Southwest Notes: Champagnie, Pelicans, Rockets, Grizzlies
Julian Champagnie‘s improved rebounding has been an overlooked part of the Spurs‘ success this season, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Head coach Mitch Johnson tasked Champagnie with improving his work on the glass at the start of 2025/26 and the fourth-year small forward responded by averaging a career-high 5.8 rebounds per game after pulling down 3.9 RPG a year ago.
Champagnie has been steadily productive in the playoffs, averaging 10.8 PPG, 5.9 RPG and 1.3 SPG while shooting a blistering hot 55.0% from three-point range in eight appearances, all starts (28.1 MPG). He grabbed 12 boards — a career playoff high — during Friday’s win in Minnesota, Orsborn notes.
“It’s a vital part of a playoff team,” Johnson said of Champagnie’s rebounding. “Typically, you have to do more than just one thing in terms of being a specialist. And when you become an elite rebounder like that, it’s a really, really impactful thing because it is the transition from your defense to your offense or it’s creating more opportunities for your offense.”
Champagnie, 24, is eligible for a veteran contract extension.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Fans in New Orleans were paying close attention to Sunday’s draft lottery even though the Pelicans didn’t control their own pick, as Rod Walker of NOLA.com writes. Walker’s story was released before the lottery results, which saw the Hawks acquire the No. 8 overall pick to complete last year’s Derik Queen trade. The full trade saw the Pelicans receive the No. 13 overall pick in 2025 (Queen), while the Hawks acquired No. 23 overall pick in 2025 (Asa Newell) and No. 8 overall in 2026 (to be determined). “Human nature kicks in,” head of basketball operations Joe Dumars said at the end of the season. “Of course I’m going to follow it.”
- The Rockets‘ offseason could be complicated by Tari Eason‘s restricted free agency and their proximity to the 2026/27 tax aprons, and there’s a chance their free agent signings might not be finalized until the fall, similar to the Warriors’ situation with Jonathan Kuminga last year, Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron (Substack link) states in his offseason preview. Gozlan identifies 2025 free agent addition Dorian Finney-Smith as a potential salary-dump candidate since he’s entering the final guaranteed year of his contract after offseason surgery limited his effectiveness with Houston in ’25/26. Moving Finney-Smith without taking money back could put the Rockets below the luxury tax line, depending on what other moves they make, Gozlan adds. Amen Thompson (potential rookie scale extension), Eason, and Fred VanVleet ($25MM player option) are among the other contract situations Gozlan examines.
- Memphis jumped up from No. 6 to No. 3 in today’s draft lottery after injuries and tanking measures down the stretch. The Grizzlies also control the 16th overall pick (via Phoenix) and the 32nd pick (via Indiana). While adding elite prospects to a young core featuring Cedric Coward, Zach Edey and Jaylen Wells will be their top priority, finding a trade for Ja Morant is the other major decision hanging over the Grizzlies’ offseason, Keith Smith writes in his preview for Spotrac.
Southwest Notes: Durant, Rockets, Fox, Pelicans
Rockets star Kevin Durant is hoping to be ready for Game 4, but his status remains in doubt less than 24 hours before tip-off, Varun Shankar of The Houston Chronicle writes in a subscriber-only story. Durant sat out Friday’s Game 3 loss with a sprained left ankle, and coach Ime Udoka told reporters on Saturday that the swelling has eased but the ankle remains sore.
“Every day that goes by, the likelihood (of Durant playing) goes up,” Udoka said. “But I thought he might be OK (Friday) based on shootaround. And that’s different, going half-speed and ramping it up right before a game, so you really can’t tell, but doing everything he can to get back.”
Many questioned why Durant wasn’t on the Rockets’ bench for Friday’s game, but Udoka explained that he was getting treatments that involve “things you can’t do” on the bench. They included a session on the team’s underwater treadmill.
Udoka added that he didn’t realize Durant’s ankle was bothering him so much during Game 2 until swelling and soreness became evident the next day. Durant also sat out the series opener with an injured right knee, and Udoka said the decision on whether to use him in Sunday’s game won’t be affected by the team’s 3-0 deficit.
“I wouldn’t say for him or us,” Udoka said. “I think when he can get back, he’ll get back. And so it’s different, and you extend it a little bit, possibly, if it’s 2-1, to give him more time, but yeah, if he can play, he will.”
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Udoka went deep into his bench during the Rockets‘ loss on Friday, giving 11 minutes to little-used Dorian Finney-Smith and nearly eight minutes to 39-year-old center Jeff Green. Per Shankar, Udoka explained that Josh Okogie, who played four minutes, was dealing with back tightness, while Aaron Holiday, who saw five minutes, is experiencing an adductor issue.
- De’Aaron Fox is upset about a technical foul he received in the second quarter of the Spurs‘ win at Portland Friday night, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). It happened when Fox received an offensive foul for hitting Deni Avdija in the mouth with his elbow after releasing a floater. The ruling was overturned after San Antonio challenged it, but Fox still got the technical for arguing. “It was an awful call,” he said. “I mean, don’t play defense with your face. I have a vertical plane that I get to go up. I didn’t throw my elbows out or anything. It was a normal floater.”
- The Pelicans‘ sweeping changes throughout the organization over the past two weeks are part of executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars’ effort to change the culture of a losing franchise, explains Rod Walker of NOLA. Several longtime employees were let go, including some who had been with the team through its entire history in New Orleans. A source tells Walker that some of the positions could be filled in the next few days, but assistant coaches won’t be hired until the process of finding a head coach is complete.
Injury Notes: Durant, Reaves, Embiid, Edwards, Gordon
Kevin Durant will miss Game 3 for the Rockets on Friday due to a left ankle sprain, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (via Twitter). Durant had previously been listed as questionable after suiting up for Game 2’s loss. He missed Game 1 due to an unrelated knee injury.
Before the announcement of Durant’s status, head coach Ime Udoka said that if Durant couldn’t play, Reed Sheppard and Tari Eason would fill out the starting five alongside Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, and Jabari Smith Jr., per Yahoo’s Kelly Iko (Twitter link). Sharania notes (via Twitter) that this would be the second-youngest starting lineup in playoff history.
According to The Athletic’s Will Guillory (via Twitter), Udoka said the team is looking at using more small-ball units in Game 3, which could mean that Dorian Finney-Smith sees his first action of the postseason.
On the Lakers’ side of the injury report, guard Austin Reaves has been ruled out as well, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link). Head coach JJ Redick told reporters during his pregame media session that Reaves would go through warm-ups at 5:45 pm local time and that the team would make a decision on his availability at that point (Twitter link via McMenamin).
Reaves, who has been sidelined since April 2 with an oblique injury, has been doing full-contact five-on-five work, Redick said (Twitter link via Dan Woike of The Athletic). It sounds like he’ll have a decent chance to play in Game 4.
We have more injury notes from around the league:
- Joel Embiid is out for the Sixers in Game 3 against the Celtics on Friday, Tim Bontemps writes for ESPN. The star center, who underwent an emergency appendectomy earlier this month, had previously been upgraded to doubtful, but isn’t yet cleared to return. “He’s just not ready,” coach Nick Nurse said pregame. “He’s lifted some, he’s got on court a bit, but we’re still at two weeks and a day, I think. So we’re just not ready yet.”
- Anthony Edwards is not on the injury report for the Timberwolves‘ Game 4 on Saturday, the team announced (via Twitter). He had previously been listed as questionable for each of the first three games of the series due to a knee ailment. “I think it’s definitely still something that we’re managing and he’s managing but all signs are pointing that it is getting better,” coach Chris Finch said when asked about the injury.
- The Nuggets are in must-win territory as they go into Game 4 down 2-1, but they still lack clarity on Aaron Gordon‘s status. According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater (Twitter link), the versatile forward is listed as questionable after doing a walk-through at practice and icing his calf. Gordon missed Game 3 due to calf tightness. Another injured Nuggets wing, Peyton Watson, remains out for Game 4 due to his hamstring strain, Slater adds.
Southwest Notes: Rockets, Capela, Pelicans, Coward
After being eliminated in the first round of the 2025 playoffs due in large part to their offensive struggles, the Rockets went out and traded for Kevin Durant last summer. But as good as Durant has been over the course of the season, he hasn’t solved the team’s scoring issues, according to William Guillory of The Athletic.
As Guillory details, after missing Durant in the first game due to a knee injury, the Rockets were even worse offensively in his return in Game 2. Although the star forward made 7-of-12 shots from the floor and scored 23 points, he consistently faced double-teams and committed nine turnovers, matching his career playoff high.
The Rockets have controlled the possession battle against the Lakers, attempting 44 more field goals than Los Angeles through two games. But Houston has been outscored by 16 points and failed to reach the 100-point threshold in either game, with Alperen Sengun (15-of-39), Jabari Smith Jr. (12-of-30), and Reed Sheppard (6-of-24) not scoring efficiently.
“I definitely need to be aggressive when I get the ball to the middle. I’m just missing so many easy shots,” Sengun said after Tuesday’s Game 2 loss, per Guillory. “I need to get back to who I am and dominate the paint when I have the ball. (I’ve got to) help KD a little bit and make my teammates better as well. … I’m not missing from long distance. I’m missing from under the rim. I’ve got to make those.”
The Rockets converted just 7-of-29 (24.1%) three-point attempts on Tuesday, with Sheppard – their leading outside shooter during the regular season -only playing 11 minutes due to the fact that he hasn’t fully earned head coach Ime Udoka‘s trust on the defensive end of the court.
As Varun Shankar of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required) points out, the Rockets lack reliable three-point shooters who can hold their own defensively. Dorian Finney-Smith, Houston’s big 2025 free agent addition, was supposed to be that kind of player but hasn’t looked like his usual self since returning from offseason ankle surgery. Tari Eason also has a three-and-D profile, but he has been up and down all season, including in this series so far — after hitting 7-of-7 shots from the floor in Game 1, he made just 4-of-14 in Game 2.
As the Rockets head back home looking to turn their series around, here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Earlier in the season, former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton griped about the Lakers “trying to make me Clint Capela,” a reference to his role within the team’s offense. With his Rockets facing Ayton’s Lakers in the playoffs, Capela told Melissa Rohlin of The California Post that he was “surprised” when he learned of Ayton’s comments. “I don’t know why I’m in someone else’s head. I don’t talk to the guy,” Capela said. “I mean for me, in my career, I did what I did for my team, had a lot of success. So, it worked out for me.”
- The Pelicans have at least 25 vacancies across their basketball and business operations departments, according to Shamit Dua of In The N.O., who reports (via Twitter) that the medical and performance team has seven openings. As Dua explains (via Twitter), while many of those vacancies are the result of an organizational restructuring, some staff members also left the team at season’s end because they didn’t know whether or not their contracts would be renewed.
- Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) previews the Pelicans‘ offseason, evaluating how they might go about upgrading their frontcourt and weighing which of the team’s veterans are the likeliest summer trade candidates. Based on the current make-up of New Orleans’ roster, Gozlan believes the front office should consider the possibility of rebuilding around Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears and moving several vets.
- After a promising rookie year, forward Cedric Coward is expected to play for the Grizzlies‘ Summer League team ahead of his second NBA season, according to Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal, who takes a look at what other young players on Memphis’ roster are likeliest to join Coward.
Rockets Notes: Durant, Finney-Smith, VanVleet, Adams, Smith
In a lengthy interview with Varun Shankar of the Houston Chronicle (subscription required), general manager Rafael Stone stated that the Rockets are “very happy” with what they’ve gotten from Kevin Durant since trading for him last summer and expressed satisfaction with the steps forward the team’s younger players have taken over the course of the 2025/26 season.
Stone added that he remains high on the Rockets’ roster and would’ve liked to see it fully healthy, with starting point guard Fred VanVleet available. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll simply run back the same group and hope for better health luck, but Houston’s general manager also suggested that he’s not anticipating a roster overhaul this summer.
“Someone in my shoes should never say I’m going to make huge changes or I’m not going to,” Stone said. “There are teams I suppose that have run their course where players are older, maybe a reset is needed. I guess that was the first year of my tenure. But since then, you do what the market dictates and the opportunities presented to yourself. But I like this team. I think we’ve seen growth throughout the course of the year with individual players getting better.“
Stone also addressed last season’s free agent addition of Dorian Finney-Smith, which hasn’t worked out like the team had hoped. Finney-Smith’s season debut happened later than expected due to his recovery from offseason ankle surgery and he registered career lows in points (3.3) and minutes (16.8) per game, as well as field goal percentage (33.3%) and three-point percentage (27.0%). Still, Stone said he didn’t regret the signing and that it wouldn’t change how the front office operates going forward.
“I mean, I would do that acquisition again,” he told Shankar. “I think the player he was the last few years really fits our style of play and I expect he’s going to be a super contributing member next year. Everything is a calculated risk, and we were obviously not surprised that he had surgery, he’d had it months before we (signed) him and we understood that it takes time to come back and that there’s some risk when one comes back, that it’s not fluid, which in this case turned out to be the case. There’s risk in every single transaction you do.”
Here’s more on the Rockets:
- According to Stone, both VanVleet (ACL tear) and center Steven Adams (ankle surgery) are making good progress in their injury recoveries and remain on schedule to return to action in the fall. “They should be fully cleared well in time to ramp up for the season,” the GM told Shankar.
- Stone is confident about VanVleet’s ability to reintegrate into the lineup next season and play alongside Reed Sheppard and/or Amen Thompson, referring to the veteran point guard as an “enhancer” who makes other players better. During his ACL recovery, he had to do that from the sidelines by imparting his knowledge to Sheppard and Thompson as they took over point guard duties. “I’ve watched Fred play pretty much my whole life … he’s been a great leader, especially for me, a great coach,” Sheppard said, per Shankar (subscription required). “He’s just been able to show me different things and it’s easier to learn and get into it when it’s a guy like Fred and you watched him play and watched him do it.”
- Former No. 3 overall pick Jabari Smith Jr. admits that he came into the NBA envisioning himself as the sort of primary scorer who “gets the ball every play,” but the Rockets have appreciated his willingness to sacrifice and take on the sort of complementary roles the club needed from him, Shankar writes in another Chronicle story (subscription required). “Jabari is the ultimate pro and a selfless player,” Udoka said. “He understands what the team needs and provides a bunch of different roles for the team but as most young guys are, he’s ambitious.” Smith’s five-year, $122MM rookie scale extension will begin in 2026/27.
- In yet another article for the Chronicle (subscription required), Shankar identifies stars Durant and Alperen Sengun and role player Tari Eason as the three Rockets with the most at stake in the team’s first-round playoff series vs. the Lakers. Eason will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer, so a strong postseason could increase his chances of securing a lucrative long-term contract.
Southwest Notes: Barnes, Flagg, Poulakidas, Finney-Smith
Spurs forward Harrison Barnes saw his ironman streak end on Tuesday. He missed his first game since 2021 because he woke up from a pregame nap with a sore left ankle, according to The Associated Press.
Barnes had a streak of 364 consecutive games played before sitting out against the Sixers. He missed his first game since Dec. 4, 2021, when he was a member of the Kings.
Knicks wing Mikal Bridges has the longest active consecutive games streak at 616. Barnes also trailed only Bridges for most total games played since 2021 with 382.
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said Cooper Flagg should make his first appearance since the All-Star break during the team’s current trip, Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com tweets. Flagg has been out since Feb. 10 due to a midfoot sprain. “He’s ramping up. Everything is going well,” Kidd said. “Today was to kind of get back in his routine and hopefully as we go on this road trip he can get in and play a game or two.” Dallas opened the six-game road swing with a loss to Charlotte on Tuesday.
- Both of the two-way contracts that the Mavericks gave to John Poulakidas and Tyler Smith this week are two-year deals, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets. Poulakidas, an undrafted rookie guard out of Yale, made his NBA debut on Tuesday. He went scoreless in 14 minutes but had five rebounds and two assists.
- Rockets forward Dorian Finney-Smith is still dealing with left ankle pain after undergoing offseason surgery, Varun Shankar of the Houston Chronicle reports. “Of course, me being me, I expect more but I’m just happy to be back out there on the court,” he said. “Got great teammates who [have had] my back even though I haven’t been shooting the ball as well as I want to. But you got to take your wins and my win is that I’ve been back on the court.” It’s been a struggle since he returned to action. He’s averaging a career-low 3.0 points and 2.6 rebounds in 16.7 minutes while coming off the bench in 26 games.
Trade Rumors: Bulls, Dosunmu, Allen, Missi, Rockets, Pelicans, More
There have been some “tangible” discussions this week between the Bulls and Pacers about a possible trade involving Ayo Dosunmu and Bennedict Mathurin, reports Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). However, after Chicago agreed to trades for guards Jaden Ivey and Anfernee Simons on Tuesday, it’s unclear whether the team still has interest in Mathurin, who is also on the Pelicans‘ radar.
According to Fischer, the Bulls also explored multiple trade scenarios involving Nikola Vucevic before agreeing to a Simons trade with Boston, including offering Vucevic and a future first-round pick to the Cavaliers for Jarrett Allen. That’s a deal Cleveland wouldn’t have been able to make without ducking the second tax apron, since Vucevic’s $21.5MM cap hit comes in a little above Allen’s $20MM figure.
Whether due to the apron restrictions or simply a lack of interest, Cleveland turned down the offer, per Fischer, who adds that the Pacers are another team that has registered interest in Allen.
While the Bulls may not have a viable path to acquiring Allen, they remain very much in the mix for Pelicans center Yves Missi, reports Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. According to Siegel, New Orleans has continued to seek a first-round pick in exchange for Missi, but no team has been willing to meet that asking price so far.
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- Speaking of the Bulls, it’s worth keeping an eye on whether they end up flipping Mike Conley in a separate trade after acquiring him from Minnesota on Tuesday, Fischer writes. There have been rumblings that if Conley is traded again and then waived, the Timberwolves would have interest in bringing him back on a minimum-salary deal. That wouldn’t be possible if Chicago waives Conley directly due to NBA rules about a traded player rejoining his previous team.
- The Rockets have been connected to Bulls guard Coby White, among other targets, with forward Dorian Finney-Smith viewed as a possible trade candidate, but Siegel hears that Houston likes its roster and would be content to stand pat at the trade deadline — or to make a smaller move or two involving minimum-salary or near-minimum players. Forward Tari Eason, who will be a restricted free agent in the offseason, has drawn significant interest, but the Rockets aren’t interested in moving him, Siegel adds.
- Sources tell ClutchPoints that the Pelicans have received offers that include multiple first-round picks for both Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones, but they still haven’t seriously entertained the idea of trading either player. It remains very possible that New Orleans maintains its high asking prices for Murphy and Jones and keeps both players through the deadline, despite significant league-wide interest in them, Siegel writes.
- The Clippers continue to seek potential takers for Chris Paul and Kobe Brown, Siegel reports, since moving those players would help create breathing room under the hard cap – and room on the roster – to promote Jordan Miller and Kobe Sanders from their two-way deals to standard contracts.
- Recognizing that whether or not he’s traded this week is “something that’s out of my control,” Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. says he’s at peace with whatever happens, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. For what it’s worth though, Lewis writes in a separate subscriber-only story that more and more league sources believe Porter will ultimately end up remaining in Brooklyn through this Thursday’s deadline.
Rockets Notes: Durant, Eason, Finney-Smith, Offense
The Rockets‘ trade for Kevin Durant accelerated their expectations after the incremental success the team experienced last season, but they’ve found it surprisingly difficult to replace the grit provided by Dillon Brooks, writes The Athletic’s William Guillory in a mid-season retrospective of the trade co-written with Doug Haller.
Guillory notes that after starting the season 16-6, Houston began struggling to replicate the physicality and intensity of last season’s squad, to the consternation of head coach Ime Udoka. Losing two players, plus the top-10 pick that became Khaman Maluach, to bring in Durant also hurt the team’s depth, a problem exacerbated by the ACL tear that has sidelined Fred VanVleet for the entire season to this point.
However, Durant has still been fantastic, according to Guillory, who says swapping the aforementioned strengths of last year’s team to bring in a bona fide number one scoring option was a trade-off the team took a calculated risk on. Because the Rockets’ offense has struggled when teams overload on Durant and force someone else to score, Guillory notes that there could be some trade deadline tinkering to bring in another depth piece, but he doesn’t expect a big move for a starting-level point guard.
In terms of which team has “won” the trade six months after the fact, Guillory believes that both Houston and Phoenix ultimately got what they wanted, but if he had to pick a side, the Suns have come out ahead — the Rockets have yet to prove themselves to be top-tier contenders, while the Suns have exceeded expectations and are currently just one game behind Houston in the standings.
We have more from the Rockets:
- According to Udoka, Tari Eason is nearing a return to playing unrestricted minutes as he continues to work his way back from a right ankle sprain suffered in early January, reports Varun Shankar of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Eason played 28 minutes in Thursday’s overtime loss to the Sixers, contributing 13 points along with nine rebounds and four steals. It was the eighth time Eason had played 28 or more minutes this season, but he missed the following game on Friday against the Pistons due to right ankle management.
- In the same tweet, Shankar notes that Udoka expects Dorian Finney-Smith‘s road to a full workload to take longer as he looks to regain his rhythm following offseason ankle surgery. Udoka drew a parallel to how the team brought Steven Adams along last season, keeping his minutes per game below 15 until March, when he began logging longer stretches on the court. Finney-Smith is averaging a career-low 15.5 minutes in the 13 games he’s suited up for this season, and has struggled with his outside shot, knocking down just 28.6% of his threes despite 35 of his 44 field goal attempts this season coming from behind the arc.
- Udoka doesn’t believe that a point guard trade is incoming, writes ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. “We’ve always been confident and talked about our depth and relying on all these guys with Aaron [Holiday] and Jae’Sean [Tate] and guys that aren’t playing as much,” he said. “We want to see what [Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard] look like with a year of point guard play under their belt and getting Fred back eventually. For now, we want those guys to grow into that role.” Instead, the team has built an offense that dominates inside (with the seventh-highest percentage of points coming in the paint), crashes the glass, and is efficient from three, despite not being prolific. Adams’ Grade 3 ankle sprain could make it trickier for the team to maintain its edge on the offensive glass. In his absence, the team will turn to Clint Capela as the primary backup center, with Jabari Smith Jr. expected to play some minutes as a small-ball five.
Rockets Gauging Dorian Finney-Smith’s Trade Value?
Houston is exploring the trade market in search of a potential backcourt upgrade, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, who hears from sources that the Rockets have looked into what sort of return they could get for forward Dorian Finney-Smith and second-round draft capital.
A veteran three-and-D wing who signed with Houston last summer, Finney-Smith missed the first two months of the season while recovering from left ankle surgery. Since making his debut on Christmas Day, the 32-year-old has played a very limited role, logging between 13 and 18 minutes in each of his first 12 outings.
Finney-Smith has averaged just 2.9 points and 2.8 rebounds in 15.5 minutes per night so far as a Rocket, and he’s earning $12.7MM this season, with a guaranteed $13.3MM salary for 2026/27 — he’s under contract through 2028/29, but the final two years of his deal are non-guaranteed.
As a result, Finney-Smith’s value on the trade market will likely be pretty limited, though it’s worth noting that his overall impact isn’t always reflected by his counting stats. While it’s a small sample, Houston has a +9.5 net rating and a 102.1 defensive rating during his 186 minutes on the court.
Jose Alvarado of the Pelicans and Scotty Pippen Jr. of the Grizzlies are among the guards whom league personnel have identified as possible trade targets for Houston, per ClutchPoints. Siegel also mentions Bulls guards Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu as potential players of interest for the Rockets, though it would take more than Finney-Smith and second-round picks to acquire either one.
The Grizzlies haven’t given any indication they want to move Pippen, Siegel acknowledges. Additionally, any deal involving Pippen and Finney-Smith would require more outgoing salary from Memphis’ side, since the Grizzlies guard is earning just $2.3MM.
Alvarado, meanwhile, is considered the Pelican who is most likely to be dealt and has generated interest from multiple teams, including the Knicks and Pistons, Siegel writes. Atlanta and Indiana were also linked to Alvarado earlier this season.
Like Pippen, Alvarado has a relatively small cap hit ($4.5MM), so unless more pieces are added, a deal sending Finney-Smith to New Orleans wouldn’t be practical for the Pelicans, who are operating just $2MM below the luxury tax line. They don’t want to surpass that threshold or take back long-term money in a trade, per Siegel.
As the Rockets consider their options on the trade market, they’re not looking to trade veteran point guard Fred VanVleet, who is recovering from a torn ACL, and they’re also unlikely to make a move that would reduce Reed Sheppard‘s role, Siegel adds.
Trade Rumors: MPJ, Kuminga, Raptors, Rockets, Clippers
Recent reporting from ESPN and The Athletic indicated that the Warriors haven’t engaged in any substantive talks with the Nets about Michael Porter Jr. Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area also hears Golden State has been “hesitant” to pursue Porter and suggests the team’s interest in the veteran forward has been overstated.
According to Johnson, if the Warriors do make a run at Porter, it would likely require a third team, as the Nets aren’t interested in Jonathan Kuminga.
However, Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com has heard differently, citing sources who say the Warriors are not only interested in Porter but have “something brewing” in regard to the 27-year-old ahead of the February 5 trade deadline. As Afseth writes, Porter is having a career year in Brooklyn and scouts think he could help just about any team.
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- Both Johnson and Afseth confirm the Lakers are a team to watch for Kuminga, who demanded a trade on Thursday, the first day he was eligible to be moved. President of basketball operations Rob Pelinka likes Kuminga’s game, sources tell Johnson, and the Lakers think the 23-year-old would provide athleticism on the wing alongside Luka Doncic. Still, it’s unclear if the two Pacific Division rivals would make an in-season trade, Johnson notes.
- Although the Raptors have been described as a buyer heading into the deadline, Afseth’s sources refer to Toronto’s approach as being “opportunistic” in search of potential buy-low opportunities. That may be why the team has been linked to stars like Anthony Davis, Domantas Sabonis and Ja Morant, all of whom have dealt with significant health issues this season.
- Houston’s front office isn’t overreacting to the Rockets‘ recent struggles, writes Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports. Team sources tell Iko the Rockets have discussed trade concepts with approximately half the teams in the league, but no deals are imminent and they aren’t aggressively searching for upgrades. Opposing teams have checked in on the availability of Tari Eason, Clint Capela and Dorian Finney-Smith, Iko adds.
- There was speculation that the Clippers might be a seller after a miserable start to the season, but now they’re considered a possible buyer after reeling off 11 wins in their past 13 games, per Afseth, with John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic viewed as potential trade candidates. Collins is on an expiring $26.6MM contract, while Bogdanovic earns $16MM this season with an identical team option for 2026/27.