Trade Rumors: Poeltl, Wall, Durant, Pistons
The Spurs are sending their “strongest signals” so far that they intend to trade center Jakob Poeltl before Thursday’s deadline, tweets Marc Stein. The organization’s attitude toward a potential deal seems to have changed over the past 24 hours, Stein adds, giving hope to teams interested in acquiring potentially the best center on the market.
The Celtics and Raptors have been frequently mentioned as possible landing spots for Poeltl, and Stein reported earlier today that the Wizards have expressed strong interest as well. The 27-year-old will be a free agent this summer, but San Antonio has plenty of cap room available if it decides to keep him.
The Raptors and Spurs have discussed a deal involving Thaddeus Young and draft assets in exchange for Poeltl, according to Stein (Twitter link). The Spurs played in Toronto tonight, so Poeltl faced questions about the possibility of being traded there, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express News.
“I just try to focus on the here and now,” Poeltl said. “There is a lot of noise, and I try to keep it out as much as possible and just try to focus on these games.”
There’s more on the trade front:
- It appears John Wall‘s time with the Clippers will end soon, whether he’s traded on Thursday or not, Stein adds (Twitter link). A source tells Stein that L.A. will pursue a buyout deal with Wall if it can’t find a taker by the deadline, echoing a report from Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times earlier this week. Wall has appeared in just 34 games and hasn’t played since January 13 because of an abdominal injury.
- Nearly every contending team has called the Nets to check on Kevin Durant‘s availability, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. There has been speculation that Durant might want out after Kyrie Irving was traded to Dallas, but Brooklyn’s front office is telling everyone that it plans to hold on to Durant.
- The Pistons have been active in trade talks, but they’re not committed to moving Bojan Bogdanovic, Alec Burks or Saddiq Bey before the deadline, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. The Knicks, Bucks and Lakers have expressed the most interest in Bogdanovic, but they don’t appear to be offering the draft assets that Detroit wants. Edwards suggests the Pistons might try to use the expiring contracts of Cory Joseph, Nerlens Noel and Hamidou Diallo — worth about $19MM combined — to pick up a player under contract beyond this season.
Trail Blazers To Trade Josh Hart To Knicks
The Knicks have reached an agreement to acquire Josh Hart from the Trail Blazers, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Portland will receive Cam Reddish and a first-round pick as part of the return.
Hart has an expiring $12.96MM contract, while Reddish is earning $5.95MM in the final year of his rookie deal, so at least one more player has to be included to match salaries.
Sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype that Svi Mykhailiuk ($1.97MM) and Ryan Arcidiacono ($2.13MM) are also headed to the Blazers (Twitter link), which will satisfy the NBA’s matching rules.
The pick that New York is giving up is lottery protected for 2023, per Wojnarowski (Twitter link). If it doesn’t convey this year, it will turn into four future second-round picks. That’s presumably the Knicks’ own first-round pick, since the protection terms don’t match up with the other first-rounders they control.
New York appeared to be a late entry into the bidding for Hart, with the first rumors of a deal appearing earlier today. His toughness and tenacity on defense seem to make him a natural fit for coach Tom Thibodeau. The Cavaliers and Heat were among the other teams reported to have interest in trading for Hart.
The 27-year-old wing is expected to decline his $12.96MM option this summer and seek a long-term deal in free agency. He has been part of the starting lineup in Portland since the Blazers acquired him at last year’s trade deadline, and he’s averaging 9.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 51 games this season.
The Knicks gave up a protected first-round pick last February to acquire Reddish, but he has fallen out of favor and hasn’t played since December 3. The 10th selection in the 2019 draft has washed out in Atlanta and New York, but he will have two months to audition for the Blazers, who can make him a restricted free agent with a $7.7MM qualifying offer.
Mykhailiuk, who signed a non-guaranteed deal with New York shortly before the start of training camp, has seen minimal playing time in 13 games.
Arcidiacono has played even less than his teammate, appearing in just 11 games and logging 26 total minutes in 2022/23. Due to the terms of his contract, he had the ability to veto any trade that involves him, but he has signed off on this one, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
The Trail Blazers will gain some cap relief as a result of the deal and will move well clear of the luxury tax line after flirting with it for much of the season. Assuming no players are added to the deal and it remains a three-for-one swap, Portland will have to cut a player from its 15-man roster to make room for the newcomers.
League OKs Mavericks’ Request To Remove Tyrell Terry From Team Salary
The NBA has approved the Mavericks‘ request to have Tyrell Terry‘s contract removed from their team salary, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.
The 31st pick in the 2020 draft, Terry surprised the league in December when he announced his retirement, citing mental health issues. The 22-year-old said he was experiencing severe anxiety and had “fallen out of love” with basketball.
Terry played 11 games for Dallas as a rookie and was waived prior to the start of the 2021/22 season, despite having guaranteed money left on his contract. He signed both a 10-day and a two-way contract with the Grizzlies last season, but only appeared in two games before being waived in July.
The Mavericks were on the hook for $1.8MM to Terry this season, but they petitioned the league to have the effect on their cap erased under a career ending injury exclusion. According to Marks, the league’s decision means Dallas’ projected tax bill will fall from $60.4MM to $53.7MM.
Deveney’s Latest: Lowry, D. Robinson, Crowder, Okoro, G. Williams, Warriors
The Heat haven’t been able to find a taker for Kyle Lowry and may not be able to work out a significant deal before the deadline, writes Sean Deveney of Heavy. Sources tell Deveney that Miami had Lowry trade offers rejected by the Nets, Mavericks and Timberwolves and wasn’t able to generate much traction with any other team.
Lowry’s age (36) and contract (fully guaranteed at $29.68MM next season) have been major impediments to finding a trade partner. In addition, he has been limited to 44 games because of injuries, including a current bout with left knee soreness that could sideline him through the All-Star break.
The Heat also haven’t found much of a market for Duncan Robinson, who is under contract for $57MM over the next three years, although the last season isn’t fully guaranteed. Robinson has seen his playing time reduced this season and underwent finger surgery in January. Deveney suggests Miami will need to attach a future first-round pick and a young player to trade Lowry or Robinson, and he notes that some teams have expressed interest in rookie Nikola Jovic and Max Strus.
“They thought they were going to have more assets at this point, that Robinson might be playing better, that (Victor) Oladipo would be better, that Omer (Yurtseven) would be better, that Strus would be better, that Lowry would have value,” an NBA executive told Deveney. “That is why they were confident they would make a move. But they missed on pretty much all of those bets, and it is going to be hard to pull something off.”
Deveney passes along a few more rumors:
- The Suns appear willing to accept Caleb Martin from the Heat in exchange for Jae Crowder, but Miami is reluctant to part with Martin, who is 27 and has an affordable contract. Sources tell Deveney that Phoenix is talking to several other teams about Crowder, including the Nets.
- The Cavaliers likely won’t deal for another wing if the cost is Isaac Okoro, according to Deveney, who notes that Cleveland has discussed Josh Hart with the Trail Blazers, Bojan Bogdanovic with the Pistons and Malik Beasley with the Jazz.
- The Celtics aren’t exploring Grant Williams trades before the deadline, Deveney adds. Although Williams will be a free agent this summer after not reaching a contract extension, Boston prefers to hold onto him at his current bargain price of $4.3MM and may consider a sign-and-trade in the offseason.
- The Warriors are listening to offers for Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and James Wiseman, but Deveney hears that their trade value may have decreased from a lack of playing time.
Central Notes: Vucevic, White, Pacers, Cavaliers
Bulls center Nikola Vucevic changed his standard answer on Tuesday when asked about his upcoming free agency, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Vucevic typically tells reporters that he plans to deal with it in the offseason, but after last night’s game, he expressed a preference to sign an extension and remain in Chicago.
“Hopefully we can work something out, that would be great,’’ Vucevic said. “It makes sense that they want to first see how this all works out, how we do, how we finish the season.’’
Cowley suggests the change indicates that Vucevic has been involved in discussions with executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas about his future. Vucevic has been the subject of trade rumors, so there’s no guarantee that he’ll still be with the team after Thursday afternoon’s deadline, but Cowley states that the Bulls don’t appear eager to undergo major changes in the middle of the season.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- The Bulls have been getting calls about Coby White since last summer, but they seem inclined to keep him, Cowley adds. A source tells Cowley that it would take a significant offer to convince the team to move White, who is headed for restricted free agency after the season.
- The Pacers are happy with the core they have in place and will likely focus on small deals ahead of the deadline, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required). The recent two-year extension with Myles Turner means that all of Indiana’s core players are under contract for the immediate future. “We see a lot of players blossoming from our young players to Buddy (Hield) having a great year, Andrew (Nembhard) having a great year,” president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said. “Sometimes you get in a situation where it’s easy to look out everywhere else and say, ‘There’s an answer there and an answer there.’ And there might be. But my goal is to watch these guys grow. … We’re opportunistic, but I like what I see.” The Pacers may explore the power forward market, so Dopirak lists several potential targets and what it might cost to get them.
- Injuries and lineup experimentation have prevented the Cavaliers from fully seeing how good they can be with Donovan Mitchell on hand, notes Kelsey Russo of The Athletic, who contends that Cleveland shouldn’t be looking at more big moves before the deadline.
Lakers, Jazz, Wolves Discussing Russell, Conley, Westbrook
4:30p.m.: The Lakers and Jazz have the structure of a trade in place, but the deal will depend on what the Wolves get in return for Russell, particularly in terms of draft assets, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link), who adds that Minnesota has discussed Russell with other teams as well.
2:49pm: The Lakers, Jazz, and Timberwolves are engaging in discussions on a potential three-team trade that would send Mike Conley to Minnesota, D’Angelo Russell to Los Angeles, and Russell Westbrook and draft compensation (including a first-round pick) to Utah, according to Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link).
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported during an appearance on NBA Today (Twitter video link) that the Lakers were talking to Minnesota about Russell and says the Wolves would also receive some draft compensation in the deal if it’s finalized (Twitter link).
According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), Jazz swingman Malik Beasley and Jazz forward Jarred Vanderbilt have been included in versions of the proposed trade. Charania confirms as much, tweeting that those two players would end up with the Lakers.
The three teams continue to negotiate and are working through draft picks and pick protections, sources tell The Athletic. Wojnarowski cautions that the Jazz remain involved in other trade discussions involving Conley, so it’s not a sure thing that this three-team swap will be completed.
Veteran point guards Conley, Russell, and Westbrook have all been the subject of trade rumors for much of the 2022/23 season. Russell and Westbrook are on expiring contracts and haven’t engaged in serious extension talks to remain with their current teams beyond this year; Conley has a partially guaranteed contract for next season, but may not have a place in the rebuilding Jazz’s future.
The Lakers have explored possible Westbrook trades since last offseason, but have thus far been unwilling to include the kind of draft capital it would take to move off his $47MM+ cap hit and acquire multiple reliable rotation players in return.
Due to restrictions affecting earlier picks, L.A. can only currently trade its first-rounders for 2027 and 2029. It’s unclear whether the team would give up both of those picks in this proposed deal, but it’s safe to assume at least one would be included, since the trade would provide the Lakers with two strong outside shooters in Russell and Beasley, along with a versatile wing and frontcourt defender in Vanderbilt, addressing two of the club’s biggest needs.
Russell, of course, is a former Laker, having been selected second overall by the franchise in the 2015 draft.
The Timberwolves, meanwhile, may view Conley as a better fit in their backcourt alongside rising star Anthony Edwards than Russell has been. Conley also had success playing with Rudy Gobert in Utah and could potentially help make the big man more comfortable in Minnesota.
In addition to the promising on-court fit, having Conley under contract for next season would allow the Wolves to head into the summer without having to worry about negotiating a new contract for their starting point guard, as they would with Russell.
As for the Jazz, they would likely buy out Westbrook if they move forward on this trade, as Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report confirms (via Twitter). The motivation on Utah’s end would be to cash in veterans for future draft picks as the team continues its rebuilding process.
Celtics Rumors: Pritchard, Gallinari, Poeltl, Bamba
The Celtics have been exploring the possibility of pairing Payton Pritchard and Danilo Gallinari in an outgoing trade package as they seek frontcourt reinforcements, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
Pritchard and Gallinari are earning a total of approximately $8.72MM this season, so if the Celtics traded them together, they could take back a player earning up to nearly $11MM (125% of the outgoing salary, plus $100K).
As Fischer observes, the group of players earning less than $11MM includes centers like Jakob Poeltl of the Spurs and Mohamed Bamba of the Magic, though I suspect Boston would need to include at least one more sweetener to land Poeltl and may be hesitant to part with Pritchard in a deal for Bamba.
Here’s more on the Celtics:
- Pritchard spoke to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe about his role in Boston, expressing conflicted feelings about having the opportunity to play for a legitimate title contender while not seeing the court as much as he’d like. The third-year guard said the team’s success doesn’t “necessarily” make it easier to accept his limited minutes. “I’m a competitor and I want to play,” Pritchard said. “I’d play this game for no money if that’s what it means, because I love it. So the biggest thing for me is being somewhere I’ll play and really contribute to winning.”
- Speaking to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, Gallinari addressed his ongoing ACL recovery process and said he’s prepared for the possibility of being on the move at the trade deadline. “(The front office and I) haven’t talked about the trade situation,” Gallinari said. “But I’m 34 years old, I’ve been in the league 15 years. Whatever happens, happens. It’s out of my control, and I’m focused in on my job.”
- Jay King of The Athletic evaluates several hypothetical trade proposals submitted by fans, considering whether any of them are realistic. King’s favorite of the bunch is a theoretical deal that would send Pritchard and a second-round pick to Utah for Jarred Vanderbilt.
Heat Sign Jamaree Bouyea To 10-Day Deal
FEBRUARY 8: The Heat have made it official, announcing a press release that they’ve signed Bouyea to a 10-day contract.
FEBRUARY 7: The Heat plan to sign Jamaree Bouyea to a 10-day contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Bouyea, 23, went undrafted last June after a five-year college career with San Francisco. He signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Heat in mid-July and played for the Heat’s Summer League squad.
The 6’2″ point guard was waived before the regular season started and has spent his entire rookie year with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat’s G League affiliate.
During the Showcase Cup, which ended in December, Bouyea averaged 15.1 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 6.1 APG and 2.4 SPG on .493/.306/.654 shooting in 16 games (35.5 MPG). He has averaged 18.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 5.6 APG and 1.4 SPG on .520/.286/.735 shooting during 16 regular season games for the Skyforce (33.4 MPG).
The Heat announced (via Twitter) earlier on Tuesday that Kyle Lowry will miss at least three games with knee soreness, so Bouyea could get some minutes during his 10-day deal.
Miami traded Dewayne Dedmon to the Spurs in a salary dump, and already had a roster opening, so no subsequent moves will be required to sign Bouyea.
Southeast Notes: Heat, Lowry, Hawks, Wizards
Miami has already made one trade this week — it sent Dewayne Dedmon to the Spurs in a salary dump. While that move created more wiggle room under the luxury tax in addition to freeing up a roster spot, it also made it more complicated for the Heat to pull off additional trades, as Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald explains.
The Heat are highly unlikely to deal away Jimmy Butler or Bam Adebayo, Chiang writes. There are five players — Omer Yurtseven, Haywood Highsmith, Gabe Vincent, Max Strus and Udonis Haslem — on minimum-salary contracts, which are relatively difficult to move because the contracts are so small. Same goes for rookie first-rounder Nikola Jovic, who makes $2.24MM.
Dedmon’s $4.7MM contract might have been useful to pair with one of the minimum salaries to try and find a player in the $6-8MM range, but he was already dealt.
It would be challenging to trade Tyler Herro due to the poison pill provision — there’s a huge difference between his incoming and outgoing salary after he signed a four-year, $120MM rookie scale extension before the season started.
That leaves a small group of possible trade candidates, which includes Caleb Martin ($6.48MM), Victor Oladipo ($8.75MM), Duncan Robinson ($16.9MM) and Kyle Lowry ($28.33MM). Martin’s contract is team-friendly and he’s a starter, so it would take a lot to pry him away.
The latter three players are all currently injured, which complicates matters. Oladipo has the right to veto a trade, Chiang notes, while Robinson and Lowry are viewed as negative assets due to the size and length of their contracts, so the Heat would likely have to attach sweeteners to deal them.
Essentially, it probably makes more sense for the Heat to save their draft picks to upgrade the roster in the offseason unless something favorable comes up before tomorrow’s deadline.
Here’s more from the Southeast:
- Lowry deserves credit for not complaining about a lesser role with the Heat, but it’s clear the partnership has run its course, argues David Hyde of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Age and a balky knee have diminished Lowry’s production, and the six-time All-Star is now viewed more as salary ballast than a primary contributor, according to Hyde, who says it’s only a matter of time before the 36-year-old is moved — the only question is when, not if.
- The Hawks have plenty of individual talent, but at 27-28, they’ve had a relatively disappointing season to this point, and there’s no quick-fix solution to solve some of their issues in the next 24 hours, Jeff Schultz of The Athletic opines. Schultz points out that if Bogdan Bogdanovic picks up his $18MM player option for next season and the team retains its current roster, Atlanta will be near the luxury tax line in 2023/24 with only 11 players on the roster. It’s clear that changes are needed, but Schultz believes it makes more sense to push some off until the offseason.
- Hawks general manager Landry Fields says no one on the roster is untouchable, but he likes the current group and the team is still evaluating its options. “As far as anybody (being) untouchable, it’s like, you never say never, right?” Fields told Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscriber link). “As you know, obviously, some guys, or you know, all guys have value, add value all over the place. So you’re always weighing that. But it’s a fluid market today, right now, and we’ll see what gets done before the deadline.”
- The Wizards aren’t where they had hoped to be at this point, currently sitting with a 24-29 record, in a virtual tie for the 10th-best record in the East. Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington lists three general things the team could look to improve by tomorrow’s deadline.
Nets Notes: Simmons, Durant, Trade Market, Morris
After missing five straight games due to left knee soreness, Ben Simmons returned to action on Tuesday for the Nets. However, his first game back wasn’t exactly a huge success, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post, who notes that Simmons had just two points and six assists to go along with four turnovers and twisted his ankle in the second quarter of the loss to Phoenix.
“It’s a little swollen, but I’m happy with an ankle sprain over anything with the knee or back,” Simmons said of his tweaked ankle. “So I’ll take this over anything else.”
Simmons added that his knee soreness is related to the back surgery he underwent last spring and stressed that he still has a ways to go before he’s feeling 100% again.
“Back surgery is not a light thing so it takes time,” he said, per Lewis. “Back surgery, you’re affected everywhere. Your knees. So it’s just something I gotta stay on top of. I’ve been saying it from the start. There’s gonna be ups and downs. … I’m not gonna be the same player I was a few years ago. That’s gonna take time to get back.”
Here’s more on the Nets:
- It may be difficult for the Nets to acquire roster upgrades ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on his latest Hoop Collective podcast. As Windhorst explains, with teams around the NBA hoping that Kevin Durant will become available again, those clubs are reluctant to make a deal with Brooklyn that would help the club strengthen Durant’s supporting cast and would reduce the likelihood of another KD trade request.
- Markieff Morris wasn’t upset about being sent to Dallas along with Kyrie Irving. In fact, he told reporters on Wednesday that he was hoping to be traded along with Irving after Kyrie asked to be dealt, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN relays (via Twitter). “I just wanted somewhere I could have the opportunity to play,” said Morris, who was averaging a career-low 10.6 minutes per game in 27 appearances for the Nets. “I didn’t really play at all this year being in Brooklyn. … I just want to play basketball.”
- In case you missed it, we passed along multiple other Nets-related tidbits earlier today, including details on how much case they sent Sacramento in the Kessler Edwards trade and rumors related to Cam Thomas and Nic Claxton.