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Wizards Trade Daniel Gafford To Mavericks

February 8th, 2024 at 7:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

7:12pm: The trade sending Gafford to the Mavericks in exchange for Holmes and a 2024 first-round pick is official, the Wizards announced in a press release.

Washington will be receiving the second-least favorable of the Thunder’s, Clippers’, Rockets’ (top-four protected), and Jazz’s (top-10 protected) 2024 first-rounders.

12:11pm: The Mavericks will be acquiring the Thunder’s second-least favorable 2024 first-round pick in order to reroute it to the Wizards, reports Stein (Twitter link). Details on that separate deal can be found right here.

10:25am: The Mavericks are nearing a deal to acquire Daniel Gafford from the Wizards in exchange for Richaun Holmes and draft picks, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Dallas has been in the market for another big man and lands a reliable rim protector in Gafford, who has been Washington’s starting center for the better part of the last three seasons. The 25-year-old is posting career highs across the board with 10.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steals and 2.2 blocks through 45 games.

Gafford is under contract on a team-friendly deal at $12.4MM this season, $13.4MM next season and $14.4MM for 2025/26. He will fortify the Mavericks’ front court and will likely split time at center with rookie Dereck Lively II.

Holmes, 30, was acquired from the Kings last offseason but never established himself as part of the Mavs’ rotation. He appeared in 23 games, starting two, and averaged 3.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per night. He’s making $12MM this year and holds a $12.9MM player option for next season.

The Mavericks are trying to acquire draft assets from other teams so they can send them to Washington to complete the trade, sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link). Stein adds that Dallas is close to a deal with the Thunder for draft compensation that will be relayed to the Wizards (Twitter link).

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No Deadline Deals Involving Lakers, Cavs, Hawks, Bulls, Others

February 8th, 2024 at 4:14pm CST by Rory Maher

While we certainly saw a flurry of activity prior to today’s trade deadline, seven teams didn’t make any moves at all over the past week, observes Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). That group features the Lakers, Cavaliers, Hawks, Bulls, Magic, Heat, and Pelicans.

Miami and New Orleans made previous trades this season, but the other five teams did not.

According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN and Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter links), the Lakers were actively involved in trade talks, but decided any deal would have been a “marginal upgrade” with a prohibitive cost. L.A. plans to be “aggressive” in the buyout market, however, and will have up to three first-round picks to trade this summer, versus the one it had available during the season.

As Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times writes, Dejounte Murray and Alex Caruso were among the players the Lakers were interested in, but they decided the Hawks’ and Bulls’ asking prices were too steep.

The Cavs — the league’s hottest team — “believe strongly” in the roster they’ve constructed, and they also have a pair of standard roster spots open to peruse the buyout market, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link).

The Hawks were reportedly aggressive in proposing trade concepts, yet decided to keep the roster they have, despite their mediocre 22-29 record. Murray was the player most prominently featured in rumors from Atlanta’s roster.

The 24-27 Bulls also decided to stand pat, with center Andre Drummond among the players they retained, confirms Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (via Twitter).

According to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel, the Magic’s front office “did its due diligence” in evaluating the market, but it likes the current roster and wanted to maintain continuity ahead of a potential postseason push. Orlando is currently 27-24.

The Raptors made a handful of trades this season, including two on Thursday, yet one player who many expected to be on the move remains on the roster. Toronto decided to hang onto Bruce Brown past the deadline, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The rebuilding Wizards were viewed as sellers ahead of the deadline, and they did trade Daniel Gafford to Dallas. But they also decided to keep veteran guards Tyus Jones and Delon Wright, two players featured in plenty of trade rumors, per Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link).

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Mavs Acquire 2024 First-Round Pick From Thunder For 2028 Swap

February 8th, 2024 at 2:30pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have acquired a 2024 first-round pick from the Thunder in exchange for a future draft pick swap, both teams announced today. Oklahoma City will have the ability to swap its own 2028 first-round selection for Dallas’ ’28 first-rounder.

The Mavs, in turn, will flip that newly acquired ’24 first-round pick to the Wizards in the Daniel Gafford/Richaun Holmes trade, as was previously reported.

The pick that will head to Washington by way of Dallas will be the second-least favorable of the Clippers’, Thunder’s, Rockets’, and Jazz’s 2024 first-rounders.

The Thunder projected to have multiple picks in the first round of the 2024 draft and were unlikely to use them all, so they’ll push one of those assets down the road, betting on their odds to place ahead of the Mavs in the standings in 2028 and take advantage of that swap.

Conversely, the 2024 first-round pick is more valuable to the Wizards than a 2028 swap would have been, since they’re in the rebuilding process and want to add young talent sooner rather than later.

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Stein’s Latest: Kuzma, Mavs, Sexton, B. Brown, Celtics

February 2nd, 2024 at 8:05am CST by Luke Adams

Following up on a report from The Athletic which cited Wizards sources who suggested that the team’s asking price for Kyle Kuzma may be “somewhat overblown,” Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack story that the Washington forward is a trade candidate worth keeping a close eye on in the final week leading up to the February 8 trade deadline.

According to Stein, while the Kings and Mavericks are the suitors most frequently linked to Kuzma, there will likely be other suitors due to his “offensive versatility and favorable contract.” Kuzma is owed more than $64MM for the three seasons beyond this one, but his cap hits decline over the life of the deal, so he’ll count for just $19.4MM toward team salary by 2026/27.

Stein confirms that the Mavericks have consistently conveyed interest in Kuzma and notes that he’s not the only Wizards player Dallas has had its eye on. The team has also made previous runs at center Daniel Gafford and forward Deni Avdija, per Stein.

Here are a few more items of interest from Stein’s latest round-up of trade rumors:

  • While Jordan Clarkson, Kelly Olynyk, and Talen Horton-Tucker continue to be described as potential trade candidates, Collin Sexton may not belong in that group, according to Stein, who hears from league sources that the Jazz guard is a longer shot to be dealt. Sexton is playing some of the best basketball of his career in the 27 games since he entered Utah’s starting lineup in mid-December, averaging 21.6 points and 5.5 assists in 27.4 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .506/.420/.879.
  • The Raptors haven’t lowered their asking price for Bruce Brown and continue to seek a first-round pick for the veteran guard, Stein says. It’s typically difficult to extract a first-rounder for a role player on an expiring contract, but Brown does have a $23MM team option for 2024/25, so if a potential suitor views him as a two-season investment, it’s possible Toronto gets the draft pick it’s seeking.
  • The Celtics continue to peruse the trade market for a frontcourt addition, but they’re only willing to move players on “the most nominal contracts,” Stein writes. Outside of Boston’s usual starting five, Al Horford and Payton Pritchard are the only players earning more than the veteran’s minimum, so it sounds like those seven players will likely be off-limits.
  • In case you missed it, we passed along some Nets-related tidbits from Stein on Thursday evening.
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Scotto’s Latest: Jones, Wright, Wizards, Hyland, Tucker, Hawks

January 31st, 2024 at 9:38am CST by Luke Adams

Kyle Kuzma, Tyus Jones, Daniel Gafford, Delon Wright, and Landry Shamet are among the Wizards who have generated exploratory trade interest so far this season, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

According to Scotto, the Wizards are seeking a first-round pick in exchange for Jones, and ideally one beyond 2024 that would have a chance to become a top-20 selection down the road. That would be a high price to pay for a player who is on an expiring contract and likely wouldn’t be a starter on a new team, so it will be interesting to see if Washington lowers its demands by next Thursday or plays hardball with potential trade partners.

While the Wizards have also reportedly set high asking prices for Kuzma and Gafford, who are under contract for multiple seasons beyond this one, Wright and Shamet – who aren’t owed guaranteed money beyond this year – appear more attainable. League sources tell Scotto that Wright is expected to generate offers consisting of second-round draft compensation.

The Wizards, who have plenty of room to operate below the luxury tax line, are also open to using their available traded player exceptions to accommodate salary dumps from teams willing to attach young players or draft picks, Scotto writes. As our tracker shows, Washington has six TPEs, including one worth over $12MM and another worth nearly $10MM.

Here are several more items of interest from Scotto’s latest rumor round-up:

  • The Wizards are expected to be “open-minded” and cast a wide net when they launch their search for a permanent head coach this spring, says Scotto, noting that the early expectations around the NBA is that the team will end up hiring a first-time coach for its rebuild.
  • The Clippers are gauging the value of Bones Hyland and P.J. Tucker on the trade market, league sources tell Scotto. If Tucker isn’t moved at the deadline, he’s not expected to discuss a buyout, Scotto adds. Most buyout candidates are on expiring contracts, whereas Tucker’s deal includes an $11.54MM player option for next season.
  • Some of the trade chatter surrounding Hawks guard Dejounte Murray has quieted down as of late, according to Scotto, who says Atlanta’s desire to acquire two first-round picks and to not take on salary beyond this season in a Murray trade has complicated negotiations so far.
  • Elsewhere on the Hawks front, rival executives and league sources who have spoken to Scotto believe that Atlanta wants to hang onto swingman Bogdan Bogdanovic through the trade deadline. Bogdanovic is averaging a career-best 17.1 points per game off the bench this season and is under team control for three more years beyond this one.
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Trade Rumors: Gafford, Grimes, Wizards, Raptors, Jazz, Bridges

January 26th, 2024 at 3:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards are among the teams with interest in Knicks wing Quentin Grimes, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, who also confirms that Washington center Daniel Gafford remains on New York’s radar. A report a couple weeks ago indicated that the Knicks had inquired on Gafford.

With Isaiah Hartenstein playing well in a starting role, Precious Achiuwa and Jericho Sims providing depth at the five, and Mitchell Robinson possibly on track to return before the season is over, the Knicks might already be set up front.

However, Robinson’s return this season isn’t a certainty and Hartenstein has missed the past two games with an injury of his own (left Achilles tendinopathy), so it sounds as if the Knicks haven’t ruled out the possibility of pursuing another frontcourt player. Still, if Hartenstein is back in the lineup within a week or so and feels good, I wouldn’t expect a center – especially one like Gafford, who wouldn’t be cheap – to be a focus at the deadline.

Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors from around the NBA:

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Trade Rumors: Brown, Grant, Brogdon, Jones, Gafford

January 21st, 2024 at 8:27pm CST by Rory Maher

The Raptors want a minimum of a first-round pick and a “quality player” in exchange for Bruce Brown, according to Marc Stein at Substack.

Toronto just acquired Brown from Indiana in the Pascal Siakam blockbuster, with the Knicks and Lakers among the teams said to be interested in the swingman’s services. Brown cashed in during free agency last summer, signing a two-year, $45MM deal with the Pacers after spending last season as the sixth man of the Nuggets, helping Denver win its first NBA Championship.

However, Brown’s contract could also expire in the offseason, as it features a $23MM team option. He cannot be aggregated with other salaries, but Toronto is free to flip him, and team president Masai Ujiri has said more deals could “definitely” occur before the February 8 deadline.

As Stein writes, due to Brown’s contract and two-way ability, a variety of teams will likely register interest in dealing for the 27-year-old. That has the Raptors optimistic about their chances of landing a valuable return.

For his part, Brown said he’s not requesting a trade and would be open to staying a Raptor.

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

  • The Trail Blazers have been repeatedly described by rivals as “resistant” to the idea of moving Jerami Grant, according to Stein, who is at least the fourth different reporter to say something along those lines. Grant, who re-signed with Portland on a five-year, $160MM deal in the offseason, was viewed as a potential trade candidate after Damian Lillard requested a trade and was eventually moved, but the Blazers front office reportedly likes having a productive veteran such as Grant to help guide a young roster.
  • Veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon, on the other hand, is viewed as “very likely” to be traded by the Trail Blazers, Stein reports. Stein has heard the Knicks are interested in Brogdon, who was acquired from Boston in the Jrue Holiday deal, though Ian Begley of SNY.tv recently suggested that the Knicks and Blazers haven’t engaged in talks about the veteran guard. Brogdon, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, is in the first season of a two-year, $45MM extension that pays him $22.5MM annually.
  • Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times confirms recent reporting that the Lakers are interested in Wizards point guard Tyus Jones. Woike also adds Jones’ teammate, center Daniel Gafford, to the list of potential Lakers targets. The Wizards are reportedly looking for first-round picks for both players.
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Mavericks Reportedly Interested In Kyle Kuzma

January 21st, 2024 at 7:12pm CST by Rory Maher

The Mavericks are among a group of teams with interest in Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack article.

Minority owner and head of basketball operations Mark Cuban confirmed during a recent radio appearance that the team would like to further fortify its frontcourt. Stein reported that was the case weeks ago.

“If we can get a big who can also create off the dribble, that’d be a plus,” Cuban said. “Six-eight or bigger.”

Kuzma, 28, is 6’9″ and averaging 21.9 PPG, 6.4 RPG and 4.2 APG in 41 games (31.2 MPG) this season for the Wizards. The Mavs were also linked to Pascal Siakam, another power forward who can drive and score in a variety of ways.

According to Stein, the Wizards want a minimum of two-first round picks for Kuzma, and they seem to want higher value picks than the ones the Raptors received from Indiana for Siakam (two of the picks were in 2024, which is considered a weak draft; the other is top-four protected in 2026).

Stein also suggests Washington wants at least a first-round pick for each of Tyus Jones and Daniel Gafford, two other starters who — along with Kuzma — are “drawing no shortage of interest” ahead of the trade deadline, which is February 8. Like Kuzma, center Gafford is on a long-term contract, while point guard Jones is on an expiring $14MM deal.

While Siakam is certainly a more accomplished player than Kuzma, he’ll also be looking to sign a massive long-term contract this summer, whereas Kuzma is on a four-year, $90MM deal that descends over time, meaning he could be making a fraction of Siakam’s salary in a few seasons. As Stein writes, salary considerations are important for teams like the Mavs (Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving) and Kings (Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox) — another team with interest in Kuzma — that already have two players making the max or near it.

However, as Stein observes, the Mavs can only trade one first-round pick (2027) at the moment due to the Stepien rule, and the Wizards have remained steadfast in their months-long desire to accumulate first-rounders after failing to garner any when they had very little leverage in the trades of Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis. That was the case months ago when Dallas checked in on Gafford and Deni Avdija and nothing has changed since, Stein adds.

For what it’s worth, Avdija would also fit the bill as a forward who can make plays, but the poison pill provision would make it trickier to trade him and he’s having his best professional season at 23 years old.

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Southeast Notes: Trae, Gafford, Wizards, Howard, Haslem

January 21st, 2024 at 12:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Hawks guard Trae Young has been diagnosed with a concussion and placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol, the team announced today (Twitter links).

Young suffered the injury in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s loss to Cleveland when he was defending an Isaac Okoro drive to the basket and drew an offensive foul (video link via NBA.com). The Hawks’ leading scorer left the game after taking a shot to the head on that play and didn’t return.

As the Hawks noted in today’s announcement, Young will have to pass all the checkpoints in the return-to-participation process before being cleared to play again. The timeline varies from player to player, but it often requires a multi-game absence.

That was the case for Wizards center Daniel Gafford, who missed two games this week while in the concussion protocol but isn’t listed on the injury report for Sunday’s game vs. Denver, suggesting he’s set to return, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

  • The Wizards, who have a 7-34 record at the season’s midpoint, didn’t expect to be quite this bad on the court, but they still see some positive signs in the early stages of their rebuild, writes Ava Wallace of The Washington Post. The team’s strong locker room chemistry, for instance, has been encouraging. “Even though we’re not having a great season and [there are] people struggling and we’re still trying to get in rhythm, I feel like everybody’s still so supportive and happy, and we’re there for each other,” forward Deni Avdija said.
  • Although he has played just 39 minutes as a rookie so far after being drafted 11th overall, Magic guard Jett Howard is staying positive and views his stints in the G League as productive, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. “I’ve pretty much benefited a lot from Osceola and the playing time I got down there,” said Howard, who has averaged 22.4 points per game on .473/.402/.818 shooting in 12 appearances for Orlando’s NBAGL affiliate, the Osceola Magic. “It’s been great for my development so far. I’ve been loving the process and just falling in love with it at this point.”
  • Following his retirement as a player, Udonis Haslem is working with the Heat as the team’s VP of player development. However, he hasn’t given up on his goal of becoming a shareholder in the franchise’s ownership group. As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel details, Haslem has floated the idea of partnering with Rick Ross, a rapper and record executive with roots in Miami, to buy a stake in the Heat.
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Southeast Notes: Gafford, Bagley, Murray, Wagner, Okeke

January 19th, 2024 at 7:56am CST by Luke Adams

Wizards starting center Daniel Gafford entered the NBA’s concussion protocol this week following a head-on-head collision with Isaiah Stewart on Monday and was unavailable for Thursday’s contest vs. New York, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic.

Having traded Mike Muscala and Danilo Gallinari to Detroit, the Wizards had limited options up front with Gafford out. As Alex Schiffer of The Washington Post observes, head coach Wes Unseld Jr. could have opted to go small by starting Bilal Coulibaly or Patrick Baldwin, who had played well as of late, writes Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network.

Instead, newly acquired big man Marvin Bagley III was immediately thrust into the starting lineup at the five and played a team-high 39 minutes in a competitive loss to the Knicks. Bagley impressed in his Wizards debut, racking up 20 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks. He was also a plus-two in a game that Washington lost by four points.

“That’s a heck of a start for him,” Unseld said, per Schiffer. “Played a well-balanced game, offense and defensively. Even things that happened on the fly I thought the group in general helped talk him through situations to keep him organized. That’s growth for us.”

The other player the Wizards acquired from the Pistons, Isaiah Livers, didn’t see the court in his first game with his new team. Livers will have to work his way into the rotation, according to Unseld, who said he expects opportunities to come for the third-year wing.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

  • Within a look at the team’s potential approach to the trade deadline, Ken Sugiura of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution talks to an NBA scout who says the Hawks will likely have to accept the idea of getting less for Dejounte Murray than what they gave up for him in 2022. “The Trae (Young) and Dejounte backcourt has not worked,” the scout said. “And I don’t think they’re going to get what they gave up for him, which puts them in a tough spot. They have to swallow their pride a little bit and take a loss, I think, to move forward.”
  • Zach Kram of The Ringer takes a closer look at Murray’s trade value, noting that various defensive metrics all suggest that the Hawks guard has taken a noticeable step back on that end of the court within the past year or two.
  • Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said he expects forward Franz Wagner (right ankle sprain) to be back “sooner than later,” adding that Wagner should resume full-contact work “pretty soon” (Twitter links via Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel). Wagner will miss his eighth consecutive game on Friday vs. Philadelphia.
  • Fourth-year Magic forward Chuma Okeke has been out of the rotation for much of the season, but he has started the past seven games with Wagner and wing Gary Harris sidelined. As Beede writes for The Orlando Sentinel, Okeke has earned praise from his teammates for how he’s adjusted to the increase in his playing time and especially for his performance on defense. “It’s not easy going from not playing to playing and then guarding most of the better players on the court, especially one-on-one,” Caleb Houstan said.
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