Jakob Poeltl Drawing Significant Trade Interest
Spurs center Jakob Poeltl is receiving “a lot” of interest on the trade market, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said during a TV appearance (YouTube video link). However, it remains to be seen how open San Antonio will be to moving him.
Identifying Poeltl as one of the “real pivotal players” of this season’s trade deadline, Wojnarowski notes that there seems to be more trade interest than usual in centers like the Spurs’ big man this season, with multiple contenders seeing value in strengthening that position. San Antonio will likely receive some “real significant offers” for Poeltl on or before the February 9 deadline, Wojnarowski adds.
Still, there’s no guarantee the 27-year-old will be on the move. The Spurs like Poeltl a lot and wouldn’t mind hanging onto him, according to Wojnarowski, especially since they’ll have a chance to win the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes in the spring. Woj suggests that the team views Poeltl as an ideal fit at the five alongside Wembanyama, who could slot in at the four.
Of course, even if they finish with the NBA’s worst record, the Spurs won’t have more than a 14% shot at the No. 1 overall pick, so their odds of landing Wembanyama will be slim. Additionally, they’re not in a good position to lock up Poeltl to an extension before he reaches unrestricted free agency this summer.
Poeltl is technically extension-eligible, but because he’s only earning about $9.4MM this season, the amount he can receive on an in-season deal is limited. His maximum extension would be worth about $58MM over four years, which isn’t expected to appeal to him, per Wojnarowski.
“He’s going to get more than that in free agency,” Woj said. “He’s not going to do that deal now.”
Poeltl’s contract situation will create a dilemma for the Spurs, who will have to decide at the trade deadline whether it’s worth taking the best offer on the table or whether they want to roll the dice with the veteran center next summer, betting on either re-signing him or recouping some value in a sign-and-trade deal.
21 More NBA Players Become Trade-Eligible
Today is Sunday, January 15, which means that nearly two dozen players who signed free agent contracts meeting specific criteria this past offseason are now eligible to be traded.
Most offseason signees became trade-eligible on December 15, but players who met the following criteria were ineligible to be moved for an extra month:
- The player re-signed with his previous team.
- He got a raise of at least 20%.
- His salary is worth more than the minimum.
- His team was over the cap and used Bird or Early Bird rights to sign him.
The following players met that criteria and are eligible to be traded as of Sunday:
- Deandre Ayton (Suns) *
- Mohamed Bamba (Magic)
- Nicolas Batum (Clippers)
- Bradley Beal (Wizards) *
- Chris Boucher (Raptors)
- Vlatko Cancar (Nuggets)
- Nic Claxton (Nets)
- Amir Coffey (Clippers)
- Dewayne Dedmon (Heat)
- Luguentz Dort (Thunder)
- Tyus Jones (Grizzlies)
- Zach LaVine (Bulls)
- Kevon Looney (Warriors)
- Cody Martin (Hornets)
- Jusuf Nurkic (Trail Blazers)
- Jordan Nwora (Bucks)
- Victor Oladipo (Heat) *
- Bobby Portis (Bucks)
- Mitchell Robinson (Knicks)
- Anfernee Simons (Trail Blazers)
- Jae’Sean Tate (Rockets)
(* Players marked with an asterisk have the ability to veto trades.)
Most of the players on NBA rosters are now eligible to be moved, though a small handful still can’t be dealt. That group includes Thunder guard Isaiah Joe, who becomes trade-eligible on Monday, Bucks swingman Pat Connaughton (trade-eligible on Wednesday), and Thunder forward Kenrich Williams (trade-eligible on Friday).
There are also several players who won’t become trade-eligible before this season’s February 9 deadline, including Lakers star LeBron James. Players on 10-day contracts are also ineligible to be dealt.
Pacific Notes: Wall, Trade Deadline, Williams, Brown
Clippers guard John Wall gave himself a “low C” when asked to rate his comeback season after 34 games, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Wall’s shooting percentages are close to what they were when he last played regularly — although his turnover rate is a concern — and he’s confident that things will improve.
“The season will get better for me,” Wall said. “It’s tough being on a minute restriction. It’s tough like, trying to figure out guys, figure out what roles you’re going to be. Still frustrated by not getting a lot of, no calls, it ain’t going to never change, I feel like. I think it’s always an excuse. I think we just trying to figure out as a team and as a group and try to get better game by game.”
The Clippers had Wall adjust his workout routine, which featured frequent weightlifting while he was idle with the Rockets last season. Coach Tyronn Lue also made a change to Wall’s playing style that has him taking more catch-and-shoot jumpers, rather than the pull-up variety he preferred when he was an All-Star in Washington.
“Just getting him used to playing that style of basketball when he’s been playing a different way his whole career,” Lue said. “It’s kind of tough, but he’s been doing a good job.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register has suggestions for both L.A. teams ahead of the trade deadline. She believes the Lakers should be aggressive in finding another shooter — either Bojan Bogdanovic from the Pistons or Doug McDermott or Josh Richardson from the Spurs, while the Clippers should target a big man with energy, such as the Pacers center Myles Turner, Hawks forward John Collins or Jazz center Kelly Olynyk.
- Suns coach Monty Williams refused to get into a war of words with Jae Crowder, who said the coaching staff didn’t appreciate what he brought to the team, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Crowder has sat out the entire season so far while Phoenix searches for a trade. “The thing that I’ve been consistent with is the stuff that goes on here, stays here,” Williams said. “I’m not one to use the media to get a point across. It’s just not my way. It’s not how we do business.
- Kings coach Mike Brown is campaigning for De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis to be named All-Stars, saying “shame on the whole process” if they aren’t included, per Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee. “Hopefully sooner than later, these guys will start getting the appropriate love from around the league that they deserve,” Brown said. “Starting with the media, because the media has a lot of influence.”
Nets Notes: Warren, Durant, D. Smith, Watanabe
It didn’t take T.J. Warren long to prove he can still play at a high level, but the Nets are focused more on keeping him healthy for the playoffs than maximizing his contributions during the regular season, writes Greg Joyce of The New York Post. Warren missed nearly two full seasons due to foot injuries before returning to the court in early December.
“Every game, I’m feeling more and more like myself,” he said. “Two years is a long time, two calendar years going through multiple foot problems. But I feel great. Mentally, I’m in a good space. I just want to continue to get better and help this team win as much as I can.”
Through 17 games, Warren is averaging 10.5 points off the bench in 20.4 minutes per night. Coach Jacque Vaughn considered moving Warren into the starting lineup in the wake of Kevin Durant‘s injury, but opted for Joe Harris instead in an effort to control Warren’s workload.
“I’ve told him this message: That’s my No. 1 goal, that he’s healthy and hooping in the playoffs, showing his skills off to the rest of the world,” Vaughn said. “That would be the kind of guiding light. Will I be tempted at times (to push his minutes) if he’s rolling? For sure, every coach would be. But hopefully for his longevity, for the group, we’ll put him in a position to succeed the whole year.”
There’s more from Brooklyn:
- The Nets haven’t decided how involved Durant will be while he recovers from his sprained MCL, according to Alec Sturm of Nets Daily. Vaughn explained that Durant hasn’t been on the bench because the team doesn’t want to risk someone running into him during game action. It also hasn’t been determined how much Durant will travel with the team and whether he’ll consider playing in the All-Star Game, although Vaughn expressed hope that he’ll be fully recovered by the February 19 event.
- Vaughn also offered some insight into Dru Smith, who signed a two-way contract with the Nets on Friday, Sturm adds. “A guard that has some athleticism, good size, competes, so areas that we really love,” Vaughn said at Saturday’s practice. “I think he has some upside to get better. So (we) look forward to him being a part of our group and getting him involved pretty quickly with (G League affiliate) Long Island. He just landed and went through his physical, so he’ll be around and there’s a possibility he’ll be with the rest of the group watching tomorrow.”
- Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required) talks to Yuta Watanabe about the impact his success in Brooklyn is having in Japan.
Celtics Notes: Udoka, Mazzulla, Pritchard, Jackson, White
The Celtics continue to hope their coaching situation resolves itself with Ime Udoka landing another job, but a rival general manager tells Steve Bullpett of Heavy that may not be likely. Although Boston is expected to keep Joe Mazzulla in place beyond this season, he’s still technically the interim coach. Udoka’s suspension for an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate will expire June 30, and the team may have to negotiate a settlement to keep both Udoka and Mazzulla happy.
The problem appeared to be solved when Udoka emerged as the frontrunner for the Nets’ job after they parted ways with Steve Nash in November. But Brooklyn officials changed their minds about hiring Udoka, which the GM believes may reflect the opinion around the league.
“There’s still a lot of question about all that went on with him, but even just the fact that he didn’t fight the suspension says something,” the GM said. “From a team standpoint, it’s hard to bring him in right now. You’ve got women on your staff that could have a problem with it, and there’s the public. … Just the social media climate would bring a lot of criticism.”
There’s more on the Celtics:
- Payton Pritchard has sat out 14 games this season due to coach’s decision, but he has been delivering when called on, observes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Pritchard turned in solid performances this week while replacing Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown, and he might see regular minutes during Brown’s expected absence. There have been trade rumors regarding Pritchard, who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the offseason, but he’s been trying to ignore them and focus on playing. “Obviously I hear it, I see it,” he said. “I know what it is. But that’s not something I can focus on. I’ll let my agent handle that and (team president) Brad (Stevens). I’ll focus on basketball.”
- The decision to keep Justin Jackson on the roster past last weekend’s salary guarantee date was made to provide insurance in case of a long-term injury to Brown or Jayson Tatum, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. The Celtics don’t have many other options at the wing, Robb adds, so it was safer to guarantee Jackson’s contract than to fill the opening through 10-day deals.
- Derrick White was forced to leave Saturday’s game at Charlotte after spraining his neck midway through the first quarter, per Souichi Terada of MassLive.
Lakers Notes: Cousins, Leonard, Brown, Davis, Reaves, Walker
DeMarcus Cousins and Meyers Leonard were impressive during workouts with the Lakers, coach Darvin Ham told reporters, including Dave McMenamin of ESPN, after Saturday’s practice. Both free agent centers auditioned Friday for L.A., which is seeking frontcourt help with Anthony Davis sidelined by a foot injury.
“They both looked great,” Ham said. “Whether or not we’re able to do something with them is a different story. But we’re constantly trying to kick the tires on different scenarios.”
Cousins, a four-time All-Star, is hoping for another NBA opportunity at age 32 after playing for the Bucks and Nuggets last season. McMenamin notes that Cousins signed with the Lakers as a free agent in 2019, but an injury suffered during that summer prevented him from playing. Even though he was waived in February of that season, he remained close to the team and received a championship ring when L.A. won the title.
Leonard, 30, is hoping to revive his career after being out of the league since 2021 due to injuries and the fallout from an antisemitic slur. During that time, he has been rehabbing after shoulder and ankle surgeries, according to McMenamin, and working to repair his reputation.
There’s more on the Lakers:
- Sterling Brown‘s 10-day contract will expire Sunday night, and Ham was noncommittal when asked if the team plans to keep him on the roster, McMenamin adds. Brown, who also played for Ham when he was an assistant coach with the Bucks, has gone scoreless in four games with L.A. while averaging 2.0 rebounds and 0.8 steals in 6.0 minutes per night. “It depends on our health status and what we feel comfortable doing and making as a next step,” Ham said. The Lakers currently have a full roster and would need to open up a spot before they could sign Cousins or Leonard.
- Davis, who has been out of action since December 16, did some on-court work during today’s practice, tweets Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. Ham said Davis is “trending in the right direction.”
- Austin Reaves, who’s dealing with a strained left hamstring, was able to do individual drills at practice today, tweets Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. Ham said Lonnie Walker is making progress toward returning from left knee tendinitis. Both players are projected to have their conditions reevaluated sometime this week.
Bulls Notes: Ball, Jones, Trade Assets, Donovan
Lonzo Ball isn’t close to returning, but he offered some hope to Bulls fans Friday by posting Instagram videos of himself dunking and running on a treadmill, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
Today marks the one-year anniversary of the torn meniscus that ended last season for Ball while the Bulls were 21-14 and fighting for the best record in the East. He was originally projected to miss six-to-eight weeks, but complications prevented him from returning at all. Those continued into the offseason and required an arthroscopic debridement in September that Ball is still working his way back from.
Coach Billy Donovan said the Instagram workouts are a sign of progress, but he cautioned that Ball still has a long way to go. He still feels discomfort in the knee, even though it has lessened, and hasn’t been medically cleared for cutting or full-speed running on the court every day.
“There’s going to be a pretty significant ramp-up period for him before he gets back on the floor,” Donovan explained. “Once they say, ‘Hey, he’s free to cut and sprint and take on contact,’ that’s just the first step of however long it’s going to take that process to get to a place where the medical guys and he feels comfortable that he’s built up enough endurance, strength and stamina that he can withstand coming back the next day and doing it again and doing it again.”
There’s more on the Bulls:
- Derrick Jones Jr. has seen his playing time decrease this season, but he figures to get more minutes while Javonte Green is sidelined following knee surgery, Johnson adds in a separate story. Jones welcomes the opportunity, but doesn’t like the circumstances that caused it. “I’m happy I’m in the rotation now. But I’m also sad that my guy is out. That’s my brother and I’ve always said from day one that I want to see him be great,” Jones said. “We have a great relationship. That’s my ‘dawg.’ I want him back now.”
- In another piece, Johnson identifies DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine as Chicago’s most valuable trade assets ahead of the February 9 deadline. Alex Caruso, Nikola Vucevic and Coby White also make the list, along with a first-round pick from Portland that’s lottery-protected through 2028.
- In the wake of Friday’s loss to Oklahoma City, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic laments the team’s lack of an identity and wonders whether Donovan has already accomplished as much as he can with the current roster.
Heat Notes: Lowry, Dedmon, Robinson, Vincent
The Heat picked up a win over the Bucks Saturday afternoon in a game that was short on star power for both teams, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. While Milwaukee was without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, Miami was missing three starters, including Kyle Lowry, who sat out his third straight game due to lingering discomfort in his left knee. Coach Erik Spoelstra wasn’t able to offer much insight into Lowry, who also missed two games because of the knee in December.
“We’re still treating him day to day and continue to be on that protocol until he’s ready,” Spoelstra told reporters.
When healthy, Lowry has remained the Heat’s starting point guard at age 36, but his shooting numbers have dipped significantly this season to 39.8% from the field and 33.6% from three-point range. Lowry has been the subject of trade speculation, but his age and contract, which has another full year remaining at $29.7MM, make it difficult to move him.
There’s more from Miami:
- Dewayne Dedmon returned from his one-game suspension, but he didn’t see any playing time, Chiang adds. Orlando Robinson continued in the backup center role, as he has for the past week. If he remains in the rotation, the Heat will likely convert him to a standard deal at some point to make him eligible for the playoffs. Dedmon, whose contract is non-guaranteed for next season, faces an uncertain future in Miami and will become trade-eligible on Sunday.
- Taking Lowry’s place in the starting lineup, Gabe Vincent made 11-of-14 shots today and fell one point short of the career high of 28 he set Thursday. Vincent will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN, but the Heat own his Bird rights and can go over the cap to re-sign him. Miami is unbeaten in Vincent’s four games as a starter, and he’s averaging 20.0 PPG in that role.
- The Heat are changing the name of FTX Arena to Miami-Dade Arena, the team announced in a press release. Work will begin soon to replace signs and other branding elements at the facility. Miami-Dade County sought the approval of a bankruptcy judge to have FTX’s name removed after the cryptocurrency company collapsed. The new name may be temporary, as the organization seeks a new naming-rights sponsor.
Warriors Notes: Green, Poole, Iguodala, Attendance Record
While Draymond Green would prefer to finish his career with the Warriors, he tells Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report “the writing’s on the wall” when it comes to his NBA future (video link).
Green can become a free agent this summer by declining his $27.6MM player option for the 2023/24 season. If he chooses to pick up the option, his expiring contract becomes a valuable trade asset for Golden State, which is already setting records with its luxury tax bill.
Green tells Rooks that he’s aware of all those factors and is at peace with however they play out, even if it means leaving the Warriors after 11 years.
“I understand the business,” he said. “We tend to get into the mindset that someone owes us something because of what we’ve accomplished. … I understand the luxury tax. I understand you got these young guys and contracts up and they have to get paid.”
There’s more on the Warriors:
- In the same interview, Green addresses a preseason skirmish with Jordan Poole that resulted in him being fined by the team (video link). Green calls their relationship since the incident “a constant work in progress” and said he continues to try to smooth things over because it’s important to the organization. “I’ll always be willing to continue to do that work because I was wrong,” he said.
- Since making his season debut last week, Andre Iguodala has been in an unusual role as the team’s first big man off the bench, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Coach Steve Kerr has been using him to replace Kevon Looney early in games, playing at power forward alongside Green. Iguodala, 39, is still adjusting to his new position after spending his entire career on the perimeter. He hopes to be part of the team’s rotation for the rest of the season. “As long as the body is good, I want to play,” he said. “Then before the playoffs, I’d like to get a good run of 10, 15 games straight no issues. So, yeah, that’s pretty much the plan. I want to get comfortable shooting when I’m tired. Once I get that, I’m fine.”
- Warriors officials were honored to be part of San Antonio’s record-setting crowd of 68,323 in Friday’s game at the Alamodome, according to Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. When the Spurs told the league about their plan to play in their former home, they picked a game against Golden State to help drive ticket sales. “We love being part of this stuff,” Warriors president Brandon Schneider said. “It says a lot about us that they wanted us to be the opponent.”
Stein’s Latest: Quickley, Rose, Collins, Burks, Sixers
Although Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley continues to intrigue several rival clubs, New York is now more hesitant to include him in a potential deadline deal, given his strong play since Christmas, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column.
Quickley has averaged 19.0 PPG, 5.2 APG and 5.1 RPG in his last nine games, during which the Knicks have gone 6-3. As was revealed previously, the Mavericks, Wizards, and Bucks are among the clubs with interest in the 6’3″ guard. Overall on the season, he is posting averages of 12.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 3.3 APG for the 24-19 Knicks.
There’s more from Stein:
- Sources inform Stein that veteran Knicks reserve guard Derrick Rose could be on the move as well. The former three-time All-Star and 2011 MVP has long been a favorite player for head coach Tom Thibodeau, who also coached him with the Bulls and Timberwolves. A source tells Stein that New York would only make a move if the team feels it can “do right by” Rose. This would seem to suggest that the Knicks want to flip the 6’3″ vet to a team with an actual rotational need for him, as he has fallen out of New York’s lineups.
- The Hawks have allowed the management team of power forward John Collins to look for favorable possible trade destinations, per Stein. Collins has been on the trading block for a while now. Stein writes that the Jazz, Wizards, Nets and Pacers remain intrigued by Collins to some extent. The 6’9″ big man has been having something of a down season, averaging his fewest field goal attempts (10.3) and points (13.1) since his 2o17/18 rookie year.
- Pistons shooting guard Alec Burks has so impressed his current team that Detroit has reportedly been informing rival clubs that it would like to keep him and plans to pick up his $10.5MM team option for 2023/24, according to Stein. Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported something similar earlier in the week, noting that it would take a significant return to pry Burks away. Thus far this season, the 31-year-old is averaging 13.8 PPG on .461/.444/.810 shooting splits. He’s also chipping in 3.0 RPG and 2.2 APG for the Pistons.
- The Sixers, looking to reduce their luxury-tax bill at the end of the season, are expected to try to trade shooting guards Jaden Springer and/or Furkan Korkmaz ahead of the trade deadline, Stein reports.