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Wolves At Impasse With Warriors In D-Lo Talks

February 4th, 2020 at 11:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors are moving on from conversations with the Timberwolves about a D’Angelo Russell trade for now, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). As Charania explains, Golden State has been firm in its asking price for Russell, and Minnesota has been unwilling to meet that price to this point.

The Warriors and Timberwolves exchanged trade concepts throughout the day, but a significant gap remains, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who tweets that Golden State is exploring deals that would help them shed salary and acquire draft assets. According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, the impasse between the two teams can be attributed in large part to a disagreement over draft compensation.

O’Connor reports that the Timberwolves are offering their own protected 2020 first-round pick as well as Brooklyn’s lottery-protected 2020 first-rounder, which would be acquired as part of a multi-team trade sending Robert Covington to Houston and Clint Capela to Atlanta. However, the Warriors prefer future first-round picks, including Minnesota’s unprotected 2021 first-rounder, according to O’Connor, who notes that the 2020 draft isn’t considered a particularly strong one.

Interestingly, multiple league sources told O’Connor that Andrew Wiggins was part of “every iteration” of the potential swap being discussed by the Wolves and Warriors.

Although the Warriors are no longer actively involved in trade talks with the Wolves, Hawks, and Rockets, those three teams continue to engage, according to Wojnarowski (via Twitter). In fact, Charania reports (via Twitter) that those discussions are becoming serious.

Minnesota, Atlanta, and Houston are still exploring a trade that would send Covington to the Rockets, Capela to the Hawks, and Evan Turner‘s expiring contract and draft compensation to Minnesota, per Charania, who says that a new fourth team could emerge to round out the deal. The Nuggets are among the candidates to become that fourth team, tweets Wojnarowski, though he cautions that the situation is fluid and talks with other teams are ongoing.

With Denver looming as a potential fourth team, it’s worth noting that the Wolves have eyes for Malik Beasley, according to our Chris Crouse. Minnesota also has interest in Gary Harris, a source tells Crouse. If the Nuggets deal Harris, it would give them some extra financial flexibility to work out a deal with Beasley, who is a restricted free agent after the season.

There are a ton of moving parts involved in these discussions, so we’ll have to wait to see what’s next. D-Lo remains Minnesota’s top priority, so if the Wolves, Hawks, and Rockets end up completing a three-team trade involving Covington and Capela, Gersson Rosas‘ group could hang onto the assets it gets in that deal and attempt to re-open Russell talks with Golden State closer to the deadline or even in the offseason.

Chris Crouse contributed to this post.

Trade Rumors: Bembry, Ojeleye, Celtics, Bertans

February 4th, 2020 at 9:30pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Hawks swingman DeAndre’ Bembry, who is dealing with a hand injury, could be moved before the deadline, per a source. The Timberwolves are among the teams with eyes on the wing, though interest around the league isn’t expected to be strong.

It’s possible that Bembry is included in a potential multi-team D’Angelo Russell trade. Bembry starred at St. Joe’s before being selected with the No. 21 overall pick. Through three-plus seasons on the Hawks, the New Jersey native hasn’t taken flight.

Here’s more from around the league:

At least one team has an interest in trading for Celtics forward Semi Ojeleye, provided the price tag isn’t significant at all, a source tells Hoops Rumors. The 25-year-old has played in 47 games for Boston this season.
All signs point to a quiet deadline for the Celtics, according to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. “It feels like it’s kind of dead right now,” one league source told the Boston writer. Himmelsbach also noted that Houston was the party to initiate the Clint Capela talks, adding that it now appears those talks aren’t going anywhere because of the Rockets‘ high asking price.
As we passed along last month, the Wizards love Davis Bertans and see him as a long-term piece. Not much has changed, according to Candace Buckner of the Washington Post, the team plans on keeping the 27-year-old power forward and wants to re-sign him this offseason.
The Celtics remain interested in Bertans, per Himmelsbach. Chris Mannix of SI.com shared similar intel earlier today, writing that Boston’s interest in Bertans is “strong.” However, according to Himmelsbach, the C’s appears resigned to the fact that they’re not getting the power forward.

Trade Rumors: Clippers, Herro, LaVine, Poeltl, More

February 4th, 2020 at 5:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Chris Mannix of SI.com is among the latest reporters to weigh in this week on the Clippers‘ search for a center. According to Mannix, Los Angeles’ coaching staff has some concerns about the team’s rebounding. We heard on Monday that the Clips are also wary of facing star centers like Rudy Gobert or Nikola Jokic in the postseason.

Sources tell Mannix that there’s some interest within the Clippers’ front office in Tristan Thompson, whom the Cavaliers have put on the trade block. Mannix also names disgruntled Kings big man Dewayne Dedmon as a possible target, though he cautions that Dedmon wouldn’t be a preferred option for L.A.

The Clippers have Maurice Harkless‘ $11MM+ expiring contract available to use as a salary-matching piece for a trade target earning an eight-figure salary, but the team will have to be careful about how it fires that bullet. Acquiring a pricey center like Thompson or Dedmon using Harkless’ deal could take the team out of the market for a wing in the same salary range, such as Marcus Morris or Robert Covington.

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

The Heat have told teams that Tyler Herro is unavailable at this time, according to Mannix. If Miami wants to do something major, Herro would likely be the first player a potential trade partner asks about, but the Heat have no interest in moving him.
The Bulls have received some trade feelers for Zach LaVine, but a source tells Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link) that the 24-year-old is “off-limits.” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Zach Lowe said essentially the same thing on a podcast this week.
Teams are calling the Spurs to ask about Jakob Poeltl, but the asking price is believed to be too high, tweets Jabari Young of CNBC. Poeltl will be a restricted free agent at season’s end, so it’s possible San Antonio will lower its price by Thursday if the big man isn’t in the team’s long-term plans.
Nuggets power forward Juan Hernangomez is among the players of interest for the Rockets, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Denver is reportedly seeking a second-round pick for Hernangomez.

Hawks Rumors: Collins, Drummond, Adams, Parker

February 4th, 2020 at 4:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Both the Rockets and Nets have specifically expressed interest in Hawks big man John Collins recently, a league source tells Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. However, teams that have talked to Atlanta have been left with the impression that the team won’t move Collins unless it gets an offer it can refuse.

According to Kirschner, Houston wanted Collins as part of a Clint Capela trade as a younger, cheaper replacement, which presumably was a non-starter for the Hawks. Kirschner suggests Spencer Dinwiddie was mentioned in talks with the Nets, but says it’s not clear whether those discussions went anywhere.

Collins will be eligible for a rookie scale extension for the first time this offseason, and multiple league sources tell Kirschner that he’s expected to seek a max or near-max deal. If the Hawks decide that price is too rich, they could revisit the trade market, but for now, the big man isn’t being shopped at all. It’s “highly unlikely” that Atlanta moves any member of its young core – including Collins – at this Thursday’s deadline, tweets Sarah K. Spencer of The Athletic.

Here’s more on the Hawks:

A league source tells Kirschner that Andre Drummond made it clear the Hawks would have been a preferred landing spot if the Pistons trade him. Atlanta opted against giving up Brooklyn’s 2020 first-round pick in a deal for Drummond, and aren’t expected to re-engage this week, though the team could circle back to the big man in free agency, Kirschner writes.
Steven Adams has also been cited as a probable Hawks target, but a source with knowledge of the Thunder‘s thinking believes Adams is unlikely to be moved at the deadline, according to Kirschner.
Jabari Parker, who hasn’t played since January 3 due to a right shoulder impingement, is a trade candidate but will remain sidelined through the deadline. As Spencer tweets, the Hawks announced today that Parker is doing non-contact work and will be re-evaluated in one week.

Latest On Wolves’ Multi-Team D’Angelo Russell Trade Talks

February 4th, 2020 at 3:38pm CST by Luke Adams

As multiple reports have indicated, the Timberwolves have been making an effort to orchestrate multi-team trade talks involving the Warriors, Rockets, and Hawks that would help them land point guard D’Angelo Russell.

The basic goal of such a four-team deal would be get a center (Clint Capela) to Atlanta, a wing (Robert Covington) to Houston, Russell to Minnesota, and various assets to Golden State. However, according to those previous reports from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, Minnesota and Golden State haven’t been able to find common ground on a package for Russell.

The Timberwolves may need to give the Warriors flexibility on which year(s) they’d prefer to get draft picks, league sources tell Wojnarowski.

Multi-team trades aren’t easy to complete, so this mega-trade is certainly no lock to get done. But it also doesn’t appear as if the clubs involved have given up yet. Here are the latest updates on these four-team discussions:

Within his report, Wojnarowski suggests that Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins would almost certainly have to be included in any trade involving Russell for financial reasons, and our Chris Crouse confirms (via Twitter) that Wiggins has been discussed as part of a potential deal.
According to Jabari Young of CNBC (Twitter link), Hawks swingman Evan Turner – who has a pricey expiring contract – and Warriors center Kevon Looney are among the other players whose names have come up as parts of this potential trade.
The Hawks, Timberwolves, and Warriors are talking about what draft picks (and possible protections) would be involved in the trade, according to Young (Twitter link). The Rockets aren’t involved in that aspect of the deal and would presumably just receive Covington and a center, Young adds.
Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link) hears that the Rockets like Looney as a potential option to replace Capela in the middle if they can land a three-and-D upgrade such as Covington.
According to John Hollinger of The Athletic (Twitter link), a four-team, seven-player trade that includes Wiggins, Russell, Covington, Capela, Looney, Turner, and Nene could get both the Warriors and Rockets out of the tax. Wojnarowksi has suggested that the Warriors are interested in shedding some salary — they’d avoid repeater penalties if they sneak below the tax line this year.

Rockets Not Motivated By Luxury Tax Concerns?

February 4th, 2020 at 2:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

FEBRUARY 4: Contradicting his original report, Young tweets that he’s been told that Fertitta has given Morey the go-ahead to make deadline deals without financial restrictions. The Rockets’ owner isn’t satisfied with the team’s place in the standings so far and wants to upgrade the roster, Young adds.

While that may be true, Houston is close enough to the tax line that it still wouldn’t be a surprise if the club ducks below it in the coming days.

FEBRUARY 3: The Rockets are looking to shave enough salary off their payroll to avoid the luxury tax, Jabari Young of CNBC.com reports.

The Rockets have been actively engaged in trade talks, most notably dangling center Clint Capela, who is in the early stages of a five-year, $90MM contract. Moving Nene, who has a non-guaranteed $10MM salary for next season, would also contribute greatly toward that goal. The Rockets have approximately $139.9MM in contractual obligations and owner Tilman Fertitta wants to get below the $132MM tax line.

Some league executives believes Rockets GM Daryl Morey is being pressured by Fertitta to decrease salary while simultaneously trying to keep the franchise in championship contention, according to Young.

Fertitta has denied in the past that he’s motivated by luxury tax concerns but the team’s moves the past two years have the look of a franchise trying to dodge the tax, Dan Feldman of NBC Sports notes. The way Houston’s 2018 offseason played out, and the curious moves it make prior to last year’s trade deadline, had the appearance of a team with tax concerns, Feldman continues.

Players like Gerald Green, Thabo Sefolosha and Tyson Chandler making the veteran’s minimum could be traded and replaced by players making partial-season minimums, Feldman notes. By tossing in assets to move contracts, the Rockets will hinder their chances of upgrading the team, Feldman adds.

Trade Rumors: Wolves, Wizards, Kennard, Valentine, Burks, More

February 4th, 2020 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Timberwolves forward Robert Covington has been one of the most-discussed trade candidates leading up to this year’s deadline, and looks like one of the likeliest players to be on the move. While star teammate Karl-Anthony Towns will understand if Covington is dealt, he admitted in a conversation with Sam Amick of The Athletic and Chris Hine of The Star Tribune that he’s not thrilled by the idea.

“I think it’s very obvious he’s my best friend on the team, so it would be very difficult if something like that was going to happen,” Towns said of Covington. “But like with Zach LaVine (traded from the Timberwolves to Chicago in 2017) , you know this is a business. So like I said, I’m the one who just plays the game. I don’t get paid to make rosters and stuff like that.”

As Amick and Hine note, Towns said it’s not his job to make roster decisions and expressed confidence in Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas to make those calls. Still, given how aggressively the front office has pursued D’Angelo Russell, one of Towns’ best friends, it’ll be interesting to see if the team is willing to part with Covington – another one of KAT’s good friends – if there’s no guarantee that doing so will land D-Lo in Minnesota.

“I don’t get paid to make those decisions,” the Timberwolves’ franchise player said. “Those are tough decisions, but here’s to hoping that I see Cov on Friday, I guess. … He’s a great guy, a great dude. He’s a great player. He’s helped me tremendously and he’s continuing to help me every day. He just gives me such comfort out there.”

Here are more trade rumors from around the NBA:

As first referenced by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Wizards have expressed interest in Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson, confirms Candace Buckner of The Washington Post (via Twitter). If the Wizards were to make a move for Thompson, it would be with an eye toward the future, since they’d hold his Bird rights, Buckner notes.
Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press confirms that that the Pistons are open to moving Luke Kennard if the price is right. However, in the wake of rumors that the Suns are discussing a trade for the third-year sharpshooter, Ellis reports that no deal appears imminent and that Detroit isn’t worried about the possible price tag on a Kennard extension if he remains with the Pistons.
Two rival executives view the Sixers and Grizzlies as possible landing spots for Bulls trade candidate Denzel Valentine, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune.
The Mavericks have real interest in Warriors guard Alec Burks, a source tells Chris Crouse of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link). Dallas and Golden State have already made one trade this season, with Willie Cauley-Stein sent to the Mavs last month.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski takes a look at the trade talks involving the Timberwolves, Warriors, Rockets, and Hawks, with the Wolves trying to orchestrate a multi-team deal that would send D’Angelo Russell to Minnesota. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer had details earlier on those discussions, with both Woj and O’Connor agreeing that there’s still a gulf between Minnesota and Golden State.

O’Connor’s Latest: Capela, Covington, D-Lo, Nets, More

February 4th, 2020 at 8:49am CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets, Hawks, and Timberwolves recently discussed a three-team trade that would have sent Robert Covington to Houston, Clint Capela to Atlanta, and Brooklyn’s 2020 first-round pick (from Atlanta) to Minnesota, league sources tell Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.

As O’Connor explains, the Timberwolves’ goal would have been to use that Brooklyn first-rounder as part of a trade package for D’Angelo Russell. According to O’Connor, Minnesota was willing to include its own 2020 first-round pick in that offer too, but the Warriors turned them down, putting those three-team talks on hold.

We don’t know exactly what protections the Timberwolves might have wanted to put on their pick, or what contract(s) they wanted the Warriors to take on in that offer for Russell, but it’s still worth noting that Golden State declined an offer featuring multiple first-rounders. While the Dubs are reportedly open to listening to inquiries on D-Lo, their asking price is high, and it appears they’d be happy to wait until the offseason to revisit Russell’s trade market, if necessary.

Here’s more from O’Connor:

The Warriors‘ price tag on Russell is one reason the Timberwolves‘ asking price for Covington is so high, O’Connor writes. O’Connor also adds the Nuggets to the list of teams with interest in Covington, though he acknowledges that interest is “minimal,” suggesting the Rockets and Sixers are more serious suitors.
The Rockets and Hawks have had some discussions about Capela without the Timberwolves‘ involvement, per O’Connor.
The Rockets offered Capela to the Nets in a deal that would have included Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince, league sources tell O’Connor. We’ve heard Houston wants to get a wing and another big man for Capela, so the ask makes sense, but it’s not a surprise that Brooklyn turned it down.
The Hawks are believed to be wary about investing $20MM+ per year in John Collins on his next contract, preferring a less expensive center like Capela or Tristan Thompson, sources tell O’Connor. For what it’s worth, Hawks beat writer Chris Kirschner of The Athletic (Twitter links) suggests the recent Collins-related rumblings are coming from other teams, not Atlanta.

Trade Rumors: Covington, Randle, Henson, Celtics

February 3rd, 2020 at 10:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers are among the teams pursuing Timberwolves forward Robert Covington, Sean Deveney of Heavy.com reports. A package of their first-round pick this year, forward Maurice Harkless, and a young player such as Jerome Robinson or Terance Mann could be enough to secure Covington, Deveney continues. Grizzlies forward Andre Iguodala, Suns center Aron Baynes and Magic guard D.J. Augustin are among the other potential targets for the Clippers, Deveney adds.

We have more trade chatter:

The Knicks have engaged in trade talks with the Hornets involving forward Julius Randle, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer tweets. Charlotte would be a surprising landing spot for Randle, who has a guaranteed $18.9MM salary for next season. However, the Hornets have three frontcourt players with large expiring contracts and will need reinforcements.
The Knicks had talks with the Cavaliers which included center John Henson but those discussions have died down, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets. Henson has an expiring $9.7MM contract.
Celtics GM Danny Ainge would like to strengthen the team’s bench but doesn’t see the center position as a major weakness, Jacob Camenker of NBC Sports Boston relays. The Celtics are reportedly one of the teams interested in acquiring Rockets center Clint Capela. Ainge indicated the roster “probably too many really young guys” but claimed he’s content with Daniel Theis, Enes Kanter, and Robert Williams manning the middle. “We’re not getting beat at the center position,” Ainge said. “We’re getting 17, 18 points per night. We’re getting double-figure rebounds. We’re just doing it as a team.”

Charania’s Latest: Kuzma, Love, Russell, Covington, Rose, Drummond

February 3rd, 2020 at 9:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

While forward Kyle Kuzma has been mentioned prominently in trade rumors, the Lakers are reluctant to make a deal that would negatively impact their team chemistry, The Athletic’s Shams Charania told Alex Kennedy on a HoopsHype podcast (Twitter link). The Lakers would only consider moving the offensive-skilled power forward if they received a “high-end rotation player” in return. “Those guys really get along on and off the floor,” Charania said.

The Athletic’s top NBA writer also commented on a number of other players on the trade market:

It’s unlikely the Cavaliers will be able to find a taker for Kevin Love and his big multi-year contract. “I don’t see a logical landing spot,” he said.
The Knicks are willing to give up their 2018 first-round pick, forward Kevin Knox, as part of a package for the Warriors’ D’Angelo Russell. However, that doesn’t hold much appeal to the Warriors. Golden State, as Charania reported earlier, is seeking multiple unprotected first-round picks for Russell. The Timberwolves looking to acquire first-round picks for forward Robert Covington, which it would then flip in a Russell deal.
The Rockets, Bucks and Mavericks are among the suitors for Covington, with Houston showing “a lot of interest.”
The Pistons are seeking a great asset — a quality first-round pick — for Derrick Rose. But Rose, who missed Monday’s game at Memphis with an adductor strain, doesn’t want to be dealt. “He wants to be in Detroit,” Charania said. “Derrick feels at home and Detroit has embraced him with open arms.”
The market for the Pistons’ Andre Drummond is “stagnant.” Drummond’s high salary and ability to opt out in the summer makes it difficult to find a suitable trade, Charania notes.