In the wake of the Nets‘ Kevin Durant trade agreement with the Suns, reports indicated that Brooklyn only really negotiated with Phoenix rather than canvassing the NBA to generate a bidding war. The Nets likely already knew what teams were willing to offer after discussing Durant deals for nearly two months in the offseason, and liked the combination of players and picks the Suns were willing to offer.
According to Zach Lowe of ESPN (Insider link), another team that was prepared to put a strong package of draft picks on the table for Durant was the Grizzlies. Sources tell Lowe that the Nets were aware since July that Memphis was willing to trade every available draft pick and swap of its own for Durant (it’s unclear if that offer would’ve included Golden State’s lightly protected 2024 first-round pick or just the Grizzlies’ own first-rounders).
However, the Suns’ inclusion of Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson helped tip the scales in their favor. Sources around the league have said that the Grizzlies have kept Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. entirely off-limits in any trade talks, according to Lowe, so the players in Memphis’ offer wouldn’t have been as valuable as the ones in the deal Brooklyn ultimately accepted.
Here’s more from Lowe:
- After mentioning on his podcast that the Grizzlies and Pacers each offered three first-round picks for Raptors forward OG Anunoby, Lowe says the Pelicans – another presumed suitor – didn’t hold any serious talks with Toronto about him. As Lowe reiterates, the Raptors were seeking a high-level player or prospect in an Anunoby deal; Will Guillory of The Athletic says New Orleans didn’t show much interest in discussing Dyson Daniels or Trey Murphy in trade talks.
- The Warriors also engaged with the Raptors about Anunoby, Lowe confirms, but he says the two teams don’t appear to have gotten all that close to an agreement. Golden State likely would have had to include Jonathan Kuminga as the centerpiece of its offer, sources tell ESPN.
- The Clippers never ended up having any serious trade talks for D’Angelo Russell or Kyle Lowry, and the Mike Conley bidding was out of their price range, Lowe says. They also got nowhere close on Fred VanVleet, since the Raptors would have wanted Terance Mann and possibly more draft equity than L.A. could’ve offered, Lowe adds.
Biggest losers of the trade deadline are the Raptors. They could have gotten a haul for their players. Standing Pat with FVV is a misstep. Now they only have hopes for a S&T or losing him and his salary capacity.
No reason to trade Fred for some of those offers that were rumored out there that wouldn’t really build toward the future, they should plan on signing him again as he fits the system. Would have been interesting to see OG get traded though as I think that could have brought in real assets to stay competitive and or draft capital
Y’all need to chill, Fred came in cheap and isn’t gonna come close to as successful as he’s viewed, lots of players get the hype but it’s because of the combination of players they’re with. FVV might get paid but he’s not going to get back to all star, raps aren’t losing anything if F4ed leaves cuz he can’t go anywhere to elevate. Th3y should have traded OG out of anyone, but even it they hit FA and he feels the loyalty wasn’t there, well they traded DeMar wnd got that flack but won a title
For the record I’m not trying to d2f2nd the raps, even if I am canadian. I watched every game i the final run and still couldn’t believe they kept winning, they got lucky AF though. Kawhis 39 bounce buzzer beater and the injuri3s to KD and Klay were just the tip.
Point is, like the number one pick, there’s an assumption that success transfers to everywhere a successful person goes, but there are a lot of things that arguably happen out of circumstance that no one bothers to look for.
Sounds like you don’t understand how the salary cap works
I’ll reply to both of you because you both kinda got it wrong here
@ Z-A Raptors may be the biggest winners of this deadline. Sometimes the best deals are the ones you don’t make.
Ujiri said as much in his press conference yesterday, he’s standing pat not only because he felt this team is underachieving, he felt he wasn’t getting the value he required to make deals. He also said the value in the off-season would not be any less and may actually be higher.
The only 2 who are at risk are FVV and GTJ, JP asked SA to be traded back here. He actually wants to play in TO.
But if both leave, they sacrifice dollars and term. They are incentivized to stay or do their best to participate in sign and trade deals to get the extra term
@Zylo.
No FVV does not fit. The Raptors play positionless basketball. FVV is just a PG, he doesn’t even want to be a SG.
Barnes is the new PG, but can also play and guard SG SF PFand C
FVV will get a sign and trade to wherever he can negotiate a good deal and get the Raptors something in return, an expiring deal with a pick to any team motivated to get him. Which is pretty much what teams were offering anyway, LAC turned down the real value he was worth at the TD.
Trent is incentivized to stay, he fits well, can switch on different players and not give too much away like a FVV on D. But he’s also in the same boat of finding a motivated team willing to give a little something in a sign and trade.
Neither player NEEDS to stay and isn’t going to get maxed out by TO or get them to bid against others.
Ujiri knows he can give them more than anyone else, but if they want “more’ they need to do the work and find that team like Lowry did (Miami) who’s willing to do the deal.
If they want to stay in TO, well if Trent wants to stay he’ll have to be willing to give a little back on $$$ to help ease cap restraints
Jakob probably knows this too and is ready to accept a little less to play with his BFF where he enjoyed his time before.
Siakam and OG are getting paid next year. They are worth it.
@JF – Raps were the biggest losers. Even if they held onto their guys and did nothing that would’ve made more sense then trading for Poetle. Like you said the cost to aquire him via a sign and trade would’ve been similar to what they gave up or maybe even less. Now, they are good enough to sneak into maybe the 8th seed, but they’re going to get bounced by BOS or MIL in 4 or maybe 5 games. 3 games ago we had the 6th best odds to get Victor or Scoot, putting ourselves in the best position for either should’ve been the goal with 25 games to go.
Great, we had the 6th best odds for a day to maybe get 1 of 2 players, but what if we just ended up with the 7th pick?
You want to go to Barnes, Precious, Siakam, OG and tell those guys. Just lose, or were going to sit you for the rest of the year to improve our draft odds
No, Ujiri doesn’t operate like that, Nurse doesn’t operate like that.
The players also don’t believe in that.
You play the games for a reason. I garuntee you Milwaukee or Boston do not want the Raptors in the 1st round. Especially Milwaukee.
Raptors haven’t figured Boston out yet, but if anyone can. Nurse is that guy
At this time next year when the Raptors are a top 3 seed in the east, don’t say I didn’t tell you so.
Positionless basketball lmao is not a real thing.
Why is positionless basketball not a thing?
It can certainly be done with the right players.
When you have a 6’9 player who’s mobile and can see plays develop down the floor, why can’t he be a PG? Because those players aren’t common? .
Why can’t a 6’9 player dominate at the C position? Is there more than to a paint possession than height? Again maybe it’s not common through HS or college
Why can’t a Big shoot 40% from 3? Because it’s not common?
Why can’t you be a top 10 player on Offense and play good solid team friendly defense?
Why can’t you be a top 5 Offense player AND be a top 10 defense player, that’ll solidify MVP talks every year.
Why can’t players be unselfish, score 20 a game in a solid rotation and blow put teams 150-90
ILL TELL YOU WHY.
Because, humans are selfish.
If you told 15 players you could all share time 15 minutes each or whatever it works out to whatever minutes per game and everyone got equal scoring played equal D and that could happen because your athletic ability would be better than your opponent, you could dictate the play etc. You’d win 8 championships together before you’d decline and another generation would come
It still wouldn’t happen, someone on the team would get greedy, someone would get lazy, someone would get distracted by fame, or fortune, or women. Someone will believe the earth is flat, someone will be a criminal. Someone will be a fake, someone will be the best and conform
Humans are weird, fallible, just, smart, egotistical the whole gauntlet
From all reports Raptors wanted a huge haul for OG Anunoby that no team was willing to give up. They wanted multiple 1st round picks and young top players. So they didn’t want to trade him unless it was too good of a offer to pass up.
The reports were they DIDNT want draft picks but rather young players and that’s why Golden State couldn’t pull it off, they wanted to offer crap picks instead of giving up Kuminga, who by all means is probably going to ride the bench and forget how to play ball like Wiseman before he inevitably gets traded
according to reports they did offer Wiseman and Kuminga but the Raptors wanted draft picks included but since GSW 1st rounder is in limbo for the next 4 years because of a earlier trade that can not include them in trades. Kuminga is not riding the bench now. The guy is the youngest Warrior player ever to hit 1000 points. Reading would help you out a lot because you would have known they can’t trade a pick that is already in limbo.
According to article
Kuminga is centerpiece for OG
Glass is made using sand
thanks captain obvious!
Weird all those trades yesterday and yet nothing today?????
Three first rounders for OG? I’m not sure I’d pass that up.
Dillon Brooks & some draft picks is not landing Durant unless Bane makes it into the conversation somewhere. Doubt the Grizz have any intention of dealing Bane in the forseeable future.
I think the Clippers and Suns and Mavs won it
Trade Winners are California
Warriors
Clippers
Lakers
I don’t buy anything Suns did
Lack of vision
This is the only year Suns can win
Chris Paul, SGA, Pat Bev, John Wall, Reggie Jackson; Clippers going through point guards the last few years like a stack of singles at a strip club
Really Hope O G ends up being a Indiana Pacer