price tags should be more reasonable. Fournier is on an expiring contract, so there may be a little more urgency to address his situation than to do anything with Gordon or Ross. But of the three, Gordon is the most valuable and would command the biggest return. If Orlando can get a bidding war going, it could lead to a pretty tempting offer for the forward.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Kings wait until the offseason to increase their efforts to move Hield and/or Barnes, since both players are on long-term deals. But the right offer could get it done by next Thursday.
Houston is in sell mode, making Oladipo available. Still, it’s worth remembering that the Rockets didn’t have to expand the Harden deal to acquire Oladipo — they went out of their way to do so because they like him. So if they’re being low-balled at the deadline in Oladipo negotiations, they may well hang onto him.
Powell and Nance are two of the most interesting names out there and could be difference-makers for a contender. There has been no real indication that the Raptors are shopping Powell, but he can opt out this offseason and is in line for a big raise on the heels of a career year. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, have reportedly passed on offers for Nance that feature multiple late first-round picks, signaling it’ll take a lot to get him. The price for Osman would be more modest.
Their contracts complicate matters:
- Kevin Love, Cavaliers
- Andre Drummond, Cavaliers
- LaMarcus Aldridge, Spurs
If Love, Drummond, and Aldridge were to hit waivers tomorrow, their agents’ phones would be inundated with calls from interested teams, and it wouldn’t take long for them to land with a contender, like Blake Griffin did with Brooklyn after he was bought out by Detroit.
However, the cap hits for Love ($31.3MM), Drummond ($28.75MM), and Aldridge ($24MM) probably outweigh their value at this point in their careers, so it will be a challenge for the Cavaliers and Spurs to extract assets in a trade without taking on some bad money.
Drummond and Aldridge, both on expiring contracts, are away from their respective clubs as they await resolution, so it’s a safe bet that they’ll be either traded or bought out. I think the Spurs probably have a slightly better chance to get a trade done, but both are toss-ups. As for Love, he still has two guaranteed seasons on his deal after 2020/21, so a buyout isn’t a realistic option for him — he’s a safe bet to stay put.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Trade Rumors: Oladipo, Kings, Markkanen, McGee
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski expects Rockets guard Victor Oladipo to be “prominent” in trade discussions leading up to the March 25 deadline, he said in the latest episode of The Woj Pod. However, it’s not clear what sort of return Houston will want or if any teams will be willing to meet the asking price.
As RealGM relays, Wojnarowski and ESPN colleague Tim Bontemps believe teams will be reluctant to aggressively pursue Oladipo since he hasn’t recaptured his All-Star form in Houston (he’s shooting .399/.316/.772 since joining the Rockets) and will be seeking a huge new multiyear contract as a free agent this offseason.
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- A number of power forwards are among the most intriguing players on the trade market, but teams like the Kings, Magic, and Bulls are sending signals that they won’t necessarily feel compelled to move players like Harrison Barnes, Aaron Gordon, and Thaddeus Young, writes ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (Insider link). According to Windhorst, teams that have called Sacramento have found the club willing to discuss Nemanja Bjelica and Jabari Parker, but more hesitant to talk about Barnes.
- The Bulls appear more likely to consider moving Lauri Markkanen than Young, Windhorst adds in the same story.
- According to Zach Lowe of ESPN, a number of strong playoff teams are interested in Cavaliers center JaVale McGee. However, those clubs are gauging the likelihood of a possible buyout for McGee before committing to giving up an asset for him.
- Bobby Marks of ESPN closes the book on the trade that sent Torrey Craig to the Suns, tweeting that Phoenix sent $110K to the Bucks in the deal. That’s the minimum amount possible this season if a team trades cash.
Scotto’s Latest: Dinwiddie, A. Gordon, A. Holiday, Bjelica
The asking price for Nets point guard Spencer Dinwiddie on the trade market is believed to be a role player who can contribute this season, plus a second-round pick, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim Bontemps suggested during the latest episode of The Woj Pod that Brooklyn would seek a solid wing defender in such a deal, as NetsDaily relays.
Dinwiddie will be a fascinating trade chip to monitor at the trade deadline, since his value is difficult to pin down. His partially torn ACL will likely prevent him from playing again this season and he’s expected to opt out of his contract at season’s end, as Scotto confirms.
Dinwiddie’s Bird rights have some value, especially to teams without projected 2021 cap room, but most of those clubs without cap space are playoff teams that seem unlikely to send Brooklyn win-now assets just to get a leg up on Dinwiddie’s free agency.
Here’s more from Scotto, with six days until the 2021 trade deadline:
- The Magic are thought to be seeking a first-round pick and a good young player in exchange for forward Aaron Gordon, reports Scotto. Gordon, Evan Fournier, and other Orlando players could be available at the deadline, but the team remains reluctant to move Nikola Vucevic, Scotto notes.
- Pacers guard Aaron Holiday would be available for a first-round pick, league sources tell Scotto. Indiana has always thought highly of Holiday, but a first-rounder may be an ambitious ask, given his reduced role and his underwhelming production (including a .377 FG%).
- Several opposing executives believe the Kings will be able to get a second-round pick for Nemanja Bjelica, says Scotto. If Sacramento is willing to take on salary beyond this season, a stronger return could be in play, but the team would prefer not to do so, sources tell HoopsHype.
Rockets Trade P.J. Tucker To Bucks
MARCH 19: The Rockets and Bucks have officially completed their trade, per a press release.
MARCH 17: Milwaukee is making some roster adjustments ahead of a playoff push.
The Bucks are acquiring forwards P.J. Tucker and Rodions Kurucs and reacquiring their own 2022 first-round pick from the Rockets in exchange for veteran point guard D.J. Augustin, forward D.J. Wilson, the Bucks’ 2023 unprotected first-round draft pick, and the right to swap the Rockets’ 2021 second-round pick for Milwaukee’s first-round draft pick (top-nine protected), reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The deal will add Tucker to the Bucks’ frontcourt, giving the team a strong, versatile defender to match up with opposing forwards and big men in the second half and in the postseason. After three-and-a-half seasons in Houston, the 35-year-old reached an agreement with the team last week that allowed him to remain away from the Rockets while they sought a trade for him.
Tucker hasn’t contributed much on offense this season, averaging a career-low 4.4 PPG with a .314 3PT% in 32 games (30.0 MPG), but he’s still a solid defender and could be rejuvenated by a change of scenery that gets him to a contender.
The Rockets, losers of 17 straight games, clearly appear to be in asset acquisition mode now. The deal should allow them to move up at least a few spots in the 2021 draft, as they’ll swap their second-round pick for Milwaukee’s first-rounder. By reacquiring their 2022 first-round pick from Houston, the Bucks are able to surrender both their 2021 and 2023 first-rounders in this deal without violating the Stepien rule.
While the Rockets were rumored to be seeking a young impact player in exchange for Tucker, that was always considered an ambitious goal, given the forward’s recent decline. But the club will get a chance to look at a former first-rounder in Wilson before he becomes eligible for restricted free agency in the summer.
It’s not yet clear what Houston’s plan for Augustin is, but he’s the one player in the deal who is owed guaranteed money beyond this season, with a $7MM guaranteed salary for 2021/22 and a non-guaranteed $7.3MM salary in ’22/23. He could provide depth at the point guard spot for the Rockets or be rerouted to a new team at some point.
The Bucks have also reportedly agreed to send Torrey Craig to the Suns and will now have two open roster spots. They’ll go from about $442K below the hard cap to $3.5MM below, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), so they’ll have a little more breathing room to fill out their 15-man roster via trade or on the buyout market.
Luke Adams contributed to this story. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Clippers Eyeing Lonzo Ball
The Clippers remain in the market for a play-maker at the point guard position and are exploring possible avenues to acquire Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball before the March 25 trade deadline, league sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link).
Ball, 23, has been the subject of off-and-on trade rumors this season as he nears restricted free agency. He has developed a nice chemistry with Pelicans star Zion Williamson and has the potential to continue improving, but New Orleans will have to decide whether or not it wants to pay big money to retain him a long-term deal this offseason.
While the Pelicans would have the ability to match any offer Ball receives in restricted free agency, they may only be comfortable up to a certain price point. If they’re concerned about a team extending an offer sheet that exceeds that price point, it would make sense to see what they could get in return for Ball now, especially since their 17-24 record has them slipping out of the playoff race.
[RELATED: Knicks said to be “heavily” on Ball’s radar]
Ball is averaging a career-high 14.2 PPG on .425/.385/.767 shooting (all career highs) to go along with 5.6 APG and 4.2 RPG in 38 games (31.7 MPG). He has played more off the ball this season, something his father LaVar Ball griped about in a recent appearance on ESPN Radio in Los Angeles. As Christian Clark of NOLA.com details, the outspoken Ball patriarch expressed a desire to see the Pelicans trade his son.
The Clippers are having another strong season, currently holding a top-four seed in the West with a 26-16 record. However, they’ve long been on the lookout for some extra play-making — Paul George (5.3 APG) and Kawhi Leonard (4.9 APG) currently lead the team in assists. Veteran point guards Terry Rozier, George Hill, and Ricky Rubio have been cited as possible targets for L.A.
If the Clippers make a move for a player earning a mid-level salary or higher, Lou Williams ($8MM) may have to be one of the outgoing pieces. All of the team’s players making more than $5MM are part of the regular rotation and aren’t necessarily expendable, which will make it challenging to swing a deal.
As Stein points out (via Twitter), the Clippers’ lack of draft assets may also complicate their pursuit of Ball and other point guard targets. If the club makes a push for Ball, it may require a three-team construction, Stein adds.
Hoops Rumors Glossary: Poison Pill Provision
The poison pill provision isn’t technically a term that is defined in the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. However, the concept of a “poison pill” has colloquially come to refer to a pair of NBA concepts.
The first of those concepts relates to the Gilbert Arenas Provision, which we’ve explained in a separate glossary entry. When a team uses the Arenas provision to sign a restricted free agent to an offer sheet, that team can include a massive third-year raise that is often referred to as a “poison pill.”
No current NBA contracts fit this bill, but the one Tyler Johnson signed in 2016 did — the Nets included a third-year raise in that four-year offer sheet. After the Heat matched, they had to deal with Johnson’s cap hit jumping from $5.88MM in the second year of his contract to $19.45MM in the third year.
However, the concept we’re focusing on today doesn’t involve Johnson, the Arenas provision, or RFA offer sheets. Instead, this second meaning of the “poison pill” relates to players who recently signed rookie scale extensions, something 10 players did in 2020.
The “poison pill provision” arises if a team extends a player’s rookie scale contract, then trades him before the extension officially takes effect. It’s not a situation that arises often, but it features its own set of rules, since extensions following rookie contracts often create a large gap between a player’s current and future salaries.
For salary-matching purposes, if a player is traded between the time his rookie contract is extended and the start of the following league year (when that extension takes effect), the player’s incoming value for the receiving team is the average of his current-year salary and the annual salary in each year of his extension. His current team, on the other hand, simply treats his current-year salary as the outgoing figure for matching purposes.
Let’s use Kyle Kuzma as an example. Kuzma signed a three-year, $39MM rookie scale extension with the Lakers this year, which locks him up through the 2023/24 season, assuming he picks up his final-year player option. However, he’s only on the books for $3,562,178 in 2018/19.
If the Lakers sought to trade Kuzma this season, the poison pill provision would complicate their efforts. From Los Angeles’ perspective, Kuzma’s current-year cap hit ($3,562,178) would represent his outgoing salary for matching purposes. However, any team acquiring Kuzma would have to view his incoming value as $10,640,545 — that’s the annual average of the four years and $42,562,178 he has left when accounting for both his new and old contracts.
As we explain in our glossary entry on the traded player exception, NBA rules dictate that over-the-cap teams must send and receive approximately the same amount of salary in any trade. So applying the poison pill provision to a player like Kuzma and creating a $7MM+ discrepancy between how two trade partners account for him would make salary-matching much more difficult than usual, especially since so many teams this season are hovering around the luxury-tax and hard-cap thresholds.
Trades involving a player who recently signed a rookie scale extension are already rare. After all, those players are generally young, and a player who signed an extension is promising enough to have warranted a long-term investment. Those aren’t the type of players that teams typically move, so it’s not as if guys like Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Bam Adebayo, and De’Aaron Fox would be trade candidates this season anyway.
The poison poll provision further disincentivizes a deal involving one of those recently-extended players by complicating salary-matching rules, making those trades even rarer. In other words, even the players who could theoretically be available just months after signing rookie scale extensions, such as Kuzma or Clippers sharpshooter Luke Kennard, are unlikely to be dealt this season.
Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.
Earlier versions of this post was published in 2012 and 2018. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Southeast Notes: Heat, Gay, Anthony, Zeller, Wizards
The Heat made their deal for Trevor Ariza with over a week to go until the March 25 trade deadline. One reason for Miami’s willingness to act early was the team’s inability to find common ground with the Spurs or Rockets on trade compensation for Rudy Gay or P.J. Tucker, a source tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
Gay and Tucker had been previously mentioned as potential Heat targets, and Gay was the preferred choice for some of those within the organization, according to Jackson. However, the Spurs’ asking price was deemed too high for Miami’s liking — the two teams also made no progress in talks for LaMarcus Aldridge, Jackson adds.
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- Magic rookie Cole Anthony, who has been sidelined since February 9 due to shoulder and rib injuries, isn’t close to returning, head coach Steve Clifford said this week, per Roy Parry of The Orlando Sentinel. “He was on the court yesterday for the first time just doing some light shooting,” Clifford said on Wednesday. “Let’s put it this way: It’s more than days, it’s weeks before –– and I shouldn’t even say –– I don’t know exactly, but it’s not that close is the feedback (from the training staff).”
- After starting Thursday night’s game vs. the Lakers, Hornets center Cody Zeller didn’t play at all in the second half, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Zeller’s role is worth watching with the trade deadline around the corner — if Charlotte makes a move, it could involve the center position and Zeller’s $15.4MM expiring contract.
- Fred Katz and John Hollinger of The Athletic teamed up to break down some hypothetical trade deadline deals involving the Wizards, including swaps that would send players such as George Hill, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Wayne Ellington to D.C.