Lakers Rumors

Kyrie Irving, LeBron James Talk Doncic/Davis Mega-Deal

February 5th, 2025 at 9:22am CST by Rory Maher

Following Tuesday’s loss two-point loss in Philadelphia, Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving talked at length about the blockbuster trade that saw Luka Doncic become a member of the Lakers and Anthony Davis head to Dallas.

“Just really shocked, and you just don’t imagine that you’re going to get ready to go to sleep, and then you find out news like that. It’s still a grieving process right now. I miss my hermano,” Irving said of Doncic, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Substack link). “We had a lot of time together, Kieff (Markieff Morris) too, and Maxi (Kleber). We built some bonds that went beyond the basketball court.”

As Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes, Irving wasn’t asked a single question about Tuesday’s game, with all of the focus on his reaction to the trade. Irving reiterated multiple times that he was still trying to process the news, which broke late Saturday night.

“This is a business, it’s way above my pay grade, and I’ve just got to adjust and be ready to welcome in my new teammates with open arms and kind of be ready to go back to Dallas, too, to speak in front of our fans,” Irving said. “I know they are feeling it, too. I’m feeling it too, guys. So, yeah, it’s just an adjustment period. I don’t want to downplay this either, or disrespect our new guys. They’re going to help us win, and help us build toward a championship, but just like everyone else at home, when you kind of see it from afar, it hurts.”

“This is a weird case in NBA history to be a part of,” Irving said later (story via Christian Clark of The Athletic). “At the same time, it’s the nature of our business. It is a ruthless business. So you have to be able to pick up the pieces. Still run toward the championship. That’s the ultimate goal on why I play. Having other guys who are championship guys helps, too. But at the same time, we have to acknowledge that our little Slovenian president is no longer here and we have to adjust.”

According to Bontemps, Irving also spoke about his last season in Boston back in 2018/19, when Davis was a frequently rumored target of the Celtics. Irving said the plan at the time was for him to team with Davis, Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum, though that obviously didn’t happen — he and Durant both signed with Brooklyn in 2019 free agency, while Davis wound up being traded to Los Angeles.

“Yeah. That has no foreshadowing either, on anything, guys. Just letting you know right now,” Irving said with a laugh, referring to speculation swirling around Suns star Durant ahead of Thursday’s 2:00 pm CT trade deadline. “We were discussing in 2018, just for everybody at home that’s watching, because I know all of these words are going to be looked at.

“But yeah, in 2018, it was a dream for Kyrie, AD, KD to be on one team and still keep JT and let him grow and then see how it goes. But back then, those young guys weren’t ready to be in trade rumors, man. Our locker room splintered after that once they found out. It wasn’t [Jaylen Brown] or JT, but our locker room splintered once they started figuring out the trade rumors, and our season started going in a whole different way.”

After Tuesday’s win over the Clippers, Lakers superstar LeBron James said he was completely caught off guard by the three-team mega-deal as well and confirmed that he had no idea it was in the works, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN relays.

“My emotions were all over the place, obviously,” James said. “We had just come off a big win, a huge win in the Garden. I was out. I mean, you guys have seen the report. I was out with my family at dinner and got the news, and the first time I heard it, I thought it was for sure fake. I thought it was a hoax, people messing around or whatever. But then when AD called me, AD FaceTimed me and I talked to him for quite a while, and even when I got off the phone with him, it still didn’t seem real.”

Even though he was shocked by the trade, James said he was fully on board with having Doncic on the roster and that he was “committed to the Lakers organization,” McMenamin adds.

“Luka’s been my favorite player in the NBA for a while now,” James said. “I think you guys know that. And I’ve always just tried to play the game the right way and inspire the next generation. And Luka happens to be one of them. And now, we’re teammates. So it’ll be a very seamless transition.”

Separate Deals Involving Bulls’ Nikola Vucevic Fall Through

February 4th, 2025 at 10:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bulls were able to move Zach LaVine before Thursday’s deadline, but they’re having a tougher time dealing center Nikola Vucevic.

Citing multiple sources, The Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley reports that two separate deals involving Vucevic fell apart on Tuesday. One of Cowley’s sources stressed that the situation remains fluid.

HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported earlier on Tuesday that the Lakers and Warriors are among Vucevic’s rumored suitors. It’s not certain whether the two deals the Bulls were trying to put together occurred with those two teams.

Vucevic isn’t the only player the Bulls are looking to move. They’re also fielding trade offers for Coby White and Lonzo Ball, among others. The players they acquired in the LaVine trade with Sacramento and San Antonio — Zach Collins, Tre Jones and Kevin Huerter — are being held out because one or more of them could be attached in a package if a bigger deal materializes, Cowley adds.

Despite the uncertainty, the Bulls defeated Miami, 133-124. on Tuesday. Vucevic, Ball and White were all in the starting lineup and played anywhere from 29 to 33 minutes.

Vucevic has one more year remaining on his contract. He’ll make $21.5MM next season. Ball has an expiring contract, while White has one more year left on his deal.

Head coach Billy Donovan acknowledged that a lot could happen before Thursday’s deadline. The franchise has grown weary of being stuck in mediocrity.

“You’ve got to be able to have a partner in that to make things happen,” Donovan said. “I still think there’s a long process in this quite honestly. You have a few more days left in this (trade deadline) period, you’re going to move into the draft, move into free agency in July, so there’s going to be windows to make these things happen. ’m all for doing what’s best for the organization. All the way from top to bottom everybody felt the same way. We’re kind of in the middle here and we had to make a shift and do something, and that’s been the goal to try and get that done.”

Southwest Notes: Doncic, Duffy, Davis, Vassell, Jackson

February 4th, 2025 at 9:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Confirming previous reports, Luka Doncic said he gave Mavericks management any indication that he wouldn’t sign a five-year, $345MM super-max extension this offseason prior to being dealt to the Lakers, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News tweets.

“Absolutely not,” Doncic said.

Doncic’s agent, Bill Duffy, indicated he expected to discuss the super-max with Dallas’ brass.

“We were going to talk at the end of the season,” Duffy said, per another Townsend tweet.

Doncic is no longer eligible for the super-max since he was dealt.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Anthony Davis admits he was caught off-guard by the blockbuster trade that landed him in Dallas. “I was shocked,” Davis said, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “I had no idea. I had just sent the team a text about congratulations on the win against the Knicks, big win, and then looking forward to Tuesday’s game against the Clippers, as far as standing purposes. And then, found out like an hour later I was no longer with the team. I was in shock, obviously. Had no idea that it was happening. But, I mean, now I’m kind of over it, and just kind of getting ready to play with Dallas.” Davis had lobbied for the Lakers to acquire a center so he could spend more time at power forward. The Mavericks have Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively, which will allow Davis to play power forward regularly again. “Anytime that I’m out on the floor, I feel better. I haven’t played power forward in a long time with another big,” Davis said. “We saw some spurts in L.A. with Jaxson (Hayes), but to be back naturally at the four, I’m excited to see how it goes.”
Spurs wing Devin Vassell sees a new offensive dimension with the addition of De’Aaron Fox, according to ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. He feels defenses will be confounded by the combination of Fox and Victor Wembanyama. “Who do you stop between those two?” Vassell said. “I think we’re going to play a lot faster and we’re going to be out in transition a lot. I think it’s just going to open up a lot with Fox being our point guard. Him and Wemby on the screen-and-roll? Then you have me and (Julian) Champagnie and certain shooters around. It’s going to be an exciting offense, and I think defensively we’re going to be able to get after people, too. I know Fox likes to pick up full court and kind of change the pace of the game. He’s going to help us on both ends.” Fox is listed as available for the Spurs’ game against Atlanta on Wednesday, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.
In a subscriber-only story, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal details GG Jackson‘s breakout game against San Antonio and considers how Jackson’s ability to be a dynamic offense option impacts the Grizzlies going forward. The second-year forward, playing in his eighth game since returning from foot surgery, scored 27 points in 28 minutes.

Scotto’s Latest: Bucks, Vucevic, Ball, Martin, Sims, Hunter

February 4th, 2025 at 4:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks‘ conversations on the trade market leading up to the February 6 deadline have centered around Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis, Pat Connaughton, and MarJon Beauchamp, along with their 2031 first-round pick, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Middleton, Portis, and Connaughton hold player options for the 2025/26 season worth $34MM, $13.4MM, and $9.4MM, respectively. The expectation, Scotto writes, is that Middleton and Connaughton will pick up their options, locking in those cap hits for next season. Portis’ intentions aren’t known, per Scotto, but if he opts out, he’d presumably do so in search of a raise.

With Middleton having battled injuries, Portis potentially a free agent this summer, Connaughton having a down year, and Beauchamp not in the rotation, the value of the Bucks’ top trade candidates is limited, but that 2031 first-rounder would certainly be coveted on the trade market.

According to Scotto, in the two weeks since the Suns traded their 2031 first-round pick for three less valuable first-rounders, a handful of NBA executives have expressed interest in trying to work out a similar deal with the Bucks.

Here are a few more rumors of interest from Scotto:

Scotto checks in on Bulls trade candidates Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball, writing that there’s a “growing sense” that Vucevic could be on the move this week, with the Warriors and Lakers among his rumored suitors.
As for Ball, the Grizzlies, Pistons, and Timberwolves are among the teams with interest, Scotto writes. Minnesota, a second-apron team, likely doesn’t have a realistic path to acquiring Ball in a trade, and Scotto does note that some clubs are monitoring the situation to see whether the Bulls guard could end up on the buyout market. Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported earlier today that Chicago is resistant to the idea of buying out Ball.
In general, Scotto says, the Bulls want to avoid taking on long-term salary in trades as they look to create more cap flexibility in the coming years.
Besides Milwaukee, whose interest was reported earlier today, the Lakers and the Nuggets are among the teams with some trade interest in Hornets wing Cody Martin, league sources tell Scotto.
Meanwhile, the Lakers, Clippers, and Bucks are among the teams to register some level of interest in Knicks center Jericho Sims, while Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter has drawn interest from the Cavaliers, Scotto reports.

Begley’s Latest: Knicks, Theis, Sims, Nets, Brogdon, Cavs, Raptors

February 4th, 2025 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

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 Notes: Doncic, Adams, Centers, Vincent, Kleber

February 4th, 2025 at 1:21pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers‘ shocking acquisition of Luka Doncic landed the team its next franchise player, but it left the roster with a hole at center in the short term, general manager Rob Pelinka acknowledged on Tuesday. As Jovan Buha of The Athletic tweets, Pelinka mentioned versatility, mobility, and verticality as some of the traits the team is looking for as it peruses the trade market for a big man after sending Anthony Davis to Dallas.

“We know we have a need for a big,” Pelinka said, per Sam Amick of The Athletic. “The market for bigs right now, leading into the last two or three days of the trade deadline, is very dry. There’s just not a lot available. So maybe we’ll be able to do some stuff around the margins.

“I would say, in terms of a big move for that position, it’s probably more realistic that that would be something that comes in the offseason. But Luka will be at the center of that, as we build for the long term.”

According to Amick, the Lakers have been in touch with the Rockets about big man Steven Adams, who is on an expiring $12.6MM contract. There’s no momentum toward an agreement, but the fact that Los Angeles is eyeing players like Adams reflects Pelinka’s comments about potentially targeting a stop-gap option for now and making a bigger move in the summer, Amick notes.

Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber, both of whom have $11MM cap hits this season and are under contract for one more year, are being shopped as the Lakers look for a center, per Amick. However, Kleber’s salary can’t be aggregated for matching purposes prior to Thursday’s deadline, which may rule out the possibility of acquiring a player like Clint Capela ($22.3MM), Amick adds.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

Doncic, who has been out since Christmas Day due to a calf strain, will go through a 5-on-5 scrimmage on Wednesday and is considered day-to-day, with his return not far off, Pelinka told reporters on Tuesday (Twitter link via Buha). Shams Charania of ESPN said during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show (Twitter video link) that there’s optimism Doncic could make his Lakers debut on Saturday vs. Indiana.
Markieff Morris, one of the players who was traded from Dallas to L.A. along with Doncic, said the recent criticism about Doncic’s conditioning is “disrespectful,” according to Buha (Twitter link). Doncic, meanwhile, said those reports out of Dallas will serve as significant motivation for him going forward, tweets ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
The Lakers are incorporating Doncic’s sports performance team into their training staff, Pelinka said today (Twitter link via McMenamin). There has been reporting this week indicating that Doncic’s personal performance team was a source in frustration in Dallas due to poor communication between them and the Mavs.
The other new Laker, Kleber, said he’ll be reevaluated in eight weeks after recently undergoing surgery on his broken right foot (Twitter link via Buha). That assessment will determine whether or not he’s able to return to the court this season.

More Notes On Luka Doncic Blockbuster

February 3rd, 2025 at 3:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz were involved in the Luka Doncic/Anthony Davis mega-deal between the Lakers and Mavericks as a third-team facilitator, taking on Jalen Hood-Schifino‘s expiring contract and getting a pair of 2025 second-rounders for their willingness to eat that salary.

However, according to Ramona Shelburne and Tim MacMahon of ESPN, the talks between Dallas and Los Angeles were so closed off that Utah didn’t even know Doncic and Davis were involved in the trade until approximately an hour before it was completed. All the Jazz knew was that they were acquiring two second-round picks along with Hood-Schifino.

As ESPN’s duo writes, the Lakers had a few backup plans lined up if the Jazz ended up backing out. Utah had to complete a trade with the Clippers earlier on Saturday in order to make sure there was a roster spot available to take on Hood-Schifino — the Jazz ended up waiving Mohamed Bamba a day after acquiring him from the Clippers to open up that spot.

According to Shelburne and MacMahon, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison decided early in the process that the best way to go about trading Doncic was to target a specific deal he wanted and to keep it quiet. While the Mavs have faced some criticism for not opening up the process and potentially creating a bidding war, Harrison didn’t want to risk Doncic and his agent exerting leverage from their end — he also hoped to avoid creating a fan backlash during the negotiations, per ESPN.

Here’s more on the blockbuster trade whose shock waves are still reverberating across the NBA:

Within their in-depth look ta the deal, Shelburne and MacMahon write that Doncic’s habits on and off the court that had long frustrated the Mavericks. According to ESPN’s duo, when Doncic missed 11 days in November due to what was called a right wrist sprain, the primary motive was to give him time to shed weight, since he was in the high-260s. “I mean, who gains weight during the season when you’re playing 40 minutes a game?” one team source complained to ESPN last year. The Mavs considered Doncic’s ideal weight to be 245 points, but he frequently played in the 250-255 range or higher.
As Marc Stein previously reported, the full-time “body team” that Doncic hired out of pocket prior to the 2023/24 season was another source of frustration for Dallas. According to ESPN, the Mavs didn’t notice any improvements in the guard’s conditioning or availability, and complained about poor communication with Doncic’s team, which consisted of Slovenian national team strength coach Anze Macek, physiotherapist Javier Barrio Calvo, and nutritionist Lucia Almendros from Real Madrid.
New Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont didn’t have the same kind of personal relationship with Doncic that former majority owner Mark Cuban did, per Shelburne and MacMahon, who say Dumont trusted in Harrison’s belief that the trade would give the Mavs a better culture-setter in Davis, along with more financial flexibility and a defense-first identity. Cuban, who is still a minority stakeholder in the franchise, declined to comment on the deal, but one team source told ESPN, “No way Mark would ever trade Luka. It wouldn’t even be a conversation.”
Doncic had anticipated signing a five-year super-max extension with the Mavericks during the 2025 offseason, sources tell ESPN — he never gave any indication that he had considered the idea of leaving Dallas and had begun searching for a new home in the city. However, team sources tell Shelburne and MacMahon that the club was as concerned about Doncic signing that contract as they were about him not signing it.
David Aldridge of The Athletic spoke to several executives around the league about their impressions of the Doncic/Davis trade and how it was negotiated. While some of those execs questioned Dallas’ thinking, others pointed out that the Mavs knew Doncic better than any other team. “Luka has the ability to take a franchise to the highest level and has shown that,” one Eastern Conference executive said. “He is a winner, but it seems that Dallas knows something that others might not know and made a decision that they feel is best for now and their future.”
Marc J. Spears of Andscape hears that Doncic and the Lakers are targeting next week – likely either Monday or Wednesday vs. Utah – for his debut with the team (Twitter video link). Doncic has been out since Christmas Day due to a calf strain.

LeBron James, Donovan Mitchell Named Players Of The Week

February 3rd, 2025 at 3:06pm CST by Luke Adams

With the NBA world still buzzing about one of the biggest trades in Lakers history, LeBron James has been named the Player of the Week for the Western Conference, the league announced today (Twitter link).

In four games from January 27 to February 2, James averaged 27.5 points, 10.0 assists, and 7.3 rebounds per night, making 53.8% of his field goal attempts and leading the Lakers to a 3-1 record, with road victories over Charlotte, Washington, and New York.

It’s the 69th time in James’ career that he has earned Player of the Week honors and the first time this season. He beat out fellow nominees Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Ivica Zubac, according to the NBA (Twitter link).

Over in the Eastern Conference, the Player of the Week award went to Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell. He and backcourt mate Darius Garland are now two of the five players who have been named Player of the Week twice in 2024/25 — Mitchell also earned the honor on November 4.

Mitchell’s numbers during Cleveland’s past four games weren’t especially gaudy — he averaged just 22.8 points and 6.0 assists per contest. However, the Cavaliers went 4-0 in those games, Mitchell’s shooting line was a scorching-hot .533/.406/.933, and Cleveland outscored its opponents by a staggering 91 points during his 112 minutes. Put another way, the guard’s net rating last week was +36.4.

The other nominees for the award in the East were Bam Adebayo, Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Maxey, Jayson Tatum, and Pacers teammates Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam.

Lakers Rumors: Doncic, LeBron, Center, Sharpe

February 3rd, 2025 at 1:17pm CST by Luke Adams

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.

Warriors Eye LeBron James, Kevin Durant In Hopes Of Major Deadline Deals

February 3rd, 2025 at 12:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

12:48 pm: Shams Charania of ESPN confirmed during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show (Twitter video link) that the Warriors have inquired about James and Durant, noting that Golden State is casting a wide net in its search for another impact player.

“The Warriors are legitimately calling about every All-Star player,” Charania said. “Name the All-Star player, the Warriors have probably called about him. (Sixers forward) Paul George, they’ve probably called – they have called – about him.

“They’ve made calls on every star. And that, of course, includes players like LeBron, players like Kevin Durant, players like Jimmy Butler. They are making calls. They are dead set on trying to find another star player – a superstar player – with Stephen Curry.”

The Warriors are among several teams who have asked about Durant, per John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), but Gambadoro says the Suns remain focused on either acquiring Butler from Miami or – if they can’t get Butler – making other smaller deals.

12:00 pm: The Warriors are “big-game hunting” ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline and have contemplated a strategy to reunite the core of the U.S. Olympic squad by teaming up LeBron James and Kevin Durant with Stephen Curry, sources tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (subscription required).

That’s the most audacious of the plans being considered by Golden State’s front office, but there could be a path to making it happen. Sources tell Fischer that the Warriors are among the teams that have made inquiries about whether James could be convinced to waive his no-trade clause and part with the Lakers. Nothing has changed so far, but Golden State will presumably continue its pursuit through Thursday.

Fischer cites sources who say the Suns currently don’t plan to move Durant before the deadline, but they are listening to inquiries. Durant is aware of the situation, Fischer adds.

Any deal with Phoenix would involve “a very high asking price” involving players and draft picks, according to Fischer, who notes that the Suns have “a level of interest” in Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga.

Fischer points out that Phoenix’s grip on a postseason spot is less secure after the Spurs reached an agreement to acquire De’Aaron Fox from Sacramento. That trade should make San Antonio (21-25) more dangerous in the short term without the Kings (24-24), who are acquiring Zach LaVine as part of the three-team deal, taking a significant step backwards. Both teams are hot on the heels of the 25-23 Suns in the postseason race.

The Suns would like to complete a deal for Heat forward Jimmy Butler, but have found no takers for Bradley Beal and may not be able to make it happen without giving up Durant or Devin Booker.

Fischer also reports that the Warriors haven’t entirely abandoned the idea of trading for Butler, despite a report on Sunday that he wouldn’t sign an extension with them. According to Fischer, there are “reservations” in Golden State’s front office about how Butler’s personality would fit with the team considering his standoff in Miami and his history of messy breakups.

Fischer adds that the Mavericks aren’t trying to add either Butler or Durant, although they’re still searching for roster upgrades after swapping Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis.

The current speculation, according to Fischer, is that the Warriors or Bucks are just as likely to land Butler as the Suns are. However, he adds that Milwaukee has been quiet recently in the Butler pursuit and may be more focused on acquiring Kyle Kuzma from the Wizards.

Load More Posts