Eastern Notes: Middleton, Wizards, Cavs, Walker, Johnson, Buzelis
The Wizards don’t have a second deal lined up for Khris Middleton, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link), who says Washington’s plan for the time being will be to hang onto the veteran forward after acquiring him from Milwaukee.
As Mannix and Varun Shankar of The Washington Post outline, the Wizards were willing to trade Kyle Kuzma, Patrick Baldwin, and a first-round pick swap for Middleton, AJ Johnson, and a second-round pick because they like Johnson, wanted to open up more playing time for young wings like Kyshawn George and Justin Champagnie, and will create some additional financial flexibility in 2026 (Kuzma was signed through ’26/27).
I wouldn’t expect Middleton to have a long-term future in D.C., but if he can use the second half of this season to get closer to full health, he could have a little trade value in the offseason — he holds a player option for 2025/26 and would be on an expiring contract if he opts in, which seems likely.
As cap expert Yossi Gozlan notes (via Twitter), Middleton’s 2024/25 cap hit for the Wizards will adjust from $31.7MM to $31MM because his bonus for making the playoffs is no longer considered “likely” (because Milwaukee made the playoffs last year, whereas Washington didn’t). That will also cause the cap hit for next season’s player option to dip from about $34MM to $33.3MM.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference with the trade deadline just over 24 hours away:
- Jason Lloyd of The Athletic advocates for the Cavaliers to make an effort to duck below the luxury tax line at this season’s trade deadline, pointing out that delaying the repeater taxpayer clock for another season could pay off for the franchise in the long run. Shedding the minimum-salary contracts of Tristan Thompson and Sam Merrill would do the trick, Lloyd notes, though Merrill has been a part of the regular rotation.
- Jarace Walker has been in and out of the Pacers‘ rotation as of late, getting his first DNP-CD of the season on Saturday. The second-year forward acknowledges that his inconsistent role hasn’t been easy to deal with, but head coach Rick Carlisle lauded Walker for the effort he has shown during workouts and practices, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. “I wish all top 10 picks in the NBA could learn about being the pro the way that he is learning about it and the way he’s adapting and the way he’s managing everything in his life to stay ready,” Carlisle said. “His teammates trust him. The coaching staff trusts him. Trust is earned and not given. I got a lot of respect for that kid. For where he came from his first year to the early parts of this year to now, he’s a man.”
- Cameron Johnson, who had missed six straight games due to an ankle sprain, is no longer on the Nets‘ injury report, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Barring a last-minute development, that suggests Johnson should be available for Wednesday’s game vs. Washington. In case you missed it, multiple reports this week have indicated that the Brooklyn forward appears increasingly unlikely to be traded.
- On the heels of trading two-time All-Star Zach LaVine, the Bulls had to be encouraged by what they saw from rookie forward Matas Buzelis on Tuesday, as Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times writes. One of the club’s long-term building blocks, Buzelis enjoyed the best game of his NBA career in a win over Miami, scoring 24 points on 10-of-10 shooting (4-of-4 three-pointers). “My confidence right now is high, but you’ve got to stay humble,” Buzelis said after the game. “My dad always tells me the sun comes up tomorrow, so you’ve got to go back to work. You guys can call it [a breakout game], it doesn’t matter to me. Breakout, I’m going to play the same way every night.”
Trade Rumors: Johnson, Martin, Sixers, Lakers, Jazz
It seems increasingly likely that Cameron Johnson will remain in Brooklyn beyond the trade deadline, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post, who has consistently heard that the Nets are willing to field calls about the veteran forward but aren’t actively shopping him.
While the Nets moved quickly this season to trade Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith, both of whom can reach unrestricted free agency this summer, Johnson is under contract for two more years beyond this one, so there’s no urgency in Brooklyn to move off of him at this point — especially since the team still projects to have substantial cap room for next season even with Johnson’s $20.5MM salary on the books.
Ian Begley of SNY.tv also reported on Tuesday that a Johnson trade may not happen this week.
We have more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- There’s a chance that KJ Martin, whom the Pistons agreed to acquire from Philadelphia, could be rerouted to another team prior to Thursday’s trade deadline, tweets Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. If Detroit were to acquire Martin using cap space rather than the room exception, his salary could be aggregated with one or more other players in a subsequent deal.
- According to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon, and Guerschon Yabusele are among the veterans who continue to draw interest for the Sixers, who already traded Caleb Martin in addition to KJ Martin. However, Philadelphia is reluctant to move Yabusele, preferring to find a way to retain him beyond his current one-year, minimum-salary contract, Stein and Fischer say.
- Grant Afseth of RG.org takes a look at the Lakers‘ hunt for another center, suggesting that – despite Rob Pelinka‘s comments downplaying the urgency to find more than a stop-gap – the team is still considering a wide range of possible targets.
- Tony Jones of The Athletic checks in on the Jazz‘s plans ahead of the trade deadline, writing that John Collins and Jordan Clarkson are considered more available than Collin Sexton and especially Walker Kessler. Utah values Sexton and has set a “very high” asking price for Kessler, Jones explains.
Cavaliers, Hawks Have Discussed Hunter, LeVert
The Cavaliers have expressed interest in Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter, multiple sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link), confirming a report from HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. According to Fedor, the Cavs’ talks with Atlanta have centered around swingman Caris LeVert.
Due to the difference between Hunter’s current cap hit ($21.7MM) and LeVert’s ($16.6MM), Cleveland would have to send out at least one more player in any deal involving the Hawks forward to avoid surpassing the first tax apron, according to Fedor, who suggests that rookie Jaylon Tyson ($3.3MM) would be one possibility. Atlanta may also seek draft assets — Cleveland controls its 2031 first-round pick, along with a few second-rounders.
According to Fedor, the Cavaliers have had Hunter on their radar for years, dating back to the 2019 draft when he went fourth overall to Atlanta, one pick ahead of Cleveland at No. 5. Sources tell Cleveland.com that the Cavs have done “extensive” homework on the 27-year-old, frequently inquiring over the years about his availability and what it would take to acquire him.
Hunter is having the best year of his career in 2024/25, averaging 18.9 points per game on .459/.386/.858 shooting through 36 outings (28.5 MPG). He’s also the sort of long, athletic wing that the Cavaliers have long been seeking and is close friends with guard Ty Jerome dating back to their days at the University of Virginia, Fedor notes, so Cleveland would be confident about his fit.
As Fedor reports, the Cavs have also checked in on several other possible trade candidates, such as Cameron Johnson (Nets), Jerami Grant (Trail Blazers), Javonte Green (Pelicans), Cody Martin (Hornets), Chris Boucher (Raptors), Julian Champagnie (Spurs), Obi Toppin (Pacers), and Royce O’Neale (Suns). However, the front office is wary about messing with the chemistry of a team that sits atop the Eastern Conference with a 40-10 record.
Cavs players and head coach Kenny Atkinson discussed that aspect of the trade deadline on Tuesday, per Fedor.
“You have to listen,” Atkinson said. “You’d be really not smart if you didn’t listen and talk about how you can get better. It’s the business we’re in. We’re really good, obviously, but it could always be something out there that gets us to the next level. My one thing to [president of basketball operations] Koby [Altman] is we have great chemistry right now and a great culture, great locker room culture. That’s super important to me. If it is a trade, if it is a buyout, it’s got to be the right fit.”
“If you take away somebody, especially somebody in the locker room, a locker room presence, it’s gonna disrupt it,” center Jarrett Allen said. “At the end of the day, we’re all close to each other. But as you know, that’s how things go.”
Both Allen and Donovan Mitchell said on Tuesday that they believe the Cavaliers have enough to be a title contender. Still, the front office is keeping an eye out for ways to make upgrades. Sources tell Fedor that Cleveland is also considering the idea of making a small trade or two around the margins, with another big man among the possibilities the club is weighing.
If the Cavs don’t make a move at the trade deadline, they’ll likely take a look at the buyout market, according to Fedor, who points to Lonzo Ball as a player to watch, though a Tuesday report suggested the Bulls won’t be eager to buy out Ball if they hang onto him through the deadline. Torrey Craig, who was waived by Chicago earlier this week, is another player to monitor, Fedor adds.
Begley’s Latest: Knicks, Theis, Sims, Nets, Brogdon, Cavs, Raptors
Confirming that the Knicks have inquired on Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas and Sixers big man Guerschon Yabusele, Ian Begley of SNY.tv adds Pelicans veteran Daniel Theis to the list of bigs New York has checked in on.
As Begley writes, the Knicks may turn out not to need another center if Mitchell Robinson is able to return in February and stays healthy. But Robinson was only just cleared for contact and will need some time to get into game shape, so the team won’t know by Thursday’s trade deadline what it can realistically expect from him for the rest of the season.
With that in mind, the Knicks will continue to browse the market for possible frontcourt reinforcements, though they’ll face competition, according to Begley, who notes that the Lakers are also seeking a center and the Nuggets are on the lookout for a backup big man of their own.
Begley believes that Knicks center Jericho Sims will end up being traded by the deadline. Sims is on an expiring contract and hasn’t established himself as a reliable rotation option for head coach Tom Thibodeau, so it’s possible he could be sent out in a deal for a more trustworthy veteran. He could legally be traded straight up for Yabusele, Begley notes, though the Sixers would certainly want more than just Sims in return for the Frenchman.
Here’s more from Begley:
- While the Nets‘ biggest trade chip is Cameron Johnson, teams monitoring the situation are skeptical that any suitor will make a strong enough offer this week to pry him out of Brooklyn, Begley writes. Elsewhere on the Nets’ front, center Day’Ron Sharpe is generating some interest, Begley adds, with the Clippers among the teams who have done background work on Sharpe.
- Begley reports that the Lakers and Clippers are among the teams that had Wizards guard Malcolm Brogdon on their radar earlier this season. However, after their recent deals, neither Los Angeles team is particularly well positioned to match Brogdon’s $22.5MM cap hit, so it’s unclear whether that interest persists. The Clippers, operating below the tax aprons, would be eligible to sign Brogdon in the event he reaches the buyout market. but the Lakers wouldn’t be since they’re over the first apron.
- There has been some speculation that the Cavaliers may make a trade to get out of luxury tax territory, but they’ve signaled to teams that they’re not looking to move forward Georges Niang in a salary dump, says Begley.
- According to Begley, the Raptors have a deal lined up to trade one of their players into cap space “if the need arises.” It’s impossible to know exactly what that sort of move would look like without more details, but I’d speculate it would only be necessary if Toronto gets involved in a bigger multi-team deal and needs to send out salary for matching purposes that none of their other trade partners wants to take on. Although Begley’s reference to “cap space” suggests Detroit – the only team with actual cap space – may be involved, there are a number of teams with exceptions available to take on smaller contracts, like Utah did with Jalen Hood-Schifino in the Luka Doncic mega-deal.
Lakers Rumors: Doncic, LeBron, Center, Sharpe
Due to the secretive nature of their trade talks with the Mavericks about Luka Doncic, the Lakers were unable to touch base with Doncic or his agent Bill Duffy during negotiations to get a sense of the guard’s appetite for a long-term future in Los Angeles, according to Fred Katz, Joe Vardon, and Sam Amick of The Athletic, who say that inability to get clarity on Doncic’s thinking was one reason why the Lakers weren’t willing to include their 2031 first-round pick in the trade along with their 2029 first-rounder.
The Mavericks didn’t aggressively push for that 2031 pick to be included, acquiescing to the Lakers’ desire to keep it out of the deal. Now that Doncic is officially a Laker, he’s “ecstatic” about being in Los Angeles and all indications are that he’ll welcome a long-term deal with the franchise, a league source tells Katz, Vardon, and Amick.
As excited as he is about becoming a Laker, a source close to the five-time All-Star tells The Athletic that Doncic had expected to be a Maverick for his entire NBA career. He said as much publicly in his social media statement thanking fans in Dallas, writing that he “wanted so badly to bring you a championship” (Instagram link).
“He wanted to be like Dirk (Nowitzki),” the source told The Athletic.
We have more on the Lakers:
- While LeBron James was shocked by the news of the trade, he wasn’t upset about it, according to one of the Athletic’s sources, who said James’ primary concern was about Anthony Davis‘ reaction to the deal. James understood that it was a “business decision” the Lakers needed to make to set themselves up for a future that will extend well beyond his retirement.
- Trading away Davis leaves the Lakers with a glaring need at center, but not many of the most popular names on the trade market appeal to them, league sources tell Katz, Vardon, and Amick. Now that the 2031 pick is their last remaining tradable first-rounder, the Lakers don’t want to give that asset away for a “patch-up role player,” The Athletic’s reporters add.
- On that subject, Brian Lewis of The New York Post said last week that the Lakers were keeping an eye on Nets center Day’Ron Sharpe, who will be eligible for restricted free agency at season’s end. It’s unclear if Sharpe is still a potential target for L.A., but he certainly shouldn’t cost a first-round pick.
- The Lakers won’t be eager to take on long-term salary in any subsequent trades, since they’re currently poised to have a good deal of cap flexibility in 2026, when several contracts come off their books, and could take advantage of that flexibility to go star-hunting, according to Katz, Vardon, and Amick.
Scotto’s Latest: DFS, Grimes, Kleber, Toppin, Jazz
The Lakers‘ acquisition of Luka Doncic in the three-team blockbuster with the Mavericks and Jazz could improve their odds of retaining veteran forward Dorian Finney-Smith, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
Scotto previously reported that Finney-Smith was expected to decline his $15.4MM option for next season in order to enter unrestricted free agency. Doncic and Finney-Smith, who was acquired from the Nets this season, are close friends. Doncic will undoubtedly lobby the Lakers’ front office to retain Finney-Smith, Scotto notes.
Here’s more from Scotto:
- The Mavericks‘ acquisition of young guard Max Christie along with Anthony Davis in the trade could impact Quentin Grimes‘ status with the organization. Grimes, who reportedly declined a three-year rookie scale extension offer prior to the October deadline, has become a key contributor, averaging 10.2 points per game while shooting 46.7% from the field and 40.7% from beyond the arc. He’ll become eligible for restricted free agency this summer, while Christie is signed through 2027/28, including a player option.
- Prior to adding current injured Maxi Kleber to the Doncic deal, the Mavericks held exploratory talks involving Kleber with the Pacers. Dallas had its eyes on power forward Obi Toppin. Kleber is signed through the 2025/26 season and if he’s not dealt again prior to Thursday’s deadline, he’ll become a more valuable trade asset for the Lakers in the offseason when he’ll have an expiring $11MM contract.
- The Jazz, who facilitated the Doncic/Davis trade, are expected to remain active ahead of the trade deadline. Utah is looking to flip veteran forward P.J. Tucker, who was acquired from the Clippers on Saturday, for another team’s salary dump to land more future draft assets. Tucker will be bought out of his $11.54MM contract if he’s not traded. John Collins, Jordan Clarkson, and Collin Sexton have all come up in trade discussions. Walker Kessler has also drawn interest but the Jazz’s high price tag makes it unlikely he’ll be dealt this week.
Several Two-Way Players Nearing NBA Game Limit
NBA players on two-way contracts operate under different regulations than the rest of the league. One of the most important differences is they are limited in the number of games that they’re permitted to be on the active roster.
For two-way players who’ve been with their current teams since the start of the season, that number is 50. Each time they’re listed as active counts toward that total, whether they play or not. Players who sign two-way deals during the season have their limit of games pro-rated.
Those numbers are becoming important since we’ve passed the halfway point of the season, and Keith Smith of Spotrac sent out a tweet earlier today identifying a few players who are getting close to reaching their limits.
Once a player hits his allotted number of games, he’s not eligible to appear in the NBA as a two-way player for the rest of the season. He can remain on the team and play in the G League, but he must be signed to a standard contract to see any more NBA action.
Here are the names Smith noted and the number of games they have remaining:
- Jacob Toppin, Knicks (2) – New York has used up nearly all of Toppin’s active time, even though he has only gotten into 15 games and averages 3.1 minutes per night. The small forward seems likely to finish the season in the G League.
- Tyrese Martin, Nets (5) – Martin has become part of the rotation in Brooklyn, averaging 21.3 minutes in the 31 games that he played. The shooting guard is a little old for a prospect at 25, but he seems like a strong candidate to land a regular roster spot so the Nets can evaluate him for the rest of the season.
- Jordan Miller, Clippers (5) – The small forward isn’t part of the rotation in L.A. and may not be in the team’s playoff plans. He has logged just one minute in three of his last four appearances, and the Clippers don’t appear concerned about preserving the number of games he has remaining. He has been mentioned as a candidate for a promotion.
- Jared Butler, Wizards (8) – Washington has nothing left to play for, so it makes sense to take a long look at the 24-year-old combo guard. This is Butler’s fourth NBA season and his second with the Wizards, so this is a good time to determine whether he’ll be part of their future.
- Brandon Boston Jr., Pelicans (9) – Boston was among the two-way players most likely to earn a promotion even before the season-ending injury to Dejounte Murray. Boston has played in all 41 games in which he’s been listed as active, making 10 starts and averaging 10.7 PPG in 23.9 minutes per night.
Here are a few more players getting close to their game limits:
- Kai Jones, Clippers (11) – Jones has made 27 appearances as a backup center, but he’s only averaging 2.2 points in 7.6 minutes per night. The addition of Drew Eubanks in today’s trade with Utah gives L.A. another veteran big man and lessens the need to promote Jones to the standard roster.
- Moussa Diabate, Hornets (11) – Part of the reasoning for the Nick Richards trade was Diabate’s emergence as a dependable center off the bench. He’s been playing big minutes over the past week and seems like he’ll definitely be on a standard contract soon.
- Ryan Rollins, Bucks (12) – Rollins is a marginal member of Milwaukee’s rotation, making five starts in his 30 appearances and playing 11.9 minutes per night. His fate could depend on what the Bucks are able to do before Thursday’s trade deadline.
Injury Notes: Nets, Quickley, Craig, Wolves, Davis
The banged-up Nets, who have seven players listed as out for Saturday’s matchup with Houston, provided updates on a handful of their injured regulars on Friday, as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype relays (via Twitter).
Guard Cam Thomas, who has been unavailable since January 2 due to a left hamstring strain, is expected to make his return shortly after February’s All-Star break, per the Nets. Big man Noah Clowney will also likely remain on the shelf through the All-Star break after being diagnosed with a left ankle sprain.
Forward Cameron Johnson, meanwhile, is still day-to-day with the right ankle sprain that has cost him the past four games. He won’t play on Saturday.
The injury news in Brooklyn isn’t all bad. After leaving Wednesday’s game with left hamstring tightness, center Day’Ron Sharpe isn’t on the injury report for Saturday. Neither is forward Trendon Watford, who made his return on Wednesday after missing 21 consecutive contests while recovering from a left hamstring strain.
“It was good,” Watford said of his first game back (Twitter link via Brian Lewis of The New York Post). “I’m just glad to be back out there with the guys, back playing basketball. Missing 21 games, I’ve been missing it ever since I left the game in Cleveland. It was great to be back.”
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley will be active on Friday vs. the Bulls after missing eight games due to a right hip strain, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. It was the third extended injury absence of 2024/25 for Quickley, who is appearing in just his 10th game of the season and will be on a minutes restriction against Chicago, Lewenberg adds.
- Bulls wing Torrey Craig will be inactive for a 15th consecutive game on Friday due to a right ankle sprain, but he appears to be nearing a return — he participated in shootaround today, per head coach Billy Donovan (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago).
- Timberwolves forward Julius Randle will miss his first game of the season on Saturday, having been ruled out vs. Washington due to a right groin strain, according to the team (Twitter link). However, Minnesota did pass along more positive injury news, announcing that rookie Terrence Shannon has been cleared for full-contact 5-on-5 activities and is being listed as questionable to play on Saturday (Twitter link). Shannon, who sustained a right mid-foot sprain while on a G League assignment, last saw the court for the NBA club on December 23.
- According to Lakers head coach J.J. Redick, the team isn’t expecting an extended absence for Anthony Davis, who was ruled out for at least a week due to an abdominal strain. Redick is hopeful Davis will be back in action at some point next week, per Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group (Twitter link).
Latest On De’Aaron Fox
More than half the teams in the NBA have inquired on De’Aaron Fox since the Kings made him available for trade on Tuesday, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic.
Talks with San Antonio, Fox’s reported preferred destination, are going to be particularly interesting, Amick writes, with the Spurs potentially in position to push negotiations into the offseason in an effort to further evaluate their options without losing out on Fox to another team.
One potential sticking point in negotiations between the two teams could be the inclusion of 2024 lottery pick Stephon Castle. Amick writes that there is skepticism in league circles that the Spurs would include their rookie who has shown real potential.
Additionally, from the Spurs’ perspective, it may make more sense to wait until the offseason to make a move for Fox because Chris Paul is continuing to help elevate their franchise at 39 years old.
While Fox is likely to sign an extension with the Spurs if he’s traded there, other inquiring teams are likely viewing him as a rental (he’s under contract through the 2025/26 season), and the quality of their offers figures to reflect that.
The general mood of the locker room in Sacramento could impact the Kings’ timing in moving Fox, as Amick says multiple players expressed frustration that this situation is poorly timed since it coincides with Sacramento playing well under interim coach Doug Christie.
One player the Kings are not interested in acquiring as part of any Fox deal is the Heat‘s Jimmy Butler. The Kings “do not see Butler as the answer,” according to Amick. As has been well-reported, the Heat are trying to trade Butler ahead of the 2025 deadline and the Kings’ star point guard would be a logical target for Miami, given his Kentucky connection with Bam Adebayo.
Fox hasn’t requested a trade from the Kings, but his unwillingness to commit long-term led the Kings to approach his representation and put him on the block. According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, Fox and his camp would have preferred to reach this point this summer when teams are more flush with draft capital and room to make offers.
The Nets are described by Fischer as a team who can be ruled out for an in-season acquisition of Fox but could make a run for the one-time All-Star in the summer.
Regardless of whether Fox becomes eligible for a super-max this season by making an All-NBA team, he has no intention of signing an extension with the Kings, Fischer writes. While Fischer suggests that the haul for Fox wouldn’t be the same as what the Cavaliers had to give up for Donovan Mitchell, as an example, it might not make sense for the Spurs to surrender multiple valuable assets for a player who is interested in signing with them in 2026 either way.
Pairing up with Wembanyama is still Fox’s ultimate goal, fueled by representation by Klutch Sports’ Rich Paul. According to Fischer, that destination was also in mind when Darius Garland‘s future in Cleveland was called into question last offseason. The Spurs have also envisioned potentially targeting Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball or Chicago’s Josh Giddey to pair with their franchise center, Fischer adds.
Here are some other recent tidbits about Fox:
- The Lakers aren’t a potential Fox destination because Klutch knows Los Angeles wouldn’t give up Austin Reaves in any deal with Sacramento, Fischer writes.
- As has been reported, the Rockets are looking to play out the rest of the season with their young core that has them in No. 2 in the Western Conference. However, that’s not the only reason they’re not currently exploring a trade for Fox. According to Fischer, the Rockets are skeptical of Fox’s fit with the team, even though the timeline makes sense.
- A potential Fox trade could cause veteran DeMar DeRozan to reevaluate his future in Sacramento, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee writes. “Yeah, it’s tough because looking at the landscape, before I came here, those are the guys I talked to was Fox, [Domantas Sabonis] and Malik [Monk],” DeRozan said. “Those are the core guys that made it easy for me to make my decision to play here, and a key player, a key juggernaut in Fox, not knowing the future of that, it does make it tough.“
Trade Rumors: Butler, Suns, Turner, Johnson, Mathurin, Lakers
Although the Heat have lowered their asking price for Jimmy Butler, they have yet to find a trade package they like, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter links), who hears from a source that the Suns remain the most “aggressive” team in pursuit of the six-time All-Star. However, Miami still has no interest in taking on Bradley Beal and his no trade-clause.
Jackson reiterates that the Heat are “determined” to move Butler, but if they’re unable to before next Thursday’s deadline, they’ll still have some options in the offseason. Of course, that scenario glosses over the issue of having to deal with more Butler-related drama for the rest of the 2024/25 campaign.
According to Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports, league executives keep circling back to the Grizzlies as a possible dark horse suitor for Butler, even though they were warned by his camp not to trade for him.
Here are some more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- Both Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times and veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein (Substack link) hear the Pacers are receiving trade inquiries on Myles Turner, though there’s skepticism around the league that Indiana will move its starting center. As both writers point out, the Pacers have been surging up the Eastern Conference standings and are determined to make a strong playoff push, so trading Turner might hurt the team’s chemistry. According to Stein, Indiana would want at least another starting-caliber center in return for Turner to even contemplate moving the impending free agent.
- Indiana’s improved play of late might make the Pacers reluctant to part with significant assets to acquire Nets forward Cameron Johnson, according to Stein. Rival teams think the Pacers may need to trade some of their wing depth — either by next week or the offseason — to free up their books to re-sign Turner in free agency. With that in mind, Bennedict Mathurin could be worth monitoring, but Indiana values him — Woike hears the Pacers would want a player it likes plus a first-round pick in exchange for the 22-year-old, who was selected sixth overall in the 2022 draft.
- Woike’s story is largely focused on the Lakers and their trade options. As Woike explains, while the front office is open to trading both of the team’s available first-round picks, coming up with “realistic” scenarios is tricky for a number of reasons — including the high asking price for starting centers. For example, the Jazz may not be willing to trade Walker Kessler even if the Lakers offered both first-rounders, according to Woike, who highlights several other possible trade candidates in his story, including Malcolm Brogdon, whom the Wizards may be willing to part with for second-round draft capital.