On NBA Countdown on Wednesday evening (hat tip to RealGM), ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski continued to relay that the Nets and Sixers aren’t involved in meaningful discussions involving James Harden.
As Thursday’s trade deadline nears, the Kings have been sending signals that they plan to hang onto forward Harrison Barnes, according to Marc Stein (Twitter link).
Barnes has been a frequent subject of recent trade rumors, with one report earlier today stating that the Kings were still very much open to discussing him. A follow-up report said Sacramento only wanted win-now pieces in any deal involving the veteran forward, since the team still has playoff aspirations.
It seems safe to assume that most teams with interest in Barnes are other contenders or playoff hopefuls — those clubs would likely be more inclined to give up draft picks and young prospects than players who can contribute right away, so it makes sense that the Kings are having a tough time finding a deal they like.
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:
A number of NBA reporters have expressed skepticism that a James Harden/Ben Simmons mega-deal will come to fruition this week, citing sources who say it almost certainly won’t happen. However, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst remains bullish on the possibility of the Nets and Sixers figuring something out before Thursday’s trade deadline.
[RELATED: Sixers, Nets Engaged In Trade Talks On Tuesday]
Appearing on ESPN’s Greeny with Mike Greenberg (video link), Windhorst said the two teams are “absolutely” talking and negotiating possible terms, and suggested Harden would welcome a deal.
“Yesterday, the 76ers were out looking for other moves, talking to other teams about other moves – moving players, opening roster spots – leading those teams to believe that they were getting ready to make the (Harden/Simmons) deal,” Windhorst said. “They have swapped offers, and really right now it’s about haggling (over) the ancillary parts.
“Now, does that mean it’s absolutely going to get done by tomorrow? No, I can’t say that. I’m not sitting in the room. It’s complicated. … But they are in the ‘deal zone’ right now, and so I am leaning toward this probably happening. I don’t want to guarantee it or anything, but I think we’re headed in that direction.”
In an appearance of his own on Greenberg’s show, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (video link) cast doubt on his colleague’s reporting.
“I try not to do the prediction business because you follow the news where it leads,” Wojnarowski said when asked about the likelihood of a Harden/Simmons swap. “But right now, there’s no negotiation going on between Philadelphia and Brooklyn. The trade deadline is tomorrow at 3:00, it can change. But the idea that they’re going back and forth that’s been surmised by some, I don’t believe that to be accurate. … I think, barring a flurry of negotiations and activity that hasn’t happened yet, right now James Harden is likely to be with the Nets.”
Here are a few more trade rumors from across the NBA:
The NBA has announced a full list of the participants for its three-point, slam dunk and skills challenge competitions ahead of the upcoming 2022 All-Star Weekend in Cleveland.
Per the NBA (Twitter link), the following players will partake in the Mountain Dew Three-Point Contest, which appears to have outpaced the dunk contest as the premiere event for established stars at All-Star Weekend. Four 2022 All-Stars will compete:
According to the league (via Twitter), these are the contestants in the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest:
Below are the NBA’s announced players for the newly revamped Taco Bell Skills Challenge (Twitter link). This year, the Skills Challenge will be divvied up into three teams: Antetokounmpo brothers (“Antetokounmpos”), Cavaliers players (“Cavs”), and rookies (“Rooks”).
These three events will take place on All-Star Saturday on February 19.
The Raptors‘ front office, led by team president Masai Ujiri and GM Bobby Webster, will have a variety of intriguing options ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Grange notes that Toronto, a team that has won six straight contests, could look to improve its current roster without wholly sacrificing its future.
The team can offload the $19.4MM expiring contract of veteran point guard Goran Dragic, who has not been with the Raptors since November. Future draft picks and the expiring deal of big man Chris Boucher could also be moved.
The Raptors clearly need to shore up their bench depth, per Grange, who observes that four of the team’s starters rank within the NBA’s top seven in minutes per game. Scoring and passing are particular areas in which Toronto could look to improve. Grange considers Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic and Rockets guard Eric Gordon to be potential targets.
There’s more out of Toronto:
The Raptors have talked to the Hawks about acquiring Danilo Gallinari, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.
The framework of the trade would send Goran Dragic‘s $19.4MM expiring contract to Atlanta in exchange for Gallinari. Fischer adds that additional details about what other assets might be involved are still unclear.
Fischer believes that the trade agreement earlier today that will send CJ McCollum from the Trail Blazers to the Pelicans could make the swap of Gallinari to Toronto more likely. The Hawks had been among the teams discussing a possible McCollum deal.
Brian Windhorst of ESPN confirms that the Raptors are offering Dragic and draft assets in their search to add another wing player and help in the middle. Although Toronto is 14-6 since the beginning of 2022, Windhorst notes that the Raptors are hoping to add depth because their starters have been logging heavy minutes.
After trading Caris LeVert to Cleveland, the Pacers continue to talk to teams about centers Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis, but are still seeking a substantial return, writes Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. Indiana wants at least two first-round picks for Turner and an even more significant package for Sabonis, according to Fischer.
The Trail Blazers, Mavericks, Raptors, Knicks, Hornets, and Kings are among the teams to express interest in Turner, but they’ve all balked at the Pacers’ asking price so far, Fischer writes. As Fischer reported last week, Toronto has discussed a framework of Goran Dragic‘s expiring contract and a first-round pick for Turner, but it sounds like Indiana would want more assets than just a single first-rounder.
The Kings have engaged with the Pacers about both Turner and Sabonis, though it’s unclear how much progress was made in those talks, says Fischer. De’Aaron Fox was “at least mentioned in some capacity” in discussions between the two teams, according to Fischer, which echoes a January report.
Here’s more on the Pacers:
Raptors forward Pascal Siakam has been named the Player of the Week for the Eastern Conference, while Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram earned the award in the Western Conference, the NBA announced today (via Twitter). It’s the first time this season that either Siakam or Ingram has been named Player of the Week.
Ingram returned from a five-game absence last Tuesday and led the Pelicans to three consecutive road wins in Detroit, Denver, and Houston, moving the team into the final play-in spot in the West. In those three games, Ingram averaged 27.3 points on .475/.400/.846 shooting and thrived as a play-maker, with 9.3 assists per game. He also chipped in 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks per contest.
Siakam’s Raptors improved their playoff outlook with a winning streak this week too. After going 4-0, Toronto now holds the sixth seed in the East, having moved ahead of Brooklyn. In the Raptors’ four victories, Siakam put up 24.8 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 4.8 APG, and 1.8 SPG on .493/.500/.806 shooting while averaging over 40 minutes per game.
Ingram beat out fellow nominees Anthony Davis, Luka Doncic, Luguentz Dort, Ja Morant, and Karl-Anthony Towns for the Western Conference award. The other Eastern Conference nominees were Jarrett Allen, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis, DeMar DeRozan, and Joel Embiid (Twitter link).
In the wake of Friday’s trade that sent Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Clippers, many executives around the league expect the Trail Blazers to move CJ McCollum either before the deadline or during the offseason, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The Pelicans and Mavericks are among the teams with interest in McCollum, Scotto adds.
Joe Cronin, the interim general manager in Portland, said the trade with L.A. was designed to create more playing time for Anfernee Simons, who has emerged as a potential star in his fourth NBA season. Cronin calls Simons, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, a “core piece” and said the team “wanted to create a runway here for him.” The same reasoning could apply to moving the 30-year-old McCollum, who will make $69.13MM over the next two seasons.
Scotto shares a few more trade-related tidbits: