New Orleans Pelicans Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Fischer’s Latest: Anunoby, VanVleet, Clippers, Hornets, McGee, Bogdanovic

February 7th, 2023 at 12:29pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Raptors remain the team to watch ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline, sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. Pascal Siakam doesn’t appear likely to be moved, although numerous teams have expressed interest, but sources point to OG Anunoby, Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. as more realistic trade candidates.

Fischer cites the Pelicans, Grizzlies, Knicks, Pacers, Trail Blazers, Lakers, Suns and Nets as teams that have recently been linked to Anunoby, although he states that there is “varying interest” around the league. Fischer’s sources confirm that Toronto is placing a premium price on the 24-year-old wing, which other front offices are calling “quite steep.”

Fischer also raises the possibility that offers for Anunoby will be lessened because of the chance that Kevin Durant might be available this summer in the wake of the Kyrie Irving trade. Although Durant hasn’t indicated to the Nets that he plans to issue another trade request, league insiders tell Fischer that several teams are planning to stockpile their resources in case it happens.

Fischer passes along a few more rumors heading into the deadline:

Multiple executives from other teams see VanVleet as the most likely Raptor to be moved this week. Fischer notes that the Clippers and Suns have been linked to VanVleet in trade rumors, and hears that the Lakers, Magic and Timberwolves have expressed interest as well.
The Clippers started looking for point guard help before John Wall was sidelined with an abdominal strain, sources tell Fischer. Numerous teams have expressed interest in Terance Mann, and the Clippers have several affordable contracts to help get a deal done. Fischer states that L.A. and Phoenix have both mentioned as possible landing spots for Kyle Lowry, Terry Rozier and D’Angelo Russell as well as VanVleet, with the Suns seeking an experienced playmaker who can eventually take over for Chris Paul.
Rozier has also been mentioned as a possibility for the Lakers and Timberwolves, Fischer adds, and the Heat are among the teams interested in Charlottte’s P.J. Washington, who wasn’t able to reach an extension agreement before the October deadline. Fischer notes that the Hornets typically aren’t a major player at the deadline, but he identifies Mason Plumlee as a potential trade piece, with the Kings expressing interest and having a desire to move backup center Richaun Holmes.
Another veteran center on the market is the Mavericks‘ JaVale McGee, according to Fischer. Dallas signed McGee to a three-year, $17MM deal last summer in anticipation of making him a starter, but he’s no longer part of the rotation.
Teams are becoming convinced that the Pistons plan to keep Bojan Bogdanovic. Fischer states that the Bucks recently inquired about the veteran sharpshooter after failing to close a deal with the Suns for Jae Crowder, but Detroit wants at least one unprotected first-round pick in return and Milwaukee can’t offer a first-rounder until 2029.

Moore’s Latest: Pelicans, Spurs, Warriors, Nuggets, VanVleet, Vanderbilt, More

February 7th, 2023 at 11:31am CST by Luke Adams

The latest trade intel column from Matt Moore of Action Network is packed full of tidbits about the upcoming deadline, including some details on which players a handful of Western Conference teams have made available.

According to Moore, the Pelicans – in the market for another shooter – have made players like Jaxson Hayes, Devonte’ Graham, and Naji Marshall available, while the Spurs are discussing Isaiah Roby in addition to previously reported trade candidates like Josh Richardson and Doug McDermott. Perhaps most interestingly, Moore says the Warriors consider Jonathan Kuminga “off limits,” but have been willing to discuss youngsters James Wiseman and Moses Moody.

Meanwhile, the Nuggets – who have put second-year guard Bones Hyland on the trade block – are seeking another wing and have their eye on players like Bulls guard Alex Caruso, Clippers guard Terance Mann, and Pacers swingman Chris Duarte, Moore writes.

Here’s more:

The Magic, who have previously been cited as a possible free agency suitor for Fred VanVleet, have “real” interest in the Raptors point guard, reports Moore. While VanVleet is thought to be available at the trade deadline due to his uncertain contract status beyond this season, one executive told Moore that trying to get a deal done with Toronto is “like blood from stone.”
There’s a growing belief that forward Jarred Vanderbilt will be on the move this week even if the Jazz don’t get the first-round pick they’re seeking for him, according to Moore, who suggest the Trail Blazers may be the frontrunner to land Vanderbilt.
Two league sources tell Moore that the Cavaliers have contacted the Hawks to inquire about Bogdan Bogdanovic. While there’s no indication those talks went anywhere, it’s worth noting Caris LeVert‘s $18.8MM salary is a near-perfect match for Bogdanovic’s $18MM cap hit.
Recent strong play from Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein has reduced the odds that he’ll be traded before Thursday’s deadline — the belief is that he’ll remain in New York, per Moore.

Trade Rumors: Anunoby, Crowder, Heat, Thybulle, Wood, Russell, Plumlee

February 4th, 2023 at 10:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Raptors will be looking for young talent rather than draft assets if they decide to trade OG Anunoby, multiple league insiders tell Christian Clark of NOLA. Toronto plans to wait until its current road trip ends on Sunday before making a decision on whether to part with Anunoby or any of its other top players.

Clark points out that the Pelicans can offer players such as Dyson Daniels, Herbert Jones and Naji Marshall, who are all on team-friendly contracts, along with a large collection of draft picks. In addition to holding all its own first-round picks over the next five years, New Orleans is owed future first-rounders from both the Lakers and Bucks.

Anunoby is one of the league’s top perimeter defenders, ranking first in both steals and deflections per game, and he shoots 39.2% on three-pointers. He can be used at shooting guard in a fully healthy lineup or he can handle either forward slot if Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson continue to battle injuries.

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

The Bucks have been considered a potential landing spot for Jae Crowder, but John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM tweets that the Suns are unlikely to accept Milwaukee’s latest offer of Serge Ibaka, George Hill, Jordan Nwora, and second-round draft capital. Gambadoro also doesn’t expect Phoenix to wind up with Anunoby (Twitter link).
Assuming the Heat don’t make a play for Kyrie Irving, their main focus before the deadline will be finding another power forward or center who would be worth giving up a first-round pick, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Jackson talks to a scout from a rival team about several trade prospects and what it would take to acquire them.
The Hawks have joined the Kings as suitors for Sixers guard Matisse Thybulle, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack article. Sources tell Stein there’s a significant chance of Thybulle being moved by the deadline.
The Clippers are considering Mavericks big man Christian Wood and Timberwolves guard D’Angelo Russell, Stein adds in the same piece. He also states that the Kings have contacted the Hornets to see if Mason Plumlee is available. Sacramento is hoping to deal Richaun Holmes and Alex Len and would like to improve its interior defense.

Jonas Valanciunas Set For MRI After Hurting Right Knee

February 4th, 2023 at 8:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas will undergo an MRI Sunday morning after leaving tonight’s game with a right knee injury, tweets Andrew Lopez of ESPN.

Injury Updates: Haliburton, Jones, Sochan, Fox, Robinson, Reaves

February 2nd, 2023 at 5:35pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Star Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton will play on Thursday night for the first time since January 11, he confirmed to reporters, including Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link).

The 6’5″ guard sprained his left elbow and incurred a mild left knee bone contusion last month against the Knicks. When healthy, Haliburton has been performing at an All-Star level during his third pro season. He’s averaging 20.2 PPG on .480/.399/.880 shooting splits, 10.2 APG, 4.0 RPG, and 1.8 SPG for Indiana.

We have more notable injury updates:

Spurs point guard Tre Jones and rookie power forward Jeremy Sochan had to leave Wednesday night’s game with injuries and were ruled out for the rest of the evening upon being examined by the team’s medical staff, reports Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (via Twitter). Jones suffered a left foot injury, while a sore lower back sidelined Sochan. Orsborn adds that Sochan will miss Friday’s game against the Sixers, but Jones is probable to play.
Personal reasons will keep Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox sidelined for the team’s next game Friday, tweets Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.
Knicks starting center Mitchell Robinson will sit tonight as he continues to recuperate from right thumb surgery, reports ESPN’s Tim Bontemps (Twitter link).
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham indicates that reserve shooting guard Austin Reaves may return to the floor for Los Angeles as early as Saturday against the Pelicans, in the final contest of the team’s current five-game road trip, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic (via Twitter). Reaves has been sidelined with a sprained hamstring since early January.

Haynes’ Latest: Hyland, Hornets, Anunoby, Reddish, Barton

February 2nd, 2023 at 9:41am CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets are among the teams to register some interest in Nuggets guard Bones Hyland, Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report stated during the latest episode of his #thisleague UNCUT podcast with Marc Stein.

Haynes, following up on his TNT report on Hyland from Tuesday, reiterated that the second-year guard would be open to a trade that sets him up for a larger role elsewhere. There has been “friction” between Hyland and Denver’s coaching staff, Haynes notes, adding that the Nuggets have confidence in rookie Christian Braun to take on some of Hyland’s minutes if a trade happens.

Echoing previous reports, Haynes also confirms that the Timberwolves are among the teams with interest in Hyland, but expresses some skepticism that the Nuggets would want to send the former first-round pick to Minnesota, since there’s still some resentment from Denver’s ownership group about how Tim Connelly‘s move to the Wolves played out.

Here are a few more items of interest from the podcast:

Based on rumblings he has heard, Haynes believes that Raptors forward OG Anunoby would “embrace a change of scenery,” even if he hasn’t explicitly asked to be traded. Haynes also suggests that neither the Grizzlies nor the Pelicans want their Southwest rival to land Anunoby, which is a factor to keep in mind if Toronto seriously considers moving him.
The Cavaliers, who have been in the market for help at the small forward position, are among the potential trade suitors to watch for Knicks forward Cam Reddish, according to Haynes. Dylan Windler‘s expiring $4MM contract would be a logical salary-matching piece in a Reddish trade if the Knicks are simply seeking a second-round pick, though that’s just my speculation.
Things haven’t worked out well for Will Barton with the Wizards so far, Haynes notes, reporting that the veteran guard would be open to a change of scenery. Haynes identifies the Nets and Bucks as two teams worth keeping an eye on. It’s unclear whether Washington will find a trade for Barton or if he might emerge as a buyout candidate after the February 9 deadline.

Pelicans Notes: Travel Issues, Williamson, Slump, Murphy

February 1st, 2023 at 4:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The inclement weather that grounded the Pistons in Dallas and forced a postponement of Wednesday’s Pistons/Wizards game is also wreaking havoc on the Pelicans, who are scheduled to play in Dallas on Thursday.

After facing the Nuggets in Denver on Tuesday, the Pelicans have been unable to fly into Dallas on Wednesday and now intend to stay another night in Denver, according to Christian Clark of NOLA.com (Twitter link). A source tells Clark that the Pels’ plan is to fly into Dallas on Thursday in advance of the evening game vs. the Mavericks.

According to Marc Stein (Twitter link), the Pelicans – who practiced in Denver on Wednesday – had been considering a handful of options to get to Dallas, including a “less-than-inviting” scenario that would have seen them fly into Oklahoma City today and then take a bus the rest of the way. Flying on Thursday is the best-case scenario of those options, Stein adds (via Twitter).

Here’s more on the Pelicans:

After being limited to stationary shooting and dribbling, Zion Williamson was cleared on Tuesday to begin running as part of his rehab from a right hamstring strain, Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report said on TNT’s Tuesday night broadcast (Twitter video link). The Pelicans plan to reevaluate Williamson next Tuesday, but don’t want to set a timeline yet for his return to action.
It was a brutal month for the Pelicans, who were a half-game behind Denver for the Western Conference’s top seed when January began and now find themselves holding the last play-in spot after losing 13 of 16 games, Clark writes for NOLA.com. The team has been without star forwards Williamson and Brandon Ingram for extended periods this winter, but doesn’t want to use that as an excuse. “No one feels sorry for us,” Larry Nance Jr. said. “That’s the reality of it. No Z, no B for an extended period of time. Threw off our rhythm a little bit. It’s hard to pick back up. After being first in the West, we have a target on our back. This schedule has been pretty unforgiving. We have to throw the first punch.”
Pelicans wing Trey Murphy confirmed that he has accepted an invitation to participate in this year’s Slam Dunk Contest in Salt Lake City and tells William Guillory of The Athletic that he’s looking forward to trying to make his mark on the event. “I’m pretty excited. There are definitely some high flyers I’m going against,” Murphy said of reported participants Kenyon Martin Jr., Shaedon Sharpe, and Mac McClung. “I know those guys are going to come with some great dunks. I’ve seen some of the dunks they’ve done in the past. That just makes me want to come in and do even better.”

Pacers, Pelicans Among Potential OG Anunoby Suitors?

February 1st, 2023 at 12:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on FanDuel TV (Twitter video link), Shams Charania of The Athletic adds a couple more teams to the list of potential OG Anunoby suitors, suggesting that the Pacers and Pelicans have registered some interest in the Raptors forward and are worth keeping an eye on.

Anunoby would have local appeal in Indiana, having played his college ball for the Hoosiers before he was drafted by Toronto in 2017. He would also make sense as a long-term fit among a Pacers core that includes guards Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin and center Myles Turner.

The retooling Pacers may not be in position to offer up many of their own draft picks for a player like Anunoby, but they do control 2023 first-rounders from Cleveland (top-14 protected) and Boston (top-12 protected). Those picks – especially Boston’s – figure to land late in the first round, but could be used to help sweeten a trade offer.

New Orleans, meanwhile, remains well stocked with draft assets as a result of blockbuster trades involving Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday. Besides holding all their own future first-rounders and a handful of swaps, the Pelicans also control the Lakers’ unprotected 2024 pick (with the option to defer it to 2025) and the Bucks’ unprotected 2027 pick.

Those extra selections would put the Pelicans in position to make a strong offer for Anunoby without mortgaging their future. In New Orleans, the former Hoosier could supplement a core that features Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and CJ McCollum and could form a fearsome defensive duo alongside talented young forward Herbert Jones.

Charania reiterates that Phoenix and New York are among the other teams with interest in Anunoby, while Ian Begley of SNY.tv confirms that the Knicks conveyed to the Raptors earlier in the season that they were comfortable offering three first-round picks for the 25-year-old. Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca reported this morning that the Knicks were widely believed to be willing to make that sort of offer.

Begley stresses that those conversations about Anunoby occurred before the Knicks reeled off eight straight wins in December and says it’s unclear what sort of protections would have been on those first-rounders. New York controls a handful of protected picks from other clubs, as we outlined in our earlier story.

Anunoby is currently sidelined due to a sprained left wrist, but Charania hears that the injury is not considered serious and that the forward could return to action when the Raptors return to Toronto next week following the conclusion of their current road trip.

And-Ones: Napier, All-Star Bonuses, Trade Proposals, Biggest Needs

January 31st, 2023 at 10:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former NBA guard Shabazz Napier has signed with Olimpia Milano for the remainder of the season, according to a team press release. Coach Ettore Messina said Napier will be thrown into the fray immediately against Baskonia, Allesandro Maggi of Sportando relays.

“Shabazz Napier had just one team practice, but we will use him, hoping for some minutes in a position where we need them badly,” he said.

Napier last appeared in the NBA during the 2019/20 season, when he played a combined 56 games for Minnesota and Washington.

We have more from the basketball world:

Several NBA players could cash in if they’re selected as All-Star reserves, Bobby Marks of ESPN notes. Among that group, the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown will earn a $1.5MM bonus if he’s chosen and also appears in 65 regular season games (he has missed six games so far). The Bucks’ Jrue Holiday will collect $324K if he’s chosen, while the Kings’ Domantas Sabonis will receive $1.3MM if he’s selected. The Knicks’ Julius Randle will get an additional $1.2MM if he gets the nod.
What are some of the bold moves that playoff contenders could make to improve their chances of success? The Ringer’s Michael Pina explores potential trades that could make the Suns, Clippers, Thunder, Lakers and Pelicans better.
The Bulls and Hawks need 3-point shooting. The Nuggets need defensive help and the Warriors require a stretch wing. The Athletic’s staff runs down the biggest need for every team as the trade deadline approaches.

Making Deadline Deal Not Necessary

January 31st, 2023 at 9:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pelicans shouldn’t feel pressured to make a move before the trade deadline, Will Guillory of The Athletic opines. Their top players have not seen much court action together due to injuries and they still have a long way to go to develop the chemistry and cohesion they’ll need in the playoffs. With the salary commitments they already have, they should continue building internally with their assets, Guillory adds.