Ivey Gets DNP-CD With Bulls’ Crowded Backcourt Healthy
With Josh Giddey and Tre Jones back in action on Thursday following injury absences, Jaden Ivey was the odd man out in a crowded Bulls backcourt. Ivey, who started three of four games and averaged 28.8 minutes per night for Chicago prior to the All-Star break, didn’t play at all in a home loss to Toronto and said after the game that he thought it was the first DNP-CD of his career, per Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic.
Bulls assistant Wes Unseld Jr., acting as head coach with Billy Donovan away from the team following the death of his father, explained that it was “strictly a basketball decision” necessitated by having a fully healthy backcourt, as well as a desire to have Giddey and Jones play regular roles in their first game back.
“I talked to several guys (Thursday) morning, and then I addressed the team about it, and it’s just a byproduct of where we are in our composition,” Unseld told reporters.
Giddey and Jones, who were on minutes restrictions, played 21 and 22 minutes respectively, while recent trade acquisition Anfernee Simons logged 31. Collin Sexton and Rob Dillingham, the team’s other newly added guards, played 15 and 10 minutes off the bench.
As Lorenzi writes, the usage of the guards seemed to be at odds with the Bulls’ actions earlier this month at a busy trade deadline. With its seven deadline deals, Chicago appeared prepared to pivot toward its younger players, but Simons and Sexton – veterans on expiring contracts – are ahead of Ivey, a restricted-free-agent-to-be, and second-year guard Dillingham on the depth chart for now.
Asked after the game about his DNP-CD, Ivey offered little clarity, according to Lorenzi, who says the former Piston repeatedly referenced his faith and declared that he doesn’t “really trust the NBA setting.”
“When moves are made behind the scenes, trades and stuff,” Ivey replied when asked what he meant. “I don’t trust that part of (it). I mean, you can’t trust it, because it’s not in your hands. So it’s not in my hands to make moves, or trade myself.”
Ivey later said he was told the decision to sit him on Thursday was the result of “a series of things,” including ongoing knee soreness that he referred to as something he’s been dealing with “for years.” The fourth-year guard underwent surgery on his right knee in October that delayed his season debut, but he hasn’t been listed on the injury report recently and said that soreness isn’t something that will “keep me from doing my job.”
Still, there have been some questions this season about whether Ivey is at 100% after returning from a broken left leg that ended his 2024/25 season, as well as that right knee surgery. He played a reduced role in Detroit (16.8 MPG) prior to the trade and didn’t look like his old explosive self. Asked if there are still health-related steps to take before he regains his former athleticism, Ivey offered an eyebrow-raising response, Lorenzi notes.
“I’m sure people can call it out — I’m not the same player I used to be,” he said. “(The knee soreness is) why. I’m not the J.I. I used to be. The old J.I. is dead. I’m alive in Christ no matter what the basketball setting is.”
As Lorenzi observes, it’s possible the Bulls will adjust their rotation going forward and Ivey’s DNP-CD ends up being a one-off that’s quickly forgotten. But based on Thursday’s usage, it doesn’t appear at this point that developing Ivey and Dillingham is a top priority for the team.
Bulls Notes: Ivey, Dillingham, McClung, Guards
The Bulls have positioned themselves as the league’s preeminent “second draft” team, Fred Katz writes for The Athletic, referencing recent moves for young players in need of a change of scenery.
One such player is the newly acquired Jaden Ivey, who came to Chicago in a three-team trade involving Kevin Huerter. Like Josh Giddey when he was acquired by the Bulls, Ivey is nearing restricted free agency and had lost clarity in his role with the highly successful team that drafted him — though in Ivey’s case, that was due in large part to the broken leg that sidelined him for much of last season.
Ivey is not in a position where he’ll be handed control of the Bulls’ offense, Katz writes, especially with the number of guards on the roster, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be in a position to excel.
Katz notes that Ivey has shot the three exceptionally well since the start of last season, and the Bulls, who traded two free agent-to-be point guards at the deadline, will have ample cap space this summer. If Ivey can return to his physical form while continuing to shoot at a high level, there could be a spot for him next to Giddey in the backcourt.
We have more from the Bulls:
- Another new addition to the Bulls’ backcourt is second-year guard Rob Dillingham. Head coach Billy Donovan has been impressed by Dillingham’s speed and ability to penetrate the defense but wants much more from him as a processor of the game. “The decision-making, the shots that he’s taking, are not sustainable. And I told him that,” Donovan said, per The Athletic’s Joel Lorenzi (Twitter link). “His job and responsibility is to generate shots for guys when he gets there… it’s not like I’m giving him free rein. We need him downhill, but he also can’t be jumping off of two feet, getting caught in the air, shooting over guys, trying to throw passes that aren’t there. He’s gotta clean that up, and we’ve gotta help him do it.” Donovan added that he wants Dillingham to maintain his level of aggression and that he believes the young guard will find that balance with time.
- Chicago recently signed three-time Dunk Contest champion Mac McClung to a two-way deal, which represents the latest step towards McClung reaching his dream of carving out a role for himself in the NBA. The 27-year-old guard turned down highly lucrative offers overseas to play in the G League and stay ready for his call-up, Anthony Olivieri writes for ESPN. “This [NBA quest] is where my heart’s at,” McClung said. “… You can’t keep telling me no forever.”
- The Bulls players know that the team they’re on is strangely constructed and not built for longevity, Lorenzi writes, but that just makes the challenge for players like Anfernee Simons more interesting. “This not a normal situation,” Simons said earlier in the week, shaking his head. “Seven new guys, six of them are playing heavy minutes and we have to just learn on the fly like that. It’s just gonna take tons of communication. Experience. Just going through it together with mistakes and everything… Obviously, we want to win. That’s the end goal. Right now is the time that we learn each other and learn from our mistakes and just try to build something from there.” With Simons, the maniacally competitive Collin Sexton, and Ivey all in contract years, the team is loaded with new guards who will be motivated to perform at a high level in the next couple months. The team will likely lose many games, but it won’t be for lack of trying on the part of the players.
Celtics Notes: Tatum, Vucevic, Simons, Garza, Queta
Monday’s practice with Boston’s G League affiliate represented the first time that Celtics forward Jayson Tatum had taken part in a 5-on-5 scrimmage with NBA and NBAGL players – as opposed to coaches – during his Achilles recovery process, ESPN’s Shams Charania said during an appearance on NBA Today (Twitter video link). Charania hears that Tatum looked “great,” but cautions that there are still several more checkpoints for the 27-year-old to pass before he could suit up for an NBA game.
“I’m feeling good,” Tatum said after his first practice with the Maine Celtics, per Brian Robb of MassLive. “… (Tuesday) is 39 weeks (since the injury), so it’s been a long journey. And it’s just like the progression of rehab. It was the next step. Doesn’t mean that I’m coming back or I’m not. It’s just following the plan. So it’s just another step.”
The 35-19 Celtics hold the No. 2 record in the Eastern Conference despite not having Tatum available at all this season. He said this week that there had been “no doubt” in his mind entering the season about the club’s ability to play at this level while he recovered from his Achilles tear, adding that it’s been “really fun and cool” to see what his teammates have done. He also spoke positively about Boston’s pre-deadline trade to acquire veteran center Nikola Vucevic, as Robb relays.
“Vuc is a hell of a player,” Tatum said. “Obviously I’ve competed against him for the last eight years. I’m excited about the things he brings to this team and the different dynamic. So we’re all excited to have him.”
We have more on the Celtics:
- Less than a week after being traded from the Celtics to the Bulls for Vucevic, Anfernee Simons was back in Boston on Wednesday as a visiting player. Before the game, the veteran guard spoke glowingly about his brief stint with the Celtics and said he could “for sure” see himself returning to the team later in his career if the opportunity arises (Twitter video link via Bobby Manning of CLNS Media). Simons added that he understood why Boston made the trade, referring to Vucevic as a “great player” who will give the C’s another floor-stretching option in the frontcourt.
- After using a double-big starting lineup featuring Neemias Queta and Luka Garza in the first three games since trading Simons, head coach Joe Mazzulla made an adjustment on Wednesday, moving Garza back to the bench. As Robb writes for MassLive.com, the move helped get the Celtics’ offense going but resulted in Garza playing just seven minutes, his lowest single-game total since early December. That could be a trend going forward with Vucevic likely to eat into his playing time.
- In a mailbag for MassLive.com, Robb considers whether or not Vucevic will eventually find his way into the Celtics’ starting lineup and argues that it makes more sense for Queta to hang onto that spot because he’s steadier on the defensive end.
Post-Deadline Rumors: Morant, JJJ, Bulls, Missi, Celtics
The fact that Ja Morant wasn’t traded at last week’s deadline came as a bit of a surprise to him, according to Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints, who says the Grizzlies weren’t willing to accept a package similar to what Atlanta got for Trae Young.
The Grizzlies talked to the Heat, Timberwolves, and Bucks about Morant, but didn’t come close to making a deal, Azarly writes. League sources tell ClutchPoints that Ryan Rollins was a player Memphis and Milwaukee talked about, but the Grizzlies were averse to taking back Kyle Kuzma and/or Bobby Portis, who are both on multiyear guaranteed contracts.
According to reporting last week, Memphis signaled a willingness to take on long-term salary if it came attached to first-round draft compensation, but there’s no indication the Bucks would’ve put their lone tradable first-rounder on the table for Morant.
The expectation is that the Grizzlies will try to trade Morant again in the summer, and Azarly suggests that the point guard should be able to return from his left elbow injury not long after the All-Star break. As Azarly explains, even though Memphis has pivoted to a full-on rebuild and would benefit from piling up losses down the stretch, both the team and Morant himself would appreciate the opportunity to have the 26-year-old rebuild his trade value with a strong finish to the season.
Here are a few more leftover rumors from last week’s trade deadline:
- In addition to Golden State and Toronto – whose talks with the Grizzlies were previously reported – the Pistons and Hawks also “checked in” on Jaren Jackson Jr. before he was dealt to the Jazz, while the Suns and Hornets also had interest, says Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. There’s no indication that any of those teams made any real progress toward acquiring Jackson from Memphis.
- The Bulls, who acquired a total of eight second-round picks in their various pre-deadline deals, made an effort to flip some of those second-rounders to the Pelicans last Thursday in a deal for second-year center Yves Missi, Siegel writes. However, New Orleans was holding out for a first-round pick and ended up retaining Missi through the deadline.
- Sources who spoke to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) viewed the Celtics‘ swap of Anfernee Simons for Nikola Vucevic as a “clear indicator” that Boston thinks forward Jayson Tatum will be able to return before the end of the season. Simons’ was the team’s fourth-leading scorer prior to the trade, but would’ve likely seen his role reduced in a rotation that featured a healthy Tatum.
Bulls Notes: Sexton, Buzelis, Dillingham, Simons
The Bulls overhauled their roster by making seven trades ahead of last week’s deadline, but the new-look team is focused more on competing than rebuilding, Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune writes in a subscriber-only story. Seven new players were on the court Saturday against Denver, and even though they had barely practiced together as a group, the Bulls held a seven-point lead going into the fourth quarter before the game slipped away.
“We definitely can be very special,” said Collin Sexton, who was acquired from Charlotte on Thursday. “I feel like for us to have one walk-through and to go out there pretty much jelling and making the right reads and doing this together. … It was super fun. At the end of the day, I know something good is coming.”
The Bulls had lost five of their last six games heading into the deadline, and management had no interest in being a perennial play-in team any longer, according to Sullivan. The purge was framed as “a stage” rather than a full rebuild, with more significant moves expected this summer.
The long-range plan is to build around young talent like second-year forward Matas Buzelis, who is viewed as a franchise cornerstone. Coach Billy Donovan said Buzelis got a “taste of this (league) as a business” at the deadline and was “still processing” all the moves that took place.
“It’s tough, of course, but at the end of the day you’ve just got to accept what happens,” Buzelis said. “That’s just what it is. I’m happy to see these guys here. I think we’ve got something special and we can make it work, but it’s tough, losing all my brothers. It is what it is, and you’ve got to accept it. … Those guys are always going to be part of my circle. They impacted me as a player. I’m never going to forget the relationships I’ve built with them over the years. They were great vets to me.”
There’s more from Chicago:
- Donovan’s up-tempo offense is a better fit for Rob Dillingham than he had in Minnesota, observes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times (subscription required). The No. 8 pick in the 2024 draft, Dillingham wasn’t able to crack the Wolves’ rotation, but he played a season-high 22 minutes on Saturday, finishing with nine points and setting up teammates for two impressive alley-oop dunks. ‘‘At times, we’ve struggled to get downhill,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘He’s the one guy, when the ball is in his hand, that can really break people down, play off the dribble and put some pressure on the basket.’’
- With a $27.7MM expiring contract, Anfernee Simons understands that the next few weeks will help to determine his NBA future, Cowley adds in a separate story. Simons plans to take the same approach he did when he was traded to Boston last summer. “I think even before [the trade], it was always going to be a job interview with this being the last year of my contract,” he said. “I’ve just got to make the most out of these last couple of months here, start building chemistry with the guys and see where that goes.”
- Sexton talks about serving as a veteran leader for the young roster in an interview with K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (YouTube video link).
Celtics, Bulls Swap Anfernee Simons, Nikola Vucevic
February 5: The trade is now official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
February 3: The Celtics and Bulls have reached an agreement on a trade that will send guard Anfernee Simons to Chicago and center Nikola Vucevic to Boston, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Both teams will also acquire a second-round pick in the deal, Charania adds. The Celtics will receive Denver’s 2027 second-round selection in the trade, while Chicago will get the “most favorable” of four teams’ 2026 second-rounders, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. That pick headed to the Bulls will likely be New Orleans’ 2026 second-rounder.
A deal along these lines had long been considered a possibility for the Celtics, whose frontcourt depth took a significant blow last offseason when they traded away Kristaps Porzingis and lost Al Horford and Luke Kornet in free agency.
Simons’ $27.7MM expiring contract was also viewed as an obvious trade chip for a team that made cost-cutting moves to get below the second apron and might be looking to further reduce its luxury tax bill — or to get out of the tax altogether.
Over the course of the season, however, Simons emerged as a key part of Boston’s rotation off the bench, averaging 14.2 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.4 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game while knocking down 39.5% of his three-pointers and 88.9% of his free throws. And with the 31-18 Celtics vying for a top-two seed in the East, ducking the tax no longer seemed like a top priority for the team.
Still, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens ultimately determined that it made sense for Boston to sacrifice some backcourt depth for another rotation player up front while saving some money and generating some additional roster flexibility in the process.
Vucevic, 35, is a floor-stretching big man who continues to produce strong offensive numbers, including 16.9 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game this season, along with a 37.6% mark on three-pointers. He’s on an expiring $21.5MM contract, so the move will reduce the Celtics’ projected tax penalty by more than $22MM, from $39.5MM to $17MM, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. The club will also move below the first tax apron as a result of the deal.
Boston has a $22.5MM traded player exception from last summer’s Porzingis deal, so Vucevic could be slotted into that TPE, allowing the team to create a new exception equivalent to Simons’ outgoing salary ($27.8MM). The Celtics would have up to one year to use that exception.
As for the Bulls’ perspective, it remains to be seen whether Simons is part of their plans going forward or if the move is more about the second-round pick they’re adding. Either way, something will have to give in Chicago’s backcourt, where Simons joins a group that also includes Josh Giddey, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and Tre Jones, as well as Jaden Ivey and Mike Conley, who are joining the Bulls as part of a three-team deal involving Detroit and Minnesota.
While Conley looks like a potential buyout candidate, the Bulls’ additions of Ivey and Simons suggest that at least one (and perhaps more than one) of White, Dosunmu, or Jones will be on the move this week.
The trade sending out Vucevic represents something of the end of an era in Chicago. Arturas Karnisovas‘ first major trade as the team’s executive VP of basketball operations at the 2021 deadline saw him send out Wendell Carter Jr. and multiple future first-round picks (including one that became Franz Wagner) to land the Montenegrin center. Vucevic averaged 18.1 PPG, 10.5 RPG, and 3.4 APG on .499/.349/.815 shooting in 378 regular season games as a Bull.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype first reported last week that the Bulls inquired earlier in the season on a swap of Vucevic for Simons and a first-round pick. While Boston wasn’t interested in that offer, the Celtics eventually moved forward on the proposed framework after Chicago lowered its draft-pick asking price.
Siegel’s Latest: Bitadze, Spurs, Celtics, Drummond, Nuggets
Of the three players (Tyus Jones, Goga Bitadze and Jonathan Isaac) the Magic have made available in an effort to dip below the luxury tax line, Bitadze has drawn the most trade interest, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
Citing league sources, Siegel says the Spurs are one of the teams intrigued by the 26-year-old center, who has been repeatedly linked to Toronto in 2025/26. Bitadze was also mentioned as a possible Knicks target on Saturday.
Robert Williams of the Trail Blazers is another big man the Spurs might be interested in, according to Siegel, who hears injured Blazers wing Matisse Thybulle could be a buyout candidate if he isn’t moved prior to the February 5 deadline.
Here’s more from Siegel:
- Ownership hasn’t put any pressure on president of basketball operations Brad Stevens to reduce the Celtics‘ luxury tax bill ahead of the deadline, sources tell Siegel. Anfernee Simons has long been viewed as a possible trade chip, Siegel notes, and while there’s still a chance he could be moved if Boston can find a frontcourt upgrade, the 26-year-old combo guard has played well in his first season in Boston, which has exceeded outside expectations in ’25/26.
- The Sixers are reportedly open to trading Andre Drummond, who is on an expiring $5MM contract. Moving the 32-year-old center, who has led the league in rebounds per game four times, would put Philadelphia below the tax after the team received a variance credit following Paul George‘s 25-game suspension. Siegel hears the Rockets are a team with some interest in Drummond. Houston recently lost backup center Steven Adams for the remainder of the season due to a Grade 3 left ankle sprain, which required surgery.
- The Nuggets, who are about $400K over the tax threshold, have talked to the Jazz about a trade that would send Hunter Tyson to Utah, according to Siegel, who suggests Denver might put protections on its lone second-round pick (2032) in that sort of cost-cutting deal.
Atlantic Notes: Simons, Porter, Towns, Sixers
Considered a clear-cut trade chip for a Celtics team expected to bottom out coming into the season, Anfernee Simons has instead emerged as a Sixth Man of the Year candidate as the C’s look to cement themselves as the league’s most unexpected contender, writes Gary Washburn for the Boston Globe.
Simons has always been a scorer, but after he spent several years in a starring role on a lottery team in Portland, there were questions about his ability to contribute to a winning team. Simons says he felt the weight of those questions and what it meant for how he approached his game.
“That’s the challenge, stepping into a new situation, new role and being able to come out and be successful — finding your success within the new role is asked of you,” Simons said. “You’ve got to change your thinking. You’re so programmed to think, if I don’t play well offensively, I didn’t have a good game. Now it’s changing, your mind-set. Coming into games you might not score as much but you played good defense, you made the right plays… You’ve got to be able to know that I did everything I could to help the team win in the time I was out there.”
While the Celtics still have long-term roster issues to address, the way Simons has fit into coach Joe Mazzulla‘s system means it’s no longer a lock that the team looks to move him at the deadline. Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints says he’d be surprised to see Simons moved (Twitter link).
As for Simons, he’s trying his best to focus on the on-court possibilities.
“I just want the opportunity to win,” he said. “Everyone wants to win a championship. But everybody might not be destined to win a championship, so you want yourself to be in the best position to win a championship. That’s all I want in my career, having no regrets wherever way it goes.”
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Michael Porter Jr. was not named to the 2026 All-Star reserves team for the Eastern Conference for the Nets. The numbers say he should have been, writes C.J. Holmes for the New York Daily News. Holmes notes that Porter is fifth in the East in scoring at 25.6 points per game, seventh in the NBA in made threes, and is tied for the 11th-most 30-point games this season. “It definitely would be a dream come true. It was in my mind as a kid to make the NBA, but not only be in the NBA but be one of the best players in the NBA. And an All-Star selection shows that progress,” Porter said back in December, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “But it’s definitely not what I’m thinking of. I’ve always tried to be more process-oriented and do the right things day to day, game to game, and let the results take care of itself.” With Giannis Antetokounmpo injured, the East will have at least one injury replacement named, meaning Porter will have another chance to be named to his first All-Star team.
- Karl-Anthony Towns was named to his sixth All-Star game on Sunday night, despite struggling with his offense this season. Knicks coach Mike Brown firmly believes the nod was well-deserved, writes Jared Schwartz of the New York Post. “He’s leading us in rebounds, he’s second in scoring,” Brown said. “I don’t know how many double-doubles he has, but that’s impactful when you’re talking about doing it in a winning situation… We should have, in my opinion, two or three guys, at least, on this All-Star team based on what our record is.” Towns leads the league in rebounding at 11.8 per game, including 3.1 offensive boards, entering Sunday’s game against the Lakers.
- The Sixers posted the third-lowest rebound total in a game this season in Thursday’s win against the Kings, which only exemplified a season-long problem, Keith Pompey writes for The Inquirer. According to Pompey, the 76ers have ranked last in the league in rebounding in the past 11 games, due in part to the team going slightly smaller with Adem Bona getting the backup center minutes over Andre Drummond. With Joel Embiid averaging the fewest rebounds of his career at 7.5 per game, Pompey suggests coach Nick Nurse is considering going back to Drummond at times, depending on the matchup.
Scotto’s Latest: Celtics, Simons, Boucher, Wolves, Knicks, More
Avoiding the luxury tax this season isn’t necessarily a top priority for the Celtics, who have conveyed to rival teams that they’re not looking to attach a first-round pick to Anfernee Simons‘ expiring $27.7MM contract in a cost-cutting move, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
Presumably, the Celtics would remain open to the idea of moving Simons and draft compensation for a meaningful upgrade, but not for a lateral move that simply reduces their tax bill. For instance, Scotto says the Bulls inquired earlier this season about a swap of Simons and a first-round pick for center Nikola Vucevic, which didn’t interest Boston.
On the other hand, the Celtics did kick the tires on the possibility of a deal sending Simons, a first-round pick, and a first-round pick swap to the Clippers in exchange for big man Ivica Zubac and salary filler, but they didn’t gain any momentum on that front, per Scotto. Having won 16 of their past 19 games, the Clippers reportedly aren’t entertaining the idea of a Zubac trade at this point.
Although they’d be open to a deal that upgrades their frontcourt, the Celtics are also weighing the possibility of trading some of their depth in the middle, given that Neemias Queta has played well as the starting five and Luka Garza is handling the backup role. Chris Boucher and Xavier Tillman are possible trade candidates, Scotto writes, citing league sources who say the Hawks, Sixers, and Suns are among the teams to express exploratory interest in Boucher.
Here are a few more of the highlights from Scotto’s latest rumor round-up:
- The Timberwolves have been receiving calls from rival teams about key contributors like Naz Reid, Jaden McDaniels, and Donte DiVincenzo, but they highly value those players and aren’t looking to move any of them, according to Scotto. McDaniels is viewed as borderline untouchable, while Minnesota would likely only seriously consider moving Reid and DiVincenzo for an All-Star caliber player, Scotto adds.
- Although there were some whispers about the possibility of the Spurs and Knicks swapping Jeremy Sochan for Guerschon Yabusele and Pacome Dadiet, San Antonio wasn’t interested in that construction due to Yabusele’s $5.8MM player option for next season, says Scotto.
- As the Knicks consider their trade options, they’re willing to include the Wizards’ top-eight protected 2026 first-round pick to upgrade their roster, per Scotto. That pick almost certainly won’t convey, which means it would instead turn into Washington’s 2026 and 2027 second-round selections, but given where the Wizards are in their rebuild, those second-rounders are still considered valuable.
- As Ayo Dosunmu nears unrestricted free agency, some executives around the NBA believe the Bulls guard will be in line for a contract in the neighborhood of the full mid-level exception or even higher, Scotto writes.
Clippers Rumors: Sanders, Miller, Paul, Brown, Zubac, Collins, More
One of the Clippers‘ primary goals at the trade deadline will be to create the roster and cap flexibility necessary to promote Kobe Sanders and Jordan Miller from their two-way contracts to the standard roster, according to Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.
The Clippers are currently operating about $1.15MM below their first-apron hard cap, with 14 players on full-season standard contracts (Patrick Baldwin Jr. is on a 10-day deal). They’ll need to move off of at least one of those 14 players in order to create roster space for both Sanders and Miller, who are nearing their active-game limits.
Point guard Chris Paul and forward Kobe Brown are the top trade candidates to watch, Azarly writes. While waiving either player would open up a roster spot, it would leave that player’s full salary on the Clippers’ books. Moving off of Paul’s or Brown’s contract in a trade would be necessary to create enough breathing room below the hard cap to sign both Sanders and Miller to new deals sooner rather than later.
For what it’s worth, the Clippers have already used their full mid-level exception and don’t have a bi-annual exception this season after using it in 2024/25. That means that if they want to offer Sanders or Miller a salary worth more than the minimum, they would need to use their $2.68MM disabled player exception, which can only be used for a one-year contract. A minimum-salary offer would be capped at two years.
Here’s more on the Clippers:
- Azarly adds the Hornets to the list of teams that have inquired on Ivica Zubac but says the Clippers haven’t shown any real interest in moving their starting center. Sources tell ClutchPoints that one team put an unprotected first-round pick and a pick swap in an offer for Zubac, but didn’t get anywhere in negotiations.
- Although the Clippers had some talks earlier in the season about big man John Collins, they’re less interested in moving him at this point, Azarly writes. Collins has played well during the team’s recent hot streak, averaging 15.6 points in 28.1 minutes per game on .675/.635/.792 shooting in his past 14 outings.
- Azarly says the Clippers aren’t “actively shopping” veteran guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, though I’d be surprised if the team isn’t very much open to the idea of trading him. Bogdanovic has been limited to 16 games and hasn’t played since December 26 due to health issues, and is averaging career lows in several categories, including points per game (8.0) and field goal percentage (37.6%).
- Hornets guard Collin Sexton, Celtics guard Anfernee Simons, and Bulls guard Coby White have each been linked to the Clippers in recent days, per Azarly, who notes that the club could use another ball-handler and play-maker to help out James Harden and Kawhi Leonard on offense.