Brook Lopez

Woj: Butler Trade To The Celtics Still Possible

A potential trade sending Jimmy Butler from the Bulls to the Celtics will loom over deadline week, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link).

In a video interview, Wojnarowski says the teams have discussed a deal involving Butler, but talks haven’t progressed very far. He adds that Chicago officials have to to fully commit to the rebuilding process before they would be willing to give up Butler.

Wojnarowski says the trade would involve one of the Nets’ first-rounders — but probably not both — that Boston owns in the next two drafts. If the Bulls get this year’s pick, Wojnarowski states they can find a replacement for Derrick Rose, who was traded to the Knicks last summer. Washington’s Markelle Fultz and UCLA’s Lonzo Ball are point guards mentioned as likely choices at the top of the draft.

Teaming Butler with Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford would give the Celtics enough firepower to challenge Cleveland for supremacy in the East, Wojnarowski states, not just this season but for years to come.

Other highlights from the interview:

  • The Clippers and Thunder are both potential landing spots for Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler. However, both teams are low on draft picks and may not have the assets that Denver would want in return.
  • The Thunder were trying to acquire Kings forward Rudy Gay before a season-ending Achilles injury.
  • The Wizards would like to add another wing player to their bench, with the LakersLou Williams and the NetsBojan Bogdanovic as possibilities. Wojnarowski says Washington is willing to part with a draft pick to get veteran help.
  • The Suns have been shopping P.J. Tucker, Tyson Chandler and Brandon Knight, hoping to get picks or young players in return.
  • Chandler is one of several centers on the market, along with the SixersJahlil Okafor, the MavericksAndrew Bogut, the BucksGreg Monroe and the NetsBrook Lopez. However, there is limited interest in back-to-the basket centers. Wojnarowski speculates that one or two of them may be traded this week, but cautions that there aren’t enough buyers for all of them to be moved.
  • Unless something changes, Carmelo Anthony will remain with the Knicks. New York management hasn’t presented him with any deals that would tempt him to waive his no-trade clause. Most of the teams that were interested in dealing for Anthony are now “looking in other directions,” but Wojnarowski thinks the Clippers might revisit their attempt to land Anthony this summer.

Details On Pelicans’ Brook Lopez Trade Talks

Reports last week indicated that the Pelicans were scouring the market for a center, dangling their 2018 first-round pick in trade talks. At the time, Brook Lopez was identified as one potential target for New Orleans, and now, Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders has some specific details on the sort of package the Pelicans and Nets were discussing.

According to Scotto, the two teams have talked about a trade that would send Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, Tim Frazier, and a 2018 protected first-round pick to Brooklyn in exchange for Lopez.

Such a trade package would likely pique the Nets’ interest, since it includes two young guards on reasonable deals, a sizable expiring contract (Evans’), and a future first-round pick to replace the Nets’ own 2018 selection.

Still, the Nets have long been said to be seeking multiple first-round picks in any Lopez deal, and ESPN’s Marc Stein reported on Sunday that the team’s asking price hadn’t changed. The Pelicans’ proposal includes just one first-rounder, and depending on how heavily it’s protected, it’s possible it wouldn’t be a lottery selection.

While the Nets are willing to discuss deals involving Lopez, multiple reports have downplayed the team’s interest in making a deal during the season. The veteran center remains under contract through 2017/18, so Brooklyn appears willing to revisit trade discussions during the offseason if the team doesn’t receive an offer it likes this month.

The Pelicans, meanwhile, are believed to be engaged in talks with the Sixers involving Jahlil Okafor. New Orleans probably has a few more irons in the fire around the NBA as well, as the team looks for a big man to pair with Anthony Davis in the frontcourt.

Stein’s Latest: Ibaka, Gallinari, Lopez, Millsap

There’s a growing sense around the league that Serge Ibaka could be dealt before the trade deadline, Marc Stein of ESPN.com writes. Orlando traded for Ibaka during the offseason with the thought that he could be a long-term fixture with the team. However, the Magic now feel retaining the big man in free agency could be harder to accomplish than they initially expected.

A source told Stein that the belief around the league is that Orlando will take the best offer for Ibaka at the deadline. The Magic are fielding calls from several teams and Toronto and Miami are among the Eastern Conference teams to express interest in Ibaka this month, sources tell Stein.

Here’s more from Stein’s latest piece:

  • There is growing belief that the Nuggets are prepared to move Danilo Gallinari, as the team believes he will turn down the player option in his contract and become a free agent this offseason. Stein adds that Denver doesn’t plan on breaking the bank for the small forward and notes that the Raptors and Clippers are among the teams monitoring the situation.
  • The Nets continue to demand two first-round picks in exchange for Brook Lopez, Stein writes.
  • The Hawks remain adamant that Paul Millsap will not be traded. The team is willing to stick it out with Millsap this season even if it means losing him for nothing come summertime.

And-Ones: Christmas, Calderon, Fultz, Parker, Dolan

A right Achilles tendon rupture has brought an end to Dionte Christmas‘ season, Jonathan Tannenwald of Philly.com reports. It’s an unfortunate development for the 30-year-old, as Christmas had averaged 14.9 points with 3.2 assists in 31 games with the Delaware 87ers. Delaware’s GM, Brandon Williams, lauded Christmas’ efforts in a team statement:

“[Christmas] has been a consummate professional, positive influence on the development of our young roster, and vital to our energy and drive. We will certainly miss his leadership on the court, but are inspired by his confidence as he attacks the next steps on the road to recovery.”

Other stories from around the league-

  • Bobby Marks of The Vertical profiled the Lakers, Nets, and Heat in his trade deadline series; three teams “in the rebuilding process that have limited assets.” Marks cites Jose Calderon as a buyout candidate for GM Mitch Kupchak; Calderon has previously been reported as a target for the Cavs. Trevor Booker and Brook Lopez, who are each under contract for the 2017/18 season, would provide “good value” for contending teams. While Miami’s front office have made deals in three straight trade deadlines, the Heat may be quiet come February 23. Miami has “depleted draft assets,” and appear unlikely to trade Goran Dragic or Hassan Whiteside.
  • The Vertical’s writing staff released their 2017 NBA Mock Draft, with Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Jackson going to the Celtics, Suns, and Lakers, respectively. The Vertical has Malik Monk of Kentucky falling to the Knicks at #10, calling him a good fit “under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.”
  • Zach LaVine and Jabari Parker‘s ACL injuries will create “tricky” rookie extension negotiations, Kevin Pelton of ESPN writes. While Parker’s value has been better established than LaVine’s entering contract discussions, Milwaukee GM John Hammond could limit risk by adding “guarantees based on games played” in Parker’s next contract.
  • James Dolan and Knicks management were subject to a scathing write-up from Michael Powell of the New York Times, who criticized Dolan’s lack of accountability in their confrontation. Phil Jackson, too, was targeted by Powell: “He [Jackson] fires off obscure Twitter posts poking Anthony in one rib or another, suggesting his skills are eroding and his hoop IQ low.”

New York Notes: Lopez, Nets, Knicks, Jackson

Brook Lopez is no stranger to trade rumors, and joked this week that he “wouldn’t be comfortable” without the constant speculation, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes. Reiterating his desire to remain with the Nets, Lopez said that he’ll be happy as long as the team keeps him in the loop.

“I realize there’s a possibility of both things (staying with the Nets or being traded). I’ve said what I’d prefer,” Lopez said. “They’re going to make their decision, but I would hope that I’d be informed, and I have the confidence they would inform me if they were thinking [of doing] something or something was going down.”

Here’s more on New York’s two teams:

  • The Nets have reached an agreement with enterprise software company Infor to display their patch on Brooklyn’s jerseys, according to Bloomberg’s Scott Soshnick. Soshnick hears from a source that the Nets will receive $8MM annually from Infor under the NBA’s three-year pilot program for jersey sponsorship. The company will also provide the franchise with “data analytics and technology to support the team’s business operations, fan experience initiatives and player performance,” per Soshnick.
  • Asked about the possibility of Knicks management blowing up the roster and focusing on the future, Courtney Lee admits that he couldn’t blame the front office for considering that route. “But I’m still confident in the group, man,” Lee added, per Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post interprets Phil Jackson‘s Tuesday subtweet to Carmelo Anthony as a sign that the Knicks president wants out of New York.
  • With the Clippers in town to face the Knicks, New York will be closely monitoring Austin Rivers, who could be part of an Anthony deal with L.A. Marc Berman of The New York Post has the story.

Pelicans Seeking Center, Dangling 2018 Pick

The Pelicans were at the center of an interesting trade rumor on Monday night, having been linked to the Sixers in a possible Jahlil Okafor deal. However, those Okafor discussions weren’t the only talks New Orleans has engaged in recently, as Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports. According to Wojnarowski (all Twitter links), the Pelicans have been active on various fronts in their efforts to add a center, dangling multiple assets, including their 2018 first-round pick.

In addition to the Okafor discussions, New Orleans’ search for a center has resulted in a pursuit of Nets big man Brook Lopez, according to Wojnarowski, who reports that the Pelicans have been exploring larger deals in the hopes of unloading Omer Asik and Alexis Ajinca. Asik and Ajinca, who will earn a combined $15.56MM next season, are under contract for multiple years and aren’t a part of the team’s rotation.

The Pelicans still own their 2017 first-round pick, but the team is reluctant to move that selection. This year’s draft class is expected to be one of the deepest and most talented in the last decade, and New Orleans is on track to have a lottery pick — our reverse standings show that the Pelicans are currently tied with the Kings for the NBA’s seventh-worst record.

While the Sixers are said to have some interest in a deal with the Pelicans, it’s not clear if a reported offer of Ajinca and New Orleans’ 2018 first-rounder will be enough for Philadelphia. Sam Amick of USA Today tweets that the protection on the 2018 pick is a sticking point for the Sixers, who may be looking for more value anyway. Meanwhile, various reports have suggested that Philadelphia would like to find a way to include Jrue Holiday in any deal.

As for the Nets and Lopez, multiple outlets have reported in recent weeks that Brooklyn wants to secure two first-round picks in any deal for its standout center. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders wrote this morning that Brooklyn is seeking a 2017 lottery pick – plus an additional first-rounder – in any package for Lopez, so the Nets would presumably be interested if the Pelicans wanted to discuss this year’s pick.

I’d be surprised if New Orleans is willing to meet the Nets’ asking price, and it remains to be seen what sort of deal the Sixers would accept. Still, the Pelicans are actively scouring the trade market, and appear to be a good bet to make a deal in the coming weeks.

Kyler’s Latest: Cavs, Sixers, Lopez, Kings, Magic

The Cavaliers have been “aggressively” exploring ways to clear the contract of Chris Andersen from their books, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Andersen, who is out for the season with a torn ACL, is on a minimum salary deal, but moving him would allow Cleveland to open up a roster spot and create additional savings on the team’s projected tax bill.

Although the Cavaliers have been mentioned in some intriguing trade rumors involving star players like Carmelo Anthony, Cleveland is more focused on bolstering its bench. According to Kyler, the Cavs are prioritizing adding a point guard and a big man for depth purposes.

Here are a few more items of interest from around the NBA, via Kyler’s report:

  • On Monday night, several reports indicated that the Sixers and Pelicans were discussing a possible swap of Jahlil Okafor for Alexis Ajinca and a 2018 first-round pick. However, a source tells Kyler that Philadelphia may not be on board with that specific framework, preferring to put Jrue Holiday in the deal rather than the future first-rounder. The two teams continue to talk, but both sides are exploring other options as well, writes Kyler.
  • We’ve heard in the past that the Nets are seeking two first-round picks in any Brook Lopez deal. Kyler says that the team is specifically seeking a lottery pick in 2017, plus an additional future first-rounder. It seems unlikely that any team will meet that asking price, but Brooklyn appears content to wait until at least the offseason to get serious about moving Lopez.
  • There’s a “growing sense” that the Kings might move Darren Collison, as well as Kosta Koufos, by the trade deadline, per Kyler.
  • Kyler identifies Nikola Vucevic, Serge Ibaka, Jeff Green, and C.J. Watson as Magic players that may be on the move this month, though he notes that Orlando’s asking prices remain high. Kyler’s sources suggest that Toronto would be a favorable long-term situation for Ibaka, but there’s no indication that the big man would be willing to sign with the Raptors long-term, or that the Raps would give up “meaningful assets” for Ibaka.

Sixers, Pelicans Discussing Jahlil Okafor Trade

8:49 PM: League sources tell Jon Johnson of WIP (Twitter link) that the Sixers and Pelicans are searching for a third team to get involved in an Okafor deal.

4:50 PM: Keith Smith of RealGM reiterated a previous report that a trade won’t be completed today, as the two teams missed a 5 PM EST cutoff. What’s more, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today notes that the Sixers are in no rush to trade Okafor, as multiple teams around the league are interested in him.

4:21 PM: While the trade has not been completed, its structure appears to be Alexis Ajinca and a future first round draft pick for Jahlil Okafor, according to Marc Stein of ESPN. Keith Smith of RealGM adds that the deal likely won’t be completed today, as the Sixers want to re-engage on bringing Jrue Holiday back to Philadelphia. David Aldridge of NBA.com provided a sobering view of trade talks, noting that the deal is “not imminent.”

3:39 PM: The Sixers and Pelicans are “in talks” about a Jahlil Okafor trade, according to Sam Amick of USA Today. Philadelphia would push for a first round pick from New Orleans, Amick adds. The report has been corroborated by Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.

Marc J. Spears of ESPN shed further light on the potential deal, noting that Alexis Ajinca and a future first round pick could be sent to Philadelphia. Draft pick compensation could be a factor holding up negotiations, according to Keith Smith of RealGM; if the Pelicans give up a protected first round pick, they’d reportedly expect Philadelphia to take on Ajinca or Omer Asik‘s contract. Jahlil Okafor could fit the mold of an “offensive-minded big man” to use alongside Anthony DavisMarc Stein of ESPN notes.

Unloading Asik’s contract has been a priority for the Pelicans, Wojnarowski reports. The Sixers are hesitant to take on Asik, who is in the second year of a five-year, $57,977,525 deal. Interestingly, Wojnarowski reports the Pelicans have discussed Brook Lopez in their pursuit of a center.

In Amick’s full report for USA Today, Okafor’s “marginalized” role is noted to have been a motivating factor for GM Bryan Colangelo, who has engaged with eight teams on the former No. 3 overall pick.

Nets GM: Lin’s Setback Won’t Alter Plans

GM Sean Marks said Jeremy Lin‘s latest setback won’t change the Nets‘ future plans nor will it increase the chances that the team deals Brook Lopez before the deadline, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. Lin will miss an additional three-to-five weeks after re-aggravating his strained hamstring during a rehab assignment.

The point guard signed a three-year, $36MM deal with Brooklyn during the offseason, but he’s only been able to play in 12 games because of his hamstring troubles. He’s averaging 13.9 points and 5.8 assists in 25.0 minutes per game this season.

Lopez has been the subject of trade rumors for practically his entire tenure in Brooklyn. The Nets would obviously like to evaluate how Lopez and Lin – the team’s two highest-paid players – coexist on the floor, but Lin’s injury has made that difficult to accomplish. The Lopez-Lin pairing has played only 179 minutes together this season and the team has been outscored by 14 points while the duo was on the court.

Lopez has one more year remaining on his deal after this season and the Nets are reportedly looking for at least two first-round picks in exchange for the big man. The Stanford product is averaging 20.5 points and a career-high 2.7 assists per game while shooting 47.0% on the season.

Atlantic Notes: Okafor, Lowry, Lopez

Much has changed over the course of the first two and a half months of the season, writes John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Sixers are now faced with different circumstances than what they began the year with. Part-way through January, it appears as though Jahlil Okafor — and not Nerlens Noel — is the most likely to be traded.

Okafor, Smallwood writes, is an impressive big man and goes on to cite the 21-year-old’s All-Rookie team performance last year as one of the reasons why. Even in some recent performances, the center has shown that he’s a solid young player, perhaps capable of averaging 20 and 10 eventually. The emergence of Embiid as a reliable option at the five for the Sixers, has rendered Okafor’s services less necessary than they would be otherwise.

In order to take advantage of Okafor’s value, the Sixers should look to trade the big man in order to reconfigure the balance of their roster and Smallwood gives several examples of players that could theoretically come back to Philadelphia in a trade. Smallwood offers Jaylen Brown, Jordan Clarkson and Doug McDermott as three perimeters threats that could potentially be had in exchange for Okafor.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • It’s too early to think about free agency, Kyle Lowry tells ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk, but for whatever it’s worth, the guard considers Toronto “home”. Currently under contract for $12MM with a player option for $12MM in 2017/18, Lowry could net a significant pay raise over the summer if he opts out. “When the time comes, then I will worry about [free agency],” says Lowry. “[The Raptors] will definitely will be an option.
  • The Nets have a decision on Brook Lopez to make prior to the trade deadline, but an injury to Jeremy Lin has made things more complicated, writes Seth Berkman of the New York Times. The franchise would ideally like to see how Lopez and Lin fare together before making a significant change but the tandem has been limited to just a handful of games healthy at the same time.
  • Desperate for a positive development, the Knicks have considered playing Kristaps Porzingis at the five, writes Ian Begley of ESPN. “Sometimes it’s a chance you have to take, but we continue to look over that,” head coach Jeff Hornacek said. “We just need to mix it up maybe a little more.” Moving Porzingis to the center position would push Joakim Noah to the bench.
  • We discussed the meeting between Phil Jackson and Carmelo Anthony earlier, but it’s worth adding here that Jackson specifically told the veteran forward he did not subscribe to the criticisms in the now infamous Charley Rosen article, says Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.