Portland Trail Blazers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Blazers Notes: First Half, Billups, Cissoko, Clingan

February 13th, 2025 at 8:34pm CST by Luke Adams

After winning just 21 games in 2023/24, the Trail Blazers have surpassed that total by the All-Star break this season. Their 23-33 record doesn’t put them in the mix for a playoff spot, but they’ve won 10 of 14 games since going 13-28 in the first half and are pleased with where they’re at heading into the break, writes Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report (Substack link).

“I’m very happy with where we are right now,” head coach Chauncey Billups said. “I’m happy with where we are as a group. Our young guys continue to take steps.”

“Happier than last year, for sure,” forward Toumani Camara added.

The Trail Blazers went 10-1 from January 19 to February 6 and have since lost three consecutive games as injuries sidelined multiple starters. Even in those losses, Billups likes the effort he has seen from his team.

“I’m so proud of these dudes,” Billups said after 132-121 defeat at the hands of the Nuggets on Wednesday. “This is a game that, in December or November, could be a 40-point loss. But our dudes fought their butts off. I was so happy for them.”

Here’s more on the Blazers:

Has Portland’s strong play over the past month – and positive player development over the course of the season – put Billups in position to earn a new contract with the team? Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian considers that question, noting that Billups is in the final guaranteed year of his current deal, with a team option for 2025/26. The Blazers’ coach said he wants to see the rebuild through and believes he’s made a strong case to stick around. “Me personally, I definitely think that I’ve done enough,” Billups said. “But I’m also not about to petition for that. I’m not gonna do that. I feel like I’ve done enough. I feel like I’ve developed a ton myself, which needed to happen.”
As Highkin writes for the Rose Garden Report (Substack link), the Blazers long had interest in Sidy Cissoko before signing him to a two-year, two-way contract last week. The team brought Cissoko in for a pre-draft workout in 2023 and assistant GM Mike Schmitz projected him the French wing a first-round pick during his previous job as a draft analyst for ESPN. “They were interested in me since I got to the league,” Cissoko said, adding that he’s excited to reunite with former G League Ignite teammate Scoot Henderson. “The Spurs drafted me, but we still had a good relationship. The day I was waived, my agent talked to them and they said they wanted me.”
On Wednesday, having returned to the starting lineup following Deandre Ayton‘s calf injury, first-year center Donovan Clingan became the first Blazers rookie since Sam Bowie in 1985 to grab 20 rebounds in a single game, Fentress writes. Ten of those 20 rebounds came on the offensive end. “I loved these couple games (in Denver) for DC,” Billups said. “I thought it was excellent. He’s gotten himself back to where he was when he was playing at a pretty high level early before he got injured.”

Trade Deadline Leftovers: Bulls, Ball, Jazz, Luka, More

February 13th, 2025 at 7:40am CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls had a “firm offer” to acquire a first-round pick and take on future salary in a deal for Lonzo Ball at the trade deadline, a league source tells John Hollinger of The Athletic. K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link) backs up that report, suggesting he heard the same thing prior to the deadline.

Instead of accepting that offer, the Bulls opted to hang onto Ball and agreed to sign him to an extension instead. That two-year deal will reportedly be worth $20MM, with a second-year team option for 2026/27.

While it’s fair to question Chicago’s decision to pass on that reported trade offer, there are several missing details that would provide more context on just how strong the offer was. For instance, we don’t know how many years of salary the Bulls would’ve been required to take on, whether the first-rounder was heavily protected or likely to land in the late-20s, and whether other players or assets would have been included.

Johnson does provide one additional detail, tweeting that at least one of the scenarios he heard about would’ve required the Bulls to sent out a second-round pick along with Ball as part of the deal.

Here are a few more leftovers from last Thursday’s trade deadline:

Appearing on the local broadcast of Wednesday’s game vs. the Lakers (Twitter video link via Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal), Jazz general manager Justin Zanik suggested that Los Angeles was fortunate to land superstar guard Luka Doncic in a trade Utah helped facilitate. “(Lakers GM) Rob Pelinka even said it in his press conference introducing Luka, that it was a gift,” Zanik said. “I think that’s how a lot of my colleagues – I don’t want to speak for them – but how we all kind of felt.”
Zanik went on to say that he respects the Mavericks‘ front office and noted that Dallas received a “top-15 player” in his own right in Anthony Davis. He also expressed a belief that if the Jazz hadn’t been willing to serve as a facilitator, another team would have stepped in and snatched up the two second-round picks that went to Utah for taking on Jalen Hood-Schifino‘s contract. “If we were in the playoffs right now, I’d be asking both (teams), ‘What is going on?’ and ‘I’m not doing it,'” the Jazz GM said. “But where we are, the ability to pick up stuff basically for free, to do something another team would have done anyway (made sense).”
A panel of ESPN’s NBA reporters (Insider link), including Jeremy Woo, Bobby Marks, and Michael C. Wright, break down how seven lottery-bound teams’ moves at the trade deadline affect their outlook going forward. Addressing the Hornets‘ post-deadline plans, Marks notes that general manager Jeff Peterson will have to decide whether LaMelo Ball is still a foundational piece in Charlotte. As good as Ball has been when healthy, he has been limited to 91 total games since the start of the 2022/23 season and his impressive scoring numbers haven’t necessarily translated to wins.
Only five teams – the Trail Blazers, Magic, Nets, Nuggets, and Timberwolves – sat out the trade deadline entirely, not making any moves in the week leading up to the afternoon of February 6. Michael Pina of The Ringer takes a closer look at why those teams opted to stand pat and delivers a one-word verdict on each club’s inactivity, including “bizarre” for Portland and “commendable” for Orlando.

Deandre Ayton To Miss At Least Four Weeks With Calf Strain

February 12th, 2025 at 5:27pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Trail Blazers starting center Deandre Ayton injured his left calf during a blowout loss to the Nuggets on Monday.

Further imaging has indicated that Ayton is dealing with a strained left calf, according to the Blazers, who announced in a press release that the seven-footer will miss at least the next four weeks. At that point, he is set to be reassessed.

The Arizona alum had been a critical component of the Trail Blazers’ midseason turnaround. Without him available, Portland will likely lean even more on impressive rookie lottery pick Donovan Clingan.

In 40 games overall this season, Ayton is averaging 14.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 blocks and 0.8 steals.

During a recent 12-2 Trail Blazers stretch, the former No. 1 overall pick saw those numbers improve to 17.9 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.0 blocks and 0.9 steals per game. He was also shooting 57.4% from the field during that run.

At 23-31, without Ayton for a month and now on a three-game losing streak, the 13th-seeded Blazers’ postseason hopes seem to be fading fast.

Ayton is currently Portland’s priciest player, earning $34MM this season. He has one year left on his four-season maximum-salary deal, worth $35.5MM in 2025/26.

Ayton’s recent play could go a long way towards rehabilitating his trade value across the league, though he has struggled with injuries throughout his career, having appeared in 58 or fewer games three times in the last five seasons prior to 2024/25.

Contract Details: Diabate, Ingram, Battle, Len, Cissoko, Martin

February 12th, 2025 at 12:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets used a portion of their room exception to give Moussa Diabate more than the prorated minimum on his new three-year deal, Hoops Rumors has learned. Diabate will earn $957,763 for the rest of this season, then has non-guaranteed minimum salaries for the following two years.

Diabate’s $2,270,735 salary for 2025/26 will become partially guaranteed for $250K if he remains on his current contract through the first day of the Hornets’ regular season opener in the fall. The full amount would be guaranteed if he survives next season’s league-wide guarantee deadline date on January 7, 2026.

Here are a few more details on recently signed contracts from around the NBA:

While it’s not official yet, Brandon Ingram‘s three-year, $120MM extension with the Raptors will have an ascending structure, with 5% annual raises, so it’ll start at $38.1MM next season before increasing to $40MM in 2026/27, with a $41.9MM player option for ’27/28, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Scotto adds that the deal won’t include a trade kicker.
Jamison Battle‘s new three-year contract with the Raptors will pay him $1MM this season, with that money coming out of Toronto’s mid-level exception, confirms Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). Battle’s minimum salary for 2025/26 is currently 50% guaranteed ($977,689 of $1,955,377) and would become fully guaranteed if he’s not waived by July 9, Murphy adds. Battle’s third-year minimum salary ($2,296,271) is non-guaranteed and would become fully guaranteed if he’s still under contract through June 30, 2026.
While the Lakers could technically have dipped into their taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Alex Len, that wasn’t necessary. The veteran center received a rest-of-season minimum-salary contract, which will pay him $1,177,206 and count for $743,829 on the team’s cap.
Sidy Cissoko‘s new two-way contract with the Trail Blazers covers two seasons, so Portland will be able to retain him on that contract through 2025/26, tweets Scotto. The same goes for Washington and Jaylen Martin, who got a two-year, two-way deal from the Wizards, Hoops Rumors has learned.

Julian Strawther Replaces Scoot Henderson For Rising Stars

February 12th, 2025 at 11:48am CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets guard Julian Strawther will participate in the Rising Stars event at All-Star weekend on Friday, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).

According to the league, Strawther is replacing Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson, who won’t be available to take part due to a sprained right ankle.

Henderson suffered that injury on Monday in Denver and has been ruled out for Wednesday’s rematch with the Nuggets. It sounds like he’ll probably miss Thursday’s game vs. the Lakers too before taking the All-Star break to rest that ankle.

Strawther, 22, has emerged as a regular part of Denver’s rotation in his second NBA season, appearing in all 54 of the team’s games and averaging 9.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 22.5 minutes per night. He has posted a shooting line of .435/.362/.827.

Strawther will take Henderson’s spot on the Rising Stars team drafted by former NBA star Mitch Richmond. The seven-player team features the Thompson twins (Amen Thompson and Ausar Thompson), as well as Wizards teammates Carlton Carrington and Bilal Coulibaly, among others. The rosters for the event can be viewed here.

The winner of the four-team Rising Stars mini-tournament on Friday will advance to Sunday’s All-Star event and fill out the field for that four-team mini-tournament. The NBA announced on Tuesday (via Twitter) that the winning Rising Stars squad will have a semifinal matchup against Shaquille O’Neal‘s All-Star team, which is headlined by Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry.

NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots

February 10th, 2025 at 7:37am CST by Luke Adams

A number of free agent signings have been finalized in the days since last Thursday’s trade deadline, but there are still many teams around the NBA with one or more open spots on their respective rosters.

For clubs with just a single standard or two-way opening, there’s not necessarily any urgency to fill those spots, especially ahead of the All-Star break. But the clock is ticking for teams who have two or more openings on their standard rosters to make a move, since clubs are only permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for up to two weeks at a time.

With the help of our roster count tracker, here’s where things stand for all 30 teams around the NBA as of Monday morning. As a reminder, teams are typically permitted to carry up to 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.

(Note: Teams marked with an asterisk have a player on a 10-day contract.)

Teams with multiple open roster spots

Cleveland Cavaliers
Golden State Warriors
Philadelphia 76ers *
Sacramento Kings *

The Cavaliers dipped to 13 players on standard contracts as a result of Thursday’s De’Andre Hunter trade, so their situation is fairly straightforward — they’ll have to re-add a 14th man by February 20.

The Warriors‘ four-for-one Jimmy Butler trade dropped them to just 11 players. They quickly got back to 12 by promoting Quinten Post from his two-way contract to a standard roster spot and now have three openings on their standard roster, along with one open two-way slot.

Golden State doesn’t have to fill all those openings, but the team does have to get back to at least 14 players on standard contracts by Feb. 20. Assuming Post got a prorated rookie minimum salary on his new deal, the Warriors – by my count – have $1,372,306 in breathing room below their first-apron hard cap.

If the Warriors were to sign a pair of veterans to rest-of-season minimum deals on Feb. 20, they would each count for $635,853 against the cap, leaving the team with $100,600 in breathing room below the hard cap. It’s possible Golden State will go that route. It’s also possible the club will sign a couple players to 10-day contracts, then go another 14 days in March with just 12 players under contract in order to create a bit of extra wiggle room below that hard cap. That would allow the Warriors to sign a 15th man a little earlier in the second half.

The Sixers briefly dropped to 12 players on standard contracts at the trade deadline, but they’re back to 14 now, having promoted Justin Edwards to a standard contract and given Chuma Okeke a 10-day deal. They’re expected to sign David Roddy to a 10-day contract too, which will give them a full standard roster.

For now then, no roster moves are necessary in Philadelphia, but the team does have a two-way slot open and could drop back to 13 players on standard deals after Okeke’s and Roddy’s 10-day contracts expire, which would necessitate a least one addition within 14 days.

The Kings are currently carrying 12 players on full-season standard contracts, with Daishen Nix on a 10-day deal. They’ll have to get back to 14 players by Feb. 20.

Teams with one open roster spot

Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Nets
Charlotte Hornets *
Dallas Mavericks
Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Clippers
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans
New York Knicks
Toronto Raptors
Utah Jazz

The Hawks, Celtics, Nets, Mavericks, Bucks, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Knicks, Raptors, and Jazz are all carrying 14 players on full-season standard contracts and three on two-way deals, with no reported signings pending. They’re each free to carry that open roster spot for as long as they want to, though some figure to fill it sooner rather than later.

Two teams that can’t fill their openings sooner rather than later are Dallas and New York. The Knicks are just $540,126 below their second-apron hard cap, while the Mavericks have a mere $171,120 to operate below their first-apron hard cap. Based on my math, New York would be able to sign a veteran free agent as a 15th man as of February 28 (that date moved up a day as a result of the Knicks trimming $4,825 from their cap in the Delon Wright/Jericho Sims swap), while Dallas will have to wait until March 31.

The Hornets are in this group because they have a two-way slot open, but their standard roster is full for now. In fact, it’s more than full — as a result of having been granted a hardship exception, they’re temporarily carrying 16 players instead of the usual maximum of 15. Elfrid Payton, on a 10-day deal, is the 16th man.

The Pacers and Clippers, meanwhile, each technically have an open roster spot for now, but they reportedly have deals in place with prospective 15th men. Indiana will sign center Alex Len once he clears waivers, while L.A. will add three-time All-Star Ben Simmons. Both players are on track to clear waivers on Monday.

Teams with no open roster spots

Chicago Bulls
Denver Nuggets
Detroit Pistons
Houston Rockets
Los Angeles Lakers
Memphis Grizzlies
Miami Heat
Oklahoma City Thunder
Orlando Magic
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
San Antonio Spurs *
Washington Wizards *

The Bulls, Nuggets, Pistons, Rockets, Lakers, Grizzlies, Heat, Thunder, Magic, Suns, and Trail Blazers are all carrying 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals. If they want to make a free agent addition during the season’s final two months, they’ll have to cut a player to do so.

That won’t necessarily be the case for the Spurs and Wizards though. Both clubs have just 14 players on full-season standard contracts, with one on a 10-day deal — Bismack Biyombo for San Antonio and Jaylen Nowell for Washington. Once those contracts expire, the Spurs and Wizards could open up a roster spot if they opt not to retain Biyombo and Nowell, respectively.

Trail Blazers Sign Sidy Cissoko To Two-Way Deal, Waive Taze Moore

February 8th, 2025 at 6:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

6:22pm: The moves are official, the Trail Blazers announced in a press release.

5:37pm: Sidy Cissoko will join the Trail Blazers on a two-way contract, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Portland will waive guard Taze Moore to open up a two-way spot, Charania tweets.

Cissoko, a 20-year-old small forward, was traded twice this week, going from San Antonio to Sacramento on Monday in the three-team deal involving De’Aaron Fox and then from the Kings to Washington on Wednesday as part of the return for Jonas Valanciunas. The Wizards released Cissoko on Thursday, and he cleared waivers earlier today.

Selected with the 44th pick in the 2023 draft, Cissoko appeared in 29 total games during his time with the Spurs. He averaged just 3.2 minutes in 17 games this season.

Before being drafted, Cissoko played alongside Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson with the G League Ignite, notes Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Twitter link).

Moore, 26, signed a two-way contract in September after playing four games with Portland last season on a pair of 10-day deals. He saw minimal time in two games this year, but averaged 12.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists in nine regular season contests with the Rip City Remix in the G League.

Cavs Notes: Hunter, Tyson, Jerome, LeVert, Niang

February 8th, 2025 at 4:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Long, athletic, and skilled wings have given the Cavaliers trouble this season, which is why – despite Cleveland’s 42-10 record – the front office explored the trade market leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline in search of someone who could help the club deal with that type of player, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes (subscription required).

According to Fedor, Cameron Johnson, Lonzo Ball, Marcus Smart, and Jerami Grant were among the potential targets who intrigued the Cavs. But the asking price for the Nets forward was too high, the Bulls guard agreed to an extension, there were injury concerns about the Grizzlies guard, and the Trail Blazers forward’s $29.8MM cap hit was too challenging to accommodate.

As the Cavs weighed their options, they kept coming back to Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter, who had been on their radar for years, Fedor reported earlier this week. Cleveland’s front office spoke to several trusted sources about Hunter, including former Cav and current Hawk Larry Nance Jr., who was a strong advocate for his teammate, Fedor writes.

The Cavs also spent time analyzing Hunter’s defense, evaluating how he might match up with top Eastern Conference wings like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Mikal Bridges, Pascal Siakam and others, ultimately concluding he would be an asset on that end of the court, per Fedor.

With Hunter and Caris LeVert as the centerpieces, the Cavaliers and Hawks discussed various trade constructions, with Cleveland resisting the inclusion of its 2031 first-round pick and rookie Jaylon Tyson. The two teams thought they might need to involve a third club as a facilitator in order to make sure they both got below the tax line, but that issue was addressed when Atlanta worked out a separate deal to send Cody Zeller to Houston.

The Cavs ultimately agreed to send LeVert, Georges Niang, three second-round picks, and a pair of pick swaps to the Hawks. According to Fedor, Cleveland believes that Hunter will be a better postseason fit than the outgoing players and that he’ll be a key contributor for years to come, turning the team into a more serious title contender.

“The acquisition of De’Andre Hunter and the potential impact a player of this caliber can bring to Cleveland is immeasurable,” president of basketball operations Koby Altman said in a statement after the deal was finalized. “We were presented with a great opportunity with this trade, one that was beneficial for the short- and long-term future of this franchise.

“While it’s always difficult to part ways with players who have meant so much to our success, we believe De’Andre, at 27-years-old, aligns with our long-term vision of sustainable success and ultimately competing for championships.”

Here’s more on the deal:

It’s unclear whether Hunter will immediately become Cleveland’s starting small forward, but Altman lauded the forward’s versatility and believes he’ll be able to slot seamlessly into several different kinds of lineups. “We’re going to play him all over the floor,” Altman said, per Fedor.
According to Fedor (subscription required), Hunter and his former University of Virginia teammate Ty Jerome talked “almost every day” since they entered the NBA in 2019 about the possibility of one day playing together. Shortly after they learned about the deal sending Hunter to Cleveland, they got on the phone and started “screaming with excitement,” Fedor writes. “It’s surreal,” Jerome said on Friday. “It’s wild. Obviously, it was more of a joke because we’re both on our individual journeys in this league, but we talked about it all the time. Like, ‘How cool would it be to play together?'”
Although Jerome said he “couldn’t be more excited” about the addition of Hunter, he made it clear he’s sorry to see LeVert and Niang go. “I don’t want to undersell the value Caris and Georges brought to us and just how close I was to those guys,” Jerome said, according to Fedor. “Those two guys meant a lot to us on and off the court. It’s a tough business, and I’ve seen it many times in my six years. It sucks to lose those guys. At first, I was like, ‘(Expletive), it’s Caris and Georges. They’re dealing with the emotions of leaving this group and we’re dealing with losing them.’ And then it’s like, ‘Oh (expletive), we got De’Andre and I’m playing with one of best friends since 2016 again.'”
Interestingly, when Hunter and Jerome entered the league in 2019, they thought there was a chance they’d be drafted by the same team, Fedor writes. That team was the Cavs, who had the fifth and 26th overall picks in that draft. But Hunter was selected fourth overall by Atlanta, leaving Darius Garland for Cleveland at No. 5. Jerome was drafted by Phoenix at No. 24, two spots before Cleveland’s pick. “Clearly worked out,” Jerome said on Friday with a smile. “Now, they’ve got all three of us.”

Blazers GM Cronin On Quiet Deadline: ‘We Just Didn’t Find The Value’

February 7th, 2025 at 5:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers were viewed for much of the season as a likely seller at the trade deadline, with veterans like Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons, Robert Williams, and Deandre Ayton among the players believed to be available.

However, Portland was one of just five NBA teams that didn’t make a single trade in the week leading up to Thursday’s deadline. Speaking on Thursday to reporters, including Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian, general manager Joe Cronin explained why the club’s inactivity.

“We know a lot of fans, and probably a lot of people in here, prefer a little bit of action,” Cronin said. “Often, we do too. We’re always looking for ways to participate in these windows and find guys who can help us be better. But this time around, we just didn’t find the value. So, we decided to pass.

“… I would say we got fairly close on a few things. Nothing that dragged out all the way through (Thursday). Some of the stuff was exhausted over the last couple of weeks. There are a few that made some sense for us and for the other team, but just didn’t happen.”

Grant, Simons, Williams, and Ayton aren’t necessarily part of the long-term core in Portland, which is headlined by younger players like Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and Donovan Clingan. But Simons, Williams, and Ayton have one more year left on their respective contracts, while Grant is locked up for at least two more seasons beyond this one, so there was no urgency to move them right now — there will be opportunities to do so in future transaction windows.

Cronin said on Thursday that he likes having those veterans around for their leadership and their “functionality on the court.” The Blazers’ GM noted that he also “had to consider not rocking the boat” during the team’s recent hot streak. After an uninspiring 13-28 first half, Portland has unexpectedly won 10 of 11 games since January 19 and is suddenly within 2.5 games of a play-in spot.

“I think it would be unfair to take (the chance to reach the postseason) away from them,” Cronin said. “I’m so proud and so excited about these guys that the sky’s the limit. Go win. Let’s see what you can do.”

Head coach Chauncey Billups said he was appreciative of the opportunity to keep working with this roster.

“I love what we have,” he said. “I love what we’ve been working on. I love how we’re developing. Right now, we’re learning a lot about each other. It’s been a lot of fun.”

Here are a few more Blazers-related items:

Jason Quick of The Athletic details how a series of four meetings – including one in which Billups directly challenged Henderson and two in which he delivered “brutally honest assessments” to Sharpe about his defense – helped spur the Blazers’ turnaround.
The Blazers hold an option on Billups’ contract for the 2025/26 season, according to Quick, who hears from agent Andy Miller that team ownership has yet to talk to the head coach about his future in Portland. “I have not had any discussion with them regarding his option and possible extension,” Miller said. “We are completely confident with his development and body of work as a coach. He is well-respected league-wide as both coach and a leader.”
While there was a widespread belief earlier in the season that Billups was unlikely to remain in his current role beyond 2024/25, he deserves a lot of credit for pushing the right buttons in recent weeks, writes Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report (Substack link). “Nobody on the team wavered on Chauncey’s message [early in the season],” Simons said earlier this week. “It can be frustrating at times when you don’t see the results. But we stuck with it. We’ve been sticking with how we want to play. It took some time to get adjusted to playing faster now, getting to know each other. But he’s been preaching the same thing all year. We’re seeing the results of the things he’s been preaching.”

Trade Rumors: Cavs, Hunter, Boucher, Heat, Blazers, Pacers

February 6th, 2025 at 11:50am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers and Hawks continue to discuss a potential trade that would send forward De’Andre Hunter to Cleveland, as Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line tweet. Reporting earlier this week indicated that the two teams were talking about a deal centered around Hunter and Caris LeVert, with a subsequent report referring to the Cavs as the frontrunner to land Hunter.

According to Fischer and Stein, one complication in the talks is that both Cleveland and Atlanta would like to end up below the luxury tax line.

The Hawks are currently below that threshold by approximately $1.2MM, while the Cavs are above it by about $1.8MM, so a third team would likely need to be brought in as a facilitator to take on a contract and ensure both teams are able to remain out of tax territory.

The Pistons, who still have a good deal of cap flexibility, could be a third party to watch, observes Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA with the 2025 deadline just a couple hours away:

After agreeing to acquire Brandon Ingram and accommodate a Miami salary dump, the Raptors are still exploring the possibility of making one more move, likely involving big man Chris Boucher, reports Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).
The Heat, who are about $2.8MM above the luxury tax line after reaching a deal with Toronto today, will likely continue trying to get below that threshold before this afternoon’s deadline, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
Although the Trail Blazers have a handful of veteran trade candidates on their roster, there hasn’t been a ton of trade chatter in Portland, according to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian, who suggests that big man Robert Williams is the only player consistently mentioned in the days leading up to the deadline. Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons, and Deandre Ayton had also been considered available, but they’re on bigger contracts and have played crucial roles in the Blazers’ recent hot streak.
Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star explains why various moves and reports from around the league point to the Pacers having a relatively quiet trade deadline.
Arguing in favor of the Knicks keeping center Mitchell Robinson rather than trading him, Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required) makes the case that a healthy Robinson is the most impactful player the team could realistically add this month.