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Northwest Notes: Hyland, Blazers, Nurkic, Wolves, Thunder

February 9th, 2023 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

Second-year Nuggets guard Bones Hyland is considered a strong candidate to be moved ahead of this afternoon’s trade deadline, but if it were up to teammate Michael Porter Jr., Hyland wouldn’t be going anywhere, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post (subscription required). In addition to wanting Hyland to remain in Denver, Porter would also like to see him back in the club’s rotation.

“Bones is one of my favorite players, and I think he’s such a great player and person,” Porter said. “Circumstances make it so that sometimes he’s misunderstood, but me and him have a good connection. He’s such a talented player, obviously he should be on the floor. Everyone knows that. I don’t know what the future’s gonna hold for him, but I wish he was here. I wish he would stay here, and I wish it could be figured out. Obviously, that’s not up to me. That’s up to the front office.”

Hyland, who reportedly hasn’t been thrilled with his modest role in Denver, has been a DNP-CD for the team’s past four games. The Nuggets are believed to be seeking a first-round pick or a defensive-minded wing in any deal involving the 22-year-old.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

  • Although the Trail Blazers‘ deal sending Josh Hart to New York doesn’t exactly scream “win now,” star guard Damian Lillard didn’t mind the move, according to Jason Quick of The Athletic. “I think it’s a game of chess … you gotta do what you gotta do, and trust the process that repositioning ourselves will be beneficial,” Lillard said. “… I’ve always liked Cam Reddish a lot.”
  • Jusuf Nurkic recognizes that the Trail Blazers‘ plans could change at the last minute before the deadline, but he said on Wednesday that general manager Joe Cronin has told him he won’t be on the move this week. “We had a really good, nice chat,” Nurkic said, per Quick. “I don’t know if I should really put it out there, but he said, ‘No, we are not trading you.'”
  • Given how aggressively the Timberwolves recruited and pursued D’Angelo Russell in 2019 and 2020, Wednesday’s trade agreement sending Russell out in a deal for Mike Conley represents a major philosophical shift in the team’s direction at point guard, says Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. While Russell was a scorer who could pass, Conley is more of a “classic” point guard, and the Wolves could use a veteran with his ability to organize and lead a team, Krawczynski explains.
  • It’s unlikely to be too eventful a trade deadline for the Thunder, who aren’t yet ready to be buyers and don’t have many veterans worth selling, writes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (subscription required).
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Pacific Notes: Suns, Collins, Saric, Warriors, Barnes

February 9th, 2023 at 8:09am CST by Luke Adams

The Suns‘ initial offers for Kevin Durant on Monday and Tuesday fell well short of the Nets‘ asking price as Phoenix sought to keep Mikal Bridges out of its package, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

With the two sides at an apparent impasse, the Suns were in talks with the Hawks and Pistons about a possible three-team trade that would’ve sent John Collins to Phoenix, while the Nets discussed various deals involving Collins, Raptors forward OG Anunoby, and Cavaliers wing Caris LeVert, says Wojnarowski.

However, recognizing that Durant’s mood was “unsettled” and knowing that his preference was to end up in Phoenix, the Nets decided to push the Suns to improve their offer.

The two teams reengaged late on Thursday night, with new Suns owner Mat Ishbia and Nets owner Joe Tsai both getting involved to help put the finishing touches on an agreement, per Wojnarowski. Removing Dario Saric‘s contract from the framework of the deal helped push it across the finish line, Woj adds.

Here are a few more notes from around the Pacific:

  • Sam Garvin, who was the Suns‘ interim governor during Robert Sarver‘s suspension, will remain in his role as the team’s vice chairman and minority shareholder now that Ishbia has assumed control of the franchise, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.
  • The Warriors have insisted that Stephen Curry‘s leg injury and ongoing absence won’t affect how they approach the trade deadline, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. According to Slater, there have been rumblings this week suggesting that Golden State has become more willing to discuss its younger players if a strong enough upgrade is offered. Slater adds that there’s a “greater whiff of aggressiveness” around the team.
  • There have been no reports suggesting Harrison Barnes is on the trade block this week, but there also haven’t been any indications that he and the Kings have discussed a contract extension that would keep him in Sacramento beyond this season. Speaking to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee, neither Barnes nor his agent offered much clarity on the possibility of an extension. Barnes said it was “more of a Jeff Schwartz question,” while Schwartz said he had “nothing to report on my side other than Harrison enjoys playing for Sac.”
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Trade Rumors: Anunoby, Poeltl, O’Neale, Simmons

February 9th, 2023 at 7:32am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors‘ trade discussions involving forward OG Anunoby are carrying over into Thursday and are expected to continue into the final hours before the trade deadline, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

While the Suns’ trade for Kevin Durant will take one prime suitor for Anunoby off the market, that deal could help increase the value of the Raptors forward among other Western Conference teams, Wojnarowski notes.

The thinking there is that Phoenix’s rivals – including the Grizzlies and Pelicans, among others – may now be more motivated to acquire a three-and-D wing capable of matching up defensively against a player like Durant in the postseason.

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

  • Before the Spurs agreed to trade Jakob Poeltl to Toronto, the Celtics, Trail Blazers, Pelicans, and Wizards had offers on the table for the big man, according to LJ Ellis of SpursTalk. Ellis says San Antonio opted to accept Toronto’s offer because it included the strongest draft capital and because the Raptors were the team Poeltl preferred to be traded to. He began his career in Toronto in 2016 and spent two seasons with the team before being traded to the Spurs in 2018.
  • Add Nets forward Royce O’Neale to the list of wings the Cavaliers are eyeing as potential trade targets, says Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link). There are people within the organization who believe O’Neale would be an ideal fit on Cleveland’s roster and there’s a sense he could be more available now that Brooklyn has traded away Durant and Kyrie Irving, Fedor explains.
  • The Nets were speaking to some teams on Wednesday about Ben Simmons, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter video link), who expects those talks to continue into Thursday. While Brooklyn is in the midst of reshaping its roster, it may be difficult to find a strong offer for Simmons, whose trade value has declined due to his inconsistent play, health issues, and the $78MM+ still owed to him for the two seasons after this one.
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Lakers/Jazz/Wolves Trade Notes: 2027 Pick, Westbrook, Conley, TPEs

February 9th, 2023 at 6:26am CST by Luke Adams

After months of speculation about whether the Lakers would include both of their tradable future first-round picks (2027 and 2029) in a Russell Westbrook trade, the club only attached its 2027 first-rounder to Westbrook in a three-team trade agreement with Minnesota and Utah. Perhaps most importantly, the Lakers’ front office retained its ability to trade its 2029 pick despite lightly protecting the 2027 selection.

As Zach Lowe of ESPN tweets, the top-four protected 2027 first-round pick the Lakers are sending to the Jazz in the deal won’t carry over to 2028 if it lands in its protected range. In that scenario, the Lakers would instead send their ’27 second-round pick to Utah.

If the protections on the first-round pick had carried over to 2028 (or 2029), the Lakers’ ability to trade their 2029 first-rounder would’ve been significantly hampered due to the Stepien rule that prohibits teams from leaving themselves without first-round selections in consecutive future seasons. But because Los Angeles’ obligations to Utah will end in 2027 no matter where that pick lands, the Lakers still have the ability to dangle their 2029 first-rounder, unencumbered, in trade talks today or during the offseason.

Here’s more on the three-team deal that’s sending D’Angelo Russell back to Los Angeles and Mike Conley to Minnesota:

  • “Addition by subtraction” was part of the Lakers‘ thinking in moving Westbrook, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, who hears from team and league sources that Westbrook’s situation in Los Angeles had become “untenable” during the last week, with both sides ready to move on from the partnership.
  • The Lakers took a patient, diligent approach to solving the Westbrook problem, passing on opportunities last offseason and earlier this season to trade both of their available first-round picks in deals with Indiana, Brooklyn, and others, writes Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. While the Lakers still have a ways to go to even qualify for the postseason, they’re far better equipped now to earn a spot and to be competitive in a playoff series, in Pincus’ view.
  • Losing Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, and especially Conley hit the Jazz‘s locker room hard, according to Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. “You know that trades are like a legitimate thing, but to go through it,” rookie center Walker Kessler said, before trailing off. “I’m a very empathetic person, so you just kind of feel for them. I’m not saying anything was done wrong. It’s part of the business, but it’s definitely a hard thing to go through.”
  • Although Conley was “universally beloved” within the organization, the Jazz‘s front office wanted to move his contract, which was a factor in the decision to make the trade, says Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. Conley’s deal includes a $14MM+ partial guarantee for next season.
  • In a column for The Star Tribune, Chip Scoggins says that trading Russell was the right move for the Timberwolves, but suggests that the team’s long-term plan is still unclear. As Scoggins notes, the Wolves are ostensibly in win-now mode, but just traded away their starting point guard and still don’t have a timeline for Karl-Anthony Towns‘ return.
  • Assuming no new pieces are added to the three-team trade once it’s made official, the Jazz will create trade exceptions worth approximately $5MM and $4.4MM, while the Timberwolves will generate a trade exception worth $3.7MM. The Lakers will create two trade exceptions as well, though neither will be worth more than $2.3MM.
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Hoops Rumors’ 2023 NBA Trade Deadline Primer

February 9th, 2023 at 5:43am CST by Luke Adams

Deadline day is finally here. NBA teams will have until today at 2:00 pm Central time to finalize trade agreements. Anyone not traded by that time will be ineligible to be moved until after his team’s season comes to an end this spring.

It has already been an extremely eventful trade season, due in large part to the Nets, who traded star guard Kyrie Irving to the Mavericks on Sunday and reached a blockbuster agreement late on Wednesday night to send Kevin Durant to the Suns.

The Lakers, Jazz, and Timberwolves have also agreed to a major three-team trade that will see Russell Westbrook, Mike Conley, and D’Angelo Russell end up in new homes, while Jakob Poeltl and Josh Hart are among the other notable players reportedly changing teams.

Even with all that action so far, there are still plenty of storylines to keep an eye on as Thursday’s deadline nears.

After agreeing to acquire Poeltl, the Raptors may not be done dealing, with Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr., and OG Anunoby still considered trade candidates. Hawks big man John Collins, Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic, and Nuggets guard Bones Hyland are among the many other players who could be on the move on Thursday. And as we saw with the Durant trade, you never know when another star might shake loose.

We’ll be keeping tabs on all the latest news and rumors all day long on Hoops Rumors, leading up to 2:00 pm CT.

In the meantime, here are some of our features and trackers to help you prepare for today’s action:

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Support Hoops Rumors With A Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription

February 9th, 2023 at 5:42am CST by Hoops Rumors

The Hoops Rumors team works hard every single day to bring you all the latest NBA news and rumors, as we have for the last 11 years. If you’re enjoying our coverage leading up to this year’s trade deadline, we’d appreciate your support in the form of a Trade Rumors Front Office subscription, which costs $2.99 per month or $29.89 per year.

A subscription allows you to browse Hoops Rumors – and all of the other sites in the Trade Rumors network – without ads. It also includes exclusive weekly articles and live chats.

If you’re already a subscriber, you’ll know that our Front Office content to date has been very MLB-centric, with members of MLB Trade Rumors’ writing staff providing baseball articles and chats each and every week. Beginning this month, however, we’re expanding Front Office to include weekly NBA articles from Luke Adams, as well as weekly NFL articles from Sam Robinson of Pro Football Rumors.

Check out all the benefits of Trade Rumors Front Office here and consider giving it a try!

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Nets, Suns Agree On Kevin Durant Trade

February 9th, 2023 at 12:11am CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns will acquire Kevin Durant from the Nets in exchange for Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, four first-round picks and more draft consideration, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Jae Crowder, who has been sitting out since training camp in hopes of being traded, will also go to Brooklyn in the deal, Charania adds (Twitter link).

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter) that Nets forward T.J. Warren will be part of the trade as well, and the additional draft consideration is a first-round pick swap in 2028. According to Woj, Durant wanted to be dealt to Phoenix, and new Suns owner Mat Ishbia pushed to get the deal completed tonight.

Brooklyn will receive unprotected first-rounders in 2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029, a source tells Wojnarowski. The trade will help to replenish the Nets’ draft assets after they sent multiple picks and pick swaps to Houston to acquire James Harden in 2021.

The Suns were on Durant’s short list of preferred destinations when he issued a trade demand last summer. Although Phoenix was among the teams that submitted offers to Brooklyn, no progress was made at the time and Durant eventually rescinded the demand before the start of training camp.

At age 34, Durant remains among the league’s best players, averaging 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while lifting the Nets into a tight race for the best record in the East before suffering a sprained MCL in his right knee last month. Durant is expected to be sidelined until after the All-Star break, but Brooklyn coach Jacque Vaughn said he received “a really good report” from doctors this week.

Durant still has three seasons remaining on the four-year extension he signed with the Nets in 2021, which led to speculation that the team didn’t feel any immediate pressure to trade him. Brooklyn had reportedly been telling teams that have called about Durant that he wasn’t being made available before the deadline.

A 13-time All-Star, Durant will earn $46.4MM, $49.9MM and $53.5MM over the next three seasons. He will team with Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton, and the Suns’ remaining assets in hopes of bringing a title to Phoenix. Ironically, there was a report earlier this week that the Suns offered Paul to Brooklyn in hopes of landing Kyrie Irving.

The Durant-Irving pairing that seemed to make the Nets an instant contender when they both signed as free agents in 2019 will officially end with trades just a few days apart. Injuries limited their time on the court together, even when Harden was added to form a Big Three, and they managed to win just one playoff series as teammates, although they had a narrow loss to the eventual champion Bucks in 2021.

The Nets no longer have elite talent on their roster, but Bridges and Johnson have both been valuable during their time in Phoenix, and they join a team that has managed to remain competitive even with Durant and Irving in and out of the lineup.

Bridges, 26, is a strong defender and long-distance shooter and is under contract for three more years at a total of about $70MM. Johnson, also 26, is an elite three-point shooter who is headed for free agency this summer. The Nets can make him restricted with a qualifying offer worth around $8MM.

The trade ends Crowder’s long standoff with Phoenix, but Brooklyn may not be his final stop before the deadline. Wojnarowski tweets that the Nets plan to explore opportunities to move him to other teams.

The deal provides a homecoming for Warren, who spent his first five seasons with the Suns. He signed with Brooklyn in July and has managed to bounce back after missing most of the past two seasons with left foot issues.

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Trade Rumors: Poeltl, Wall, Durant, Pistons

February 8th, 2023 at 11:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Spurs are sending their “strongest signals” so far that they intend to trade center Jakob Poeltl before Thursday’s deadline, tweets Marc Stein. The organization’s attitude toward a potential deal seems to have changed over the past 24 hours, Stein adds, giving hope to teams interested in acquiring potentially the best center on the market.

The Celtics and Raptors have been frequently mentioned as possible landing spots for Poeltl, and Stein reported earlier today that the Wizards have expressed strong interest as well. The 27-year-old will be a free agent this summer, but San Antonio has plenty of cap room available if it decides to keep him.

The Raptors and Spurs have discussed a deal involving Thaddeus Young and draft assets in exchange for Poeltl, according to Stein (Twitter link). The Spurs played in Toronto tonight, so Poeltl faced questions about the possibility of being traded there, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express News.

“I just try to focus on the here and now,” Poeltl said. “There is a lot of noise, and I try to keep it out as much as possible and just try to focus on these games.”

There’s more on the trade front:

  • It appears John Wall‘s time with the Clippers will end soon, whether he’s traded on Thursday or not, Stein adds (Twitter link). A source tells Stein that L.A. will pursue a buyout deal with Wall if it can’t find a taker by the deadline, echoing a report from Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times earlier this week. Wall has appeared in just 34 games and hasn’t played since January 13 because of an abdominal injury.
  • Nearly every contending team has called the Nets to check on Kevin Durant‘s availability, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. There has been speculation that Durant might want out after Kyrie Irving was traded to Dallas, but Brooklyn’s front office is telling everyone that it plans to hold on to Durant.
  • The Pistons have been active in trade talks, but they’re not committed to moving Bojan Bogdanovic, Alec Burks or Saddiq Bey before the deadline, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. The Knicks, Bucks and Lakers have expressed the most interest in Bogdanovic, but they don’t appear to be offering the draft assets that Detroit wants. Edwards suggests the Pistons might try to use the expiring contracts of Cory Joseph, Nerlens Noel and Hamidou Diallo — worth about $19MM combined — to pick up a player under contract beyond this season.
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Trail Blazers To Trade Josh Hart To Knicks

February 8th, 2023 at 10:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks have reached an agreement to acquire Josh Hart from the Trail Blazers, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Portland will receive Cam Reddish and a first-round pick as part of the return.

Hart has an expiring $12.96MM contract, while Reddish is earning $5.95MM in the final year of his rookie deal, so at least one more player has to be included to match salaries.

Sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype that Svi Mykhailiuk ($1.97MM) and Ryan Arcidiacono ($2.13MM) are also headed to the Blazers (Twitter link), which will satisfy the NBA’s matching rules.

The pick that New York is giving up is lottery protected for 2023, per Wojnarowski (Twitter link). If it doesn’t convey this year, it will turn into four future second-round picks. That’s presumably the Knicks’ own first-round pick, since the protection terms don’t match up with the other first-rounders they control.

New York appeared to be a late entry into the bidding for Hart, with the first rumors of a deal appearing earlier today. His toughness and tenacity on defense seem to make him a natural fit for coach Tom Thibodeau. The Cavaliers and Heat were among the other teams reported to have interest in trading for Hart.

The 27-year-old wing is expected to decline his $12.96MM option this summer and seek a long-term deal in free agency. He has been part of the starting lineup in Portland since the Blazers acquired him at last year’s trade deadline, and he’s averaging 9.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 51 games this season.

The Knicks gave up a protected first-round pick last February to acquire Reddish, but he has fallen out of favor and hasn’t played since December 3. The 10th selection in the 2019 draft has washed out in Atlanta and New York, but he will have two months to audition for the Blazers, who can make him a restricted free agent with a $7.7MM qualifying offer.

Mykhailiuk, who signed a non-guaranteed deal with New York shortly before the start of training camp, has seen minimal playing time in 13 games.

Arcidiacono has played even less than his teammate, appearing in just 11 games and logging 26 total minutes in 2022/23. Due to the terms of his contract, he had the ability to veto any trade that involves him, but he has signed off on this one, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv.

The Trail Blazers will gain some cap relief as a result of the deal and will move well clear of the luxury tax line after flirting with it for much of the season. Assuming no players are added to the deal and it remains a three-for-one swap, Portland will have to cut a player from its 15-man roster to make room for the newcomers.

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League OKs Mavericks’ Request To Remove Tyrell Terry From Team Salary

February 8th, 2023 at 8:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA has approved the Mavericks‘ request to have Tyrell Terry‘s contract removed from their team salary, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.

The 31st pick in the 2020 draft, Terry surprised the league in December when he announced his retirement, citing mental health issues. The 22-year-old said he was experiencing severe anxiety and had “fallen out of love” with basketball.

Terry played 11 games for Dallas as a rookie and was waived prior to the start of the 2021/22 season, despite having guaranteed money left on his contract. He signed both a 10-day and a two-way contract with the Grizzlies last season, but only appeared in two games before being waived in July.

The Mavericks were on the hook for $1.8MM to Terry this season, but they petitioned the league to have the effect on their cap erased under a career ending injury exclusion. According to Marks, the league’s decision means Dallas’ projected tax bill will fall from $60.4MM to $53.7MM.

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