Scotto’s Latest: Reddish, Bucks, Holmes, Russell, Suns
After reporting earlier in the week that the Knicks had expressed interest in acquiring Bucks guard Grayson Allen in a possible Cam Reddish trade, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype says Milwaukee continues to resist the idea of including Allen in any deal for Reddish.
According to Scotto, the Bucks have instead proposed a trade structure that would be centered around a 2023 second-round pick and salary filler. That “salary filler” could consist of veteran guard George Hill and big man Serge Ibaka, Scotto adds.
As for the second-round pick, the Bucks control both their own 2023 second-rounder and the least favorable of the Cavaliers’ and Warriors’ selections. Both Milwaukee and Cleveland currently have top-seven records, so those picks would both be in the 50s.
Here’s more from Scotto:
- Marc Stein previously reported that rival teams were monitoring Kings center Richaun Holmes as a potential buyout candidate if he’s not moved at the trade deadline. However, league sources tell Scotto that a buyout won’t happen for Holmes this season. That’s no surprise — as I previously noted, Holmes is still owed $12MM in 2023/24 and $12.9MM on a ’24/25 player option after this season, while buyouts typically occur when a player is on an expiring deal.
- Rival executives still believe that the Timberwolves will explore trading point guard D’Angelo Russell before the deadline, says Scotto. There were rumblings in December that the Heat and Wolves had at least a conversation about a swap involving Russell and Kyle Lowry, according to Scotto, but with Miami playing better, the team isn’t looking to move Lowry at this point.
- Former Thunder VP and chief of staff Paul Rivers and former NBA point guard Mateen Cleaves have been mentioned by multiple NBA executives as candidates to join the Suns‘ organization, Scotto reports. Cleaves played with incoming Suns owner Mat Ishbia at Michigan State.
Southwest Notes: Doncic, Mavs, Daniels, Pelicans, Bane
Mavericks star Luka Doncic, who sustained a left ankle sprain on Thursday, has been ruled out for Saturday’s game in Utah, the team announced (via Twitter). However, the expectation is that Doncic won’t be sidelined for much – if any – additional time beyond that game.
Appearing on NBA Today on Friday (video link), ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said that a worst-case scenario for Doncic would probably be missing two games: tonight’s contest in Utah and Monday’s vs. Detroit. After that, the Mavericks aren’t back in action until next Thursday, when they host New Orleans, so Doncic would have had a full week to rest an ankle sprain that Woj describes as “mild.”
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- As the trade deadline nears, it will be tricky for the Mavericks to balance their desire to improve this year’s roster with a “future-focused approach,” writes Tim Cato of The Athletic. As Cato outlines, a deal for a veteran like Bojan Bogdanovic would upgrade this year’s roster, but Dallas likely won’t be inclined to move a future first-round pick at the deadline for a player who would only serve the club’s short-term interests.
- After spraining his right ankle on Tuesday vs. Denver, Pelicans rookie Dyson Daniels is expected to be out for “a little bit of time,” head coach Willie Green said this week, per Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter link). That timeline is pretty vague, but Daniels missed Wednesday’s game and has been ruled out for Saturday.
- Last season’s CJ McCollum trade buoyed the Pelicans down the stretch and helped them earn a playoff spot. Given that the team has so many trade assets still on hand, Christian Clark of NOLA.com wonders whether another in-season trade is inevitable.
- Grizzlies wing Desmond Bane was unavailable for Friday’s game against Minnesota due to right knee soreness, per Evan Barnes of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Bane missed time earlier in the season due to a right big toe injury and sat out one game with right ankle soreness, but this is the first time his knee has prevented him from suiting up.
Raptors Notes: Anunoby, Wieskamp, VanVleet, Barnes
Raptors forward OG Anunoby exited Friday’s loss to Golden State early after sustaining a left wrist injury, according to Kayla Grey of TSN, who tweets that X-rays on Anunoby’s wrist were negative. While that’s good news, the 25-year-old is expected to undergo further testing and imaging on Saturday to determine the extent of the injury.
Teams around the NBA will be keeping a close eye on Anunoby’s diagnosis, since he’s considered a popular trade target. Prior to Friday’s game, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski stated during an appearance on NBA Today (video link) that there’s “great interest” in Anunoby across the league and confirmed that there’s a belief Toronto would be able to get up to three first-round picks in exchange for him.
Here’s more on the Raptors:
- Following the expiration of his second 10-day contract on Thursday night, Joe Wieskamp is no longer with the Raptors, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN tweets. That’s no surprise, since Toronto would have had to sign Wieskamp for the rest of the season in order to retain him. The team likely values the roster flexibility of having its 15th roster spot open as the trade deadline approaches.
- Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype names five teams that would be good fits for point guard Fred VanVleet if the Raptors are willing to move him, exploring what packages from the Suns, Mavericks, Heat, Clippers, and Lakers might look like.
- For what it’s worth, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports said in Friday’s episode of his Please Don’t Aggregate This podcast that he hasn’t heard anything about VanVleet requesting a trade or “pounding the table” to get out of Toronto (hat tip to HoopsHype).
- Reigning Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes has been likened to Warriors star Draymond Green due to his versatility, play-making, and defensive ability. Green certainly doesn’t mind the comparison, telling Eric Koreen of The Athletic on Friday that he loves Barnes’ game and his upside. “He could be a lot better than me,” Green said. “I saw a tweet the other day that said, ‘Scottie Barnes’ floor is Draymond Green. And that’s a damn good floor.’ And I believe that. He’s such a special talent.”
Knicks’ Dolan Says He Has No Plans To Sell, Retire
Appearing on Friday afternoon on WFAN Sports Radio in New York, Knicks owner James Dolan said he doesn’t intend to surrender control of the franchise anytime in the near – or distant – future, as Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets.
“I have no plans whatsoever to sell at this point,” Dolan said. “I’m not retiring anytime soon. It’s a family-controlled asset, so someone in the family will eventually own it.”
There have been no recent reports indicating that Dolan was considering the possibility of selling the team and he has said in the past that he has no intention of doing so.
Still, with NBA franchise valuations soaring, there has been some recent speculation that more owners could be looking to cash out. There has also been a segment of the Knicks fanbase hoping for years that Dolan would take that route — it sounds like they shouldn’t get their hopes up.
Asked later in his WFAN appearance whether he likes the job president of basketball operations Leon Rose has done with the team since being hired nearly three years ago, Dolan gave Rose a positive review.
“Yes. Absolutely. … The team with the best talent wins,” Dolan said (Twitter link via Katz). “So then you want a guy who can get you the best talent and I believe Leon Rose is still the best guy.”
As Tim Bontemps of ESPN relays (via Twitter), Dolan went on to say that the Knicks don’t have a specific timeline for contention that they’re holding Rose to, and are simply looking for “progress” at this point. He did add, however, that “we absolutely expect” to make the playoffs this season.
And-Ones: Western Playoff Race, Trade Market, 2023 Draft, Miller
The lack of separation in the Western Conference standings has further clouded the trade deadline outlook with the February 9 less than two weeks away, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic.
As Hollinger outlines, it seems safe to assume that the Nuggets and Grizzlies are contenders and the Spurs and Rockets are lottery teams, but beyond that, there has been little clarity through the first 50 or so games — the other 11 teams in the conference all have between 23 and 27 wins.
One reason that most in-season trades don’t happen until the week before the trade deadline, Hollinger observes, is because teams want as much information as possible about where they stand relative to the competition, but there’s not much time left for teams to glean that information. Plus, several Western clubs – including the Pelicans, Timberwolves, and Lakers – haven’t had their stars healthy together for long enough this season to have a good sense of how all their pieces fit together.
As we wait to see how a crowded Western Conference playoff race affects the trade market, let’s round up a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world…
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report takes a closer look at the trade market for big men, considering which players might be available, which teams would have interest, and what it might cost to acquire them.
- Within the latest edition of HoopsHype’s aggregate 2023 mock draft – which compiles predictions from nine different experts’ mocks – Michael Scotto of HoopsHype passes along some insights from NBA evaluators on several of this year’s top prospects, including one executive who compared Alabama wing Brandon Miller to Paul George. Another executive told Scotto he likes Miller more than Amen Thompson and Ausar Thompson due to his shooting ability.
- Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic spoke to 17-year NBA veteran Mike Miller about his post-retirement transition from player to agent and how he’s been able to build up a strong roster of clients, including No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero. “Other agencies might know a lot about basketball, but to live it and to understand it — and I think at the end of the day, again, nothing against them, but me talking and projecting out a player or comping a player or doing those things as far as what it looks like for a player paints a little bit of a different picture,” Miller said.
Bulls Notes: Caruso, Vucevic, DeRozan, Trade Deadline
Multiple teams have contacted the Bulls to inquire about guard Alex Caruso, sources tell K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. It remains to be seen whether Chicago will seriously consider moving its top perimeter defender, but Johnson reiterates that the Knicks and Warriors – previously cited as as teams with interest – are still viewed as potential suitors for the 28-year-old.
On the latest episode of his Please Don’t Aggregate This podcast, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports suggested that the Bulls would seek a substantial return if they were to make Caruso available.
“Someone told me last week that the Chicago Bulls think they could get two first-round picks for Alex Caruso,” Fischer said.
Caruso is an All-Defensive candidate on a team-friendly contract — he’s owed $9.5MM in 2023/24 and a partially guaranteed $9.9MM in ’24/25. Still, it’s hard to imagine a team giving up multiple first-rounders for him unless those picks include relatively heavy protections.
Here’s more on the Bulls:
- It would surprise rival executives if the Bulls do anything too drastic, such as trading DeMar DeRozan or Zach LaVine, at this year’s trade deadline, Johnson writes in both his aforementioned mailbag and a separate NBC Sports Chicago story. Of the team’s “big three,” Nikola Vucevic is the player to watch, according to Johnson, who notes that losing the big man for nothing this offseason would be a disaster for a front office that gave up several valuable assets to acquire him.
- DeRozan said this week that he isn’t thinking about which players the Bulls could trade for at the deadline or when injured teammates might make it back in the second half, preferring to focus on what the team has available right now. “That’s exactly been my mindset my entire career, before I was in the NBA, everything,” DeRozan said, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “… Whatever cards you’re dealt with, let’s figure it out. … That’s just my mindset when it comes to everything, so I don’t really get caught up in waiting on Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal) to walk through that door to help us. I don’t even think like that. You can be waiting forever for something like that.”
- The Bulls “took a blowtorch to any belief lingering in even their most optimistic fans” with losses in Indiana and Charlotte this week, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic, who argues that the team as constructed is “unequivocally unfit for playoff basketball” and is in need of a trade deadline shake-up.
Rockets Rumors: Collins, Turner, Gordon, Martin
The Rockets have some interest in Hawks forward John Collins, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Iko suggests that Houston hasn’t put a formal offer on the table for Collins, but that the two teams have talked as Atlanta gauges league-wide interest in the big man.
As Iko details, the Rockets have expressed interest in Collins in the past, including when they traded Clint Capela to Atlanta back at the 2020 deadline. Although they’re intrigued by the possibility of acquiring the 25-year-old, the Rockets would have to consider a number of factors, including Collins’ fit alongside young cornerstones Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith, as well as his long-term contract.
According to Iko, the Rockets value the cap flexibility they have going forward. Collins’ contract would cut significantly into that flexibility — he’s owed $25.3MM next season and $26.6MM in 2024/25, with a $26.6MM player option for ’25/26. Before talks with the Hawks get serious, Houston would have to decide whether it’s worth sacrificing both current assets and future opportunities for Collins.
Here’s more from Iko on the Rockets:
- Houston has interest in Pacers center Myles Turner, but he’d likely be a target in free agency rather than via trade, according to Iko. The Rockets would be reluctant to engage in a bidding war and surrender valuable assets for a player on an expiring deal.
- Veteran shooting guard Eric Gordon remains a strong candidate to be traded before the February 9 deadline (and has privately expressed some frustration with his situation, per Iko), but the Rockets are also open to the idea of adding another veteran or two to their roster. As Iko explains, the team’s rebuild has perhaps left the roster perhaps too young, with 10 Houston players no older than 22. The front office may prefer a little more balance.
- Team and league sources tell Iko that a few clubs around the league have floated the idea of offering a first-round pick for Kenyon Martin Jr., but the Rockets haven’t received any concrete offers. Houston wouldn’t be interested in trading Martin for a second-round pick, Iko adds.
Luka Doncic Day-To-Day After Spraining Ankle
11:01am: Doncic’s sprain is considered “mild” and he’ll be day-to-day going forward, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
7:43am: On the same night that he was announced as an All-Star starter, Mavericks guard Luka Doncic exited his team’s win over Phoenix early in the first quarter due to a sprained left ankle, per Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News.
Doncic sustained the injury when he stepped on the foot of Suns forward Mikal Bridges about three minutes into Thursday’s game. He checked out of the contest shortly thereafter and didn’t return.
Any injury to a team’s franchise player is a cause for major concern, but the Mavericks expressed optimism after the game about Doncic’s outlook. As Tim MacMahon of ESPN writes, X-rays on the ankle were negative and head coach Jason Kidd said the Mavs star was in “good spirits.”
“He looked good, he looked fine,” Kidd said. “But we’ll see how he feels as we go forward.”
Doncic’s backcourt partner Spencer Dinwiddie told reporters, including Caplan, that Luka’s injury doesn’t appear to be one that will force him to sit out for an extended period.
“I don’t know if he’ll be back next game, or if he’ll miss a couple or something like that,” Dinwiddie said. “But it ain’t no cause for where we’re like, ‘Oh no, we’re about to go on a 10-game stretch without LD.’ He’s going to heal up nicely. He’s a young kid. Although he likes to think he’s old, he’s not.”
While the Mavs wait for further clarity on Doncic’s outlook, they can expect to be without another key player for the next few games. Kidd said on Thursday night that Christian Wood (fractured left thumb) will remain on the shelf for at least another week, according to Caplan. Wood has missed Dallas’ last four contests.
“I think it’s just week to week, just to see how the healing goes,” Kidd said before Thursday’s game. “It’s been a week now, so we’ll give you another update in a week just to see if there’s been any healing or improvement there.”
Stein’s Latest: Drummond, Agbaji, Magic, Ross, Wizards
Bulls center Andre Drummond is a good candidate to be on the move prior to the February 9 trade deadline, according to Marc Stein, who notes in his latest Substack story that the veteran big man hasn’t been a regular part of Chicago’s rotation as of late.
Drummond wasn’t playing big minutes early in the season either, but has seen his playing time decline further since then, having received a handful of DNP-CDs in January. He has played more than nine minutes in only two games since the calendar flipped to 2023. For the season, the 29-year-old averaging 6.1 PPG and 6.6 RPG in 13.0 minutes per game in 36 appearances — all of those numbers are career lows.
Drummond isn’t on a minimum-salary contract, but his modest $3.2MM cap hit makes him an attainable trade chip for just about any NBA team. He does have a $3.36MM player option for 2023/24, so a club acquiring him would have to be comfortable with the possibility that he’ll exercise that option.
Here’s more for Stein:
- After having previously reported that the Jazz are willing to listen to inquires about anyone on their roster except for Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler, Stein adds a third name to that list, citing a source who says rookie wing Ochai Agbaji also appears to be off-limits.
- The Magic are “welcoming” inquiries on Terrence Ross, Gary Harris, Mohamed Bamba, and R.J. Hampton, league sources tell Stein. Rival teams are keeping an eye on Ross as a possible buyout candidate if he’s not moved by February 9, Stein adds. Orlando hasn’t made a habit in recent years of buying out veterans in contract years, but it’s possible that Ross – who suggested last spring that he’d welcome a trade – could push for a change of scenery.
- Having previously reported that the Suns turned down a trade involving Jae Crowder and Rui Hachimura, Stein corrects the record, writing that the obstacle in those discussions was actually the Wizards’ desire to flip Crowder to the Bucks — the three teams discussed a deal, but couldn’t work out an agreement that appealed to Washington more than the Lakers’ offer.
Raptors Rumors: VanVleet, Anunoby, Siakam, Trent, Achiuwa
Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet, who recently parted ways with his agency, is considered very likely to sign with Klutch Sports, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack story.
VanVleet’s agency change is coming at a pivotal time in his career. The seventh-year guard is headed for unrestricted free agency this summer if he and the Raptors don’t work out an extension before then — and if he turns down his player option for the 2023/24 season, which is viewed as a near-lock.
According to Stein, multiple teams around the NBA hope that the Raptors will start to become more receptive to trade inquires on VanVleet as the February 9 deadline approaches. The Magic have been mentioned more and more often in league circles as a “prime” VanVleet suitor this summer in free agency, Stein adds, though it’s unclear if Orlando would attempt to trade for him at the deadline.
Here’s more on the Raptors:
- After having reported in December that the Knicks inquired about a possible deal for Raptors forward OG Anunoby, Ian Begley of SNY.tv follows up on that item by stating that New York was comfortable offering multiple first-round picks in exchange for Anunoby. While that’s notable, it’s worth adding a caveat — the Knicks control multiple heavily protected first-round picks, so being willing to offer a couple of those is much different than being willing to give up two or three of their own unprotected first-rounders.
- In his aforementioned Substack article, Stein expresses skepticism that either Anunoby or Pascal Siakam is a legitimate trade candidate at this season’s deadline, with Gary Trent Jr. still looking like the Raptor most likely to be moved.
- In his latest Please Don’t Aggregate This podcast (hat tip to HoopsHype), Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports also downplayed the likelihood of a Siakam trade, suggesting that the star forward wants to be in Toronto. Fischer says he’d be “shocked” if Siakam is on the move in the next couple weeks.
- No matter what the Raptors do at the trade deadline, the development of big man Precious Achiuwa should be one of the club’s top priorities in the second half of the season, argues Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. Achiuwa has been limited to 25 games so far this season due to injury, but has played some of his best basketball as of late, scoring double-digit points in eight of his last nine games, with a season-high 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting in Wednesday’s win over Sacramento.