Jarred Vanderbilt

Pelicans Reportedly Came Close To Acquiring Beasley, Vanderbilt

Before the Jazz agreed to trade Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt to the Lakers as part of a three-team deal last month, the Pelicans came close to acquiring the duo from Utah, ESPN’s Zach Lowe said on The Lowe Post podcast this week (YouTube link).

“The Pelicans were close to getting Beasley and Vanderbilt from Utah at the trade deadline, or close-ish,” Lowe told ESPN colleague Kevin Pelton. “They had a pretty good offer on the table. It was a draft equity-based offer with a pick that maybe was not as good as the Lakers pick that they ended up trading, but pretty close, I think, from what I’ve heard.

“But one of the issues was – maybe the picks weren’t exactly equivalent – but then another issue was (Mike) Conley and the Jazz’s determination to get off of Conley (who is owed at least $14MM in 2023/24), and could the Pelicans figure that out somehow? And it became a little complicated.”

The trade that the Jazz eventually completed also included the Timberwolves, who acquired Conley and flipped D’Angelo Russell to the Lakers. Los Angeles, in turn, send a top-four protected 2027 first-round pick to Utah as part of the three-way agreement.

The Pelicans still possess all of their own future first-rounders and control a couple others, including the Lakers’ unprotected 2024 pick (which could be deferred to 2025) and the Bucks’ unprotected 2027 selection.

It’s not clear which of those first-rounders they offered to the Jazz, but based on Lowe’s comments, it’s possible the Pelicans wanted to protect the pick they were offering more heavily than the Lakers protected theirs. Or Utah may have simply liked the upside of the ’27 Lakers first-rounder more than any single pick New Orleans was willing to put on the table.

It’s also worth noting that matching salaries for Beasley and Vanderbilt (who earn a combined $20MM) using only expiring or pseudo-expiring contracts would have been nearly impossible for the Pelicans, whose prime salary-matching piece at the deadline was Devonte’ Graham ($11.55MM).

Adding either Jaxson Hayes ($6.8MM) or Garrett Temple ($5.2MM) to Graham would have been sufficient outgoing salary, but Utah likely wouldn’t have been eager to take on Graham’s guaranteed $12.1MM cap charge for 2023/24, especially without Conley involved in the swap. So the Pelicans may have offered additional draft compensation beyond a single first-rounder if Graham was part of the package.

In any case, the Jazz ultimately decided to deal with two other teams in the Western Conference playoff race rather than the Pelicans. That presumably increased the sting of missing out on Beasley and Vanderbilt for New Orleans, as Lowe and Pelton point out.

At the trade deadline, the Pelicans were in a virtual tie in the standings with the Wolves and were 3.5 games up on the Lakers. The slumping Pels – who ended up trading Graham and four second-round picks to San Antnio for Josh Richardson – now trail both teams.

Pacific Notes: Green, Brooks, Warriors, Lakers, Clippers

Warriors forward/center Draymond Green and Grizzlies wing Dillon Brooks continued to trade barbs after Memphis blew out Golden State on Thursday night, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

At the end of the second quarter Brooks stole the ball and converted a contested layup over Green, then turned back and the two bumped chests. He eventually started jawing at Green and they had to be separated by an official, but Green remained silent.

I kind of wanted that play, just to see what he was going to say,” Brooks said. “But he took the media approach with that and didn’t say nothing, which is cool. I was expecting him to talk a little bit more, but I guess he needs to get all his facts together and talk.”

Green downplayed the incident, saying Brooks was trying to bait him into his 16th technical foul, which would have resulted in a one-game suspension. According to MacMahon, Green also scoffed at the notion that the Warriors and Grizzlies are rivals, despite eliminating each other in the past two postseasons.

One team has to win, and then another team has to win,” Green said. “That’s what creates a rivalry. Not because one team gets up for you and talk like they can beat you and then not. That doesn’t create a rivalry. Rivalries are created by you win, I win. Clearly, we’ve won four times, and I think their organization has zero championships, so I can’t consider that a rivalry.”

On his podcast, Green questioned whether Brooks’ teammates liked him. Brooks’ sneering retort was certainly valid, given the practice incident involving Green and Jordan Poole this past fall.

Just the fact that he was trying to pin my teammates against me, that was a low blow,” Brooks said, per MacMahon. “So that’s what type of player he is. These are my guys. We grew it all together. I ain’t out there getting in physical altercations with my teammates. I sit there and talk to them, try to not break them down, but build them up.”

Here’s more from the Pacific:

  • The Warriors will continue to be shorthanded for Saturday’s home game against Milwaukee, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Second-year forward Jonathan Kuminga, who sprained his right ankle in warmups prior to Thursday’s game, has been ruled out, while Andrew Wiggins remains away from the team for personal reasons.
  • Entering Friday’s victory over Toronto, the Lakers held the NBA’s top defensive rating since the trade deadline, according to Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group. While Dennis Schröder, Troy Brown and Austin Reaves have been solid perimeter contributors on defense, Goon points out that the tandem of Jarred Vanderbilt and Anthony Davis has been particularly effective, with excellent defensive numbers when they’re paired together. “Him being able to communicate but also to be able to react, that’s what makes him so unique,” Vanderbilt said. “He can do both. He can talk and he can react, too. For me being on the perimeter, having a guy like A.D. behind me, I can be a lot more aggressive, knowing that I have a second line of defense.” The Lakers have gone 8-3 since they reshaped their roster.
  • After a five-game losing streak, the Clippers have rebounded with back-to-back victories, and they believe they’re heading in the right direction, per Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. “We’re figuring it out, I think we’re getting better game-by-game, definitely from these last two games,” Eric Gordon said Friday. “The sense of urgency is there. A lot of those losses came down to one possession and now we’re figuring it out a little bit more.” According to Greif, part of the team’s optimism stems from the health of Paul George, who says he can “do anything and everything I want to do” after dealing with a right knee injury last month.

Jae Crowder: “I’d Do It All Over Again”

Jae Crowder has no regrets about his holdout in Phoenix or the months of missed games as he waited for a trade to be completed, telling Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, “I’d do it all over again.” 

The Bucks had been considered among the favorites to land Crowder, but they weren’t able to work out a deal directly with the Suns. After Phoenix agreed to ship Crowder to Brooklyn in the Kevin Durant trade, Milwaukee offered draft assets to the Nets and everything was folded into a four-team deal.

The Bucks were thrilled to finally obtain Crowder, and they see him filling the defensive specialist role that P.J. Tucker did during their championship run in 2021. He has fit in seamlessly so far, averaging 19.3 minutes off the bench as Milwaukee has gone 4-0 since he has arrived.

“I think this team has what it takes to win a championship,” Crowder said. “That’s my main goal right now. I think once you win a championship, the rest of that stuff will take care of itself. My main goal, honestly, is not thinking about free agency or the summer. It’s all about winning the championship. I think that’s our locker room goal, and when I came into it, I knew that was the goal of the team.”

Crowder’s relationship with the Suns was reportedly damaged beyond repair when head coach Monty Williams informed him last offseason that he would no longer be a starter. Crowder refused to report to training camp, opting for individual workouts twice each day while he waited for a trade to materialize.

Sources tell Scotto that even when Cameron Johnson tore his meniscus in November, Crowder never considered returning to the Suns and the team didn’t discuss asking him to come back.

“Nah, there wasn’t a chance I was going to play there,” Crowder said. “Both sides knew that the road had come to an end. That came to an end way before Cam got hurt. I wasn’t going back on it, and they weren’t going back on it.”

Phoenix received offers for Crowder from several teams, Scotto adds. The Hawks, Rockets and Suns had exploratory discussions that would have sent Crowder to Atlanta along with Landry Shamet, while Eric Gordon and Kenyon Martin Jr. would have gone to Phoenix and John Collins would have wound up in Houston, but Scotto’s sources say that deal was never close to being completed.

Scotto adds that the Hawks also attempted to acquire Crowder and Shamet in a three-way trade that would have included the Jazz, but a disagreement over the draft picks Utah would have received prevented the teams from making progress. Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley would have gone to the Suns in that version of the deal.

Trade Breakdown: Lakers/Jazz/Wolves Three-Team Blockbuster

This is the fourth entry in our series breaking down the significant trades of the 2022/23 season. As opposed to giving out grades, this series explores why the teams were motivated to make the moves. Let’s dive into a blockbuster deal between the Jazz, Lakers and Timberwolves.

On February 9, the Lakers acquired D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt; the Jazz acquired Russell Westbrook, Damian Jones, Juan Toscano-Anderson and the Lakers’ 2027 first-round pick (top-four protected); and the Timberwolves acquired Mike Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and three second-round picks (one from L.A., two from Utah).

Notes: Westbrook subsequently reached a buyout agreement with the Jazz and signed with the Clippers. All three teams involved in this deal generated traded player exceptions, which can be found right here.


The Jazz’s perspective:

The Jazz weren’t invested in continuing the season with their current roster, despite a surprisingly fun ride in a year that they were expected to be at the bottom of the standings.

The move opened up playing time for Ochai Agbaji, Collin Sexton and Talen Horton-Tucker, three young players who had been in and out of the lineup (Sexton has been a rotation regular, but he’s dealt with injuries – this deal moved him into the starting lineup). Vanderbilt had already been moved to the bench due to the emergence of Walker Kessler, and the two were an awkward fit together offensively because neither is much of a threat to shoot (Vanderbilt compensates for his lack of shooting somewhat by being a good passer and ball-handler for a power forward).

Many fans think the Jazz “lost” this deal. That perception seems to stem from two things: the Lakers only giving up one first-rounder, when it was assumed they’d have to move off one just to trade Westbrook’s $47.1MM expiring salary, and the Jazz’s asking prices not being met.

The Jazz were reportedly looking for first-round picks for all three of Conley, Beasley and Vanderbilt. But that was never a realistic expectation.

Based on the structure of the deal, it’s pretty clear the Jazz were motivated to move off Conley’s contract for ‘23/24, which is partially guaranteed at $14.32MM ($24.36MM base salary), and didn’t at all mind adding Westbrook’s expiring deal to do it (it’s worth noting that the Jazz did add Jones’ $2.6MM player option for next season, which will almost certainly be exercised; Toscano-Anderson is on an expiring minimum-salary deal). I viewed Conley’s contract as having negative value leading up to the trade deadline, as he’ll turn 36 years old next season and has already declined on both ends of the court, particularly defensively.

Beasley provides something that every team wants: high volume 3-point shooting. However, he’s a very streaky shooter, and doesn’t offer a ton in other areas. He makes $15.56MM this season with a $16.52MM team option for ‘23/24. I thought Beasley had slightly positive value, but nothing special – maybe a heavily-protected first-round pick or a few seconds.

Vanderbilt was the player who had the most value of the three, in my opinion, due to his age (23), rate of improvement, versatility, strong defense, and team-friendly contract – he makes $4.37MM this season and $4.7MM in ‘23/24 (only partially guaranteed at $300K). I thought Utah could get a late first-rounder this season or a lottery-protected first in the future for him.

In aggregate, that’s one player with solid value, one with slightly positive value, and one with negative. Not a ton of overall value despite the three being rotation players for a decent team.

Obviously, the Jazz highly valued the lightly protected pick from the Lakers. Even in a scenario where the Lakers have the worst record in ’26/27 (they probably won’t, but you never know), there would still be a 47.9% chance the pick lands at fifth overall and goes to Utah. The major downside – and the upside for the Lakers – is if it does fall in the top four, the Jazz only receive the Lakers’ 2027 second-rounder.

Another factor in this trade from Utah’s side of things that I thought was interesting is also pretty cynical. If the Jazz believe Minnesota going from Russell to Conley is a downgrade — and it is at this point in their careers, which is why the Wolves got second-rounders back — then that increases the odds of the Wolves missing the playoffs. In that scenario, the Jazz would get a lottery pick in 2023 (they control Minnesota’s pick due to the Rudy Gobert trade).

They could also reasonably view the deal as a short-term upgrade for the Lakers, which would increase L.A.’s odds of passing Minnesota and Utah in the standings, and thus increase the odds of the Jazz controlling two lottery picks. For the rest of the season, the better the Lakers do and the worse the Wolves and Jazz do, the better it is for the Jazz as far as those first-rounders go.

The Jazz held out for a long time to get the best deal they could. This turned out to be it.


The Lakers’ perspective:

I think the Lakers made out well in this deal, but it did reduce their draft arsenal to go for a star in the future (that may or may not have been realistic). Still, they upgraded their roster, got younger, and the players make sense for what they need.

Los Angeles replaced one player who was a poor fit and two little-used reserves for three potential starters; at worst they’re rotation regulars. None of the outgoing players were shooters, and they picked up a couple pretty good ones.

Russell, 27, is having a strong year from an efficiency standpoint, shooting career highs from all over the court (54.3% on twos, 38.9% on threes, 85.0% from the line). However, he is not a great rebounder or defender, and his decision-making can be questionable as a lead ball-handler.

That’s less of a concern with the Lakers, as he can play alongside James and/or Dennis Schroder. That allows Russell to function both on and off the ball, which is ideal for his skill set. Unfortunately, he sprained his ankle in his fourth game back with Los Angeles, but the injury isn’t considered a long-term concern.

As I’ve mentioned previously, Beasley is a feast-or-famine type shooter who can go off at any given time. It’s a bit of roller coaster ride watching him from game-to-game because you never know if he’s going to be on that day or not, and he doesn’t stop shooting even if he’s off.

While he doesn’t provide a whole lot else, opponents treat the 26-year-old like a sharpshooter who has to be accounted for at all times, and that creates space for teammates. The Lakers didn’t have anyone like that on the roster before the deal, even if Beasley is more of a very willing good shooter than a great one.

Vanderbilt is the player I think fans will be most excited about of the three, despite being the least well known. He brings a much-needed infusion of speed, length, defensive versatility, hustle and rebounding the team has lacked all season.

Still just 23 years old, Vanderbilt instantly becomes the best wing defender the Lakers have had since they decided not to re-sign Alex Caruso in 2021 free agency. His energy is infectious and can swing the tide of games – he was absolutely instrumental in the team’s huge comeback victory over Dallas on Sunday.

The three players were teammates on the Wolves from 2020-22, so they already have some built-in chemistry (strangely, Beasley and Vanderbilt have now been packaged together in three separate trades). Only Vanderbilt has a small partial guarantee for next season, which gives the Lakers the flexibility to move on from any of them in the offseason, though I think that’s unlikely.

Another positive aspect of the deal is the Lakers added more desirable contracts. Almost their entire roster was on minimum- or maximum-salary deals before the deadline, but now they have more variety in that regard, assuming they retain all three players.

I don’t think this trade suddenly transformed the Lakers into title contenders this season, but I do think it made them much better than they were — now and going forward.

My biggest question mark from the Lakers’ side is, if this trade was available in February, could they have done it earlier in the season? Because they have to dig themselves out of a hole to climb up the standings, and there aren’t many games left in which to do it – a task made even more difficult by the foot injury to James.


The Wolves’ perspective:

One of the downsides of dealing away multiple starters at once — Patrick Beverley and Vanderbilt last year in the Gobert trade — is that it can erode a team’s chemistry. The Wolves clearly got on well last season. That matters for a young team, especially one that historically has been a bottom dweller in the standings.

The Gobert trade upended that chemistry, transforming a fun up-and-coming team with low expectations into a win-now team with high expectations. It’s pretty clear some of the remaining players were less than thrilled with the deal, especially at the start of ‘22/23. Some moved on and slowly learned how to work with Gobert. Some did not.

Russell was in the latter group. He frequently had terrible body language this season, specifically anytime Gobert made a mistake (fumbled passes, etc.).

Perhaps more than anything else, this deal was a pretty clear vote of no confidence in Russell. Obviously, the Wolves did not value him at whatever he was asking for in contract extension negotiations.

The Wolves could not have easily cleared a significant amount of cap space in the offseason even if they had let Russell walk in free agency. Instead, they decided to push that decision a year down the line and replace his salary slot with Conley, a mature veteran who should be able to provide leadership for a team that, from the outside looking in, is lacking in that department.

Minnesota is trying to remedy some of the chemistry issues by adding a calming, professional locker-room presence in Conley. The fact that Conley played with Gobert for three seasons was obviously a motivating factor as well. They already have some built-in chemistry, which was clearly lacking with Russell.

He’s also a much better decision-maker than Russell on the court, with his assist-to-turnover ratio at 4.4-to-1, which ranks fifth in the NBA (Russell’s is 2.31-to-1, which ranks 112th). That’s important for a Wolves team that ranks 28th in the league in turnovers per game.

I have a lot of respect for how Conley carries himself, both on and off the court. He was one of the league’s most underrated players during his 12 years with Memphis, and his teams have consistently been better when he’s playing — that was true for Utah this year too (better on offense and worse on defense, but still plus overall). He has a high basketball IQ and generally doesn’t beat himself with careless mistakes.

Alexander-Walker was likely more of a throw-in for salary-matching purposes, but the Wolves will get a closer look at him for the rest of the season (he can be a RFA if they give him a qualifying offer). The former 17th overall pick is having a solid year from an efficiency standpoint and has impressed me in some late-game situations with his defense, even if he wasn’t consistently in Utah’s rotation.

While I understand the logic behind the move from Minnesota’s side of the deal, I also think the Wolves took on the most short- and long-term risk.

Make no mistake, the Wolves knew this was was a downgrade from a production standpoint — that’s why they got back three second-round picks in the deal. Considering his age, size (6’1″, 175 pounds) and contract, if Conley declines any further, it will be very difficult to move him next season.

Russell may have his flaws, but he was also clutch this season, having bailed them out on several occasions during second-half collapses (a season-long problem). He was the team’s second-leading scorer with Karl-Anthony Towns sidelined for most of the season, and removing him from the equation puts a lot of pressure on the rest of the roster to replace Russell’s scoring – the Wolves are just 21st in the league in offensive rating.

The early returns haven’t been promising. Minnesota has gone 1-4 since the deal was finalized, though in fairness some key rotation players have been in and out of the lineup.

The key takeaway from the Wolves’ end is that they preferred to get something back for Russell rather than losing him for nothing in free agency. Not wanting to make a significant investment in Russell makes sense to me if they didn’t view him as a long-term fit. Still, if they miss the playoffs and the Jazz get extremely lucky and that pick lands early, it would be an unmitigated disaster for Minnesota.

Los Angeles Notes: Jackson, Hyland, Westbrook, Vanderbilt, Russell

Reggie Jackson anticipated he’d get traded by the Clippers, he told Law Murray of The Athletic. Jackson was dealt to the Hornets, who waived him. He then signed with another Western Conference contender, the Nuggets.

“I’ve been in the game for 12 years,” Jackson said. “I was the only expiring contract (the Clippers had). Got to get better. Can’t really move anything. … So, the writing was on the wall for me. Being a pretty smart guy, I kind of knew. Either we were going to stay put, play small-ball, or, if anything was going to happen, I was ready to be the one that would probably be moved.”

We have more on the Los Angeles teams:

  • In the same story, Bones Hyland told Murray that he’s glad Russell Westbrook signed with the Clippers, even though his playing time might be cut. “I always was a fan of Russ’ game,” Hyland said. “Fan of Russ off the court as well. Great human being, great to be around. Great to talk to. Was the MVP of this league. Going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. … So, I’m glad we got him. He brings a lot to the team.”
  • Jarred Vanderbilt lifted the Lakers during their comeback from a 27-point deficit against Dallas with 15 points. 17 rebounds and four steals. The deadline addition from Utah has already impacted the team’s season, Anthony Davis told Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times. “His value for our team, you can’t even put it into words what he brings and does for us,” Davis said. Vanderbilt looks like a steal in the three-way trade with Minnesota and the Jazz, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, because he addresses the Lakers’ need for a long, athletic, dirty-work forward.
  • D’Angelo Russell (right ankle sprain) is listed as doubtful for the Lakers’ game against Memphis on Tuesday, according to Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register (Twitter link).
  • In case you missed it, LeBron James is expected to miss multiple weeks due to a foot injury. Get the details here.

Pacific Notes: LeBron, Payton, D. Green, George

Foot and ankle issues prevented LeBron James from playing with his new teammates until Wednesday night, but he liked what he saw as the revamped Lakers hammered the Pelicans. Dave McMenamin of ESPN points out that James’ return resulted in L.A.’s 30th different starting lineup in 59 games, but the combination of him with Anthony Davis and the newly acquired D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt was effective right away.

Russell and Beasley provide what James calls “lasers” — outside shooters that the Lakers lacked earlier this season. Vanderbilt brings more size and energy to the front line and the team has more depth as well, with 10 players logging at least 15 minutes against New Orleans.

“First of all, I shout out and salute the guys that left,” James said. “(Russell Westbrook), (Patrick Beverley), (Juan Toscano-Anderson), (Damian Jones) and Thomas (Bryant). Those five guys. We all started the season together and tried to work to make some things happen and be the best that we could be out on the floor. So I salute those guys and their commitment to us trying to be as good as we could be on the floor. And right now, I mean, I like the guys that we have coming in. I mean, it’s going to take some time for us to get to know one another, but I know that they play the game at a high level.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • The finding by team doctors that Gary Payton II has a core muscle injury that will prevent him from playing for at least a month had a “devastating effect” on the Warriors, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Golden State brought back Payton to shore up a shaky defense, but he’s not expected to be on the court until well after the All-Star break.
  • Draymond Green called out the Warriors‘ defensive effort after giving up 134 points in Tuesday’s loss, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN. “It has to come from within,” Green said. “Defense is all about will, a want to defend. Defense isn’t fun. You’ve just got to do it if you want to win, and we haven’t.”
  • In an interview with Joseph Bien-Kahn of GQ, Clippers star Paul George talks about maturing as a player, his approach to pressure situations and the “guilt” he felt watching the Pacers break up after his devastating leg injury in 2014. As a native of Southern California, George also said, “A championship with the Clippers 100% will outweigh a championship being with the Lakers.” 

Lakers Notes: Roster Shakeup, Westbrook, Irving, Buyout Market

The Lakers are still hoping to climb out of 13th place and reach the playoffs, but the recent roster overhaul was made with an eye on the future, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. In a conference call with media members on Saturday, general manager Rob Pelinka said the front office focused on adding shooting, floor spacing, size and wing depth.

L.A. made four deals dating back to January 23, adding Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Mohamed Bamba and Davon Reed. All six players are 27 or younger, and they’re under some form of team control beyond this season.

The Lakers can make Hachimura a restricted free agent with a qualifying offer expected to be worth $7.7MM. Russell will be unrestricted, but he’s eligible for an extension through June 30. L.A. holds a $16.5MM team option on Beasley for next season, while Vanderbilt has a partial guarantee on his contract and Bamba and Reed have non-guaranteed deals.

“I think a deep dive into this, you can almost look at it as ‘pre-agency,’” Pelinka said. “… We very intentionally planned these moves to provide optionality in July. Some of these players have team options or team-controlled years on their contracts, which again gives us the ability to see how these last 26 regular-season games and how potential postseason games go. And then we can go into this offseason with a higher collection of data points, and sort of a real-time analysis of how the pieces fit and make decisions for the future.”

Buha has more on the Lakers:

  • Pelinka admitted on the conference call that trading Russell Westbrook was probably the best move for both sides. He said the Lakers originally acquired Westbrook in hopes of returning to title contention, adding that the polarizing guard shouldn’t be blamed for the team’s disappointing performance. “I think it’s really unfair to put the last year and a half, or whatever period of time that is, on one player,” Pelinka said. “I think the whole roster has to come together and fit. And part of sports sometimes is if things aren’t working, you have to fix them.” 
  • Pelinka didn’t specifically address the Lakers’ rumored pursuit of Kyrie Irving, but he did indicate that the front office was aggressive with its 2027 and 2029 first-round picks in its effort to upgrade the roster. L.A. wound up parting with its 2027 first-rounder (top-four protected) in the deal that sent Westbrook to Utah.
  • The Lakers still have a roster opening, but Pelinka hasn’t decided how aggressively he will pursue buyout candidates. “If we see the right opportunity to fill a need in the buyout market, we will take a look at that,” he said. “But I don’t want to definitively say that we’ll sign another player. We feel like these 14 players fill a need that (head coach Darvin Ham) was looking to fill, and he was excited about these 26 games we have to coach these 14 guys.”

Lakers, Jazz, Wolves Complete Three-Way Trade

FEBRUARY 9: The trade is now official, the Timberwolves have confirmed in a press release. As expected, Minnesota waived Bryn Forbes to open a spot on their roster to complete the deal.


FEBRUARY 8: A three-team deal involving the Lakers, Jazz and Timberwolves is in the process of being finalized, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The trade will send Minnesota guard D’Angelo Russell to L.A., along with Utah’s Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt.

The Wolves will get point guard Mike Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, the less favorable of the Wizards’ and Grizzlies’ second-round picks in 2024 (from the Lakers) and Utah’s second-round picks in 2025 and 2026, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Utah will receive Russell Westbrook and a 2027 first-round pick from the Lakers that is top-four protected. In addition, the Jazz will acquire Juan Toscano-Anderson and Damian Jones.

After months of searching, the Lakers found a way to unload Westbrook’s $47.1MM contract and only had to part with one of their two tradable future first-rounders. Westbrook has adapted well this season to a sixth man role under new head coach Darvin Ham, but his contract was still considered a burden and his lack of outside shooting made him a poor fit for L.A.’s offense.

The Jazz are expected to pursue a buyout with Westbrook once the trade is official, tweets Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report. If an agreement is reached, the Clippers would be interested in signing Westbrook, according to Haynes (Twitter link). He adds that the Bulls are also considering Westbrook, which would reunite him with Billy Donovan, his former coach in Oklahoma City (Twitter link).

The Lakers were able to add the shooters they had been seeking in Russell and Beasley, along with a versatile frontcourt addition in Vanderbilt. Russell, whom L.A. selected with the second overall pick in the 2015 draft, is connecting at 39.1% from three-point range this season, while Beasley is shooting 35.9% from long distance, providing two new weapons to space the floor around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Russell will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, Beasley has a $16.5MM team option for 2023/24, and Vanderbilt’s $4.7MM salary for ’23/24 is mostly non-guaranteed, so the Lakers will still have the flexibility to create significant cap room in the offseason if they so choose. They could also operate over the cap by hanging onto Beasley and Vanderbilt and attempting to re-sign Russell and Rui Hachimura, whom they acquired last month.

The Wolves, who have encountered difficulty incorporating Rudy Gobert into their offense, should benefit by reuniting him with Conley, his former Jazz teammate. Conley also brings a veteran presence that was lacking on a young Minnesota team — he’ll be charged with helping to make the Wolves’ Twin Towers approach work once Karl-Anthony Towns returns from his calf injury.

Unlike Russell, Conley is under contract for next season — his $24.4MM salary is partially guaranteed for $14.3MM. That will reduce the Wolves’ cap flexibility this offseason, but also ensures they won’t have to worry about losing their starting point guard for nothing in free agency.

As Wojnarowski points out (via Twitter), by acquiring the Lakers’ lightly protected 2027 first-rounder, the Jazz are adding another valuable piece to their collection of draft assets. Utah will have 15 first-round picks with little or no protections through 2029, along with a talented young core to build around and possibly more than $60MM in cap space this summer.

Even before a potential Westbrook buyout, the deal will open up a roster spot for the Jazz, who are sending out four players and only taking three back. The Wolves, who are acquiring two players for one, will have to waive a player from their 15-man roster to accommodate the extra newcomer.

Lakers, Jazz, Wolves Discussing Russell, Conley, Westbrook

4:30p.m.: The Lakers and Jazz have the structure of a trade in place, but the deal will depend on what the Wolves get in return for Russell, particularly in terms of draft assets, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link), who adds that Minnesota has discussed Russell with other teams as well.


2:49pm: The Lakers, Jazz, and Timberwolves are engaging in discussions on a potential three-team trade that would send Mike Conley to Minnesota, D’Angelo Russell to Los Angeles, and Russell Westbrook and draft compensation (including a first-round pick) to Utah, according to Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link).

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported during an appearance on NBA Today (Twitter video link) that the Lakers were talking to Minnesota about Russell and says the Wolves would also receive some draft compensation in the deal if it’s finalized (Twitter link).

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), Jazz swingman Malik Beasley and Jazz forward Jarred Vanderbilt have been included in versions of the proposed trade. Charania confirms as much, tweeting that those two players would end up with the Lakers.

The three teams continue to negotiate and are working through draft picks and pick protections, sources tell The Athletic. Wojnarowski cautions that the Jazz remain involved in other trade discussions involving Conley, so it’s not a sure thing that this three-team swap will be completed.

Veteran point guards Conley, Russell, and Westbrook have all been the subject of trade rumors for much of the 2022/23 season. Russell and Westbrook are on expiring contracts and haven’t engaged in serious extension talks to remain with their current teams beyond this year; Conley has a partially guaranteed contract for next season, but may not have a place in the rebuilding Jazz’s future.

The Lakers have explored possible Westbrook trades since last offseason, but have thus far been unwilling to include the kind of draft capital it would take to move off his $47MM+ cap hit and acquire multiple reliable rotation players in return.

Due to restrictions affecting earlier picks, L.A. can only currently trade its first-rounders for 2027 and 2029. It’s unclear whether the team would give up both of those picks in this proposed deal, but it’s safe to assume at least one would be included, since the trade would provide the Lakers with two strong outside shooters in Russell and Beasley, along with a versatile wing and frontcourt defender in Vanderbilt, addressing two of the club’s biggest needs.

Russell, of course, is a former Laker, having been selected second overall by the franchise in the 2015 draft.

The Timberwolves, meanwhile, may view Conley as a better fit in their backcourt alongside rising star Anthony Edwards than Russell has been. Conley also had success playing with Rudy Gobert in Utah and could potentially help make the big man more comfortable in Minnesota.

In addition to the promising on-court fit, having Conley under contract for next season would allow the Wolves to head into the summer without having to worry about negotiating a new contract for their starting point guard, as they would with Russell.

As for the Jazz, they would likely buy out Westbrook if they move forward on this trade, as Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report confirms (via Twitter). The motivation on Utah’s end would be to cash in veterans for future draft picks as the team continues its rebuilding process.

Trade Rumors: Poeltl, Wizards, G. Harris, Noel, Warriors, Knicks, More

The Wizards are among the teams to register trade interest in Spurs center Jakob Poeltl, Marc Stein reports at Substack. As Stein writes, Boston and Toronto have been the clubs most frequently cited as suitors for the big man in recent weeks — Washington is a new addition to the Poeltl sweepstakes. Still, Stein hears that as of Wednesday morning, there didn’t appear to be a logical trade match between the Wizards and Spurs.

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

  • Although Gary Harris has been mentioned as a trade candidate in Orlando, Stein hears that the Magic may prefer to hang onto the veteran swingman through Thursday’s deadline, since the team values his locker room presence on a young roster.
  • Nerlens Noel is the Pistons veteran most likely to be on the move this week, according to Stein, who says the Heat and Sixers continue to convey interest in the veteran center.
  • Multiple rival executives consider the Warriors good bets to make a move by Thursday’s deadline, according to Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. “To me, there’s nobody more incentivized toward making a deal than the Warriors,” one league exec told Bulpett, pointing to Golden State’s veteran stars and pricey payroll. “Now. Right now. This is one of those years. You can’t waste this year. You’ve got to roll with this year.”
  • As of late Tuesday night, there was pessimism that the Knicks will make a deal with the Jazz for Jarred Vanderbilt and/or Malik Beasley, says Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Although the two teams have discussed a potential trade, as HoopsHype reported over the weekend, some people in New York’s front office aren’t sold on Vanderbilt’s and Beasley’s fit with the current roster, Begley explains.
  • Although there has been some speculation that the Nuggets may be reluctant to deal with the Timberwolves after how Tim Connelly‘s move from Denver to Minnesota played out, a Nuggets team source insisted to Sam Amick of The Athletic that Connelly’s history wouldn’t be a roadblock if the two teams wanted to make a deal involving Bones Hyland or another player.