Jalen McDaniels

Sixers Notes: Tucker, Butler, McDaniels, Embiid

P.J. Tucker seemed like a perfect fit during his lone season with the Heat, but he couldn’t turn down the three-year, $33MM offer he got from the Sixers last summer, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The 38-year-old forward said he expected to retire with Miami, but the realities of NBA business pushed him toward Philadelphia.

Multiple sources tell Chiang that the Heat wanted to re-sign Tucker, but they only offered $26.5MM over three seasons through their Non-Bird exception. Miami could have used its $10.5MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception to match the offer from Philadelphia, but passed on the opportunity because of Tucker’s age and the limits the deal would have placed on other potential moves.

“I wanted the full mid-level,” Tucker said. “I thought I deserved the full mid-level and that was something that I wanted. They knew that coming out of the gate. I expressed that I wanted that from the beginning. I feel like for what we did, for what we had, I feel like I deserved that and it just is what it is. But I don’t fault them at all. I understand they didn’t want to be hard-capped and wanted to be able to make moves later with whatever they thought the team may need.”

There’s more from Philadelphia:

  • Jimmy Butler keeps reminding the Sixers why it was a mistake to trade him, observes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Butler knocked Philadelphia out of the playoffs last season, and he contributed several clutch plays on Monday as the Heat pulled out a narrow road win. Pompey notes that the Sixers haven’t advanced past the second round of the playoffs since sending Butler to Miami in 2019.
  • Jalen McDaniels is learning to adjust after being traded to the Sixers at last month’s deadline, Pompey writes in another Inquirer story. Through six games, McDaniels is seeing less playing time and fewer scoring chances than he did with the Hornets. “I will say when I was in Charlotte, (there were) more opportunities with the ball in my hand more,” he said. “But here you have three guys (Joel Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey) that are going to take most of the shots. So just me playing off them is something I can do that’s probably part of my game as well. So I feel like it’s a plus, even though I’m not touching it as much as I was in Charlotte.”
  • Joel Embiid has been through a series of demoralizing defeats during his time in Philadelphia, but he hasn’t demanded a trade or lost faith in the organization, as Ben Golliver of The Washington Post details.

Hornets Notes: Deadline Deals, 2023 FAs, Bridges, Rozier, Hayward

The fact that both Jalen McDaniels and Mason Plumlee were on track for unrestricted free agency this summer was a major factor in the Hornets‘ decision to trade them at Thursday’s deadline and get what draft assets they could for the duo, president of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak said on Friday, per Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.

“You don’t know what their value is going to be (in free agency),” Kupchak said. “They are both having great years. You don’t know what the market is going to look like (and) we have a bunch of other players that are also going to be free agents. So, something I’ve learned is you can’t pay everybody and these are hard decisions, especially Jalen.”

As Kupchak alludes to, other key Hornets players who are headed for free agency include forward P.J. Washington, wing Kelly Oubre, and big man Nick Richards. According to Boone, re-signing Washington is a priority and the team would like to retain Oubre. A new deal for Richards will be on Charlotte’s radar too, so the idea of also re-signing both Plumlee and McDaniels didn’t make sense for a team hoping to maintain some cap flexibility.

“When I got to Charlotte, we had, I don’t know, four or five contracts that all went out three or four years,” Kupchak said. “And made it difficult for us to navigate and get through the first two or three years and kind of wean ourselves away from those contracts. We’ve got to be careful that we don’t put ourselves in that same situation.

“Is Jalen a starter if Gordon (Hayward) comes back and we are looking at a very attractive draft pick?”

Here’s more from Kupchak, via Boone:

  • Although the Hornets could create a significant chunk of cap room this summer, Kupchak says he doesn’t anticipate the club being especially active on the free agent market. “The way we are going to get better is through the draft and player development, and then if we get lucky make a couple of savvy trades,” he said. “Every now and then, you might be able to get into the free agency market and get a player. And I’m hopeful that down the road a little bit we can become a very attractive team, even for a small market, and maybe we can get a big fish. But right now, I don’t think that’s how we have to look at it.”
  • According to Boone, it looks like the Hornets are waiting for the NBA’s investigation into the Miles Bridges situation to be resolved before they engage in possible contract talks with him. Accused of domestic abuse, Bridges took a plea deal to avoid jail time, but could still face a lengthy suspension depending on the outcome of the NBA’s probe. “I don’t know when the investigation is going to end,” Kupchak said. “When the investigation ends, we will have more information and we’ll go from there.”
  • Kupchak didn’t explicitly deny that Terry Rozier and Hayward came up in trade talks, but he said the Hornets weren’t actively looking to move either player and recognized well in advance of the deadline that’s not the direction they’d go. The front office was reluctant to majorly reconfigure the roster due in part to how many injuries the club has endured this season. “We’ve got to be careful not to assume that what happened this year is a fair representation of what this team really is,” Kupchak said. “If we were healthy this season relatively, and our team was intact, and we had the season that we are having right now, then it’s something that maybe you’ve got to make a big move, I didn’t feel, we didn’t feel, that the way this season played out to date that this season was something we had to react quickly on.”

Scotto’s Latest: McDaniels, Hornets, G. Williams, Nuggets

Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels drew significant trade interest around the NBA ahead of Thursday’s deadline, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who reports that about half of the league’s teams reached out to express interest in the 22-year-old.

However, after keeping him out of the Rudy Gobert blockbuster last summer, the Timberwolves continued to turn away inquiries on McDaniels. The front office views the third-year forward, who becomes extension-eligible during the coming offseason, as a member of the team’s core, Scotto writes.

McDaniels’ brother Jalen McDaniels was on the move this week, as the Hornets sent him to the Sixers in a four-team deal that also involved New York and Portland. According to Scotto, Charlotte was anticipating a strong free agent market for Jalen this offseason and was concerned about being outbid for the 25-year-old, who will be an unrestricted free agent.

After trading for him at the deadline, the Sixers are hoping to use their Bird rights on the older McDaniels brother to retain him, but they’ll face competition. League sources tell HoopsHype that the Jazz, Pacers, and Spurs are among the clubs expected to show interest in McDaniels in the summer.

Here’s more from Scotto:

  • With McDaniels no longer on the roster, the Hornets are prioritizing re-signing P.J. Washington this summer, as well as potentially negotiating a new deal with Miles Bridges, says Scotto.
  • The Celtics turned away multiple teams who expressed interest in trading for forward Grant Williams, Scotto reports. Clubs were interested in acquiring Williams ahead of his restricted free agency to secure his Bird rights, Scotto writes, adding that some executives around the NBA believe Boston will be hesitant to match an offer sheet exceeding $15MM+ per year for the forward this summer. The C’s never offered more than $50MM in guaranteed money over four years last fall when the two sides discussed an extension, Scotto notes.
  • Before sending him to the Clippers, the Nuggets discussed possible deals involving Bones Hyland with the Hornets (Jalen McDaniels), Timberwolves (Taurean Prince), and Knicks (Cam Reddish), according to Scotto.
  • In case you missed it, Scotto’s latest story for HoopsHype also included an interesting item on the Grizzlies’ offer for Mikal Bridges and some info on potential suitors for veteran wing Terrence Ross.

Eastern Notes: Korkmaz, McDaniels, Johnson, LeVert, Reddish, Celtics

Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey confirmed that Furkan Korkmaz requested a trade and said he tried find a new home for the sixth-year wing, Derek Bodner of The Daily Six tweets.

“Look, he’s a very good player,” the Sixers’ top exec said. “I think he would be in the rotation of many teams in the league, so we were hoping to help him out. He’s been a great partner with the organization.”

Morey added that Korkmaz has a “great attitude.” The Sixers did swing a deal for the Hornets’ Jalen McDaniels, who will be an unrestricted free agent after the season. Philadelphia would like to retain him, Kyle Neubeck of Philly Voice relays. “I think he’s got starter potential. We’d like to obviously have him have a great run, help us win a championship this year, and then re-sign him,” Morey said Friday.

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

  • James Johnson was waived by the Pacers due to a roster crunch in the aftermath of the Kevin Durant multi-team blockbuster. However, Indiana plans to bring back the forward if he clears waivers, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star tweets. Johnson, who appeared in 12 games this season, attended the Pacers’ game on Friday.
  • Caris LeVert was relieved he wasn’t dealt by the Cavaliers, he told Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “Just a feeling of relief,” he said. “Relief that nothing happened and I’m going to be here, having an opportunity to finish out the season and finish it out with this group. We have been playing great basketball. I think we’re all glad that the group stayed together and we’re excited to make this final push. Can’t wait to see how far we can go.” LeVert is headed to free agency after the season.
  • Cam Reddish fell out of the Knicks’ rotation well before he was dealt to the Trail Blazers this week. New York coach Tom Thibodeau said the “change” may be good for the young forward’s career, Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets. “I don’t know if it didn’t work,” he said. “I just think there were some good moments, some moments that probably could’ve been better and that’s part of the league. Sometimes you need a change.”
  • Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said he wasn’t close to making another deal after acquiring Mike Muscala from the Thunder, implying that they weren’t really interested in making another move, Jared Weiss of The Athletic tweets.

Knicks, Blazers, Sixers, Hornets Officially Complete Four-Team Trade

The Knicks, Trail Blazers, Sixers, and Hornets have folded two separate trade agreements into a single four-team trade, with press releases from New York and Portland confirming that the deal is official.

The trade combines the Knicks’ acquisition of Josh Hart from Portland with the three-team trade agreement that sends Matisse Thybulle to the Blazers and Jalen McDaniels to the 76ers. Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice first reported (via Twitter) that the two deals would be combined into one.

Here are the full terms of the trade:

  • Knicks acquire Josh Hart, the draft rights to Bojan Dubljevic (from Trail Blazers), and the draft rights to Daniel Diez (from Trail Blazers).
  • Trail Blazers acquire Matisse Thybulle, Cam Reddish, Ryan Arcidiacono, the Knicks’ 2023 first-round pick (top-14 protected), and the draft rights to Ante Tomic (from Knicks).
  • Sixers acquire Jalen McDaniels, the Knicks’ 2024 second-round pick (from Hornets), and the Trail Blazers’ 2029 second-round pick.
  • Hornets acquire Svi Mykhailiuk, either the Hornets’, Hawks’, or Nets’ 2023 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable; from Sixers), and either the Pelicans’ or Trail Blazers’ 2027 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable; from Trail Blazers).

The deal expanded slightly to include the draft rights of three draft-and-stash players, but otherwise looks the same as what was previously reported.

As expected, Portland waived Greg Brown to help open up the necessary roster spots for their incoming players.

For more details on the deal, check out our full stories on the Knicks/Blazers half of the trade, as well as the Blazers/Sixers/Hornets portion.

Matisse Thybulle To Blazers, Jalen McDaniels To Sixers In Three-Team Trade

The Trail Blazers are in the process of finalizing a trade for Sixers defensive ace Matisse Thybulle, reports Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links), it’ll be a three-team deal that also includes the Hornets, with forward Jalen McDaniels headed to Philadelphia and Charlotte acquiring multiple second-round picks. Veteran wing Svi Mykhailiuk, whom the Blazers agreed to acquire in the Josh Hart trade with New York, will be flipped to the Hornets in this deal, Woj adds (Twitter links).

Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter links) provides the full breakdown of the agreement:

  • Sixers to acquire McDaniels, the Knicks’ 2024 second-round pick (from Charlotte), and the Trail Blazers’ 2029 second-round pick.
  • Blazers to acquire Thybulle.
  • Hornets to acquire the most favorable of the Hornets’, Hawks’, and Nets’ 2023 second-round picks (from Philadelphia), the most favorable of the Pelicans’ and Blazers’ 2027 second-round picks (from Portland), and Mykhailiuk (from Portland).

In addition to adding a couple of second-round picks and a versatile forward in McDaniels, the Sixers will also dip under the luxury tax line with this move — they were previously $1.1MM over, but by swapping Thybulle ($4.38MM) for McDaniels ($1.93MM), they’ll now be about $1.35MM under.

McDaniels, 25, is having the most productive season of his four-year career. Through 56 games with Charlotte (21 starts, 26.7 MPG), he held averages of 10.6 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.0 APG and 1.2 SPG on .447/.332/.846 shooting. The former 52nd overall pick will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer, but the Sixers will hold his Bird rights if they want to re-sign him.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported last month that the Blazers were targeting players athletic players with size and 3-and-D wings. While Thybulle isn’t a great shooter, he is a terrific athlete and was named to the All-Defensive Second Team in two of his first three seasons, so he fulfills some of what they were looking for.

Like Cam Reddish, whom the Blazers acquired in the Josh Hart deal, Thybulle will be a restricted free agent in the summer if Portland extends him a qualifying offer. The defensive stalwart was the 20th overall pick back in 2019.

Evidently the Hornets decided they didn’t want to pay McDaniels in the offseason and instead chose to add a couple of second-round picks. While they did give up one (New York’s 2024 pick), they also received two in return, with their own pick almost certain to come back to them (the Sixers controlled it from a previous trade). That pick will land in the early 30s, so it has solid value.

Mykhaliuk was also sent to Portland in the Hart deal and will now be rerouted to Charlotte. He has hardly played this season, but the Hornets will get a cheap flyer on him if they want to keep him around — he was drafted by GM Mitch Kupchak back in 2016 when the two were with the Lakers.

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

Trade Rumors: Beasley, Vanderbilt, Pelicans, Hyland, Pacers

The Jazz have been involved in trade talks regarding Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt and are seeking a first-round pick in return for each player, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Scotto notes that both players were part of trade discussions earlier this season involving the HawksJohn Collins, and he says the Suns are also interested in dealing for them.

Beasley and Vanderbilt have been important contributors since Utah acquired them from Minnesota last summer in the Rudy Gobert trade. Beasley has bolstered the Jazz bench and is averaging 13.6 PPG, while Vanderbilt moved into the starting lineup and is posting 8.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per night.

Utah has interest in acquiring Dorian Finney-Smith from the Mavericks or Jalen McDaniels from the Hornets, sources tell Scotto. He suggests that Beasley and Vanderbilt could be combined in an offer for Finney-Smith, but the Jazz may wait until the offseason to try to sign McDaniels in free agency. Scotto adds that the Suns and Raptors are also watching McDaniels and may attempt to trade for him now to acquire his Bird rights.

Scotto cites the Hawks, Cavaliers and Pelicans as teams that have reached out to Utah about Beasley. He mentions the Knicks as another potential landing spot, as New York had interest in Beasley before he signed his last contract with the Wolves. Knicks executive Gersson Rosas traded for Beasley and Vanderbilt when he ran Minnesota’s front office, and Scotto hears that he has been monitoring Beasley’s availability.

There are more trade rumors to pass along:

  • League executives tell Scotto that Pelicans reserves Devonte’ Graham and Jaxson Hayes are considered to be available. Graham is under contract for $12.1MM for next season and has a $2.85MM guarantee on his $12.65MM salary for 2024/25. Hayes is headed for restricted free agency this offseason.
  • It may seem surprising that the Nuggets are gauging the value of second-year guard Bones Hyland, but trading him is the team’s best chance to improve before the deadline, Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype states in the same story. Denver would like to add a defensive forward, but apart from its rotation the team doesn’t have many players who would be useful in salary matching. Sources tell Scotto the Nuggets are reluctant to part with any draft assets in a deal involving Hyland. Gozlan also points out that getting another wing player now would provide insurance in case Bruce Brown decides to turn down his $6.8MM player option for next season.
  • After reaching an extension agreement with Myles Turner, the Pacers have $10.7MM in cap space to work with on the trade market, Gozlan adds. Indiana and San Antonio are the only teams that still have cap room available for the current season.

Charania’s Latest: Anunoby, Collins, Poeltl, Hyland, More

The Knicks and Suns are among the teams interested in acquiring OG Anunoby, but it may be a few more days before the Raptors decide whether to make him available, writes Shams Charania of The Athletic. Sources tell Charania that Toronto won’t decide whether to be a buyer or seller until close to the February 9 trade deadline. That decision will affect the availability of Anunoby, along with Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr. and possibly others.

The Raptors were counting on another strong season after finishing fifth in the East last year, but they’re just 23-28 so far and stuck in 12th place. However, Toronto has won two of the first three games on its current road trip and still has a realistic shot to reach the play-in tournament.

President of basketball operations Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster want to take as much time as they can to evaluate the current roster before deciding whether to keep the core together or try to rebuild around Scottie Barnes. The Raptors are expected to seek a premium price if they do make their top players available, and Charania hears that the Knicks are willing to part with multiple first-round picks to land Anunoby.

The organization will also make a decision this summer on the future of head coach Nick Nurse, Charania adds. Toronto hasn’t released the details of Nurse’s most recent contract extension, but sources tell Charania it will expire after the 2023/24 season. He also hears from sources that Nurse has been the target of some of the frustrations this season, and the front office will consider whether a coaching change is in the team’s best interest.

Charania offers more inside information heading into the trade deadline:

  • The Hawks are still listening to offers for John Collins, but new head of basketball operations Landry Fields is telling teams that Collins is considered an important asset rather than a salary to dump. The Jazz remain interested in Collins, sources tell Charania, and when the teams discussed a deal early this season, Atlanta sought Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt in return. Utah reportedly asked for a first-round pick as well, which caused negotiations to stall.
  • Spurs center Jakob Poeltl is getting increased interest on the trade market, and Charania believes he could be headed to an Eastern Conference team such as the Celtics or Raptors.
  • The Nuggets are holding active trade conversations regarding Bones Hyland, and sources tell Charania that the Timberwolves are among the interested teams.
  • The Hornets are engaged in trade talks regarding Mason Plumlee and Kelly Oubre, according to Charania, and the Suns, Raptors, Jazz, Pacers and Spurs are among the teams monitoring Jalen McDaniels. Charlotte may value McDaniels too highly to consider a trade, but teams with cap space are expected to target him when he becomes a free agent this summer.
  • The Jazz are also interested in Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith, and Charania reports that rival teams believe he would be available in a deal involving a star player. Executives tell Charania that Dallas has put a high price on Finney-Smith, who signed a four-year, $55MM extension last year.
  • Jaylen Nowell is strongly considering leaving the Timberwolves this summer in free agency if he doesn’t get an extension in Minnesota, according to Charania’s sources.

Warriors Rumors: Wiseman, Moody, Kuminga, J. Green, Lamb, More

The Warriors‘ approach to this season’s trade deadline might resemble the path they took two years ago, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Back in 2021, Kelly Oubre was considered a potential trade chip as Golden State hovered around .500, but the team hung onto Oubre and only made two small salary-dump deals involving Marquese Chriss and Brad Wanamaker.

According to Slater, this season’s Warriors are a better bet to make moves on the fringe like those ones than to do anything drastic. That’s why former lottery picks James Wiseman, Moses Moody, and Jonathan Kuminga are likely to remain in Golden State through the deadline instead of being moved, Slater adds. Those youngsters could be traded in the right deal, but the Warriors won’t want to sell low on Wiseman and Moody, and they view Kuminga as a legitimate playoff rotation piece.

If the Warriors make a small move to dump a contract and open up another roster spot, JaMychal Green would be the most obvious trade candidate, Slater observes.

The team already has one spot open on its 15-man roster, but the expectation is that two-way player Anthony Lamb will eventually be promoted to fill that spot. Opening up a second roster slot would position the Warriors to be players on the buyout market. Unlike last year, they could have both a roster and rotation spot to offer veteran free agents this time around, Slater writes.

Here’s more on the Warriors:

  • Theoretically, big men like Jakob Poeltl or Kelly Olynyk would appeal to the Warriors, but the price will likely be too high for a Golden State team that already has Draymond Green and Kevon Looney in its frontcourt and only really needs an insurance policy, Slater writes. Sources tell The Athletic that the Dubs would be more interested in a “versatile multi-positional wing” to play a role similar to the one Otto Porter Jr. did last season.
  • Slater names Jalen McDaniels, Darius Bazley, Rui Hachimura, and Obi Toppin as some possible targets the Warriors could kick the tires on, but acknowledges that rival suitors would probably be in position to outbid Golden State on those sorts of players.
  • While Stephen Curry has been cleared to play in both parts of back-to-back sets going forward, Klay Thompson is still awaiting that same clearance, says Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. Thompson sat out on Monday after scoring a team-high 26 points on Sunday, but the expectation is that he’ll be able to play in back-to-backs at some point this season. Assuming he misses either Friday’s game after playing tonight, Thompson’s next opportunity to play in both ends of a back-to-back would be on February 1 and 2.
  • In a conversation with David Aldridge of The Athletic, Draymond Green says he believes he’ll eventually make the Basketball Hall of Fame. “You won’t go and look at my stats and say, ‘This guy’s a surefire Hall of Famer,'” Green said. “But if you know the game of basketball, and you look at the game of basketball, then I think I have a case.”

Raptors Rumors: VanVleet, Trent, McDaniels, Anunoby

Although Fred VanVleet and the Raptors previously agreed to shelve contract extension talks during the season, the two sides appear open to revisiting those discussions after the team’s season is over, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

VanVleet’s market is cloudier now than it was in the fall, given his struggles this season — his .376 FG% and .328 3PT% are both well below his career averages. Prior to free agency, he’s eligible for an extension worth up to about $114MM over four years, and he had seemingly outplayed that sort of deal entering this season. Is that still the case?

According to Fischer, people around the league still think VanVleet can get $30-35MM per year on his next contract, though it remains to be seen how many years he’ll be offered. As Fischer observes, former Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry signed a three-year, $100MM extension with the franchise prior to the 2017/18 season at age 31 and that contract worked out very well for Toronto — Lowry earned two All-Star nods and won a title during those three years. VanVleet will be 29 when his current contract expires this summer.

If VanVleet and the Raptors don’t agree to an extension by June 30 and he becomes a free agent, look for the Suns and Magic to be among his suitors, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic. Orlando may be better positioned than Phoenix to aggressively pursue VanVleet, since the Suns don’t currently project to have any cap space.

Here’s more on the Raptors:

  • While it remains to be seen which direction Toronto will take at the trade deadline, people around the NBA expect them to be active one way or another, Fischer reports. “What they’re not gonna do is be in the middle,” one Western Conference executive told Yahoo Sports.
  • If the Raptors look to buy, they’ll likely be focused on upgrading their perimeter play-making and interior rim protection, per Fischer.
  • Veteran swingman Gary Trent Jr. is, by a wide margin, the likeliest Raptor to be dealt, according to Fischer, who likens Trent’s situation to Norman Powell‘s in 2021, when Toronto traded away Powell for Trent. At the time, Powell and Trent were both in contract years, but the team felt more comfortable investing in a short-term deal with Trent than a long-term deal for Powell.
  • Sources tell Fischer that the Raptors have shown interest in Hornets forward Jalen McDaniels, who is headed for unrestricted free agency this summer. People around the league believe McDaniels’ next contract could be in the neighborhood of $10MM per year, while Trent may be seeking $25MM annually, Fischer adds.
  • Referring to forward OG Anunoby as a “known favorite” of Raptors president Masai Ujiri, Fischer suggests it might take a Dejounte Murray-esque haul (multiple unprotected first-round picks) to pry Anunoby away from Toronto. “If the Raptors made him available for trade right now, every single team is going to call,” a general manager said to Yahoo Sports.
  • It’s possible the Raptors could become open to moving Anunoby if they’re unsure about their ability to sign him beyond his current contract (which expires as early as 2024) or if they’re concerned about their future payroll, but so far there have been no indications that they want to do anything but retain him, Fischer writes.