Clippers Rumors

Blazers Notes: Johnson, Allen, Covington, Powell, Bledsoe

February 7th, 2022 at 9:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Rookie shooting guard Keon Johnson said on Monday that he’ll be out at least a couple more weeks due to an ankle injury, Casey Holdahl tweets.

Johnson was acquired by the Trail Blazers in the deal with the Clippers than sent Robert Covington and Norman Powell to L.A. The 21st pick of last year’s draft, Johnson has appeared in 15 games this season. He hasn’t seen action in an NBA game since January 9.

We have more on the Trail Blazers:

The incentive for the Blazers to make the deal with the Clippers was to cut payroll and get under the luxury tax, Jason Quick of The Athletic writes, but there might have been ulterior motive. It could be the first step toward Jody Allen selling the team, Quick speculates. Quick notes that the ground lease for the Moda Center runs through October 2025 and Blazers must notify the city by September 2024 of their intentions to extend or renegotiate the lease. However, there haven’t been any ongoing negotiations.
The fact that the Blazers didn’t get a first-round pick for Powell and Covington shows that offers they received weren’t as strong as anticipated, John Hollinger of The Athletic opines. He speculates that the back end of Powell’s five-year contract – he’ll take in $20.5MM in 2025/26 – likely scared some suitors. Additionally, many teams likely wanted to get a pick attached to Covington from Portland, which was eager to get out of the luxury tux.
Eric Bledsoe is unsure if he’ll remain with Portland after the trade deadline, Sean Highkin of the Bleacher Report tweets. He was also part of the deal with the Clippers, added for salary purposes. “It’s up in the air. I’m being professional,” Bledsoe said. “Come in and do my job like I always have, see where it goes.”
In case you missed it, the Knicks are reportedly interested in acquiring CJ McCollum.

Clippers Notes: Covington, Powell, Blazers Trade

February 7th, 2022 at 5:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Robert Covington said he’s “beyond excited” by getting traded with Norman Powell to the Clippers, ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk writes. The duo was shipped by the Trail Blazers in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson, and Detroit’s 2025 second-round pick on Friday. “It’s going to make us dynamic — more dynamic than what we already are and it’s going to be scary defensively,” Covington said.

Powell pumped in 28 points in a loss to Milwaukee on Sunday in his Clippers’ debut. Powell said he’ll have no trouble fitting in when Paul George and Kawhi Leonard return from their injuries.

“Literally for all my career, I have been in every single role on the team,” Powell said. “The guy fighting and scratching trying to get into the rotation. Being in a rotation, being taken out of a rotation, playing alongside Kyle [Lowry] and DeMar [DeRozan], playing alongside Kyle and Kawhi, playing off of them [in Toronto]. So I think I can fit perfectly in here, with PG and Kawhi.”

We have more on the Clippers:

The acquisition of Covington and Powell proved the Clippers have hit the market as resilient buyers, rather than selling off pieces due to their star duo’s injuries, Mark Medina of NBA.com opines. The Clippers managed to acquire talent while maintaining some flexibility, Medina notes. Powell is a dependable player entering his prime while on the first year of a five-year contract. Covington is an unrestricted free agent this summer but the Clippers now hold his Bird Rights if they want to re-sign him.
The acquisition of Powell could lead an especially potent crunch-time lineup in 2022/23 season when Leonard and George return to full health, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic. Powell fits in snugly in a sniper role playing alongside Leonard and George. Add in Luke Kennard or Reggie Jackson and defenses would struggle mightily to guard that quartet on the perimeter.
Coach Tyronn Lue and Portland coach Chauncey Billups are close friends, and that should facilitate the acclimation process for the newly-acquired duo, Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register writes. “Me and Chauncey, we run a lot of the same stuff,” Lue said. “Pretty much the same system, especially early offensive stuff. … The biggest thing is those guys getting comfortable and understand who they’re playing with on the floor and picking and choosing their spots.”

2022 NBA Trade Deadline Preview: Pacific Division

February 7th, 2022 at 4:05pm CST by Luke Adams

With the NBA’s February 10 trade deadline around the corner, we’re taking a closer look at all 30 teams, breaking down their potential plans for the deadline and identifying their most likely trade candidates. We’re focusing today on the Pacific Division.

Golden State Warriors

Trade deadline goals:

Few, if any, NBA teams should feel less urgency to make a move at the trade deadline than Golden State.

The Warriors already benefited from one major in-season “addition” when Klay Thompson returned to action last month for the first time since 2019. James Wiseman could be a second one if he’s able to make it back in the second half from a pair of knee surgeries.

While rival teams may try to pry away young Warriors prospects like Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, or Moses Moody, the Dubs have shown no inclination to mortgage their future for short-term gains. They’ve gone 40-13 this season without ever really being fully healthy — as long as they have all their guys available heading into the postseason, there’s no obvious weak spot on the roster.

Having said that, health is certainly a wild card worth considering. If they’re at all nervous about Draymond Green‘s ability to be back to 100% this spring, the Warriors could peruse the market for a frontcourt fill-in.

Top trade candidates:

One reason why the Warriors seem unlikely to make a trade is that their roster lacks expendable players. A team with the NBA’s second-best record won’t feel compelled to break up its starting lineup, and many of Golden State’s low-priced role players – such as Otto Porter, Damion Lee, and Gary Payton II – are outplaying their contracts and will be retained.

Perhaps a player like Juan Toscano-Anderson or Nemanja Bjelica could be moved in the right deal, but even those guys are probably more valuable the Warriors could get back for them on their own.

For what it’s worth, the Warriors’ success this season means they could safely move their unprotected 2022 second-round pick without worrying about losing a top-20 selection. I’m skeptical they’ll feel compelled to do so, but it’s an option.

Los Angeles Clippers

Trade deadline goals:

Entering February, we didn’t have a clear picture of what the Clippers would try to do at the trade deadline. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were out indefinitely, but there was no incentive for the team to tank this season, since Oklahoma City owns L.A.’s first-round pick.

We got our answer on the Clippers’ deadline plans on Friday, when they traded Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson, and a second-round pick to Portland for Norman Powell and Robert Covington. Powell is under contract for several years beyond this one, but Covington is on an expiring deal, so Los Angeles isn’t just looking to the future — the team wants to stay competitive this season, whether or not Leonard and George return.

Having already made one big move, the Clippers may be content to stand pat this week, but I expect them to remain engaged in trade talks for the next few days. They’re still in the market for a play-maker who can set up their stars and who is also comfortable playing off the ball and making open shots.

Top trade candidates:

Serge Ibaka is on an expiring contract, he has battled injury problems, and his playing time has been inconsistent this season even when he’s been healthy. The big man, who has a $9.7MM cap hit, looks like the Clippers’ best remaining candidate to be dealt.

I’ll be curious to see to what extent the Clippers shop Marcus Morris and/or Luke Kennard in the coming days. They overlap to some extent with the skills Powell and Covington bring to the roster, so if the Clippers plan to re-sign Covington in the offseason, it’s hard to imagine all four players sticking with the team long-term, given their price tags. Morris and Kennard each have two guaranteed seasons beyond this one at about $15-17MM per year.

Nicolas Batum could also be a player to watch. He has acquitted himself nicely since arriving in Los Angeles and I doubt the Clippers will want to move him, but he’s a solid two-way contributor at a very team-friendly price ($3.2MM). He’d certainly draw interest, and if he’s the piece the Clips need to give up to get the play-maker they want, they’d probably do it. Batum would need to approve any deal, however.

Los Angeles Lakers

Trade deadline goals:

The Lakers’ big move of the 2021 offseason was to send out Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell, and a first-round pick (which became Isaiah Jackson) in exchange for Russell Westbrook and a handful of future second-round picks.

The move, which received its share of criticism at the time, looks even worse six months later. Westbrook has struggled mightily in Los Angeles, and with Kuzma, Caldwell-Pope, and Harrell out of the picture, the Lakers hardly have any players left who are earning between the minimum and maximum and could be shopped in trade talks for an impact player.

The Lakers will still be on the lookout for deals that improve their defense and shooting around stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but it won’t be easy to make something happen. The Lakers just don’t have many appealing assets, and potential trade partners won’t exactly be lining up to help bail them out.

Top trade candidates:

While the Lakers would probably love to find a taker for Westbrook, his contract will make it virtually impossible. The former MVP is making $44.2MM this season and has a $47MM player option for 2022/23 that looks like a virtual lock to be exercised.

Given Westbrook’s recent play, no team will want to take on that sort of money unless it comes with draft assets, such as L.A.’s 2027 first-round pick (which is the next first-rounder the club can trade). For their part, the Lakers are better off hoping Westbrook can turn things around and preserving their limited assets for something besides a salary dump.

If Westbrook is off the table, that leaves Talen Horton-Tucker and Kendrick Nunn as Los Angeles’ most logical trade chips. They’re the only players on the roster earning more than the minimum salary and less than the max. Together, Horton-Tucker ($9.5MM) and Nunn ($5MM) could bring back a player earning a little over $18MM.

A year ago, attaching a future first-round pick to those two players would’ve made for a pretty tantalizing package. But the shine has come off Horton-Tucker now that he’s on a more expensive contract and hasn’t taken a step forward in his third NBA season. Nunn, meanwhile, has yet to play at all this season due to a knee injury.

Horton-Tucker is still just 21 years old, Nunn is a solid player when he’s healthy, and that 2027 first-rounder holds intrigue because no one knows what the Lakers will look like five years from now. However, L.A. will be competing with other buyers who will be able to offer stronger packages for higher-end trade candidates.

Whether or not they can make a bigger deal, I’d expect the Lakers to try to at least make a smaller trade or two, moving off minimum-salary players such as DeAndre Jordan and/or Kent Bazemore.

Phoenix Suns

Trade deadline goals:

Like the Warriors, the Suns aren’t under any real pressure to make a move at the deadline. Their 42-10 record so far this season is the NBA’s best, and there are no obvious holes in their regular rotation.

Still, the Suns will likely be on the lookout for one more wing who can knock down three-pointers. Offseason acquisition Landry Shamet is shooting a career-worst 35.3% on threes and there’s no guarantee that stretch four Dario Saric will return from his ACL tear in time to provide any help this spring. Shoring up the rotation with one more shooter would give Phoenix some added peace of mind entering the postseason.

Top trade candidates:

Saric’s injury makes him a trade candidate for salary-matching purposes. Among Phoenix’s highest-paid players, the Croatian forward and his $8.5MM cap hit are the most expendable. Of course, it’s worth noting that Saric is also under contract for $9.2MM next season, which may turn off some teams, especially since there’s no guarantee he’ll be back to 100% following his ACL tear.

Second-year center Jalen Smith would be a more interesting trade candidate if the Suns had exercised his $4.7MM option for 2022/23. Because they turned it down, whichever team has Smith on its roster at the end of the season won’t be able to offer him a starting salary higher than $4.7MM when he reaches free agency. In other words, there’s little incentive for a club to take a flier on him, since if he plays well down the stretch, he might price himself off that club’s roster.

Other veterans who aren’t vital rotation pieces, such as Elfrid Payton, Frank Kaminsky, or Abdel Nader, would presumably be available. The Suns also have a fair amount of draft-pick flexibility — they own all their own second-round picks and could offer any future first-rounders starting in 2024.

Sacramento Kings

Trade deadline goals:

There have been mixed messages out of Sacramento in the weeks leading up to this year’s trade deadline. After signaling last summer that they weren’t interested in moving De’Aaron Fox or Tyrese Haliburton, the Kings seemed to become more receptive to the idea after getting off to a terrible start this season, with multiple reports indicating no one was off-limits.

However, last month, the Kings reportedly recommitted to the idea of building around Fox and Haliburton and told Fox they don’t want to move him.

While Haliburton may legitimately be off the table, rival teams are skeptical that Fox is actually untouchable. And it’s safe to assume anyone else on the roster could be had. The Kings badly want to end a playoff drought that has lasted a decade-and-a-half (and counting) and appear prepared to shake up their roster this week to try to make it happen.

Even at 20-35, Sacramento is just two games out of a play-in spot, so we shouldn’t necessarily assume the team is focused on next season quite yet. I expect the front office will be focused on making adjustments to the mix of players on the roster, not simply selling off veterans for draft assets.

Top trade candidates:

Even if the Kings ultimately decide not to move Haliburton and Fox, there are a ton of trade candidates on the roster.

Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, Richaun Holmes, and Marvin Bagley III are a few of the players whose names have frequently popped up in trade rumors this season. Barnes and Holmes, in particular, should be intriguing targets for rival teams. Barnes is a solid defensive player who is making over 40% of his three-pointers this season, while Holmes is the kind of rim-running center who would look good in Charlotte or Toronto — both players are on very reasonable multiyear contracts.

It will be more challenging for the Kings to get a positive return for Hield or Bagley. Hield’s ability to stretch the floor is his calling card, but his 36.8% mark on three-pointers this season is easily the worst of his career and he’s owed another $40MM for the next two years after earning $23MM this season. Bagley, meanwhile, still hasn’t delivered on the promise that made him the No. 2 overall pick in 2018 and he’ll be a free agent this summer.

Tristan Thompson, Alex Len, Damian Jones, and Maurice Harkless are among the other veterans the Kings could move, though some will have more value – both to Sacramento and to trade partners – than others. Youngsters Robert Woodard and Jahmi’us Ramsey also haven’t shown much yet and should be available, but they may not generate much interest.

Knicks Rumors: McCollum, Robinson, Reddish, Randle

February 7th, 2022 at 10:48am CST by Luke Adams

Two rival teams say the Knicks are emerging as a legitimate suitor for Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum, Marc Stein reports in his latest article for Substack. Up until this point, the Pelicans had been the team most frequently linked to McCollum, but Stein suggests New York is a real possibility for the Blazers veteran.

It’s an intriguing idea, and one that appears more viable after seeing the deal Portland made with the Clippers on Friday. The Blazers were seemingly motivated to move off Norman Powell‘s long-term money in that trade, so it’s not out of the question that the team could take a similar approach with McCollum, who is owed $33.3MM next season and $35.8MM in 2023/24.

Many of the Knicks’ top trade candidates, including Alec Burks, Kemba Walker, and Nerlens Noel, are only owed guaranteed money through ’22/23, and New York has a ton of extra draft picks – including Dallas’ top-10 protected 2023 first-rounder – that could grease the wheels of a potential deal.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, the Pistons are among the teams that have shown interest in Knicks center Mitchell Robinson. However, Begley says it’s unclear whether Detroit will try to trade for Robinson this week or if the team would only consider him in free agency. Robinson, who is extension-eligible, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
As Cam Reddish continues to spend most of his time on the bench for the Knicks, one NBA source who has been in contact with the team’s brass tells Marc Berman of The New York Post that head coach Tom Thibodeau wasn’t exactly pushing the front office to trade for Reddish last month. “From my understanding, Thibs didn’t want him and they did it anyway,” that source told Berman. Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report previously reported that Thibodeau “wasn’t necessarily gung-ho” about the acquisition of Reddish.
In a separate story for The New York Post, Berman cites a rival GM who says Julius Randle doesn’t have a whole lot of trade value at this point. “I think you could look at last season as more an anomaly,” one Western Conference personnel director told Berman. “This season is more akin to his first six seasons.”

Scotto’s Latest: McCollum, Covington, Finney-Smith, Raptors, Gallinari

February 5th, 2022 at 5:16pm CST by Arthur Hill

In the wake of Friday’s trade that sent Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Clippers, many executives around the league expect the Trail Blazers to move CJ McCollum either before the deadline or during the offseason, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The Pelicans and Mavericks are among the teams with interest in McCollum, Scotto adds.

Joe Cronin, the interim general manager in Portland, said the trade with L.A. was designed to create more playing time for Anfernee Simons, who has emerged as a potential star in his fourth NBA season. Cronin calls Simons, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, a “core piece” and said the team “wanted to create a runway here for him.” The same reasoning could apply to moving the 30-year-old McCollum, who will make $69.13MM over the next two seasons.

Scotto shares a few more trade-related tidbits:

After Friday’s trade was completed, several teams called the Clippers to see if they were interested in flipping Covington, who has a $12.975MM expiring contract. However, L.A. sees Covington as insurance if Nicolas Batum decides to turn down his $3.3MM player option this summer and would consider re-signing him even if Batum remains with the team. Scotto views Serge Ibaka as the next Clipper who might be traded.
Sources tell Scotto that the Mavericks passed on an offer of a potential late-lottery pick in exchange for Dorian Finney-Smith. The 28-year-old forward will be a free agent this summer, but Scotto cites “sentiment around the league” that Finney-Smith is outplaying his maximum extension of $55.6MM over four years.
Pacers center Myles Turner is among the names the Raptors have considered in their search for help in the middle. Scotto identifies Jakob Poeltl, Robert Williams, Nicolas Claxton and Jusuf Nurkic as other potential Toronto targets, saying the Raptors have considered offering a first-round pick to the Spurs for Poeltl. The price for Turner would be even higher, as Indiana wants either two first-round picks or one first-rounder and a young player with potential.
The Raptors are among several teams with interest in acquiring veteran forward Danilo Gallinari from the Hawks. Scotto notes that Goran Dragic, who hasn’t played since November, could be used to help match salaries in a deal with Atlanta.

Grading Blazers-Clippers Trade Featuring Norman Powell

February 5th, 2022 at 3:53pm CST by JD Shaw

Blazers interim general manager Joe Cronin cited cap flexibility for why the team traded Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Clippers on Friday, Ben Golliver of The Washington Post tweets. Portland acquired Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson and a 2025 second-round pick in the deal, ducking below the tax this season and clearing some money from the team’s books in future seasons.
Kevin Pelton of ESPN grades the Blazers-Clippers trade, explaining why he likes the deal more for Los Angeles than Portland. L.A. currently ranks 8th in the Western Conference at 27-27, while Portland sits at 10th with a 21-32 record. Both teams have dealt with injuries to star players this season, as Paul George and Damian Lillard have only played in 26 and 29 games, respectively. Kawhi Leonard has also remained out as he rehabs a torn ACL.

Trail Blazers Trade Powell, Covington To Clippers

February 4th, 2022 at 5:37pm CST by Luke Adams

5:37pm: The trade is now official, Portland announced in a press release.

1:29pm: The Trail Blazers and Clippers have agreed to a trade that will send swingman Norman Powell and forward Robert Covington to Los Angeles in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson, and Detroit’s 2025 second-round pick, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links).

It’s a fascinating move for a Clippers team that is currently missing Kawhi Leonard (ACL) and Paul George (elbow). As we relayed this morning, there’s a belief that Leonard probably won’t return this season, while George’s recovery timeline remains up in the air.

However, there’s little reason for the Clippers to throw in the towel on this season. Despite its modest 27-27 record, the club is firmly in the play-in picture, holding the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. Additionally, Los Angeles doesn’t control its own 2022 first-round pick, having sent it to Oklahoma City in the George trade, so there’s no incentive to finish in the lottery.

Powell is a talented scorer and shooter who is averaging a career-high 18.7 PPG in 40 games (33.3 MPG) this season, along with a .406 3PT%. His three-point rate has been at 39.9% or higher in each of the last four seasons. Covington, meanwhile, is more limited on offense and has been inconsistent as a shooter this season (.381 FG%, .343 3PT%), but is a versatile defender with plenty of postseason experience.

Powell, a Southern California native who will reunite with former Toronto teammates Leonard and Serge Ibaka, signed a five-year, $90MM contract with Portland in August, so the Clippers will control him for the long term. Covington will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, but L.A. will have his Bird rights, allowing the team to go over the cap to re-sign him.

The Clips already project to be way over the luxury tax line next season, so the club may be reluctant to commit to Covington beyond 2021/22 without moving off another contract, such as Marcus Morris‘. That decision won’t have to be made for at least a few months though. In the meantime, this deal will increase L.A.’s projected tax bill this season by about $19MM, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

The move will also open up a spot on the Clippers’ 15-man roster, potentially allowing them to promote Amir Coffey from his two-way contract. That had been a goal for the team as it approached the deadline, tweets Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.

It looks at first glance like a modest return for the Blazers, but they’ll get a chance to take a flier on a young prospect in Johnson and will benefit financially from the move. According to Marks, the deal takes Portland out of tax territory for this season.

Moving off Powell’s long-term money and taking back Bledsoe’s pseudo-expiring contract (only $3.9MM of his $19.4MM salary next season is guaranteed) will give the Blazers more financial flexibility going forward and will create more room in the backcourt for emerging guard Anfernee Simons, who is in the midst of a breakout year and will be a restricted free agent in the offseason.

I wouldn’t expect Bledsoe to be part of the Blazers’ long-term plans, but Winslow could stick around beyond this season. He’s under contract for about $4.1MM in 2022/23. Johnson’s rookie contract runs through 2024/25.

Having parted ways with one of their leading scorers and one of their top defensive players, the Blazers will see their playoff odds for this season dip a little. The team currently holds a play-in spot, but only has a 1.5-game cushion on the 11th-place Pelicans and has an underwhelming record of 21-31.

Portland would send its 2022 first-rounder to Chicago if the pick lands outside of the lottery. Taking a longer-term view, the front office – led by interim general manager Joe Cronin – may actually prefer to miss the playoffs, since it would allow the team to keep that first-rounder and would give Damian Lillard more time to recover from his abdominal surgery — it’s a safe bet Lillard won’t rush back from that injury to join a lottery-bound squad for the home stretch.

It’s unclear what this deal will mean for CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic, two of Portland’s other top trade candidates. The club still has six more days to continue making trades, but it wouldn’t be shocking if one or both of those longtime Blazers stays put through the February 10 deadline. McCollum is under contract for two more seasons beyond this one, while Nurkic will be an unrestricted free agent in July.

Portland will create a $6.5MM trade exception in the deal, tweets Marks.

Latest On Kawhi Leonard, Paul George

February 4th, 2022 at 7:02am CST by Luke Adams

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is “probably not gonna come back” this season, head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters, including Mirjam Swanson of the Southern California News Group, on Thursday night.

Lue made that statement on Leonard in passing when he was asked, following a thrilling win over the Lakers, about the challenge of coaching a team missing its top two players (Kawhi and Paul George).

“The enjoyment I get from this team, we know Kawhi’s probably not gonna come back, we don’t know the status of PG, but these guys continue to keep fighting,” Lue said. “Every single night. And so that’s kind of how I had to play, that’s how I had to make it, so just seeing how these guys scrap and compete every single night, just makes me feel good – that’s the enjoyment I get from coaching this team.”

Asked to clarify whether he was counting on not having Leonard for the rest of the regular season – and possibly the postseason too – Lue said he’s not ruling anything out.

“Yeah, I don’t know,” Lue said, per Swanson. “I mean, I’m not a doctor. But hope is stronger than fear. So I’m hoping that these two guys (Leonard and George) can come back. But, you know, you never know. So that’s all I got to say, man.”

Leonard has spent the entire season so far recovering from surgery on a partially torn ACL. Despite one report stating he’s ahead of schedule in his rehab and could return earlier than expected, other reports have conveyed pessimism about the likelihood of the two-time Finals MVP returning this season.

George, meanwhile, is dealing with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. During Thursday’s broadcast, TNT’s Allie LaForce reported that George will undergo an MRI on that elbow on February 24 to assess how it’s healing. Lue confirmed that report after the game, as Swanson relays.

The Clippers have been optimistic that George will be able to make it back this season without requiring surgery on his elbow. If the MRI shows later this month that the injury isn’t healing like team doctors have hoped, surgical intervention may be necessary. Such a procedure would almost certainly end George’s season, but for now it sounds like that’s a last resort.

Even without their two star forwards, the Clippers have remained firmly in the play-in mix in a Western Conference that has been less competitive than usual beyond the top few seeds. L.A. is only at .500 (27-27), but currently controls the No. 8 spot in the West, 1.5 games up on the ninth-place Lakers and a full five games ahead of the No. 10 Trail Blazers.

Amir Coffey Has Become Invaluable To Clippers

February 2nd, 2022 at 5:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

Amir Coffey, in his third season as a two-way player, was an unlikely candidate to save the Clippers‘ season, writes Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. But since he joined the starting lineup following an injury to Paul George, Coffey is playing a team-high 31.4 minutes per night and averaging 14.7 PPG.

Trade Rumors: Dragic, Noel, Zubac, Batum, Millsap

February 2nd, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have phoned rival teams to gauge what sort of return they could get in exchange for Goran Dragic‘s expiring contract and a first-round pick, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.

Toronto is known to be in the market for an upgrade at center, but likely won’t want to part with any of its core players in an in-season deal. That makes Dragic’s expiring deal and a draft pick the most logical package for the Raptors to offer.

That framework of Dragic and draft assets was brought up in negotiations for Pacers center Myles Turner before he sustained a stress fracture in his foot, says Fischer.

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

In addition to confirming that Evan Fournier, Kemba Walker, and Alec Burks are available on the trade market, as previously reported, Fischer says the Knicks are also open to moving center Nerlens Noel. Like the other three veterans, Noel is in the first season of a multiyear contract.
David Aldridge and Josh Robbins of The Athletic add Ivica Zubac and Nicolas Batum to the list of players the Clippers may be willing to move in a deal for a play-making point guard. A previous report stated that Marcus Morris, Serge Ibaka, and Eric Bledsoe are available. Batum has the ability to veto a trade that involves him.
Nets big man Paul Millsap, who is training in Atlanta while he waits to be traded or released, says his body feels great and he feels like he still has a lot to contribute, as he told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (video link). According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Bulls – who pursued Millsap in the offseason – are a team worth keeping a close eye on if the 36-year-old is waived.

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