Lowe’s Latest: Durant, Grizzlies, Anunoby, Pelicans, Warriors, Clippers
In the wake of the Nets‘ Kevin Durant trade agreement with the Suns, reports indicated that Brooklyn only really negotiated with Phoenix rather than canvassing the NBA to generate a bidding war. The Nets likely already knew what teams were willing to offer after discussing Durant deals for nearly two months in the offseason, and liked the combination of players and picks the Suns were willing to offer.
According to Zach Lowe of ESPN (Insider link), another team that was prepared to put a strong package of draft picks on the table for Durant was the Grizzlies. Sources tell Lowe that the Nets were aware since July that Memphis was willing to trade every available draft pick and swap of its own for Durant (it’s unclear if that offer would’ve included Golden State’s lightly protected 2024 first-round pick or just the Grizzlies’ own first-rounders).
However, the Suns’ inclusion of Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson helped tip the scales in their favor. Sources around the league have said that the Grizzlies have kept Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. entirely off-limits in any trade talks, according to Lowe, so the players in Memphis’ offer wouldn’t have been as valuable as the ones in the deal Brooklyn ultimately accepted.
Here’s more from Lowe:
- After mentioning on his podcast that the Grizzlies and Pacers each offered three first-round picks for Raptors forward OG Anunoby, Lowe says the Pelicans – another presumed suitor – didn’t hold any serious talks with Toronto about him. As Lowe reiterates, the Raptors were seeking a high-level player or prospect in an Anunoby deal; Will Guillory of The Athletic says New Orleans didn’t show much interest in discussing Dyson Daniels or Trey Murphy in trade talks.
- The Warriors also engaged with the Raptors about Anunoby, Lowe confirms, but he says the two teams don’t appear to have gotten all that close to an agreement. Golden State likely would have had to include Jonathan Kuminga as the centerpiece of its offer, sources tell ESPN.
- The Clippers never ended up having any serious trade talks for D’Angelo Russell or Kyle Lowry, and the Mike Conley bidding was out of their price range, Lowe says. They also got nowhere close on Fred VanVleet, since the Raptors would have wanted Terance Mann and possibly more draft equity than L.A. could’ve offered, Lowe adds.
Northwest Notes: Payton, Blazers, Hyland, Clarkson, Conley, Gobert
It got a bit lost in the shuffle of Thursday’s trade deadline activity, but one of the more interesting moves at the deadline was the Trail Blazers trading away guard Gary Payton II after he had appeared in just 15 games with the team. Payton was dealt just seven months after Portland beat out rival suitors to sign him to a three-year contract as a free agent.
One source tells Jason Quick of The Athletic that one key reason for the move was that Payton had indicated he didn’t want to be in Portland anymore — he was “ecstatic” to be sent back to the Warriors, according to that source.
It’s a worrying sign that so many players the Blazers trade seem so enthusiastic about leaving Portland, Quick writes, pointing to Norman Powell, Robert Covington, Larry Nance Jr., and Josh Hart as other recent examples.
Quick also questions how Damian Lillard and Jerami Grant (who has been offered an extension) might view the Blazers’ deadline moves, which included trading Payton and Hart and acquiring flawed or unproven young players like Cam Reddish, Matisse Thybulle, and Kevin Knox.
Head coach Chauncey Billups had been hoping to add size and experience to the roster, but Portland’s deals this week accomplished neither and may result in the team taking a step back in the short term. As Quick writes, the Blazers will have to hope that Lillard and Grant still believe in the team’s long-term plan.
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- When Bones Hyland left the Nuggets‘ bench out of frustration in the fourth quarter of a Jan. 22 game against Oklahoma City, it represented a tipping point, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post, who says that incident didn’t sit well with a number of Denver’s veterans and led to the team exploring Hyland’s trade market in earnest. According to Singer, Hyland’s poor fit alongside Jamal Murray, his defensive lapses, and his displeasure with his role were all factors that led to him being dealt. Still, trading the second-year guard was a difficult decision that went up to ownership, sources tell The Denver Post.
- The Jazz and guard Jordan Clarkson aren’t expected to reach an agreement on an in-season extension, but sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic that Utah remains very open to continuing its relationship with Clarkson beyond this year. The 30-year-old can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer by turning down a $14.3MM player option for 2023/24.
- The Timberwolves‘ acquisition of Mike Conley signals the team’s commitment to improving the fit for Rudy Gobert, who developed chemistry with Conley in Utah, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “I love Mike,” Gobert said on Wednesday. “I just love the way he plays the game — the way he makes people around him better, his professionalism, the way he plays to win and his selflessness, and I love him as a person too, so obviously I’m happy.”
Nuggets Eyeing Reggie Jackson As Buyout Target
Although the Nuggets didn’t make a major splash at the trade deadline, they did add some frontcourt depth by sending out Bones Hyland in a deal for veteran center Thomas Bryant. As a result of that move, Denver is in the market for a backout player to fill out their 15-man roster, and according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post, veteran guard Reggie Jackson is near the top of the team’s wish list.
Jackson was on the move on deadline day, having been included for salary-matching purposes in the swap that sent center Mason Plumlee from the Hornets to the Clippers. Charlotte is considered likely to buy out the veteran guard.
Jackson, 32, was the Clippers’ full-time starter at point guard last season, but fell out of the team’s starting five in 2022/23. For the season, he has averaged 10.9 PPG and 3.5 APG on .418/.350/.924 shooting in 52 games (38 minutes; 25.7 MPG).
According to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (Twitter video link), the Suns, another Western Conference contender, are also viewed as a probable suitor for Jackson, who played high school basketball in Colorado.
The Nuggets have an open spot on their 15-man roster and are seeking a reliable insurance policy in their backcourt or on the wing. Jamal Murray, the team’s primary backcourt ball-handler, has missed a few games recently due to right knee inflammation, Bruce Brown isn’t a natural point guard, and veteran Ish Smith is more of an emergency option, Singer writes.
Although Jackson is at or near the top of Denver’s list of targets, there are plenty of other buyout candidates the team could consider. Russell Westbrook, John Wall, and Patrick Beverley are among the veteran point guards likely to reach free agency. Singer also points to Danny Green as a wing who might be a nice fit for the Nuggets, though there’s no indication yet that Houston will buy out Green after acquiring him from the Grizzlies.
A reunion with Will Barton, who is reportedly working on a buyout with the Wizards, won’t be possible, since NBA rules prohibit a team from re-signing a player it traded during the offseason if he’s waived by his new team during the subsequent season.
Trade Deadline Leftovers: VanVleet, Anunoby, Siakam, Bridges, Bulls, Knicks, More
After agreeing to acquire Jakob Poeltl from San Antonio, the Raptors didn’t make any additional deadline-day moves, but it wasn’t for a lack of options.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter video link via The Rally), the Bucks were among the teams expressing interest in Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet in advance of the deadline. Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link) hears that those talks included Grayson Allen and a future first-round pick. Grange adds that the Clippers talked about Luke Kennard and Brandon Boston Jr. in their VanVleet discussions with the Raptors, but weren’t willing to include a first-rounder.
As for OG Anunoby, ESPN’s Zach Lowe said on the latest episode of his Lowe Post podcast that the Grizzlies and Pacers were comfortable including three first-round picks in their offers for the Raptors forward, but Toronto was prioritizing young players over future draft picks and neither package included the kind of players they were seeking (hat tip to RealGM).
According to Lowe, the Pacers’ offer also included Houston’s 2023 second-round pick, which Indiana would control if it lands at No. 31 or 32 (it’d be at No. 31 if the season ended today). However, it’s probably safe to assume that two of the first-rounders the Pacers were willing to give up were Boston’s and Cleveland’s 2023 picks, which figure to fall pretty late in the first round.
Lowe also stated on his podcast (hat tip to RealGM) that the Nets briefly pursued Raptors forward Pascal Siakam between their Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant trades, in the hopes of convincing Durant to stay in Brooklyn.
“I think (the Nets) told (Durant), ‘Hey man, in the summer, we can get some big names. There are going to be some big names who might ask out. We are going to collect stuff to give ourselves a shot at it,'” Lowe said. “… They tried to get Pascal Siakam now in the intervening 96 hours because KD made it known he likes Pascal Siakam. He thought he would be a good fit.”
Here are a few more trade deadline leftovers from around the NBA:
- After the Nets agreed to acquire Mikal Bridges in the Durant blockbuster, Bridges drew considerable trade interest from rival clubs, Zach Lowe stated on his Lowe Post podcast (hat tip to RealGM). “I know of one team – and I’ve confirmed this – I know of one team who offered four first-round picks for Mikal Bridges,” Lowe said. “Now, I know of at least three first round picks. I think the fourth one may have had some protections or something, but I’m pretty sure that was a thing.”
- The Bulls, who didn’t make a deadline deal, received inquiries on Alex Caruso and Coby White, but never seriously considered moving Caruso and got “underwhelming” offers for White, says K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Johnson also talked to a source who downplayed the discussions Chicago had with the Knicks about Zach LaVine, characterizing them as “preliminary.” Another source who spoke to Johnson insisted those talks didn’t happen at all, but didn’t rule out the possibility that such a scenario could be discussed in the offseason, depending on how the rest of 2022/23 plays out.
- Spurs big man Zach Collins garnered some deadline-week interest, according to LJ Ellis of SpursTalk, who says from a league source that the Sixers, Nuggets, and Bucks inquired on Collins. Ellis also hears that San Antonio shopped Keita Bates-Diop in search of a second-round pick, but the forward ended up staying put.
- If the 2023 first-round pick the Knicks sent to the Trail Blazers as part of the Josh Hart trade lands in the lottery, New York will instead send Portland the following picks, per Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link): The Pistons’ 2024 second-rounder, either the Timberwolves’ or Knicks’ 2026 second-rounder (whichever is least favorable), and the Knicks’ own 2027 and 2028 second-rounders.
- John Hollinger of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that the Grizzlies acquired a minor pick swap in the Luke Kennard trade with the Clippers. Memphis now has the ability to swap a 2026 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable of the Celtics’, Heat’s, and Pacers’ picks) for the Clippers’ 2026 second-rounder.
2023 NBA Trade Deadline Recap
Any concern that the 2023 NBA trade deadline might be a quiet one went out the window when Kyrie Irving requested a trade last Friday. In the week that followed, NBA teams completed a total of 15 trades, including 12 that were finalized on deadline day.
The two most significant deals of those 15 included Irving, who was sent from Brooklyn to Dallas on Monday, and his teammate Kevin Durant, who landed in Phoenix on Thursday.
The blockbuster that sent Durant from the Nets to the Suns featured four teams and was a prime example of the creativity on display from NBA teams at this year’s trade deadline — six of Thursday’s 12 swaps involved at least three clubs, and four of those six trades were four-team deals.
In total, a staggering 49 NBA players were on the move on deadline day, plus four draft-and-stash players. Additionally, 44 draft picks (seven first-rounders and 37 second-rounders) were included in Thursday’s trades, along with three pick swaps (two first-rounders and one second-rounder).
Here’s a recap all of 2023’s deadline deals:
Trades made on deadline day
The Suns go all-in for a future Hall of Famer (story)
- Suns acquire Kevin Durant and T.J. Warren.
- Nets acquire Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, the Suns’ 2023 first-round pick (unprotected), the Suns’ 2025 first-round pick (unprotected), the Suns’ 2027 first-round pick (unprotected), the Suns’ 2029 first-round pick (unprotected), the right to swap first-round picks with the Suns in 2028, the Bucks’ 2028 second-round pick, the Bucks’ 2029 second-round pick, and the draft rights to Juan Pablo Vaulet (from Pacers).
- Bucks acquire Jae Crowder.
- Pacers acquire Jordan Nwora, George Hill, Serge Ibaka, either the Bucks’ 2023 second-round pick or the least favorable of the Cavaliers’ and Warriors’ 2023 second-round picks (whichever is most favorable), the Bucks’ 2024 second-round pick, the Pacers’ 2025 second-round pick (from Bucks), and cash (from Nets).
- Note: The Bucks acquired the Pacers’ 2025 second-round pick in a prior trade.
Three Western teams swap point guards in a blockbuster (story)
- Lakers acquire D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt.
- Timberwolves acquire Mike Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, either the Wizards’ or Grizzlies’ 2024 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable; from Lakers), the Jazz’s 2025 second-round pick, and the Jazz’s 2026 second-round pick.
- Jazz acquire Russell Westbrook, Damian Jones, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and the Lakers’ 2027 first-round pick (top-four protected).
The Raptors reacquire their 2016 lottery pick (story)
- Raptors acquire Jakob Poeltl.
- Spurs acquire Khem Birch, the Raptors’ 2024 first-round pick (top-six protected), the Raptors’ 2023 second-round pick, and the Raptors’ 2025 second-round pick.
The Nuggets land a backup center while the Clippers roll the dice on a young scorer in a four-team trade (story)
- Clippers acquire Bones Hyland.
- Nuggets acquire Thomas Bryant.
- Lakers acquire Mohamed Bamba, Davon Reed, the Clippers’ 2024 second-round pick, and the Clippers’ 2025 second-round pick.
- Magic acquire Patrick Beverley, the Nuggets’ 2024 second-round pick, and cash (from Lakers).
Eric Gordon gets out of Houston while the Grizzlies obtain a sharpshooter (story)
- Clippers acquire Eric Gordon, the Raptors’ 2024 second-round pick (from Grizzlies), either the Pacers’ 2024 second-round pick or the least favorable of the Cavaliers’ and Jazz’s 2024 second-round picks (whichever is most favorable; from Grizzlies), and the Grizzlies’ 2027 second-round pick.
- Grizzlies acquire Luke Kennard and the right to swap a 2026 second-round pick (the most favorable of the Celtics’, Pacers’, and Heat’s picks) for the Clippers’ 2026 second-round pick.
- Rockets acquire Danny Green, John Wall, and the right to swap the Bucks’ 2023 first-round pick for either the Clippers’ or Thunder’s 2023 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable; top-six protected; from Clippers).
The Sixers, Blazers, and Sixers swap forwards in a four-team trade (story)
- Knicks acquire Josh Hart, the draft rights to Bojan Dubljevic (from Trail Blazers), and the draft rights to Daniel Diez (from Trail Blazers).
- Trail Blazers acquire Matisse Thybulle, Cam Reddish, Ryan Arcidiacono, the Knicks’ 2023 first-round pick (top-14 protected), and the draft rights to Ante Tomic (from Knicks).
- Sixers acquire Jalen McDaniels, the Knicks’ 2024 second-round pick (from Hornets), and the Trail Blazers’ 2029 second-round pick.
- Hornets acquire Svi Mykhailiuk, either the Hornets’, Hawks’, or Nets’ 2023 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable; from Sixers), and either the Pelicans’ or Trail Blazers’ 2027 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable; from Trail Blazers).
- Note: The Hornets traded away their 2023 second-round pick in a prior deal.
The Warriors move on from a former No. 2 overall pick in yet another four-team deal (story)
- Hawks acquire Saddiq Bey.
- Pistons acquire James Wiseman.
- Warriors acquire Gary Payton II, the Hawks’ 2026 second-round pick, and the Hawks’ 2028 second-round pick.
- Trail Blazers acquire Kevin Knox, either the Hawks’, Nets’, or Hornets’ 2023 second-round pick (whichever is second-most favorable), the Hawks’ 2024 second-round pick, the Hawks’ 2025 second-round pick (protected 41-60), the Grizzlies’ 2026 second-round pick (top-42 protected), and the Warriors’ 2028 second-round pick.
- Note: The Hawks previously traded their 2024 second-round pick to the Trail Blazers with top-55 protection. Those protections were removed as part of this deal.
The Clippers acquire a veteran backup center (story)
- Clippers acquire Mason Plumlee.
- Hornets acquire Reggie Jackson and the Clippers’ 2028 second-round pick.
The Pelicans secure some help on the wing (story)
- Pelicans acquire Josh Richardson.
- Spurs acquire Devonte’ Graham, either the Pelicans’ or Bulls’ 2024 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable), either the Pelicans’ or Trail Blazers’ 2026 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable), the Pelicans’ 2028 second-round pick, and the Pelicans’ 2029 second-round pick.
The Celtics shore up their frontcourt (story)
- Celtics acquire Mike Muscala.
- Thunder acquire Justin Jackson, a 2023 second-round pick (details below), and the Celtics’ 2029 second-round pick.
- Note: If the Rockets’ second-round pick lands at No. 31 or No. 32, the Thunder will receive either the Mavericks’, Heat’s, or Trail Blazers’ 2023 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable). If the Rockets’ pick lands lower than No. 33, the Thunder will receive either the Rockets’ or Trail Blazers’ 2023 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
The Suns swap forwards and reduce their payroll (story)
- Suns acquire Darius Bazley.
- Thunder acquire Dario Saric and the Suns’ 2029 second-round pick.
The Hawks save some money while the Rockets stockpile more draft assets (story)
- Rockets acquire Justin Holiday, Frank Kaminsky, the Thunder’s 2024 second-round pick, and the Thunder’s 2025 second-round pick.
- Hawks acquire Garrison Mathews and Bruno Fernando.
Notable trade candidates who stayed put
- John Collins, Hawks (story)
- OG Anunoby, Fred VanVleet, and Gary Trent Jr., Raptors (story)
- Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks, Pistons (story)
- Kyle Lowry and Duncan Robinson, Heat (story)
- Alex Caruso and Coby White, Bulls (story)
- Christian Wood, Mavericks (story)
- Caris LeVert, Cavaliers (story)
- Furkan Korkmaz, Sixers (story)
Players waived on deadline day
Officially released:
- Goga Bitadze, Pacers (story)
- Greg Brown, Trail Blazers (story)
- Dewayne Dedmon, Spurs (story)
- Bryn Forbes, Timberwolves (story)
- James Johnson, Pacers (story)
- Boban Marjanovic, Rockets (story)
- Note: Houston is expected to re-sign Marjanovic once he clears waivers.
- Terry Taylor, Pacers (story)
Expected to be bought out or waived:
- Will Barton, Wizards (story)
- Patrick Beverley, Magic (story)
- Serge Ibaka, Pacers (story)
- Justin Jackson, Thunder (story)
- Reggie Jackson, Hornets (story)
- John Wall, Rockets (story)
- Russell Westbrook, Jazz (story)
Trades made earlier in the week:
The Nets grant Kyrie Irving’s trade request (story)
- Mavericks acquire Kyrie Irving and Markieff Morris.
- Nets acquire Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, the Mavericks’ 2029 first-round pick (unprotected), the Mavericks’ 2027 second-round pick, and the Mavericks’ 2029 second-round pick.
The Spurs accommodate a salary dump (story)
- Spurs acquire Dewayne Dedmon and the Heat’s 2028 second-round pick.
- Heat acquire cash ($110K).
The Nets generate some cap and tax savings (story)
- Kings acquire Kessler Edwards and cash ($2.58MM).
- Nets acquire the draft rights to David Michineau.
Southwest Notes: Wood, Hardaway, Poeltl, Rockets, Pelicans
Despite being the subjects of trade rumors for weeks, Mavericks veterans Christian Wood and Tim Hardaway Jr. remained with Dallas beyond this year’s trade deadline. Still, Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News notes that their futures with the club are somewhat unclear.
As Caplan writes, Hardaway’s inefficient play has made him and his remaining contract money tough to trade. Including this season, the veteran wing still has three years and $53.7MM left on his current deal.
Wood, meanwhile, is eligible for a four-year contract extension worth up to $77MM through the rest of the season, after which he will become an unrestricted free agent. A source tells Caplan that the Mavericks’ front office has not offered Wood an extension yet, in an effort to maximize the team’s flexibility this summer.
There’s more from around the Southwest:
- The Spurs opted to ship center Jakob Poeltl to the Raptors, rather than have to pay him in free agency this summer, in part because the team reportedly was not comfortable paying the rim-protecting center more than $65MM over four years, per LJ Ellis of Spurs Talk. Ellis says San Antonio believes the bidding price for Poeltl will go well north of that sum.
- New veteran Rockets additions Danny Green, Justin Holiday and Frank Kaminsky could ultimately be retained by Houston, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. The Rockets are set to assess if Green would like to remain on their roster, which has been their general policy with the veterans they’ve traded for in the recent past. Houston likes the possible fit of Holiday even past 2022/23, and Kaminsky has a connection with head coach Stephen Silas, thanks to their shared time on the Hornets.
- The Pelicans made just one trade deadline deal, acquiring swingman Josh Richardson from the Spurs. William Guillory of The Athletic reveals that New Orleans hopes to bring Richardson, an unrestricted free agent this summer, back into the fold next season as well.
Clippers Trade Jackson, Second-Rounder To Hornets For Plumlee
11:11pm: The trade is now official, according to a press release from the Clippers.
“Mason will help fortify our center position with his energy and playmaking ability,” president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said in a statement. “He is an impressive passer with great vision. Our team will enjoy playing with him.”
As we relayed in a separate story, Jackson is expected to be bought out by the Hornets.
1:46pm: The Clippers will get the veteran center they’ve been seeking by acquiring Mason Plumlee from the Hornets, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Point guard Reggie Jackson will head to Charlotte in return, and the Hornets will also receive the Clippers’ 2028 second-round pick, according to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
Plumlee is making $9.08MM in the final year of his contract. He has been the Hornets’ starting center over the past two seasons.
Despite being 32 years old, Plumlee is posting career highs in most statistical categories, including points (12.2), rebounds (9.7), assists (3.7), FG% (66.9) and minutes per game (28.5) in 56 games this year. The Clippers are undersized off their bench and have been looking for a reliable big man to back up Ivica Zubac.
Jackson had been a focus of the Clippers’ offense since he arrived in L.A. three years ago, but he has seen his role reduced recently. The 32-year-old has an expiring contract worth $11.2MM.
Through 52 games (38 starts, 25.7 minutes) with the Clippers in 2022/23, Jackson was averaging 10.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
Knicks, Blazers, Sixers, Hornets Officially Complete Four-Team Trade
The Knicks, Trail Blazers, Sixers, and Hornets have folded two separate trade agreements into a single four-team trade, with press releases from New York and Portland confirming that the deal is official.
The trade combines the Knicks’ acquisition of Josh Hart from Portland with the three-team trade agreement that sends Matisse Thybulle to the Blazers and Jalen McDaniels to the 76ers. Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice first reported (via Twitter) that the two deals would be combined into one.
Here are the full terms of the trade:
- Knicks acquire Josh Hart, the draft rights to Bojan Dubljevic (from Trail Blazers), and the draft rights to Daniel Diez (from Trail Blazers).
- Trail Blazers acquire Matisse Thybulle, Cam Reddish, Ryan Arcidiacono, the Knicks’ 2023 first-round pick (top-14 protected), and the draft rights to Ante Tomic (from Knicks).
- Sixers acquire Jalen McDaniels, the Knicks’ 2024 second-round pick (from Hornets), and the Trail Blazers’ 2029 second-round pick.
- Hornets acquire Svi Mykhailiuk, either the Hornets’, Hawks’, or Nets’ 2023 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable; from Sixers), and either the Pelicans’ or Trail Blazers’ 2027 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable; from Trail Blazers).
The deal expanded slightly to include the draft rights of three draft-and-stash players, but otherwise looks the same as what was previously reported.
As expected, Portland waived Greg Brown to help open up the necessary roster spots for their incoming players.
For more details on the deal, check out our full stories on the Knicks/Blazers half of the trade, as well as the Blazers/Sixers/Hornets portion.
Eric Gordon To Clippers, Luke Kennard To Grizzlies In Three-Team Trade
10:22pm: The trade is now official, according to press releases from the Rockets, Grizzlies, and Clippers.
As first reported by Kelly Iko of The Athletic and confirmed by the Rockets, the swap rights Houston got in the deal are top-six protected. So in the unlikely event that the Thunder’s and Clippers’ picks both land in the top six, the Rockets won’t be able to swap the Bucks’ first-rounder for the least favorable of those two picks.
The Rockets also confirmed that they’ve waived Boban Marjanovic to accommodate the extra incoming player in the deal. They’re expected to re-sign him once he clears waivers and Wall is released.
Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link) has the details on the three second-round picks the Clippers acquired from the Grizzlies. They are as follows:
- The Raptors’ 2024 second-round pick.
- Either the Pacers’ 2024 second-round pick or the least favorable of the Cavaliers’ and Jazz’s 2024 second-round picks (whichever is most favorable).
- The Grizzlies’ 2027 second-round pick.
1:20pm: The Clippers have reached an agreement to acquire veteran wing Eric Gordon from the Rockets, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
According to Charania, the move will be part of a three-team deal that sends Luke Kennard to the Grizzlies, with Clippers guard John Wall headed back to Houston (Twitter links). The Rockets plan to waive Wall, tweets Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.
Danny Green will be sent from Memphis to Houston in the trade, according to Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that the Clippers are getting three second-round picks from the Grizzlies. The Rockets will also acquire the right to swap this year’s Bucks first-round pick with the Clippers’ first-rounder (or the Thunder’s first-rounder, if the Clippers pick is earlier in the draft), tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
It’s an interesting trade from all sides. The Clippers have needed a guard who could drive and shoot from outside while playing decent defense, and Gordon fits that bill when he’s playing well. Gordon has been in trade rumors for years, and now he’s headed back to the Clippers, who drafted him seventh overall back in 2008.
While the Clippers took a risk by potentially losing their own first-round pick, they’ll still be guaranteed to receive the Bucks’ first-rounder and will also get three second-rounders from Memphis, which isn’t bad at all considering they arguably got the best player in the trade. Gordon, 34, makes $19.57MM this season, but his $20.92MM salary for 2023/24 is non-guaranteed.
The Rockets had long been looking for a first-round pick for Gordon, and they’re essentially swapping Milwaukee’s potential late first-round pick (it would be 28th right now) for one with higher upside — the Clippers’ would be 18th right now. The Bucks (37-17) are currently six games ahead of the Clippers (31-27), but there’s still 20-plus games remaining for both teams.
Green has been one of the NBA’s best 3-and-D wings for the better part of a decade, winning three championships with the Spurs, Raptors and Lakers. He holds a 39.9% career mark from behind the arc, but he’s 35 years old and just made his season debut this month after recovering from a torn ACL suffered in last year’s playoffs. Green will be a free agent this summer.
Wall temporarily heading back to Houston after his troubled tenure with the Rockets is an ironic twist, as he’ll be waived by the same team that bought him out in the offseason — that’s how he signed with L.A. in the first place. He didn’t find much success with the Clippers, posting a poor shooting slash line of .408/.303/.681 for a team hoping to contend.
The Grizzlies rank just 24th in the league in 3-point percentage and get one of the league’s best shooters in the 26-year-old Kennard, who holds a career mark of 42.7% on 3s, including 44.7% this season. He is not a strong defensive player, but he’s a decent complementary play-maker.
Dealing away three second-rounders for a player who is nine years younger and on a reasonable long-term contract that will pay him about $45.2MM through 2025 (the final year is a team option) makes sense. Green is a very good, albeit streaker shooter, but Kennard is elite in that regard.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Thunder Trade Mike Muscala To Celtics
9:54pm: The trade sending Muscala to Boston for Jackson and two second-round picks is official, according to a press release from the Thunder.
2:21pm: The Thunder will receive the Celtics’ 2029 second-round pick and the least favorable of Boston’s two 2023 second-round picks, tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe.
The terms dictating which ’23 second-rounder OKC will acquire are complex, but the pick will almost certainly belong to either Dallas, Miami, or Portland.
10:55am: The Celtics will acquire big man Mike Muscala from the Thunder in exchange for Justin Jackson and two second-round picks, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Muscala, 31, has spent the last several seasons in Oklahoma City, playing a relatively consistent role as a solid floor-spacing frontcourt reserve as the team shifted from playoff contention into rebuilding mode.
Since joining the Thunder in 2019, Muscala has averaged 7.0 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 168 total games (14.5 MPG), making 1.5 threes per game at a 39.2% clip. Those numbers are very similar to the ones he has put up in 43 games (14.5 MPG) so far this season — 6.2 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and a .394 3PT%.
While Muscala isn’t exactly an impact player, he’s a good fit for a Celtics team that had been on the hunt for frontcourt insurance behind Robert Williams and Al Horford. The terms of Muscala’s contract give him the ability to veto a trade, but it’s hard to imagine he’d turn down the opportunity to join a legitimate title contender.
Since Jackson is on a minimum-salary contract, his $1.84MM cap hit isn’t enough to match Muscala’s incoming $3.5MM salary, so the Celtics will have to use a trade exception left over from last year’s trade deadline to acquire the big man. The Thunder will take on Jackson using the minimum salary exception, generating a new trade exception equivalent to Muscala’s $3.5MM salary.
Jackson is expected to be waived by the Thunder once the deal is complete, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, the deal projects to increase the Celtics’ luxury tax bill from about $58.9MM to $65.3MM.