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Bulls Notes: Thompson, Williams, Standing Pat, Luxury Tax

February 10th, 2022 at 4:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Tristan Thompson is currently a Pacer, but the Bulls would be interested in his services if he’s bought out by Indiana, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets. Thompson was thrown into the Domantas Sabonis–Tyrese Haliburton blockbuster between Indiana and Sacramento for salary-matching purposes. The two parties are reportedly mulling a buyout of his $9.7MM expiring contract. Chicago didn’t add to its frontcourt prior to the trade deadline.

We have more on the Bulls:

  • According to the team’s top executive, Arturas Karnisovas, Patrick Williams will return from his injury this season, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago tweets. Mid-March is the soft target date for Williams’ comeback. Williams has been sidelined since late October after undergoing surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left wrist. At the time, the Bulls gave a recovery timeline of four-to-six months.
  • Williams’ expected return, as well the hope that Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso will eventually rejoin the rotation after recovering from their injuries, were factors in the Bulls’ decision to stand pat on deadline day, Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago tweets. “We were taking calls, but the mutual feeling with all of our group was: ‘Let’s get out guys back,” Karnisovas said. “We’re going to have enough time in the regular season to see what this group can do healthy.’”
  • Karnisovas was somewhat evasive when asked if he had the green light to go beyond the luxury tax threshold in future seasons, Schaefer adds in another tweet. While noting the front office has been “pretty aggressive” in its acquisitions over the last nine months, Karnisovas said, “When the opportunity will present itself, I think we’re going to evaluate that. That’s it.”
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Lakers, Warriors, Knicks, Bulls Among Teams Standing Pat At Deadline

February 10th, 2022 at 2:54pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The struggling Lakers, losers of seven of their last 10 games, opted not to make any moves leading up to the NBA trade deadline. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), Los Angeles will instead look to the buyout market to shore up their club.

Underperforming Lakers wing Talen Horton-Tucker, who had been considered L.A.’s most logical trade chip, will now remain on the roster through at least this season. At 26-30, the Lakers occupy the Western Conference’s ninth seed, a far cry from their expectations heading into the 2021/22 season. Russell Westbrook, who is in the midst of one of the worst seasons of his career, will also remain with the team.

Dave McMenamin of ESPN adds (via Twitter) that, given that the Lakers currently possess a full roster of 15 players, the team would need to waive a player to make room for a new addition. Reserves DeAndre Jordan and Kent Bazemore would seem to be the likeliest candidates for this.

Several other teams with postseason hopes opted to not make trades during deadline day:

  • Another team that had high hopes heading into 2021/22, the 24-31 Knicks, opted to stand pat today, reports Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The team made two trades earlier in the season, including acquiring Cam Reddish from Atlanta. Fred Katz of The Athletic notes (via Twitter) that, though New York may have possessed some trade-friendly contracts, the team was unable to find a willing partner.
  • A relatively loaded Warriors club elected not to make a deadline transaction, and currently boasts a 15-man roster identical to their opening night group, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). Led by All-Stars Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins, plus a returning Klay Thompson and Sixth Man of the Year candidate Jordan Poole, this revamped Golden State club has comfortably established itself as one of the top teams in the Western Conference.
  • The Bulls, a top seed in the East with a very injured roster, decided to also not make any trades during the season, and will instead look to the buyout market to improve their depth, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Johnson adds (Twitter link) that Chicago never really wanted to move on from second-year power forward Patrick Williams this season. Johnson notes that Williams, who has been hurt for all but five games this season, could be returning from his wrist fracture as soon as mid-March.
  • The surging Hawks, winners of seven of their last ten games, ultimately did not make any deadline-day moves, according to Sarah K. Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). The Reddish deal with New York ended up being their only move this season.
  • The Timberwolves had several conversations around the league but ultimately could not find a trade that worked for them, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. With an exciting core of All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns, second-year shooting guard Anthony Edwards, and veteran point guard D’Angelo Russell, the team has developed into a frisky playoff contender. The front office will look to observe how the club wraps up the 2021/22 season. With a 29-26 record, the Timberwolves are the seventh seed in the West at present. Minnesota appears on track to make its first postseason berth since 2018.
  • The 38-18 Grizzlies, the third seed in the Western Conference, did not make any trades at the deadline, per Chris Herrington of the Daily Memphian (via Twitter). Led by All-Star starter Ja Morant, Memphis is already a particularly deep club with several players signed to reasonable contracts.
  • In a bit of a surprise, the usually very-active Thunder are another team that decided to not make any compositional changes at the trade deadline this season, per the Oklahoman’s Joe Mussatto (Twitter link). Oklahoma City is currently well below the salary cap and the minimum salary floor. The team’s cap space will still be in play in June before the new league year starts.
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Raptors, Spurs Swap Thaddeus Young, Goran Dragic

February 10th, 2022 at 2:22pm CST by Luke Adams

2:22pm: The Raptors have issued a press release officially announcing the trade.

10:51am: The Raptors and Spurs have agreed to a trade that will send forward Thaddeus Young to Toronto in exchange for point guard Goran Dragic, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

According to Charania (via Twitter), big man Drew Eubanks and the Pistons’ 2022 second-round pick are also headed to Toronto in the deal, with the Raptors sending San Antonio their 2022 first-round pick (top-14 protected). That pick would be top-13 protected in 2023 if it doesn’t change hands this season, and would turn into two future second-rounders if it doesn’t convey in ’23.

The Raptors had been shopping Dragic and draft capital for much of the season as they looked to acquire a player who could step into their rotation. Dragic, who was part of the return in the Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade last summer, appeared in just five games with Toronto before leaving the team for personal reasons.

In Young, Toronto gets a tough, playoff-tested veteran who – like Dragic – was a throw-in for salary-matching purposes in an offseason sign-and-trade, having been sent from Chicago to San Antonio in the DeMar DeRozan deal. Young had a nice year in Chicago in 2020/21, averaging 12.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 4.3 APG in 68 games (24.3 MPG), but wasn’t part of the Spurs’ plans and hasn’t played much this season.

Eubanks, 25, could also compete for minutes in Toronto after spending the first four years of his NBA career in San Antonio. He has averaged 4.7 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 49 games (12.1 MPG) this season.

[UPDATE: Raptors to waive Eubanks]

Young has an expiring $14.2MM contract, while Eubanks is earning the minimum this season, with a non-guaranteed minimum salary for 2022/23 before he becomes eligible for free agency. The Raptors will create some extra breathing room below the luxury tax line by swapping Dragic’s $19.4MM expiring deal for those two players.

Meanwhile, the Spurs – who have historically been quiet at the trade deadline – have now completed three in-season deals in 2021/22. Their goal in this deal was to continue stockpiling draft assets, so Dragic almost certainly won’t remain on the roster.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter) reports that Dragic and the Spurs are expected to negotiate a buyout, with the Mavericks, Bucks, Bulls, and Clippers among his potential suitors. Dallas is believed to be the frontrunner, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca and Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links).

The Raptors have an opening on their 15-man roster, so they won’t have to waive a player to officially finalize the trade. They’ll also create a trade exception worth the difference between Dragic’s and Young’s salaries ($5.25MM).

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Trade Deadline Notes: Lakers, Bulls, Cavaliers, Hornets

February 10th, 2022 at 8:34am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers‘ recent slide continued on Wednesday night with a bad loss to a Trail Blazers team that just traded multiple starters and had others unavailable due to injuries. Los Angeles is now 26-30, ninth in the Western Conference, and the team is looking for answers heading into Thursday’s trade deadline, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

“Obviously, this is something that’s weighing on this group that we’re all trying to get through,” LeBron James said. “Almost feels like it’s a fog, just fog in the air. And we’re all trying to see what’s on the other side of it.”

[RELATED: Lakers, Knicks, Raptors Have Discussed Possible Three-Team Trade]

The Lakers’ trade assets are limited and the front office is reportedly reluctant to part with a future first-round pick. However, there’s reportedly a feeling of increased urgency within the locker room to make a move today to try to jump-start the struggling club, with James hinting he wouldn’t mind seeing some changes.

“I feel good about what tomorrow has in store, and we’ll see what happens,” James said on Wednesday night. “We’ll see what happens as far as the deadline, but other than that, I’m kind of just focused on what we can do to be better.”

Here are a few more trade-related notes from around the league:

  • Although the Bulls are a candidate to make a trade today to upgrade their depth, they might end up waiting until after the deadline to try to make an addition on the buyout market, writes Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. “The Bulls are worried about the guys they have coming back from injury, and I know they’d like to get something done,” a source told Bulpett. “They just may not be willing to give up a young asset to get a deal made before the deadline.”
  • While it’s not impossible for the Cavaliers to add another high-salary player today, it would almost certainly require them to give up a rotation piece now that they’ve moved Ricky Rubio‘s expiring contract, says Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). According to Fedor, the idea of parting with one of their regular contributors isn’t all that appealing to the Cavs.
  • “Early rumblings” suggest the Hornets may not end up making a major move at today’s trade deadline, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Boone suggests the club hadn’t gained traction on any trade scenarios as of Wednesday night.
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Trade Rumors: Barnes, Lakers, P. Washington, Bulls

February 9th, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

As Thursday’s trade deadline nears, the Kings have been sending signals that they plan to hang onto forward Harrison Barnes, according to Marc Stein (Twitter link).

Barnes has been a frequent subject of recent trade rumors, with one report earlier today stating that the Kings were still very much open to discussing him. A follow-up report said Sacramento only wanted win-now pieces in any deal involving the veteran forward, since the team still has playoff aspirations.

It seems safe to assume that most teams with interest in Barnes are other contenders or playoff hopefuls — those clubs would likely be more inclined to give up draft picks and young prospects than players who can contribute right away, so it makes sense that the Kings are having a tough time finding a deal they like.

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:

  • The Lakers have been “very reluctant” to give up a future first-round pick in any deadline trade, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said today (video link). According to Bill Oram of The Athletic, prior to Tuesday, it seemed the front office’s preference was to wait until the offseason to do anything major, since the team’s 2029 first-round pick will become eligible to be traded at that time — L.A. could theoretically package its ’27 and ’29 first-rounders in the summer. Tuesday’s loss reportedly helped create a greater sense of urgency in the Lakers’ locker room to make a deadline move, so it will be interesting to see how the front office responds.
  • The Hornets aren’t shopping forward P.J. Washington, but they’ve been willing to listen to calls about him, according to Jordan Schultz, who reports (via Twitter) that the Heat, Raptors, and Rockets are among the teams with interest in Washington.
  • Bulls guard Coby White has been mentioned off and on this season as a possible trade candidate, but he doesn’t sound too concerned about what will happen at the deadline, as K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago relays. “I think I’ll be here past the deadline,” White said. “I haven’t really been worried about it.”
  • According to Johnson, there’s not much buzz right now about the Bulls making a major splash at the deadline. League sources tell Johnson that Chicago seems more interested in a frontcourt addition than acquiring a player like Dennis Schröder. Two of Johnson’s sources said the team’s reported interest in Schröder has been overstated.
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Central Notes: Hield, Dosunmu, Bulls, Lopez, LeVert

February 9th, 2022 at 12:34pm CST by Luke Adams

A report on Wednesday morning indicated that the Pacers could flip veteran wing Buddy Hield to a new team today or tomorrow after acquiring him from Sacramento on Tuesday. However, Zach Lowe of ESPN (Twitter link) isn’t expecting that to happen, reporting that Indiana doesn’t plan to move Hield before Thursday’s deadline, despite some interest from other teams.

Lowe cautions that things could change in the next 24+ hours, but as I noted when we relayed the initial Hield rumor, his $23MM cap hit and the $40MM he’s owed for the two seasons after this one will probably make it tricky for the club to get anything of real value for him, especially since he’s in the midst of a down year — his .368 3PT% is the worst mark of his career.

Here are a few more items from around the Central:

  • The Bulls‘ injury woes continued on Tuesday, as rookie guard Ayo Dosunmu entered the NBA’s concussion protocol, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Dosunmu has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game in Charlotte, but it’s unclear how much more time he might miss beyond that.
  • Star forward DeMar DeRozan doesn’t believe the Bulls needs to make any trades at the deadline, suggesting that getting healthy is the top priority for the club. “We’re missing Lonzo Ball, one of the top point guards in this league,” DeRozan said, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “Alex Caruso, one of the best defenders in this league. Patrick Williams, one of the young stars in this league. We haven’t had those guys. And we have them; they’ll be back. We don’t need to worry or stress about having nobody else.
  • Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said on Tuesday that the team continues to get positive news about Brook Lopez‘s recovery from back surgery and remains hopeful that the veteran center will be back before the end of the regular season, says Jamal Collier of ESPN (Twitter link).
  • New Cavaliers guard Caris LeVert is excited to be back in the thick of a playoff race after spending the first half of the season with a lottery-bound Indiana squad, writes Tom Withers of The Associated Press. “Here, we’re playing for a championship,” LeVert said.
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NBA Announces Slam Dunk, Three-Point, Skills Challenge Contestants

February 8th, 2022 at 6:56pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The NBA has announced a full list of the participants for its three-point, slam dunk and skills challenge competitions ahead of the upcoming 2022 All-Star Weekend in Cleveland.

Per the NBA (Twitter link), the following players will partake in the Mountain Dew Three-Point Contest, which appears to have outpaced the dunk contest as the premiere event for established stars at All-Star Weekend. Four 2022 All-Stars will compete:

According to the league (via Twitter), these are the contestants in the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest:

Below are the NBA’s announced players for the newly revamped Taco Bell Skills Challenge (Twitter link). This year, the Skills Challenge will be divvied up into three teams: Antetokounmpo brothers (“Antetokounmpos”), Cavaliers players (“Cavs”), and rookies (“Rooks”).

These three events will take place on All-Star Saturday on February 19.

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No Progress In Jerami Grant Trade Talks

February 8th, 2022 at 7:51am CST by Luke Adams

As of Monday night, the Pistons had yet to make serious progress in any of their trade discussions about forward Jerami Grant, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report conveys a similar sentiment, suggesting that despite widespread interest from teams like the Wizards, Lakers, Jazz, Bulls, and Timberwolves, among others, it seems unlikely at this point that any team will meet Detroit’s high asking price.

As Fischer explains, general manager Troy Weaver has a strong relationship with Grant and there have been “clear indications” that Weaver is interested in hanging onto one of the first players he acquired after taking the reins in the Pistons’ front office in 2020. Previous reporting has suggested there may be a split in Detroit’s front office on trading Grant, with vice chairman Arn Tellem more open to the idea than Weaver.

Fischer acknowledges that even if Grant doesn’t go anywhere at this week’s deadline, there’s a “strong possibility” the team will revisit the possibility of trading him during the offseason.

Rival teams think the Pistons may want to see where they land in the 2022 draft and determine which prospects would be available to them at that spot before making a decision on the 27-year-old, says Windhorst.

Grant, who signed a three-year contract with Detroit in 2020, will be eligible for an extension this summer. The maximum amount he could add to his current deal would be about $112MM over four years.

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Trade Rumors: Pelicans, Bulls, Poeltl, Grant, Nets

February 7th, 2022 at 11:44am CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans, who have been described as trade deadline buyers, are making an effort to fortify their core, Marc Stein reports at Substack.com. In addition to Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, New Orleans views Jonas Valanciunas and Herbert Jones as part of that core, according to Stein, so those players appear to be off limits in trade talks.

While the Pelicans are apparently unwilling to move Valanciunas or Jones, they do have other players who would appeal to trade partners. Most notably, Stein suggests that forward Josh Hart, who is in the midst of a career year, could be on the move this week. Multiple previous reports have indicated Hart may be a trade candidate.

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:

  • The Bulls made an offer for center Jakob Poeltl that was centered around a first-round pick, but they were rebuffed by the Spurs, according to Stein. Chicago has already traded away two of its own future first-round selections – including one to San Antonio – so the pick in the offer for Poeltl may have been Portland’s 2022 first-rounder, which is top-14 protected and appears unlikely to convey this year.
  • In his preview of the Pistons‘ trade-deadline week, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic says the Wizards, Kings, and Trail Blazers are the teams that have exhibited the most interest in Jerami Grant. Sources tell Edwards that the Nets have also “poked around,” but are a longer shot to acquire the forward.
  • Within his look at the James Harden and Ben Simmons situations, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer reports that the Nets have been looking for more shooting on the wing. That makes sense, given that Joe Harris‘ status for the second half and postseason remains up in the air. O’Connor also echoes some of the same points made in a series of other Harden/Simmons reports this morning, including reiterating that the Sixers aren’t willing to entertain trading Tyrese Maxey this week.
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Patrick Williams To Return In Regular Season?

February 6th, 2022 at 1:09pm CST by Rory Maher

Bulls coach Billy Donovan says there’s a “very good possibility” that second-year forward Patrick Williams will return during the regular season, barring any setbacks, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link). Donovan hedged the statement by saying he’s not sure when Williams might return and it isn’t certain, but he’s optimistic about the forward’s recovery progress.

Williams has been sidelined since late October after undergoing surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left wrist. At the time, the Bulls gave a recovery timeline of four-to-six months.

The end of February would be four months out from surgery. If Williams returns around that time, he’d have roughly 20 regular season games left to build up his endurance and get a rhythm prior to a potential playoff run. If it’s closer to the end of March, there would be less than 10 games remaining. Chicago’s last regular season game is April 10, at Minnesota.

Williams, 20, was the No. 4 pick in the 2020 draft and played strong defense last season as a rookie, starting all 71 games in which he appeared and averaging 9.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in 27.9 minutes per contest. He’s played just five games this season due to the wrist injury.

Last month Williams made progress in his recovery, going from a hard cast to a removable brace. His name has been floated in trade rumors this season, but the Bulls are very high on the young forward and reportedly remain resistant to the idea of discussing him in trades, unless they’re overwhelmed by an offer.

The Bulls have dealt with a multitude of injuries to key players this season, including Williams, Zach LaVine (knee, back spasms), Lonzo Ball (knee surgery), Derrick Jones Jr. (knee), and Alex Caruso (wrist surgery). LaVine will miss his second straight game Sunday with back spasms, Johnson tweets.

Despite the injury woes, the resilient Bulls are first in the East with a 33-19 record, led by a stellar season from All-Star starter DeMar DeRozan.

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