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Atlantic Rumors: Durant, Nets, Raptors, Claxton, Celtics, Sixers

February 7th, 2023 at 10:08am CST by Luke Adams

Now that Kyrie Irving has been dealt, Kevin Durant find himself under the spotlight once again as league observers wait to see if the Nets forward will resubmit the trade request he made last summer.

Asked on Monday about that possibility, head coach Jacque Vaughn said that’s not something he has talked to Durant about and he doesn’t plan to do so. In Vaughn’s view, as long as the Nets can continue to show they’re capable of competing with the best teams in the East, there’s no reason for Durant to seek a change of scenery.

“At the end of the day, Kevin wants to win,” Vaughn said on Monday, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “That’s always been our goal. He wants to win at shootaround, he wants to win any game of the week. That’s why he loves to play and that’s why he wants to play 82 games. That will be our holy grail. We’ll continue to try to put a group out that wins and until there’s something for me to be concerned about, then I’ll carry on business as usual.”

While the Nets added two solid role players in their Irving trade, their championship upside probably took a hit as a result of that deal, so the team has been exploring further roster upgrades, as we detailed on Monday. According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, before trading Irving, the Nets had also remained in touch with the Hawks about John Collins and had spoken to multiple teams about Joe Harris and Patty Mills.

Although it’s possible Durant could push for a change of scenery again, most people around the NBA don’t expect that to happen this week, ESPN’s Zach Lowe said in a podcast with colleague Brian Windhorst (YouTube link), especially since the Nets’ additions of Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith signaled a desire to continue building a roster around Durant that’s capable of contending — Finney-Smith is a player KD likes and wanted Brooklyn to acquire if the team made a deal with Dallas, Lowe stated.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Following up on reports suggesting that the Nets were talking to the Raptors about Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Fred VanVleet, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype says Toronto “covets” Brooklyn center Nic Claxton, having also attempted to acquire him at least season’s trade deadline. Ben Simmons and multiple first-round picks have also come up in the Nets’ trade discussions with the Raptors, Scotto adds.
The Athletic’s Jared Weiss and Jay King take a look at what could be on tap for the Celtics at the trade deadline, considering whether it’s realistic to expect them to make a play for Durant and noting that a deal for a center remains the team’s most likely move. Weiss and King also examine Grant Williams‘ up-and-down play and conclude it still doesn’t make sense for Boston to trade him, despite a report from Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer stating that teams are inquiring on Williams.
While Daryl Morey is always a good bet to make some sort of move at the trade deadline, the Sixers president of basketball operations tells Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice that he’s not expecting to make a huge splash this week. “I think it’s very unlikely we’re involved in anything big,” Morey said. “It could easily be that we continue to just develop chemistry and then have the group we have. I and (general manager) Elton (Brand) and everyone feels a responsibility in an important year like this to see if we can find anyone who can upgrade the team.”

Sixers’ Furkan Korkmaz Reportedly Requests Trade

February 6th, 2023 at 2:12pm CST by Rory Maher

Sixers wing Furkan Korkmaz has requested a trade and hopes to be moved before Thursday’s deadline, sources tell Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The 25-year-old told Pompey he would “not confirm nor deny” the trade request.

Korkmaz is in his sixth NBA season, all with Philadelpha. He has only appeared in 25 games for an average of 10.2 minutes per contest — the fewest minutes he’s played since his rookie season. Korkmaz makes $5MM this season and $5.37MM in 2023/24.

According to Pompey’s sources, the Sixers have informed Korkmaz that they will try to include him in a trade.

His contract would almost certainly be viewed as a negative asset due to the guaranteed money he’s owed next season, so if he’s involved in a smaller trade, it would likely be a salary-dump move to help the Sixers dip under the luxury tax line. His contract and lack of playing time has caused his name to pop in trade rumors this season, so it’s not surprising that he hopes to be moved.

As Pompey writes, this is the second time that Korkmaz has requested a trade out of Philadelphia. His previous request came back in ’18/19 due to a lack of playing time. The team declined its third-year option on the former 26th overall pick, but he wound up re-signing with the Sixers after a bump in minutes.

In 281 career games (18.0 MPG), the Turkish wing holds averages of 7.5 PPG and 2.1 RPG on .405/.354/.759 shooting. He’s averaging 3.8 PPG this season while shooting 34.3% from deep.

In another article for The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscriber link), Pompey reports that the Sixers are looking for a “reserve center, a backup point guard, and another shooter.”

Pistons Rumors: Bogdanovic, Burks, Bey, Noel, Stewart, More

February 5th, 2023 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons‘ stance on Bojan Bogdanovic, Alec Burks, and Saddiq Bey doesn’t appear to have changed much in the last month, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic writes in his latest trade deadline preview.

According to Edwards, while Detroit is open to discussing and moving any of those three players if the price is right, the team is asking for a lot and seems happy to retain them through the deadline, given that all three are under contract at relatively team-friendly prices for next season.

While some league sources have expressed to The Athletic that they’d be surprised if Bey is moved, Edwards gets the sense that the third-year forward may be a more likely trade candidate than Bogdanovic or Burks. The Pistons’ asking price for Bogdanovic is very high, and Edwards believes the club is more likely to extend Burks (in the offseason) than to trade him.

Here’s more on the Pistons:

Although the Pistons are high on Isaiah Livers‘ potential to develop into a solid three-and-D player, according to Edwards, they’re also prioritizing three-and-D wings in potential trades. First-round picks (ideally unprotected) and a three-and-D wing are two of the top items on the team’s wish list at the trade deadline, Edwards notes.
Edwards adds the Sixers and Celtics to the list of teams that have recently called the Pistons to inquire about center Nerlens Noel. He also mentions Miami, Denver, Dallas, and Sacramento, whose interest in Noel has been previously reported.
Of Detroit’s three 2020 first-round picks, Isaiah Stewart is the most likely to be extended during the coming offseason, in Edwards’ view. Bey and Killian Hayes are the other two players in that trio.
Edwards says he wouldn’t be surprised if veteran guard Cory Joseph is included in a deadline deal and advises not to rule out the possibility of a reunion between Jerami Grant and the Pistons in the offseason. Although Detroit will have significant cap space and Grant seems to be in no rush to accept a four-year extension offer from the Trail Blazers, the idea that he’d return to the Pistons seems like a long shot to me.

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.

Fischer’s Latest: Westbrook, Jazz, Nurkic, Burks, Reid, Centers

February 4th, 2023 at 3:40pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Lakers have talked recently to both the Hornets and Jazz about trades involving Russell Westbrook‘s expiring $47.1MM contract, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Sources around the NBA inform Fischer that the Heat are not interested in trading incumbent starting point guard Kyle Lowry in a deal for Westbrook (and presumably future draft equity). Fischer notes that opposing clubs generally are hoping for both of L.A.’s two movable future first-round draft picks, in 2027 and 2029, in any Westbrook deal, a price the Lakers are hesitant to pay.

According to Fischer, point guard Mike Conley, swingman Malik Beasley and big man Jarred Vanderbilt would be a part of any trade for Westbrook if the Jazz and Lakers are able to reach a deal, but Utah is discussing all of those players with other teams as well.

Here’s more from Fischer:

The Jazz have talked at least to the Hawks, Trail Blazers, and Knicks about trades centered around both Vanderbilt and Beasley as a package deal. Sources inform Fischer that Utah shooting guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker has also been floated in some of these conversations.
Fischer reports that injured Trail Blazers starting center Jusuf Nurkic can be had on the trade market, though his pricey long-term contract has cooled rival teams’ interest.
Sources tell Fischer that the Pistons has interest in potentially signing reserve guard Alec Burks to an extension this offseason, as the team did in the fall with veteran forward Bogdan Bogdanovic. Detroit has expressed reluctance to trade either player at the deadline, Fischer adds.
Timberwolves reserve center Naz Reid has rejected potential contract extensions, making him a possible trade candidate, per Fischer. Reid is hoping to earn something in the neighborhood of $10MM per year, Fischer says, a price Minnesota may be reluctant to pay after having already invested heavily in its starting frontcourt of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Fischer adds that other reserve centers could very well be on the move, as his sources indicate that the Sixers, Clippers, Trail Blazers, Nuggets, Nets, Celtics, Raptors and Kings are all looking to improve that position.

Sixers Interested In Jarred Vanderbilt

February 4th, 2023 at 1:34pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Reserve Jazz power forward Jarred Vanderbilt has emerged as a potential trade candidate for the Sixers, sources inform Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

The Sixers are hoping to shore up their frontcourt depth behind starters Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid. The prime backup at present is the undersized Montrezl Harrell. Fischer writes that Utah’s current asking price for Vanderbilt is a first-round draft selection, as has been previously reported.

Though Vanderbilt is traditionally more of a four than a five, his 6’11” wingspan, ability to defend all three frontcourt positions, and lateral speed could endear him to a Philadelphia club currently lacking much versatility among its bigs.

Vanderbilt is in the second year of a three-season, $13.1MM deal he inked while with the Timberwolves. This season with Utah, the 6’9″ big man out of Kentucky is averaging 8.3 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.7 APG, and 1.0 SPG. He was recently demoted to a reserve role with the Jazz, behind Kelly Olynyk and Walker Kessler.

Fischer also confirmed the continued interest of the Pacers in Vanderbilt’s services, which had been previously reported.

Nuggets’ Malone, Sixers’ Rivers Named Coaches Of The Month

February 2nd, 2023 at 8:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone and Sixers head coach Doc Rivers have been honored as the NBA’s coaches of the month for January in their respective conferences, the league announced today (Twitter link).

Malone, who will serve as the coach for Team LeBron at this year’s All-Star Game in Utah, coached Denver to a 12-4 record in January, improving the team’s overall mark to 35-16, good for the No. 1 seed in the West as of this writing.

Rivers led Philadelphia to an 11-3 run last month, which helped the Sixers reach the third seed in the East with a 33-17 record for the season to date. Rivers, the 2000 Coach of the Year, is in his third season with Philadelphia.

The NBA’s PR department tweets that the Thunder’s Mark Daigneault and the Timberwolves’ Chris Finch were the other two finalists for the award in the Western Conference, while Mike Budenholzer of the Bucks, Joe Mazzulla of the Celtics, and longtime Heat coach Erik Spoelstra were runners-up in the East.

2023 NBA All-Star Reserves Announced

February 2nd, 2023 at 6:24pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The league has announced its 2023 All-Star reserves during a pregame broadcast on TNT, as voted on by NBA head coaches. As usual, the list of 14 selections featured some interesting surprises.

For the Eastern Conference, coaches voted in Sixers center Joel Embiid (the reigning Player of the Month in the East), Heat center Bam Adebayo, Bulls wing DeMar DeRozan, Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, Bucks guard Jrue Holiday, Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton, and Knicks forward Julius Randle.

Holiday, who is making his second overall All-star appearance this year, last earned an All-Star nod a decade ago while playing for Philadelphia.

Randle will receive a $1.2MM salary bonus as a result of being named an All-Star this season, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). Marks adds (via Twitter) that Holiday will get a $324K bonus. And as long as he appears in at least 65 contests this year, Brown will earn a $1.55MM bonus after having qualified for the All-Star game, Marks tweets.

Among the most notable omissions in the East were a handful of point guards: the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson, the Hawks’ Trae Young, the Cavaliers’ Darius Garland, and the Sixers’ James Harden. Miami swingman Jimmy Butler also missed out. Young, Harden and Butler all made the cut last season.

In the Western Conference, Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, Kings center Domantas Sabonis, Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Clippers forward Paul George, Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard, Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, and Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. were selected as reserves.

Being named to the All-Star team again this year will earn Sabonis a $1.3MM bonus, per Marks (Twitter link).

Lakers center Anthony Davis, Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, Suns guard Devin Booker, and Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon were among the Western Conference snubs.

Gilgeous-Alexander, Markkanen and Jackson are the lone first-time All-Stars among these 14 picks.

All-Star weekend tips off on February 17 in Salt Lake City. Los Angeles power forward LeBron James and Milwaukee power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, the captains of their respective conferences, will draft their teams ahead of the 2023 All-Star Game on Sunday, February 19.

Thybulle Not Stressing Trade Rumors

February 2nd, 2023 at 4:04pm CST by Rory Maher

Matisse Thybulle is no stranger to trade rumors, but he’s not stressing hearing his name bandied about ahead of the deadline, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I think it helps, too, that it’s not my first rodeo,” The Sixers wing said. “And every single year is kind of like the same situation. You are going to get traded until the very last minute; it’s like you don’t. … So I’ve gone all the way there until it actually happens. So, at this point, I kind of know the ropes and it helps that my family does as well.”

Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic Named Players Of The Month

February 2nd, 2023 at 3:10pm CST by Rory Maher

Sixers center Joel Embiid and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic have been named the players of the month for January, per the NBA (Twitter link).

The Sixers went 11-3 last month, including 8-2 when Embiid played. He posted terrific stats, averaging 34.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.6 blocks on .549/.421/.861 shooting in 33.1 minutes per contest.

The back-to-back MVP runner-up to Jokic, Embiid – who was also December’s Eastern Conference player of the month – is leading the NBA in scoring for the second straight season, averaging a career-high 33.5 points through 38 games.

His best performance last month was a comeback victory over Jokic’s Nuggets on January 28, recording 47 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks on a .581/.571/.700 shooting line.

Philadelphia is currently 33-17, the East’s No. 3 seed.

The Nuggets went 12-4 in January, including 10-2 when Jokic was in the lineup. He averaged a ridiculously efficient triple-double, posting 24.0 points, 11.6 boards, 11.3 assists and 1.2 steals on .677/.538/.897 shooting in 33.4 minutes.

Jokic’s top performance was arguably a victory over Portland on January 17, when he recorded 36 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, one steal and one block. He was 13-of-14 from the field, 1-of-2 from three, and 9-of-10 from the line.

Denver is currently the No. 1 seed in the West with a 35-16 record.

According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other nominees in the West were Anthony Edwards, De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard and Lauri Markkanen, while Bam Adebayo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jalen Brunson, Darius Garland, Kyrie Irving and Jayson Tatum were nominated in the East.

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