Knicks Rumors: Fournier, Oladipo, Rivers, Henson, Pelle
The Knicks still seem more likely than not to forgo making a major trade at this week’s deadline, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Besides not wanting to surrender major assets in a deal, the Knicks are also reluctant to disrupt the chemistry the current group has established, Begley explains.
Still, the team continues to monitor some of the more notable names available on the trade market. For instance, both Begley and Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports cite Evan Fournier as a possible target. Goodwill suggests New York is monitoring Fournier, while Begley says the club recently had a conversation with Magic about the veteran wing. It’s unclear if any progress was made in those talks, Begley notes.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Although the Knicks have been linked to Victor Oladipo and Lonzo Ball, a trade for either guard seems unlikely unless the asking price drops significantly, writes Begley. That’s not entirely out of the question in Oladipo’s case. David Aldridge, Kelly Iko, and Danny Leroux of The Athletic cited one executive who offered the following assessment on the Oladipo trade market: “I think they (the Rockets) will be selling very low on this, and possibly lower than anyone can imagine right now.”
- Begley confirms that a trade or buyout of Austin Rivers seems probable, as ESPN’s Zach Lowe suggested on Monday. If the team opens up a roster spot by moving Rivers, John Henson and Norvel Pelle are among the candidates the team would consider to fill it, sources tell SNY.
- Within his Knicks trade deadline primer, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic weighs which players currently on the roster are the top candidates to be moved and proposes hypothetical deals for Oladipo and Norman Powell.
Fischer’s Latest: Graham, Hornets, Mavs, Fournier, Knicks, More
While it remains unclear how LaMelo Ball‘s wrist injury will affect the potential availability of fellow Hornets guard Devonte’ Graham, some people around the league were already skeptical that Charlotte would trade Graham this week, writes Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.
“They’ll try to keep him, and they’re willing to pay,” one assistant general manager said of Graham, who is eligible for restricted free agency this summer. Team executives polled by Fischer estimated that it may cost about $13-16MM annually on a four-year deal for the Hornets to re-sign Graham.
Ball’s injury may make the Hornets less likely to address their center position with a one-year stopgap, but it shouldn’t discourage them from remaining on the lookout for a long-term solution, per ESPN’s Zach Lowe.
Both Fischer and Lowe reiterate that Pacers center Myles Turner is high on Charlotte’s wish list, which has been previously reported. Fischer also identifies Grizzlies big man Gorgui Dieng as a potential target for the Hornets and says Charlotte has also called the Lakers asking about Montrezl Harrell.
Here’s more from Fischer:
- The Mavericks have been the “loudest rumored team” for Magic guard Evan Fournier, according to Fischer, who says that one possible package would consist of James Johnson and a pair of second-round picks.
- The Hawks are worth keeping an eye on as a possible Victor Oladipo landing spot, says Fischer, adding that the team has made Bogdan Bogdanovic and Cam Reddish available.
- The Knicks have signaled interest in using their $15MM in cap room to accommodate a three-team deal, per Fischer. Some people within the team’s front office are against the idea of surrendering any draft assets for a player who could be signed this summer.
- Fischer adds the Rockets, Pacers, and Bulls to the list of teams that have looked into a possible acquisition of Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie. Miami, Detroit, and Toronto have previously been cited as possibilities for Dinwiddie.
- Although the Pelicans and Bulls had some earlier discussions centered around Lauri Markkanen and Lonzo Ball, those talks haven’t seemed substantial, sources tell Fischer.
Western Notes: Ball, Oladipo, Poole, Mavericks
The Pelicans‘ decision on whether to trade Lonzo Ball before the deadline will largely impact their chemistry for the rest of the season, Scott Kushner of Nola.com examines.
New Orleans has accrued just an 18-24 record this season, struggling to give a consistent effort on the defensive end. The team is only 2.5 games behind the Grizzlies for the No. 10 seed, which is needed to make the play-in tournament under the league’s new format.
“We’re not where we want to be,” coach Stan Van Gundy said. “Certainly on some nights, we look like we’re better than that. On other nights, we don’t. Everybody plays good games, though. When you’re good, it’s when you can do it consistently, night after night after night.
“It’s not what you do on your best night. We have 30 teams who will look great for a game. It’s who can do it night after night. And who can do it when it doesn’t have to be their best game and when they’re not lighting it up shooting the ball and can still find a way to win?”
There’s more from the Western Conference tonight:
- Rockets guard Victor Oladipo is being increasingly regarded as one of the top names that could be moved ahead of the trade deadline, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. Houston, losers of 20 straight games, acquired Oladipo in the multi-team deal featuring James Harden earlier this season.
- Warriors guard Jordan Poole continued to emerge in the team’s three-game trip, Anthony Slater of The Athletic writes. Poole, a talented 21-year-old player in his second NBA season, finished with 26 points, four rebounds and five assists in the team’s loss to Memphis on Saturday.
- Tim Cato and John Hollinger of The Athletic examine the Mavericks‘ situation as the trade deadline nears. Dallas currently owns the eighth-best record in the West at 21-19 and could express interest in multiple players — including Cleveland’s Andre Drummond.
Bulls, Hawks Pursuing Lonzo Ball
The Bulls and Hawks are among the teams interested in Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball, but skepticism remains that New Orleans will deal the 23-year-old ahead of the March 25 trade deadline, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.
Chicago has offered a package that features Tomas Satoransky and second-round picks, per O’Connor, but the Pelicans are hoping to acquire at least one first-round pick or a young player.
Trade discussions with the Hawks have mostly revolved around second-year wing Cam Reddish, O’Connor adds. Atlanta signed two point guards (Rajon Rondo and Kris Dunn) last offseason to a roster that already features Trae Young as a starter, but Dunn has yet to make his debut to an ankle injury and Rondo’s play has been up and down.
By offloading a guard, the Pelicans would have a clearer pathway toward playing some of their younger backcourt players, though it’s probably safe to assume the team would rather move Eric Bledsoe than Ball.
Ball is set to become a restricted free agent at season’s end. Similar to the Kyle Lowry situation with any interested teams, both the Bulls and Hawks will have enough cap space to potentially sign Ball this offseason, but New Orleans would have the ability to match any offer. The former No. 2 overall pick averaged a career-high 14.2 points and 5.6 assists in 31.7 minutes per game on the year.
Clippers Eyeing Lonzo Ball
The Clippers remain in the market for a play-maker at the point guard position and are exploring possible avenues to acquire Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball before the March 25 trade deadline, league sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link).
Ball, 23, has been the subject of off-and-on trade rumors this season as he nears restricted free agency. He has developed a nice chemistry with Pelicans star Zion Williamson and has the potential to continue improving, but New Orleans will have to decide whether or not it wants to pay big money to retain him a long-term deal this offseason.
While the Pelicans would have the ability to match any offer Ball receives in restricted free agency, they may only be comfortable up to a certain price point. If they’re concerned about a team extending an offer sheet that exceeds that price point, it would make sense to see what they could get in return for Ball now, especially since their 17-24 record has them slipping out of the playoff race.
[RELATED: Knicks said to be “heavily” on Ball’s radar]
Ball is averaging a career-high 14.2 PPG on .425/.385/.767 shooting (all career highs) to go along with 5.6 APG and 4.2 RPG in 38 games (31.7 MPG). He has played more off the ball this season, something his father LaVar Ball griped about in a recent appearance on ESPN Radio in Los Angeles. As Christian Clark of NOLA.com details, the outspoken Ball patriarch expressed a desire to see the Pelicans trade his son.
The Clippers are having another strong season, currently holding a top-four seed in the West with a 26-16 record. However, they’ve long been on the lookout for some extra play-making — Paul George (5.3 APG) and Kawhi Leonard (4.9 APG) currently lead the team in assists. Veteran point guards Terry Rozier, George Hill, and Ricky Rubio have been cited as possible targets for L.A.
If the Clippers make a move for a player earning a mid-level salary or higher, Lou Williams ($8MM) may have to be one of the outgoing pieces. All of the team’s players making more than $5MM are part of the regular rotation and aren’t necessarily expendable, which will make it challenging to swing a deal.
As Stein points out (via Twitter), the Clippers’ lack of draft assets may also complicate their pursuit of Ball and other point guard targets. If the club makes a push for Ball, it may require a three-team construction, Stein adds.
New York Notes: Knicks, Ball, Rose, Kyrie, Nets
The point guard position remains a priority for the Knicks both in the short and long term, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post, who says that Lonzo Ball is higher on president of basketball operations Leon Rose‘s wish list than Victor Oladipo.
The odds of making a trade for Ball look slimmer now than they did a month or two ago. The former No. 2 overall pick has played well, and Will Guillory of The Athletic says he’d “really be shocked” if the 23-year-old doesn’t remain in New Orleans at least through the trade deadline. Still, Ball’s restricted free agency looms, putting the Pelicans in a tough spot.
As John Hollinger of The Athletic notes in his conversation with Guillory, New Orleans is only about $20MM away from next season’s projected tax line, so accommodating a lucrative new deal for Ball will be a challenge, especially if the team also wants to re-sign Josh Hart. According to Berman, the Knicks – who will have plenty of cap room available this summer – would be “heavily on Ball’s radar” in restricted free agency.
Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York-based teams:
- The Knicks still aren’t sure exactly when Derrick Rose will clear the NBA’s health and safety protocols, according to head coach Tom Thibodeau. “He’s feeling a lot better,” Thibodeau said, per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic (Twitter link). “… As soon as he can get back on the court we can let everyone know, but you just gotta follow the protocol.”
- The Nets will be missing two of their stars for Wednesday’s game in Indianapolis, as Kyrie Irving (right groin soreness) has been ruled out (Twitter link). Kevin Durant (hamstring) also remains on the shelf, and Blake Griffin (injury management) also hasn’t been given the green light to make his Brooklyn debut.
- As Zach Braziller of The New York Post writes, the Nets are looking forward to an emotional reunion on Wednesday with Pacers guard Caris LeVert, who has had an eventful two months since being traded to Indiana. LeVert underwent surgery to treat renal cell carcinoma, a type of kidney cancer, but is already back on the court for the Pacers. “We’re really proud that Caris is returning to play here,” Nets head coach Steve Nash said. “He’s incredibly well-loved in this organization, a world-class human being, a terrific basketball player. There’s no doubt everyone here is rooting for him.”
O’Connor’s Latest: Ball, Rockets, Dieng, A. Johnson
While Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball was a subject of frequent trade speculation earlier in the season, trade talks involving the former No. 2 overall pick have “fizzled” for the time being, sources tell Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. A report last week also suggested that a Ball deal is becoming less likely as the trade deadline nears.
Still, that doesn’t mean that Ball will be untouchable before March 25. As O’Connor writes, New Orleans will have to assess how high it’s willing to go to retain the fourth-year point guard in restricted free agency this summer. If they think there’s a chance a rival team will give him an offer sheet they won’t want to match, the Pelicans have to at least consider getting something in return for Ball now.
Executives around the NBA still aren’t sure whether the Pelicans will end up as buyers or sellers, according to O’Connor, so they’ll be a team worth keeping a close eye on at the start of the second half.
Here are a few more items of interest from O’Connor:
- While the Rockets are getting calls about veterans like Victor Oladipo, Eric Gordon, and P.J. Tucker, multiple league sources believe that young wing Sterling Brown will garner interest and is another candidate to be moved, per O’Connor.
- Multiple front office executives believe Grizzlies big man Gorgui Dieng is a trade candidate to watch, says O’Connor. His $17.3MM cap hit may be a challenge to match for some teams, but his contract is expiring and he’s a solid role player.
- Raptors 905 forward Alize Johnson, who has played well in the G League bubble, is receiving interest from the Raptors, Magic, Rockets, Spurs, and Suns for a possible NBA contract, a league source tells The Ringer.
New York Notes: Oladipo, Rozier, Ball, Rose, Claxton
As the surging Knicks near the trade deadline, Rockets’ forward Victor Oladipo remains a target for the team, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. It was reported back in early February that New York was eyeing the 28-year-old ahead of free agency.
Oladipo has already been traded once the season, having been involved in the four-team deal that sent James Harden to Brooklyn. Set for free agency at the end of the year, Oladipo has put up his best numbers since the 2018/19 season in his time between the Pacers and Rockets. In 24 games, Oladipo is averaging 20.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG and 4.5 APG.
Berman notes that some people are wary of Oladipo’s physical condition, even though he is two years removed from a season-ending ruptured quad tendon back in January 2019. But, paired with first-time All-Star Julius Randle, Oladipo could give the Knicks an offensive jolt as they contend for a postseason spot.
Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York teams:
- In the same piece, Berman notes that people within the Knicks organization fear the team does not have a definitive option at point guard. Elfrid Payton has been injured and inconsistent when healthy, exciting rookie Immanuel Quickley is seen more like a sixth man, Derrick Rose has also been coming off the bench, and Frank Ntilikina only recently reentered the rotation. The Knicks have reportedly kept tabs on Hornets’ Terry Rozier and Pelicans’ Lonzo Ball.
- Despite flying back with the team after registering multiple negative COVID-19 tests following an inconclusive result, Rose sat out the Knicks‘ last game before the All-Star break on Thursday due to the health and safety protocols, Steve Popper of Newsday writes. It remains to be seen when Rose can rejoin the Knicks on the court.
- Amid his solid display in the Nets‘ last few games, NetsDaily examines whether Nicolas Claxton can help offset the loss of Jarrett Allen, who the team traded as part of the Harden deal.
Southwest Notes: Oladipo, Porter, Ball, Winslow
Word broke over the weekend that Victor Oladipo had turned down a contract extension offer from the Rockets, but the two-time All-Star actually passed on that offer a while ago, he confirmed on Monday. As Oladipo explained, the proposal was just a formality, since the team understood he wouldn’t sign it.
“It was more along the lines, ‘We know you’re not going to accept it, but we still want you to understand we want you here,'” Oladipo said of the Rockets’ offer. “… It was put in front of me or given to me to show me that they want me to be here. I didn’t get a chance to say yes or no. They already knew I wasn’t going to accept it anyway.”
Oladipo’s decision to decline the offer doesn’t necessarily mean that he has no interest in remaining with the Rockets long-term — it’s more about his desire to reach the open market this summer as a free agent. He had previously turned down a more lucrative offer from Indiana for the same reason.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Before he makes his debut for the Rockets, recently-acquired guard Kevin Porter is getting back up to speed in the G League, and his stint with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers is going well so far. Porter was officially named the NBAGL Player of the Week on Tuesday after averaging 27.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 2.0 steals in his past four games.
- Lonzo Ball has been the subject of some trade rumors this season, but the Pelicans guard thinks that he, Zion Williamson, and Brandon Ingram could be the start of a formidable long-term core for the franchise, as Christian Clark of NOLA.com writes. “I love playing with those guys,” Ball said of the two standout forwards. “I’m really cool with them off the court as well. We’re all young. I think we can do some big things.”
- It took nearly a year for him to finally take the court for the Grizzlies, but now that he’s healthy, Justise Winslow is grateful that the team traded for him and stuck with him during his lengthy injury rehab process, as Evan Barnes of The Memphis Commercial Appeal details. “This trade was one of the best things to happen in my life on and off the court for me,” Winslow told sideline reporter Rob Fischer on Sunday. “This organization just being so patient with me. I’m just so thankful. A lot of gratitude and a lot of joy in my heart right now.”
Pelicans Rumors: Ball, Redick, Bledsoe, Picks, Zion
In the weeks since the first Lonzo Ball trade rumors began surfacing in January, the point guard has busted out of his early-season slump, averaging 16.2 PPG and 5.4 APG on .453/.453/.846 shooting in 18 games. As a result, there’s “little expectation” for now that the Pelicans will move the former No. 2 overall pick in advance of this month’s trade deadline, sources tell Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.
However, veteran guards J.J. Redick and Eric Bledsoe still appear to be very available, according to Fischer, who hears that Alvin Gentry‘s coaching staff last season lobbied the front office to move Redick. Now, it seems the Pelicans are hoping to do right by the 36-year-old sharpshooter by sending him to a team close to his family in Brooklyn, Fischer writes.
Here’s more on the Pelicans:
- When the Pelicans dealt Jrue Holiday last fall, the belief was that they’d prefer to receive a package of established players who could help immediately, according to Fischer. When they couldn’t find an appealing deal fitting that bill, the Pels opted for a pile of draft picks instead. Now, with players like Redick and Bledsoe on the block, New Orleans is thought to be after more draft capital. “They just want to accumulate more and more picks,” a league source told Bleacher Report. “They’re in an arms race with OKC.”
- The prevailing thought is that the Pelicans hope to eventually take advantage of their collection of draft picks by packaging them for an impact player, per Fischer. “Their interest is definitely to consolidate and do something sooner rather than later,” a Western Conference official said.
- Having received massive packages in exchange for Holiday and Anthony Davis, the Pelicans will have to be realistic about the far more modest return they can demand for a player like Redick or Bledsoe, Fischer writes. “They’re going to have to lower the asking price,” one scout said.
- The Pelicans are still weighing what position best suits franchise player Zion Williamson, according to Fischer, who says president of basketball operations David Griffin likes the idea of Williamson having the ball in his hands more. So far, the team has focused on playing him at power forward alongside another traditional big man, opting not to add a reliable stretch five to the roster. As Fischer notes, the Pelicans targeted Steven Adams rather than Al Horford in their offseason talks with the Thunder, and they also didn’t seriously inquire on Myles Turner.