Day’Ron Sharpe Rumors

Nets Rule Out Noah Clowney For Rest Of Season

April 2nd, 2025 at 1:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Noah Clowney‘s second NBA season has come to an early end, according to Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez, who said on Wednesday that the big man is in a walking boot as he recovers from a right ankle sprain and won’t play again this spring (Twitter link via C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News).

It was an injury-plagued year for Clowney, who had two extended absences earlier in the season due to left ankle sprains. He made a total of 46 appearances (20 starts) and averaged 9.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 22.7 minutes per game.

Clowney showed some promise during the final few weeks of his rookie season, but struggled to carry it over on a consistent basis in his second year. The 20-year-old made just 41.4% of his two-point shots and 33.3% of his three-point tries in 2024/25 for an overall shooting percentage of 35.8%.

Clowney will be entering the third year of his rookie scale contract, which will pay him $3.4MM in 2025/26. Brooklyn will have to decide by the end of October whether or not to exercise his $5.4MM team option for the ’26/27 season.

As Holmes relays, the Nets also provided two more injury updates on Wednesday, indicating that Cameron Johnson (lower back contusion) will miss a second consecutive game on Thursday, while Day’Ron Sharpe (right knee sprain) will soon be reevaluated. Sharpe has been inactive for the club’s last four games.

Nets Notes: Tsai, Johnson, Thomas, Free Agency, Sharpe

March 25th, 2025 at 9:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

While his team is in tank mode this season, Nets owner Joe Tsai says his commitment to winning hasn’t wavered, NetsDaily.com relays.

“For a sports owner, the return season after season is winning. Every season, you’re trying to win the championship, so you want to win games, right?” Tsai said at a CNBC conference in Singapore (hat tip to Sports Illustrated’s Wilko Martinez Cachero). “You’re not looking at the income statement of the team from season-to-season, so I guess the final payoff for me is less financial — even though the financial aspects are important, I have to make sure that the bottom line investment can make sense — but at the end of the day, it’s through the love of sports. I have a passion for sports. That’s why I invested in these teams.”

Tsai holds a 3% interest in the Miami Dolphins, but he’s not looking to become a majority owner in the NFL until he delivers in Brooklyn, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post.

“No, I still don’t feel like I’m an NFL owner,” Tsai said. “I’ve got to take care of the Brooklyn Nets first, which means you need to win first in the sport that you’re already involved in. So you’ve got to take care of business here.”

We have more on the Nets:

Cameron Johnson was considered a prime trade candidate before February’s deadline. He remained on the roster and feels responsible for making his younger teammates better, he told Lewis. “It’s not like I’m out there barking at them every day about this, about that. But anytime I can help them, or seen something that I’ve been through that I see they’re going through, I try to help,” Johnson said. “And [we have] a good group of guys willing to listen, willing to compete. Maybe our record isn’t what we want it to be, but we’re in a lot of these games because we compete at a high level, we play hard. And that’s a starting point.”
The trade rumors regarding Johnson could crop up again in the offseason and the Nets have numerous other decisions to make with the current roster, Lewis writes in a subscriber-only article for The Post. Cam Thomas, who won’t play again this season due to a hamstring injury, is due to become a restricted free agent if the team extends a qualifying offer. Day’Ron Sharpe and Ziaire Williams are also eligible for restricted free agency, while Maxwell Lewis has a partially guaranteed deal and Trendon Watford will be an unrestricted free agent.
Sharpe won’t play against Toronto on Wednesday due to a right knee sprain, Collin Helwig of NetsDaily.com tweets. Johnson will also sit out as the coaching staff will rest him.

Nets Notes: Thomas, Sharpe, D-Lo, Clowney, Williams, Draft Picks

March 1st, 2025 at 2:55pm CST by Luke Adams

After missing nearly two months due to a left hamstring strain, the Nets‘ leading scorer, Cam Thomas, returned to action on Friday and had what he called a “decent first game back,” scoring 16 points in 21 minutes, Brian Lewis writes for The New York Post.

“Obviously, missed some shots I normally make when I’m in rhythm and playing, but it’s just the nature of being on for a while and coming back and playing first game,” said Thomas, who was 7-of-17 from the floor in the 19-point loss to Portland. “So shots, not really worried about that; that’s going to come. But it feels good to finally finish a game and have no pain. So that’s the main thing I’m pleased with. So just got to keep building and keep going.”

Thomas will be held out of the second game of Brooklyn’s back-to-back on Saturday in Detroit due to hamstring injury management, tweets Lewis. Trendon Watford, who missed time earlier this season with a hamstring injury of his own, will be inactive with the same designation.

Here’s more on the Nets:

Day’Ron Sharpe, who will be eligible for restricted free agency at season’s end, returned to the second unit on Friday but was excellent in his first start of the season on Wednesday, racking up 25 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks vs. Oklahoma City. He was a +20 in 31 minutes in a game Brooklyn lost by eight points. “I’m just a beast on them boards. I don’t really think nobody can mess with me in the paint when it comes to that,” Sharpe said, according to Lewis. “Like I tell y’all every time, no matter how big, no matter how tall, its just what I do. You know what I’m saying? You’re gonna have to send three people to box me out. But I just play hard.”
D’Angelo Russell (right ankle sprain) and Noah Clowney (left ankle sprain) will remain on the shelf for Saturday’s game, which will be Russell’s fifth straight absence and a 13th consecutive missed game for Clowney. However, head coach Jordi Fernandez says both players are doing “great” and should resume practicing soon, Lewis writes for The Post. “We’ll probably talk about having them on the court at some point next week,” Fernandez said. “They’re progressing well, they’re around the group and they’ve been [helpful]. They’re great energy when we have them around. We need their presence. It’s good, because it seems like if everything goes well next week we’ll see where they’re at, and just try to keep working on that and have them get some contact and have them back on the court.”
Ziaire Williams, who had averaged 29.2 minutes per night in Brooklyn’s last 11 games entering Friday, played just 10:28 against Portland and wasn’t sure why, according to Lewis. Asked after the game if Fernandez, who has been encouraging Williams to shoot more three-pointers, pulled him early due to his unwillingness to pull the trigger more often, Williams replied, “Y’all know better than me, man. I got no idea.”
No team has more tradable first-round picks than the Nets, as RealGM details. Net Income of NetsDaily takes a closer look at what that means for the organization.

Josh Giddey Is Only 2025 RFA To Meet Starter Criteria So Far

February 25th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

When a player on an expiring contract is eligible for restricted free agency, his qualifying offer is determined in part by whether or not he met the “starter criteria” during the season – or two seasons – leading up to his free agency. As we explain in our glossary entry, a player meets the starter criteria when he achieves one of the following:

He plays at least 2,000 minutes or starts 41 games in the season before he reaches free agency.
He averages either 2,000 minutes or 41 starts in the two seasons prior to his restricted free agency.

If a top-14 pick coming to the end of his rookie contract fails to meet the starter criteria, the value of his qualifying offer declines. Conversely a player who was drafted at No. 10 or later or who went undrafted altogether can increase the value of his qualifying offer by meeting the starter criteria.

In many cases, an increase or decrease to a qualifying offer won’t materially affect the player’s restricted free agency, since a QO is just a one-year contract offer issued in order for the team to retain its right of first refusal. The player has the option of accepting it, but in most cases it functions as a placeholder until the RFA signs an offer sheet with a rival team or negotiates a new multiyear contract with his current team.

Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, for example, will likely sign a lucrative long-term deal when he reaches free agency this summer, so it won’t matter all that much if he falls short of the starter criteria and his QO drops from the standard amount of $10,240,287 to $7,976,830.

But for a player who is less likely to secure a significant payday but still a good bet to receive a qualifying offer, a difference of a few million dollars between potential QOs could have a major impact on how his free agency plays out. That difference may affect how willing a team is to put the qualifying offer on the table and how likely the player is to simply accept it.

With all that in mind, it’s worth checking in on which potential 2025 restricted free agents have actually met the starter criteria so far this season and which ones are on track to do so. The first list is a short one: Bulls guard Josh Giddey is the only player to meet the starter criteria so far.

Giddey had a huge head-start because he made 80 starts for Oklahoma City in 2023/24, meaning he just needed to make two starts this season in order to achieve an average of 41 for the past two seasons. He made his second start for the Bulls way back on October 25, which means his qualifying offer this summer will be $11,142,057 instead of dropping to $7,976,830.

None of the 10 other potential restricted free agents have met the starter criteria though. Of those players, the following three were lottery picks, with their default qualifying offers noted in parentheses:

Jonathan Kuminga, Warriors ($10,240,287)
Davion Mitchell, Heat ($8,741,210)
Ziaire Williams, Nets ($8,353,153)

Kuminga has only started 10 games this season and will fall short of the starter criteria, which will bump his QO down to $7,976,830. Mitchell and Williams still have a chance to get there though — Mitchell has 28 starts under his belt, while Williams has 26. They both need to reach 41 to achieve the starter criteria, and they’ve been regular starters for their respective teams as of late. If they hang onto their starting jobs and stay healthy, they’ll surpass 41 starts.

Again, Kuminga’s free agency is unlikely to be affected by his smaller qualifying offer, since his offer will likely just serve as a placeholder and a last-resort fallback option. Maybe the Nets will be slightly less inclined to give Williams a qualifying offer if it’s worth $8.35MM instead of $7.98MM, but that’s such a small gap that it’s unlikely to affect the team’s QO decision either way. The same goes for Mitchell and the Heat.

The other seven players on expiring contracts who are eligible for restricted free agency are Cam Thomas (Nets), Santi Aldama (Grizzlies), Quentin Grimes (Sixers), Tre Mann (Hornets), Isaiah Jackson (Pacers), Day’Ron Sharpe (Nets), and Jabari Walker (Trail Blazers). Jaden Springer, Chris Duarte, and Bones Hyland were also part of this group before being waived this month.

Of those players, only Thomas has a realistic chance of meeting the starter criteria. He started 51 games last season, which means he needs to get to 31 this season. He’s at 17 and the Nets have 25 left to play. If Thomas can return from his hamstring strain relatively soon, which seems likely, he has a good shot at starting 14 games and reaching the necessary threshold. That would increase his QO from $5,993,172 to $8,741,210.

The others will remain eligible for their standard QOs, based on draft position (or their prior salary, in Walker’s case), as follows:

Tre Mann, Hornets ($6,964,982)
Isaiah Jackson, Pacers ($6,422,431)
Quentin Grimes, Sixers ($6,311,825)
Day’Ron Sharpe, Nets ($5,983,683)
Santi Aldama, Grizzlies ($5,940,797)
Jabari Walker, Trail Blazers ($2,524,624)

Begley’s Latest: Knicks, Theis, Sims, Nets, Brogdon, Cavs, Raptors

February 4th, 2025 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Confirming that the Knicks have inquired on Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas and Sixers big man Guerschon Yabusele, Ian Begley of SNY.tv adds Pelicans veteran Daniel Theis to the list of bigs New York has checked in on.

As Begley writes, the Knicks may turn out not to need another center if Mitchell Robinson is able to return in February and stays healthy. But Robinson was only just cleared for contact and will need some time to get into game shape, so the team won’t know by Thursday’s trade deadline what it can realistically expect from him for the rest of the season.

With that in mind, the Knicks will continue to browse the market for possible frontcourt reinforcements, though they’ll face competition, according to Begley, who notes that the Lakers are also seeking a center and the Nuggets are on the lookout for a backup big man of their own.

Begley believes that Knicks center Jericho Sims will end up being traded by the deadline. Sims is on an expiring contract and hasn’t established himself as a reliable rotation option for head coach Tom Thibodeau, so it’s possible he could be sent out in a deal for a more trustworthy veteran. He could legally be traded straight up for Yabusele, Begley notes, though the Sixers would certainly want more than just Sims in return for the Frenchman.

Here’s more from Begley:

While the Nets‘ biggest trade chip is Cameron Johnson, teams monitoring the situation are skeptical that any suitor will make a strong enough offer this week to pry him out of Brooklyn, Begley writes. Elsewhere on the Nets’ front, center Day’Ron Sharpe is generating some interest, Begley adds, with the Clippers among the teams who have done background work on Sharpe.
Begley reports that the Lakers and Clippers are among the teams that had Wizards guard Malcolm Brogdon on their radar earlier this season. However, after their recent deals, neither Los Angeles team is particularly well positioned to match Brogdon’s $22.5MM cap hit, so it’s unclear whether that interest persists. The Clippers, operating below the tax aprons, would be eligible to sign Brogdon in the event he reaches the buyout market. but the Lakers wouldn’t be since they’re over the first apron.
There has been some speculation that the Cavaliers may make a trade to get out of luxury tax territory, but they’ve signaled to teams that they’re not looking to move forward Georges Niang in a salary dump, says Begley.
According to Begley, the Raptors have a deal lined up to trade one of their players into cap space “if the need arises.” It’s impossible to know exactly what that sort of move would look like without more details, but I’d speculate it would only be necessary if Toronto gets involved in a bigger multi-team deal and needs to send out salary for matching purposes that none of their other trade partners wants to take on. Although Begley’s reference to “cap space” suggests Detroit – the only team with actual cap space – may be involved, there are a number of teams with exceptions available to take on smaller contracts, like Utah did with Jalen Hood-Schifino in the Luka Doncic mega-deal.

Lakers Rumors: Doncic, LeBron, Center, Sharpe

February 3rd, 2025 at 1:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Due to the secretive nature of their trade talks with the Mavericks about Luka Doncic, the Lakers were unable to touch base with Doncic or his agent Bill Duffy during negotiations to get a sense of the guard’s appetite for a long-term future in Los Angeles, according to Fred Katz, Joe Vardon, and Sam Amick of The Athletic, who say that inability to get clarity on Doncic’s thinking was one reason why the Lakers weren’t willing to include their 2031 first-round pick in the trade along with their 2029 first-rounder.

The Mavericks didn’t aggressively push for that 2031 pick to be included, acquiescing to the Lakers’ desire to keep it out of the deal. Now that Doncic is officially a Laker, he’s “ecstatic” about being in Los Angeles and all indications are that he’ll welcome a long-term deal with the franchise, a league source tells Katz, Vardon, and Amick.

As excited as he is about becoming a Laker, a source close to the five-time All-Star tells The Athletic that Doncic had expected to be a Maverick for his entire NBA career. He said as much publicly in his social media statement thanking fans in Dallas, writing that he “wanted so badly to bring you a championship” (Instagram link).

“He wanted to be like Dirk (Nowitzki),” the source told The Athletic.

We have more on the Lakers:

While LeBron James was shocked by the news of the trade, he wasn’t upset about it, according to one of the Athletic’s sources, who said James’ primary concern was about Anthony Davis‘ reaction to the deal. James understood that it was a “business decision” the Lakers needed to make to set themselves up for a future that will extend well beyond his retirement.
Trading away Davis leaves the Lakers with a glaring need at center, but not many of the most popular names on the trade market appeal to them, league sources tell Katz, Vardon, and Amick. Now that the 2031 pick is their last remaining tradable first-rounder, the Lakers don’t want to give that asset away for a “patch-up role player,” The Athletic’s reporters add.
On that subject, Brian Lewis of The New York Post said last week that the Lakers were keeping an eye on Nets center Day’Ron Sharpe, who will be eligible for restricted free agency at season’s end. It’s unclear if Sharpe is still a potential target for L.A., but he certainly shouldn’t cost a first-round pick.
The Lakers won’t be eager to take on long-term salary in any subsequent trades, since they’re currently poised to have a good deal of cap flexibility in 2026, when several contracts come off their books, and could take advantage of that flexibility to go star-hunting, according to Katz, Vardon, and Amick.

Injury Notes: Nets, Quickley, Craig, Wolves, Davis

January 31st, 2025 at 5:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The banged-up Nets, who have seven players listed as out for Saturday’s matchup with Houston, provided updates on a handful of their injured regulars on Friday, as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype relays (via Twitter).

Guard Cam Thomas, who has been unavailable since January 2 due to a left hamstring strain, is expected to make his return shortly after February’s All-Star break, per the Nets. Big man Noah Clowney will also likely remain on the shelf through the All-Star break after being diagnosed with a left ankle sprain.

Forward Cameron Johnson, meanwhile, is still day-to-day with the right ankle sprain that has cost him the past four games. He won’t play on Saturday.

The injury news in Brooklyn isn’t all bad. After leaving Wednesday’s game with left hamstring tightness, center Day’Ron Sharpe isn’t on the injury report for Saturday. Neither is forward Trendon Watford, who made his return on Wednesday after missing 21 consecutive contests while recovering from a left hamstring strain.

“It was good,” Watford said of his first game back (Twitter link via Brian Lewis of The New York Post). “I’m just glad to be back out there with the guys, back playing basketball. Missing 21 games, I’ve been missing it ever since I left the game in Cleveland. It was great to be back.”

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley will be active on Friday vs. the Bulls after missing eight games due to a right hip strain, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. It was the third extended injury absence of 2024/25 for Quickley, who is appearing in just his 10th game of the season and will be on a minutes restriction against Chicago, Lewenberg adds.
Bulls wing Torrey Craig will be inactive for a 15th consecutive game on Friday due to a right ankle sprain, but he appears to be nearing a return — he participated in shootaround today, per head coach Billy Donovan (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago).
Timberwolves forward Julius Randle will miss his first game of the season on Saturday, having been ruled out vs. Washington due to a right groin strain, according to the team (Twitter link). However, Minnesota did pass along more positive injury news, announcing that rookie Terrence Shannon has been cleared for full-contact 5-on-5 activities and is being listed as questionable to play on Saturday (Twitter link). Shannon, who sustained a right mid-foot sprain while on a G League assignment, last saw the court for the NBA club on December 23.
According to Lakers head coach J.J. Redick, the team isn’t expecting an extended absence for Anthony Davis, who was ruled out for at least a week due to an abdominal strain. Redick is hopeful Davis will be back in action at some point next week, per Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group (Twitter link).

Nets Notes: Wilson, Sharpe, Watford

January 29th, 2025 at 7:15pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Nets forward Jalen Wilson has been making the most of his opportunity as a starter while Cameron Johnson rehabs a right ankle injury. His play in an expanded role suggests he could be a real piece for Brooklyn moving forward, opines Andrew Crane of The New York Post.

“What he does is something that every team can utilize,” veteran point guard D’Angelo Russell raved. “I mean, he’s a young player, but you ask the majority of the teams in the league would they want him, I’m sure they would… He’s just scratching the surface of what he’s capable of doing.”

As Crane notes, Wilson’s recent tenure as a starter could become a longer-term gig, depending on Johnson’s fate after the February 6 trade deadline.

In his three games as a starter, the Kansas product is averaging 14.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.3 steals a night.

There’s more out of Brooklyn:

Following a two-month injury absence at the start of the 2024/25 season, Nets center Day’Ron Sharpe is staying healthy and contributing in a big way, writes Bridget Reilly of The New York Post. He’s averaging 7.8 points and 6.3 boards across his 25 healthy games so far this season. This past month, those numbers have improved to 8.9 points and 7.1 rebounds, in line with his elevated bench minutes. “I feel like when I first got back, I was in a hurry,” Sharpe said. “Just trying to go too fast. Not paying attention. Not really focused. I was just trying to play hard so I could play the right way. But I feel like the month of January I’ve been getting my rhythm back. So, just pacing myself and perimeter [defense]. Being able to slide, switch. I feel like I’ve been working on that a lot. I’ve got a ways to go though.” Sharpe will be eligible for restricted free agency at season’s end.
Another young Nets frontcourt piece, forward Trendon Watford, is preparing to return to the hardwood for the first time since December 16. He has been recovering from a hamstring injury. Brooklyn head coach Jordi Fernandez spoke on Wednesday about Watford’s anticipated comeback, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link). “He’ll be on some sort of minute restriction, but it’s great to have him back,” Fernandez said. “It’s like new energy. He’s done a great job getting himself back… It’s good. I’m happy for him and he deserves it and he’ll play tonight.”
In case you missed it, the Nets are considered a potential suitor for Kings All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox, but also continue to hope for a chance to acquire Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is considered their “white whale.”

Nets Notes: Kings Trade Talks, C. Johson, Thomas, Sharpe, K. Johnson

January 8th, 2025 at 5:16pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jordi Fernandez‘s experience in Sacramento makes him a valuable resource for Nets general manager Sean Marks as he engages in trade talks with the Kings, Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes in a subscriber-only piece. While the topics might include the future availability of De’Aaron Fox, the more immediate concern is Sacramento’s interest in Cameron Johnson, Lewis adds. The Post reported last summer that the Kings topped the list of teams hoping to acquire Johnson, and his trade value has only increased in the midst of a career-best season.

Brooklyn is believed to be asking for the equivalent of two first-round picks in exchange for Johnson. Lewis suggests that Sacramento could meet that price by offering rookie guard Devin Carter, along with a future first-rounder and other players to match salaries. That’s where input could be valuable from Fernandez, who spent two years as an assistant with the Kings before the Nets hired him as their head coach during the offseason, along with assistant coaches Deividas Dulkys and Dutch Gaitley, who also left Sacramento for Brooklyn.

“I look at the coaching staff and the front office — that relationship and that dynamic — as a partnership,” Marks said. “It’s not something where I’m telling you what to do and you go and do it, or vice versa. This is something that I should rely on them, because at the end of the day their experiences and their interactions with players — whether it’s from other teams or just being on the court — they’re up close. I’m not in the foxhole down on the court with them.

“So it would behoove me to talk to them and rely on their input. And I think, one, it’s being honest right off the get-go at the start of the season. And even before that when Jordi signed up. I mean, Jordi and I had heart-to-hearts of ‘hey, look, we’re going to build this and this is how we’re going to build it. We want to be a partnership together on this.’ So he’s been nothing but fantastic in that realm.”

There’s more from Brooklyn:

In the same story, Cam Thomas talks to Lewis about the frustration of dealing with another strain of his left hamstring two games after returning from the first one. Thomas is guaranteed another long absence, as he won’t be reevaluated until January 19 when the Nets return from an upcoming six-game road trip. “Me dealing with what I’m dealing with is tough,” he said. “But we’ve still got enough guys in here to play; we’ve got to go out there and keep playing. I’m gonna keep fighting through, keep fighting through it. I’m going to just keep going.”
Day’Ron Sharpe posted season highs with 16 points and 13 rebounds in 22 minutes Monday night, Lewis states in a separate story. Sharpe, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, is averaging 9.5 points and 8.0 boards in his last four games while shooting 53.3% from the field. “I feel like I still got some room to go. I just feel like this is the start of it,” he said. “About three games ago, I feel like I really was starting to feel like myself again. Just coming back from the injury and not playing for months, I’m just still trying to figure my way out. And I feel like this is the start of it.”
It’s no secret that the Nets are tearing down their roster in hopes of landing a high lottery pick, but the players and coaches have offered a consistent public message throughout the process, per Bridget Reilly of The New York Post (subscription-only). “I wouldn’t say it’s hard. We all understand it’s part of the business, and that this is what we signed up for on Day 1,” said Keon Johnson, one of several young players getting increased minutes during the makeover. “But one thing we can control is what’s in front of us. Night in and night out, we don’t know who is going to be laced up. We don’t know who is going to be playing, but it’s just a better opportunity for everybody to be prepared and hope that your number is called.”

Fischer: Valanicunas Among Several Centers On Trade Block

December 19th, 2024 at 3:19pm CST by Rory Maher

Jonas Valanciunas of the Wizards may be the most “attainable” and desirable trade candidate among centers this season, but he’s certainly not the only big man who could be on the move prior to the February 6 deadline, league sources tell Jake Fischer (Substack link via The Stein Line).

According to Fischer, several teams are looking for help in the middle, including the Lakers, Clippers, Bucks and Pelicans. The Clips and Bucks are interested in reserve centers to complement their starters (Ivica Zubac and Brook Lopez, respectively), with Lopez also drawing trade interest since last summer.

The Warriors are another team contemplating a trade involving big men, with Kevon Looney garnering “plenty of interest” from rival clubs, Fischer writes. Like Lopez, who earns $23MM in 2024/25, Looney is on an expiring contract ($8MM).

Confirming a recent report from Stefan Bondy, Fischer says Knicks center Jericho Sims is viewed as a potential trade candidate due to his inconsistent playing time as a backup this season. Fischer also notes that New York gauged injured center Mitchell Robinson‘s trade value around this time last year.

Despite his lengthy injury history, Trail Blazers center Robert Williams may be the “most coveted” big man on the market outside of Valanciunas, but it’s no lock that Portland will end up moving him, according to Fischer’s sources. If the Blazers do trade a member of their frontcourt, expect it to come closer to the deadline, Fischer adds.

Here’s more from Fischer:

Like Clint Capela, whom we highlighted in another story, Nikola Vucevic is a starting center who could be on the move, but it’s unclear if the Bulls will be successful in their attempts to trade the two-time All-Star, in part due to his contract ($20MM in ’24/25, $21.5MM in ’25/26).
Valanicunas, Williams and Walker Kessler are among the big men on the Lakers‘ trade wish list, sources tell Fischer. However, the Jazz have declined multiple offers for Kessler, so it’s difficult to decipher if Utah is actually willing to trade him or is simply gauging what he might bring in return.
Chris Boucher (Raptors), Day’Ron Sharpe (Nets), Trey Lyles (Kings), Daniel Theis (Pelicans) and Nick Richards (Hornets) are also “known to be on the market,” according to Fischer.