The Kings and Clippers engaged in exploratory talks about a possible trade that would have sent forward DeMar DeRozan and guard Keon Ellis to Los Angeles in exchange for big man John Collins and another “small salary filler,” reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
However, those conversations occurred before the Clippers reeled off 11 wins in their past 13 games, according to Scotto. While that doesn’t necessarily mean the talks are dead, the implication seems to be that L.A. is far less likely at this point to shake up its roster in a major way.
After getting off to a 6-21 start, the Clippers are now 17-23, tied with Memphis for the 10th-best record in the Western Conference.
Here are a few more items of interest from Scotto:
- Given how limited Anthony Davis‘ value will be this winter as he recovers from a hand injury, several NBA executives who spoke to HoopsHype predicted that the Mavericks will hang onto him for the rest of the season unless Dallas is content to essentially salary-dump him. The Hawks, the team most frequently connected to Davis, aren’t operating with any urgency now that he’s hurt again, per Scotto.
- Exploring whether any new teams can be added to the list of potential suitors for Jonathan Kuminga, Scotto says the Heat and Wizards were previously thought to be in the mix, but Miami’s interested has diminished and Washington is unlikely to seriously pursue the Warriors forward. Scotto does confirm that the Trail Blazers are believed to have some interest in Kuminga, as Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports previously reported.
- In addition to doing so with Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett, the Raptors have also been gauging Jakob Poeltl‘s value on the trade market, Scotto writes. Poeltl is dealing with back issues this season and is owed $103.5MM over the next four years after this one, so it’s probably safe to assume he wouldn’t be a hot commodity.