Amen Thompson, Andrew Nembhard Named Defensive Players Of The Month
Rockets wing Amen Thompson and Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard have won January’s Defensive Player of the Month awards for the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively, the NBA announced today (Twitter link).
The Rockets went 11-4 in January and Thompson played a significant role during that hot streak, leading the Western Conference with 2.2 steals per game and ranking seventh in the conference with 7.3 defensive rebounds per game, according to the league.
Thompson was also the only player in the NBA to average at least two steals and one block per game for January.
Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama and Grizzlies forward/center Jaren Jackson Jr., who were the first two Defensive Players of the Month in the West this season, were nominated for the honor in January, as were Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara, Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, and Clippers big man Ivica Zubac (Twitter link).
Nembhard helped lead the Pacers to a 109.7 defensive rating across 12 games in January, including 10 wins. That mark ranked first in the East and third in the NBA. The Indiana guard also placed third in the East in steals (1.9) and forced turnovers (2.1) per game for the month.
Nembhard beat out four fellow nominees: Scottie Barnes of the Raptors, Mikal Bridges of the Knicks, teammate Myles Turner, and Oct./Nov. winner Dyson Daniels of the Hawks.
This is the second of the NBA’s awards for January that was claimed by the Rockets and Pacers — Ime Udoka and Rick Carlisle were named the league’s Coaches of the Month on Monday.
Stephon Castle, Kel’el Ware Named Rookies Of The Month
Spurs guard Stephon Castle has been named the NBA’s Rookie of the Month for the Western Conference in January, while Heat center Kel’el Ware has earned the honor for the Eastern Conference, the league announced today (via Twitter).
Castle, the fourth overall pick in the 2024 draft, appeared in 12 games for San Antonio last month, starting 10 of them. He averaged 14.9 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.1 rebounds in 27.0 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .431/.288/.727.
Of the nine San Antonio players who logged at least 100 minutes in January, Castle had the best net rating of the bunch (+1.0) and was one of just two Spurs – along with Victor Wembanyama – whose net rating was positive.
Over in the East, Ware began playing a regular rotation role for the Heat in late December and carried that momentum over to the new year, earning a promotion to the starting lineup midway through January.
In 16 total outings (five starts) for the month, Ware averaged 13.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 24.7 minutes per night. He also scored extremely efficiently, with shooting percentages of 56.5% from the floor and 44.7% on three-pointers.
It’s the first Player of the Month nod for either player. They beat out fellow nominees Isaiah Collier, Ryan Dunn, and Jaylen Wells in the West and Tristan da Silva, Zaccharie Risacher, and Alex Sarr in the East, according to the NBA (Twitter link).
Lakers Notes: Doncic, Adams, Centers, Vincent, Kleber
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.
Trade Rumors: Warriors, Ingram, Durant, Hawks, Bucks, Raptors, TPEs
Count Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram among the star players the Warriors have checked in on, league sources tell Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
While it doesn’t sound like Ingram is at the top of Golden State’s wish list as the front office seeks an impact player, the club has explored what it would take to land the former All-Star, according to Stein and Fischer, who say that the Warriors could pivot to Ingram if they’re not able to gain traction on any of their higher-profile targets.
One of those higher-profile targets is Suns forward Kevin Durant. Exploring the possibility of a Warriors trade for Durant, Stein and Fischer echo a point made by Anthony Slater of The Athletic, writing that even if Phoenix is willing to move the former MVP (a big if), there’s a “measure of concern” in Golden State about how eager Durant would be for another go-round with the Warriors.
Durant doesn’t have the ability to veto a trade, but given that the Warriors would have to put together a substantial package to convince the Suns to part with him, they’d presumably like to be confident that he wanted to be there.
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA, with this year’s deadline just two days away:
- There’s still an expectation that the Hawks will make a deal involving Bogdan Bogdanovic this week, according to Stein and Fischer, who say that Atlanta continues for now to explore “more ambitious” trade scenarios, including one possibility that would feature Ingram.
- The Bucks continue to consider trades involving Pat Connaughton and his $9.4MM salary, either to shed his contract to duck below the second tax apron or to use his deal as a matching piece to bring back a more reliable wing. Stein and Fischer hear from sources that Sixers forward Caleb Martin and his twin brother Cody Martin of the Hornets are among the players Milwaukee has looked at in a potential deal for Connaughton. Both players are earning about $8.1MM this season.
- Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca takes an in-depth look at the Raptors‘ trade options in the coming days, examining what it would take to get them to part with Jakob Poeltl, whether their reported interest in Ingram is legit, and why players like Bogdanovic and Andrew Wiggins may not fit the timeline of Toronto’s roster.
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report (Twitter links) shares some details on how the Kings and Bulls completed the three-team trade involving De’Aaron Fox and Zach LaVine. Chicago took Kevin Huerter into an existing traded player exception, creating a new $17.1MM TPE for LaVine, while Sacramento used a portion of an existing TPE to take on Sidy Cissoko, generating a new exception worth $16.8MM (Huerter’s outgoing salary). The Kings were unable to acquire LaVine and Cissoko by aggregating the outgoing salaries of Fox and Jordan McLaughlin because LaVine received a portion ($3MM) of his trade bonus, increasing his cap hits for this season and next season by $1.5MM apiece.
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 2/4/2025
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included whether the Bulls' makeover will continue before the trade deadline, the Pistons' options with their cap space, the Lakers' need for a center, Luka Doncic's conditioning issues and more! Use the link below to read the transcript.
Wizards, Bucks Have Discussed Middleton, Kuzma
The Wizards and Bucks have explored a potential trade that would involve Milwaukee forward Khris Middleton and Washington forward Kyle Kuzma, two league sources tell Josh Robbins and David Aldridge of The Athletic. As we relayed on Monday, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) previously reported that the Bucks have had conversations about pursuing Kuzma.
Swapping Middleton for Kuzma would allow the Bucks to move below the second tax apron, Robbins and Aldridge outline, saving them money and generating more roster flexibility while also allowing them to avoid having their 2032 first-round pick become “frozen” at season’s end.
However, Kuzma is in the midst of the worst season of his career and The Athletic’s duo says the Wizards would be seeking draft capital in order to acquire Middleton, who has battled injuries in recent years.
A straight-up swap of the two players also wouldn’t quite be possible due to the difference in their salaries, so for matching purposes, the Wizards would have to send out a second player along with Kuzma ($23.5MM cap hit; $26.5MM apron hit) in order to take back Middleton ($31.7MM cap hit; $34MM apron hit).
The Bucks are operating about $6.5MM above the second apron and acquiring a second player would keep them above that threshold. So if getting out of second-apron territory is a goal, they’d need to either find a third-team facilitator or send out a second player themselves.
It’s unclear how much traction the two teams have gained in their talks, according to Robbins and Aldridge. When healthy, Middleton is a more valuable all-around player than Kuzma, but he also has been more injury-prone, is four years older, and is more expensive. Middleton holds a $34MM player option for next season, while Kuzma will make $21.5MM in 2025/26 and $19.4MM in ’26/27 on his declining contract.
As for the Wizards, they’re more willing to trade Kuzma now than they were a year ago, when they passed on an opportunity to send him to Dallas, according to The Athletic. But Robbins and Aldridge also note that the forward’s value is at its lowest point, given his struggles this season (.420/.281/.602 shooting), so it may not be the right time for Washington to move him.
Here’s more on the Wizards:
- Washington is interested in using its $12.4MM trade exception to take on an unwanted contract in order to add more future draft assets, league sources tell Robbins and Aldridge. The club is operating nearly $12MM below the tax line, so it could use most of that exception without going into tax territory.
- Malcolm Brogdon, Marvin Bagley III, and Richaun Holmes are among the other players on expiring or pseudo-expiring contracts whom the Wizards are willing to move, according to The Athletic. Bagley and Holmes aren’t positive assets and Brogdon’s trade value probably isn’t better than neutral, but their expiring money could be useful to a team looking to move off a multiyear contract.
- None of the rival teams that have spoken to The Athletic’s duo have heard anything about Jordan Poole being available on the trade market. Poole’s sizable contract remains a potential impediment, but the Wizards are also happy about how he’s performed and bought into the team’s youth movement this season, Robbins and Aldridge explain.
- While Corey Kispert isn’t off the table in trade talks, the poison pill provision will make any deal more challenging and the Wizards have genuine interest in keeping the fourth-year sharpshooter around through their rebuild, league sources tell The Athletic.
Warriors Rumors: Trade Deadline, Green, Butler, Durant
Warriors forward Draymond Green spoke out last month against the idea of “mortgaging off the future” of the team in order to try to win now, telling reporters that’s the sort of thing that “bad organizations” do. However, on Monday, with the February 6 trade deadline just days away, Green said in a post-game media session that he knows team owner Joe Lacob will be eager to try to upgrade a team with an uninspiring 25-24 record.
“We all know he’s pissed sitting at .500,” Green said (Twitter video link via Anthony Slater of The Athletic). “You’d be a fool to sit back and think everything (is OK). Not with that guy. That guy’s always trying to win. He’s always pushing the envelope as much as he can.
“… Sitting at .500, you’ve got to expect that (the front office) is going to look to be aggressive. It’s not an organization that’s going to do anything dumb, but they’re going to look to be aggressive.”
Reporting on Monday linked the Warriors to starry targets like LeBron James and Kevin Durant, with Shams Charania stating during an ESPN appearance that Golden State is “legitimately calling about every All-Star player.” After seeing what went down in Dallas over the weekend, Green suggests it would be irresponsible not to make those calls.
“Luka Doncic just got traded, so everyone thinks everything is possible at this point,” Green said. “If you saw that and you didn’t call (on) every superstar, you’re crazy. That’s just the reality.”
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported on Sunday that Jimmy Butler trade talks between the Warriors and Heat had “ended for now” after the 35-year-old conveyed that he wasn’t interested in signing an extension with Golden State. However, it doesn’t appear that the idea of Butler landing in the Bay Area is dead. Anthony Slater of The Athletic says the Warriors “believe they are still firmly in the mix” for Butler, while Windhorst himself wrote today at ESPN.com that Golden State remains a possibility for the star forward if the Heat can’t figure out how to make a deal work with the Suns, Butler’s preferred destination.
- If the Suns are unable to acquire Butler, it could impact the Warriors on two fronts. Not only would it make Golden State a more viable landing spot for Butler, but it could make Phoenix more inclined to consider the idea of moving Durant, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com, who says (via Twitter) that some rival executives believes that’s a real possibility.
- According to Slater, it’s still unclear whether the Suns would really move Durant this week or if he would even welcome a reunion with the Warriors. However, Slater notes that Lacob and Durant’s longtime manager Rich Kleiman were seen chatting during Friday’s Suns/Warriors game and were spotted together at Chase Center’s Bridge Club at halftime and after the game.
Nuggets’ Malone: “We’re Not Trading Michael Porter”
Michael Porter Jr. enjoyed his best game of the season on Monday, pouring in 36 points in 40 minutes en route to a 12-point victory over New Orleans. After the win, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone was asked if he’s touched base with Porter more frequently ahead of the February 6 deadline, given that the veteran forward has been the subject of trade rumors this season.
According to Malone, there has been no need to do so, since Porter isn’t going anywhere (story via Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette).
“No, because we’re not trading Michael Porter,” Malone said (Twitter video link via DNVR Sports). “So, I’m not touching base with anybody on that. I’m touching base with guys on better defense, better spacing, taking care of the ball. If there’s something coming, obviously (general manager) Calvin (Booth) will talk with me and I’m sure we’ll communicate with whatever players.
“But Michael is a really important piece. Michael helped us win a championship. We’ll see what happens going into this coming Thursday, but to my knowledge, there have been no conversations. I don’t feel the need to converse with somebody when there’s nothing there.”
Porter, who spoke to the media after Malone, said that his coach’s message is the same one he’s heard from the organization ahead of the deadline and told reporters, “From what I’ve heard, they’re not interested in moving me” (Twitter video link).
Pointing to the unpredictability of the NBA, he acknowledged that could change, but said he’s not stressing out about the possibility.
“As long as I’m here, I’m gonna be here, and I’m gonna be happy,” Porter said. “I’m gonna play hard and try to be available and try to help win games. If the day came where they wanted to trade me and they they wanted to go a different direction, then I’ll be excited for the new opportunity, but it’s not something I think about at all.”
After battling back issues earlier in his NBA career, Porter has been an iron man for Denver over the past two seasons, missing just one game since the start of the 2023/24 campaign. He’s having one of his best seasons a pro in ’24/25, putting up 18.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and a career-high 2.2 assists in 33.3 minutes per night, with a strong shooting line of .513/.408/.744.
Porter has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate because he’s the most expendable player of the four Nuggets earning more than $8.9MM this season (Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon are the others). His $36MM cap hit would likely be required for salary-matching purposes for any sizable deal Denver wanted to make.
If Porter isn’t going anywhere, the Nuggets will likely explore smaller deals, possibly involving Zeke Nnaji ($8.9MM) and/or Dario Saric ($5.2MM), though both players are thought to have negative trade value due to their limited roles and multiyear contracts.
Hawks Have Reportedly Registered Interest In Paul George
Confirming a Monday report indicating that the Warriors inquired on Paul George, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer cites sources who say the Hawks have also expressed interest in the Sixers forward.
According to Pompey though, the expectation is that the 76ers would only consider moving George if they could get a “home-run deal.”
Philadelphia has been decimated by injuries this season, resulting in a 19-29 start. George has been limited to 30 appearances so far due to various health issues and has seen his production drop off when he’s been healthy. His 17.1 points per game represent his lowest mark since the 2011/12 season, while his 42.9% field goal percentage and 36.5% three-point percentage are below his career rates.
Given that George is in the first season of a four-year contract worth $211.6MM, those numbers are a cause for some concern. However, as Pompey points out, the club has gone 6-1 in the seven full games that George, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey have played together and doesn’t seem to be in any rush to break up that trio, especially since they’re all on long-term contracts.
George has two more guaranteed years beyond this season, with a 2027/28 player option, while Embiid is locked up through at least 2028 and Maxey is under team control through 2029.
It doesn’t come as a shock that the Warriors checked in on George, since they also had trade interest in him last summer before he opted out of his contract with the Clippers.
The Hawks’ interest is a little more surprising, considering they’re a younger team, but George would theoretically make sense as an on-court fit alongside core players like Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu. Atlanta also has some sizable contracts that could be used to match George’s $49.2MM cap hit, starting with Clint Capela ($22.3MM expiring), as well as De’Andre Hunter ($21.7MM) and/or Bogdan Bogdanovic ($17.3MM).
Jeffrey Lurie Denies Interest In Buying Celtics
The Celtics, whose controlling owners put the franchise up for sale in 2024, were expected to receive four or five bids last month from prospective ownership groups before narrowing those interested parties down to a smaller group of finalists.
Bill Simmons of The Ringer (hat tip to MassLive) indicated last week that Jeffrey Lurie, the owner of the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, was among those finalists, but Lurie suggested to reporters on Monday that’s not the case.
“No, I’m not really interested in acquiring another sports team,” Lurie said, per Ben Volin of The Boston Globe. “I would never say never, but I’m not looking to own another sports franchise. The Celtics, again, are exceptional. They’re so well run. They’re so talented. It’s my childhood team. However, I do not expect that to happen.”
As Volin writes, Lurie grew up in the Boston area and sold an 8% share of the Eagles in December, generating $600MM+ as a result of that sale. That fueled speculation that he was gearing up to invest in the Celtics, but Lurie said on Monday that he remains focused on the Eagles.
“I think it’s connected because they’re my childhood team,” Lurie said. “I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for their whole culture. I sort of see it as like a kindred soul in the NBA. Wyc [Grousbeck] has been an outstanding owner, I love the way they’ve developed that team and we’ve got to celebrate so many banners over the years. [But] it’s not something that’s top of mind. My whole focus is on my love of the Eagles and to win another Super Bowl for Philadelphia.”
Current Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca was said to be spearheading a consortium that was interesting in taking over majority control of the team. Another current minority stakeholder, Robert Hale, expressed interest in becoming majority owner or joining a group in October, and said in the lead-up to the January 23 deadline that he was “still hanging around the hoop.”
Mark Bezos, the founding partner of HighPost Capital private equity group and the half-brother of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, was also believed to be among the possible bidders.