Also appearing for the first time in a Jazz uniform was KJ Martin, who went from Philadelphia to Utah in the five-team trade that sent Jimmy Butler to Golden State. Martin, who played 15:40 and scored two points, has a non-guaranteed $8MM contract for next season, so he’s auditioning for a future role with the team.

Hardy’s reliance on the two newcomers is an indication of his desire for increased energy on defense, according to Larsen. Hardy told reporters that he expects Springer and Martin “to be good individual defenders, and also sort of model what being a competitive defensive player looks like.” Larsen also notes that small forward Brice Sensabaugh, who’s averaging 8.9 PPG in 44 games, didn’t play at all as Hardy shifts the team’s emphasis to defense.

There’s more from Utah:

• Jazz rookie Cody Williams got to face his older brother, Thunder star Jalen Williams, for the first time ever on Friday night, Larsen adds. Cody, who was sidelined the first two times the teams met this season, said watching the matchup meant a lot to their mother, who attended the game with a large contingent of family members wearing split Jazz/Thunder jerseys. “I could tell she was crying, her eyes were a little red,” he said. “I think they realize the situation and just how blessed we are. It’s just an awesome moment, to have family out here.”
• Keyonte George talked about the need to keep improving in an interview with Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype. George has evolved into a more confident facilitator during his second NBA season. “When you understand the game, it slows down,” he said. “I’m trying to play with pace, to understand how defenses are going to guard me and some of our actions. And it’s almost like having the answer to the test -– when you prepare the right way and know what teams are going to do, it’s way easier when you’re out there on the floor.”
• Collin Sexton has resumed on-court activities and will be reevaluated early next week, the Jazz announced (via Twitter). Sexton has been out of action since February 3 with a sprained left ankle.

• Warriors acquire Butler.
• Heat acquire Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, Davion Mitchell, and the Warriors’ 2025 first-round pick (top-10 protected).
• Pistons acquire Dennis Schröder, Lindy Waters, and either the Warriors’ or Timberwolves’ 2031 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable; from Warriors).
• Jazz acquire KJ Martin, Josh Richardson, a 2028 second-round pick (from Pistons; exact details TBD), either the Heat’s or Pacers’ 2031 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable; from Heat), and cash (from Heat).
• Raptors acquire P.J. Tucker, the Lakers’ 2026 second-round pick (from Heat), and cash (from Heat).

Utah waived Jalen Hood-Schifino in order to acquire two players while sending one out, as we detailed earlier. They’re also expected to cut Richardson.

The deal wraps up a saga that first began on December 10 when word broke that the Heat were open to listening to offers for Butler. By Christmas Day, Butler was said to prefer a trade out of Miami, and a little over a week later he formally asked the team to move him.

The situation only escalated from there, with the Heat repeatedly suspending Butler for conduct detrimental to the team and withholding services. He was serving an indefinite team-imposed suspension when news broke on Wednesday that the Warriors had struck a deal to acquire him.

Butler, who will be teaming up in Golden State with longtime Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, has reportedly already agreed to a two-year, maximum-salary extension with the team, as we outlined in our original story on the trade. We also published full stories on two side deals involving the Heat and Raptors and Pistons and Jazz that were folded into this larger trade structure.

The latest word, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link), is that Saturday is the target date for Butler’s Warriors debut. Golden State will play in Chicago that night.

Richardson is being re-routed to Utah in the Jimmy Butler trade, along with KJ Martin, whom the Jazz plan to keep, according to Larsen. Richardson has a $3MM expiring contract, so Utah won’t be out much money by letting him go. The 31-year-old swingman appeared in just eight games with Miami prior to being traded.

Utah acquired Hood-Schifino over the weekend by helping to facilitate the massive trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers. L.A. had already declined the third-year option on the 2023 first-round pick, so Utah won’t have to pay him more than the balance of his $3.9MM salary for the rest of the season.

Both players will become unrestricted free agents once they clear waivers and will be eligible to sign with just about any team. Richardson won’t be able to rejoin the Heat, while Hood-Schifino will be ineligible to re-sign with the Lakers.

The Jazz will face an offseason decision on Martin, whose $8MM contract for 2025/26 is non-guaranteed. The 24-year-old forward has been out of action since December 23 due to a foot injury.

FEBRUARY 5: The Sixers are trading forward KJ Martin and a pair of second-round picks to the Pistons, sources tell Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

According to Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (Twitter link), Philadelphia is sending Detroit a 2027 second-rounder via Milwaukee, as well as Dallas’ 2031 selection.

Martin, 24, was listed as out on Tuesday due to trade pending. Subsequent reports indicated that he was expected to be moved on Wednesday, which has now come to fruition.

Marc Stein reports (via Twitter) that the Pistons are expected acquire Martin using their room exception. The room exception is worth $7,983,000 in 2024/25, while Martin makes just under that total ($7,975,000).

Detroit would have to use its remaining $14MM in cap space before dipping into the room exception, so this presumably won’t be the only trade the team makes. This deal suggests the front office is focused more on the future than the present, but it’s possible Detroit could thread the needle and find win-now help while still acquiring draft assets in the process.

The No. 52 pick of the 2020 draft, Martin spent his first three NBA seasons in Houston prior to being traded to the Clippers in a five-team deal in the 2023 offseason. He only played two games for Los Angeles, having been sent to Philadelphia in November 2023 as part of the James Harden blockbuster.

After playing a modest role for the Sixers in 2023/24, Martin re-signed with the club on a two-year, $16MM deal that was widely viewed as being completed for future trade purposes. The second year is fully non-guaranteed, so the high-flying forward certainly isn’t a lock to remain with Detroit going forward.

However, since the 76ers have struggled in ’24/25 – they currently sit outside of the East’s play-in tournament at 20-29 – they ended up dumping Martin’s contract instead of using it as a way to try and improve the roster, making the decision to bump up his salary last summer look like a mistake in retrospect.

As cap expert Yossi Gozlan observes (Twitter link), by shedding Martin’s salary and completing a separate trade with Dallas on Tuesday, the 76ers have saved $40MM+ when accounting for payroll, tax payments and dipping below the luxury tax line. They’ll now receive a tax distribution valued at roughly $12-14MM instead of being a taxpayer.

Since they’re well below the first tax apron, they’ll also be able to add players on the buyout market, regardless of the player’s pre-waiver salary.

Martin hasn’t seen action since Dec. 23 due to a foot injury. He has appeared in 24 games this season (seven starts), averaging 6.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 20.0 minutes per game.

Utah will receive KJ Martin, Josh Richardson and a 2028 second-round pick in return, a source tells Fischer (Twitter link). The Pistons initially took Richardson from Miami in the Butler deal and agreed to acquire Martin from the Sixers on Wednesday.

It’s possible the Martin deal with Philadelphia will get folded into the Butler trade. Otherwise, it appears the Pistons will complete their acquisition of Martin first, taking him into cap room. Once that’s done, Detroit, Utah, Golden State and Miami can officially pull the trigger on the Butler deal.

Counting the Jazz, this will be the fourth team of the season for Schröder, who was traded from Brooklyn to Golden State in mid-December. The Warriors were counting on him to stabilize their backcourt, but he turned out to be an unreliable shooter, connecting at just 37.5% from the field and 32.2% from three-point range in 24 games.

Schröder had been expecting to stay in the Bay Area and recently signed a new lease, according to Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter link). He learned that he had been traded after Wednesday’s pre-game warm-up, and now he’s on the move again.

He should have an opportunity to play a regular role in Detroit, where the Pistons have been on the lookout for another ball-handler and play-maker since Jaden Ivey broke his fibula last month.

Schröder’s $13MM contract is expiring, so the Pistons will have to decide this summer whether to make a long-term commitment. Richardson’s $3MM deal is also expiring, while Martin has an $8MM non-guaranteed contract for next season.

While the Nets moved quickly this season to trade Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith, both of whom can reach unrestricted free agency this summer, Johnson is under contract for two more years beyond this one, so there’s no urgency in Brooklyn to move off of him at this point — especially since the team still projects to have substantial cap room for next season even with Johnson’s $20.5MM salary on the books.

Ian Begley of SNY.tv also reported on Tuesday that a Johnson trade may not happen this week.

We have more trade rumors from around the NBA:

• There’s a chance that KJ Martin, whom the Pistons agreed to acquire from Philadelphia, could be rerouted to another team prior to Thursday’s trade deadline, tweets Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. If Detroit were to acquire Martin using cap space rather than the room exception, his salary could be aggregated with one or more other players in a subsequent deal.
• According to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon, and Guerschon Yabusele are among the veterans who continue to draw interest for the Sixers, who already traded Caleb Martin in addition to KJ Martin. However, Philadelphia is reluctant to move Yabusele, preferring to find a way to retain him beyond his current one-year, minimum-salary contract, Stein and Fischer say.
• Grant Afseth of RG.org takes a look at the Lakers‘ hunt for another center, suggesting that – despite Rob Pelinka‘s comments downplaying the urgency to find more than a stop-gap – the team is still considering a wide range of possible targets.
• Tony Jones of The Athletic checks in on the Jazz‘s plans ahead of the trade deadline, writing that John Collins and Jordan Clarkson are considered more available than Collin Sexton and especially Walker Kessler. Utah values Sexton and has set a “very high” asking price for Kessler, Jones explains.

The Sixers are weighing multiple trade options for Martin and a deal is expected to be finalized on Wednesday, Stein Line contributor Jake Fischer tweets. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link) hears the same thing.

Martin hasn’t seen action since Dec. 23 due to a foot injury. He has appeared in 24 games this season (seven starts), averaging 6.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 20.0 minutes per game. He appeared in 58 games with Philadelphia last season.

Martin is making $7.98MM this season. His $8.03MM salary for next season is non-guaranteed, which should appeal to teams looking to clear salary on next season’s cap.

According to Neubeck (Twitter link), the deal is expected to be about financial flexibility for the 76ers, which suggests it’s a cost-cutting move. Philadelphia is currently operating about $6.5MM above the tax line and could get below that threshold by sending Martin to a team without taking anyone back, though it’s unclear if that’s what the front office has in mind.

Philadelphia traded another Martin on Tuesday. The team dealt Caleb Martin to Dallas for Quentin Grimes and a 2025 second-round pick.

FEBRUARY 3: Joel Embiid could return to action on Tuesday. The Sixers are listing their star center as questionable to play against the Mavericks, Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports tweets.

Embiid hasn’t seen action since Jan. 4 due to lingering left knee issues. The big man has only appeared in 13 games this season, averaging 24.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 29.5 minutes per game. He was limited to 39 games last season, when he averaged a career-best 34.7 PPG, 11 RPG and 5.6 APG.

The return of Embiid could factor into the Sixers’ plans regarding their roster with the trade deadline looming. Philadelphia’s brass reportedly has no intention to give up on this season, even though Embiid and prized free agent Paul George have been sidelined for a chunk of its games. George is listed as out on Tuesday due to a finger injury, but he, like Embiid, practiced on Tuesday, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

The Sixers have a 19-29 record after losing their last two games following a four-game winning streak.

Embiid isn’t the only Sixers player close to returning after an extended absence. Embiid’s backup Andre Drummond (left toe), Caleb Martin (right hip) and KJ Martin (left foot) are also questionable to play on Tuesday. As Bodner points out, Drummond has only played in four games since Dec. 23, Caleb Martin has been out since Jan. 10 and KJ Martin hasn’t seen action since Dec. 23.

As for their opponent, the Mavericks are listing Anthony Davis and Max Christie as questionable to play on Tuesday, Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Interestingly, Davis’ abdominal strain was not listed on the Mavs’ injury report. Instead, the questionable tag was due to “trade pending,” though Dallas has officially announced the blockbuster deal with the Lakers and Jazz.

Sixers coach Nick Nurse told reporters that George jammed the finger, which caused him to be removed from the game in the second quarter. George played just under 13 minutes, finishing with nine points, one rebound and one assist.

It’s been a difficult season for George and the Sixers in general, although Saturday’s win pulled them to within one game of the Bulls for 10th place and the final play-in spot in the East. They were expecting to be among the league’s top teams after adding George in free agency, but he and Joel Embiid have suffered a series of injuries that have wrecked the season.

George has missed 14 games already with a variety of ailments, including left groin soreness that forced him to sit out twice last week. He has appeared in 30 games in his first season with Philadelphia, and his scoring average of 17.4 PPG is down more than five points from what it was with the Clippers last season. However, he’s collecting 5.8 rebounds and dishing out 4.8 assists per night, which are both above last season’s averages.

The Sixers were already missing five rotation players for tonight’s game, including rookie guard Jared McCain, who was lost for the season after surgery on his left meniscus. Embiid is dealing with swelling in his left knee and hasn’t played since January 4. Backup center Andre Drummond sat out while recovering from an injury to his left toe, Caleb Martin has a strained right hip and KJ Martin hasn’t played since December 23 due to a stress reaction in his left foot.

Both Martins are expected to return to practice next week and their availability will be determined from there, Pompey states in a full story on the game.

“It’s just kind of getting back to the basics,” Oubre said. “I could speak for myself, like it’s bread and butter for me. If things around me are out of control, then I know I can focus on my energy and my effort on the defensive end.”

Oubre’s has had an impressive defensive season, ranking second in the league in deflections and tied for 14th in steals per game. The Sixers pushed the Knicks to overtime due in part to the defensive play of Oubre, who holds a player option worth roughly $8.38MM for next season.

We have more from the Sixers:

• Paul George, Guerschon Yabusele, Kyle Lowry, and KJ Martin didn’t practice for the Sixers on Friday, according to Pompey (Twitter link). However, Caleb Martin was a partial participant and Andre Drummond practiced fully after missing the last six games due to injury. In a separate tweet, Pompey reports head coach Nick Nurse said he has high hopes for Drummond playing Saturday against Indiana. Drummond is listed as probable for that game.
• The Sixers need George to step up without Embiid available, Zach Powell and Jared Weiss of The Athletic write. Philadelphia has obviously been worse off without their superstar in Embiid, but if they hope to make a run to the play-in, let alone the playoffs, George will need to play at a high level. It’s an opportunity for George to prove his star quality and to justify the Sixers’ faith in him, Powell and Weiss write.
• With the Sixers on the outside looking in for the postseason, Fred Katz of The Athletic notes that they owe their first-round pick to the Thunder if it lands outside the top six. The Sixers currently have the eighth-highest odds for the No. 1 overall pick. With that in mind, Katz ponders whether the Sixers could do what the Mavericks did in 2023, when they fell out of the playoffs and thus, kept their top-10 protected pick, landing a Finals contributor in Dereck Lively II. This stretch without Embiid ahead of the trade deadline could reveal their plans not only for February, but potentially for the draft as well.

Most offseason signees became trade-eligible on December 15, but players who met the following criteria were ineligible to be moved for an extra month:

1. The player re-signed with his previous team.
2. He got a raise of at least 20%.
3. His salary is above the minimum.
4. His team was over the cap and used Bird or Early Bird rights to sign him.

The following players met that criteria and are eligible to be traded as of Wednesday:

• Precious Achiuwa (Knicks)
• OG Anunoby (Knicks)
• Goga Bitadze (Magic)
• Miles Bridges (Hornets)
• Max Christie (Lakers)
• Nic Claxton (Nets)
• Haywood Highsmith (Heat)
• Isaiah Joe (Thunder)
• Johnny Juzang (Jazz)
• KJ Martin (Sixers)
• Tyrese Maxey (Sixers)
• Malik Monk (Kings)
• Josh Okogie (Suns)
• Scotty Pippen Jr. (Grizzlies)
  • Note: Pippen doesn’t meet the criteria detailed above, but was converted from his two-way contract to a standard deal on October 15. He’s trade-eligible today because it has been three months since he signed that contract.
• Immanuel Quickley (Raptors)
• Obi Toppin (Pacers)
• Aaron Wiggins (Thunder)
• Patrick Williams (Bulls)

Most of the players on NBA rosters are now eligible to be moved, though a small handful still can’t be dealt.

That group includes Kings forward Doug McDermott, who becomes trade-eligible on Thursday, Celtics sharpshooter Sam Hauser (trade-eligible on January 23), Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (Jan. 26), Grizzlies big man Jay Huff (Jan. 28), Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (Feb. 2), and Knicks center Ariel Hukporti (Feb. 5).

Additionally, there are several players who won’t become trade-eligible at all prior to this season’s February 6 deadline, including stars like Joel Embiid, Lauri Markkanen, and Jamal Murray.

Players on 10-day contracts are also ineligible to be dealt.

On the plus side, Drummond and KJ Martin, who has been out since December 23 due to a left foot stress reaction, have resumed on-court work, Pompey notes (via Twitter). Drummond and Embiid are considered day-to-day, while KJ Martin’s return timeline is TBD.

In total, eight players are unavailable against the Thunder, so the Sixers will roll with a skeleton crew that includes a starting lineup of Reggie Jackson, Eric Gordon, Ricky Council, Kelly Oubre, and Guerschon Yabusele, tweets Pompey. It’s the first end of a back-to-back set for Philadelphia, so the team will hope to be a bit more whole on Wednesday vs. New York.

Here’s more on the 76ers:

• After waiving Pete Nance last Tuesday, the Sixers spent the week surveying the free agent market and considering other options for their open two-way slot, Pompey reports (Twitter link). However, given Embiid’s and Drummond’s injuries, the club ultimately decided that a big man was its biggest need, which is why Nance was re-signed to a new two-way deal earlier today.
• Within his takeaways from Sunday’s loss to Orlando, Pompey writes that the veteran Sixers couldn’t keep up with the more youthful Magic, suggesting that Philadelphia’s roster could benefit from an influx of athleticism.
• In an in-depth story for The Inquirer, Sean Collins Walsh and Alex Coffey take a closer look at how the Sixers and Comcast Spectacor reached an agreement to keep the team in South Philadelphia, including the role that NBA commissioner Adam Silver played in thawing out an icy relationship between the two sides.

Martin will be reevaluated in approximately two weeks, according to the 76ers.

Martin was expected to have a modest role in Philadelphia this season, but injuries up and down the roster opened the door for him to play regular minutes and he secured a rotation spot with his strong play in recent weeks. Since November 24, he has started six of 12 Sixers games and averaged 8.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 24.8 minutes per contest, with a .614/.375/.867 shooting line.

Wings Caleb Martin, Eric Gordon, and Ricky Council, along with forward/center Guerschon Yabusele, are among the candidates for increased roles for as long as KJ Martin on the shelf.

Martin’s recovery from his left foot injury will also be worth monitoring for trade purposes. He re-signed with the team over the summer on a two-year, $16MM contract that is non-guaranteed for the second season, making it a de facto expiring deal. Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George are the only three players on the roster earning more than about $8.15MM, and they certainly won’t be going anywhere, so Martin, at $7.98MM, is among of the highest-paid trade candidates on the roster.

Martin will become trade-eligible on January 15.

Shooting and frontcourt size are among the area the 76ers may look to address, with KJ Martin viewed as the team’s most logical trade chip due to his pseudo-expiring contract, which includes a cap hit of $7.98MM for this season. However, Martin won’t become trade-eligible until January 15, so Philadelphia will have another month to assess its needs before moving forward on potential trade scenarios.

Within that same ESPN story, Bontemps and Brian Windhorst address another injury-plagued team off to a disappointing start, citing sources who say that there has been an increase in opposing scouts at Pelicans games, with rivals looking to gather intel for possible deals. While New Orleans’ plans are unclear at this point, the club is expected to at least make a move to get out of the luxury tax — its team salary is currently $1.4MM above that threshold.

Brandon Ingram, of course, is considered a potential trade candidate, but his $36MM+ cap hit will complicate trade talks. According to Bontemps, several sources have recently told ESPN that they’re not sure whether anyone making more than $20-25MM will be dealt during the season.

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

• The Nuggets are interested in making a trade to upgrade their rotation and “know they need a shake-up move of some sort,” but will be hard-pressed to find an appealing deal due to their position relative to the tax aprons and their lack of movable contracts, NBA insider Marc Stein said during an appearance on DNVR Sports (Twitter video link). “It’s been painted to me as eager. They are eager to make a move,” Stein said. “(But) the reality is if they don’t involve (Michael) Porter (Jr.), the optionality there is extremely limited.”
• While most in-season deals are unlikely to be completed until much closer to the February 6 trade deadline, Jake Fischer (Bleacher Report video link) identifies the Lakers and Bucks as teams who could be motivated to act sooner rather than later on the trade market, adding that the Knicks are also “still sniffing around on what to do for their center depth.”
• In a separate video clip, Fischer explores whether the Nets could realistically trade Ben Simmons and his $40MM+ expiring contract, suggesting that a team seeking 2025 cap room might be able to incentivize Brooklyn to take on multiyear salary in exchange for Simmons by attaching an intriguing young player and/or draft assets.
• Fred Katz of The Athletic takes a closer look at several of the CBA and trade rules – new and old – that are expected to make it more challenging than ever for teams to pull off trades this season.

Stein views Golden State as the most serious contender among the group, with sources telling him that the Warriors have expressed some interest in Butler and one informant saying the team wants to “take a swing” on a significant move by the trade deadline. Stein notes that Golden State attempted to land Paul George and Lauri Markkanen during the offseason, even though those efforts were unsuccessful. He adds that Draymond Green has experience playing alongside Butler on the U.S. Olympic team in 2016.

Houston has plenty of assets to offer in exchange for Butler, but Stein points to general manager Rafael Stone‘s stance that he doesn’t plan to pursue a major in-season trade. The Rockets have also let it be known that age considerations will be important if they do go after a star, making sure that player is on a similar timeline as the rest of their young core. That would seem to exclude any interest in the 35-year-old Butler.

Financial restraints will likely prevent the Mavericks from getting involved, Stein adds. They already have Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on max contracts, and both players will become eligible for new deals in July. Stein doesn’t believe Dallas is looking for another player like Butler, who is used to having the ball in his hands.

Butler, who has a $52.4MM player option for next season, has been open about his intention to pursue free agency. Meeting with reporters after Wednesday’s practice, he refused to commit when asked if he wants to finish his career in Miami.

“I don’t know,” he responded. “I’m pretty sure y’all are going to get a report that’s going to say otherwise anyways. So there’s no sense in me answering that question.”

Stein offers more inside information from around the NBA:

• The Wizards, Jazz and Nets are the primary sellers as the league’s unofficial trade season gets set to open Sunday, with a rival executive telling Stein, “When you call them, they’re willing to make a deal right now.” Stein hears that the Raptors, Trail Blazers and Bulls are also being monitored to see if they’re interested in parting with certain players. Sources tell Stein that Brooklyn is asking for at least one first-round pick in exchange for swingman Dorian Finney-Smith or point guard Dennis Schröder. Washington is “increasingly regarded as likely” to pursue trades involving Jonas Valanciunas and Malcolm Brogdon while listening to offers for Kyle Kuzma, who is in the second season of a four-year, $90MM contract.
• Sources tell Stein that the Pelicans have no interest in fielding offers for Herbert Jones despite the team’s disastrous 5-20 start. Jones is the team’s best perimeter defender and is under contract through the 2026/27 season.
• The Sixers aren’t expected to be active in December, according to Stein, because their most logical trade chip — KJ Martin — doesn’t become trade eligible until January 15.
• Scouts believe the Cavaliers will try to acquire at least one more wing before the deadline, Stein adds. Even though Cleveland is at the top of the East, there’s a belief that the team will need to upgrade its perimeter defense for the playoffs.