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Warriors Unlikely To Pursue Jimmy Butler Before Deadline

January 4th, 2025 at 11:06am CST by Rory Maher

Although the Warriors would love to find a second star to pair with Stephen Curry, that player is unlikely to be Jimmy Butler, team and league sources tell Anthony Slater, Marcus Thompson II and Sam Amick of The Athletic.

The Warriors were previously identified as a team high on Butler’s list of preferred destinations, though ESPN recently reported that the 35-year-old is open to joining any team after requesting a trade from the Heat. Miami subsequently suspended Butler for seven games for “multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team.”

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Miami prefers to trade Butler “as soon as possible,” and his time with the Heat has almost certainly come to an end.

However, Golden State is not currently viewed as a viable landing spot for the five-time All-Defensive forward, and there have been “no substantive talks or traction” on a possible trade between the Warriors and Heat, a source close to Butler tells The Athletic.

As The Athletic’s authors explain, there are several complicating factors in a potential deal. For starters, Butler’s rift with the Heat centered on his desire to receive a maximum-salary extension, which Miami showed no interest in offering. A Butler extension is also unappealing to the Warriors, according to The Athletic.

Butler’s age, injury history, and another messy impending divorce with his current club are more reasons a trade is unlikely. But his contract makes a deal an “untenable option,” per The Athletic’s trio.

To match Butler’s incoming $48.8MM cap hit, Golden State would have to combine multiple salaries, starting with either Draymond Green ($24.1MM) or Andrew Wiggins ($26.3MM), with the latter considered more likely. However, Wiggins has had a bounce-back season and is popular within the organization. The Warriors prefer to keep him alongside Curry and Green.

Jonathan Kuminga has been floated as a possible candidate to be moved alongside Wiggins for Butler. While the impending restricted free agent isn’t untouchable in trade talks ahead of the February 6 deadline, the Warriors aren’t interested in moving their two best wings for Butler, according to The Athletic.

Here are a few more Warriors rumors from Slater, Thompson and Amick:

A deal for a maximum-salary player like Butler seems unlikely, but the Warriors have expressed interest in players on mid-sized contracts. They already pulled off a trade for such a player in Dennis Schröder, whose $13MM expiring contract could be aggregated in another deal starting on Feb. 5.
Cameron Johnson would seem to be a good fit for Golden State, but the Nets have a high asking price for the sharpshooting forward. The Kings and Thunder are believed to be showing more interest in Johnson than the Warriors at the moment, per The Athletic.
Team and league sources tell The Athletic that Bulls center Nikola Vucevic is viewed as an attractive trade option due to his ability to space the floor and the fact that he likely won’t cost as much to acquire. As the authors note, Golden State has multiple ways to match Vucevic’s $20MM cap hit without exceeding the first tax apron, which is the team’s hard cap. One example provided is Gary Payton II, Kyle Anderson, Lindy Waters and unknown draft capital.

Nets’ Maxwell Lewis Diagnosed With Fractured Tibia

January 3rd, 2025 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Second-year forward Maxwell Lewis has been diagnosed with a fractured left tibia, the Nets announced today (Twitter link via Marc J. Spears of Andscape).

According to the team, Lewis’ status will be updated again in four weeks, so he’ll be out for at least the rest of January and likely beyond that. However, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link) that the injury isn’t expected to be season-ending.

Lewis suffered the injury in Wednesday’s game at Toronto when he got tangled up with Raptors center Jakob Poeltl as he backpedaled toward his basket after making a three-pointer (Twitter video link). It occurred in his first game as a Net after being sent to Brooklyn as part of the Dorian Finney-Smith trade over the weekend.

It’s a disappointing turn of events for a player who seemed likely to play a little more for a rebuilding Nets squad after not seeing much action for the Lakers since the start of last season.

The No. 40 overall pick in the 2023 draft, Lewis appeared in 41 games for the Lakers across a season-and-a-half, scoring 15 points on 6-of-27 shooting in 132 total minutes during his time in Los Angeles. He logged just 1:05 with the Nets before going down with his leg injury.

Trade Rumors: Butler, C. Johnson, Nets, Grizzlies, Pelicans

January 3rd, 2025 at 1:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The rest of the NBA is watching the standoff between the Heat and Jimmy Butler with “their popcorn out,” according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (Insider link), who notes that team president Pat Riley doesn’t make a habit of deferring to his star players, operating with a “bluntness and strength” that’s somewhat atypical of team executives in this era.

“You cannot intimidate Pat Riley,” one prominent player agent said to ESPN.

As Windhorst details, Riley let longtime franchise star Dwyane Wade walk over a contract dispute in free agency in 2016 and reportedly shut down LeBron James when the star forward hinted he wanted head coach Erik Spoelstra replaced back in 2010. If the longtime Heat president approaches the Butler situation with a similar mindset, he’s not likely to grant the 35-year-old’s trade request if he doesn’t like what Miami is getting in return.

“The Heat make mistakes and sometimes have issues with players just like everyone else,” one general manager told Windhorst. “But they do not get pushed around.”

As Tim Bontemps of ESPN points out within the same story, under the NBA’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement, it’s not necessarily the worst outcome to have a maximum-salary free agent walk away for nothing. The Clippers took that route with Paul George this past offseason, opting for additional cap flexibility rather than taking back contracts that they didn’t want and would’ve had trouble moving. If the trade offers for Butler are underwhelming, the Heat may decide that’s the best path for them too.

Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors from around the NBA:

While Cameron Johnson is among the most coveted trade targets in the NBA, talks involving the Nets forward are expected to be more complex than the ones for Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith, according to Windhorst, so they’ll take more time. There will be more suitors in play for Johnson, and Brooklyn has made it clear the price will be higher than it was for its other veterans. As Windhorst writes, the Nets have expressed a belief that Johnson could be a long-term keeper, since he’d fit well alongside just about any impact player they’re able to land in the coming years. Still, at least one rival executive believes that stance may just be a negotiating tactic. “That’s all good to say, but they’ll trade him if they get what they want,” the exec said. “They like him as a player and a person and all that, but they built his contract specifically to be able to trade him by next summer.”
The bidding war between Memphis and the Lakers for Finney-Smith resulted in “hard feelings emanating” from the Grizzlies and the Nets for the way their talks played out, according to Windhorst. That doesn’t mean the two sides can’t come together for another deal – Memphis is reportedly among Johnson’s possible suitors – but it’s something worth keeping in mind ahead of February 6.
Bontemps asked several people around the NBA how many players earning more than Johnson’s $22.5MM will be traded at this season’s deadline. “Not many,” one said. Another replied, “Maybe two?” The thinking is that CBA-related restrictions will complicate moves involving players with significant cap hits.
William Guillory of The Athletic takes a closer look at the Pelicans‘ trade options, identifying Herbert Jones, Trey Murphy, and Yves Missi as the only players on the roster who are essentially untouchable this season. Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, Jordan Hawkins, and Jose Alvarado aren’t technically in that group, but are also unlikely trade candidates, in Guillory’s view.

Nets Notes: Johnson, Marks, Russell, Evbuomwan

January 3rd, 2025 at 8:00am CST by Arthur Hill

X-rays were negative for Nets forward Cameron Johnson, who turned his ankle late in Thursday’s win at Milwaukee, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The injury occurred when Johnson and Ziaire Williams both chased a rebound after a missed three-point attempt. Johnson appeared to land on Williams’ foot, causing the ball to go out of bounds.

Johnson hopped off the floor and had imaging done in the locker room after the game. Although he avoided a major injury, Lewis reports that Johnson was on crutches in the locker room and looks like he may be sidelined for a while.

“All I know is it was super loud, trying to get the ball, and Cam was behind me,” Williams said. “Yeah, I don’t know (what happened). I have to look back. But yeah, man, I kind of ruined the night. I hope it’s nothing serious. I feel really bad right now, I can’t lie to you, man. Yeah, it sucks when you get hurt in a fashion like that.”

Johnson led the team with 26 points while shooting 10-of-16 from the field and 6-of-12 from three-point range. He’s in the midst of the best season of his career, and he’s Brooklyn’s top remaining trade asset after dealing away Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith.

“Yeah, unfortunate. Unfortunate,” D’Angelo Russell said. “He’s a strong guy, though. I know he’ll be back soon, and he’ll be back stronger. I’m not worried about him. He’ll be all right.”

There’s more on the Nets:

In an interview with Lewis, general manager Sean Marks says flexibility is the priority as he works to rebuild the team’s roster. The Nets have $70MM in projected cap space for this summer, along with more future draft picks than any other team. Marks eventually hopes to use those assets to bring star players to Brooklyn. “You have to be poised and position yourself to be able to have that opportunity,” he said. “We’re going to give ourselves the best chance to do that. Now, on whom and when, that’s TBD. But when we took over [in 2016], it was three or four seasons before we were able to say, ‘Hey, we’ve all of a sudden got a team that’s now able to contend. It’s a playoff team.’ And next year, you’re attracting a different caliber player … or players. So we know we’ve done it. We did it before. Now to be able to do it in this new CBA and hopefully reach that ultimate goal, we fell short. We didn’t come close. So the goal now is to be able to do it again, build it up and try and have another hit at it.”
Despite rumors of acrimony when Russell was traded away in 2019, Marks was happy to reacquire him in the Finney-Smith deal, Lewis tweets. “D-Lo the player, we’re accustomed to him, we’re used to him, we’ve been around him,” Marks said. “He’s been in our family before. There’s a level of continuity just from familiarity with the person. So bringing him back into this group, it’ll be exciting.”
The new two-way contract for Tosan Evbuomwan will cover two seasons, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Atlantic Notes: Kolek, Knicks’ Starting Five, Quickley, Lewis

January 2nd, 2025 at 9:43am CST by Dana Gauruder

Knicks rookie guard Tyler Kolek played a doubleheader on Wednesday. He saw 40 minutes of action with the G League Westchester Knicks during the afternoon, then received 12 minutes of action with the NBA club. The Knicks needed him because Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride sat out.

“It’s fun, man, I love playing basketball. Any chance I get, I’m going to take the opportunity and do it,” Kolek told Peter Botte of the New York Post. “It was good. I had a few hours in between. … Just tried to do what I could to recover and just be ready to go. It’s more mental than anything. Obviously two guys go out with injuries, so you kind of got to step in and be ready for anything no matter the circumstances.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Though Brunson sat out Monday, the Knicks’ usual starting five of OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges has totaled a league-high 561 minutes together, Botte points out. The team’s starting five has a strong net rating of +6.6, despite having to adjust to newcomers Towns and Bridges. New York has won nine straight.
The Raptors snapped an 11-game losing streak, coinciding with the return of Immanuel Quickley, who hadn’t played since Nov. 10 due to a partially torn ulnar cruciate ligament in his left elbow. Quickley supplied 21 points and 15 assists in 32 minutes against the Nets. “It allows Scottie (Barnes) to play with more force as a secondary guy — not to bring the ball every single time, not trying to get the team organized in a set,” coach Darko Rajaković said, per Eric Koreen of The Athletic. “It really helps. I’m … really excited to see Quickley being in that role, more pushing the ball and opening up the court for Scottie as well.”
In his first game with the Nets after getting traded by the Lakers, forward Maxwell Lewis suffered a left leg injury. He’ll have an MRI today, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “The toughest part of today is seeing one of your guys going down. We’re all, thinking about the kid, Max,” coach Jordi Fernandez said. “We don’t know the extent of the injury. Obviously, we’ll MRI, but all our group was thinking about him, and we’re sending all positive energy. So, that’s what’s more important. The rest of the game doesn’t matter right now.”

Kings Rumors: Fox, Brown, Ranadivé, Johnson, Ellis

January 2nd, 2025 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of Mike Brown‘s dismissal, there has been plenty of speculation that De’Aaron Fox played a role in the Kings‘ decision, given that Brown was often critical of Fox when speaking to the media, including in the final days before he was let go. The Kings star was asked by one reporter over the weekend whether he felt “pressure or guilt” about Brown losing his job.

However, Fox has adamantly denied any involvement in the move, telling ESPN that he was on good terms with Brown and liked being coached hard by him. According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, team and league sources have backed up Fox’s account.

Brown himself is known to believe that Fox had nothing to do with the decision, league sources tell The Athletic. While general manager Monte McNair claimed responsibility for the coaching change, Amick writes that team owner Vivek Ranadivé was actually the “driving force” behind Brown’s ouster. Ranadivé has not spoken to the media.

Here’s more on the Kings:

The decision to fire a well-respected coach and then not adequately explain the decision to reporters is a textbook example of how to turn Fox into a “sympathetic figure” and perhaps make him more justified in seeking a change of scenery sooner or later, Amick observes. Fox has not asked for a trade, per league sources who spoke to The Athletic, but potential suitors are monitoring the situation closely. Among those teams, there’s a belief that the Kings point guard is more likely to become available in the offseason than prior to the February 6 trade deadline, Amick reports. Fox will be extension-eligible again next summer after passing on a new deal this past offseason.
According to Amick, the Spurs, Heat, and Lakers are atop the list of teams most frequently discussed as possible suitors for Fox if he becomes available via trade. The Magic and Rockets are among the other clubs thought to be considering the idea of pursuing Fox, though “the Spurs noise is the loudest,” Amick says.
For the time being, the Kings are focused on upgrading their current roster and don’t intend to entertain inquiries on Fox, according to Amick, who confirms that Nets forward Cameron Johnson is high on the team’s wish list, as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype previously reported. Sacramento has had “extensive” discussions with Brooklyn about Johnson, Amick writes.
The Kings moved to 2-1 under interim head coach Doug Christie with a 113-107 victory over Philadelphia on Wednesday. Defensive ace Keon Ellis earned a start and played a season-high 38 minutes, with Sacramento outscoring the Sixers by 17 points during Ellis’ time on the court. “He’s amazing,” Kings center Domantas Sabonis said of Ellis, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. “He’s a professional. He stays ready, and he’s always there when we need him, especially on defense.”

Several Two-Way Players Nearing NBA Game Limit

January 1st, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

NBA players on two-way contracts operate under different regulations than the rest of the league. One of the most important differences is they are limited in the number of games that they’re permitted to be on the active roster.

For two-way players who’ve been with their current teams since the start of the season, that number is 50. Each time they’re listed as active counts toward that total, whether they play or not. Players who sign two-way deals during the season have their limit of games pro-rated.

Those numbers are becoming important since we’ve passed the halfway point of the season, and Keith Smith of Spotrac sent out a tweet earlier today identifying a few players who are getting close to reaching their limits.

Once a player hits his allotted number of games, he’s not eligible to appear in the NBA as a two-way player for the rest of the season. He can remain on the team and play in the G League, but he must be signed to a standard contract to see any more NBA action.

Here are the names Smith noted and the number of games they have remaining:

Jacob Toppin, Knicks (2) – New York has used up nearly all of Toppin’s active time, even though he has only gotten into 15 games and averages 3.1 minutes per night. The small forward seems likely to finish the season in the G League.
Tyrese Martin, Nets (5) – Martin has become part of the rotation in Brooklyn, averaging 21.3 minutes in the 31 games that he played. The shooting guard is a little old for a prospect at 25, but he seems like a strong candidate to land a regular roster spot so the Nets can evaluate him for the rest of the season.
Jordan Miller, Clippers (5) – The small forward isn’t part of the rotation in L.A. and may not be in the team’s playoff plans. He has logged just one minute in three of his last four appearances, and the Clippers don’t appear concerned about preserving the number of games he has remaining.
Jared Butler, Wizards (8) – Washington has nothing left to play for, so it makes sense to take a long look at the 24-year-old combo guard. This is Butler’s fourth NBA season and his second with the Wizards, so this is a good time to determine whether he’ll be part of their future.
Brandon Boston Jr., Pelicans (9) – Boston was among the two-way players most likely to earn a promotion even before the season-ending injury to Dejounte Murray. Boston has played in all 41 games in which he’s been listed as active, making 10 starts and averaging 10.7 PPG in 23.9 minutes per night.

Here are a few more players getting close to their game limits:

Kai Jones, Clippers (11) – Jones has made 27 appearances as a backup center, but he’s only averaging 2.2 points in 7.6 minutes per night. The addition of Drew Eubanks in today’s trade with Utah gives L.A. another veteran big man and lessens the need to keep Jones on the roster.
Moussa Diabate, Hornets (11) – Part of the reasoning for the Nick Richards trade was Diabate’s emergence as a dependable center off the bench. He’s been playing big minutes over the past week and seems like he’ll definitely be on a standard contract soon.
Ryan Rollins, Bucks (12) – Rollins is a marginal member of Milwaukee’s rotation, making five starts in his 30 appearances and playing 11.9 minutes per night. His fate could depend on what the Bucks are able to do before Thursday’s trade deadline.

Nets Notes: Russell, Johnson, Williams

January 1st, 2025 at 1:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

D’Angelo Russell has been traded from a Western Conference contender back to the Nets. If Russell is upset about joining a rebuilding team, he didn’t sound that way when speaking to the media on Wednesday. The former Lakers guard seemed excited about going back to Brooklyn, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets.

“It’s a good feeling, honestly, to go back somewhere you’re comfortable, somewhere you know the ins and outs a little bit. See some familiar faces,” he said. “It kind of makes the process a little easier to adjust to. So I’m just grateful for that.”

Russell played two seasons with the Nets from 2017-19. He has an expiring $18.7MM contract.

We have more from the Nets:

Russell changes the backcourt dynamic for the club. He’ll essentially share play-making duties with Ben Simmons, Lewis writes. The club has lacked a pick-and-roll guard since Dennis Schröder was dealt to the Warriors in an earlier trade. “We know the type of player he is: A primary ball handler, very good shooter, a player that’s going to be important for us. Good pick-and-roll player, good playmaker out of pick-and-roll,” coach Jordi Fernandez said. “So, very excited to get to coach him. And he’s going to help this team because it gives us a different dimension with his ability to handle and organize players.”
Cameron Johnson left Sunday’s loss to Orlando during the third quarter due to a left hip issue. However, he avoided a serious injury and is expected to play against the Raptors on Wednesday. “I’m good. We’ve been taking care of it. Full go in practice and feel pretty good,” Johnson said on Tuesday to Lewis. “Yeah, it’s just stuff I’ve been dealing with. It’s nothing crazy. It’s not out of the ordinary. Sometimes stuff happens. Left hip just tightened up on me a little too much there. But I’m fine.” Johnson is considered Brooklyn’s most valuable trade asset and is the team’s second-leading scorer.
Ziaire Williams won’t play tonight due to left knee injury management, Lewis tweets. It will be the 12th straight game Williams has missed, though it sounds as if he hopes to suit up for the second end of Brooklyn’s back-to-back set on Thursday.
The front office swapped out one of their two-way players. Get the details here.

Nets Sign Tosan Evbuomwan To Two-Way Deal

January 1st, 2025 at 11:00am CST by Rory Maher

11:00am: The signing is official, per a press release from the Nets. As expected, Jaylen Martin has been waived to open the two-way slot for Evbuomwan.

9:42am: The Nets are signing free agent forward Tosan Evbuomwan to a two-way contract, agent George S. Langberg tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

A native of the United Kingdom, Evbuomwan went undrafted in 2023 after starring in college at Princeton. He initially signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Detroit and was waived before the 2023/24 season began.

After spending the early portion of his rookie campaign in the NBA G League with the Motor City Cruise, Evbuomwan signed a 10-day hardship deal with Memphis at the end of January 2024. Shortly after that contract expired, he caught on with Detroit, signing a 10-day deal and then re-signing with the Pistons on two-way deal that covered two seasons.

Evbuomwan averaged 5.9 points and 3.5 rebounds in 21.6 minutes per game in 17 total NBA appearances (eight starts) with Memphis and Detroit, posting a shooting line of .507/.375/.680. In 34 G League outings with the Cruise in ’23/24, he put up averages of 15.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and 3.8 APG on .554/.361/.754 shooting in 34.2 MPG.

The 23-year-old was released by Detroit in October, then signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Clippers, was waived, and had his NBAGL rights acquired by the San Diego Clippers. In 18 total games with San Diego this season, the 6’8″ combo forward has averaged 19.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG and 1.8 APG on .519/.338/.726 shooting in 32.5 MPG.

A report on Tuesday indicated that Clippers forward Jordan Miller is a strong candidate to be promoted from his two-way deal to a standard contract, but the team needs to open up a roster standard spot for that to happen. Evbuomwan was mentioned as a candidate to replace Miller’s two-way spot if he were promoted, but instead he’ll be heading to the Nets.

As our tracker shows, Brooklyn’s three two-way spots are currently occupied by Jaylen Martin, Tyrese Martin and Reece Beekman. One of those players will have to be released to make room for Evbuomwan.

It would be surprising if Tyrese Martin is the one who gets cut, considering he’s been playing regular minutes for the Nets of late. Brooklyn also just acquired Beekman a couple weeks ago in a trade with Golden State. Perhaps that will leave Jaylen Martin as the odd man out.

Nets Waive Jaylen Martin

January 1st, 2025 at 10:56am CST by Rory Maher

In order to sign Tosan Evbuomwan to a two-way contract, the Nets have decided to release guard/forward Jaylen Martin, sources tell Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link). Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms the news (via Twitter).

Martin, who turns 21 years old later this month, went undrafted in 2023 out of the Overtime Elite league. He signed a two-way contract with New York in the summer of 2023, but he was waived before the 2023/24 season began.

Martin signed another two-way deal with the Knicks in late November 2023, then was cut again in December. He didn’t make any NBA appearances during his month with the Knicks.

Known for his athleticism, Martin signed a two-way contract with the Nets last February. The deal covered two years.

Martin didn’t play in any NBA games with Brooklyn during his rookie season and has only played five garbage-time minutes over three appearances in ’24/25. He scored his first NBA points when he made a three-pointer on October 27.

While Martin’s NBA contributions have been very limited, he has played pretty well for Brooklyn’s NBA G League affiliate in Long Island this season, averaging 14.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.6 SPG and 0.9 BPG on .500/.375/.750 shooting in 11 total games (27.3 MPG). He sustained a scary-looking knee injury in late November, but thankfully it turned out to be a bone contusion instead of something more serious, and he was able to return after missing a couple weeks.

Assuming he clears waivers, Martin will be an unrestricted free agent two days after he’s officially cut loose.