LeBron, AD Want Lakers To Be Aggressive On Trade Market
With just 15 days left until the NBA’s 2025 trade deadline arrives, Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis are “growing concerned” about the team’s ability to make significant upgrades on the trade market, league sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Insider link).
James and Davis believe the Lakers could be just a piece or two away from contending for a title and have expressed that they want the front office to make moves to try to add those pieces, according to Charania.
That lines up with reporting from Jovan Buha of The Athletic, who wrote on Tuesday that James and Davis favor an “all-in approach” on the trade market and noted that LeBron has “never valued draft picks.”
The Lakers, who currently rank sixth in the Western Conference at 23-18, have two tradable first-round picks available in 2029 and 2031. They also have a pair of 2025 second-rounders on hand (their own and the Clippers’), and could trade first-round pick swaps for up to three years (2026, 2028, and 2030).
The front office – led by executive VP of basketball operations Rob Pelinka – has taken a relatively conservative approach at the trade deadline in recent years, opting against making any moves in 2021, 2022, and 2024. In 2023, the club gave up Russell Westbrook and a lightly protected first-round pick in order to land D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt — that deal helped propel them to a strong second-half finish and a spot in the Western Conference Finals.
The Lakers, who already made one move last month for Dorian Finney-Smith, have done their due diligence in trade talks so far this season and are open to sending out one or both of their tradable first-round picks for players who would be both short- and long-term fits, Charania reports.
It’s unclear if there will be a difference-maker available that the Lakers will be able to attain using their limited assets, especially since a few of their potential salary-matching pieces – including Gabe Vincent and Vanderbilt – presumably have negative trade value.
Still, Charania suggests, given that many of the top seeds in the West this season are young teams with limited playoff experience, there’s a “perception of a wide-open league,” which could spur buyers to be more aggressive.
“Boston, OKC and Cleveland are who they are,” a high-ranking team official told ESPN. “But this is wide open.”
NBA Postpones Wednesday’s Bucks/Pelicans Game
The game scheduled to be played between the Bucks and Pelicans on Wednesday at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans has been postponed due to “extreme weather conditions” in New Orleans, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).
The league intends to announce a new date for the game at a later time.
New Orleans has received a rare winter storm this week, with snow blanketing the city and icy conditions affecting travel in the area.
Chris Haynes, who first reported (via Twitter) that the game between the Bucks and Pelicans would be postponed, notes that there’s concern about whether the Bucks will be able to depart New Orleans in time to get home to host the Heat on Thursday (Twitter link). The Pelicans’ next game is scheduled for Friday in Memphis.
The NBA had to postpone a handful of games earlier this month due to the wildfires in Los Angeles and extreme weather in Atlanta. Most of the new dates for those contests were announced last Wednesday, but the league has yet to confirm a rescheduled date for a Spurs/Lakers game that was postponed.
That game and this Bucks/Pelicans matchup will likely be among the next set of rescheduled contests announced by the NBA.
Danilo Gallinari Joining Puerto Rican Team
Veteran NBA forward Danilo Gallinari has a new team, announcing (via Twitter) that he has reached an agreement to join Vaqueros de Bayamón in Puerto Rico.
In a follow-up tweet, Gallinari suggests the deal includes the ability to opt out in the event of an NBA opportunity.
The No. 6 overall pick in the 2008 draft, Gallinari appeared in 777 total NBA regular season games for eight teams from 2008-24. He began his career with the Knicks before being sent to the Nuggets in the Carmelo Anthony blockbuster at the 2011 trade deadline.
While many of his best seasons came in Denver, where he averaged 16.2 points per game in over 300 regular season appearances, Gallinari later had productive years for the Clippers, Thunder, and Hawks as well. In 2023/24, after recovering from an ACL tear, the 6’10” forward spent time with the Wizards, Pistons, and Bucks, getting into 49 total games.
Gallinari, who is 36 years old and saw his mobility hampered following the ACL injury, went unsigned this past summer and may have played in his last NBA game.
A former Italian League MVP who has represented his home country in previous international competitions, Gallinari added in a third tweet that he’s “ready to wear the Italian jersey for one last great European adventure” and hopes for a “great ending.”
As BasketNews.com observes, while Gallinari didn’t say it outright, those remarks suggest he may be considering retiring after suiting up for the Italian national team one more time in the 2025 EuroBasket tournament.
Thunder Sign Branden Carlson To Second 10-Day Deal
Rookie center Branden Carlson is back under contract with the Thunder, having signed a second 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. Carlson’s initial 10-day deal with Oklahoma City ran through January 19, expiring overnight on Sunday.
Carlson, an undrafted free agent out of Utah, was on a two-way deal with the Raptors for most of the offseason. He was waived in mid-October before the regular season began, but caught on with the Thunder on a non-guaranteed contract in November.
The big man saw little action while he was on that deal, logging just 25 total minutes across seven appearances. However, after being waived ahead of this month’s salary guarantee deadline on January 7, he returned to the Thunder and took on a larger role, appearing in all six games the club played during his previous 10-day contract.
Known for his ability to stretch the floor, Carlson made at least one three-pointer in each of those six outings, averaging 5.5 points and 2.3 rebounds in 9.3 minutes per night, with a .529 3PT% (9-of-17).
With Carlson back in the fold through January 31, the Thunder will have some added depth in their frontcourt for the next four games, with Isaiah Hartenstein (left soleus strain) and Chet Holmgren (right iliac wing fracture) both currently unavailable.
Carlson’s 10-day deal will pay him $66,503, the rookie minimum, with OKC taking on an identical cap hit. It will expire a week ahead of the trade deadline, giving the club some flexibility ahead of February 6 to take on an extra player in a deadline deal.
If the Thunder ultimately determine they want to bring back Carlson after his second 10-day contract expires, they would need to re-sign him for the rest of the season, since a team isn’t permitted to sign a player to a third 10-day deal.
Likelihood Of Suns Acquiring Jimmy Butler Increasing?
After the Suns made a trade on Tuesday to turn their unprotected 2031 first-round pick into three separate first-rounders in 2025, 2027, and 2029, a source close to Jimmy Butler told The Athletic that there’s “rising optimism” the Heat star is closer to being traded to his preferred destination in Phoenix.
As we outlined earlier today, even though the Suns’ 2031 first-round pick was easily the most valuable of any of the four draft assets involved in their trade with Utah, breaking up that pick into three future first-rounders puts Phoenix in a better position to offer sweeteners to multiple trade partners, which will likely be necessary.
John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (Twitter link) believes that as many as five teams would be involved if the Suns are able to eventually work out a deal for Butler.
The Bucks continue to be identified by rival executives as a team worth watching as a facilitator in the Butler talks, according to The Athletic’s reporters, including Sam Amick, Tony Jones, and Jon Krawczynski. There’s a belief that Milwaukee is exploring the idea of reducing its payroll to duck below the second apron while aggregating salaries to bring in another maximum-salary star.
Marc Stein suggested earlier this week that the Bucks could be a team to keep an eye on for Suns guard Bradley Beal, who would almost certainly need to be sent to a third team in any Phoenix trade for Butler, waiving his no-trade clause in the process.
The Athletic’s reporters also mention Zach LaVine as the type of player who might appeal to Milwaukee, though if the Bulls star were involved in any Butler/Beal scenario, it would have to expand into an even larger, more complex deal.
For the time being, Butler continues to take the floor for the Heat, though the six-time All-Star had another underwhelming outing on Tuesday vs. Portland, with 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting in 27 minutes — he didn’t play in the fourth quarter and Miami was outscored by 19 points during his time on the floor.
Shams Charania of ESPN, who reported last week that Butler reiterated his trade request during a meeting with president of basketball operations Pat Riley, tweeted on Tuesday night that the veteran forward has since “tripled down” on that request to Riley and team owner Micky Arison.
Why Draft-Pick Trade Makes Sense For Both Jazz, Suns
The Jazz and Suns completed a fascinating trade on Tuesday, with Utah sending three first-round picks (in 2025, 2027, and 2029) to Phoenix in exchange for a single first-round pick in 2031.
The exact terms of the deal are as follows:
- Jazz acquire the Suns’ 2031 first-round pick (unprotected).
- Suns acquire either the Cavaliers’ or Timberwolves’ 2025 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable); either the Cavaliers’, Timberwolves’, or Jazz’s 2027 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable); and either the Cavaliers’, Timberwolves’, or Jazz’s 2029 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
- Note: The Timberwolves’ 2029 pick is top-five protected.
Our readers who have commented on our story on the deal have argued in favor of both the Suns’ and Jazz’s sides, while some have wondered about the logic of trading three first-rounders for a single far-off pick.
Given the assets that both teams held, it’s the sort of swap that makes perfect sense for both sides. Here’s why:
Why the trade makes sense for the Jazz:
As a result of their trades sending Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland and Rudy Gobert to Minnesota, the Jazz controlled Cleveland’s and Minnesota’s unprotected first-round picks in 2025 and 2027, along with Cleveland’s unprotected 2029 pick and Minnesota’s top-five protected ’29 selection.
That means, along with their own pick, the Jazz would have three first-round picks in each of those drafts. That’s essentially the same situation Utah has been in for each of the last two drafts — the club controlled three of the top 28 picks in 2023 and three of the top 32 in 2024 and used all of them to bring in rookies. It has proven to be a challenge to get all those youngsters acclimated at once, so it makes sense that the Jazz would want to avoid repeating that situation over and over again in the coming years.
By trading the least favorable of their 2025, 2027, and 2029 first-round selections, the Jazz will consolidate the least valuable of those picks while still leaving themselves with multiple first-rounders in each draft.
And now they have an intriguing new unprotected 2031 first-rounder, which has significant value due to the nature of the Suns’ roster construction. While Devin Booker figures to be a star in Phoenix for years to come, Kevin Durant turns 37 this year — he certainly won’t still be a Sun by 2031. And if Phoenix trades for Jimmy Butler, the club will be adding a player who turns 36 later this year (even if Bradley Beal remains a Sun for now, it’s unlikely he’ll still be on the roster by 2031).
Suns owner Mat Ishbia has shown he’s willing to spend big, but that doesn’t always translate to winning. This year’s Suns team has the highest payroll in the NBA and is still on the verge of falling out of the play-in picture — they’re tied for the No. 10 seed at 21-21. So there’s certainly no guarantee that, with few valuable draft assets left in their coffers and little flexibility to upgrade their roster, the Suns will be a playoff-caliber team in 2031. The Jazz are certainly betting against it.
Could this bet backfire on Utah? Sure. Maybe the Cavs and Timberwolves both fall apart in the coming years and Utah’s rebuild doesn’t progress as planned, resulting in all three teams missing the playoffs in 2029 and the Jazz sending Phoenix a lottery pick. But given the building blocks the Cavs and Timberwolves have in place, that’s highly unlikely, and even in that scenario, Utah would still control two lottery picks (unless Minnesota’s ’29 first-rounder is in the top five, which is a long shot).
Maybe the Suns figure out a way to maintain a sustainable contender and their 2031 pick ends up in the 20s. But even if that happens, it probably won’t become obvious for several more years, given how quickly teams’ fortunes can change in the NBA. And in the meantime, that unprotected pick will have tremendous value on the trade market if Utah wants to flip it in another deal.
There’s certainly some risk involved, but given how many draft assets they already possessed, it makes sense for the Jazz to surrender their three least valuable first-rounders to roll the dice on the chances that Phoenix’s 2031 pick could land in the top five.
Why the trade makes sense for the Suns:
Given how valuable that unprotected 2031 Suns first-rounder could be, along with the likelihood that the three picks they’re acquiring will end up in the 20s (or even at No. 30, if the Cavs finish the 2024/25 season with the league’s best record), what’s the thinking for Phoenix here?
Well, this Suns front office remains fully focused on upgrading the team in the short term and turning a single first-round pick into three first-rounders will help them do that.
Take Phoenix’s pursuit of Butler, for instance. In a multi-team scenario in which the Suns send Beal to a third team and acquire Butler from Miami, both the Heat and that third team will need to be incentivized. With just one tradable first-round pick in 2031 to offer, the Suns weren’t well positioned to offer sweeteners to both of its trade partners.
Now, Phoenix could offer, say, one first-rounder to the Heat and one first-rounder to the team taking on Beal’s onerous contract, with an additional pick left over to potentially send to one of those two clubs (which team gets it could depend on what the rest of the deal looks like). Those individual picks aren’t as valuable on their own as the Suns’ unprotected 2031 first-rounder, but splitting them up into multiple tradable assets allows Phoenix to spread them out across multiple trade partners.
The same thinking would apply if the Suns don’t acquire Butler and instead make separate trades to upgrade their roster. For instance, Phoenix could look to trade Beal and a pair of first-round picks for a series of role players who would better complement Durant and Booker, then attach a third first-rounder to Jusuf Nurkic in order to try to upgrade that roster spot too.
Again, that Suns 2031 pick is more valuable on its own that any of the new picks Phoenix acquired, but it also represented a risk for any potential trade partner — it’s six years out, and there’s no guarantee it won’t end up in the 20s itself. The Jazz were willing to take the risk on that 2031 pick due to their cache of existing draft assets, but it wouldn’t have made sense for every team.
The new picks are simpler for teams to place a value on, so there shouldn’t be much disparity between what the Suns and a trade partner think they’re worth. That might not have been the case for the 2031 first-rounder.
It’s also worth noting that reacquiring picks in 2025 and 2027 and 2029 gives the Suns more flexibility in terms of which first-rounders they make available going forward. The team could theoretically now trade its picks in 2026 and 2028 while hanging onto the ones in the odd-numbered years without running afoul of the Stepien rule, which prohibits a club from leaving itself without a first-round pick in consecutive future drafts.
However, trading first-rounders for even-numbered years would limit the Suns to two tradable picks, since the 2030 first-rounder can’t be moved now that Phoenix doesn’t control a 2031 pick. Additionally, those 2026 and 2028 also have “least favorable” terms applied to them, so if they’re more valuable than the newly acquired picks, it’s only marginally.
The ’26 selection will be the least favorable of Washington’s, Orlando’s, Memphis’, and Phoenix’s first-rounders, while the ’28 pick – probably the most valuable of the bunch – figures to be the least favorable of Washington’s, Brooklyn’s, and Phoenix’s first-rounders (Philadelphia’s pick could also be in that mix if the Sixers don’t convey their pick to Brooklyn in 2027).
Whatever the Suns plan to do with their first-rounders from 2025-29, it seems like a relatively safe bet that they won’t still control all of them by the time the trade deadline passes on February 6.
Southwest Notes: Wembanyama, France Trip, Pelicans, Green, Mavs
Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama will play two games in his native France this week against the Pacers. It’s an opportunity he doesn’t take lightly, The Athletic’s Joe Vardon writes.
“There are a lot of emotions, seeing familiar people, whether from the club or even from the city,” Wembanyama said. “It’s a bit like two worlds meeting. It’s special, you don’t expect that in a career. It’s a bit my way of making people happy who will never have the opportunity to go to the United States. It’s very important to me.”
The Spurs already had a connection to France with Tony Parker playing most of his career in San Antonio, and Boris Diaw playing four-and-a-half seasons there, The Associated Press’ Tim Reynolds notes.
“We have a long history with France for obvious reasons in many ways. So, it’s just another milestone or opportunity, I think, to probably strengthen that bond or connection,” Spurs interim coach Mitch Johnson said. “Very cool for Vic. Obviously, he just got done in the Olympics as well.”
The games will be played on Thursday and Saturday.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- The Pelicans staged their biggest comeback in franchise history, rallying from a 25-point deficit to upend Utah in overtime on Monday night. CJ McCollum led the way with 45 points, including 24 during the fourth quarter and overtime. “Coach (Willie Green) just challenged us to be more disciplined, to be more engaged, to be more aggressive and assertive,” McCollum told Rod Walker of NOLA.com.
- Pelicans wing Javonte Green is playing on a one-year, minimum-salary contract and he’s reportedly drawing some interest around the league. Green is averaging 6.0 points in 21.8 minutes per game in 39 appearances, including 15 starts. The veteran swingman doesn’t take a lot of shots, instead he focuses on the underrated aspects of the game. “I’m just trying to go out there and try to win, make winning plays, play as hard as I can, and just be a professional. I want to do the things that got me here,” Green told Grant Afseth of RG.org. “I have to continue doing that.”
- The Mavericks offered a lengthy injury report heading into their game against Minnesota on Wednesday, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon tweets. Klay Thompson (left ankle sprain), Dereck Lively (right ankle sprain), Naji Marshall (illness) and Quentin Grimes (back spasms) are listed as questionable. Four other players are listed as out.
Pacific Notes: Warriors, Curry, Green, Sabonis, Beal, Nurkic
The Warriors endured a 40-point beatdown at the hands of the Celtics on their home floor on Monday and they admit that the 2022 Finals, in which they defeated Boston, feels like ancient history, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN writes.
“Yeah, we have an entirely different roster pretty much, obviously,” Stephen Curry said. “Especially without Draymond [Green] out there (due to injury). But you look [at what] they have, besides [Kristaps] Porzingis, they have pretty much the whole rotation still, and they are the defending champs. So, they’re coming in with a level of confidence and swagger about ’em, and it’s the exact opposite of what we have right now. So yeah, obviously great memories, but definitely feels like a long time ago.”
“Seems like an eternity ago,” Warriors center Kevon Looney added. “We have had a lot of iterations of the team since then. Each season brings on a new challenge. That year seems further and further away. But hopefully, we can get back to that feeling of being a champion. But we got a long way to go.”
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Is it time for the Warriors to hit the reset button? Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo.com endorses that approach, saying they should look to deal Curry and Green while they still have a lot of value. O’Connor explores a number of trade possibilities involving Atlanta, Houston, Detroit, the Lakers and Orlando to demonstrate what the return could be for each player.
- Domantas Sabonis has knocked down 48.4 percent of his 3-point attempts this season, far above his 34.9 percent career average. The Kings big man told Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee that he has gradually developed his long-range game. “It’s something I’ve been working on ever since I started playing basketball,” Sabonis said. “Sometimes it doesn’t happen overnight. You’ve got to keep doing it one summer, another offseason, another offseason. You just hope at one point you’re going to break through, and so far this year it’s been going in, so I’ve just got to keep sticking with it and shooting with confidence.”
- The Suns list Bradley Beal as questionable to play against the Nets on Wednesday due to a left ankle sprain (Twitter link). Beal returned to action on Monday at Cleveland after a two-game absence but contributed just five points and four assists in 25 minutes. Jusuf Nurkic, who last played on January 7, remains out due to “return to competition reconditioning.”
Suns Acquire Three First-Rounders From Jazz For Unprotected 2031 Pick
7:15pm: The trade is official, according to the Suns and Jazz (Twitter links).
6:26pm: The Suns have been seeking more draft capital and they are making a trade to that end. They are sending their 2031 unprotected first rounder — the last tradable first-rounder in their possession — to the Jazz in exchange for three first-round picks, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports.
The Suns are acquiring the following three picks:
- The Cavaliers’ or Timberwolves’ 2025 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
- The Jazz’s, Cavaliers’, or Timberwolves’ 2027 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
- The Jazz’s, Cavaliers’, or Timberwolves’ 2029 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
Phoenix now control first-rounders in each of the next six drafts and will have more flexibility to make trades with the additional picks. The Suns are operating over the second tax apron and have limited options on the trade market this season. They’re not able to aggregate contracts or take back more salary than they send out.
Phoenix’s only other tradable draft asset is the 2025 second-round pick it acquired from Charlotte (while sending out three second-rounders) during the recent trade for center Nick Richards. That will almost certainly be Denver’s second-rounder.
This move could help facilitate a potential Jimmy Butler trade for the Suns. According to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link), the Heat are seeking multiple picks plus two players for Butler, and any deal would likely include at least four teams. Bradley Beal would almost certainly have to be part of Phoenix’s outgoing trade package, and he’d also need to approve any deal since he has a no-trade clause.
Butler is back in action after serving a team-imposed seven-game suspension but is still looking to be dealt, with the Suns reportedly his preferred destination.
The incentive for the Jazz to make this deal is the lack of protections on the 2031 first-rounder. The 2025 pick they’re giving up will most likely be one of the last two picks in the first round, given the Cavaliers’ record, while the 2027 and 2029 first-rounder will be the least favorable of three selections. The Suns’ ’31 pick has significantly more upside, especially considering that Phoenix’s current roster isn’t necessarily built for sustainable long-term success.
Zaccharie Risacher Out At Least One More Week
Zaccharie Risacher, the top pick in last June’s draft, is progressing in his rehabilitation from a left adductor strain and will be reevaluated in approximately one week, according to a team press release (Twitter link).
It’s relatively good news for the Hawks, as it doesn’t appear Risacher’s injury is a long-term issue. The rookie forward has already missed the last three games due to the injury, which he suffered against Phoenix last Tuesday.
Risacher is averaging 10.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists in his rookie campaign. He hasn’t shot well, connecting on 40.3 percent of his field goal attempts and 28.1 percent beyond the arc. He has started in all but two of his 39 appearances.
Risacher had a 33-point outing against the Knicks on Nov. 6 but hasn’t reached the 20-point mark in any other contest.
Vit Krejci has been inserted into the lineup in his place.