Bucks “Active” In Trade Talks, Seeking “Impact Player”
The Bucks have been one of the most aggressive teams in looking for roster upgrades over the past several years, pulling off blockbuster deals for Jrue Holiday in 2020 and Damian Lillard in 2023. Milwaukee has also been active in trade discussions leading up to the February 6 deadline, report Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Insider link).
According to ESPN’s duo, Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton are all expected to be on the trading block as the Bucks seek an “impact player” to improve their chances at winning another championship with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Three-time All-Star Middleton is the most prominent name of the group. An essential part of Milwaukee’s title in 2021, the 33-year-old forward has dealt with a litany of major injuries over the past few seasons, appearing in just 106 games regular season games since the start of the 2022/23 campaign. He missed Thursday’s victory over Miami with an ankle injury and is considered day-to-day.
As Windhorst and Bontemps observe, the Bucks are currently over the second tax apron and would need shed about $6.5MM from their payroll in order to aggregate salaries. Connaughton, who earns $9.42MM in ’24/25, with an identical player option for ’25/26, has been viewed as the player most likely to be moved, but due to injuries and declining play, Milwaukee would have to attach sweeteners to trade him.
Middleton, meanwhile earns $31.67MM this season, with a $34MM player option for ’25/26. Portis makes $12.6MM in ’24/25, with a $13.45MM player option for next season.
All three played important roles during Milwaukee’s title run a handful of years ago, but so did Holiday, and that didn’t prevent the Bucks from trading him. Milwaukee has one future first-round pick (2031) it can dangle in trade talks, per Windhorst and Bontemps.
After starting the season with an abysmal 2-8 record, the Bucks have been surging up the standings, winning five straight and eight of their past nine. They’re currently 25-17, making them the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference.
However, the Bucks have yet to beat Cleveland, Boston or New York this season, going 0-8 thus far against the three teams directly ahead of them in the East’s standings, as Windhorst and Bontemps point out.
Fischer: Zach LaVine Hopes To Stay With Bulls Past Deadline
Bulls wing Zach LaVine has been a prominent name in the NBA rumor mill for multiple seasons. While he and the team reportedly had a mutual desire to see LaVine traded out of Chicago in 2023/24, evidently the two-time All-Star has had a change of heart.
Sources tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) that LaVine now prefers to remain a Bull past the February 6 deadline. Still, while LaVine may not be pushing to be dealt, he doesn’t have control over his future.
As Fischer writes, the Bulls are incentivized to tank down the stretch so they can keep their 2025 first-round pick, which is top-10 protected. If that selection lands outside of the top 10 — Chicago currently has the ninth-worst record in the league at 19-25 — it would convey to San Antonio.
If they’re unable to land Jimmy Butler, the Suns could have interest in trying to trade Bradley Beal for LaVine, sources tell Fischer. I’m pretty skeptical that the Bulls would go for that even if Phoenix attaches multiple first-round picks to Beal and his no trade-clause, but it’s certainly not outside the realm of possibility. Of course, Beal would have to approve the deal too, which is far from a given.
LaVine has also been floated as a possibility to be included in a multi-team mega-trade involving both Beal and Butler, though that scenario is extremely complex.
LaVine, 29, has had a strong bounce-back season in ’24/25 after missing most of last season with a foot injury that required surgery. Through 40 games (34.0 minutes), he’s averaging 24.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per contest, with an excellent shooting slash line of .513/.451/.812.
Head coach Billy Donovan has praised LaVine multiple times this season for his positive attitude, willingness to accept change, his on-court play, and his off-court leadership.
Although they have yet to make an in-season trade, the Bulls have displayed a willingness to discuss just about everyone on their roster, according to Fischer. Rival executives have described Chicago’s front office as “seeking change,” per Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Insider link), though it’s unclear what that means beyond some sort of roster shake-up.
Grizzlies Have Talked To Heat About Jimmy Butler
The Grizzlies are “lurking” as a potential suitor for Heat star Jimmy Butler, according to Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Insider link), who report that Memphis has talked to Miami about Butler.
Multiple reporters have indicated that Butler’s camp has warned Memphis not to pursue him, though there hasn’t been an explicit reason given as to why. The 35-year-old makes $48.8MM in 2024/25 and could hit free agency in the summer if he declines his $52.4MM player option for ’25/26.
League executives have speculated that the Grizzlies might be interested in Butler for multiple reasons, per Windhorst and Bontemps.
For starters, they would like to consolidate some of their talent for an on-court upgrade ahead of the playoffs. Secondly, if they’re able to move off multiple multiyear contracts (Marcus Smart, among others) in a potential Butler deal and the six-time All-Star walks in free agency, they would have enough cap room to renegotiate and extend Jaren Jackson Jr. in the offseason.
Due to the declining structure of Jackson’s contract and his relatively team-friendly cap hit, a veteran extension may not be possible unless he becomes eligible for a super-max by making an All-NBA team or winning Defensive Player of the Year for a second time.
If Memphis doesn’t want to extend Butler, that could certainly explain why his representatives have warned the team against trading for him. His rift with Miami has largely centered around his desire to receive a maximum-salary extension.
Sources tell ESPN that both the Heat and Butler are motivated to get a trade done before the February 6 deadline, but there’s still a legitimate chance the stalemate extends into the summer, when more suitors and options could emerge.
Referring to the Suns‘ level of desperation as “extremely high,” Windhorst and Bontemps confirm that trading for Butler remains Phoenix’s top priority. However, it’s unclear if Phoenix’s recent draft-pick trade with Utah will increase the odds of landing Butler, since the Suns still have to find a taker for Bradley Beal and his no-trade clause.
Southwest Notes: Zion, McCollum, Sengun, Wembanyama, Edey
Pelicans forward Zion Williamson made his debut with the Pelicans five years ago as of Wednesday, and there have been plenty of highs and lows during that five-year stretch, write Christian Clark and William Guillory of The Athletic. Specifically, Williamson’s missed 230 of a potential 424 regular season games since he entered the league, calling into question just how high New Orleans’ ceiling can be with him.
Clark and Guillory opine that the Pelicans have done well to surround Williamson with talent, but health and availability have always hindered the team even when its star player has been healthy. Williamson seems to be taking a step forward this season, especially defensively, and he’s averaging 21.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists per contest.
Clark and Guillory agree that the Pelicans need to make decisions on the Brandon Ingram situation and the coaching staff before they seriously weigh Williamson’s future in New Orleans.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- CJ McCollum is shouldering the scoring load for the Pelicans during their four-game win streak, Rod Walker of NOLA.com writes. McCollum recorded 45 points in an overtime win against the Jazz on Monday after scoring 26 in a victory over Utah last Friday.
- Rockets center Alperen Sengun remains on a strong career trajectory, helping lead Houston to a 29-14 record this season. After winning 42 combined games in Sengun’s first two years in the NBA, the Rockets went 41-41 last season and are now on a 55-win pace in 2024/25, continuing their ascent. In an in-depth interview with The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Sengun opened up about his past and what he thinks has changed for Houston. “Opportunity, and (head coach) Ime (Udoka) believing in me,” Sengun said of his impressive development. “That was the biggest reason. He’s shown me that multiple times — last year, this year. He always trusted me. And that’s one of the things in life. You want to find someone that has trust in you.“
- The Spurs paved the way for Victor Wembanyama‘s success with their history of investing in their players and their track record of international player development, Michael C. Wright of ESPN writes. “The organization has proven over and over they’re willing and they’re doing the right things,” Wembanyama said. “The most important thing is trust and also communication. It’s a balance and the will [between both parties] to keep that balance over the years. This is what’s going to pay off.”
- Zach Edey‘s offensive numbers are down and it’s because the Grizzlies are hoping to expand his game beyond being a traditional back-to-the-basket guy, Damichael Cole of Memphis’s Commercial Appeal writes. “Everybody’s got a different role to do,” Edey said. “My role has changed through the year. Just trying to buy into that role. Buy into being an elite rebounder, buying into being an elite rim protector, buying into being a spacer and cutter more than I’ve ever been used to. If it helps the team win, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Nets Notes: Durant, Johnson, Clowney, Watford, Williams
Ahead of the Suns‘ game in Brooklyn on Wednesday, former Nets star Kevin Durant reflected on his time with the organization. According to the New York Post’s Brian Lewis, Durant said the two biggest factors for why the Nets build with Kyrie Irving and James Harden didn’t work out was the COVID-19 pandemic and injuries that kept the trio from playing together often.
“That first year when James got here halfway through the season was some of the most incredible basketball that I’ve seen, I played in,” Durant said. “But more so than anything — in the locker room, the bus rides, the plane rides, the hotels — that was the culture we were building. A lot of people didn’t get to see it, but I wish they could have. It was special.”
“You see so many fans who still remember those times and appreciate it — even though we went through a lot of dysfunction, I guess you could call it, for lack of a better term. But regardless of that, a lot of people still supported and still came out, cheered loud as hell for the game of basketball and for the Nets,” Durant said. “It was here in this borough of Brooklyn, the little brother. It was always fun being a little brother and representing the little brother in the city.”
Durant eventually requested a trade from the Nets and was moved to Phoenix at the 2023 deadline in exchange for Mikal Bridges (whom they later flipped to New York), Cameron Johnson (who is on the trade block), and several draft picks. Durant expressed positive feelings for the franchise, Lewis writes in another story.
“Definitely, I want to see this franchise do well,” Durant said. “What is it, 12 or 13 picks that they’ve got? Assets, that’s the most important thing with a rebuilding group is the assets. The product on the floor, it might be inconsistent some games. They beat us early in the season and looked great, and then you lose to the Clippers by 40 or 50 and that might not look great.
“But when you look at the big picture, you’ve got young guys that are getting experience and playing time. You’re building assets and getting future picks. And hopefully you can draft well, put the team together well. So I think they’re walking in the right direction. I think the fans definitely want to see some great basketball on the floor, and I think it’s coming for this team.”
We have more from the Nets:
- One could make the case that Johnson could fit in on any of the NBA’s 30 teams, making him one of the most coveted players on the trade block ahead of the deadline, Jared Weiss of The Athletic writes. Johnson is averaging 19.4 points per game while shooting 41.9% from three this season. As we’ve written, the Nets are thought to maintain a high asking price for Johnson.
- After enjoying a hot streak from beyond the arc in late December, Noah Clowney has been misfiring on his shot in recent weeks, Lewis observes. Clowney has knocked down just 33.3% of his shots, including 30.8% of his three-point tries, in January. “The shots I was getting [lately] were not as easy as I had been getting. The shots I was getting before were a lot easier,” Clowney said. “The shots I’m getting now are still easy, though. I’ve got to go out and make some of them. It ain’t much to it.” How the second-year big man handles this adversity will be telling, Lewis opines.
- Trendon Watford has missed the last 19 games for the Nets due to a hamstring injury, but it sounds like he’s inching closer to a return. According to Lewis (Twitter link), Watford is progressing well and has been cleared for contact. Meanwhile, Ziaire Williams is day-to-day with an ankle injury. A starter for 16 games, Williams missed Brooklyn’s past two contests.
Northwest Notes: Williams, SGA, Gordon, Dillingham
The Thunder continue to deal with major injuries, including playing chunks of the season without Isaiah Hartenstein and nearly all of it without Chet Holmgren. Part of the reason Oklahoma City is staying afloat – far above and beyond in fact – is the play of Jaylin Williams, Rylan Stiles of Thunder on SI writes.
“First off, he has become a leader. Always doing the right things, just trying to win games by any means necessary,” teammate Isaiah Joe said. “He is a very smart player. He is willing to play hard, does all the little things and wants to win at all cost no matter what it takes.”
Williams is averaging 5.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in 16 outings. He has started Oklahoma City’s past four contests with Hartenstein and Holmgren both sidelined, averaging 8.5 PPG and 6.3 RPG during that stretch.
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got over the 50-point threshold for the first time in his career on Wednesday, scoring a career-high 54 points. According to Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman, Wednesday’s game was a byproduct of Gilgeous-Alexander’s mentality shifting. “I think this season I’ve taken a leap in my mental. In the past, I’ve been hyper focused on efficiency, and in moments I would — not defer, but I would be conscious of it, and I think it would like affect my decision making,” the Thunder star said. “And this year, I think I’ve got over the hump of not worrying about efficiency. Like, I’m just playing.“
- Aaron Gordon fortifying the second unit might be key to the back half of the Nuggets‘ season, Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports opines (Twitter link). In each of Denver’s last four wins, superstar Nikola Jokic played fewer than 31 minutes. After returning from a nine-game absence, Gordon came off the bench in each of his past six games. According to Matt Moore of Action Network HQ (Twitter link), head coach Michael Malone said Gordon told him he’d be fine with coming off the bench for the foreseeable future if that’s what’s best for the team. Gordon is a combined plus-50 in Denver’s last five victories.
- Timberwolves rookie Rob Dillingham expressed that he’s ready to take on a heavier workload, The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski writes. “I’ve always played. I never had to go through where I’m not playing, especially because of injury,” said Dillingham, who recently returned from an ankle sprain. “It was new to me. But I just had to sit back and realize why it was happening, then take my time off and get ready for when I do get in the game, just like now.” The 2024 lottery pick out of Kentucky is averaging 4.8 points in 9.7 minutes per game across 19 appearances this season.
NBA Unveils 2025 All-Star Game Starters
The 2025 All-Star Game starters were revealed on Thursday during Inside the NBA’s pregame show and confirmed by the NBA on social media (Twitter links).
In the Eastern Conference, a pair of Knicks made the cut, with Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns – in his first season in New York – earning nods. Joining Brunson in the backcourt is Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, while Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo secured frontcourt spots.
Lakers star LeBron James extended his all-time record to 21 consecutive All-Star selections in the Western Conference. Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander accounted for the backcourt spots in the West while Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets and Kevin Durant of the Suns joined James as frontcourt starters.
The starters are selected by a weighted voting process with the fan vote accounting for half of the final outcome. The player and media portions of the vote each counted for 25 percent. Three frontcourt players and two guards were selected from each conference.
The reserves, who are picked by the league’s coaches, will be announced on Jan. 30. LaMelo Ball of the Hornets narrowly missed out on being a starter after ranking first in the fan vote, having finished third in player voting and seventh in the media vote. The Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama also barely missed out, finishing second in media voting but fourth for both players and fans.
Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, Ja Morant, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, De’Aaron Fox, Devin Booker, Norman Powell, Anthony Davis, Jalen Williams, Alperen Sengun, Trae Young, Damian Lillard, Cade Cunningham, Darius Garland, Tyrese Maxey, Tyler Herro, Evan Mobley and Jaylen Brown are among the names who could be voted in as reserves.
The 74th NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 16 will feature a new format, complete with a mini-tournament composed of four teams and three games. Two teams will meet in a semifinal while the other two will play in another. The victors in each of those games will meet in a final. The winner of each game is the first to 40 points.
The format change means that the 10 players named starters on Thursday won’t be the only players who actually start on All-Star Sunday. The 24 players ultimately named All-Stars will be split among three eight-man teams, with the roster’s drafted by Inside the NBA’s Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley.
The draft will air on Feb. 6 on TNT. The fourth team of eight players will be made up of the winning team from the Rising Stars event.
The four teams participating in the NBA All-Star Game will compete for a prize pool of $1.8 million. Each player on the team that wins the final will receive $125,000, while members of the second-place team earn $50,000. Players on the third- and fourth-place teams will receive $25,000.
The full voting results can be found here.
Latest On Jimmy Butler
In appearance on First Take on Thursday morning (YouTube link), ESPN’s Shams Charania described Jimmy Butler‘s situation with the Heat as “ugly, bitter” and “untenable.”
Miami suspended Butler for two more games on Wednesday after he missed a team flight to Milwaukee. The flight was reportedly moved up after the Heat canceled a team practice. According to Charania, Butler planned to tell the Heat he was going to fly separately — something he’s been permitted to do in the past — but before he was able to, he was informed he was being suspended.
In the afternoon, Charania reported on SportsCenter that the Heat have talked to multiple teams about Butler over the past week, calling some of those conversations “productive,” but obviously a deal has yet to come together (YouTube link).
We have more of the latest on Butler:
- The exact list of teams Butler is open to being traded to remains somewhat unclear. Some reports indicated that Butler prefers primarily to play in Phoenix while his original request reportedly also included Dallas, Houston and Golden State. In the last two weeks, varying sources said “multiple teams,” including the Grizzlies, were advised to not trade for the six-time All-Star. Now, appearing on NBA Today (YouTube link), Marc J. Spears said Butler is open to playing anywhere but Miami or Memphis.
- Generally speaking, the Heat are open to accepting “pretty good players” with expiring contracts if they are unable to land a star in return for Butler, the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson writes. If said players were to have an extra year on their contracts beyond this one, Miami would covet draft capital in such a move. According to Jackson, the Heat are prioritizing having cap space in the 2026 offseason when several star players like Luka Doncic could potentially hit free agency. Right now, the Heat only have about $85MM in cap committed for the 2026/27 season, giving them plenty of space to potentially add a max target.
- The worst-case scenario for Miami would be if Butler opts in to his contract this offseason and the Heat are unable to find a trade partner for him, Jackson opines in the same piece. That would block the Heat from having access to the $14MM mid-level exception this summer and they’d be at $191.5MM in committed salaries, close to the first apron. This specific scenario could force the Heat to release Duncan Robinson, per Jackson, as only $9.8MM of his $19.9MM contract next year is guaranteed.
- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra delivered a message to his team on Thursday amid the ongoing trade chatter, Jackson writes in another story. “The point I made to our team is get used to it,” Spoelstra said. “Get over it. This is the NBA life. This is the life we chose. If you think it’s just going to be predictable, you’re really mistaken.“
- Players also chimed in on the situation, per Jackson’s story. “It’s probably not the easiest to work with someone who’s in and out in any job,” Tyler Herro said. But Herro was sure to quickly emphasize: “We love Jimmy. We love for him to be here. I love Jimmy.” Robinson, Bam Adebayo and Kevin Love had similar messages, indicating that it hasn’t impacted their play and the team is solely focused on winning.
Rory Maher contributed to this post
Southeast Notes: Wizards Core, Magic, Hunter, Capela, Heat
Success for the Wizards this season isn’t necessarily going to be measured in wins or losses. Their young core being enough to lift them to a postseason berth would have been greatly exciting, but an accelerated timeline isn’t all that common. Instead, as Josh Robbins of The Athletic writes, this Washington season was always going to be about seeing which young players are worth building around.
The Wizards have dedicated their season to investing huge minutes to four players who are under the age of 22: Bilal Coulibaly, Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George.
“I think it’s great that they’re going through it,” coach Brian Keefe said. “That’s how you learn. You get out there, and you go through it. You experience it. All these things are new learning experiences.”
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- The Magic feel confident for the second half of the season with the team getting healthier overall, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel writes. Orlando recently saw Paolo Banchero return from an extended absence and Franz Wagner is set to return on Thursday. “It’s been long overdue,” Gary Harris said of the team getting healthier. “That’s something that we’ve been anxious for. The injuries that have happened this season haven’t been ideal, but we’ve been able to tread water and keep our ahead afloat.“
- Orlando lost its last four games and six of the past seven. The looming returns will obviously help matters, but the Magic are also looking to the past for confidence, Beede writes in a separate post. The Magic began Banchero’s rookie season at 5-20 before going on a 29-24 stretch in the middle of the season. Last year the team slumped before winning 13 of its following 16 games after getting players back from injury.
- De’Andre Hunter erupted this season for the Hawks in his sixth season, averaging a career-high 19.1 points and 40.5% clip from three off the bench. He explained what has contributed to his breakout year to HoopHype’s Michael Scotto in a recent interview. “I think we’re playing a lot differently this year,” Hunter said. “We’re definitely moving the ball a lot more. We’re getting out in transition a lot more. As far as my role, coming off the bench has been a different role. I think I’m looked at as the playmaker or scorer in that second unit. That’s the expectation. I think I can score pretty well, so it’s not too hard for me.“
- Hawks center Clint Capela was added to the injury report Thursday and is out against the Raptors with knee soreness, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Lauren L. Williams (Twitter link). Capela has played in two games since becoming a full-time bench player, averaging 14.0 points and 9.5 rebounds. Capela continues to be monitored on the trade market by rival teams, per Scotto.
- The Heat‘s Thursday game against the Bucks was delayed by one hour due to icy conditions in New Orleans that delayed the Bucks’ flight to Milwaukee, according to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson (Twitter link). Tip is now set for 8:30 p.m. EST as opposed to its previously scheduled 7:30 start time.
Magic’s Franz Wagner Available To Return From Torn Oblique
4:26pm: Wagner will indeed make his return from his torn oblique injury that caused him to miss 20 games, the Magic announced (via Twitter). Additionally, Howard will be listed as available after missing the past five games (Twitter link per Beede).
12:14pm: Forward Franz Wagner has been sidelined since December 6 — a span of 20 games — after tearing his right oblique, but he’s close to returning to action for the Magic, who have listed the former lottery pick as questionable for Thursday’s matchup with Portland, tweets Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel.
Head coach Jamahl Mosley said Wagner “was able to go through shootaround (on Thursday morning) and is obviously progressing well so we’ll see what the day brings after this shootaround.” Speaking to reporters afterward, Wagner confirmed there’s a chance he’ll play tonight (Twitter video link via Beede).
“(The questionable tag) means that I might play, I might not,” the German said with a smile. “We’ll see how the day goes. But it feels really good. It was a long process and I’m not the most patient person.”
Wagner, 23, was having a breakout fourth season for Orlando prior to the injury, averaging career-best numbers in several counting stats, including points (24.4), rebounds (5.6), assists (5.7) and steals per game (1.7). He posted a shooting slash line of .465/.321/.881 in 25 contests (33.2 minutes).
On January 14, Wagner had his status changed to “return to competition reconditioning,” stating at the time that his muscle had fully healed and that he felt good, but he needed to get back in playing shape. It was the first significant absence of his career — he had only missed 13 total games in three seasons leading up to 2024/25.
Wagner’s return appearing imminent is certainly great news for the Magic, who went just 7-13 without him, including losing their last four games. Orlando is currently the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 23-22. The team has been dominant when Wagner is on the court (plus-8.6 per 100 possession), but has struggled mightily (minus-5.9) when he’s not.
Orlando has dealt with significant injury absences all season. Mosley provided updates on several other injured players on Thursday, according to Beede:
- Goga Bitadze (concussion protocol) did some on-court work on Thursday to see how he’ll respond, but he didn’t take contact and he’s listed as doubtful Thursday.
- Both Jalen Suggs (low back strain) and Gary Harris (left hamstring strain) worked out Thursday and the team will see how they’re doing afterward. Suggs remains out, while Harris is questionable vs. Portland.
- Jonathan Isaac (illness) is officially questionable, but Mosley said he’s feeling much better and will suit up tonight.
- Cole Anthony is also dealing with an illness and wasn’t at shootaround, but there’s a chance he could play if he’s feeling better in a handful of hours — he’s officially questionable.
- Jett Howard (left ankle sprain) is questionable. He did some on-court work at shootaround.