NBA Rumors - HoopsRumors.com

Spurs Trading Doug McDermott To Pacers

February 8th, 2024 at 1:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pacers will acquire Doug McDermott from the Spurs, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

San Antonio will receive Marcus Morris, a second-round pick, and cash in return, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). One of the picks is in 2029, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

Morris, whom Indiana is acquiring from Philadelphia in the Buddy Hield trade, will likely be bought out by San Antonio, Charania adds (Twitter link).

If Morris becomes a free agent, he would be ineligible to return to the Pacers or join the seven teams operating above the first or second tax apron: the Celtics, Nuggets, Warriors, Clippers, Heat, Bucks and Suns. Morris would be able to return to the Sixers if the trades involving Hield and McDermott are separate, rather than one three-team transaction.

The Pacers will create a $3.4MM trade exception in the deal, according to Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype (Twitter link). They also get a useful shooter after sending Hield to Philadelphia, while adding some draft assets.

McDermott returns to Indiana, where he spent three seasons before leaving for San Antonio in a sign-and-trade deal in 2021. The 32-year-old forward has seen his playing time reduced this season, but he’s a career 41.2% career shooter from long distance and is connecting at 43.9% through 46 games this season.

Although Morris is unlikely to join the Spurs, it’s something of a reunion for him as well. Gozlan notes that he was close to signing with San Antonio five years ago before changing his mind.

Hawks To Retain Dejounte Murray Past Deadline

February 8th, 2024 at 1:51pm CST by Rory Maher

The Hawks won’t be trading Dejounte Murray before the deadline, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

A former All-Star guard, Murray has been one of the most accomplished players featured in trade rumors over the past several weeks. Atlanta was reportedly seeking two first-round picks and a quality player in return for the 27-year-old, and it appears no rival team was willing — or perhaps able — to meet that asking price, at least at this time.

Murray signed a four-year, $114MM+ contract extension last offseason, so the Hawks certainly didn’t need to move him. It’s possible they’ll revisit the idea in the future, but he’s staying put for now.

Nets To Cut Harry Giles

February 8th, 2024 at 1:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Harry Giles will be a roster casualty in Brooklyn, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, who reports (via Twitter) that the Nets are waiving the big man.

Giles, a former first-round pick, returned to the NBA in 2023/24 after missing two full seasons due to knee injuries. He signed a non-guaranteed, minimum-salary contract with the Nets, earning a spot on the team’s regular season roster and then having his full salary guaranteed when he remained on the roster through January 7.

Giles played sparingly in Brooklyn, appearing in 16 games and averaging just 5.1 minutes per night. He posted 3.4 points and 1.6 rebounds per game in his limited role.

The Nets have agreed to a pair of trades today in which they’ll take back more players than they send out. Waiving Giles will allow them to complete one of those deals. They’ll have to cut one more player – either from their current roster or one of the incoming players in the first trade – in order to finalize the second transaction.

Giles, meanwhile, will clear waivers on Saturday if he goes unclaimed, and will be free to sign with any team at that point. He also remains eligible for a two-way contract.

Sixers Trade Danuel House, Second-Round Pick To Pistons

February 8th, 2024 at 1:11pm CST by Luke Adams

1:11pm: The trade is official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links), the Pistons have already waived House, who is expected to receive interest from playoff teams.

9:59am: The Sixers have agreed to trade swingman Danuel House and a 2024 second-round pick to the Pistons, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). According to Wojnarowski, the second-rounder will be New York’s pick.

The Pistons are also receiving some cash from the 76ers and will send out a top-55 protected 2028 second-round pick, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The move is a relatively straightforward salary dump, since shedding House’s expiring $4.3MM contract will allow Philadelphia to move from about $1.6MM above the luxury tax line to $2.7MM below it. The Pistons will get a second-round pick for their willingness to take on House’s salary and accommodate the move.

As Wojnarowski notes (via Twitter), moving off of House will allow the Sixers to be active in the buyout market without surpassing the tax line. Kyle Lowry is one notable potential target in that scenario, assuming he’s bought out by Charlotte.

Philadelphia will have a pair of open 15-man roster spots after completing its deal with the Pistons, as well as its acquisition of Buddy Hield. The 76ers will also create a trade exception worth $4.3MM.

The Pistons, meanwhile, intend to take House into the trade exception they created in last month’s deal with Washington, sources tell Edwards (Twitter link).

Detroit has agreed to a series of deals that will increase its roster count, so the Pistons will have to make at least a couple cuts to accommodate those moves and likely won’t retain some of the players they’re acquiring today. It’s unclear whether they intend to hang onto House after acquiring him.

In 34 appearance (four starts) for Philadelphia this season, House averaged 4.2 points and 1.7 rebounds in 15.0 minutes per game, with a .448/.300/.761 shooting line.

Andre Drummond Fined $15K

February 8th, 2024 at 11:44am CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA has imposed a $15K fine on Bulls center Andre Drummond for making an inappropriate gesture on the court (Twitter link).

The incident occurred late in overtime of Tuesday’s game against Minnesota after Drummond scored over Rudy Gobert, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Drummond said he was expecting to be fined for his actions, Johnson adds.

Drummond is among the names to watch as this afternoon’s deadline gets closer. He has been linked with numerous teams in trade rumors, but the Bulls may decide to keep him in hopes making of a playoff run.

Trade Rumors: Tate, Mavs, Rockets, Suns, Porter, Raptors

February 8th, 2024 at 11:38am CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks and Rockets spoke recently about Houston forward Jae’Sean Tate, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic. However, league sources tell Iko that Dallas only offered a pair of second-round picks and Houston insisted on three, so the two sides didn’t reach a deal.

As Iko writes, if they do trade Tate, the Rockets would prefer to get a player who could contribute right away, but there was a belief that they could potentially reroute those second-round picks to land that sort of player.

With the trade deadline just over two hours away, the Rockets remain in the market for shooting help and a backup center, Iko reports. Houston traded for Steven Adams last week, but he’s out for the season, so the team wouldn’t mind acquiring a big man who could help in the short term.

Here a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:

According to Iko, the Rockets have received some inquiries on guard Aaron Holiday and forward Jeff Green, but won’t be looking to dump those players for minor returns, since they’ve established roles and have good relationships with head coach Ime Udoka.
Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) has heard veteran wing Otto Porter mentioned as a possible fallback trade option for the Suns. Toronto agreed to trade Porter to Utah earlier today, but there’s no guarantee the Jazz will keep him. Phoenix has no interest in Bulls center Andre Drummond, however, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7.
A league source tells Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link) that there has been “not a peep” on Raptors trade candidates Bruce Brown, Chris Boucher, and Gary Trent Jr. so far today. However, it remains possible that will change in the next couple hours.

Hawks, Pelicans End Dejounte Murray Trade Talks

February 8th, 2024 at 9:45am CST by Arthur Hill

The Hawks and Pelicans have halted talks regarding Dejounte Murray because the teams weren’t making progress and had little hope of completing a deal by this afternoon’s deadline, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT (Twitter link). Numerous reports stated that Atlanta and New Orleans were discussing Murray, but there was never an indication of any traction.

Talks may have been complicated by a 15% trade kicker in Murray’s contract that he was unlikely to waive to help facilitate a deal, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

The Hawks are hoping to get two first-round picks in return for Murray, but the teams with rumored interest haven’t been willing to offer more than one, Scotto adds. In addition to New Orleans, the Lakers, Knicks and Nets were among the prominent teams with interest in the former All-Star guard.

Scotto states that it’s looking increasingly likely that Atlanta will hold onto Murray through the rest of the season and revisit trade talks this summer in hopes of getting better offers.

Pacers To Trade Buddy Hield To Sixers

February 8th, 2024 at 9:26am CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers and Sixers have agreed on a trade that will send sharpshooter Buddy Hield to Philadelphia, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that Indiana will receive forward Marcus Morris, guard Furkan Korkmaz, and three second-round picks.

The Sixers will also sent the Pacers $1.5MM in cash, a league source tells Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Pompey reports that the draft picks involved in the deal will be the Raptors’ 2024 second-rounder, and the Clippers’ and Trail Blazers’ 2029 second-rounders.

Shams Charania of The Athletic first reported (via Twitter) that the two teams were nearing a deal for Hield.

Although he’s having a down year relative to his career rates, Hield remains one of the NBA’s most dangerous outside shooters. The 31-year-old is averaging 12.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 25.7 minutes per night (52 games) so far in 2023/24, with a 38.4% three-point rate on 6.9 attempts per contest.

Hield saw his role cut back this season on a deep Indiana roster — his 9.9 field goal attempts per game represent his lowest mark since he was a rookie in 2016/17.

However, he’s a career 40.1% three-point shooter and has knocked down at least 262 total threes in each of the past five seasons prior to this one. His now-former teammate Tyrese Haliburton raved this week about Hield’s ability to space the floor and create room for others to operate.

The Sixers had been in the market for size and shooting ahead of the trade deadline and will achieve one of those goals without compromising their projected cap room for this offseason, since Hield – like Morris and Korkmaz – is on an expiring contract. They also didn’t have to give up a first-round pick, which Indiana had been seeking for Hield as recently as Wednesday, tweets Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports.

As cap expert Yossi Gozlan notes (via Twitter), Hield’s $19.3MM cap hit for this season will be adjusted upward to $19.8MM as a result of the trade, since some of the playoff-related bonuses in his contract that were considered unlikely will now be deemed likely. Hield is extension-eligible through June 30, though he’d be limited to a two-year deal and 5% raises if he inks a new deal prior to free agency.

Philadelphia remains about $1.6MM above the luxury tax line, Gozlan adds (via Twitter), and can create a $5.4MM trade exception in the deal.

Hield had long been considered a trade candidate for the Pacers, who explored a preseason extension with the veteran shooting guard and couldn’t agree to terms. Recognizing that they likely wouldn’t keep Hield beyond this season, Indiana decided to get what it could for him now.

The Pacers won’t have to waive a player to complete the deal, since they have two open spots on their 15-man roster following the expiration of James Johnson‘s 10-day contract on Wednesday night.

It’s unclear if Indiana intends to hang onto both Morris and Korkmaz. A physical, versatile forward and a Philadelphia native, Morris averaged 6.7 PPG and 2.9 RPG on .439/.400/.861 shooting in 37 games (17.2 MPG) for the Sixers this season, while Korkmaz chipped in 2.5 PPG on .395/.350/.700 shooting in 35 contests (8.6 MPG).

Morris is making $17.1MM; Korkmaz’ cap hit is $5.4MM.

Jazz Trade Simone Fontecchio To Pistons

February 8th, 2024 at 9:25am CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 8: The Jazz and Pistons have officially completed their deal, issuing press releases to confirm the move.

FEBRUARY 7: The Jazz and Pistons have agreed to a trade that will send forward Simone Fontecchio to Detroit in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

That 2024 draft pick will be the more favorable of the Wizards’ and Grizzlies’ second-rounders, since that’s the only ’24 second-round selection the Pistons control, as Zach Lowe of ESPN confirms (via Twitter).

In addition to that pick, Utah is acquiring Detroit forward Kevin Knox, reports James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (via Twitter). The Jazz will also receive the rights to Gabriele Procida, the 36th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter).

An Italian forward who played in Europe for a decade before making the move to the NBA, Fontecchio signed a two-year, $6.25MM contract with the Jazz during the 2022 offseason. He played a modest rotation role in 52 games as a rookie, but has seen his minutes increase in 2023/24.

Fontecchio has averaged 8.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 23.2 minutes per game across 50 appearances (34 starts) this season, posting a solid shooting line of .450/.391/.800 while attempting 4.7 three-point shots per night. He reportedly drew recent trade interest from the Celtics, Suns, and Cavaliers, among others, so Detroit may have had to outbid a few rival suitors to land him.

The Pistons view Fontecchio as a player whom they’ll retain beyond this season, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Although he’s on an expiring contract, the 28-year-old will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer and Detroit will control his Early Bird rights in addition to projecting to have no shortage of cap space, so the club is well positioned to re-sign him.

In exchange for Fontecchio, the Jazz will receive a draft pick that figures to land near the top of the 2024 second round, as well as Procida, a 21-year-old draft-and-stash prospect who was selected early in the second round two years ago. The Wizards’ 2024 second-rounder currently projects to be No. 32 overall, while Procida – another Italian wing – is playing for Alba Berlin in Germany.

Utah will also receive Knox, a former lottery pick who is unlikely to replicate Fontecchio’s role or his production – especially from the three-point line – and essentially functions as a salary-matching piece. However, it’s possible he’ll get an opportunity to vie for rotation minutes as the 10th-seeded Jazz fight for a play-in spot. The 24-year-old averaged 7.2 PPG and 2.4 RPG on .462/.330/.909 shooting in 31 games (18.1 MPG) for Detroit.

Knox was signed by the Pistons on November 8, meaning he’ll become trade-eligible just ahead of Thursday’s deadline. Sending him out for salary-matching purposes will allow Detroit to retain the $5.7MM trade exception the team generated in last month’s deal with the Wizards.

The Jazz, meanwhile, will be able to take on Knox’s minimum-salary contract using the minimum salary exception, allowing them to create a new trade exception worth just north of $3MM for Fontecchio.

Scotto’s Latest: Mavs, Washington, Grimes, Pacers, Hornets, Hyland, More

February 8th, 2024 at 9:23am CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks and Hornets have discussed various P.J. Washington trade concepts that include a future first-round pick from Dallas, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

According to Scotto, if Charlotte is going to agree to take back Richaun Holmes, who holds a $12.9MM player option for next season, in exchange for Washington, the Hornets want that Dallas first-rounder to be unprotected. The Mavs have resisted that idea so far, Scotto writes, adding that Seth Curry has also been part of those trade discussions between the two teams.

While Scotto doesn’t say that Grant Williams has come up in the trade talks between the Mavs and Hornets, he suggests it wouldn’t be a surprise if that’s the case, since Dallas has talked about Williams with multiple teams already.

In addition to Washington, the Mavs have expressed interest in Raptors wing Bruce Brown and Knicks wing Quentin Grimes, among others, Scotto reports. League sources tell HoopsHype that Dallas explored acquiring Grimes in exchange for a package headlined by Josh Green, but New York turned down the proposal.

Here’s more from Scotto, with just hours to go until Thursday’s trade deadline:

Although Buddy Hield is considered Indiana’s top trade candidate, rival executives think the Pacers might move some of their frontcourt depth, with Obi Toppin and Jalen Smith among the players believed to be available, Scotto writes. Lottery pick Jarace Walker, on the other hand, remains off limits based on what the Pacers are telling other clubs, league sources tell HoopsHype.
The Hornets have expressed interest in Bones Hyland, according to Scotto, who says the Clippers are seeking a pair of second-round picks in exchange for the third-year guard.
Despite some speculation that the Nets are interested in D’Angelo Russell, Brooklyn hasn’t had any “substantive” talks with the Lakers and/or Hawks about getting involved in a potential Dejounte Murray trade to acquire Russell, Scotto reports.
The Pistons and Grizzlies continue to talk about a possible Killian Hayes trade, with second-round draft compensation serving as the sticking point, per Scotto.