With a couple of December 15 deals in the rearview mirror, NBA trade rumors are picking up steam heading into the February 6 deadline. This is the latest word around the league.
The Nuggets are looking to Zach LaVine to help Jokic
Denver’s humiliating loss at home to Portland on Thursday is exactly why they’re looking for a trade: Nikola Jokic continues to looks like an MVP with 34 points and eight assists, and Jamal Murray added 24 points and 10 assists, but that wasn’t enough. The team needs more scoring options (and better defense last night).
Denver is in the market for a capable international to help Jokic, the Athletic Reports. At the top of their list is the Bulls’ Zach LaVine, who saw a bucket-getter of the highest order and dropped 36 on a good Celtics defense last night and for the season is averaging 21.7 points a game on 42.8% shooting pick from 3 (but making $43 million this year with two years, $94 million guaranteed after this season, and long injury history, which gives teams pause).
LaVine, who has been in trade rumors for much of his career, is good at deflecting all the hype.
“I’m not the one controlling that,” LaVine said this week. “That’s the best thing about my mentality. I can control what my mood and my mindset is going into each game. Outside of that, it’s in my control.”
The only sensible way to do this business would be to send Michael Porter Jr. to Chicago. Does that make the Nuggets better? LaVine is an excellent shot creator but is more of a defensive liability that opposing teams can target. How does that work in the postseason?
The Nuggets aren’t the only ones considering LaVine; Brandon Ingram is also on the list (although his severe ankle injury and recovery history will give Denver pause). Also reportedly under consideration are Jordan Poole, Jordan Clarkson, De’Andre Hunter, and Cam Johnson.
Zion will make a combined first-round pick in the trade
“Just trade it!” Write anything about Zion Williamson and this feeling shows up a lot in the comments and on social media. All reports are that the Pelicans have zero plans to do that, but if they figure it out what will they get?
A first-round pick, with late-season contracts, one thing Bobby Marks wrote at ESPN that is spreading the word around the league. It was only the matter of three years, $126.4 million remaining on his contract that gave the teams pause. Zion MIGHT are left after this season because we did not meet the game of the questions, but it appears that the probability is high at this point, the Pelicans are not ready to just walk away from the maximum).
At that price point, the Pelicans will just wait for Zion and hope something changes where he starts to get healthy.
The hottest position on the stock market: Companies. Starting with Valanciunas.
The Lakers want a center to put next to Anthony Davis. The Bucks, Knicks and Clippers are looking for backup bigs to complement quality starting centers. New Orleans wants a company, although their slow start could change things.
All that demand has made the companies the hottest position on the business market, something Jake Fischer gets into The Stein Line. At the top of the list is Jonas Valanciunas, a powerful veteran who can stretch the floor, a player the Lakers have had preliminary conversations with the Wizards about. Another name to watch closely is Clint Capela, who the Hawks have been open to trading for a year. The Bulls are trying to find a receiver for Nikola Vucevic.
Other companies to watch include Walker Kessler (but Utah is asking a high price), Robert Williams III, Kevon Looney, Chris Boucher, Day’Ron Sharpe, Trey Lyles, Nick Richards and Daniel Theis.
Once again: The mighty seek the stars
We’ve written about this a few times: Dennis Schroder may be the short-term answer to having more shot creation next to Stephen Curry (like, for the rest of this season), but the long-term plan is to reach another star. Don’t take my word for it, what is what Golden State GM Mike Dunleavy told Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
“We always have anger. You have to consider what you leave, what you return, all that. But anything to do to make the team better, we will do it. We” are still in a time zone here of increasing our window with Steph (Curry), Draymond (Green) and Steve (Kerr) as our coach… I want to calculate and see, but we will always look at something. “
Again: The Lakers are not looking to trade LeBron, Davis
It feels like every trade rumor between now and February 6 will contain some version of the same note: The Lakers have no plans to trade LeBron James or Anthony Davis, and are instead looking to make moves around them to support them. the journal. This idea has been reported by many people (NBC sports included) but there are new ones from the well connected Jovan Buha is an athleteif you need even more confirmation.
Clippers, Pelicans, Cavaliers may look to shed salaries
The NBA’s luxury tax line — the line where you pay if you’re over it but collect money from tax-paying teams if you’re under it — is $170.8 million this season.
The struggling Pelicans are $1.6 million above that tax line, while the Clippers are $1.5 million and the Cavaliers $1.2 million over. That’s teams around the league assuming those teams are going to make salary-dumping trades at the deadline to get under that tax line, Eric Pincus reports at Bleacher Report.
That makes sense for the Pelicans and Clippers, but for a Cavaliers team that wants to prove it’s a contender, they could do more to make a deal to add talent (say, rotate salaries around the end of the bench work out) .
Watch out for the Pistons to take on salary in any of those trades. Detroit’s front office played a small cap game with Paul Reed this week — waived him and then re-signed him — which gave the team about $3 million more in available cap space. The Pistons are the only NBA team that has cap space going into the trade deadline, $14 million, and they are set to be the third team in a big trade, take the stress contract and are rewarded with a draft/pick for trouble them. .
