Stein’s Latest: Sochan, Knecht, Pelicans, Kessler, Towns, Ellis, Dinwiddie
The Spurs have given Jeremy Sochan and his representatives permission to explore a potential trade, league sources tell Marc Stein of The Stein Line (subscription required).
Sochan was selected with the ninth pick in the 2022 draft and was a consistent starter during his first two seasons in San Antonio. He has been pushed out of the rotation as the team has improved and has only appeared in 27 games this season, averaging 4.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 13.1 minutes per night. Shooting continues to be an issue for the 22-year-old power forward, who is only connecting at 46.9% from the field and 28.7% from three-point range for his career.
The Knicks have been speculated as a potential Sochan suitor in their search for low-cost frontcourt help. He has a $7.1MM expiring contract and will be a restricted free agent this summer if he receives a qualifying offer.
Stein shares more inside information from around the league:
- Second-year Lakers small forward Dalton Knecht could also be on the move, according to Stein. He was a first-round pick in 2024, but is only seeing 12.5 minutes per night in 36 games this season and hasn’t played at all outside of garbage time over the past two weeks. Knecht was sent to Charlotte at last year’s deadline as part of a Mark Williams deal that was later rescinded.
- The Pelicans are seeking a “Desmond Bane-type offer” to part with Trey Murphy III or Herbert Jones, Stein states. Memphis received four future first-round picks and a first-round pick swap when Bane was sent to Orlando last summer. While New Orleans continues to flounder at the bottom of the West, both players are under long-term contracts, so there’s no urgency to move them.
- League sources tell Stein that the Jazz are confident about re-signing center Walker Kessler, who’s out for the season following left shoulder surgery. The Wizards are expected to pursue Kessler to team with Alex Sarr, according to Stein, but Utah will be able to match any offer for the restricted free agent.
- Teams around the league are watching the Knicks to see if they’re willing to consider moving Karl-Anthony Towns before the deadline or if they’re holding onto him as an asset for a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, Stein adds.
- Stein hears that an estimated 14 teams have expressed interest in Kings guard Keon Ellis. In an earlier column, Stein cited Ellis as possibly the most likely player to be traded before the deadline.
- Former NBA guard Spencer Dinwiddie said on a recent podcast that he’s interested in signing with the Rockets, Stein relays. Dinwiddie is a free agent after parting ways with Bayern Munich earlier this month, but Stein states that Houston is unlikely to consider any signings until the deadline passes.
Pacific Notes: Booker, Green, Reaves, Collins, Zubac
With Devin Booker (ankle) and Jalen Green (hamstring) currently out of action, the Suns are looking for ways to survive this stretch. Booker is averaging a team-high 25.4 points and 6.2 assists per game and his presence alone helps generate better looks for his teammates, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic notes.
“When he’s in the game, I think it simplifies the way we get open looks,” wing Grayson Allen said. “We still do a good job most of the time of generating open looks for each other without him in the game, but it’s just harder and it’s harder to sustain for a 48-minute game.”
Green has only appeared in four games this season — he played just four minutes on Friday after experiencing right hamstring tightness and didn’t suit up against the Nets tonight. Green has either reinjured or tweaked the hamstring three times since initially straining it in training camp.
“When he’s ready to play and he feels good, he’ll be back out there,” coach Jordan Ott said. “He’s been out for a while. He’s going to have to learn his body and he wants to be sure, too. He’s 23 years old. He wants to feel right. We’re going to have to work through some of that.”
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Lakers have ruled out Austin Reaves for their game against Cleveland on Wednesday, ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel tweets. The Lakers have expressed optimism that Reaves, who has been sidelined by a left calf strain after suffering the injury on Christmas, can return during their current road trip. The Lakers will make three more stops after Wednesday before returning home from their eight-game journey.
- Clippers big man John Collins has an expiring $26.58MM contract, which could act as a nice trade sweetener. However, Collins is hopeful that he’ll remain with the organization through the trade deadline and re-sign with L.A. in the offseason, he told Mark Medina of EssentiallySports.com. “I’m hoping things are great. It feels like we are,” he said. “It feels like we’re doing well and speaking and all of that stuff. So I try not to think about that too much because it’s really out of my control. But from what I see right now, it’s looking good. Playing well doesn’t hurt.” Collins is averaging 15.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks this month for the resurgent Clippers.
- Ivica Zubac will carry a five-game double-double streak into the Clippers’ game against the Jazz tonight. His best outing during that stretch was an 18-point, 19-rebound performance in a win over the Lakers on Thursday. “They were going small and I thought Zu did a really good job of just showing his presence as a big man,” coach Tyronn Lue said, per Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. “It was huge for us.”
Trade Rumors: Kuminga, Kings, Lakers, Rockets, Bulls
While Jonathan Kuminga is still very much on the trade block, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. remains unwilling to make a bad deal just to satisfy the forward’s trade demand, writes Anthony Slater of ESPN. According to Slater, multiple team sources have suggested to ESPN that Kuminga is less likely to be dealt in the wake of Jimmy Butler‘s season-ending ACL tear.
While that could just be posturing from a front office looking to regain leverage, there will presumably be less urgency in Golden State to make a win-now move using Kuminga’s salary, since Butler’s injury significantly limits the team’s ceiling this season. Additionally, head coach Steve Kerr spoke multiple times in the past about how he found it difficult to play Kuminga alongside Butler and Draymond Green due to spacing concerns — with Butler sidelined, there’s a clearer path to regular minutes for Kuminga.
On top of that, it remains to be seen whether any teams will make a serious play for Kuminga prior to the February 5 deadline. The Kings have been his top suitor for several months, but the Warriors have maintained that they aren’t interested in taking back a player owed money beyond this season, such as Malik Monk or DeMar DeRozan, Slater writes.
According to Slater, some Warriors sources are optimistic that Kuminga will be able to return from his knee injury and rejoin the rotation prior to the trade deadline, before the team has to make a decision on his future.
We have more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- Dave McMenamin of ESPN confirms that the Lakers have explored the possibility of trading their lone tradable first-round pick (in either 2031 or 2032) for multiple less valuable first-rounders, as previously reported. Phoenix made a similar move last season in a deal with Utah. The idea would be to give the Lakers more flexibility to make multiple trades using first-round picks, rather than waiting for the perfect opportunity to use their most valuable remaining draft asset.
- The Rockets raised eyebrows last summer when they made Clint Capela a priority in free agency, adding the veteran center to a frontcourt that already featured Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams. But with Adams facing an extended injury absence, Houston is once again mulling the possibility of adding another big man, either on the trade market or in the buyout market, Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports reports. The Rockets have a top-five offense this season in large part due to their NBA-best offensive rebounding numbers, which have been fueled by bigger lineups.
- While the Bulls have widely been regarded as probable deadline sellers, they’re only 1.5 games out of a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race, and Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report has heard from multiple sources that Chicago would like to improve its playoff chances this season. The Bulls also want to add young, athletic players who can become part of their core alongside Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis, Pincus adds.
- In an expansive trade deadline primer, ESPN’s Bobby Marks divides the NBA’s 30 teams into eight tiers, breaking down how each club will approach the deadline, along with their most notable assets.
Trade Rumors: Kuminga, Lakers, Morant, Ivey, Raptors
Although the Lakers are intrigued by Jonathan Kuminga, the Warriors have “made it clear” that Los Angeles doesn’t have any players they covet, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, who reports (via Twitter) that no offers have been made and the two teams aren’t having active discussions about the former lottery pick.
Siegel hears the Warriors continue to look for an upgrade on the wing using Kuminga’s outgoing salary for matching purposes (Twitter link). He claims that even if the Lakers offered their lone tradable first-round pick for the 23-year-old, the Warriors still wouldn’t make a deal with their division rivals, since Golden State isn’t interested in any of L.A.’s players.
Kuminga recently suffered a bone bruise in his left knee. There’s currently no timeline for his return, though it isn’t believed to be a long-term injury.
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- A report earlier this month indicated that the Pelicans held some interest in Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, who is out at least three weeks due to a left elbow sprain. However, Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link) cites a source who says the two clubs aren’t engaged in talks regarding the two-time All-Star “despite consistent speculation to the contrary.”
- The Pistons have shown a willingness to listen to offers for Jaden Ivey, according to Siegel. While it would take a “substantial upgrade” for Detroit to part with the fourth-year guard, Siegel hears the Pistons are looking for help on the wing, noting that they’ve recently been linked to Pelicans forward Herbert Jones. The fifth overall pick of the 2022 draft, Ivey is averaging a career-low 17.0 minutes per game (through 29 appearances) ahead of restricted free agency.
- Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca takes a look at what moves the Raptors might make ahead of the February 5 deadline, writing that the most likely outcome appears to be dipping below the luxury tax line while simultaneously looking for depth at center. Lewenberg lists Daniel Gafford, Goga Bitadze and Day’Ron Sharpe as a few names Toronto has been keeping an eye on.
Luka Doncic, Immanuel Quickley Named Players Of Week
Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the NBA (Twitter links). The award covers Week 14 of the season, from Jan. 19-25.
Doncic led his team to a 2-1 record last week by averaging 34.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 9.7 assists per contest. His best game came in Denver on Tuesday when he posted a 38-point triple-double in a road victory over the Nuggets. He also beat his former team in Dallas on Sunday en route to his second Player of the Week award of the season.
Quickley, who was named Player of the Week for the first time in his career, lifted the Raptors to four straight road victories by averaging 25.3 points on 61.1% shooting while contributing 6.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game. He matched a career high by racking up 40 points (on 11-of-13 shooting) in Tuesday’s win over Golden State.
Quickley’s name has popped up in rumors recently, with Toronto reportedly gauging his trade value.
Saddiq Bey (Pelicans), Kevin Durant (Rockets), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), James Harden (Clippers) and Naji Marshall (Mavericks) were the other Player of the Week nominees from the Western Conference.
Bam Adebayo and Norman Powell (Heat), Jalen Duren (Pistons), Jalen Johnson (Hawks), Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers) and Coby White (Bulls) were also nominated for Eastern Conference recognition.
Lakers Notes: Hachimura, Doncic, Smart, Starting Lineup
The Lakers are getting healthier, which means Rui Hachimura may continue to come off the bench, writes Dan Woike of The Athletic. The power forward was used as a starter in his first 27 games this season before being switched to the second unit over the last seven. It might be helpful to establish himself as a consistent starter heading into free agency this summer, but Hachimura said he’s not concerned about that and is willing to do whatever is best for the team.
“A lot of people think about stats and all that, but for me it’s like winning. That’s gonna help us to everybody get paid,” he said. “… And especially with this second unit, I get more touches too. … I don’t mind. It’s more so like, who’s finishing the game? Or who’s playing more? For me, that’s more important.”
Austin Reaves could return this week after being out of action since Christmas Day with a strained calf. Woike suggests that coach JJ Redick could opt for a stronger defender like Jake LaRavia or Marcus Smart in his starting five while continuing to bring Hachimura off the bench. Redick hasn’t made any lineup decisions yet, but he called Hachimura “easy” to work with and said he’s willing to adapt to any situation.
“I like my role here,” Hachimura added. “The things that I like to do, I’m doing here. I just gotta embrace doing whatever it takes to win for the team.”
There’s more on the Lakers:
- Luka Doncic improved to 2-0 in Dallas since being traded last winter and his defense made the difference late in Saturday’s comeback victory, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Redick said the Mavericks targeted Doncic on six straight possessions in the fourth quarter and he was able to get a stop each time. Doncic saluted the Dallas fans and thanked them for braving a hazardous storm to attend the game. “That was really special,” he said. “I didn’t know what to expect before, because I know how this city gets when the weather is bad. I really appreciate a lot of people showing up.”
- Smart dislocated his right index finger late in Saturday’s game, McMenamin adds. He reacted in pain but then popped it back into place and continued playing. Smart had surgery on the finger during the offseason.
- In a look at what the Lakers need to do to become legitimate contenders, Khobi Price of The New York Post advises staying away from the starting lineup of Doncic, Reaves, Hachimura, LeBron James and Deandre Ayton that Redick used earlier in the season. That unit had a minus-19.9 net rating and often put the team in an early hole.
Bufkin's 10-Day Contract Expires
- Kobe Bufkin‘s 10-day contract with the Lakers expired on Thursday night and he since been re-acquired by G League’s South Bay Lakers, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPN (via Twitter). The 15th overall pick in the 2023 draft, Bufkin appeared in four games with Los Angeles, averaging 3.0 points in 11.3 minutes per contest.
Mavericks Notes: Doncic, Flagg, Davis, Irving, Weather
Luka Doncic has been looking forward to returning to Dallas tonight, but he understood that the atmosphere won’t be the same as it was last season, writes Nitish Singh of Dallas Hoops Journal. Emotions were still raw last April when Doncic was introduced at American Airlines Center two months after his unexpected trade to the Lakers. A retrospective video moved Doncic to tears, and he responded with 45 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals in a statement win over the Mavericks.
“Obviously, always going to feel like home there,” Doncic said. “Like I said, I needed that game (last year) to move on a little bit. But obviously, I’ll always appreciate those fans. They were really tight. I think we had a special bond. I really appreciate it all the time.”
The trade sparked fan anger in Dallas and led to a sharp downturn for the Mavs, who were eliminated in the play-in tournament and are off to a 19-26 start. It also resulted in the firing of general manager Nico Harrison in November. Asked in tonight’s pregame session with reporters whether he wishes he could have stopped the trade, coach Jason Kidd dismissed the idea.
“No, I think it’s one year, and next year will be two years,” Kidd said. (Twitter video link from Noah Weber of The Smoking Cuban). “…Luka’s moved on, and we’ve moved on. … That’s just the business of basketball, gotta move forward.”
There’s more from Dallas:
- Kidd was also asked about the prospect of seeing star rookie Cooper Flagg team up with Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving (Twitter video link via Weber). Those three players were expected to be the Mavericks’ foundation entering the season, but injuries have limited Davis’ time on the court with Flagg, and Irving still hasn’t returned from the ACL tear that sidelined him last March. “We would love to see that in ’26,” Kidd said. “There’s no guarantee. … Until we get closer for Kai, or closer for AD, then we can start paying a little bit more attention to that. But right now those guys are out for some time. …We would love to see that trio at some point.”
- Flagg will be limited to 30 minutes for tonight’s game, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Twitter link). Flagg was on a 20- to 25-minute limit in his first two games since returning from an ankle injury, but he topped that number both times.
- Rough weather in Dallas could complicate the team’s effort to get to Milwaukee for Sunday night’s game, tweets Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. The current plan is to take a bus to an area hotel after tonight’s contest ends and fly out in the morning.
NBA Rumors: Trade Deadline, Bridges, Mavs, Luka, Lakers
While the grand majority of in-season trades occur during the week of the deadline, this season has been unusually slow as far as deal-making goes. For instance, at this time last year, we had already seen five in-season trades — to this point in 2025/26, we’ve only had one. So why haven’t we seen more action?
ESPN’s Bobby Marks recently spoke to NBA front office executives to get a better understanding of the answer to that question. There are four main reasons for the relative lack of activity to this point, Marks writes.
The first and most important factor holding up the market, per Marks, is that rival teams are waiting to see if Giannis Antetokounmpo requests a trade or if the Bucks decide to listen to offers for the two-time MVP.
Second, a few teams who were viewed as potential deadline sellers entering the season — including the Celtics, Sixers and Suns — are instead vying for home court advantage in the postseason. As Marks observes, Philadelphia made multiple deals last year to dip below the luxury tax line, but that’s unlikely to occur again in ’25/26.
Third, the Mavericks and Grizzlies will likely get underwhelming offers for Anthony Davis and Ja Morant, respectively, leading up to the deadline with their values at low points, so they may not be moved prior to February 5. Davis is out several weeks due to ligament damage in his left hand, while Morant, who has missed extended time this season with calf issues, has been diagnosed with a UCL sprain in his left elbow and was ruled out of Friday’s loss at New Orleans (Twitter link via the Grizzlies).
The final factor for the slow-moving market, according to Marks, is that teams seem more willing to retain their own expiring contracts to maintain financial flexibility in the summer rather than take on multiyear salaries that could disrupt future plans. Multiple teams, including the Lakers, Bulls and Jazz, have long lists of players who could hit free agency in 2026, Marks notes.
Here are a few more rumors from around the NBA:
- Confirming a report from Sam Amick of The Athletic, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link) says the Suns are indeed fans of Miles Bridges. However, the Hornets reportedly want at least one first-round pick for the veteran forward, and Gambadoro points out that Phoenix lacks moveable first-rounders to include in such a deal. Gambadoro also confirms the Suns are reluctant to risk upsetting their positive chemistry by making a significant in-season move, and suggests a minor trade is more likely.
- Ahead of Luka Doncic‘s second game in Dallas since he was shockingly traded to Los Angeles last February, Christian Clark and Dan Woike of The Athletic share several sourced notes on both the Mavericks and the Lakers. According to the authors, part of the reason the Mavs — led at the time by head of basketball operations Nico Harrison, who has since been dismissed — moved Doncic is because they believed he had poor habits related to conditioning and were concerned about the calf strain he sustained in late December 2024 and possible future injuries. One source in the Mavericks’ organization compared Doncic to Elvis Presley and claimed the trade helped him develop better habits and get in better shape. “They got skinny Elvis,” the team source told The Athletic.
- People close to Doncic dispute that characterization, however, and say that line of thinking is a factor in why the Slovenian star is no longer on the Mavericks. According to Clark and Woike, Doncic’s camp believed whether he was traded or not, he “was on a path to improving his diet and conditioning as he matured.” Doncic and those around him have been focused on the present and future and not the past, per the report.
- It took multiple seasons for the Mavericks to surround Doncic with sort of complementary players that led to a trip to the NBA Finals in 2024, and it will take time for the Lakers to reshape their roster around the 26-year-old guard as well, sources in L.A. tell The Athletic. Those same sources noted that the Lakers need to upgrade their athleticism, defense and shooting, and some people around the organization think the any significant roster changes will occur in the offseason, not ahead of the deadline.
- The Mavericks have started the process of vetting candidates to replace Harrison on a permanent basis, per Clark and Woike, but are unlikely to hire anyone until at least the spring. The Athletic’s duo point out that Harrison, a longtime Nike executive, had no previous experience running an NBA team when he was hired in 2021. That won’t be the case for his replacement. “(They) are going to over-index on the safety aspect of it,” a league source told The Athletic.
Pacific Notes: Lakers, LeBron, Kawhi, Clippers, Green
Lakers head coach JJ Redick believes his team’s approach on offense is being influenced by the fact that so many players on the roster are potential 2026 free agents. After referencing the subject earlier in the week, Redick circled back to it after Thursday’s loss to the cross-town Clippers, per Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times.
“Guys are worried about their futures,” Redick said. “And that’s what happens when you got a team full of free agents and player options. I think it’s just natural that you’re gonna worry about the offense … and I’ve been there. (It gets) in your head a little bit: ‘Played five minutes (and) haven’t got a shot yet.’ And that’s a human thing. It’s not anybody’s fault.”
Veteran guard Marcus Smart, whose two-year deal with the Lakers includes a player option for 2026/27, acknowledged that it’s hard for a player to put his contract situation entirely out of his mind. Still, Smart noted that it’s crucial for he and his teammates to focus on playing for each other rather than for themselves.
“It is tough. I mean, you got guys fighting for contracts, fighting to stay on the team and you got other guys who are secure and got theirs and kind of understand where they are,” Smart said. “But at the same time, we’re all professionals and we got to come out and do our jobs no matter what. So, the human element does come into play sometimes and you just got to be able to snap out of it quicker than what we are doing.”
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Asked on Thursday whether he thinks the Lakers – who are 11-13 since a 15-4 start – need to make a move at the trade deadline, star forward LeBron James replied, “Yeah, I do,” according to Turner. However, James declined to discuss the topic beyond that. “It’s disrespectful to these guys if I start talking over the deadline and what we need to do, we got to get better, whatever the case may be,” he said. “I’m trying not to play fantasy basketball too much.”
- Star forward Kawhi Leonard returned from a three-game injury absence on Thursday and picked up where he left up, scoring 24 points in 26 minutes in the Clippers‘ 112-104 victory over the Lakers. “I thought he looked good. I thought he looked really good, especially to start the game in that first quarter,” head coach Tyronn Lue said, according to Janis Carr of the Orange County Register. “He had good pop and then he could have gotten a little tired. He hasn’t played in a while, but that first quarter was really good.”
- Although he was happy to see the Clippers pick up their 14th win in 17 games, Lue would’ve liked his team to finish stronger, writes Law Murray of The Athletic. “We keep getting these leads, and you lose the lead. We gotta be better. We got a team down (17) at half. We gotta step on their throat and blow them out,” the veteran coach said. “Like that was our mindset. That was our mindset at halftime. I thought we came out with the right energy, but we couldn’t sustain it. Not just the Lakers, that’s just anybody. If you’re up 20, let’s blow them out. Like, why not? But it is what it is. It’s a good win for us. They’re a good team. And so we’ll take it.”
- The Suns are thrilled to have Jalen Green back on the floor following his lengthy layoff due to a hamstring injury, and he’s just as happy to be playing again, notes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “His joy is back,” head coach Jordan Ott said of Green, adding that the team will welcome the guard’s “speed” and “downhill ability” on offense.