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.
Thunder, Hornets Swap Future Second-Round Picks
The Thunder and Hornets have completed a minor second-round draft pick swap, according to a Thunder press release. A Hornets press release also confirms the deal.
Oklahoma City acquired the Nuggets’ 2030 second-rounder that Charlotte possessed in exchange for the Suns’ 2029 second-rounder that the Thunder owned.
The Thunder had a stash of 2029 second-rounders. Besides controlling their own pick, they also have the rights to second-rounders from Atlanta, Boston, Houston and Miami. This gives OKC four second-rounders in 2030 — their own, plus picks from Denver, Houston and Miami.
There was already a scenario in which the Thunder would have acquired Denver’s 2030 first-round pick. The Nuggets owe Oklahoma City a top-five protected first-rounder in both 2027 and 2029. If the Thunder hadn’t received both of those picks by 2030, they would have instead been sent Denver’s 2030 second-round selection. Now they’ll ensure they receive that second-rounder even if both first-rounders convey, which is likely.
As for the Hornets, they now possess three 2029 picks — their own, Denver’s and now the Suns’. Swapping out that 2030 second-rounder from Denver for Phoenix’s 2029 selection ensures Charlotte is no longer at risk of losing out on the Nuggets’ 2030 second-rounder in the event that those aforementioned first-round Denver picks are protected.
Western Notes: Davis, Sexton, LaVine, Bane, Blazers
Anthony Davis won’t make his Mavericks debut on Tuesday. He has been ruled out due to the abdominal strain he suffered with the Lakers before their blockbuster trade with Dallas, Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal tweets. Davis was originally listed as questionable against Philadelphia.
Dallas wraps up its road trip at Boston on Thursday, then hosts Houston on Saturday.
We have more Western Conference news:
- Jazz guard Collin Sexton sprained his left ankle as he drove to the basket in the first quarter against the Pacers on Monday, according to The Associated Press. Sexton, Utah’s second-leading scorer at 18.7 points per game, didn’t return, and will undergo further evaluation Tuesday. Sexton is considered a prime trade candidate. He has one year and $19.175MM remaining on his contract after this season.
- Zach LaVine is expected to suit up for the Kings on Wednesday, James Ham of The Kings Beat tweets. Sacramento’s acquisition of LaVine became official on Monday. LaVine hasn’t played since last Monday due to the birth of his child.
- Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane has a foot sprain but it’s not considered serious, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal tweets. Bane underwent an MRI on Monday morning. Coach Taylor Jenkins said it was good news, based on the potential outcomes, so it appears Bane won’t be out an extended period. Bane is averaging 17.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per night.
- The Trail Blazers are open to trading Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons and Deandre Ayton, according to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report. Highkin believes if Grant or Simons are moved, the Trail Blazers would prefer a player they can add to their long-term core, rather than prioritizing draft picks. Robert Williams is another potential trade piece but the bar is higher than most people would think for the big man, as a package of second-round picks probably wouldn’t be enough for Portland’s front office, Highkin writes.
Southwest Notes: Exum, Davis, Murray, Paul, Wembanyama
The shocking trade of Luka Doncic over the weekend overshadowed Dante Exum‘s return to action for the Mavericks. Exum underwent wrist surgery during training camp and returned to action at Detroit on Friday, receiving 14 minutes of court time. With the Mavericks shorthanded on Sunday at Cleveland, Exum played 21 minutes and contributed 14 points and three assists.
“It’s been a long road,” Exum told Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News. “It’s been a lot of ups and downs. Just the work to get back to this point, it’s been a lot. Unfortunately, we couldn’t win (Friday). That would’ve been a nice icing on the cake. There’s still a lot of work to do. I got a lot of work to do. Hopefully, I can get back to my normal self as quick as possible.”
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Regarding the blockbuster trade, Exum believes the Mavericks can be a dynamic defensive team with the addition of Anthony Davis. Exum made his comments after Dallas was blown out by Cleveland on Sunday. “The best thing about AD – look at (Sunday), how (the Cavs) play two bigs,” Exum told Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. “It’s a perfect example of how we can be – a defensive-minded team. And AD brings a lot of offense, a lot of rim protection, rebounding, everything. It’s going to be fun to jell and figure out how we’re going to be successful. I think we have all the potential in the world. AD has been saying for a while that he wants to play the four. He’s going to have two centers in and out behind him and P.J. (Washington) goes to his natural position at the three. Just looking at that, it makes it a tough frontcourt.”
- Dejounte Murray‘s season-ending injury was just the latest setback for the snake-bit Pelicans. Murray tore his Achilles tendon on Friday. Murray had already missed 17 games with a broken hand in his first season with New Orleans after being traded from Atlanta. “It’s difficult to watch and see him go down knowing all he’s been through so far,” coach Willie Green said, per Rod Walker of NOLA.com. Green has started 25 different lineups in the team’s first 49 games due to a rash of injuries.
- The Spurs’ Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama will team up in the Skills Challenge at All-Star Weekend in San Francisco, NBA insider Chris Haynes tweets. Wembanyama also participated in the competition last season.
Atlantic Notes: Anunoby, Robinson, Yabusele, Raptors
OG Anunoby‘s right foot sprain doesn’t appear to be serious. The Knicks forward, who suffered the injury in a non-contact play on Saturday, had an MRI on Sunday and is considered day-to-day, according to The Athletic’s James Edwards.
Anunoby’s availability will be determined by “how he responds to treatment,” according to coach Tom Thibodeau. Anunoby, who had elbow surgery last season after being acquired from Toronto, hadn’t missed a game this season prior to sitting out against Houston on Monday.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- On another Knicks injury front, center Mitchell Robinson has been cleared for contact in practice, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets. However, that update comes with an asterisk. Robinson has to clear a couple more hurdles before he’s allowed to play in 5-on-5 scrimmages with contact, Thibodeau told the media. The big man has yet to play in 2024/25 after undergoing ankle surgery last offseason.
- Sixers big man Guerschon Yabusele has drawn serious interest from several teams, but he hopes to stay put, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. “If it does happen, I will be in whatever situation I got to be in,” Yabusele said. “I don’t want to get my head into this too much. I just want to think about playing right now. I’m still a Sixers player, and I hope to stay a Sixers player.” Yabusele’s $2.09MM salary expires this offseason and the Sixers only hold his Non-Bird rights, so they’re limited in what they can offer him unless they use their mid-level exception — they’ll likely only have the taxpayer form of the MLE.
- The Raptors, who are operating well under the luxury tax line, have expressed interested in facilitating trades. The Athletic’s Eric Koreen opines that the front office needs to be patient and stick to its rebuilding plan, no matter what type of trades it pursues.
Rockets’ Udoka, Pacers’ Carlisle Named Coaches Of The Month
Rockets head coach Ime Udoka and Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle have been named the NBA’s Coaches of the Month for January for the Western Conference and Eastern Conference, respectively, the league announced today (Twitter link).
Udoka’s Rockets went 11-4 in January, registering a series of impressive victories that included road wins in Memphis, Denver, Cleveland, and Boston. The strong month improved Houston’s overall record to 32-16, which puts the team third in the Western Conference, two-and-a-half games ahead of No. 4 Denver.
It was the second time this season that Udoka has been named the West’s Coach of the Month — he also earned the honor for games played in October and November. This time around, he beat out fellow nominees Chauncey Billups (Trail Blazers), Doug Christie (Kings), Mark Daigneault (Thunder), and Tyronn Lue (Clippers), according to the NBA (Twitter link).
Meanwhile, after Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson claimed two straight Coach of the Month awards to open the season, Carlisle is the East’s first non-Atkinson winner in 2024/25.
Carlisle’s Pacers enjoyed a 10-2 run in January, posting a +10.4 net rating that ranked first in the conference. Their only two losses occurred in instances where they played the same team twice in a row — they dropped a Jan. 14 matchup with the Cavs after beating them two days earlier, then split their two-game series in Paris with the Spurs.
Atkinson, J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons), Joe Mazzulla (Celtics), and Tom Thibodeau (Knicks) were the other coaches nominated in the East.