Clippers Trade Ivica Zubac To Pacers
8:26 pm: The deal is official, the Clippers confirmed in a press release.
1:13 pm: The Pacers have their new starting center, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, who reports (via Twitter) that Indiana has reached an agreement to acquire Ivica Zubac from the Clippers.
The full trade, according to reports from Charania (Twitter links), Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (all Twitter links), and Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter links), is as follows:
- Pacers to acquire Zubac and Kobe Brown.
- Clippers to acquire Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, the Pacers’ 2026 first-round pick (top-four protected and 10-30 protected), the Pacers’ 2029 first-round pick (unprotected), and the Mavericks’ 2028 second-round pick.
If that 2026 Pacers pick doesn’t land between No. 5 and No. 9, the Clippers will instead get Indiana’s unprotected 2031 first-rounder, according to Fischer.
Ever since losing Myles Turner to the division-rival Bucks in free agency last summer, the Pacers have been in the market for a new starting center, having attempted to temporarily address the position this season with a combination of Jackson, Jay Huff, Micah Potter, Tony Bradley, and James Wiseman.
Indiana was linked to several starting-caliber centers on the trade market, with a focus on players with modest or mid-sized contracts, such as Daniel Gafford, Nic Claxton, Walker Kessler, and Yves Missi. According to NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link), the Pacers made a recent push to acquire Kessler, offering a package that included two unprotected first-round picks, but were rebuffed by the Jazz.
Zubac was the one name continually being linked to the Pacers for much of the season, but it was unclear if the Clippers intended to entertain offers for him after fighting their way back into the postseason picture with a 16-3 stretch. In the wake of the Clippers’ deal sending James Harden to Cleveland earlier this week, Zubac rumors once again began percolating as it became clearer that the organization had an eye toward its future, and Indiana pivoted its attention to the 28-year-old big man.
Zubac is coming off a career year in which he averaged 16.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game, finished as the Most Improved Player runner-up, made the All-Defensive second team, and placed sixth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
While he may not receive the same kind of award consideration this season as a member of sub-.500 teams, Zubac has once again been a valuable anchor at the five, averaging 14.4 PPG and 11.0 RPG on 61.3% shooting through 43 games. He also has a team-friendly contract that includes an $18.1MM salary this season, with guaranteed salaries of $19.6MM and $21MM to follow.
Those cap hits will increase slightly as a result of the 5% trade kicker included in Zubac’s contract, adding nearly $800K per year, notes Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Twitter link). Still, his contract should provide strong value to the Pacers over the next two-and-a-half seasons as the team looks to return to contention after a disappointing 2025/26 showing.
Speaking of the Pacers’ ’25/26 performance, they currently have the third-worst record in the NBA at 13-38. They’re narrowly ahead of the Pelicans and Kings in the standings and just one game back of the Nets and Wizards, so their place in the lottery standings could change between now and the end of the season, but right now, there’s a 52.1% chance they’ll land a top-four pick and a 47.9% chance they’ll be between No. 5 and No. 7, per Tankathon.
In other words, the Clippers will have roughly a 50/50 chance – or slightly better, depending where the Pacers finish – of securing a lottery pick in the 5-9 range of what is considered a very strong draft.
That pick could be the crown jewel of the Clippers’ return for Zubac, but even if it ends up in the top four and Indiana keeps it, L.A. will be on track to receive two unprotected Pacers first-rounders down the road and is adding two young players to its roster in Mathurin (23 years old) and Jackson (24 years old).
Mathurin, the sixth overall pick in 2022, has battled thumb and toe issues this season that have limited him to 28 games, but he’s still averaging career highs in points (17.8), rebounds (5.4), and assists (2.3) per contest while shooting 37.2% from beyond the three-point line. The Canadian guard will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer.
Jackson, meanwhile, has started 14 of his 38 games for the Pacers this season, coming off an Achilles tear that limited him to five outings in 2024/25. He has averaged 6.4 PPG and 5.6 RPG in 16.8 MPG.
The fifth-year center has a $7MM salary for next season and a $6.4MM salary for ’27/28. There’s some injury protection language in his deal, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), but unless he injures his Achilles again, those salaries will remain guaranteed.
Sixers Promote Dominick Barlow To Standard Contract
The Sixers have promoted forward Dominick Barlow from his two-way deal to a standard contract ahead of their game against the Lakers in Los Angeles on Thursday night, according to Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice (Twitter link). The team has formally announced the move in a press release.
Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter links) first reported that the Sixers and Barlow were headed toward an agreement on a multiyear deal, and Aaronson confirms it’s a two-year contract with a team option for 2026/27.
Barlow, 22, signed a two-way contract with Philadelphia last summer after appearing in 96 games across three seasons for San Antonio and Atlanta. He quickly emerged as a key part of the Sixers’ rotation and has since become the team’s starting power forward.
In 40 games (33 starts) for the 76ers so far this season, Barlow has averaged 8.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 steal in 24.0 minutes per contest. He’s shooting a career-high 55.0% from the floor and 80.0% from the free throw line.
Barlow was still eligible to appear in up to 10 more games while on his two-way contract, but he wouldn’t have been permitted to play if the Sixers were carrying fewer than 15 players on their standard roster. Even after signing Charles Bassey and Patrick Baldwin Jr. to 10-day deals on Thursday, Philadelphia was still at 14 players, so Barlow will fill the final spot on the roster and will no longer face an active game limit.
That means there’s no room on the roster at this point for another two-way standout, forward Jabari Walker. He has reached his 50-game limit and won’t be eligible to suit up for the Sixers unless he’s converted to a standard deal. However, the team can activate its other two-way player, MarJon Beauchamp, and will do so for Thursday’s game, tweets Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports.
According to Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (Twitter link), Barlow’s team option for next season is worth $3.4MM, which suggests the team is using its mid-level exception to go above the veteran’s minimum in order to sign the forward.
Bulls Trade Ayo Dosunmu To Timberwolves
The Bulls have officially traded guard Ayo Dosunmu to the Timberwolves, the Wolves and Bulls have confirmed in a pair of press releases.
Third-year forward Julian Phillips heads to Minnesota in the deal along with Dosunmu, with the Bulls acquiring 2024 first-round pick Rob Dillingham, third-year forward Leonard Miller, and four second-round picks.
Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link) first reported that the two teams were finalizing a deal involving Dosunmu, while ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter links) confirmed that an agreement was in place and provided the full details.
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), the four second-rounders are as follows:
- Either the Nuggets’ or Warriors’ 2026 pick (whichever is least favorable).
- The Cavaliers’ 2027 pick.
- Either the Timberwolves’ or Warriors’ 2031 pick (whichever is most favorable).
- Either the Suns’ or Rockets’ 2032 pick (whichever is most favorable).
The Timberwolves have been on the lookout for a way to upgrade their backcourt for much of the season. Veteran Mike Conley, the starting point guard for most of last season, saw his production fall off significantly, while youngsters like Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. didn’t take the sort of steps forward the team hoped they would. That resulted in Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo taking on more ball-handling responsibilities.
Although Dosunmu isn’t a true point guard, he’ll give Minnesota another player capable of handling the ball, initiating the offense, and making outside shots. The Chicago native is in the midst of a career year, with averages of 15.0 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.0 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per game and an excellent shooting line of .514/.451/.857 through 45 outings (10 starts).
It’s a disappointing end to Dillingham’s tenure with the Wolves — the club gave up an unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap in order to draft him eighth overall in 2024, but he didn’t develop into a reliable rotation player, averaging just 4.0 PPG and 1.9 APG on .398/.346/.657 shooting in 84 regular season appearances (10.0 MPG).
While Dillingham may benefit from a change of scenery, Dosunmu could become a fixture in Minnesota’s backcourt if the team can find a way to lock him up beyond this season. The 26-year-old is on an expiring $7.5MM contract and is eligible until June 30 for an extension worth up to about $52.4MM over three years. If he and the Wolves don’t reach an agreement by then, he’ll reach unrestricted free agency, with Minnesota holding his Bird rights.
It’s worth noting that this move shouldn’t take the Wolves out of the running for Giannis Antetokounmpo, their top trade target, but there’s widespread skepticism that the Bucks star will be moved before the deadline.
As for the Bulls, besides taking a shot on Dillingham, they continue to add to their collection of future draft assets. They’ve now completed or agreed to six separate trades this week and have acquired nine second-rounders in those deals, increasing their total count to 14, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
Although Dosunmu and Coby White are headed to new NBA homes, Chicago still has a backcourt logjam. Josh Giddey and Tre Jones remain on the roster, with newcomers Jaden Ivey, Collin Sexton, Anfernee Simons, and now Dillingham joining the mix. Still, an unbalanced roster may not be an issue for the Bulls in the short term, given that they appear to be focused on building for the future rather than maximizing their playoff chances this season.
According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link), the Bulls expressed interest in rookie big man Joan Beringer during their conversations with the Wolves, but Minnesota is high on the 19-year-old Frenchman and was unwilling to include him in its offer for Dosunmu.
Chicago will cut into its projected 2026 cap room a little as a result of this deal. While Miller has a $2.4MM team option for 2026/27, Dillingham’s $6.9MM salary is fully guaranteed. The Bulls will have until October 31 to decide whether or not to exercise Dillingham’s $8.8MM team option for the ’27/28 season.
Mavericks Send Anthony Davis To Wizards In Three-Team Deal
February 5: The trade has been finalized, the Mavericks and Wizards announced. It was officially completed as a three-team deal, with the Hornets receiving Malaki Branham and the Mavs receiving Tyus Jones. Charlotte confirmed its part of the trade in a press release.
“Anthony Davis is one of the most accomplished players of his generation, and we are thrilled to have him in Washington,” said Wizards general manager Will Dawkins. “Anthony’s championship experience and defensive pedigree bring a new level of opportunity and excitement to this franchise.”
February 4: The Mavericks are trading big man Anthony Davis to the Wizards, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, who reports (via Twitter) that Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell, and Dante Exum will also head to Washington in the deal.
In return, the Mavericks will receive Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, two first-round picks, and three second-rounders, sources tell Charania.
Those first-rounders will be a “least favorable” 2026 pick that will almost certainly be the Thunder’s, plus the Warriors’ top-20 protected 2030 pick, per Charania. The second-rounders are Phoenix’s 2026 pick, Chicago’s 2027 pick, and Houston’s 2029 selection.
Davis had been on the trade block in Dallas for much of the season, but there was some doubt about whether a deal would materialize after he suffered a hand injury expected to sideline him for at least most of February, if not beyond that. Rumored suitors like Atlanta and Toronto appeared to back off to some extent, opening the door for a surprise team like the Wizards to make a deal.
While Washington is an unlikely landing spot for a veteran star like Davis, the 13-36 Wizards are clearly pivoting toward being competitive next season, having acquired four-time All-Star Trae Young from Atlanta last month and now pairing him with a 10-time All-Star in Davis.
According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, the Wizards would ideally like to use second-year big man Alex Sarr as a “super-sized” and “switchable” power forward and had been seeking another impact frontcourt player to use alongside him. Washington explored a possible deal for Kings center Domantas Sabonis and had considered making a run at Jazz center Walker Kessler in restricted free agency before pulling the trigger on a trade for Davis, Fischer says.
As they did with Young, the Wizards are buying low on Davis amid an injury-plagued season in which he has dealt with several separate health issues and has been limited to 20 appearances. Although the draft-pick haul they’re giving up for AD looks substantial at first glance, the 2026 first-rounder will likely end up at No. 30, while the 2030 selection will turn into a ’30 second-rounder if it lands in the top 20.
Like Young, who has yet to make his Wizards debut as he rests a knee injury, Davis appears unlikely to play much – if at all – during the second half of this season. Washington will owe its 2026 first-round pick to New York if it lands outside the top eight, so the club will likely do all it can to avoid that scenario. Resting its veteran stars should help that cause.
Despite the modest value of the first-round picks changing hands, the Wizards’ package likely appealed to Dallas due to the financial flexibility it will afford the team going forward. Besides moving off Davis’ maximum-salary contract, which will pay him $58.5MM in 2026/27, with a $62.8MM player option for ’27/28, the Mavs will remove Hardy’s $6MM guaranteed salary and Russell’s $6MM player option for ’26/27 from their books.
Besides giving the Mavericks more cap flexibility going forward, the deal will also generate considerable short-term savings, with the Wizards taking advantage of their significant breathing room below the luxury tax line to take on more than $24MM in 2025/26 salary. Dallas had been operating right up against the second tax apron but will move all the way out of apron and tax territory with this move, resulting in $57MM in savings, tweets cap expert Yossi Gozlan.
Most importantly, the trade lines up the Mavs to begin building around star rookie Cooper Flagg. Dallas will have a pair of first-round picks in a strong 2026 draft, including their own selection which is on track to be a lottery pick. And the team has a much cleaner cap sheet to work with moving forward, even with long-term deals for role players like P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford still on the books.
Still, the return for Davis stands in stark contrast to what they gave up to get him just one year ago. Under former head of basketball operations Nico Harrison, the 32-year-old was the centerpiece of the package the Mavs received for franchise player Luka Doncic. Since making that deal, the franchise has parted ways with Harrison and now done the same with Davis, conceding that it made a major mistake at the 2025 deadline.
Scoot Henderson On Track To Make Season Debut On Friday
Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson is expected to make his season debut on Friday when Portland hosts Memphis, head coach Tiago Splitter said today (Twitter link via Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report).
Henderson has yet to play in 2025/26 due to the left hamstring tear he suffered during a workout prior to training camp. When the Blazers first announced the injury in September, they indicated the third-year guard would be sidelined from basketball activities for about four-to-eight weeks.
However, general manager Joe Cronin told reporters on media day the following week that Henderson’s timeline for resuming basketball activities could extend beyond that initial projection, since hamstring injuries can be “stubborn” and tricky to handle. Over four months later, the 6’3″ guard — who turned 22 on Tuesday — is finally set to return.
The third overall pick in the 2023 draft, Henderson had an up-and-down rookie season but began to show real improvement in his second year in the NBA. In his final 35 games of the 2024/25 season, he averaged 14.2 points, 5.2 assists, and 3.1 rebounds in 27.5 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .434/.384/.766.
Henderson will join a backcourt rotation that features Shaedon Sharpe, Jrue Holiday, rookie Caleb Love, new acquisition Vit Krejci, and Blake Wesley, who recently returned from a lengthy injury absence of his own.
Henderson will be entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2026/27, so he’ll have an opportunity over the final two months of this season to make his case for a rookie scale extension. He becomes extension-eligible in July and would reach restricted free agency in 2027 if he doesn’t sign a new deal during the 2026 offseason.
Celtics Trade Chris Boucher, Second-Round Pick To Jazz
3:38 pm: The trade is official, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.
The Celtics acquired two-way player John Tonje from Utah in order to complete the deal, tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. They also sent cash to the Jazz.
The Jazz intend to waive Boucher, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who reports (via Twitter) that the big man should draw interest once he clears waivers.
12:08 pm: The Jazz are also acquiring Denver’s 2027 second-round pick from the Celtics in the deal, league sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). That’s the second-rounder Boston is receiving from Chicago in its Nikola Vucevic/Anfernee Simons swap.
11:29 am: The Jazz have agreed to acquire big man Chris Boucher in a trade with the Celtics, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
It’ll be a cost-cutting move for Boston, who are making a series of moves to get out of luxury tax territory.
The Jazz will be able to acquire Boucher using the minimum salary exception, since he’s on a one-year, minimum-salary deal. Utah will need to open up a roster spot in order to complete the move and will likely do that by waiving recently acquired guard Lonzo Ball, who isn’t expected to stick with the team.
It’s unclear whether Boucher remains with the Jazz either. If Utah is being incentivized to take on his expiring contract, the club could move on from him and eat the rest of his guaranteed salary to reopen its 15th roster spot.
Boucher, 33, spent seven seasons as a role player in Toronto before joining the Celtics as a free agent last summer. He was expected to help fill the hole in Boston’s frontcourt created by a series of offseason departures, but he struggled to crack the rotation, falling behind Neemias Queta and Luka Garza on the depth chart.
Boucher made just nine appearances for the Celtics, averaging 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 10.4 minutes per night. Entering the season, his career averages were 8.9 PPG and 5.1 RPG with a .488/.339/.779 shooting line.
Celtics, Bulls Swap Anfernee Simons, Nikola Vucevic
February 5: The trade is now official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
February 3: The Celtics and Bulls have reached an agreement on a trade that will send guard Anfernee Simons to Chicago and center Nikola Vucevic to Boston, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Both teams will also acquire a second-round pick in the deal, Charania adds. The Celtics will receive Denver’s 2027 second-round selection in the trade, while Chicago will get the “most favorable” of four teams’ 2026 second-rounders, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. That pick headed to the Bulls will likely be New Orleans’ 2026 second-rounder.
A deal along these lines had long been considered a possibility for the Celtics, whose frontcourt depth took a significant blow last offseason when they traded away Kristaps Porzingis and lost Al Horford and Luke Kornet in free agency.
Simons’ $27.7MM expiring contract was also viewed as an obvious trade chip for a team that made cost-cutting moves to get below the second apron and might be looking to further reduce its luxury tax bill — or to get out of the tax altogether.
Over the course of the season, however, Simons emerged as a key part of Boston’s rotation off the bench, averaging 14.2 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.4 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game while knocking down 39.5% of his three-pointers and 88.9% of his free throws. And with the 31-18 Celtics vying for a top-two seed in the East, ducking the tax no longer seemed like a top priority for the team.
Still, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens ultimately determined that it made sense for Boston to sacrifice some backcourt depth for another rotation player up front while saving some money and generating some additional roster flexibility in the process.
Vucevic, 35, is a floor-stretching big man who continues to produce strong offensive numbers, including 16.9 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game this season, along with a 37.6% mark on three-pointers. He’s on an expiring $21.5MM contract, so the move will reduce the Celtics’ projected tax penalty by more than $22MM, from $39.5MM to $17MM, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. The club will also move below the first tax apron as a result of the deal.
Boston has a $22.5MM traded player exception from last summer’s Porzingis deal, so Vucevic could be slotted into that TPE, allowing the team to create a new exception equivalent to Simons’ outgoing salary ($27.8MM). The Celtics would have up to one year to use that exception.
As for the Bulls’ perspective, it remains to be seen whether Simons is part of their plans going forward or if the move is more about the second-round pick they’re adding. Either way, something will have to give in Chicago’s backcourt, where Simons joins a group that also includes Josh Giddey, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and Tre Jones, as well as Jaden Ivey and Mike Conley, who are joining the Bulls as part of a three-team deal involving Detroit and Minnesota.
While Conley looks like a potential buyout candidate, the Bulls’ additions of Ivey and Simons suggest that at least one (and perhaps more than one) of White, Dosunmu, or Jones will be on the move this week.
The trade sending out Vucevic represents something of the end of an era in Chicago. Arturas Karnisovas‘ first major trade as the team’s executive VP of basketball operations at the 2021 deadline saw him send out Wendell Carter Jr. and multiple future first-round picks (including one that became Franz Wagner) to land the Montenegrin center. Vucevic averaged 18.1 PPG, 10.5 RPG, and 3.4 APG on .499/.349/.815 shooting in 378 regular season games as a Bull.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype first reported last week that the Bulls inquired earlier in the season on a swap of Vucevic for Simons and a first-round pick. While Boston wasn’t interested in that offer, the Celtics eventually moved forward on the proposed framework after Chicago lowered its draft-pick asking price.
Jazz Acquire Lonzo Ball, Second-Rounders From Cavs
February 5: The Jazz have officially acquired Ball and two second-round picks from the Cavaliers, according to press releases from both teams. Utah also separately completed its deal with Atlanta involving Landale.
“Lonzo Ball was the consummate professional during his time with the Cavaliers, and we’re grateful for his hard work and team-first mentality,” Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman said in a statement. “We wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”
Oddly, neither the Jazz’s release nor the Cavs’ announcement indicated what exactly Cleveland received from Utah to complete the deal, but RealGM’s official transaction log indicates it was cash.
February 4: The Jazz have agreed to a pair of trades, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter links), who reports that Utah will be acquiring point guard Lonzo Ball and two second-round picks from the Cavaliers and is also sending center Jock Landale to the Hawks in exchange for cash considerations.
The Jazz are making their deal with Cleveland solely for the draft capital and are expected to waive Ball after the trade is complete, Charania adds (via Twitter). Once he clears waivers, he’d be eligible to sign with any team except the Cavs.
The Cavaliers acquired Ball from Chicago last summer in a swap for Isaac Okoro in the hopes that he could provide the team with a reliable replacement for Sixth Man of the Year finalist Ty Jerome, who departed in free agency. However, Ball had a disappointing season in Cleveland, averaging career lows in several categories, including points (4.6) and minutes (20.8) per game, as well as field goal percentage (30.1%) and three-point percentage (27.2%).
With the Cavs making an effort to reduce payroll and perhaps duck below the second tax apron, moving Ball and his $10MM salary made sense, especially after the team acquired guards Dennis Schröder and Keon Ellis from Sacramento over the weekend.
The Cavs will save approximately $65MM as a result of the Ball trade and are now just $3.9MM over the second apron, tweets Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron. Cleveland may very well keep looking for ways to get out of second-apron territory in order to avoid having its 2033 first-round pick becoming “frozen” for trade purposes this offseason, but the club has already generated massive savings as a result of its recent moves — approximately $115MM in total, per Gozlan (Twitter link).
Utah, meanwhile, still had a significant amount of breathing room below the luxury tax threshold after adding to their payroll in Tuesday’s Jaren Jackson Jr. blockbuster and will take advantage of that flexibility to take on some unwanted salary and acquire the Cavs’ 2028 and 2032 second-round picks in the process, tweets Jake Fischer of The Stein Line. Those were the only second-rounders Cleveland had available to trade.
The Jazz still have a trade exception worth more than $12MM from last summer’s John Collins deal that they’ll use to absorb Ball’s pseudo-expiring contract (he has a $10MM team option for next season that will be automatically declined when he’s waived). That Collins exception was initially worth over $26MM and has since been used to acquire Georges Niang and John Konchar as well.
Landale was one of three role players the Jazz acquired alongside Jackson in Tuesday’s blockbuster with Memphis, but he wasn’t part of Utah’s future frontcourt plans and will now head to Atlanta.
The 30-year-old Australian center was having a career year for the Grizzlies prior to the trade, averaging 11.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 23.6 minutes per game across 45 outings (25 starts). He was also knocking down 38.0% of a career-high 2.9 three-point tries per game. He’ll provide frontcourt depth for a Hawks team that has been hit hard by injuries up front this season.
The Hawks will have to waive a player in order to make room for Landale, but that shouldn’t be a problem — both Duop Reath and N’Faly Dante are out with season-ending injuries and are candidates to be cut. They’ll be able to take on Landale without sending out any salary of their own since he’s on a minimum-salary contract.
Chris Paul To Raptors, Ochai Agbaji To Nets In Three-Team Deal
February 5: The three-team trade is now official, according to the Nets (Twitter link), who have waived veteran wing Haywood Highsmith in order to create a roster spot for Agbaji.
As Gozlan tweets, Brooklyn now has about $8.9MM in cap room remaining and also still has its $8.8MM room exception, which could be used to absorb another salary in a deadline deal.
February 4: The Clippers, Raptors, and Nets are in agreement on a three-team trade that will send guard Chris Paul from Los Angeles to Toronto, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter links).
Fourth-year forward Ochai Agbaji is headed from Toronto to Brooklyn in the deal, along with the Raptors’ 2032 second-round pick, says Charania. The Clippers will receive the draft rights to 2019 second-rounder Vanja Marinkovic from the Nets, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link), and will send $3.5MM in cash to Brooklyn, per NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link).
The Raptors won’t require Paul to report to the team, according to Charania, who suggests the veteran point guard may be flipped to another club before Thursday’s deadline. If not, he’ll likely be waived.
It’s a cost-cutting move for both the Clippers and Raptors. The Clippers will open up an extra roster spot and create breathing room below their hard cap, which they’ll likely use to promote two-way players Jordan Miller and Kobe Sanders to standard contracts. Toronto, meanwhile, will duck below the tax line by swapping out Agbaji’s expiring $6.4MM contract for Paul and his $2.3MM cap hit, creating a $6.4MM trade exception in the process.
The Nets will take advantage of being the NBA’s only team with cap room by taking on a half-season of Agbaji, receiving more than enough cash to cover his remaining salary, and adding another second-round pick to their sizable collection of draft assets in the process. Acquiring Agbaji will bring Brooklyn’s cap room below $9MM, though the team would also have the option of using its $15MM+ in room in a separate deal, then absorbing the Raptors forward using its room exception.
The Nets have a full 15-man roster, so they’ll need to trade or waive a player to create room for Agbaji.
The Clippers announced over two months ago that they were “parting ways” with Paul, who wasn’t a good cultural fit, but that just meant he’d no longer be around the team, not that he was off the roster. L.A. didn’t want to waive him since it would mean eating his guaranteed salary and leaving his $2.3MM cap hit on the team’s books, compromising the front office’s ability to make additional moves around the edges of the roster.
L.A. will now have about $3.4MM below its first-apron hard cap along with a pair of open roster spots, notes cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter links). Toronto will be roughly $3.1MM below the tax line and will also have two openings on its standard 15-man roster.
Bucks Not Feeling Pressure To Trade Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Bucks aren’t feeling pressure to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo ahead of Thursday’s deadline, sources tell Jamal Collier of ESPN.
Although an Antetokounmpo deal in the coming hours remains a possibility, several signs are pointing toward the saga carrying over into the offseason as the 2:00 pm CT deadline nears, Collier writes.
The Knicks and Warriors appear to have backed off their pursuit of the two-time MVP, leaving the Heat, Timberwolves, and any potential mystery teams as the suitors still in the running. But even those clubs still involved have become increasingly dubious that a trade will happen today, Collier notes.
It’s not uncommon for a team to seriously explore the possibility of trading a star player at the deadline and then revisit those conversations in the offseason. The Pelicans memorably took that route with Anthony Davis in 2019 before trading him to the Lakers that summer. The Suns took a similar path with Kevin Durant a year ago, discussing deals in January and February and then holding onto him until July, when he was sent to Houston.
While this is the closest the Bucks have ever come to trading Antetokounmpo, it’s also still not an absolute lock that he’ll be wearing a new jersey by opening night of next season.
According to Collier, Milwaukee has continued to explore the trade market for opportunities to upgrade its roster, hoping to find a buy-low opportunity with a trade partner looking to shed long-term salary. The Bucks have been linked to Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, for instance.
Antetokounmpo said in a conversation with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this week that he still holds great affinity for Milwaukee and would prefer to remain with the Bucks if they could give him a legitimate chance to compete for a championship. He reiterated that message during a separate discussion with Eric Nehm of The Athletic when asked if he’d commit to another season in Milwaukee if the Bucks could build a roster capable of winning consistently.
“You’re saying that if they can convince me to stay within the team, and the next year that we can compete? Oh yeah, 1,000 percent,” Antetokounmpo said. “One million percent.”
Still, it will be extremely challenging for the Bucks – who have a 20-29 record this season – to improve their roster that significantly, given their limited trade assets. The team currently has just one tradable first-round pick, in either 2031 or 2032.
The Bucks may also not be motivated to continue pursuing win-now moves if Antetokounmpo isn’t willing to commit to them beyond next season — he becomes extension-eligible this October and could reach unrestricted free agency as soon as the summer of 2027 if he doesn’t sign a new deal before then.