- Raptors guard Fred VanVleet has committed to participate in the three-point contest over All-Star Weekend, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). VanVleet has connected on 39% of his three-pointers this season. The 27-year-old will also compete in the All-Star Game for the first time in his career.
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:
- After Friday’s trade was completed, several teams called the Clippers to see if they were interested in flipping Covington, who has a $12.975MM expiring contract. However, L.A. sees Covington as insurance if Nicolas Batum decides to turn down his $3.3MM player option this summer and would consider re-signing him even if Batum remains with the team. Scotto views Serge Ibaka as the next Clipper who might be traded.
- Sources tell Scotto that the Mavericks passed on an offer of a potential late-lottery pick in exchange for Dorian Finney-Smith. The 28-year-old forward will be a free agent this summer, but Scotto cites “sentiment around the league” that Finney-Smith is outplaying his maximum extension of $55.6MM over four years.
- Pacers center Myles Turner is among the names the Raptors have considered in their search for help in the middle. Scotto identifies Jakob Poeltl, Robert Williams, Nicolas Claxton and Jusuf Nurkic as other potential Toronto targets, saying the Raptors have considered offering a first-round pick to the Spurs for Poeltl. The price for Turner would be even higher, as Indiana wants either two first-round picks or one first-rounder and a young player with potential.
- The Raptors are among several teams with interest in acquiring veteran forward Danilo Gallinari from the Hawks. Scotto notes that Goran Dragic, who hasn’t played since November, could be used to help match salaries in a deal with Atlanta.
As we previously relayed, the NBA announced a new format for its Rising Stars event at All-Star weekend, which will take place on Friday, February 18. The event will feature four seven-player teams competing in a three-game tournament (two semifinals and a final).
The player pool is comprised of 12 NBA rookies, 12 sophomores, and four players from the G League Ignite, while the games will be played to a target score: 50 points in the semifinals and 25 points in the final, in honor of the league’s 75th anniversary season.
The rosters were announced on February 1, but now the four honorary coaches (75th anniversary team members Rick Barry, Isiah Thomas, Gary Payton and James Worthy) have selected their seven-man teams, per our JD Shaw (Twitter link). Here are the rosters:
Team Barry:
- Cade Cunningham (Pistons)
- Dyson Daniels (GLI)
- Evan Mobley (Cavaliers)
- Isaac Okoro (Cavaliers)
- Alperen Sengun (Rockets)
- Jae’Sean Tate (Rockets)
- Franz Wagner (Magic)
Team Isiah:
- Precious Achiuwa (Raptors)
- Desmond Bane (Grizzlies)
- Saddiq Bey (Pistons)
- Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)
- Tyrese Haliburton (Kings)
- Jaden Hardy (GLI)
- Isaiah Stewart (Pistons)
Team Payton:
- LaMelo Ball (Hornets)
- Scottie Barnes (Raptors)
- Ayo Dosunmu (Bulls)
- Chris Duarte (Pacers)
- Scoot Henderson (GLI)
- Jaden McDaniels (Timberwolves)
- Davion Mitchell (Kings)
Team Worthy:
- Cole Anthony (Magic)
- MarJon Beauchamp (GLI)
- Josh Giddey (Thunder)
- Jalen Green (Rockets)
- Herbert Jones (Pelicans)
- Tyrese Maxey (Sixers)
- Jalen Suggs (Magic)
James Ham of ESPN 1320 and The Kings Beat provides (via Twitter) the full draft results.
The top 10, in order, were: Edwards, Mobley, Ball, Anthony, Giddey, Barnes, Cunningham, Bey, Bane, and Wagner. It’s worth noting that Worthy and Anthony both went to the University of North Carolina, so Anthony’s selection at No. 4 is less surprising given that context.
What do you think of the teams? Who do you think will come out on top? Head to the comments section and let us know your thoughts!
Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert were named as All-Star reserves on Thursday. The Jazz also got positive injury news regarding their top players.
Mitchell has cleared the NBA’s concussion protocol and will be available for the team’s game against the Nets on Friday, Tim MacMahon of ESPN tweets. Mitchell hasn’t played since January 17. Gobert won’t play on Friday but could return early next week, MacMahon adds. The big man is dealing with a calf strain and hasn’t seen action since January 23rd.
We have more injury-related news:
- Warriors forward Draymond Green is skipping the All-Star Game due to a back injury. Green said on Thursday he won’t need surgery but estimates it will be at least three-to-four weeks before he can play again, Marc Stein tweets.
- Another Warriors forward, Andre Iguodala, says he’s close to returning from a left hip injury, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. Iguodala hasn’t played since logging 31 minutes on January 20. Iguodala indicated that persistent knee swelling created a “chain reaction” that has led to other ailments.
- Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony exited the team’s game against the Clippers on Thursday due to a right hamstring strain, McMenamin tweets. LeBron James missed his fifth straight game due to swelling in his left knee, McMenamin adds in another tweet.
- Raptors big man Khem Birch played on Thursday for the first time since January 14. He only saw five minutes of action. Birch required plastic surgery after his nose was fractured. He’ll have to wear a mask for approximately six weeks, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca tweets.
Cavaliers guard Darius Garland and Raptors guard Fred VanVleet were chosen for the All-Star Game for the first time in their respective careers. They were named, along with a handful of other players, to the Eastern Conference All-Star reserve pool on Thursday, per the NBA (Twitter link).
Garland is averaging 19.8 PPG and 8.2 APG for the surprising Cavaliers. VanVleet has posted averages of 21.5 PPG and 7.0 APG this season.
The list of Eastern Conference reserves also includes the Nets’ James Harden, the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, the Bulls’ Zach LaVine, the Bucks’ Khris Middleton and the Heat‘s Jimmy Butler. The reserves were chosen by the league’s coaches.
Garland will be playing in front of his home fans in Cleveland on February 20.
The pool of Eastern Conference starters was announced a week ago. Sixers center Joel Embiid, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nets forward Kevin Durant are the frontcourt starters, while the backcourt players in the starter pool are DeMar DeRozan (Bulls) and Trae Young (Hawks).
Raptors shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. has been proving his mettle as a valuable addition to a scrappy Toronto team, opines Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Trent has firmly carved out a role for himself as a starter with the Raptors.
“It’s big,” head coach Nick Nurse said of Trent’s current scoring tear (31+ points in five straight games). “It gives you a huge lift and then he gives you somewhere to go, too, with some play calls and then it usually gives you something to counter back against, too, because he’ll draw so much attention that we can go back to someone else. That’s big.”
After shipping Norman Powell to the Trail Blazers for Trent at the trade deadline last season, the Raptors showed how much they expected out of Trent when they signed him to a three-year, $54MM contract in the offseason. Grange notes that Nurse and the rest of the Raptors organization emphasized their interest in seeing Trent step up as a defender and develop into a more significant three-point catch-and-shoot scorer.
Trent’s season has been so good, writes Josh Lewenberg of TSN, that the 23-year-old may be too valuable to the 26-23 Raptors to use as a potential trade chip ahead of next week’s deadline.
“It’s just the opportunity to shoot and score, unlimited shots, kind of let me go out there and play,” Trent said. “You don’t have to worry about anything. I don’t have to look over my shoulder anymore. If I miss a shot or kick it off my leg, my coaching staff believes in me. They’re allowing me to play and allowing me to roll with the punches.”
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- As the NBA trade deadline approaches, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston previews potential options available to the Celtics. The team is coming off a hot January, in which it went 10-6 to move to a respectable 28-25 on the season, still only good for the No. 9 seed in the crowded East. Because Boston remains mired in relative mediocrity, Forsberg suggests the club could be in tax-avoidance mode, making big transactions less than likely before the 2022 offseason. That said, Forsberg speculates that the team could opt to offload guards like Romeo Langford or Dennis Schröder, among others.
- The Sixers could face an intriguing opportunity at the trade deadline. Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer ponders what Philadelphia should do if adding Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal suddenly becomes a viable option. Beal could opt out of the last year of his current deal with the Wizards and become an unrestricted free agent this summer. With that reality in mind as the deadline approaches, Beal could force Washington’s hand and compel the only team he has ever known to trade him. Pompey wonders if the Sixers will consider adding a high-level isolation scorer in his prime, even if Beal is having a down scoring year by his standards and has never been much of a defender. The team’s reluctance to include Tyrese Maxey or Matisse Thybulle in an outgoing trade could limit its ability to add a star player.
- Nets shooting guard James Harden did not mince words when discussing Brooklyn’s current six-game losing slump, per Nick Friedell of ESPN. “I think we’ve done too much talking,” Harden said. “It’s just, we got to go out there and do it, and do it consistently. We have times when we’re great, and we have times when we’re really bad. We just got to find some consistency throughout the course of games more times than not.” It should be noted that Harden, averaging 22.5 PPG, 10.2 APG and 8.0 RPG on the season, said this on a night when he shot 2-of-11 from the floor and netted a total of four points, 12 assists, seven rebounds and six turnovers.
The Raptors have phoned rival teams to gauge what sort of return they could get in exchange for Goran Dragic‘s expiring contract and a first-round pick, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.
Toronto is known to be in the market for an upgrade at center, but likely won’t want to part with any of its core players in an in-season deal. That makes Dragic’s expiring deal and a draft pick the most logical package for the Raptors to offer.
That framework of Dragic and draft assets was brought up in negotiations for Pacers center Myles Turner before he sustained a stress fracture in his foot, says Fischer.
Here are a few more trade-related rumors from around the NBA:
- In addition to confirming that Evan Fournier, Kemba Walker, and Alec Burks are available on the trade market, as previously reported, Fischer says the Knicks are also open to moving center Nerlens Noel. Like the other three veterans, Noel is in the first season of a multiyear contract.
- David Aldridge and Josh Robbins of The Athletic add Ivica Zubac and Nicolas Batum to the list of players the Clippers may be willing to move in a deal for a play-making point guard. A previous report stated that Marcus Morris, Serge Ibaka, and Eric Bledsoe are available. Batum has the ability to veto a trade that involves him.
- Nets big man Paul Millsap, who is training in Atlanta while he waits to be traded or released, says his body feels great and he feels like he still has a lot to contribute, as he told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (video link). According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Bulls – who pursued Millsap in the offseason – are a team worth keeping a close eye on if the 36-year-old is waived.
There appears to be “a wave of momentum” toward the Celtics completing a Dennis Schröder trade in advance of the February 10 trade deadline, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
In the latest HoopsHype Podcast, Michael Scotto singled out the Bulls as a team to watch for Schröder, noting that Chicago could use some backcourt help with Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso sidelined.
Both Scotto and Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report mentioned a possible package of Troy Brown Jr. and a second-round pick in exchange for Schröder, with Fischer suggesting that framework has been circulating around the league.
Here’s more on the Celtics:
- The Celtics explored a possible deal that would’ve sent Josh Richardson and either Romeo Langford or Aaron Nesmith to the Timberwolves in exchange for Malik Beasley, according to Jared Weiss and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Minnesota, right up against the tax and hoping to maintain roster flexibility for bigger deadline moves, wasn’t interested at the time, The Athletic’s duo says.
- Marcus Smart‘s name has come up recently as a possible target for the Timberwolves, especially if they move Patrick Beverley in another deal, writes Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. Weiss suggests the Celtics could probably move Smart for an expiring contract and a first-round pick right now if they wanted to, but adds that “there’s a lot more that goes into moving him beyond finding matching value.”
- Celtics big man Robert Williams is believed to be on the Raptors‘ list of potential targets as they explore the market for a center, per Fischer. According to Weiss, Boston appears to be rebuffing interest in Williams for now, but anyone on the roster outside of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown could theoretically be had.
- As we relayed earlier this morning, Richardson is considered a possible trade target for Utah.
The NBA has revealed the 28 players (12 rookies, 12 sophomores, and four G League Ignite players) who will suit up for the 2022 Clorox Rising Stars Game in Cleveland this year, per its official PR account (Twitter links). There are a few intriguing surprises among the first-year NBA players.
Here are the players who made the cut:
Rookies:
- Scottie Barnes (Raptors)
- Cade Cunningham (Pistons)
- Ayo Dosunmu (Bulls)
- Chris Duarte (Pacers)
- Josh Giddey (Thunder)
- Jalen Green (Rockets)
- Herbert Jones (Pelicans)
- Davion Mitchell (Kings)
- Evan Mobley (Cavaliers)
- Alperen Sengun (Rockets)
- Jalen Suggs (Magic)
- Franz Wagner (Magic)
Sophomores:
- Precious Achiuwa (Raptors)
- Cole Anthony (Magic)
- LaMelo Ball (Hornets)
- Desmond Bane (Grizzlies)
- Saddiq Bey (Pistons)
- Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)
- Tyrese Haliburton (Kings)
- Tyrese Maxey (Sixers)
- Jaden McDaniels (Timberwolves)
- Isaac Okoro (Cavaliers)
- Isaiah Stewart (Pistons)
- Jae’Sean Tate (Rockets)
Additionally, four players from the G League Ignite will participate in the Rising Stars Game based on voting from NBA G League head coaches. The NBAGL has announced (Twitter link) that MarJon Beauchamp, Dyson Daniels, Jaden Hardy and Scoot Henderson will partake in the action. Players will be separated into four teams, and each G League player will be drafted to join one of the teams later this week.
Among the rookie NBA players, the additions who would be most surprising ahead of the 2021/22 season would be Dosunmu and Jones, both of whom were second-round draft selections. 2021 lottery picks Jonathan Kuminga, Ziaire Williams, James Bouknight, Joshua Primo and Moses Moody were all omitted from inclusion this year.
Among the second-year players, Ball could be appearing on multiple nights during All-Star Weekend this season, as he appears to be a very possible first-time All-Star this year thanks to his outstanding work with the upstart Hornets.
The lottery-bound Magic, Pistons, and Rockets can boast having the most inclusions here, with three players apiece.
As we detailed last week, this year’s Rising Stars event will look a little different, with the four teams taking part in a mini-tournament and playing to a target score in each game: 50 points in the semifinals and 25 points in the final, in honor of the league’s 75th anniversary season.
With the NBA’s February 10 trade deadline around the corner, we’re taking a closer look at all 30 teams, breaking down their potential plans for the deadline and identifying their most likely trade candidates. We’re focusing today on the Atlantic Division.
Boston Celtics
Trade deadline goals:
Despite some speculation that the Celtics may consider breaking up their wing duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, it doesn’t appear that’s a realistic possibility at this year’s trade deadline. Maybe Boston starts to weigh the idea more seriously in the 2022 offseason or at the 2023 deadline, but for now, the plan is to build around Tatum and Brown — and to find the right pieces to complement the two young stars.
The 26-25 Celtics likely won’t be strong buyers or strong sellers, since they’re a ways from title contention but have too much talent to bottom out and compete for a top draft pick.
Besides acquiring players who are good fits alongside Tatum and Brown, the Celtics appear motivated to trim team salary a little, both this year and next. An in-season trade of Juan Hernangomez moved Boston closer to escaping the luxury tax, but it’s unclear exactly how much more salary the club will have to shed to sneak under the tax line.
If Brown appears in 65+ games and makes the All-Star team, he’ll earn bonuses that push the Celtics approximately $2.75MM over the tax; if not, the C’s will only be over the tax threshold by about $850K. In the latter scenario, the team could salary-dump a single player to avoid being a taxpayer.
Top trade candidates:
Dennis Schröder is the most obvious trade candidate on the Celtics’ roster. He’s on a one-year contract, isn’t an ideal fit with Tatum and Brown, and seems unlikely to remain in Boston beyond this season. His $5.9MM expiring deal shouldn’t be difficult to move.
Al Horford and Josh Richardson have been mentioned in trade rumors in recent weeks, which is perhaps an indication that the Celtics may be looking to clear some money off their 2022/23 cap. Horford is owed a partial guarantee of $14.5MM on his $26.5MM salary for next season, while Richardson has a guaranteed $12.2MM cap hit. Both players would be unrestricted free agents in 2023.
Schröder, Horford, and Richardson aren’t Boston’s only trade candidates — anyone outside of Tatum and Brown could probably be had. I wouldn’t expect young center Robert Williams to go anywhere, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see any other young Celtics on the move, including former lottery picks Aaron Nesmith and Romeo Langford.
Longtime Celtic Marcus Smart is also the subject of more trade rumors this season, but president of basketball operations Brad Stevens values the veteran guard highly and won’t trade him without getting a strong return.
The Celtics have a series of sizeable trade exceptions that could be used to accommodate certain players and deals, but their tax concerns will reduce their options with those exceptions.
Brooklyn Nets
Trade deadline goals:
Kevin Durant is injured. Kyrie Irving is ineligible to play in home games. And James Harden is reportedly looking forward to testing the free agent market this summer.
It’s not an ideal situation for Brooklyn’s Big Three, but the odds of any of those three players being traded by February 10 are slim to none.
If and when they get Durant, Irving, and Harden on the court at the same time, the Nets still look like they could be the team to beat in the East. So any moves they make at the deadline will probably be tweaks around the edges of their roster, rather than something drastic.
Top trade candidates:
The Nets are working with Paul Millsap‘s camp to try to find a new home for the veteran big man, who hasn’t seen much action in his first year in Brooklyn, and hasn’t been very effective when he has played.
Brooklyn reportedly wants to get something of value in return for Millsap, but should probably be satisfied if it can get off the minimum-salary contract without attaching an asset or taking back any salary. That would open up a spot on the 15-man roster for the team to promote Kessler Edwards from his two-way contract and make sure he’s playoff-eligible.
Besides Millsap, Nic Claxton, Bruce Brown, and Jevon Carter are among the other Nets players whose names have popped up in trade rumors.
Claxton and Brown are free agents at season’s end, so if Brooklyn isn’t comfortable with giving them new deals and can improve this year’s roster by moving them, perhaps there’s a deal to be made. Carter, who is out of the rotation, is more expendable — based on how this season has gone, the team may welcome the opportunity to get off his $3.9MM salary for 2022/23.
New York Knicks
Trade deadline goals:
Even though the roster didn’t undergo major offseason changes, this season’s Knicks haven’t been able to recapture the magic that last season’s squad generated. The 24-27 team has struggled to find an effective starting lineup and has taken a step backwards on both offense and defense.
President of basketball operations Leon Rose has exercised patience every step of the way since taking the reins in the Knicks’ front office, so I wouldn’t count on him to sacrifice a handful of valuable draft assets to try to acquire players who can turn things around immediately. It’s equally unlikely that he’ll throw in the towel on this season and start selling off players for picks.
While any major changes can probably wait until the offseason, something’s got to give with the current roster. The mix of players isn’t right, and even with Derrick Rose sidelined, the rotation is too crowded for Tom Thibodeau to find regular minutes for Cam Reddish after the front office surrendered a protected first-round pick to get him. Some sort of consolidation trade may be in the cards.
Top trade candidates:
Kemba Walker‘s New York homecoming was a great offseason story, but it hasn’t been a success on the court. Walker isn’t the same offensive player he was in his prime before chronic knee injuries began to slow him down, and he’s never been an above-average defender. He’s on the trade block, but his multiyear contract doesn’t have positive value.
The same is probably true of another free agent the Knicks signed in the offseason — Evan Fournier has $37MM in guaranteed money owed to him for the two seasons beyond this one, and while that’s hardly an albatross, it’s not a bargain for a player whose offensive production has been inconsistent and who also isn’t a plus on defense.
New York would likely have more success shopping Alec Burks – whose $10MM annual salary is a solid value, given his contributions – and Mitchell Robinson, whose athleticism and rim-protecting ability makes him an intriguing prospect even with unrestricted free agency looming.
While the Knicks moved on from Kevin Knox in the Reddish deal, I’d be a little surprised if the team was willing to trade a more recent first-rounder like Obi Toppin or Immanuel Quickley. Still, Toppin continues to play a pretty modest rotation role and New York has received inquiries on Quickley, so it’s certainly not inconceivable.
Philadelphia 76ers
Trade deadline goals:
On the surface, the Sixers’ deadline goal is the NBA’s easiest to identify: they want to move Ben Simmons.
But it’s not quite that simple. More and more reports in recent weeks have suggested that president of basketball operations Daryl Morey is willing to extend Philadelphia’s standoff with Simmons beyond the trade deadline and into the 2022 offseason, when the club hopes that more star players will be available and a wider variety of trade scenarios could be on the table.
Are they posturing? Maybe! But if that’s the case, we should start hearing pretty soon about Simmons trade talks getting more serious. Instead, at least one team (Sacramento) that looked like a serious suitor has pulled out of the discussions, at least until the Sixers lower their asking price — and there’s increasing skepticism that will happen by February 10.
It may seem like managerial malpractice to not take the best offer available for Simmons in order to immediately upgrade a roster that could be a serious threat to come out of a wide-open East. But the 76ers want to make sure they maximize the value of their best available trade chip and make themselves contenders for years to come, rather than chasing short-term success.
Top trade candidates:
If Simmons stays put, it’s unclear what other moves the Sixers might have up their sleeves. Players like Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, Isaiah Joe, and Paul Reed have been mentioned in trade rumors, but only when tied to Simmons-related scenarios. It’s not out of the question that the team holding the biggest trade chip could make it through the deadline without making a single deal.
The 76ers do have draft picks available that could be used in non-Simmons trades to upgrade the roster. But they’ve committed their 2025 first-rounder to Oklahoma City, limiting their flexibility to some extent.
Plus, if the team is truly focused on trading Simmons in the offseason for a player like James Harden or Bradley Beal, it may want to hang onto its top draft assets to use as sweeteners in those scenarios.
Toronto Raptors
Trade deadline goals:
Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri hasn’t been shy in the past about making major trades at the deadline when he feels that his team is missing a piece. He acquired Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker in separate deals in February 2017; two years later, he landed Marc Gasol.
Those Raptors teams were closer to title contention than the current group — much closer, in the case of 2019’s squad, which eventually won a championship. Still, Toronto’s 2021/22 roster has an obvious hole at center that Ujiri will certainly be looking to address at the deadline.
I’d be shocked if Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes, or Gary Trent Jr. go anywhere in the next 10 days, but no one else on the roster will be off-limits as the club goes shopping for a reliable option at center and perhaps a backup point guard.
Top trade candidates:
Goran Dragic appeared in just five games for the Raptors before being granted permission to leave the team and await his fate — his $19.44MM expiring contract will be a useful salary-matching tool in the right deal. Still, while teams would be interested in Dragic as a lower-cost target on the buyout market, he won’t have positive value at his current number, so Toronto will probably have to attach players or draft assets to get something worthwhile in return.
Earlier in the season, when he was struggling to produce and moving in and out of the rotation, Chris Boucher looked like a prime trade candidate for the Raptors. However, he has played better lately, so I wouldn’t expect him to be on the move unless he has to be included in a deal that improves Toronto’s roster.
I imagine the Raptors would be willing to discuss 2020 first-round picks Malachi Flynn and Precious Achiuwa, who haven’t taken the steps forward this season that the club had perhaps hoped for. Flynn is 23 years old and Achiuwa is just 22, so rival teams may see untapped potential in the duo.
The Raptors have traded away a couple future second-round picks, but own all their first-rounders and almost certainly would have to give up at least one of them if they want to acquire an impact center without moving one of their five core players.