Warriors Halt Jimmy Butler Trade Talks
Cross the Warriors off the list of potential Jimmy Butler suitors, at least for now.
Butler has communicated to the Warriors that he’s unwilling to sign an extension there, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Twitter link). In response, trade talks between the Heat and Warriors have halted, according to Windhorst.
The Warriors are reportedly interested in making a significant move before the trade deadline and Butler was one of the logical candidates to fulfill that goal. However, it’s well-known that Butler wants to be dealt to the Suns, who are hamstrung in making a blockbuster move because they’re operating over the second tax apron.
The only way Phoenix can complete such a deal to allow Butler to join forces with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant would be to send out Bradley Beal‘s contract. Miami hasn’t shown any interest in acquiring Beal, who has two years remaining on his contract after this season, including a $57.1MM option for 2026/27. Beal also has a no-trade clause and would have to agree to waive it whether he was routed to Miami or a third party.
The Suns are still the team pushing the hardest to land Butler ahead of Thursday’s deadline, the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang reports. In any Butler trade, the Heat want to acquire at least one quality player who can help the team this season, Chiang adds.
Butler, who has been suspended indefinitely by Miami for repeated violations of team rules, holds a $52.4MM option on his contract for next season.
Golden State also seriously explored trade proposals to acquire both Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučevic from the Bulls before opting to pursue other deals, NBA insider Marc Stein tweets. LaVine is on the move to Sacramento.
Latest On Lakers’ Acquisition Of Luka Doncic
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, the envy of many NBA executives after pulling off the Luka Doncic–Anthony Davis blockbuster, believes the 25-year-old guard will ensure the franchise’s health for the foreseeable future.
“Luka is a one-of-a-kind, young global superstar who will lead this franchise for years to come,” Pelinka said in the statement relayed by the Los Angeles Times’ Dan Woike. “His killer instincts and commitment to winning championships will be a driving force for the team. We will be relentless in building a roster around the on court vision Coach (JJ) Redick has for this basketball team and there is an unwavering commitment to that work to serve our loyal and dedicated fans. We are grateful for today and look forward to what’s next.”
We have more from the Lakers’ perspective on the huge trade:
- Despite Davis’ production this season, the Lakers weren’t interested in giving him another extension, Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports reports. Davis’ current contract runs through at least 2027, with a player option for 2027/28. He would have been extension-eligible after next season. Davis turns 32 next month and has had his share of injuries throughout his career.
- After trading Davis, the Lakers are lacking depth and impact players in their frontcourt. Los Angeles will explore the market prior to Thursday’s trade deadline for a center upgrade, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic. However, it’s unclear how much draft capital the team is willing to include in such a deal, according to Buha’s sources. The Lakers have one more tradable first-round pick (2031).
- The Lakers are better positioned for the post-LeBron James era than anticipated, Buha adds. They should now have a top-three player for at least the next six to eight years, Buha notes. As for Doncic’s conditioning issues, the Lakers hope he’ll adopt James’ work ethic and fitness regimen.
- Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke has lobbied for months for the Lakers to retool by dealing both of their aging superstars. He hopes that James will now ask to be traded, though that doesn’t appear to be the case.
Mavs’ GM Harrison: Avoided “Tumultuous Summer” By Dealing Doncic
Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison and head coach Jason Kidd addressed the media prior to Dallas’ game at Cleveland on Sunday afternoon after the Luka Doncic–Anthony Davis three-team blockbuster was made official.
Harrison said that he never discussed a contract extension with Doncic or his representatives. There had been speculation that Doncic may have informed Dallas’ front office that he wouldn’t remain with the organization long-term.
Doncic was eligible to sign a five-year, $345MM super-max extension this summer, and league sources told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon that Doncic anticipated agreeing to that deal. However, Harrison wasn’t sure about making that type of commitment and Doncic could have opted out of his current deal after next season.
Harrison decided on a preemptive strike rather than dealing with a potentially touchy situation.
“There’s some unique things about his contract that we had to pay attention to,” Harrison said. “There’s other teams that were loading up that he was going to be able to decide, make his own decision at some point of whether he wants to be here or not. Whether we want to super-max him or not, or whether he wants to opt out. So, I think we had to take all that into consideration, and I feel like we got out in front of what could have been a tumultuous summer.”
Harrison has been heavily criticized since the deal came to light late on Saturday night, not only because he gave up a 25-year-old superstar but also because he only picked up one first-round pick in the trade. He’s willing to accept the consequences if it doesn’t produce a championship for the Mavericks.
“Well, let’s be clear: I’m the one making the decision and [Kidd]’s supportive of it, so it’s me,” he said. “I don’t do anything that’s scary. I think everything that we do, we put a lot of work into it, we study it and we re-study it and we go back. I understand the magnitude of it. So, the easiest thing for me to do is do nothing, and everyone would praise me for doing nothing. But we really believe in it — and time will tell if I’m right.”
While he didn’t directly criticize Doncic, Harrison referenced “culture” as a big part of his reasoning for acquiring Davis. Harrison initiated talks with Los Angeles general manager Rob Pelinka over coffee when the Lakers played the Mavs on Jan. 7, and those discussions progressed over the following weeks, according to MacMahon.
“It’s important to know that Kidd and I are aligned and we talk about archetypes and we talk about the culture we want to create,” Harrison said, per Joe Vardon and Christian Clark of The Athletic. “There are levels to it, and there are people that fit the culture, and there are people that come in and add to the culture. Those are two distinct things and I believe the people that are coming in are adding to the culture.”
Kidd, who was an assistant with the Lakers when they won the championship in 2020, echoed those comments.
“When you look at the vision of the team and what Nico wants to do, I truly support that, and truly believe that the players that we are getting are the ones who can help us achieve that, and that’s to win a championship,” he said.
The team, for now, will be built around Davis and Kyrie Irving.
“I think (Irving is) shocked, but understand he’s been in this league and has seen different things, so understanding we have to push forward,” Kidd said, per Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). “He probably saw things differently and I’m speaking from my point of view. At some point, you guys will ask him the questions and I know he’ll give you guys the answers that you’re looking for.”
Doncic posted a statement on social media, thanking the Dallas fans and community and expressing that he never expected to leave the organization. “I thought I’d spend my career here and I wanted so badly to bring you a championship,” he wrote. The full statement can be accessed here.
Pacific Notes: Wiggins, Looney, Payton, Hayes, Bronny, Clippers
Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II have all been mentioned as potential trade candidates. The Warriors‘ trio put on a show on Wednesday as the team upset Oklahoma City, Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic notes. They combined for 60 of Golden State’s 116 points.
Afterward, Wiggins and Looney indicated they’d like to stay put.
“Sometimes it can be disappointing if you want to stay,” Wiggins said. “If you enjoy things somewhere. Your family is here. You got relationships. So it’s not easy. It’s a business.”
“Yeah, I want to stay,” Looney said. “I know what the game is. I’ve been here long enough. My locker mate’s changed a lot of times. It might be my time. Who knows? That’s the NBA. I definitely will not be sleeping that night, whenever that time is for the trade deadline. I’m gonna be up.”
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Lakers big man Jaxson Hayes will make his fourth start of the season against Washington on Thursday, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin tweets. Hayes will fill in for Anthony Davis, who’s out at least a week with an abdominal strain. Hayes will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
- Bronny James received some first-half minutes against Philadelphia on Tuesday and it didn’t go well, Lakers coach JJ Redick admits. The rookie missed all five of his field goal attempts, committed three turnovers and was targeted at the defensive end. “Maybe put him in a tough spot,” Redick said, per McMenamin. “Flying up yesterday, nationally televised game in Philly and all that stuff. He didn’t play well, but he’s been playing great in the stay-ready games, and he’s been playing great in the G [League].”
- The Athletic’s Law Murray breaks down the Clippers’ roster into tiers as the trade deadline approaches. He lists Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Ivica Zubac as the only untouchables — in Zubac’s case, he signed an extension in September which makes him ineligible to be dealt this season.
Central Notes: Siakam, Bickerstaff, Horton-Tucker, White, Garland
Pascal Siakam enhanced his case for All-Star consideration with a 37-point performance against the Pistons on Wednesday. The Pacers forward is averaging 20.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Siakam has been selected to the All-Star Game twice during his career. The reserves will be revealed during a TNT broadcast tonight.
“He’s unbelievable,” point guard Tyrese Haliburton told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “In the mid-range, he’s really tough to guard. Ever since he’s got here, that low post and mid post has been one of the most efficient shots in basketball. Keep feeding him, he gets the ball in the right spots. We played a lot of two-man game today. He just stayed with the ball and that allowed me to get him the ball and get him open shots.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- The Pistons‘ 133-119 loss to Indiana was their third straight after starting out a five-game road trip with a pair of victories. Things got heated, as Isaiah Stewart was ejected for a flagrant foul, while coach J.B. Bickerstaff and a couple of players picked up technicals. It’s perhaps a signal that the old Detroit-Indiana rivalry has restarted. “Our guys care and compete at a high level,” Bickerstaff said. “There is no opponent that we are going to shy away from. We are going to be who we are. We are going to earn the respect of this league, whoever it is. Everybody is going to respect the Pistons and the way we compete.”
- Talen Horton-Tucker suffered a left shin injury during the Bulls loss to Boston on Wednesday, the team tweets. On the flip side, Coby White returned from a four-game absence due to a bone bruise in his left ankle. He started and played 31 minutes, contributing 16 points, Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune notes.
- The Cavaliers rested Darius Garland and had only 10 players in uniform for their game against Miami on Wednesday, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). It didn’t matter, as they never trailed in a 126-106 romp that featured a 34-point outing from Donovan Mitchell.
Atlantic Notes: George, McCain, Towns, Barnes, Raptors Trade Outlook
Sixers forward Paul George underwent an MRI and ultrasound which revealed an injury to the extensor tendon in his left fifth finger, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps relays (Twitter link) via a team press release.
George’s return to play will be determined in the coming days. He played just 13 minutes against Chicago on Saturday before exiting with the finger injury.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse is optimistic George will return soon, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin tweets. “I think it is day to day,” he said. “It’s not major.”
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Sixers rookie Jared McCain admitted to a group of reporters, including McMenamin, he took the news hard when he found out in December he’d require season-ending surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee. “I started crying,” McCain said. “It was very tough to hear how long I’d be out for and to know I’ve worked so hard to be in the NBA and now it just gets taken away from me so quick. So, it was tough, especially that night. … Luckily, I’m good now and I got a little cane with me, so taking it step by step.” McCain was part of a pool of players on Tuesday chosen for the Rising Stars event, though he obviously can’t participate. His rehabilitation so far has been limited to walking on an altered-gravity treadmill.
- Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns is continuing to battle through a sprained right thumb and bone chip in the finger. It has affected his three-point shooting — he is three for his last 14 attempts, Dan Martin of the New York Post notes. “Man, it’s been a struggle,” Towns said. “I looked bad. I’ve been worried myself.”
- Scottie Barnes has continue to expand his game and that’s a huge development for the rebuilding Raptors, Michael Grange of Sportsnet writes. Barnes is averaging career highs in points (20.2 per game) and assists (6.6) and his on-ball defense has also improved.
- The Raptors are expected to be active on the trade market with a willingness to facilitate bigger moves by other teams in order to accumulate more assets. Blake Murphy of Sportsnet offers a trade primer, including the team’s current cap sheet, trade pieces, and available exceptions.
Pistons Notes: Beasley, Ivey, Hypothetical Trades, Duren, Stewart
Malik Beasley has proven to be one of last summer’s biggest bargains. He signed a one-year, $6MM deal with the Pistons and has averaged 16.3 points per game, mostly off the bench.
Beasley told Hoops Hype’s Michael Scotto that he’s had discussions with head of basketball operations Trajan Langdon about staying in Detroit beyond this season. He’s also aware he could be a trade target for a serious contender.
“Me and Trajan have been talking a lot. We’re trying to figure out what’s going to happen,” he said. “I still have to get through this trade deadline. There are some championship teams that want me, but I told Trajan I like where I’m at. He told me about the impact I’ve brought. Hopefully, he agrees. He also told me it’s a business. If a championship team comes with a crazy deal, the business is the business. We’re just waiting for the deadline to go through. After that, I think we’ll start talking about if maybe we can put something together.”
The Pistons will hold Beasley’s Non-Bird rights, which will limit them to offering a starting salary up to $7.2MM if they don’t use cap room or another form of cap exception.
We have more on the Pistons:
- The lack of a secondary creator with Jaden Ivey sidelined has become increasingly apparent, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic writes. The Pistons have become even more reliant on Cade Cunningham to make plays and score with Ivey on the mend from a broken fibula. The team’s 110-91 loss to Cleveland on Monday was a good example, as Detroit scored a season low in points. “We miss (Ivey), there’s no doubt about it,” Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “He’s extremely important to us, what we do and how we got to where we are now.” The front office will have to decide by next Thursday’s trade deadline whether to make a move to address the problem.
- Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press lays out three hypothetical multi-team trades to illustrate various ways in which the Pistons could take advantage of their cap room ahead of next Thursday’s trade deadline. Detroit lands Jonathan Kuminga, Haywood Highsmith, and draft assets in one of Sankofa’s proposals, Bobby Portis in another, and Marcus Smart and a first-round pick in the third.
- The Pistons have been one of the league’s top defensive units this month and Bickerstaff praises centers Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart for their commitment at that end, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes. “They are the anchor of our defense. They are the most important piece of our defense and that’s something you have to embrace,” Bickerstaff said. “Because it’s not easy. There’s a lot of responsibility that comes with it. You’re the guy who has to clean up everybody else’s messes, who has to communicate the most, has to win in the trenches more than anybody else, has to do multiple things on every single possession. And then you have to challenge shots and get rebounds. There’s a ton of pressure we put on them on the defensive end of the floor and they’ve both embraced it.”
Mavericks Notes: Exum, Road Trip, Thompson, Kelley
Mavericks guard Dante Exum has been upgraded to doubtful for the team’s game against the Pelicans on Wednesday, Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com tweets. It’s the first time all season he hasn’t been listed as out.
Exum underwent right wrist surgery in October. At that time, he was expected to be sidelined for three months and it’s already exceeded that initial timetable.
The 6’5″ guard signed a two-year contract with the Mavericks during the 2023 offseason and played a regular role for the Western Conference champions last season, averaging 7.8 PPG and 2.9 APG with a .533/.491/.779 shooting line and strong defense in 55 games (19.8 MPG).
We have more on the Mavericks:
- Wednesday’s game in New Orleans begins the Mavs’ longest road trip of the season, a five-game, 10-day journey, Sefko notes. It could go a long way toward determining whether they’ll finish in the top six in the West or whether they’ll wind up fighting for a play-in tournament spot. They’ll also visit Detroit, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Boston during the road swing.
- F0llowing a trio of single-digit outings, Klay Thompson poured in those franchise-record-tying seven first-quarter 3-pointers in 10 attempts against Washington on Monday, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News notes. He finished with 23 points. “I can’t lie to you: It felt great,” Thompson said. “It always feels great when you shoot the ball well, but it just felt great because we needed a win where we put a team away early.”
- Thompson addressed rumors that he might participate in the 3-point shootout during All-Star weekend on Golden State’s home floor with WNBA star Caitlin Clark. “I don’t know the details, but if the opportunity presents itself that’d be cool to be part of,” Thompson said, per Townsend (Twitter link).
- Signed to a two-way deal off the South Bay Lakers’ roster over the weekend, center Kylor Kelley made his NBA debut on Monday. He played eight minutes in the lopsided win, contributing one point and four rebounds in eight minutes. “A lot of our guys are hurt. You just have to stay ready,” Kelley told Sefko. “Yeah, it’s always been about ‘stay ready’ for me. For anybody else in the G League, I’d say stay ready because you never know when you’re going to get called.”
Rockets Aren’t Interested In De’Aaron Fox Deal
Cross the Rockets off the list of potential suitors for De’Aaron Fox, according to The Athletic’s Kelly Iko.
With the revelation that the Kings might consider dealing their leading scorer before next week’s deadline, Houston has been mentioned as a potential landing spot. However, Iko hears the Rockets aren’t interested in making a major move until at least the offseason. That echoes a Marc Stein report regarding the Rockets’ reluctance to pursue a blockbuster deal.
Rockets front office executives learned through recent conversations with Kings officials that there’s an increasing likelihood of a potential Fox trade, according to Iko.
In the Rockets’ thinking, it’s not time to mess with a good thing. They currently lead the Southwest Division and sit second in the Western Conference standings. The Rockets’ front office is pleased with the growth of its young roster and wants to ride out the rest of the season with that core group, as general manager Rafael Stone stated publicly last month.
Team sources told Iko they’re only interesting in making a marginal move that wouldn’t impact the current rotation. The Rockets would seek draft compensation in the form of second-round picks to take on additional salary in such a trade.
That’s because the Rockets aren’t saddled with the same restrictions as some contenders who are above the first or second tax aprons. The Rockets are approximately $10.6MM under the luxury tax and still have their $12.8MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception available to use in a trade.
While there will likely be plenty of other teams with interest in Fox, multiple reports have indicated that San Antonio is believed to be the guard’s preferred destination.
Warriors To Retire Andre Iguodala’s Jersey
The Warriors are retiring Andre Iguodala‘s No. 9 jersey, according to a team press release. Golden State will hold the ceremony following its afternoon game against the Mavericks on Feb. 23.
Iguodala will be the seventh Warrior to have his jersey retired, joining Alvin Attles (No. 16), Rick Barry (24), Wilt Chamberlain (13), Tom Meschery (14), Chris Mullin (17) and Nate Thurmond (42).
Iguodala was a member of Golden State’s four championship teams in this century and was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2015 NBA Finals. He averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists per contest in that six-game series against Cleveland.
The defensive ace made 452 career regular season appearances (84 starts) with the Warriors, averaging 6.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 26.0 minutes per game over eight seasons (2013-19, 2021-23). Iguodala appeared in 111 playoff games (40 starts) with Golden State, averaging 8.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.5 APG, and 1.1 SPG in 28.5 MPG.
Iguodala was 30 years old and entering his 10th season when he joined the Warriors as a free agent.
“I never had been outside the second round,” Iguodala told Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “Neither had the Warriors since the ’70s. We were fresh off that ‘not one, not two, not three’ quote (from LeBron James when he joined Miami). So you’re careful with how you’re speaking towards it. I didn’t know because I’d never been there. It was just, I don’t know, intuition. But I didn’t think it would be four. I didn’t think it would be jersey retirements.”
Iguodala praised Stephen Curry for allowing him to reach those heights.
“I can properly assess my career, so I don’t need validation,” Iguodala said. “But I’m taking this one: I think I was the first one to realize how I can extend my career playing with Steph Curry … I hate making headlines. Don’t take it out of (context). Kevin Durant is the most talented basketball player I’ve ever seen. I’m including Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan is the best, but I’m talking about talent. Nobody’s better than Kevin Durant. But without Stephen Curry, nobody’s jersey is going in the rafters.”
As Slater points out, Curry, Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson will assuredly have their numbers retired by the organization after they wrap up their playing careers. Iguodala officially retired after the 2022/23 season. He’s currently the executive director of the NBA Players Association.