Central Notes: Siakam, Haliburton, Pistons, Lillard
Pascal Siakam continues to be a steadying force for the Pacers as they traverse the ups and downs of the season, according to Dustin Dopirak of IndyStar, who contends that the veteran forward has been Indiana’s most consistent player since his arrival via trade before last year’s deadline.
Even when they fell to 10-15 on the season, the Pacers continued to lean on Siakam and have gone 12-4 since, which included an impressive win over the contending Cavaliers on Sunday. More notable is the fact that Siakam hasn’t even been on Indiana’s injury report. In fact, the only game he’s been inactive for was his first as a Pacer the day after he was traded.
As Dopirak observes, Siakam leads the Pacers entering Tuesday with 19.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game to go along with 3.3 assists while shooting 52.1% from the field and 40.8% from deep. His three-point rate would be a career-high clip. He’s working on being a more vocal leader after being a core piece on the Raptors’ 2019 championship team. Siakam signed a four-year, maximum-salary contract with the Pacers this past offseason.
“I put a lot of work into my craft,” Siakam said. “I think every single night, I’m ready. I’m ready however the ball is gonna go. There’s going to be times when you might get more opportunity than others. It’s just all about preparation. For me, I prepare every single day for these moments. Every single night I’m out there, I want to be a threat on all three levels. I want to do it consistently every single night.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- Tyrese Haliburton missed Tuesday’s rematch against the Cavaliers — a 127-117 loss that snapped a six-game Pacers win streak — due to a mild groin strain, Dopirak reports (Twitter link). Head coach Rick Carlisle said Haliburton would be “day-to-day.” According to Dopirak (Twitter link), it is not a hamstring injury for Haliburton, as initially believed. That’s worth noting, since the two-time All-Star battled hamstring problems last season.
- Entering Tuesday, the Pistons led the league in wins in the month of January, earning them a nod for most surprising team of the year, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press opines. Cade Cunningham is establishing himself as a bona fide star and has a chance to start the All-Star Game just a year after the Pistons lost an NBA-record 28 consecutive games. “Our job is to put him in position to be successful. And then he’s got to go out there and do it,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Over these 40 games now, he and I and his teammates have learned a lot about each other and how we can best help each other. And that’s what it’s about — each of us playing our role and doing what we’re supposed to do together and collectively to just help one another, make this team as good as we possibly can. Cade knows his role and what this team needs, and he’s executed perfectly.” Cunningham is averaging 26.5 points and 8.3 assists per game this month while shooting a blistering 45.8% from deep.
- Bucks star guard Damian Lillard is open to the idea of finishing out his career in EuroLeague, according to a report from BasketNews. “It’s something I’ve talked about with some members of my family the past two years but not seriously thought about,” Lillard said. It’s unlikely that will happen anytime soon, if at all. Lillard is still playing at an All-Star level at age 34, averaging 24.8 points and 7.3 assists per game while shooting 44.0% from the floor and 37.5% from three.
Central Notes: Craig, Dosunmu, Cavs, Giannis, Haliburton
Torrey Craig likely won’t play for the Bulls for the remainder of the month. He has been diagnosed with a right ankle sprain and will be reevaluated in two weeks, the team tweets.
Craig has already missed the past six games due to what was listed as a leg contusion. The 34-year-old wing has only appeared in nine games this season after seeing action in 53 contests last season, his first with the Bulls. He will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
On a positive note, guard Ayo Dosunmu could return to action on Wednesday, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network tweets. Dosunmu, who went through scrimmages with some of the team’s reserves on Monday, has been sidelined by a calf injury since Dec. 23.
We have more from the Central Division:
- The Cavaliers had their 12-game winning streak snapped by the Pacers on Sunday. Indiana outscored Cleveland 68-40 in the second half. “What disappointed me was our first half was phenomenal, defensively, and then the second half, we fell off,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said, per ESPN News Services. “So, we couldn’t sustain our defense. Just disappointed.”
- The Bucks were hammered by the Knicks 140-106 on Sunday and that didn’t sit well with franchise player Giannis Antetokounmpo. He’s tired of seeing his team taken apart by the Eastern Conference’s elite. Milwaukee is 0-8 against the top three teams in the East, ESPN’s Chris Herring said. “We’ve gotta get our stuff together. It’s as simple as that. We did not beat Boston. We did not beat the Cavs. We didn’t beat the Knicks,” Antetokounmpo said. “Those are the top three teams, and we’ve played horribly against them.”
- Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton is listed as doubtful for the team’s rematch with the Cavs on Tuesday, Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files tweets. He experienced left hamstring tightness in Sunday’s game and did not return for the second half.
Stein’s Latest: Nets, Butler, Giannis, Suns, Nembhard, Coaches
The Nets are the only NBA team projected to have maximum-salary cap room during the 2025 offseason, but they have no plans to pursue Heat forward Jimmy Butler, who could be the biggest free agent on the market next summer, reports Marc Stein in his latest Substack article.
According to Stein, despite their impressive cap flexibility and stash of future draft assets, the Nets aren’t necessarily locked in on the idea of pursuing a star via trade or in free agency over the summer — if no favorable opportunities to land a star arise, they may simply be patient and continue building through the draft.
On the other hand, if Giannis Antetokounmpo were to become available, that would substantially alter the Nets’ plans, according to Stein, who says rumblings around the NBA suggest the Bucks forward would be Brooklyn’s “dream target” and that the Nets would make a push for him if Milwaukee were willing to trade him. That’s probably a long shot this year though, since have been no indications the Bucks would ever consider moving Antetokounmpo unless he specifically asked for it.
Here’s more from Stein:
- Stein is the latest reporter to confirm that there’s strong mutual interest between the Suns and Butler. “I’ve heard they want him bad,” one league source told Stein. Still, until Phoenix can find a taker for Bradley Beal and get Beal to sign off on that destination, the Suns don’t have a path to acquiring the Heat forward.
- Andrew Nembhard would be an ideal target for a team facing apron restrictions due to his $2.02MM cap hit, his long-term team control, and his lack of poison pill restrictions following his extension. However, Stein says the Pacers guard is considered one of the most valuable assets on Indiana’s roster and is viewed as essentially “off-limits” in trade talks.
- Taking an early look at the Coach of the Year race, Stein describes Kenny Atkinson of the Cavaliers as the clear favorite and says he’d fill out his hypothetical ballot with Jamahl Mosley of the Magic at No. 2 and J.B. Bickerstaff of the Pistons at No. 3. Rockets head coach Ime Udoka earns an honorable mention.
Cap Observations: Bucks/Apron, Hornets’ Trade Chips, Nets’ Cap Room
It hasn't exactly been a quiet start to 2025 on the NBA rumor mill, as Jimmy Butler's trade request has led to plenty of speculation about where the Heat star could land and how a potential deal could impact the rest of the market. But it may still be a couple more weeks before the in-season trade market truly heats up ahead of the February 6 deadline.
In the meantime, we're taking a closer look at a handful of cap-related topics that have been on our minds, including a scenario in which the Bucks aren't subject to second-apron restrictions, an under-the-radar team to watch as a deadline seller, and why cap room projections for the Nets are a little all over the place.
Let's dive in...
Jimmy Butler Notes: Bucks, Trade Timeline, Riley, More
Multiple reports this week indicated that the Grizzlies and Bucks are among the teams that have been advised not to pursue a trade for Heat forward Jimmy Butler, and while Sam Amick of The Athletic has “for sure” heard that Memphis received that message, he’s less certain about what’s going on with Milwaukee.
“The Milwaukee thing, I’m admittedly a little confused by,” Amick said during an appearance on FanDuel’s Run it Back (Twitter video link). “… I was told from somebody who 100% would and should know that Jimmy’s camp had not spoken about Milwaukee and also hadn’t been asked about Milwaukee.
While the Bucks were named on Monday as one of the clubs considering the possibility of making a play for Butler, Amick is skeptical that they plan to seriously explore that idea, whether or not they’ve been warned off by the forward’s camp.
“There is chatter about the Bucks and the idea of them kicking it around. Regardless of exactly what was said, I would move off that possibility,” Amick continued. “I don’t sense a lot of eagerness from the Bucks’ side to go down that road.”
Since the Bucks are currently operating about $6.5MM above the second tax apron, they’d have to reduce their team salary by more than that amount before – or as part of – any trade for Butler in order to legally aggregate multiple player contracts for matching purposes.
Here are a few more items related to the NBA’s most prominent trade candidate:
- Within a detailed breakdown of where things stand with Butler, Kurt Helin of NBC Sports cites league sources who believe there’s a real chance the 35-year-old could remain in Miami all season and not be traded until the summer, at which time it would be easier for the Heat to construct a deal that works for both them and their trade partner(s).
- Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald takes a closer look at what the Heat’s options in the 2025 offseason would be if they were to sign-and-trade Butler or allow him to walk as a free agent.
- Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel checks in on the latest developments related to the Butler drama, including Heat president Pat Riley talking to Dan Le Batard about critics who say he’s “washed” and Butler seemingly taking a passive-aggressive jab at Riley and the Heat in a social media video.
- In his most recent mailbag (subscription required), Winderman considers whether it’s fair to the rest of the players on the roster for the Heat to put them in the middle of more drama by bringing Butler back at the end of his suspension instead of taking the best offer on the table at that point.
- A recent feature from Ben Golliver of The Washington Post includes some exclusive quotes from Butler. Those quotes are about a month old, predating the developments of the past few weeks, but one comment from Butler perhaps provides some insight into why he was upset that the Heat were unwilling to offer him a maximum-salary contract extension over the summer. “I still think I’m in my prime if I’m being brutally honest,” Butler told Golliver.
And-Ones: Cousins, All-Star Voting, 2025 Draft, More
Four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins hasn’t played in the league since finishing the 2021/22 season with Denver, but he continues to compete professionally in non-NBA leagues around the world. The 34-year-old center is joining Selenge Bodons in Mongolia, according to announcements from the club on Instagram and Cousins on Facebook.
The No. 5 overall pick in the 2010 draft, Cousins averaged 19.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game in 654 regular season appearances for seven NBA teams from 2010-22. Cousins’ career was derailed by a series of major leg injuries, including a torn ACL and torn Achilles, which reduced his effectiveness on both ends of the court in his later NBA seasons.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The NBA provided an update on All-Star fan voting on Thursday, announcing (via Twitter) that Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic continue to be the leading vote-getters. The only change among the top three frontcourt players and two guards in each conference since last Thursday is that Warriors star Stephen Curry has nudged ahead of Luka Doncic as the No. 2 guard in the West.
- Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN (Insider link) and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic have updates their NBA mock drafts for 2025. Vecenie suggests that after top two prospects Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper, there are plenty of question marks, which is reflected in the significant differences between the two mocks. For example, Georgia’s Asa Newell comes in at No. 6 in Vecenie’s mock but at No. 22 in ESPN’s. Converseley, French point guard Nolan Traore, the No. 6 player for ESPN, nearly falls out of the lottery in Vecenie’s mock at No. 13.
- In a pair of stories for The Athletic, John Hollinger identifies several underrated draft prospects to watch, including including Texas Tech’s Darrion Williams and Auburn’s Johni Broome, and discusses 10 less heralded trade candidates, such as Rockets forward Jeff Green, Celtics guard Jaden Springer, and Grizzlies sharpshooter Luke Kennard.
Central Notes: Cunningham, LaVine, Vucevic, Bryant, Horton-Tucker, Middleton
The surprising Pistons have won five straight games heading into their matchup against Golden State on Thursday. After his team defeated the Nets on Wednesday, Cade Cunningham told Hunter Patterson of The Athletic that it’s just the start of the franchise’s turnaround.
“It feels good,” said Cunningham, who signed a maximum-salary rookie scale extension last summer. “We’re still hungry though, man. We’re not satisfied. It is a satisfying feeling, but we’re not satisfied at all.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- The Bulls may be looking to deal Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic but their head coach believes both players should receive All-Star consideration despite the team’s mediocre record, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. “You get a chance to see those guys play every night and there’s no question in my mind, just based on what these guys have performed through – whatever it is 35 or 36 games – they have performed at an All-Star level,” Billy Donovan said. “Both of those two have. I think the stats will back that up.” LaVine and Vucevic are the team’s top scorers, averaging a combined 43.5 points per game.
- With Myles Turner sidelined by an illness, Thomas Bryant pumped in a season-high 22 points with eight rebounds in the Pacers’ win over Chicago on Wednesday. “He was great,” coach Rick Carlisle told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “He played efficient. He played smart. He seemed to always be in the right place at the right time. He had a couple of important putbacks in key moments of the game. He brings a real positive energy just as a person out there too along with being a heck of a player. … I don’t know that we win the game without him.” Bryant was traded by Miami to Indiana in mid-December.
- Talen Horton-Tucker‘s veteran’s minimum contract with the Bulls becomes fully guaranteed on Friday. Horton-Tucker – who has received steady rotation minutes, appearing in 30 games off the bench and averaging 6.3 points – says he’s grateful that he’ll be sticking around. “It’s a blessing to be here the rest of the season,” he said, per K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link). “I’m excited to get to work and hope to be here as long as possible.”
- Bucks forward Khris Middleton believes that his reserve role is only temporary, he told Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I mean, I know what type of player I am,” he said. “Just for the time being I need to come off the bench. It is what it is. But I’m confident in this team, I’m confident in myself and this is the role I have to play for the time being.” Coach Doc Rivers says it has more to do with Middleton’s health than anything else. “He’s not starting (Wednesday), but more just the minute thing,” Rivers said. “He keeps getting the tendinitis (in his ankle). It’s just not improving to the place he wants it or we want it. So we’re just going to monitor and cut his minutes back a little bit and try to makes sure he can get through this.”
Fischer’s Latest: Butler, Grizzlies, Bucks, Suns, Beal, More
Exploring the Jimmy Butler situation in his latest Substack article for The Stein Line, Jake Fischer confirms that the Grizzlies and Bucks are among the teams that Butler’s camp has discouraged from trading for the Heat forward. Chris Haynes first reported that Memphis had been advised not to pursue Butler, while Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports later added that Milwaukee had received a similar message.
Fischer also confirms that the Suns clearly appear to be Butler’s preferred landing spot, not only because he wants to team up with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker but because team owner Mat Ishbia has established himself as a free spender who would presumably give Butler the sort of contract extension he’s seeking.
If Phoenix makes a move for Butler, it would have to include Bradley Beal, but the Suns have no desire to broach the subject with Beal – who has a no-trade clause – unless they’re able to figure out a multi-team scenario that could work. Miami reportedly has no interest in taking on the well-paid veteran guard and his no-trade clause.
“You can’t bring anything to Brad unless there’s a deal on the table,” a veteran Eastern Conference executive told Fischer. “You can’t lose him until you know you’re going to move him.”
While they would like to land Butler, the Suns are also actively exploring other options on the trade market, gauging what sort of return they could acquire if they were to give up their 2031 first-round pick, which is their only tradable first-rounder, Fischer writes.
Here’s more from Fischer:
- Although the Suns‘ decision to remove Beal from their starting lineup has been widely viewed as an attempt to encourage him to waive his no-trade clause, sources tell Fischer the team is hoping the move to the second unit will “spark more of an aggressive output” from the guard as a “microwave scorer.” Of course, there’s no reason that both explanations can’t be true.
- The Grizzlies have made Luke Kennard, John Konchar, and draft capital available as they seek an upgrade on the trade market. But even if Butler were open to moving to Memphis, it’s unclear if the team would have an appetite for a bigger deal that would involve Marcus Smart and Brandon Clarke, according to Fischer, who hears from sources that the Grizzlies highly value both of those players.
- The Thunder and Kings opened up roster spots on Tuesday by waiving Branden Carlson and Orlando Robinson, respectively. Those roster spots may come in handy on the trade market, but if they’re still open after the deadline, Ajay Mitchell and Isaac Jones are worth monitoring as candidates to be promoted from two-way contracts, says Fischer.
Bucks To Bring Khris Middleton Off Bench
The Bucks have informed forward Khris Middleton that they’ll be removing him from their starting lineup and bringing him off the bench moving forward, sources tell NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter video link).
As Haynes explains, the Bucks are trying to establish continuity with their starting lineup while Middleton continues to work his way back to full strength following offseason surgeries on both ankles. The 33-year-old sat out Monday’s game in Toronto for “injury management” purposes related to his ankles and continues to face a minutes restriction, Haynes notes.
Deploying a starting lineup of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Brook Lopez, Andre Jackson, and Taurean Prince will allow head coach Doc Rivers to stick with that starting five even if Middleton has the miss the occasional game. Bringing the three-time All-Star off the bench will also make it easier for the team to manage his playing time for as long as he remains on a minutes limit.
Middleton, who made his season debut on December 6, came off the bench in his first five appearances of the season before starting each of his past seven outings. He has averaged 12.7 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.4 rebounds in 23.8 minutes per game across those 12 contests, with a shooting line of .447/.404/.852.
Middleton is the second multi-time All-Star to be removed from his team’s starting lineup this week while his name comes up in Jimmy Butler trade rumors, joining Suns guard Bradley Beal.
While the Bucks have reportedly considered the idea of pursuing Butler, it would be very challenging from a cap perspective to pull off a deal and they’re rumored to be among the teams who have been advised not to trade for the Heat star. So even though Middleton would almost certainly have to be included in a Milwaukee offer for Butler, it seems unlikely that such a deal will come to fruition.
Middleton will be available to play for the Bucks on Wednesday vs. San Antonio, Haynes adds.
Latest On Jimmy Butler
When word broke last Thursday that Jimmy Butler had informed the Heat he wants to be traded, a report from ESPN indicated that the star forward was open to playing anywhere besides Miami. However, it doesn’t sound as if Butler’s camp is sticking to that stance.
According to NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter video link), multiple teams – including the Grizzlies – have “received word” that Butler isn’t interested in joining them and have been advised not to pursue the 35-year-old. Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) has heard rumblings that the Bucks may also be included in that group.
Butler doesn’t have the ability to veto a trade, and the Heat will be seeking the deal that makes the most sense for the organization, so there’s nothing stopping Memphis or another team not on Butler’s list of preferred destinations from rolling the dice on him.
However, as Haynes observes, Butler’s ability to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end by declining his $52.4MM player option gives him some leverage. A potential suitor would be reluctant to sacrifice valuable assets for Butler without being reasonably confident that the six-time All-Star would be more than a rest-of-season rental — especially since the veteran has made it clear he’s willing to make things uncomfortable if he’s not happy.
The Suns, Warriors, Mavericks, and Rockets were reported last month to be the landing spots on Butler’s wish list. It’s unclear whether that list has expanded at all in recent weeks. As I wrote earlier today in our latest Front Office article, the Grizzlies are one team that would make sense as a fit, given the strength of their roster, their cap situation, their available trade assets, and their desire to add a defensive-minded wing.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst also provided an update on the Butler situation during Tuesday’s episode of First Take (Twitter video link). Noting that Butler has long conveyed his intent to become a free agent after this season, Windhorst says teams are hesitant to give up significant trade chips to acquire him, given his contract situation and salary expectations.
“Jimmy Butler isn’t going to extend with any team. And so because teams know that, they’re offering the Heat right now the pu-pu platter,” Windhorst said. “There is only one team that is ready to pay Jimmy Butler exactly what he wants, and that is the Phoenix Suns. And you know why that’s fascinating? Because of the 29 other teams that are out there that could trade for Jimmy Butler, the team that he wants to go to, which is Phoenix, is the team that has the hardest time trading for him.”
As we’ve discussed multiple times in recent weeks, there’s mutual interest between Butler and the Suns, but Phoenix would almost certainly have to send out Bradley Beal to acquire Butler due to the team’s second-apron restrictions.
Beal has a no-trade clause and is on a maximum-salary contract that is widely viewed as an albatross, given that he’s still owed nearly $111MM over two years after this season. The Heat reportedly have zero interest in acquiring the veteran guard, so a third team (that he’d be willing to go to) would be necessary, and the Suns likely lack the draft assets to incentivize both the Heat and that third team to make a deal.
“We’re at a genuine stalemate,” Windhorst continued. “I don’t know how it’s going to play out. The Heat are preparing internally for this to last past (Butler’s seven-game) suspension, not because they’ve got some sort of sinister motive, but because they know what offers they’ve gotten and they stink. And so that’s where we’re at now.”
Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald confirms (via Twitter) that the Heat have yet to be presented with an offer for Butler that’s particularly tempting or that they’ve strongly considered.
Here are a few more Butler-related items:
- In a full story for The Herald, Jackson takes a look at why Butler’s escalation in pushing for a trade may not be in either his or Miami’s best interest.
- The Heat haven’t looked good in the first two games of Butler’s suspension — they were blown out at home by a lottery-bound Jazz team on Saturday and blew a 17-point fourth quarter lead against the Kings on Monday before losing in overtime. As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes, Miami is now outside the top eight in the Eastern Conference and is increasingly at risk of an unwanted outcome with its traded first-round picks. If the Heat make the playoffs this season, they’d send the Thunder their 2025 first-rounder and would owe the Hornets their 2027 first-rounder with lottery protection, whereas missing the playoffs and keeping their 2025 pick would mean they owe Oklahoma City their 2026 pick and Charlotte their 2028 pick without protections. While it’s possible that latter scenario could ultimately work out for the best, it would increase the risk of the team having to give up a high first-rounder.
- Heat captain Bam Adebayo admitted that the Butler saga has been an “emotional roller coaster” for the team in recent days, as Winderman details in another Sun Sentinel story.