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Pre-Camp Roster Snapshot: Northwest Division

September 24th, 2023 at 8:40am CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors has spent the last week taking a closer look at each NBA team’s current roster situation, evaluating which clubs still have some moves to make and which ones seem most prepared for training camp to begin.

This series is meant to provide a snapshot of each team’s roster right now, so these articles won’t be updated in the coming weeks as more signings, trades, and cuts are made. You can follow our roster counts page to keep tabs on teams’ open spots as opening night nears.

We’re wrapping up our pre-camp Roster Snapshot series today with the Northwest Division. Let’s dive in…

Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets, whose last signing came on August 3, apparently wanted to wrap up their offseason activity early. They’ve been carrying a full 21-man roster since then, including a group of 15 players on guaranteed contracts and three on two-way deals that appears pretty regular-season-ready.

The one question is whether Denver will hang onto Cancar, who tore his ACL this summer and may miss the entire 2023/24 season. I wouldn’t expect the Nuggets to make a final decision on him until later in the season, when they have a better sense of whether or not they need to use that 15th roster spot on a healthy player. Cancar’s contract includes a $2.35MM team option for 2024/25, so he could still provide value before he eventually reaches free agency.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Squeezing in one more player below the luxury tax line is technically a possibility for the Timberwolves, but it’d be a tight fit, and the team has to account for $1.5MM in unlikely incentives in Conley’s contract. I’d expect Minnesota – whose roster is pretty deep already – to be satisfied carrying 14 players into opening night.

That would leave the final two-way slot as the biggest preseason roster issue to resolve. Nix and Krejci both have multiple seasons of NBA experience under their belts but remain eligible for a two-way deal, so they could be viable options for that spot — especially if the Wolves are seeking a player who could step in and contribute right away if needed. However, Matt Ryan, who still has a two-way qualifying offer on the table, figures to get first dibs.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder’s regular season roster decision won’t be as easy as waiving their players without fully guaranteed contracts, since Joe and Wiggins were solid rotation players last season and White was an offseason signee who has a partial guarantee.

I expect Oklahoma City to trade or waive at least two players with fully guaranteed salaries — Bertans, Mann, Oladipo, and Robinson-Earl are among those whose spots may not be locked in.

Portland Trail Blazers

The Trail Blazers’ roster situation remains very much in flux, with Lillard still on the trade block and Nurkic another prime candidate to be moved before the season begins.

Until the Lillard situation is resolved – either with a trade or with a decision that he won’t be moved before opening night – it’s hard to say what moves might be needed in Portland. A Lillard deal would likely see the Blazers take back more players than they send out, in which case additional free agent additions probably wouldn’t be necessary.

Utah Jazz

With just 12 players on fully guaranteed salaries, the Jazz have some flexibility, but I’d be surprised if they don’t simply start the season with Yurtseven, Samanic, and Dunn filling out the standard 15-man roster.

Yurtseven was an offseason signee, Dunn figures to be in the mix for the starting point guard job, and if the Jazz didn’t want to keep Samanic, they could’ve simply cut him before he received that $400K partial guarantee earlier this summer.

Previously:

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Atlantic Notes: Nets, Giannis, Hart, Harden

September 23rd, 2023 at 9:38pm CST by Arthur Hill

For the first time in years, the Nets will report to training camp without a superstar on their roster, but they have plenty of assets ready for when the next one becomes available, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn is in a transition phase after shipping out Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in separate deals last February. Those trades gave the team a foundation built around Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson, along with a parcel of draft assets that can match any team in the league.

The Nets have seven tradable first-round picks through 2030, along with four others that could be involved in swaps. They own unprotected firsts from the Suns in 2027 and 2029 and one from the Mavericks in 2029. Lewis points out that those picks could greatly increase in value as the core in Phoenix becomes older and especially if Irving and Luka Doncic eventually decide to leave Dallas.

Lewis doesn’t expect Brooklyn to use any of its assets to chase players who are currently on the market such as Damian Lillard, Tyler Herro or James Harden. The front office wants to be fully stocked in case a major star such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Donovan Mitchell or Doncic eventually becomes available.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • The Knicks risk missing out on other opportunities if they decide to wait for the possibility of an Antetokounmpo trade, Ian Begley of SNY.tv states in a mailbag column. He points to Raptors forward OG Anunoby as an example of a useful talent who might be available through trade, but New York can’t make a bid for him if the front office is determined to preserve its assets for a run at Antetokounmpo. Begley also notes that Antetokounmpo could ultimately decide to stay in Milwaukee or force his way to another team.
  • The Knicks appear to have Josh Hart penciled in as their backup power forward, Begley adds. New York hasn’t signed anyone to replace Obi Toppin after trading him to Indiana, and using Hart in that role could open up playing time for free agent addition Ryan Arcidiacono.
  • The attention being focused on a potential Lillard deal is holding up any progress the Sixers could be making on a Harden trade, Derek Bodner states on the latest PHLY Sports podcast. Philadelphia talked to the Trail Blazers about a Lillard deal this summer, Kyle Neubeck adds, but he cautions that doesn’t mean the teams were ever close to a deal.
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Duop Reath Waited A Long Time For A Chance At The NBA

September 23rd, 2023 at 5:25pm CST by Arthur Hill
  • Duop Reath traveled around the world before landing an NBA opportunity with the Trail Blazers, notes Ayush G of The Pick and Roll. The 27-year-old center played in Serbia, Lebanon, China and Australia before impressing Portland in this year’s Summer League. Reath, who started for Australia in the World Cup, is expected to sign a one-year contract with the Blazers before the start of training camp.
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Jazz, Bulls, Hornets, Nets Interested In Tyler Herro

September 22nd, 2023 at 9:44pm CST by Rory Maher

Add the Jazz to the list of teams that could be involved on the periphery of a Damian Lillard trade, writes Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

In particular, if the Trail Blazers eventually trade Lillard to the Heat, the Jazz, Bulls, Hornets and Nets are all thought to be interested in acquiring Tyler Herro in a multi-team trade, sources tell Fischer. Portland is reportedly unenthusiastic about Herro, in part because the team already has a trio of young guards in Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons.

League personnel also expect the Blazers to ask the Heat for Jaime Jaquez in a possible deal, according to Fischer. A small forward out of UCLA, Jaquez was selected 18th overall by Miami in June’s draft.

Brooklyn has long been considered a team with a level of interest in Herro. The other three teams are new possible landing spots for the 23-year-old, however, from what we’ve seen reported in recent months.

Trade talks for Lillard have picked up steam ahead of training camp, though a deal isn’t considered imminent. The Bulls and Raptors are reportedly among Lillard’s other suitors, despite the veteran guard making it clear (via his agent) that he wants to land in Miami.

Multiple sources tell Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports that the Pacers are another team that could potentially help facilitate a Lillard trade, along with the Suns.

Indiana is looking to move Buddy Hield after extension talks fizzled. It’s unclear where Hield would be headed in that scenario — or if he’d even be involved. Dallas, Philadelphia and Milwaukee are rumored to be interested in the veteran sharpshooter.

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Raptors Considered Legitimate Suitor For Damian Lillard

September 22nd, 2023 at 9:07pm CST by Rory Maher

The Heat have long been viewed as the frontrunner to land Damian Lillard, in large part because Miami is his preferred destination.

However, outside of the Heat, the Raptors are one of the top contenders – “if not the most viable threat” – to trade for the Trail Blazers star, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. Fischer draws a comparison to the Donovan Mitchell deal last year, when the Knicks were long viewed as the favorite to land the All-NBA guard but the Cavaliers surprisingly traded for him instead.

A couple different reporters have cited the Raptors as a possible Lillard suitor, and Fischer suggests their interest is more than just cursory. Still, despite being involved in plenty of rumors over the past year, Toronto’s lack of actual moves has created skepticism around the league that the team will actually acquire Lillard, Fischer writes.

As for what Toronto would give up, OG Anunoby is a name worth watching, according to Fischer, but it’s unclear where the defensive stalwart would eventually land in a potential deal. Sources tell Fischer that Scottie Barnes is off limits and Pascal Siakam is unlikely to be involved, but first-rounder Gradey Dick could be included.

The Trail Blazers are focused on finding the “greatest possible return” for Lillard, sources tell Fischer, and have “strongly considered” the possibility of acquiring Suns center Deandre Ayton as part of a multi-team framework. Ayton’s potential involvement was first reported by John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 on Thursday night.

The Bulls are also interested in Lillard, Fischer confirms, but teams around the league — including Portland — aren’t excited about acquiring Zach LaVine, who has been available for a few months now, as Fischer has reported multiple times.

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Windhorst Says Heat Aren’t “Desperate” For Damian Lillard

September 22nd, 2023 at 5:32pm CST by Rory Maher

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported on Friday that trade talks for Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard have “intensified” but no deal is imminent. Wojnarowski also said the Heat — Lillard’s preferred landing spot — haven’t been involved in recent trade talks with Portland, though he did caution that could change at a moment’s notice.

In addition to confirming Wojnarowski’s report, his ESPN colleague Brian Windhorst says Miami hasn’t been acting like a team that’s prepared to go all-in to land Lillard.

“I don’t think the Heat are desperate at all to trade for Damian Lillard,” Windhorst said on NBA Today (YouTube link). “I think they want to trade for him, but I don’t think that it’s something that if they don’t get it done that it wrecks their season.

“They were in the Finals last year. They have young players that are getting better. They have assets that they can trade for other deals. And as we talked about earlier on the show, Dame Lillard isn’t potentially the only star player that could be on the market. Maybe not today, but certainly in the next six-to-12-to-18 months.

“I don’t think the Heat have ever approached it like it’s the be-all, end-all,” Windhorst added. “… Like Woj reported, and I have heard the same thing … I don’t think that the Heat and the Trail Blazers have been engaged in talks at all, on almost any level, for quite some time.

“That could change very quickly. Dame Lillard could be a member of the Heat in the short-term future. But I think that there has been a misjudgment in sort of the way it’s all viewed, that this is something that the Heat have absolutely got to get done, and I just don’t think they view it that way.”

For what it’s worth, when Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link) sent Windhorst’s explanation of the Heat’s thinking to an “involved source,” Jackson was told that it was “100 percent right.”

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Woj: Lillard Talks Have Intensified But No Deal Imminent

September 22nd, 2023 at 3:08pm CST by Luke Adams

After multiple reporters suggested on Thursday that the Trail Blazers appear to be increasing their efforts to try to trade Damian Lillard before training camp, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN agreed with that assessment on Friday, saying on NBA Today that Portland is “certainly behaving like a team that wants to get a deal done” before camps get underway (Twitter video link).

Still, according to Wojnarowski, the Blazers have yet to gain serious traction toward an agreement. They continue to have conversations with different clubs and explore various multi-team trade scenarios.

“Those talks have intensified, but still, there’s no trade imminent,” Wojnarowski said.“… You have Portland trying to not only talk to teams who have an interest in Lillard, but lots of teams who’d like to get in on a bigger deal. Can they pick up a couple draft picks to take on some money? Is there a need that they have that they can get in a three- or four-team trade? So Portland is exhausting all of those conversations this week.”

Interestingly, while Miami has been Lillard’s preferred destination and presumed landing spot since he initially requested a trade at the start of July, the Heat haven’t been involved in the Blazers’ conversations this week, according to Wojnarowski. However, he cautions that Miami’s apparent lack of involvement at this point doesn’t necessarily mean that Lillard will be traded elsewhere.

“So far, the one element that has not been a part of these talks are the Miami Heat,” Woj said. “But we know in trade talks and conversations, that could change in one moment with one call.”

The Trail Blazers, as they’ve been trying to do all summer, may simply be attempting to get a serious offer for Lillard from another team to put pressure on the Heat to make a more aggressive offer themselves. Or perhaps the Blazers already have a pretty good sense of what Miami’s best offer for Lillard would look like and are gauging what they could get from a third or fourth team for some of those Heat assets.

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Trade Rumors: Future Trade Candidates, Hield, Ayton, Brogdon

September 22nd, 2023 at 8:06am CST by Luke Adams

As teams besides the Heat consider how aggressively to pursue Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, one factor they’re weighing is whether it makes more sense to preserve their assets in the hopes of landing an even more valuable star in the near future, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said this week during an appearance on NBA Today (YouTube link).

“There could be some massive talents available for trades next season. Maybe at the trade deadline, maybe next year,” Wojnarowski said. “So you have teams weighing the assets they might use to trade for Damian Lillard vs. who could be available to them that they don’t want to be out of the game for. Some younger, first team All-NBA type players who may be in that marketplace.”

While Wojnarowski didn’t name any specific players, his ESPN colleague Zach Lowe followed up on Woj’s point by directly mentioning Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and obliquely referencing Sixers center Joel Embiid as well.

“Look, not to put it too baldly, but Giannis’ recent comments have changed the landscape of the league, at least a little bit, and have had teams at least have the meeting of, ‘Wait a second, do we need to keep our powder dry if we think we have a one percent, two percent, five percent (chance to acquire him)?'” Lowe said.

“And by the way, the Bucks may not have to trade Giannis at all. They may win the title this year, everything’s fine, he signs an extension. But those comments, along with everything going on in Philly, have at least forced you to have the meeting of, ‘Do we need to keep our powder dry?'”

Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors:

  • The Mavericks, Sixers, Bucks are among the teams to watch as the Pacers seek a trade partner for sharpshooter Buddy Hield, Shams Charania of The Athletic said in an appearance on The Rally (Twitter video link). “Those are the types of teams that could definitely use a shooter like Buddy Hield,” Charania said. “And I think they’ve had a level of interest in him over the last several months.”
  • With Deandre Ayton‘s name once again popping up in trade rumors, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports cites a source who says the Mavericks made an “underwhelming” offer for the Suns center over the summer. Bourguet adds that Phoenix fielded inquiries on Ayton on draft night in June, but the offers at that time weren’t compelling, with one source even describing them as “trash.”
  • While Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe acknowledges that the Malcolm Brogdon situation in Boston “feels slightly off,” he hasn’t gotten any recent indications that the Celtics are considering trading Brogdon any more than they’re considering moving any other player.
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Blazers Looking To Complete Lillard Trade Before Training Camp

September 21st, 2023 at 8:53pm CST by Tristan Tucker

It has been over two months since Trail Blazers star guard Damian Lillard requested a trade from Portland to Miami. Now, Danny Marang of 1080 The Fan in Portland reports that there are ongoing discussions for a deal involving Lillard to be completed before training camp on October 2 (Twitter link).

Earlier on Thursday, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst appeared on the Behind the Play podcast (YouTube link) and said the Blazers are trying to get a deal done, adding that in the last week or so, there’s been more movement from Portland.

“I don’t know what their offers are but I think they are making an attempt to resolve this before training camp,” Windhorst said. “They may get there or they may not. … I don’t see [Lillard] as someone who doesn’t report or doesn’t play. I would be very surprised if you didn’t see [Lillard] there and playing at his all.”

Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson corroborated Marang’s original tweet, writing that a “non-Heat person” spoke with Portland’s front office tonight and backed up Marang’s reporting (Twitter link). Jackson adds that this is the first time he’s gotten the sense that the Blazers would like to make a deal before camp “if they get what they’re looking for.”

This echoes earlier reporting on Thursday involving the potential inclusion of the Suns and/or Deandre Ayton in a deal. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM said he expected the Lillard trade to happen “very soon,” even as soon as the next 24 hours. Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports wrote that trade talks among interested teams are heating up. Bourguet added that conversations between the Heat, Trail Blazers and Suns, the latter of which has been described as a potential facilitator in such a trade, have increased over the last day or so.

While the Blazers could be looking to get a trade done, it isn’t clear which team they’re having the most talks with. Bourguet writes that Chicago, Toronto and Philadelphia could all be potential partners in a trade and that each is active on the market right now.

Lillard demanded a trade specifically to Miami, but for months it’s been reported that the Trail Blazers haven’t been interested in engaging with the Heat. While that certainly could have changed, it’s also possible that another team is nearing the finish line to acquire the seven-time All-Star.

According to Bourguet, the Heat are “desperate” to get a deal done for Lillard now. Miami has been contacting teams around the league to help facilitate a multi-team trade, reports Bourguet.

It’s important to note that even with all the reports suggesting the Trail Blazers are trying to get the trade done before camp, it’s still possible it doesn’t happen at that time, as Windhorst noted in his podcast appearance. If the Blazers still don’t like the offers available to them, they could hold Lillard into the season, as Jackson and Windhorst reported.

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Suns To Explore Deandre Ayton, Jusuf Nurkic Swap?

September 21st, 2023 at 7:54pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Deandre Ayton‘s name hasn’t come up in rumored trade discussions nearly as much this summer as it did a year ago. In June, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reported that Ayton was “very unlikely” to be traded.

However, in a Twitter thread posted on Thursday (Twitter link), Gambadoro writes that while Phoenix hasn’t been actively seeking trades for Ayton, if Jusuf Nurkic were to be on the table as an available trade option, he’d be surprised if the Suns didn’t look into making such a swap.

Gambadoro goes on to tweet that such a move would be contingent on Damian Lillard being traded out of Portland, which Gambadoro expects will happen “very soon.” The Trail Blazers have shown no interest in trading for Ayton, Gambadoro writes, but that could change if or when Lillard is on the move.

On paper, such a trade would be surprising. While Ayton’s youth and upside could be appealing to the Trail Blazers, which Gambadoro notes, Nurkic is arguably a downgrade from Ayton. It would be peculiar for Phoenix, who is looking to contend in 2023/24, to soften its rotation, especially so close to the start of the season.

It’s also unclear how such a move would take place. A straight one-for-one deal for the two players is impossible, considering Ayton’s $32.5MM salary in ’23/24 and Nurkic’s $16.9MM salary. Because Portland is currently below the luxury tax but above the cap, they could not take in Ayton’s salary as is. The Suns and the Trail Blazers would need to salary match in a hypothetical trade. While a framework involving Nurkic, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson, for example, works, it would push the Blazers over the luxury tax, complicating matters.

It’s also important to note that the Suns and Trail Blazers cannot trade any of the free agents they signed this offseason until at least three months after they signed or December 15, whichever is later. Players like Keita Bates-Diop and Eric Gordon, for instance, are not eligible to be traded until December 15. Another list of players, such as Matisse Thybulle and Jerami Grant, are ineligible to be traded until January 15.

In a separate piece, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports wrote that the Suns are a “dark horse team” to help facilitate a potential Lillard trade. According to Bourguet, talks around the league for Lillard are heating up, which matches Gambadoro’s reporting, with teams like Miami, Philadelphia, Chicago and Toronto among the most active potential suitors.

Bourguet also addresses the difficulty in matching salaries between the two teams, but perhaps a multi-team trade involving Lillard is how Nurkic ends up in Phoenix and Ayton ends up in Portland.

For what it’s worth, Rose Garden Report’s Sean Highkin tweets that while he can’t speak to whether any deal is imminent, Portland has wanted to upgrade the center spot and had interest in Ayton in the past.

Ayton holds career averages of 16.7 points and 10.4 rebounds, though his play in the postseason this year fell short of that mark, as he averaged 13.4 PPG and 9.7 RPG. Ayton, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, is still just 25 years old.

Nurkic, on the other hand, is 29 and averaged 13.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game last season. While their production isn’t necessarily far apart, Nurkic’s leg injury in 2019 seems to still be affecting his athleticism. Gambadoro reasons that even after the injury, Nurkic is a better defender than Ayton and could make more sense in head coach Frank Vogel‘s system.

Regardless of whether Nurkic winds up being moved for Ayton, his situation in Portland is certainly one to monitor. It’s possible Nurkic is included in a potential Lillard package, but if he’s not, it would be surprising if the Trail Blazers kept him around much longer than this season given their apparent commitment to a youth movement.

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