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Warriors Rumors: Trade Deadline, Green, Butler, Durant

February 4th, 2025 at 9:12am CST by Luke Adams

Warriors forward Draymond Green spoke out last month against the idea of “mortgaging off the future” of the team in order to try to win now, telling reporters that’s the sort of thing that “bad organizations” do. However, on Monday, with the February 6 trade deadline just days away, Green said in a post-game media session that he knows team owner Joe Lacob will be eager to try to upgrade a team with an uninspiring 25-24 record.

“We all know he’s pissed sitting at .500,” Green said (Twitter video link via Anthony Slater of The Athletic). “You’d be a fool to sit back and think everything (is OK). Not with that guy. That guy’s always trying to win. He’s always pushing the envelope as much as he can.

“… Sitting at .500, you’ve got to expect that (the front office) is going to look to be aggressive. It’s not an organization that’s going to do anything dumb, but they’re going to look to be aggressive.”

Reporting on Monday linked the Warriors to starry targets like LeBron James and Kevin Durant, with Shams Charania stating during an ESPN appearance that Golden State is “legitimately calling about every All-Star player.” After seeing what went down in Dallas over the weekend, Green suggests it would be irresponsible not to make those calls.

“Luka Doncic just got traded, so everyone thinks everything is possible at this point,” Green said. “If you saw that and you didn’t call (on) every superstar, you’re crazy. That’s just the reality.”

Here’s more on the Warriors:

Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported on Sunday that Jimmy Butler trade talks between the Warriors and Heat had “ended for now” after the 35-year-old conveyed that he wasn’t interested in signing an extension with Golden State. However, it doesn’t appear that the idea of Butler landing in the Bay Area is dead. Anthony Slater of The Athletic says the Warriors “believe they are still firmly in the mix” for Butler, while Windhorst himself wrote today at ESPN.com that Golden State remains a possibility for the star forward if the Heat can’t figure out how to make a deal work with the Suns, Butler’s preferred destination.
If the Suns are unable to acquire Butler, it could impact the Warriors on two fronts. Not only would it make Golden State a more viable landing spot for Butler, but it could make Phoenix more inclined to consider the idea of moving Durant, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com, who says (via Twitter) that some rival executives believes that’s a real possibility.
According to Slater, it’s still unclear whether the Suns would really move Durant this week or if he would even welcome a reunion with the Warriors. However, Slater notes that Lacob and Durant’s longtime manager Rich Kleiman were seen chatting during Friday’s Suns/Warriors game and were spotted together at Chase Center’s Bridge Club at halftime and after the game.

Warriors Eye LeBron James, Kevin Durant In Hopes Of Major Deadline Deals

February 3rd, 2025 at 12:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

12:48 pm: Shams Charania of ESPN confirmed during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show (Twitter video link) that the Warriors have inquired about James and Durant, noting that Golden State is casting a wide net in its search for another impact player.

“The Warriors are legitimately calling about every All-Star player,” Charania said. “Name the All-Star player, the Warriors have probably called about him. (Sixers forward) Paul George, they’ve probably called – they have called – about him.

“They’ve made calls on every star. And that, of course, includes players like LeBron, players like Kevin Durant, players like Jimmy Butler. They are making calls. They are dead set on trying to find another star player – a superstar player – with Stephen Curry.”

The Warriors are among several teams who have asked about Durant, per John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), but Gambadoro says the Suns remain focused on either acquiring Butler from Miami or – if they can’t get Butler – making other smaller deals.

12:00 pm: The Warriors are “big-game hunting” ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline and have contemplated a strategy to reunite the core of the U.S. Olympic squad by teaming up LeBron James and Kevin Durant with Stephen Curry, sources tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (subscription required).

That’s the most audacious of the plans being considered by Golden State’s front office, but there could be a path to making it happen. Sources tell Fischer that the Warriors are among the teams that have made inquiries about whether James could be convinced to waive his no-trade clause and part with the Lakers. Nothing has changed so far, but Golden State will presumably continue its pursuit through Thursday.

Fischer cites sources who say the Suns currently don’t plan to move Durant before the deadline, but they are listening to inquiries. Durant is aware of the situation, Fischer adds.

Any deal with Phoenix would involve “a very high asking price” involving players and draft picks, according to Fischer, who notes that the Suns have “a level of interest” in Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga.

Fischer points out that Phoenix’s grip on a postseason spot is less secure after the Spurs reached an agreement to acquire De’Aaron Fox from Sacramento. That trade should make San Antonio (21-25) more dangerous in the short term without the Kings (24-24), who are acquiring Zach LaVine as part of the three-team deal, taking a significant step backwards. Both teams are hot on the heels of the 25-23 Suns in the postseason race.

The Suns would like to complete a deal for Heat forward Jimmy Butler, but have found no takers for Bradley Beal and may not be able to make it happen without giving up Durant or Devin Booker.

Fischer also reports that the Warriors haven’t entirely abandoned the idea of trading for Butler, despite a report on Sunday that he wouldn’t sign an extension with them. According to Fischer, there are “reservations” in Golden State’s front office about how Butler’s personality would fit with the team considering his standoff in Miami and his history of messy breakups.

Fischer adds that the Mavericks aren’t trying to add either Butler or Durant, although they’re still searching for roster upgrades after swapping Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis.

The current speculation, according to Fischer, is that the Warriors or Bucks are just as likely to land Butler as the Suns are. However, he adds that Milwaukee has been quiet recently in the Butler pursuit and may be more focused on acquiring Kyle Kuzma from the Wizards.

Bradley Beal Reluctant To Change Teams Again

February 3rd, 2025 at 9:01am CST by Arthur Hill

There have been reports that it would take a contending team in a warm-weather city for Bradley Beal to consider waiving his no-trade clause, but there’s another reason he prefers to remain in Phoenix, according to Fred Katz, Sam Amick and Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

A source familiar with Beal’s thinking tells the authors that he doesn’t want to uproot his family again less than two years after being traded to the Suns. Since that deal was made, the family moved from Washington to Los Angeles before finding a home in Phoenix. Another trade would either mean moving again or playing out the rest of the season away from his wife and their two children.

The source informs Katz, Amick and Nehm that Beal would approve a trade to a handful of cities, but the list is short. His priority is being with a contender, and although he doesn’t like the cold, he’s willing to accept it to get to the right situation.

The authors cite a report from last week that Beal wouldn’t be willing to accept a trade to the Bulls, who offer both cold weather and a remote chance to reach the playoffs. As they point out, that’s the dilemma for the Suns, who are hoping to find a taker for Beal’s contract so they can complete a trade for Jimmy Butler. Any team willing to pay Beal more than $110MM over the next two seasons is likely to be in the midst of rebuilding.

Katz, Amick and Nehm add that Beal would be interested in going to Miami, but the Heat don’t want him because of his salary, the multiple years left on his deal, and his no-trade clause. Once Butler is gone, Miami will be focused on creating cap room for a stellar free agent class in 2026.

The Suns are still considered to be the most aggressive suitor for Butler, but Beal’s situation may be too difficult to solve by Thursday’s trade deadline.

Warriors Halt Jimmy Butler Trade Talks

February 2nd, 2025 at 9:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cross the Warriors off the list of potential Jimmy Butler suitors, at least for now.

Butler has communicated to the Warriors that he’s unwilling to sign an extension there, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Twitter link). In response, trade talks between the Heat and Warriors have halted, according to Windhorst.

The Warriors are reportedly interested in making a significant move before the trade deadline and Butler was one of the logical candidates to fulfill that goal. However, it’s well-known that Butler wants to be dealt to the Suns, who are hamstrung in making a blockbuster move because they’re operating over the second tax apron.

The only way Phoenix can complete such a deal to allow Butler to join forces with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant would be to send out Bradley Beal‘s contract. Miami hasn’t shown any interest in acquiring Beal, who has two years remaining on his contract after this season, including a $57.1MM option for 2026/27. Beal also has a no-trade clause and would have to agree to waive it whether he was routed to Miami or a third party.

The Suns are still the team pushing the hardest to land Butler ahead of Thursday’s deadline, the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang reports. In any Butler trade, the Heat want to acquire at least one quality player who can help the team this season, Chiang adds.

Butler, who has been suspended indefinitely by Miami for repeated violations of team rules, holds a $52.4MM option on his contract for next season.

Golden State also seriously explored trade proposals to acquire both Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučevic from the Bulls before opting to pursue other deals, NBA insider Marc Stein tweets. LaVine is on the move to Sacramento.

Bulls Notes: Ball, LaVine, Vucevic, Buzelis

February 1st, 2025 at 1:19pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2024/25 season has already been a huge success for Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball, who returned from a two-and-a-half-year absence and three knee surgeries and has been an effective role player through his first 28 appearances of the season.

However, Ball continues to push for a larger role within Chicago’s rotation, as Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times and Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune detail. While playing in back-to-backs remains off the table for the former No. 2 overall pick, team doctors agreed this week to increase Ball’s minutes restriction to 28, according to Poe.

“Every stage, they’ve wanted to see how he’s managed the minutes along the way,” head coach Billy Donovan said, per Cowley. “So it started at 16, then up to 22, then we got to 24. And as long as he feels good and he’s responding, that’s the biggest thing. How does he look the next day? And if he does have any swelling or soreness the next day, any difficulty, then they would start to monitor his minutes. But everything he’s done up to this moment with the restrictions that have been on him has been positive.”

Ball’s per-game averages of 7.0 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.4 rebounds in 21.1 minutes are all career lows, and his shooting percentages of 36.9% from the floor and 34.7% on three-pointers are below his career rates.

However, like he did in his first season with the organization back in 2021/22, Ball has made the Bulls a better team when he’s on the court. Chicago has outscored opponents by 4.6 points per 100 possessions during his 590 minutes of action and has been outscored by 6.1 points per 100 possessions during the 1,767 minutes he hasn’t played.

Here’s more on the Bulls:

The Bulls have remained in contact with the Suns and Warriors with the trade deadline just five days away, a source tells Cowley, as the front office monitors where those two teams stand in the Jimmy Butler talks. Either one of those clubs could pivot to pursuing Zach LaVine and/or Nikola Vucevic if they don’t end up getting Butler, Cowley notes, though Golden State would be better positioned than Phoenix to make a run at one of those Bulls veterans. Chicago also remains interested in getting involved in a Butler deal as a facilitator, but that’s a longer shot, Cowley adds.
Vucevic isn’t pushing for a trade and said he’s not thinking about leaving Chicago, given that he won’t be a free agent until 2026, but he acknowledged to Poe that – at age 34 – he wouldn’t mind being closer to title contention than he is this season with the 21-28 Bulls. “I’m getting closer to the end of my career,” Vucevic said. “I would like to be somewhere that’s in win-now mode.”
Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis has been playing some of his best basketball of the season as of late. The first-year forward scored 12 points in each of his past two outings and was a plus-18 in 26 minutes of action in Friday’s win over Toronto as he continues to earn Donovan’s trust. “The biggest growth I’ve seen with him is quite honestly he plays a lot harder now,” Donovan said after Wednesday’s loss to Boston, according to Cowley. “Not that he didn’t play hard, but I don’t think he understood the level of intensity and energy he needs to raise himself up to.”

Suns Notes: Booker, Butler, Trade Options, Durant

January 31st, 2025 at 8:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Devin Booker was named an All-Star in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2024, but unless he’s a last-minute injury replacement, the Suns guard won’t be headed to San Francisco for this year’s event.

Addressing his omission after Friday morning’s shootaround, Booker told reporters that he would’ve loved to be selected, but added that there were many deserving players and that he’s “definitely not going to complain about taking a week to regroup with the family,” writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.

While Booker’s shooting numbers (.444/.341/.893) are down this year, his averages of 25.5 points and 6.7 assists per game are above his career rates. Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer said on Wednesday that Booker is “clearly in our minds an All-Star” and teammate Kevin Durant agreed.

Durant also suggested that All-Star rosters should be expanded from 12 to 15 players to reflect the size of actual NBA rosters and to better reward deserving players: “So many great players going out there impacting their team in a positive way that are being snubbed. They’ll always be snubs every year, but I think we should add three more.”

Asked about the idea, Booker wasn’t opposed to it and pointed to a handful of players he felt were snubbed this season.

“I think there are enough talented guys out here, like I said, that are deserving,” Booker said. “You look at Kyrie (Irving), Norman Powell, those guys are having unbelievable, efficient years, and winning games. On the East, I’m sure there are guys too like Trae (Young) and LaMelo (Ball) that are putting up just unheard numbers. The more talent in there, the better.”

We have more on the Suns:

While the mutual interest between the Suns and Heat forward Jimmy Butler has been reported ad nauseam in recent weeks, Phoenix isn’t taking a “Butler or bust” approach to the trade deadline, says John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter links). According to Gambadoro, the front office is looking at more than 20 potential trade targets and the odds are in favor of the Suns making one or more deadline deals, even if they don’t end up landing Butler.
Although the Suns have no shortage of potential directions at the trade deadline, it remains safe to assume stars Durant and Booker aren’t going anywhere. Within an in-depth story on the situation in Phoenix, Ramona Shelburne and Bobby Marks of ESPN (Insider link) say that teams who have called to ask about Durant have been rebuffed. That’s also been the case for the clubs “bold enough to inquire” on Booker, who has never given indication he’d leave Phoenix to chase a title elsewhere, sources tell Shelburne and Marks.
With Durant nearing the 30,000-point threshold and on the verge of surpassing Julius Erving for eighth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, Tim MacMahon of ESPN spoke to many of the forward’s current and former teammates about what makes the former MVP such an elite offensive player.

Trade Rumors: Butler, Pelicans, Fox, Spurs, Yabusele, Wolves, Bogdanovic

January 31st, 2025 at 7:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Addressing a Friday report that stated the Pelicans have contacted Miami about Jimmy Butler, John Gambadoro of Arizona 98.7 tweets that New Orleans has “no interest” in trading for the Heat forward.

Butler doesn’t want to go to New Orleans and the Pelicans would be hard-pressed to add him in a swap involving Brandon Ingram without increasing their team salary, which they don’t want to do, Gambadoro notes (via Twitter), adding that he believes the Heat or Butler’s agent are using the Pelicans for leverage.

For what it’s worth, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line – who initially co-reported the Pelicans/Heat discussions along with Marc Stein – said in a Bleacher Report stream on Friday (video link) that while the two teams have talked, he doesn’t think Butler ending up in New Orleans “sounds likely at all.”

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

Despite some chatter from local media in San Antonio about the Spurs potentially gaining momentum toward a De’Aaron Fox trade, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link) hears from a source with knowledge of the situation that “all is quiet as of now” and that no deal involving the Kings star appears imminent. If the Spurs do make a deal for Fox, it’s unlikely to include Stephon Castle, according to plugged-in Sacramento reporter Damien Barling of ESPN 1320 (Twitter link), who says indications are that San Antonio won’t be willing to give up the rookie guard.
In another story for The Stein Line (Substack link), Fischer adds the Timberwolves to the list of teams that have inquired on Sixers big man Guerschon Yabusele. Philadelphia has received offers that include multiple second-round picks for Yabusele, according to Fischer.
After Stein reported on Thursday that the Hawks are actively exploring potential Bogdan Bogdanovic trades, Fischer follows up (Substack link) by citing momentum toward a deal, with confidence rising in Atlanta that a deal will get down. However, both Stein and Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (Twitter link) dispute that a deal with the Suns involving Jusuf Nurkic is among the options currently under consideration.

NBA Names Four Replacements For Rising Stars Event

January 31st, 2025 at 4:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Three second-year players and one rookie have been named replacements for the Rising Stars event at All-Star weekend in San Francisco, according to the NBA. The league issued a press release announcing the following changes:

Magic guard Anthony Black is replacing Mavericks center Dereck Lively.
Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara is replacing Hornets forward Brandon Miller.
Pistons swingman Ausar Thompson is replacing Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama.
Suns wing Ryan Dunn is replacing Sixers guard Jared McCain.

We noted when the Rising Stars participants were officially revealed on Tuesday that a few replacements would be necessary. Lively is sidelined for an extended period due to a stress fracture in his ankle, while Miller and McCain underwent season-ending procedures on their right wrist and left knee, respectively.

Wembanyama is healthy, but was selected as an All-Star reserve for the Western Conference. Players who are named All-Stars don’t take part in the Rising Stars event.

Black, Camara, Thompson, and Dunn will be included in the 21-player pool of NBA rookies and sophomores who will be drafted into three teams of seven players apiece on February 4. Those three teams, along with a fourth club made up of seven G League standouts, will compete a mini-tournament on Friday, February 14 as part of All-Star weekend’s opening night.

The squad that wins the Rising Stars event will advance to All-Star Sunday and take on one of three teams made up of NBA All-Stars in the semifinals of the new-look All-Star Game.

Pelicans Contact Heat About Jimmy Butler

January 31st, 2025 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Pelicans are the latest team to get involved in Jimmy Butler trade talks, Jake Fischer and Marc Stein reveal in a Substack column (subscriber only).

League sources tell Fischer and Stein that New Orleans contacted the Heat this week about Butler, although terms of the offer weren’t divulged. The authors’ sources say Brandon Ingram‘s $36MM expiring contract would be the basis of the deal.

The Pelicans have been exploring the trade market for Ingram after being unable to work out an extension with him last summer. Sources tell The Stein Line that New Orleans has been attempting to use Ingram’s contract to facilitate a Butler trade, but eventually decided to make its own offer.

Even though Ingram hasn’t played since December 7 due to injury, getting a player with his pedigree would intrigue the Heat as they prepare to make a playoff run. However, the authors aren’t sure what Butler’s reaction might be to joining a 12-36 New Orleans team whose season has been derailed by injuries to numerous rotation players.

Butler makes roughly $12.8MM more than Ingram this season, so the Pelicans would have to add multiple players to match salaries. Fischer and Stein note that they’re currently almost $1.5MM over the tax line and are expected to maneuver underneath it to avoid paying the tax in a lost season. That means one or more additional teams may have to get involved to allow them to acquire Butler and still duck the tax.

The Suns remain Butler’s preferred destination, according to the authors, but that possibility looks increasingly remote as no teams want to take on Bradley Beal‘s contract and Beal appears unlikely to waive his no-trade clause. That leaves the Pelicans with the Warriors, Bucks and Grizzlies as teams that have been publicly linked to Butler. They all have the resources to complete a deal, but Fischer and Stein note that none of them have gone all-in with their efforts to acquire the disgruntled forward.

Stein reported earlier this week that the Raptors have expressed interest in Ingram, marking the first movement on that front in several months. The Pelicans also had preliminary discussions with the Hawks about Ingram, but sources told Stein that they “have not gained significant traction.”

Scotto’s Latest: Bogdanovic, Hawks, K. Johnson, Ingram, Pistons

January 31st, 2025 at 8:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Rival teams are watching the Hawks ahead of next week’s trade deadline to see which players they’re willing to part with in the wake of a season-ending injury to Jalen Johnson, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. League sources tell Scotto there’s a “growing sense” that Bogdan Bogdanovic could be on the market, echoing a report from Marc Stein earlier this week.

Scotto hears that the Suns, Heat and others could have interest in working out a deal for Bogdanovic. Phoenix is reportedly hoping to combine one of its newly acquired first-round picks with Jusuf Nurkic to acquire either a starter or a “high-level” rotation player, and Scotto’s sources say the team considers Bogdanovic to fit that description. He adds that a deal involving Bogdanovic for Nurkic and a pick has been discussed as part of a “larger potential construct.”

Injuries have limited Bogdanovic to 24 games this season, and he is currently away from the team for personal reasons. At 32, he’s not a good fit with Atlanta’s young core, especially if the Hawks are focused on the future rather than a postseason appearance following Johnson’s injury.

Bogdanovic is having an uncharacteristically bad shooting season, connecting at just 37.1% from the field and 30.1% from three-point range, but Scotto states that several teams believe a change of scenery could help. He’s a career 38% shooter from long distance and is under contract for one more season at $16MM, with a $16MM player option for 2026/27.

Scotto offers a few more trade rumors:

Several teams have reached out to the Hawks about veteran center Clint Capela, sources tell Scotto. However, many of those offers involve players whose contracts extend beyond this season, while Capela’s deal is expiring. Atlanta has also received interest in De’Andre Hunter, Scotto adds.
Keldon Johnson could be part of the package if the Spurs work out a multi-team deal to acquire De’Aaron Fox from the Kings, according to Scotto’s sources. Johnson, who averaged 22 PPG two years ago, is appealing because his $19MM salary declines to $17.5MM in each of the next two seasons. Scotto adds that San Antonio checked on the price of Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram earlier this season, but it was nothing more than “exploratory interest.”
The Pistons are willing to use their $14MM in cap space to help facilitate trades, but they want a first-round pick in return, Scotto notes, adding that several teams looking to unload salaries to escape the luxury tax or the second apron have made calls to Detroit.