The Hawks are receiving significant interest on star John Collins ahead of the trade deadline, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer writes. Among the interested teams are the Celtics, Kings, Mavericks, Pistons and Timberwolves.
With the Celtics slipping under .500, a major move may be necessary before Thursday’s trade deadline to solidify Boston’s playoff chances. One of the hottest rumors surrounding the team has been a deal for Kings forward Harrison Barnes, and Jared Weiss and Jason Jones of The Athletic examine what a potential trade might look like.
The Celtics are in the market for a wing player with size who can improve the team’s defense. Barnes handles the toughest wing matchup for Sacramento and may be able to provide some minutes at center in small-ball lineups. Weiss notes that would enable Boston to explore moving Tristan Thompson, who is under contract at $9.72MM for next season.
Weiss proposes a deal sending Barnes, Nemanja Bjelica and Hassan Whiteside to the Celtics in exchange for Thompson, Grant Williams, Javonte Green, an unprotected first-round pick this season, and a partially protected first-rounder in 2023.
Sacramento played the Celtics on Friday, and Barnes was asked about the possibility of a trade. “Obviously Boston’s a great franchise, but for the time being I’m with the Kings and that’s where my focus is — my teammates in the locker room, going out there, putting it on the line every night and trying to win games,” Barnes responded.
There’s more from Boston:
Celtics center Tristan Thompson will miss Tuesday’s game against Utah after being placed under the league’s health and safety protocols, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston tweets. A number of Boston players, including stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, have sat out games this season for the same reason. Thompson played against Houston on Sunday, contributing eight points and 13 rebounds. He’s averaging 7.9 PPG and 8.4 RPG.
The Clippers remain in the market for help at the point guard position, with Hornets veteran Terry Rozier among the players who has drawn “strong internal interest,” according to Chris Mannix of SI.com. Mannix adds that George Hill and Ricky Rubio are among the other possible trade candidates in play for the Clippers, who have limited draft assets to use as sweeteners.
The Magic, who are also seeking point guard help, have kicked the tires on Rubio lately as well, per Mannix. That lines up with a Monday report from Jake Fischer of SI.com, who said Orlando had discussed a trade with the Timberwolves that would involve Rubio and Aaron Gordon.
Magic head coach Steve Clifford, who coached Kemba Walker in Charlotte, remains a big fan of the Celtics point guard, but Walker is unlikely to be on the move by March 25, says Mannix.
Here’s more from Mannix’s latest round-up of trade-related rumors:
The Hawks are determined to make the playoffs and are expected to be buyers heading into next week’s trade deadline, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Atlanta has won five straight games since firing head coach Lloyd Pierce and has moved up to eighth in a crowded Eastern playoff race. With Kris Dunn and De’Andre Hunter possibly back soon from injuries, the Hawks are hoping to add more talent to break their three-year postseason drought.
Trade rumors continue to circulate around forward John Collins, who is on track to become a restricted free agent this summer. Although Collins has been a full-time starter the past three seasons, Atlanta wasn’t able to work out an extension with him during the offseason and is reportedly wary of giving him a max contract.
Apart from Collins, there are concerns that the Hawks don’t have enough assets to make a significant move, with an Eastern Conference executive telling Bontemps, “I think they’d like to buy, but not sure there’s a lot to buy or what they buy it with. (Kevin) Huerter and picks, I guess, is the package, but what is that buying you?”
Bontemps offers a few more items related to the trade deadline:
As we relayed earlier today, Portland and Minnesota are among the teams interested in Aaron Gordon, but the Magic forward is receiving interest from several other clubs as well.
According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the Rockets, Mavericks, Nuggets, and Warriors are all eyeing Gordon. Some lead members of the Pelicans‘ front office are high on Gordon too, per Fischer. And the Pistons have also inquired about him, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Haynes suggests that Gordon would be “open to a change of scenery.”
Gordon has been the subject of trade rumors for quite some time and the Magic’s current front office hasn’t made many major deals in recent years, so some people around the league are skeptical that Orlando will do anything big at next week’s deadline, per Fischer.
“You talk to them and it’s just like, ‘Well, you know, we’re open to this…’ It’s just like talking in circles,” an assistant general manager told Fischer. Another league source added: “They don’t pick up the phone and call.”
However, according to Fischer, the Magic have already seriously explored moving Gordon and are seeking a return of young players and draft picks. Prior to Gordon’s ankle sprain, the Magic and Timberwolves were making progress on a potential deal that would have sent the 25-year-old to Minnesota for a package that included Ricky Rubio and draft capital, sources told Bleacher Report.
Brooklyn also made an offer for Gordon in mid-January before acquiring James Harden, according to Fischer, though the Nets may not have been targeting the Magic forward for themselves. Fischer reports that Houston is especially interested in Gordon and asked teams during the Harden discussions to engage Orlando about the veteran forward. The Rockets may be taking a similar approach in their Victor Oladipo trade talks, Fischer adds.
Here’ more on the Magic:
The Lakers announced on Friday that Anthony Davis would miss at least the next two weeks as he continues to recover from his right calf strain and tendinosis. However, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Davis is unlikely to return immediately after the end of that two-week timeline.
Sources tell Haynes that the Lakers’ star forward/center is expected to be out for the next three weeks, and potentially longer than that. Even if Los Angeles slips a little more in the standings without Davis in its lineup, the team wants to be cautious in its handling of one of its two superstars, Haynes writes.
Including the game in which Davis went down, the Lakers have lost seven of their last 11, but they’re still comfortably holding a playoff spot in the West — they’re the No. 3 seed, at 25-13.
Here’s more from Haynes:
Harrison Barnes‘ professionalism, his declining contract structure, and his strong play this season are all factors that make him an appealing trade candidate, but they’re also reasons why the Kings will be reluctant to part with him, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic.
A source with knowledge of Sacramento’s plans tells Amick that the club won’t be motivated to move Barnes without a “significant” offer. The Celtics have been frequently linked to the veteran forward, but Amick isn’t sure that a package made up of late first-round picks and young bench players would be enough to get it done.
The Kings also haven’t yet conceded that they will be sellers, Amick continues. If they do go that route, De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton would likely be the only truly unavailable players on the roster, but the Kings are still just 3.5 games back of a play-in spot, reducing the likelihood of a fire sale.
Here’s more out of Sacramento: