A little over a month until the NBA trade deadline on February 5, and trade talks are gaining some momentum. Here is the latest news from the league.
Expect a slow trade deadline
There will be exchanges. Maybe a lot of small trades around the February 5th deadline.
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However, if you’re expecting another NBA blockbuster in February, well…sorry. The mood in league circles has become to expect trades centered around tax/cap relief with some players on the move, but the biggest names — Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Trae Young — will likely stay put due to the combination of a limited market and restrictive tax aprons. ESPN’s Tim Bontemps I spoke to an Eastern Conference executive and got this quote:
“I don’t see an eventful trade deadline, but it could make for a crazy summer.”
That said, there will be some trading, and the name to watch out for is…
Michael Porter Jr.
Player most likely to be traded before the Feb. 5 deadline? Michael Porter Jr. of Brooklyn
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The former Denver Nugget, 27, is in the midst of the best season of his career, averaging 25.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while shooting 41 percent from 3-point range (having the full-time nod in Brooklyn helps). This sparked interest from several teams.
• Milwaukee is interested because it seeks to modernize around Giannis Antetokounmpo, reports Sam Amick at The Athletic. Porter Jr. is considered potentially superior and certainly cheaper than bringing in Zach LaVine.
• The Warriors have had internal discussions about adding Porter, Jake Fischer reports at The Stein Line. It’s far from a done deal, but it shows the Warriors’ mentality of strengthening their core.
• With Utah apparently not making Lauri Markkanen available, Detroit could provide a boost in a Porter trade, Fischer adds.
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Where he will land is uncertain, but MPJ is currently the hottest name in the trade rumor mill.
Bucks interested in Anthony Davis? Dejonte Murray?
Although Atlanta is still considered the team at the front of the line for an Anthony Davis trade, that line is a long one. Miami and Toronto are in the mix, with many teams, like Sacramento, at least considering a move.
Enter the Milwaukee Bucks.
They meet all the criteria for a team that could chase Davis, something Zach Lowe talked about it on his podcast.
“When Dallas fired Nico Harrison and I went through all the fake Anthony Davis trades, I said right away, you have to look at the teams that are desperate to win and are underperforming and can consolidate some expiring salaries. And I said I would look at the Bucks… To me, if the Bucks continue on this buy, buy stance, they are just a lock to end up with one of those types of players struggling high leverage, high salary like a Zach LaVine, Michael Porter Jr., I mentioned AD.”
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Milwaukee could also consider bringing in Dejounte Murray, a player they have already looked at, Fischer reports to The Stein Line.
The bottom line in Milwaukee is simple: They won’t trade Antetokounmpo at the deadline, but to avoid having to do that this summer, the Bucks need to find a way to earn more and are considering all options to do so.
Stop talking to the Warriors about LeBron
LeBron James and Stephen Curry had great chemistry playing side by side while winning gold at the Paris Olympics. The Warriors are trying to add players to win now, the Lakers are moving from the LeBron era to the Luka Doncic era, so what about…
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LeBron’s agent and longtime friend, Rich Paul, flatly rejected the idea in the series finale. Game Over with the Max Kellerman and Rich Paul podcast. It all started with Kellerman trying to shake things up by saying, “Bill Simmons said a few days ago…he said, look, the numbers work…LeBron and Steph always said they wanted to play together. What about Jimmy Butler for LeBron James?”
Rich Paul insisted on shooting him.
“Because I don’t like to bring it up. It’s not going to happen. So why are we talking about things that won’t happen?”
Welcome to the world of sports talk, where making up fake trades – usually wildly unrealistic fake trades – and then debating why a team should make them is its lifeblood.
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Warriors don’t trade Butler, Green
As Golden State tests the market for Jonathan Kuminga (who can’t be traded until January 15), the reality is that to make a real difference, the Warriors would have to package Kuminga with another player and picks.
This has led to speculation about a trade of Draymond Green with Kuminga – or perhaps Jimmy Butler directly for Anthony Davis – but the Warriors are doing none of that, reports Sam Amick at The Athletic.
Team sources say they are strongly opposed to the idea of trading Draymond Green or Jimmy Butler, which creates a pretty difficult situation when you’re trying to match the salaries of high-profile players.
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The Warriors are still actively exploring trade options, which leads us to…
Jonathan Kuminga
The Warriors are talking with teams about a possible Kuminga trade, and Sacramento still has some interest. However, after another unimpressive season in Golden State – he’s only been on the court in one of the team’s last 10 games – there’s not much of a return to the Bay Area in any deal, The Athletic’s Sam Amick said on Sactown Sports Radio 1140:
“For starters, the Kings and everyone, the price has come down, it just has. So what does that look like in a possible deal with the Kings, because the Warriors are known for not being interested in Malik Monk, and he was at the forefront of those discussions in the offseason. So, is that potentially a thing (DeMar DeRozan)? Who knows? I probably don’t see that happening.”
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Teams are willing to take a flyer on Kuminga, but they’re not giving up players or picks of real value in these trades.
Clippers don’t trade stars
We have already written in this space that the LA Clippers were not going to have a fire sale, they did not at all seek to trade James Harden or Kawhi Leonard. This is especially true with a team on an impressive six-game winning streak.
If you doubt me, here’s what Amick wrote on The Athletic.
On the contrary, league sources say the Clippers should explore the possibility of adding an impact player around Harden and Kawhi Leonard in order to revive their season in the second half. They can match star player salary with expiring contracts, with the contracts of John Collins ($26.5 million), Bogdan Bogdanović ($16 million this season; team option worth $16 million next season), Brook Lopez ($8.7 million this season; $9.1 million team option next) and Nicolas Batum ($5.6 million this season; team option worth $5.8 million dollars the next) all potentially useful on this front.
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Although the Clippers are open to a big change, they would not accept a long-term salary beyond 2027 (unless the player is a young star who could be part of their future). This lack of long-term money on the books is why trading for Anthony Davis – who wants a massive contract extension this summer – is highly unlikely. (Plus, the only player the Clippers like and have on the books after 2027 is center Ivica Zubac, and he and Davis would be an odd fit next to each other.)
