Alex Len Waived By Wizards, Will Sign With Pacers
9:31pm: Len has been placed on waivers, the Wizards announced (via Twitter).
1:12pm: After acquiring him earlier this week, the Wizards will cut center Alex Len, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). According to Charania, Len intends to sign with the Pacers after he clears waivers.
The fifth overall pick in the 2013 draft, Len never became the sort of impact player his lofty draft position might suggest, but he has been a reliable frontcourt option for 12 NBA seasons, spending time with the Suns, Hawks, Raptors, Wizards, and Kings.
The 31-year-old Ukrainian has spent the last few seasons as a depth piece in Sacramento, where he made 149 appearances (15 starts) over the course of three-and-a-half seasons, averaging 3.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 10.0 minutes per game.
Len was sent from the Kings to the Wizards along with Colby Jones in a three-team deadline-day deal that saw the Kings receive Jake LaRavia from Memphis. Despite trading away big men Jonas Valanciunas and Marvin Bagley III this week, Washington didn’t feel the need to retain Len, who will get an opportunity to join a playoff-bound team in the East.
The Pacers opened the season with Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman backing up starting center Myles Turner, but both reserves suffered Achilles tears during the season’s opening days, decimating the team’s depth in the middle.
Although Indiana traded for Thomas Bryant in December, the club could still use some another trustworthy veteran option as injury insurance, especially with Turner currently dealing with a neck strain.
The Pacers sent Wiseman to Toronto in a salary dump trade on Thursday, which both opened up a spot on their 15-man roster and created enough room below the luxury tax line to sign Len to a rest-of-season contract. As ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter), Indiana was only $147K below the tax threshold before making that deal.
Kings Sign Daishen Nix To 10-Day Contract
8:25 pm: The Kings have officially signed Nix to a 10-day contract, the team confirmed in a press release.
3:08 pm: The Kings and guard Daishen Nix have reached an agreement on a 10-day deal, sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Nix, who began his NBA career with Houston as an undrafted rookie in 2021, has appeared in a total of 99 NBA regular season games for the Rockets and Timberwolves since then, averaging 3.3 points and 1.8 assists in 12.5 minutes per night.
The 6’4″ guard was on a two-way deal with Minnesota earlier this season, but was waived about a month ago before his two-way salary became guaranteed.
Nix has spent the majority of this season in the G League, appearing in 10 games for the Iowa Wolves and seven games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers since being cut by Minnesota. He has filled up the box score in those 17 outings, averaging 18.5 points, 7.2 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per game, but has had trouble with turnovers (3.9 per game) and shooting efficiency (.364/.298/.732).
Sacramento sacrificed some backcourt depth in its pre-deadline deals, sending out De’Aaron Fox, Jordan McLaughlin, and Colby Jones and only getting one guard – Zach LaVine – in return. With three open spots on their 15-man roster, the Kings have plenty of flexibility to bring in a player like Nix for insurance purposes ahead of the All-Star break.
The Kings play four games before the All-Star break, beginning on Saturday vs. New Orleans, so if Nix officially signs within the next few hours, he could be active for all four. He’ll earn $124,288 on his 10-day deal.
Cavs Notes: Hunter, Tyson, Jerome, LeVert, Niang
Long, athletic, and skilled wings have given the Cavaliers trouble this season, which is why – despite Cleveland’s 42-10 record – the front office explored the trade market leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline in search of someone who could help the club deal with that type of player, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes (subscription required).
According to Fedor, Cameron Johnson, Lonzo Ball, Marcus Smart, and Jerami Grant were among the potential targets who intrigued the Cavs. But the asking price for the Nets forward was too high, the Bulls guard agreed to an extension, there were injury concerns about the Grizzlies guard, and the Trail Blazers forward’s $29.8MM cap hit was too challenging to accommodate.
As the Cavs weighed their options, they kept coming back to Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter, who had been on their radar for years, Fedor reported earlier this week. Cleveland’s front office spoke to several trusted sources about Hunter, including former Cav and current Hawk Larry Nance Jr., who was a strong advocate for his teammate, Fedor writes.
The Cavs also spent time analyzing Hunter’s defense, evaluating how he might match up with top Eastern Conference wings like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Mikal Bridges, Pascal Siakam and others, ultimately concluding he would be an asset on that end of the court, per Fedor.
With Hunter and Caris LeVert as the centerpieces, the Cavaliers and Hawks discussed various trade constructions, with Cleveland resisting the inclusion of its 2031 first-round pick and rookie Jaylon Tyson. The two teams thought they might need to involve a third club as a facilitator in order to make sure they both got below the tax line, but that issue was addressed when Atlanta worked out a separate deal to send Cody Zeller to Houston.
The Cavs ultimately agreed to send LeVert, Georges Niang, three second-round picks, and a pair of pick swaps to the Hawks. According to Fedor, Cleveland believes that Hunter will be a better postseason fit than the outgoing players and that he’ll be a key contributor for years to come, turning the team into a more serious title contender.
“The acquisition of De’Andre Hunter and the potential impact a player of this caliber can bring to Cleveland is immeasurable,” president of basketball operations Koby Altman said in a statement after the deal was finalized. “We were presented with a great opportunity with this trade, one that was beneficial for the short- and long-term future of this franchise.
“While it’s always difficult to part ways with players who have meant so much to our success, we believe De’Andre, at 27-years-old, aligns with our long-term vision of sustainable success and ultimately competing for championships.”
Here’s more on the deal:
- It’s unclear whether Hunter will immediately become Cleveland’s starting small forward, but Altman lauded the forward’s versatility and believes he’ll be able to slot seamlessly into several different kinds of lineups. “We’re going to play him all over the floor,” Altman said, per Fedor.
- According to Fedor (subscription required), Hunter and his former University of Virginia teammate Ty Jerome talked “almost every day” since they entered the NBA in 2019 about the possibility of one day playing together. Shortly after they learned about the deal sending Hunter to Cleveland, they got on the phone and started “screaming with excitement,” Fedor writes. “It’s surreal,” Jerome said on Friday. “It’s wild. Obviously, it was more of a joke because we’re both on our individual journeys in this league, but we talked about it all the time. Like, ‘How cool would it be to play together?'”
- Although Jerome said he “couldn’t be more excited” about the addition of Hunter, he made it clear he’s sorry to see LeVert and Niang go. “I don’t want to undersell the value Caris and Georges brought to us and just how close I was to those guys,” Jerome said, according to Fedor. “Those two guys meant a lot to us on and off the court. It’s a tough business, and I’ve seen it many times in my six years. It sucks to lose those guys. At first, I was like, ‘(Expletive), it’s Caris and Georges. They’re dealing with the emotions of leaving this group and we’re dealing with losing them.’ And then it’s like, ‘Oh (expletive), we got De’Andre and I’m playing with one of best friends since 2016 again.'”
- Interestingly, when Hunter and Jerome entered the league in 2019, they thought there was a chance they’d be drafted by the same team, Fedor writes. That team was the Cavs, who had the fifth and 26th overall picks in that draft. But Hunter was selected fourth overall by Atlanta, leaving Darius Garland for Cleveland at No. 5. Jerome was drafted by Phoenix at No. 24, two spots before Cleveland’s pick. “Clearly worked out,” Jerome said on Friday with a smile. “Now, they’ve got all three of us.”
Hawks Waive Bones Hyland
February 8: The Hawks have officially waived Hyland, the team announced today in a press release.
February 7: Bones Hyland won’t be sticking in Atlanta after being traded from the Clippers to the Hawks on Thursday. According to NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link), the Hawks intend to waive the fourth-year guard.
The 26th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Hyland began his NBA career in Denver and flashed some upside as a scorer and shooter off the bench for the Nuggets in his first season-and-a-half, averaging 10.9 points in 19.2 minutes per game across 111 appearances, with a .401/.371/.860 shooting line.
However, reportedly concerned about Hyland’s fit alongside Jamal Murray, his defensive lapses, and his displeasure with his role, the Nuggets traded him to the Clippers for a pair of second-round picks at the 2023 deadline.
The former VCU standout never really found his footing in Los Angeles, appearing in just 71 games over the last two years and averaging 7.8 PPG on .392/.349/.812 shooting during that time.
Hyland, who is in the final year of his rookie deal, was attached to Terance Mann on Thursday in the deal that sent Bogdan Bogdanovic to the Clippers.
Assuming Hyland clears waivers, as expected, he’ll be eligible to sign with any NBA team besides the Clippers.
The Hawks, meanwhile, will open up a spot on their 15-man roster after an active deadline week. They’ll be on the hook for the remainder of Hyland’s $4.16MM salary, as well as his full cap hit, but he’ll come off the cap after this season.
And-Ones: Podziemski, Wallace, Australia, Buyouts, Etienne
Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski has been named an injury replacement for next Friday’s Rising Stars event at All-Star weekend in San Francisco, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).
Podziemski will be replacing Thunder guard Cason Wallace, who is currently dealing with a shoulder strain. Wallace had been drafted onto honorary head coach Tim Hardaway Sr.‘s squad for the four-team event, so Podziemski will slot into Hardaway’s roster.
After a promising rookie season, Podziemski got off to a slow start in this season’s first half, but he has picked up his play since returning last month from an abdominal injury. In his first eight games back, he has averaged 14.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game on .494/.396/.759 shooting.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The NBA has reached an agreement with Australia’s National Basketball League and the Victorian Government to play a pair of exhibition games in Melbourne during the 2025 preseason, according to Olgun Uluc of ESPN. The plan is for a single NBA team to travel to Australia to play an NBL squad, says Uluc, noting that it will be the first time the NBA has played a game in the country.
- John Hollinger of The Athletic takes a look at 35 players who have already hit the buyout market or whom he considers candidates to do so. In Hollinger’s view, there are three players – Bruce Brown, Malcolm Brogdon, and D’Angelo Russell – who could be real difference-makers, though Brown and Brogdon reportedly aren’t likely to be bought out. Hollinger also considers Chris Boucher, Tre Jones, and Larry Nance Jr. to be players who could play rotation roles for playoff teams if they’re bought out by their current clubs.
- Guard Tyson Etienne has been shooting the lights out for the Long Island Nets (48.9% on three-pointers during the NBAGL regular season) and is drawing interest from NBA teams, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link), who says Etienne looks like a candidate to get a two-way deal before the March 4 deadline.
Nets Buy Out Ben Simmons
Ben Simmons has reached an agreement on a contract buyout with the Nets, paving the way for him to become an unrestricted free agent, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The Nets have confirmed in a press release that they’ve officially requested waivers on Simmons. That means he’ll clear waivers and be free to sign with any NBA team as of Monday at 4:00 pm CT.
Charania first reported shortly after the trade deadline passed on Thursday that the Nets and Simmons were working toward a buyout, then co-reported on Friday along with ESPN colleague Brian Windhorst that the two sides were finalizing the terms of the agreement.
Various reports indicated that Simmons’ camp planned to meet with the Cavaliers, Clippers, and Rockets and that he wouldn’t complete a buyout with Brooklyn until he had his next destination lined up. However, agent Bernie Lee pushed back on that reporting on Friday in a statement to Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link).
“I just saw some of the other reporting,” Lee said. “(I) want to be really clear Ben hasn’t met with anyone nor is he. We are having conversations with the Nets and when there is something to be said we will let everyone know.”
The fact that Simmons has now been officially waived by the Nets and word still hasn’t leaked about a contract agreement with a new team backs up Lee’s comments. However, I suspect the former No. 1 overall pick wouldn’t have given up any portion of his salary to get out of his contract with Brooklyn unless he was confident about making back that money with another team, so it shouldn’t be long before we get another update.
[UPDATE: Clippers To Sign Ben Simmons]
Simmons, the 2018 Rookie of the Year, made three All-Star teams during his years in Philadelphia and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2021, but had a falling out with the team later that year. A lengthy holdout, a series of back issues, and a trade to the Nets changed the trajectory of his career — across the past three years in Brooklyn, he has appeared in just 90 total games, averaging 6.5 points, 6.3 assists, and 6.2 rebounds in 25.4 minutes per night.
While Simmons’ extremely limited shooting ability make him a tricky piece to incorporate into certain lineups, he’s still a talented play-maker, defender, and rebounder who should have more significantly value as a low-cost addition on the buyout market than he did on his previous maximum-salary contract.
Because he was earning far beyond the $12.8MM mid-level exception on his contract with the Nets, Simmons will be ineligible to sign with any teams operating over either tax apron once he clears waivers. That means the Suns, Timberwolves, Celtics, Knicks, Lakers, Bucks, and Nuggets won’t be options.
Heat Rumors: Wiggins, Butler, Anderson, Tax
After declining to comment on the Jimmy Butler situation in recent weeks, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra addressed the subject on Friday after the team’s four-team deal sending the star forward to Golden State had officially been processed, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
Spoelstra admitted that he doesn’t “completely understand” how the relationship deteriorated to the extend that it did, but expressed gratitude to Butler for his time in Miami.
[RELATED: Inside Jimmy Butler’s Final Weeks With Heat]
“It was a great partnership and corroboration for five years,” Spoelstra said. “Some deep core memories. I’m grateful for them and grateful for the time of being able to coach a player like Jimmy.”
As for the outcome of the trade, Spoelstra praised the front office for bolstering the roster “in a way that was really creative,” expressing enthusiasm about the players the team added. The coach lauded Andrew Wiggins for his ability to fit in and make an impact on both ends of the court; cited Davion Mitchell‘s “competitive spirit” and toughness as traits the club has long admired; and referred to Kyle Anderson as one of the league’s most unique role players whose “IQ is off the charts.”
“(General manager) Andy (Elisburg) just did a tremendous job,” Spoelstra said. “Obviously (team president) Pat (Riley) with this vision of all this stuff. And to be able to get a draft pick, we were able to do a lot of different things.
“We have clarity now. This could have looked a lot worse if you had to go through a lot of different changing situations. All things considered, it’s a good spot for this stretch run. We feel good about turning the page of the direction of our franchise. It’s exciting. [And] Jimmy will be in a great place in Golden State.”
Here are a few more items of interest related to the Heat’s trade talks leading up to Thursday’s deadline:
- The Bucks and Sixers were mentioned a couple times in recent weeks as possible suitors for Butler, but neither team had substantive discussions with the Heat, Jackson reports in another Miami Herald story. Jackson believes a trade centered around Butler and Paul George would’ve been of greater interest to Philadelphia than Miami.
- As they engaged Golden State in recent weeks about a Butler trade, the Heat never seriously considered the idea of flipping Wiggins to Toronto or another team, according to Jackson, who says Miami really likes the former No. 1 overall pick and views him as a good two-way fit.
- The Heat would have ducked out of luxury tax territory if they’d completed a rumored side deal to send Anderson to the Raptors, but Toronto’s front office changed its mind about bringing the veteran forward aboard when the team got the chance to acquire Brandon Ingram from New Orleans, says Jackson. The Heat weren’t angry at the Raptors about that pivot, Jackson adds, because they understood their talks were fluid and they hadn’t gotten a firm commitment from Toronto.
- Even though that aspect of the trade fell through, the Heat moved forward with another side deal – sending Dennis Schröder, a second-round pick, and cash to Utah for P.J. Tucker – even though it no longer moved them below the tax line, Jackson writes, because they didn’t want to renege on their agreement with the Jazz. Schröder and Tucker ultimately ended up in Detroit and Toronto, respectively, when the dust settled.
- The Heat, who remained about $2.8MM over the tax line following the Butler blockbuster, received three trade offers in the hours leading up to Thursday’s deadline that would’ve made them a non-taxpayer, per Jackson. However, they decided that all three proposals would make the team worse and opted to remain in the tax rather than accept one of them. Miami is still below the first tax apron, giving the club the ability to pursue any player who hits the buyout market, regardless of the player’s previous salary.
Inside Jimmy Butler’s Final Weeks With Heat
The contrast between how the Heat and Jimmy Butler‘s camp viewed a January 7 meeting between Butler and team president Pat Riley was indicative of the divide that had developed between the two sides in recent months, as James Jackson, Sam Amick, and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic write in a fascinating story detailing the 35-year-old’s final weeks in Miami.
Like Butler, whose father died last February, Riley lost his father when he was relatively young. Sources tell The Athletic that tears welled in Riley’s eyes as he spoke to Butler about that subject, attempting to connect with him on a human level and repair their fractured relationship during a two-hour meeting.
However, a source close to Butler tells The Athletic that the 35-year-old viewed Riley’s behavior during the meeting as “unhinged and disturbing.” According to Jackson, Amick, and Krawcznyski, the Heat star later told people close to him that Riley referenced Butler’s late father multiple times and offered “unsolicited and unwanted” parenting advice. He left the meeting more determined than ever to be traded out of Miami.
Team sources pushed back again the claim that Riley offered parenting advice, telling The Athletic that Riley believes he let Butler guide the conversation and only became “emotional” when Butler brought up the topic of his father. According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, the Heat viewed the moment as a raw, vulnerable one for Riley and found it disrespectful that Butler’s camp characterized the team president as “unhinged.”
The two sides also disagree about what occurred in the aftermath of that meeting. According to The Athletic, Butler’s camp contends that Riley said shortly after the meeting that the Heat intended to lift Butler’s initial seven-game suspension and have him rejoin the team immediately, only to call back 90 minutes later to explain that couldn’t happen until the forward met with team owner Micky Arison in person.
Arison was on vacation until January 16 in the Caribbean, however, which meant Butler would have to fly to the Bahamas to meet him, per Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst of ESPN. As The Athletic relays, Butler’s camp contends that Riley suggested the six-time All-Star could pay his own way there if he wanted to expedite the process.
However, team sources dispute that Riley ever offered to lift Butler’s suspension, telling The Athletic that the possibility was discussed prior to the meeting with the caveat that the meeting would have to go well.
“The meeting didn’t go well enough,” a club source tells The Athletic.
As a result, team sources say, it was determined that Butler’s suspension wouldn’t be lifted right away and he would meet with Arison after the Heat owner returned from his vacation.
Here are a few more of the most interesting details from the behind-the-scenes reports on Butler’s final season with the Heat:
- Prior to this season, Butler had been permitted to fly separately from the team if needed as long as he received permission from head coach Erik Spoelstra, but Riley decided in November that he – rather than Spoelstra – would make the final decision on Butler’s alternate travel plans, sources tell Jackson, Amick, and Krawczynski. A source with knowledge of Butler’s thinking felt that the change was one of several the team made in an effort to alienate him.
- Butler missed a Jan. 22 Heat flight, which resulted in his second team-imposed suspension. According to Jackson, Butler’s camp believes he was given permission last summer to skip that flight and fly to Milwaukee later in the day so that he could attend a promotional event for a padel tournament, but the Heat have no recollection of signing off on that request.
- Sources tell The Athletic that Butler’s agent called Riley on the morning of Jan. 22 to remind him of their alternate travel plan, with Riley responding to say he expected Butler to be on the team flight. Butler’s camp believed Spoelstra had approved Butler’s arrangement and that there had been a communication breakdown between the head coach and Riley, but team sources contend that Spoelstra didn’t approve the request and tell The Athletic that it wouldn’t have mattered if he had, given that Riley’s sign-off was now required.
- When they suspended Butler on Jan. 22, the Heat sent a letter to Butler, Lee, and NBPA lawyers detailing their justification for the two-game ban, according to Jackson, Amick, and Krawczynski, who obtained a copy of that letter. Within it, Riley claimed that Butler had threatened to skip practices and not listen to Spoelstra; that he failed to give his “best efforts” in recent games; and that he was “combative and argumentative” in meetings with Riley and Arison.
- When Spoelstra informed the Heat during a Jan. 27 shootaround that Haywood Highsmith would be replacing Butler in the starting lineup, Butler initially thought the coach was joking, sources tell The Athletic. He felt as if the decision to bench him and to not inform him before telling the team was “meant to provoke him,” per Jackson, Amick, and Krawczynski. According to Jackson, multiple Heat sources insisted the decision was done to maintain continuity rather than as a punishment or provocation. Butler left the court shortly after Spoelstra made that announcement and was subsequently suspended indefinitely for leaving practice early.
- “Everything changed” from the Heat’s perspective when Butler left a Dec. 20 game after tweaking his ankle and cited a stomach virus, Jackson writes for the Herald. Although Miami didn’t question whether or not Butler was ill, a team official thought it was “curious” that the forward refused to be tested for COVID-19, according to Jackson. The club was subsequently irked when Butler posted a photo of himself playing dominoes on the locker room on Dec. 29, Jackson says — he missed that day’s game in Houston due to his illness. From that point onward, the Heat considered Butler to be disengaged and became more open to trading him. They eventually finalized a deal with Golden State on deadline day.
Nuggets GM Calvin Booth Discusses Decision To Stand Pat At Deadline
One of five teams not to make a trade in the week leading up to Thursday’s deadline, the Nuggets explored the market in search of either a backcourt or a frontcourt addition, multiple sources tell Bennett Durando of The Denver Post.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, general manager Calvin Booth confirmed that the front office was seeking “overall depth and depth at the backup center (position),” Durando writes.
“We definitely liked some guys on the market and thought we had some traction in a couple different situations,” Booth said. “Whether other teams just beat us out with their offers or we just didn’t feel like it was the right use of our assets, a combination of those things led us to be where we’re at right now.”
Booth added that the Nuggets felt like they “either had to go big or do nothing,” though he subsequently clarified that – in his mind – a big move would’ve meant acquiring “a significant depth piece,” not necessarily an impact starter.
In fact, while Denver briefly entertained the possibility of a trade involving Michael Porter Jr. and Zach LaVine back in December, the team quickly moved on from considering a significant deal along those lines and was focused more on strengthening its bench, per Durando.
“I think we liked everything that was happening in our rotation, so we weren’t close to doing anything with anybody in our rotation,” Booth said. “It was gonna be some of the guys that are outside of it, like Dario (Saric) and Zeke (Nnaji), and using some of our draft assets to bolster our lineup as opposed to moving a bigger (salary) guy like Mike.”
Saric ($5.17MM) and Nnaji ($8.89MM) would have been logical salary-matching pieces for a player in the mid-level range. However, neither player has had a great season and both have guaranteed money left on their contracts beyond this season, so they would’ve been negative assets on the trade market.
The Nuggets also have an extremely limited collection of tradable draft picks left and are operating over the first tax apron, further complicating their efforts to upgrade the roster.
There was some speculation that the Nuggets might look to duck the first apron at the deadline in order to give themselves the opportunity to sign a player on the buyout market whose pre-waiver salary exceeds the mid-level exception. Booth confirmed the club considered that idea.
“It was an option,” Booth said. “Do we go get a guy on the trade market, or do we just get below (the first apron) and try to get one of these guys that’s potentially gonna on the buyout market that made above a certain number?”
Former Nugget Bruce Brown was considered a potential target in that scenario, but it wouldn’t have made sense for Denver to give up anything of value in a salary-dump trade unless the team was pretty confident about its chances to sign a specific player after the deadline. Brown was sent to the Pelicans and is reportedly not currently viewed as a buyout candidate.
While the Nuggets will be ineligible to sign Brown or anyone else currently earning more than $12.8MM who reaches free agency in the coming weeks, Booth didn’t rule out the idea of making a move on the buyout market, telling reporters that he believes “ownership is open to any conversation.” Denver would have to open up a spot on its 15-man roster to sign a free agent.
More On Kevin Durant: Curry Convo, Warriors/Heat Trade Talks
The Warriors and Suns began “secretly” talking about the possibility of a Kevin Durant trade early last week, according to Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst of ESPN, who say that the star forward and his longtime manager and agent Rich Kleiman didn’t learn about those discussions until the two teams played one another last Friday.
By Saturday, the two teams were far enough along in negotiations that Durant and Stephen Curry touched base to talk about the idea. Shelburne and Windhorst hear from sources that Durant told Curry a reunion with the Warriors “didn’t feel right” and that this “wasn’t the time” for them to team up again.
While the Warriors were discouraged by Durant’s stance, they didn’t give up on making a deal at that point, hoping that Durant might change his tune once he learned how far down the road Phoenix had gotten in those discussions without informing him, per ESPN.
The Suns have internally conceded that it was a mistake not to loop Durant into the process earlier, Shelburne and Windhorst say. The former MVP has been described as “blindsided” by being so heavily involved in trade rumors this week after having expressed a desire to stay in Phoenix.
“We should’ve gone through (Kleiman),” a team source told ESPN.
As Shams Charania reported earlier today, the Warriors, Suns, and Heat discussed a potential multi-team trade that would’ve sent both Jimmy Butler and Jonathan Kuminga to Phoenix, with Durant going to Golden State. Shelburne and Windhorst provide more details on those conversations, reporting that the Wizards were involved as well, as we speculated on Wednesday.
The four teams were negotiating a trade that would have looked like this, according to ESPN:
- Durant to Golden State.
- Butler, Kuminga, Jonas Valanciunas, two first-round picks (from the Warriors), two second-round picks (one each from Miami and Golden State), and pick swaps to Phoenix.
- Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schröder, Kyle Anderson, and the Cavaliers’ 2025 first-round pick (via Phoenix) to Miami.
There are some missing details there — among them, Jusuf Nurkic would’ve been involved and would’ve gone to the Wizards, who presumably would’ve sought at least a first-rounder from the Suns as a sweetener to take on that contract.
While it sounds like there was some momentum in those negotiations, the Heat ultimately weren’t sold on the deal. They sought the Warriors’ 2025 first-round pick rather than Cleveland’s, according to Shelburne and Windhorst, who say that Golden State also had some reservations about the Suns’ steep asking price for Durant.
With Durant standing firm on his stance that he had no desire to go to Golden State, the talks fell apart.
After those discussions ended, there was a window for the Heat to potentially acquire Durant in a trade that would send Butler to Phoenix. Durant would have been more open to playing in Miami than Golden State, sources tell ESPN, and the Suns and Heat traded “visions” of what a deal might look like, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
However, the Suns were seeking a massive haul for Durant that included “a combination of talented young players and draft picks,” Jackson writes. According to both ESPN and the Herald, the Heat considered the price too steep and backed out, pivoting to a Butler deal with the Warriors that cut out Phoenix altogether.
The Suns were “deflated” by the outcome, according to Shelburne and Windhorst, who say that there were several times during the weeks leading up to Thursday’s deadline that Phoenix thought there might be a path to a Butler deal involving Bradley Beal.
However, sources tell ESPN that the Hawks and Wizards were believed to be the only teams considering taking on Beal, and it’s unclear whether he would’ve waived his no-trade clause for either team. The Suns reportedly never got close enough to a deal to approach Beal about it, eventually pivoting to exploring a Durant scenario without first informing the star forward.
As Windhorst noted on the latest Hoop Collective podcast, we’ll find out this coming summer whether those Suns trade talks involving Durant will sour him on the idea of remaining in Phoenix beyond this season.