L.A. Notes: Leonard, Knecht, Highsmith, Giannis, Doncic, Kleber
Kawhi Leonard offered a diplomatic response regarding the Clippers’ trade deadline moves, which included trading James Harden and Ivica Zubac, beat writer Joey Linn tweets.
“Just trying to get younger. We came in the year with the oldest team,” Leonard said. “It makes sense for them to try to get some assets and try to build for the future. It’s a big class coming in 2027, hopefully. They gotta do what’s best for them…. I thought we were tracking well the last six weeks. Everybody has human nature.
“It’s a complete turnaround from what I thought we could potentially do. Not saying we were contenders, but we thought we could make some noise or mess someone’s season up. Now the tides changed. We’ll get back into it, hopefully after All-Star.”
Leonard is signed through next season. Does he want to want to stay in the organization? Leonard sidestepped that question.
“Yeah, I mean right now I’m not thinking of anything else but trying to finish this season off. And that’s the main goal,” he said.
Here’s more on the Los Angeles teams:
- Numerous teams contacted the Clippers regarding a potential Leonard trade but none of the talks reached the serious stage, Chris Haynes said on NBA on Prime (Twitter link). However, Haynes hears that Leonard’s camp is not in any rush to initiate extension talks with the Clippers. That could be revisited this summer and Haynes anticipates Leonard will either pursue that extension or he’ll be dealt.
- Dalton Knecht was aggressively shopped by the Lakers prior to the trade deadline, Dan Woike of The Athletic reports. The Lakers are also one of the teams currently interested in Haywood Highsmith and possibly Cam Thomas after both players were waived by Brooklyn. Regardless of how the Lakers fill out their roster this season, they are in a position to pursue a Giannis Antetokounmpo deal this summer, Woike notes. The team will have three first-round picks available on draft night to make their best offer, as well as more cap space than any other competitive team.
- Lakers star Luka Doncic will sit out today’s game against Golden State due to a left hamstring strain, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. There’s some optimism that Doncic is not dealing with a major issue with his hamstring, McMenamin adds. He was injured during Thursday’s game against Philadelphia.
- Little-used Lakers big man Maxi Kleber contributed four points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals in Thursday’s win over the Sixers. His teammates appreciate the veteran’s professionalism. “The ultimate professional,” guard Marcus Smart said, per Benjamin Royer of the Orange County Register. “There’s a reason why Maxi is still in this league, still playing and there’s a reason why he’s on this team with us. There’s a reason why we celebrate him the way we do.” Kleber will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Pistons Notes: Jenkins, Trade Deadline, Buyout Market, Huerter
Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon stated on Friday that the team plans to sign two-way guard Daniss Jenkins to a standard contract prior to their road game against the Hornets on Monday. Jenkins reached his NBA two-way eligibility limit on Friday and displayed why the Pistons want him on the 15-man roster. He scored a team-high 18 points as the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons blew out the second-place Knicks.
Jenkins was “saved” for that matchup with New York after sitting out Thursday’s loss to the Wizards.
“I was really frustrated yesterday because I didn’t get to play,” Jenkins told Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “I hate missing games. I just wanted to come out and impact the game. We forgot about it, we flushed that game yesterday, but it’s still on my mind. It was definitely not a game that we should have lost. I just wanted to come out and impact the game like I always do. Just change the energy. My teammates played really well tonight. We all played a really good game and I just had to come in and do my job.”
Jenkins’ emergence made former lottery pick Jaden Ivey, who was dealt to Chicago, expendable. Jenkins is motivated by the fact he entered the league as an undrafted player.
“If I’m being honest, and everybody knows I’m a very humble guy, but in college, most of these dudes that got drafted, what was the difference between me and them?” he said. “What? You tell me, what was the difference? For me, going undrafted is insanity to me, literally insanity, and that burns inside of me every single day.”
Here’s more on the Pistons:
- Other than acquiring reserve guard Kevin Huerter in the Ivey deal, the Pistons took a “stay the course” approach to the trade deadline. “There were some things, whether it was the other team pulling out or us just saying, now’s not the right time for that,” Langdon said, per Vince Goodwill of ESPN. “There were some things that I wouldn’t say, got close, that we thought about but didn’t execute.” Langdon is eager to see how his team responds in the postseason as likely the top East seed. “What are we going to do in the postseason? What’s our rotation, who are the guys that step up in crunch time,” Langdon said. “The hope is we give ourselves a chance to play meaningful basketball in the postseason and that’ll allow us to assess what this team is and who we are going forward.”
- Langdon wouldn’t rule out picking up a player from the buyout market if it’s a good fit, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic tweets. “We’ll always look at opportunities to get better,” he said. “We’ll definitely explore it, see who becomes available and if some of those players fit for us. We’ll keep looking to see if can get better if possible.”
- Huerter scored eight points in eight minutes against the Knicks. There’s no certainty he’ll be in the rotation but his outside shooting could prove valuable, Patterson writes. “He’s a complete basketball player,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “He’s versatile in the things that he can do. Obviously, (he has) the ability to make shots. But he has the ability to make plays, he can play the pick-and-roll. He’s an elite cutter, understanding spacing. Just his ability to process the game as a whole. As a person he’s going to fit right in. He’s a great dude who understands the situation he’s coming into and what these guys have already accomplished. He’s not here to rock the boat by any means. He’s here to help and contribute, and we feel like his skill set can do that.”
- Huerter grew up as a fan of the Pistons, according to Sankofa. “Back when you’re growing up as a kid, whatever team is on TV are the ones you gravitate towards,” he said. “One of the first basketballs that I had was a Detroit Pistons basketball. Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, that whole team was one of my favorite teams. … I always liked the Pistons.”
Bulls Acquire Nick Richards In Three-Team Trade Involving Suns, Bucks
9:48 pm: The three-team trade is official, the Bulls announced (via Twitter).
1:58 pm: The Bucks and Suns have expanded the trade, adding the Bulls to the mix, Charania tweets. Richards will head to Chicago instead of Milwaukee with Ousmane Dieng going to Milwaukee.
Richards could see more playing time with the Bulls, considering they dealt Nikola Vucevic this week. Dieng wound up in Chicago earlier this week when the Thunder traded him to Charlotte, which then re-routed him to the Windy City in the Coby White deal.
Dieng appeared in 27 games off the bench for Oklahoma City. He’s making $6.67MM this season and will be a restricted free agent this summer.
11:08 am: The Bucks and Suns have reached an agreement on a trade that will send guard Cole Anthony and wing Amir Coffey to Phoenix in exchange for center Nick Richards and forward Nigel Hayes-Davis, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
The news of the deal comes right on the heels of Charania’s report that the Bucks were informing Giannis Antetokounmpo suitors that the star forward will stay put and that they’re moving onto other trade opportunities.
This deal will probably have a minimal impact in terms of on-court performance but it does impact salary cap sheets for this season.
For the Suns, it’s a major financial boon. Phoenix drops under the luxury tax line by roughly $2.5MM and also creates a $5MM trade exception by shipping out Richards, cap expert Yossi Gozlan tweets. Richards has an expiring contract, as does Hayes-Davis, who is making just over $2MM with no future obligations.
Anthony is making just under $2.67MM this season, while Coffey has a $2.87MM salary. Both are also on expiring deals with matching cap hits of $2,296,274.
According to Phoenix radio host John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), the trade creates a pathway for the Suns to promote two-way player Jamaree Bouyea to their standard roster. Bouyea is averaging 7.0 points in 15.3 minutes per game through 25 appearances.
Phoenix was already carrying 14 players on standard contracts, one less than the maximum, but the trade will give the team more financial flexibility to promote Bouyea and remain below the tax. It remains to be seen whether the Suns will retain both Anthony and Coffey, but they could create another roster opening if they waive one of them.
Anthony has appeared in 35 games off the bench this season, averaging 6.7 points and 3.5 assists in 15.1 minutes per game. Coffey has seen action in 30 games, averaging 2.4 points in 8.8 minutes per contest. Anthony might be the more valuable piece, as he could fill a role as a backup point.
Richards started 34 of 36 games for the Suns last season after being acquired from Phoenix but his role has diminished this season. He’s appeared in 28 games, averaging 3.2 points and 3.3 rebounds in 9.1 minutes. Hayes-Davis has seen even less court time, averaging 1.3 points in 7.2 minutes over 27 games.
While Hayes-Davis seems unlikely to play a major role in Milwaukee and is probably a candidate to be released, Richards could see rotation minutes in the team’s frontcourt.
Celtics Promote Rookie Amari Williams To 15-Man Roster
2:00 pm: Williams’ new deal is official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
1:01 pm: The Celtics are promoting rookie two-way player Amari Williams, Marc Stein of The Stein Line tweets. Williams has agreed to a two-year, $2.7MM standard contract.
It’s uncertain if Williams is getting quite that much, as a two-year, minimum-salary contract for a rookie as of today would be worth $2.64MM, though it’s possible the Celtics will give him slightly more using the taxpayer mid-level exception.
Williams was selected with the No. 46 overall pick last June. He was technically drafted by the Magic, who forwarded him to Boston in a draft-night deal.
The 6’11” big man has seen action in 13 games, including two starts, averaging 1.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in 8.2 minutes. He’s spent a majority of his rookie campaign with the G League’s Maine Celtics, where he’s averaged 15.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.7 blocks in 30 minutes per game while appearing in 21 contests.
Boston dealt Chris Boucher to the Jazz on Thursday, opening up a spot for another frontcourt player to move up the depth chart.
Sixers Sign Charles Bassey To Another 10-Day Deal
The Sixers have signed Charles Bassey to another 10-day contract, according to the NBA transactions log.
Bassey signed his first 10-day contract. Bassey, who was originally drafted in the second round by the Sixers in 2021, has yet to appear in a game with Philadelphia this season.
Bassey, a 25-year-old center, was averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds per game with Santa Cruz in the G League. Following an outstanding Summer League performance with Boston, he signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Atlanta in September. The Hawks waived Bassey prior to the start of the season, and he inked a 10-day hardship contract with Memphis in late October. He appeared in two games during that time, but was let go when the contract expired.
Bassey provides some temporary frontcourt depth on Philadelphia’s roster, which is in a state of flux.
Western Notes: Garland, Porzingis, Watson, Pippen Jr.
Darius Garland wasn’t particularly surprised that the Cavaliers traded him to the Clippers. The 26-year-old guard was dealt, along with a second-round pick, for James Harden.
“I knew about it. It wasn’t a shock, though,” Garland said, per Doug Padilla of The Associated Press. “It’s the business of basketball. Cleveland was great to me and my family, and I have respect for all of those guys over there. … Seven years was a really long time, and it was great. I’m glad I’m here now. The next chapter in my book.”
Garland will now try to develop chemistry with Kawhi Leonard. He’s eager to see how coach Tyronn Lue plans to utilize him.
“I hope T-Lue uses me like he did Kyrie (Irving) in that championship run they had (in Cleveland),” he said. “But whatever T-Lue wants me to be, whatever position he wants me to be in, I’m going to do that. I’m here to win games.”
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- The Warriors didn’t acquire Kristaps Porzingis from the Hawks in an impending trade without some assurances that the big man will return to the court soon, according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater and Shams Charania. Porzingis hasn’t played since Jan. 7, but the ESPN duo hears that the Warriors anticipate Porzingis will get back in action soon after joining Golden State. Porzingis has played only 17 games this season due to illness and left Achilles tendinitis.
- The injury-riddled Nuggets now have another ailment to overcome. Peyton Watson, who is enjoying a breakout season, injured his hamstring during the fourth quarter of their double overtime loss to New York on Wednesday, Tim Bontemps of ESPN reports. “Waiting to see the MRI,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said. “But just seeing so much of this this year. I just feel bad for the guys in the locker room. It’s deflating when you keep seeing people go down around you when you’re trying to build towards something.” Nikola Jokic and Christian Braun recently returned after missing chunks of time, while Aaron Gordon is currently dealing with a significant hamstring strain and Cameron Johnson has been out since before Christmas with a knee injury.
- Scotty Pippen Jr. is close to making his season debut for the Grizzlies. Pippen, who underwent toe surgery in October, is in the final stages of his rehab, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal tweets. Coach Tuomas Iisalo is optimistic Pippen could return as early as this week. Pippen averaged 9.9 points and 4.4 assists in 79 games last season.
Clippers, Cavs Swap James Harden, Darius Garland
February 4: The Cavaliers have officially traded Garland and their 2026 second-round pick to the Clippers in exchange for Harden, the two teams confirmed today in press releases just hours before they face one another in L.A.
As Law Murray of The Athletic relays (via Twitter), Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman and Clippers president of basketball ops Lawrence Frank both put out statements thanking the guards exiting their respective franchises and expressing excitement about the newcomers.
According to NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link), the plan is for Harden to make his Cavaliers debut this Saturday against Sacramento.
February 3: The Clippers and Cavaliers have reached an agreement on a much-rumored James Harden trade. Harden is headed to Cleveland in exchange for Darius Garland and a second-round pick, Shams Charania of ESPN reports (via Twitter). The pick is Cleveland’s own second-rounder this June, tweets Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.
Word broke within the past 24 hours that Harden and the Clippers were working together to find him a new home, with Cleveland considered to be the leading suitor. NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link) reported this morning that the two teams ramped up their trade discussions in an effort to reach an agreement prior to Thursday’s deadline — now they have.
Harden, a Los Angeles native will join his fifth different team in the last six seasons. As part of the deal, he’ll have to waive his one-year Bird restriction (a de facto no-trade clause) and all but eliminate his $2.3MM trade bonus, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets.
The Cavaliers cannot make Harden’s salary exceed Garland’s due to apron restrictions, cap expert Yossi Gozlan tweets. That bonus is capped at $263,397, which is the difference between the two players’ salaries. Harden could waive the entire amount to help the Cavs move slightly closer to the second tax apron.
In the short run, Harden should increase the Cavs’ chances of competing for a title in the wide-open East as he teams up with All-Star Donovan Mitchell in a dynamic backcourt. Despite his advanced age, Harden is still a prolific scorer — he’s averaging 24.7 points and 8.1 assists along with 4.8 rebounds per game this season.
Garland — a two-time All-Star — is averaging 18.0 PPG (down from 20.6 last season) and 6.9 APG in 26 games. He has been sidelined for 10 consecutive games due to a right toe sprain after missing time earlier in the season due to left toe issues. Sources tell ESPN’s Brian Windhorst that Garland has made progress in his recovery and could return soon, though there’s some concern about whether his toe problems could turn into a longer-term issue.
Garland, 26, gives the Clippers a younger starter who could fill a guard role for seasons to come, assuming his toe injuries don’t linger. He’s in the third season of a five-year, $197.3MM contract that runs through 2027/28. According to Gozlan (Twitter link), he’ll become eligible this offseason for an extension of three years and up to $178MM.
Harden’s contract situation is more much complicated. He’s making $39.2M this season and has a $42.3MM player option for next season. However, the option would only be partially guaranteed for $13.3MM if it’s picked up. In that scenario, Harden’s salary wouldn’t become fully guaranteed until July 11.
It remains to be seen whether Cleveland gave Harden any assurances about guaranteeing his entire 2026/27 salary or re-signing him to a new contract if he opts out — the veteran guard’s desire to sign a new guaranteed two-year deal that L.A. wasn’t prepared to give him after this season was rumored to be one key factor why he sought a change of scenery.
If Harden declines his option, the Cavs would hold only his Non-Bird rights. However, those would be more than enough to sign him to a market-value contract, since they allow for a deal covering up to four seasons and a raise of up to 20% on the player’s previous salary.
Bulls Notes: Conley, White, Smith, Collins, Terry
The three-team deal in which the Bulls landed Jaden Ivey from the Pistons is now official.
The Bulls also acquired another guard, Mike Conley, from the Timberwolves in that transaction, but don’t expect Conley to play at all for Chicago. According to NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link), Conley and the Bulls will work on a “proper path to move forward.”
That means Conley could be re-routed in another trade before Thursday’s deadline or he’ll have his contract bought out so that he can try to hook on with a contender after clearing waivers.
Here’s more on the Bulls:
- They also agreed to another big deal on Tuesday, forwarding Nikola Vucevic to Boston and acquiring guard Anfernee Simons with a pair of draft picks involved. The Bulls aren’t through wheeling and dealing, according to Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune. The front office is trying to move Coby White as a blue-chip trade asset to leverage contending teams in the Western Conference out of draft picks or young talent. White knows he could be the next player to go. “I think sometimes there’s a narrative — just in the NBA but in general — that it’s part of the business,” White said. “But we’re still human. … Vooch was a locker room leader. Seeing him go, it was kind of tough for probably a lot of guys. You’re gonna feel something, right? We’re all human. But we still got a game and we got a job to do, so we’re going to go out there and do it.”
- After getting blasted by the Heat, the undermanned Bulls were pounded on Tuesday by the Bucks, 131-115. Jalen Smith refused to offer off-court distractions as an excuse, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times writes. ‘‘[We lost] high-value players, players that played a lot of minutes for us, but it’s the NBA,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s the job we signed up for. We’ve got to be ready to play at any point and time. It’s a next-man-up mentality.’’
- Zach Collins could be done for the season, coach Billy Donovan told Cowley and other media members. Collins injured his toe on Dec. 27 and hasn’t played since. ‘‘That could happen,” Donovan said of shutting down the big man. “As they put him two more weeks into the boot, I think how he comes out of that is going to tell a lot. He’s going to need a ramp-up period in order to run. . . . . The whole thing right now has been trying to prevent surgery.’’ Prior to that injury, he missed the first six weeks of the season with a wrist injury.
- Dalen Terry has never carved out a major role since being drafted in the first round in 2022. He’s temporarily playing more due to all the roster upheaval. He had six points and two blocks against the Bucks. “The human in me would say it’s tough but you just have to understand that this is what you get called upon for, so I’m just doing my best to try to stay ready every time I get a chance to play, and I think I’ve done a pretty good job of that,” Terry told Cowley. ‘If you would have asked me this when I was a rookie, it would have been hard. But me being four years in, I know what it is. I don’t take anything personal, and my mindset is every time I get a chance to be on an NBA court, I’m going to show why.”
And-Ones: Ott, Lee, No. 1 Pick, Graham, Dort
The Suns’ Jordan Ott and Hornets’ Charles Lee have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Coaches of the Month, respectively, for games played in January, according to the league (Twitter links). Phoenix went 11-5 last month, while Charlotte posted an 11-6 record.
David Adelman (Nuggets), Chris Finch (Timberwolves) and Tyronn Lue (Clippers) were the other Western Conference nominees. Kenny Atkinson (Cavaliers), J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons) and Joe Mazzulla (Celtics) were also nominated from the Eastern Conference.
Here’s more from around the international basketball world:
- Kansas shooting guard Darryn Peterson and BYU forward AJ Dybantsa loom as the projected top two picks in the upcoming NBA draft, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. ESPN polled 20 NBA scouts and a dozen chose Peterson as the top pick, while Dybantsa garnered the other eight votes. With BYU visiting Kansas this past Saturday, those two stars put on a display to solidify their resumes. Dybantsa had 17 points and Peterson scored 18 in the Jayhawks’ victory. At least 17 NBA teams had reps at the contest. However, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman claims there’s another legitimate candidate for the top pick (Twitter link). He says multiple front office executives and scouts have Duke’s Cameron Boozer atop their draft boards.
- Former NBA guard Devonte’ Graham and Crvena Zvevda have severed ties. After several consecutive games without playing, Graham agreed to a termination of his contract, according to Eurohoops.net. Graham only played seven EuroLeague games, averaging 3.0 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 11.2 minutes per contest. Graham, who signed with the Serbian club in August, appeared in 336 regular season NBA games, making 171 starts and posting career averages of 11.1 PPG, 2.3 RPG and 4.3 APG.
- Thunder defensive ace Luguentz Dort has hired Klutch Sports as his representative, the agency tweets. Oklahoma City holds an $18.2MM club option on his contract for next season.
LeBron James Reportedly Won’t Be Dealt
Plenty of big names have already been moved prior to Thursday’s trade deadline. LeBron James won’t join the list. James is expected to finish out the season with the Lakers, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports.
James, 41, has a no-trade clause and would have to approve any deal.
Last month, ESPN’s Baxter Holmes detailed the strained relationship between James and Lakers governor Jeanie Buss, which included a revelation that Buss wanted to trade the record-breaking All-Star at one point earlier in his Lakers tenure. However, that apparently won’t lead to an in-season breakup between James and the organization.
James’ plans beyond this season remain unknown. His contract expires after the season and he hasn’t indicated whether he intends to remain in L.A., join a new team, or retire.
As McMenamin notes, the Cavaliers, Knicks and Warriors are all considered possible destinations for James if he decides to play another year. Each of those teams has been pursuing big deals before the deadline, with Cleveland reportedly reaching an agreement on Tuesday to acquire James Harden.
James is still putting up solid numbers — 21.8 points, 6.6 assists and 5.8 rebounds in 33.1 minutes per game.