Clippers Talking To Knicks About Marcus Morris; Lakers Won’t Offer Kyle Kuzma
The Clippers are in serious talks with the Knicks about acquiring Marcus Morris, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
L.A. is offering Maurice Harkless, Mfiondu Kabengele, Terance Mann and its 2020 first-round pick, sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic (Twitter link). Harkless’ $11MM contract would be needed to help match Morris’ $15MM salary.
There has been progress in talks since this morning, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link). However, it doesn’t appear the Clippers are willing to part with Landry Shamet, whom the Knicks would like to add.
The Lakers, who were also interested in Morris, have decided not to make Kyle Kuzma available, Charania reports (Twitter link). The Knicks aren’t willing to send Morris to the Lakers without Kuzma involved, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne (Twitter link).
Eastern Conference Notes: Thompson, Sixers, Horford, Knicks
Kevin Love doesn’t want to see long-time teammate Tristan Thompson get traded, but he understands it might be the best move for both him and the organization, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The Cavaliers are reportedly seeking a first-round pick in return for Thompson, who will be a free agent this summer. If Cleveland can’t find an acceptable deal, management still has interest in re-signing the 28-year-old center or possibly working out a sign-and-trade.
“That’s my brother, man,” Love said. “I would always go to war with him. I would run through a wall for him. He’s the best. Just the type of guy he is, he’s a lifelong friend of mine, so it would be tough to see him go. I would like to have him around selfishly, but if there’s a better situation out there for him, going to make him happier, have a chance to win a championship, then so be it. I only know Tristan Thompson as a Cavalier and I like it that way.”
There’s more from the Eastern Conference as the trade deadline draws nearer:
- Trey Burke, Kyle O’Quinn and Jonah Bolden were all absent from the Sixers‘ shootaround this morning, tweets Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Philadelphia has to trim two players from its roster by 3pm Eastern to complete a trade that will bring Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III from the Warriors in exchange for three second-round draft picks.
- Al Horford hinted at trouble in the Sixers‘ locker room in comments after Wednesday’s practice, relays Jon Johnson of KYW Radio (Twitter link). “There’s some stuff going on in our locker room,” Horford said, “and we’ll keep that internal.”
- A pair of Knicks youngsters have signed with Rich Paul and Klutch Sports for representation. Ian Begley of SNY.tv reports (via Twitter) that Mitchell Robinson is one of Paul’s newest clients, while Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter) says Allonzo Trier has joined Klutch Sports too.
Karl-Anthony Towns: “I’ve Been Losing For A Long Time”
The Timberwolves may have a problem with their franchise cornerstone, as Karl-Anthony Towns erupted after the team’s 13th straight defeat last night, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Towns displayed minimal interest and effort throughout the home loss to the Hawks, Krawczynski adds, then spoke about his frustration after the game.
“I’ve been losing for a long time,” Towns said. “I’m not trying to do that (expletive) anymore. So every possession means a lot. You obviously see my patience running low with a lot of things. There’s no excuses. We gotta get it done.”
Towns’ personal losing streak is even longer, as he missed a month with a knee injury and subsequent illness and hasn’t been part of a victory since November 27. He also watched his best friend on the team, Robert Covington, get shipped to Houston this week in a four-team trade.
Towns posted 21 points and 11 rebounds last night, but his disengagement was obvious, Krawczynski observes, adding that there were several fourth-quarter possessions when he didn’t cross half court. Towns also wasn’t aggressive on offense, even though he had a size advantage over defenders Damian Jones and John Collins.
Krawczynski speculates that Towns may have been registering his displeasure with the Covington trade. After news of the deal broke late Tuesday night, Towns texted some of the team’s younger players to tell them they were getting a lessons in the business side of the NBA.
“I hope this is a great learning experience for them because this is what it is,” Towns said. “You could be very close and you could be with someone you cherish a lot and they could be gone the next day, not only in basketball but in life. I hope this a lesson and reminder for them.”
There were reports last month that the Knicks and Warriors were monitoring the situation in Minnesota to see if Towns might become available, but Wolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas responded by calling the 24-year-old center “as untouchable as they come.” While nothing is expected to happen before today’s deadline, it’s a story to watch, especially if the losing in Minnesota continues.
Pistons Unlikely To Trade Drummond Or Rose
It appears the Pistons‘ top two trade candidates will remain in Detroit past today’s deadline. There’s an “increased likelihood” that an Andre Drummond deal won’t materialize, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, while Derrick Rose is expected to stay unless the team gets an unexpected offer, writes Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports.
The Pistons have been trying for weeks to find a taker for Drummond, with the Hawks and Knicks being prominently mentioned. However, interest from both teams cooled because of Detroit’s asking price and the expectation that Drummond will opt out of his $28.75MM salary for next season, making him a short-term rental if his new team isn’t ready to heavily invest long-term.
Sources tell Goodwill that the Pistons will consider moving Rose if they receive a lottery pick in return, but it’s hard to imagine that a non-contender would give up a high draft choice for the 31-year-old guard. The Lakers, Clippers and Jazz all inquired about Rose, Goodwill adds, but none of them has the draft capital the Pistons are looking for.
Rose has said he likes playing in Detroit and doesn’t want to be traded, even though the Pistons are a disappointing 19-34 and four games out of a playoff spot. Rose signed a two-year deal over the summer and will make $7.68MM next season.
With major deals apparently off the board, the Pistons will shift their focus to trying to move Markieff Morris and Langston Galloway, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter link). However, he notes that many of the contending teams have already completed trades, so the Pistons may not get the assets they want in return (Twitter link).
Detroit turned down an offer from the Celtics for Christian Wood, tweets James Edwards III of The Athletic. Wood, who has an expiring $1.6MM contract, may be the long-term replacement at center if Drummond leaves.
Latest On The Andre Iguodala Trade
Negotiations are continuing in an effort to make the deal sending Andre Iguodala to Miami a three-way trade that would also enable the Heat to acquire Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
One way the Heat could facilitate trade talks is to remove protections on a lottery-protected 2023 first-round draft pick they owe to Oklahoma City, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link). That would free up Miami to unconditionally trade its 2025 first-rounder, explains Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).
Because of hard-cap restrictions, Miami will need to send out at least $39.8MM in salary to fit Iguodala ($17.2MM) and Gallinari ($22.6MM) on its roster, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). He notes that Justise Winslow, who is already believed to be part of the deal, Dion Waiters and James Johnson add up to $40.4MM.
Johnson’s representatives tell Jackson that they are expecting their client to be included in the transaction, but several other teams have expressed interest as well (Twitter link). Jackson identifies the Bucks, Rockets and Timberwolves as teams that have inquired about the veteran forward.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies held Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill out of Wednesday’s game in Dallas, and Dillon Brooks spoke after the game as if they were being traded, though that hasn’t been confirmed (video link via ESPN’s Tim MacMahon). Moving Crowder and Hill along with Iguodala would allow Memphis to take back up to $47MM+ in salary, if necessary.
In an interview with Marc J. Spears of the Undefeated, Iguodala said he plans to join the Heat and take his physical in Sacramento on Friday. He’s excited to be coming to Miami, but after not playing since June he isn’t sure when he’ll be ready to be activated (Twitter link).
“Jimmy Butler is very well respected in terms of passion and hard work he brings to the game,” Iguodala said. “His temperament and values he has really resonates with the Heat. They’re very well aligned. He’s brought out the most in those young guys. Those are some of the guys I’m really excited about. I feel I can make the most impact with those guys. I’m a big fan of Bam [Adebayo]. … Really looking forward to playing with him. … Been hearing about him last couple of years. Help him get better. Really excited about that opportunity.”
Grizzlies’ Dillon Brooks Signs Three-Year Extension
11:28pm: The extension is official, the Grizzlies announced on Twitter.
10:51pm: The Grizzlies have reached a three-year, $35MM extension agreement with Dillon Brooks, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Brooks had been on track to reach restricted free agency this summer.
Brooks’ new deal is fully guaranteed without any options, and will be worth $11.4MM in the first year, $12.2MM in the second and $11.4MM in the third, according to Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (Twitter links).
[RELATED: 2019/20 NBA Contract Extension Tracker]
The 24-year-old swingman has been an important part of Memphis’ resurgence and the team’s surprising run at a playoff spot. He’s posting career highs across the board in his third NBA season, averaging 16.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He has reclaimed his place in the starting lineup after being limited to 18 games in an injury-plagued 2018/19.
Brooks has also emerged as a vocal leader on the team. He called out Andre Iguodala earlier this week for electing to sit out rather than play for Memphis and said he couldn’t wait to face him on the court once he was traded.
After years of salary-cap issues, the rebuilt Grizzlies now have plenty of room going forward, so Brooks’ salary won’t be an issue. His extension is the first of what should be several long-term deals that Memphis will hand out to its young talent.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/5/20
Here are Wednesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Thunder recalled guard Deonte Burton and forward Isaiah Roby from Oklahoma City Blue, the team announced in a press release. Burton is averaging 15.1 points and 7.0 rebounds in nine G League games, while Roby, who was acquired from the Mavericks last month, averages 9.2 PPG and 6.7 RPG in 10 games.
Andre Iguodala Headed To Miami, Will Receive Contract Extension
The Grizzlies have reached an agreement to send Andre Iguodala to the Heat, who will give him a two-year, $30MM contract extension, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Justise Winslow will be part of the package headed to Memphis in return, Woj adds (Twitter link).
The second season of Iguodala’s extension will be a team option, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). That will allow the Heat to retain their financial flexibility to participate in a loaded free agent class in 2021. Sources tell Wojnarowski that Miami will guarantee the second season of Iguodala’s deal for $15MM if the team misses out on its top free agent targets (Twitter link).
The trade takes a player off the board who was coveted by contenders around the league for his defensive toughness and playoff experience. Iguodala was widely expected to return to Golden State next season as a free agent, but the extension removes any chance of that.
Bobby Marks of ESPN notes that Miami is limited to two years on the extension along with 5% raises on top of his current salary because of extend-and-trade restrictions. (Twitter link). Normally teams can offer extensions up to four years with 8% raises.
Heat president Pat Riley is making an effort to acquire Oklahoma City’s Danilo Gallinari as well as Iguodala, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Gallinari was expected to have a short stay with the Thunder after he was acquired in July as part of the trade that sent Paul George to the Clippers. However, OKC has emerged as a strong playoff contender with Gallinari contributing 19.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per night. The 31-year-old has a $22.6MM expiring contract.
Pistons, Suns Hit Snag On Proposed Luke Kennard Deal
Trade talks between the Pistons and Suns involving Luke Kennard are on hold because the teams haven’t been able to agree on the level of protection for a first-round draft pick, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Phoenix appeared set to send a first-rounder to the Pistons in exchange for the 23-year-old sharpshooter, who is averaging a career-high 15.8 points and 4.1 assists through 28 games and hitting at a 39.9% clip beyond the arc. Young guards Jevon Carter and Elie Okobo were mentioned as possible trade chips heading to Detroit to help match Kennard’s $3.8MM salary.
The terms of the draft pick appear to be the only thing blocking the deal, and the teams have until 3:00 pm Eastern time on Thursday to resolve the issue. However, Detroit has started talking to other teams about Kennard, according to Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).
The Suns rank 12th in our current Reverse Standings, but could easily take several steps up or down the draft order.
Heat In “Advanced Discussions” For Andre Iguodala
Miami is involved in “advanced discussions” with Memphis about acquiring Andre Iguodala, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Iguodala, an important component of the dominant Warriors teams of the past five years, hasn’t played at all since being traded to Memphis over the summer in a cost-cutting move. He is making $17,185,185 in the final year of his contract.
As we detailed yesterday, getting Iguodala to Miami won’t be easy. The Heat are operating under a hard cap and can’t take on more money than they send out in any trade. The Grizzlies will likely have to take on one or more multi-year deals, possibly James Johnson, Dion Waiters, Kelly Olynyk or Justise Winslow.
Memphis has also insisted on getting a first-round pick in return for Iguodala ever since acquiring him. Miami doesn’t have a first-rounder to offer until its conditional pick in 2025.
With the Grizzlies as a surprise playoff contender, some players have become irritated with Iguodala’s absence. Dillon Brooks said this week that the team can’t wait to face Iguodala on the court so they can “show him what really Memphis is about.”