Celtics To Trade Chris Boucher To Jazz
The Jazz have agreed to acquire big man Chris Boucher in a trade with the Celtics, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
It’ll be a cost-cutting move for Boston — the team remains in luxury tax territory, but will be just $3.6MM above that tax threshold after moving Boucher, per cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link).
More to come…
Jazz Acquire Lonzo Ball, Second-Rounders From Cavs
February 5: The Jazz have officially acquired Ball and two second-round picks from the Cavaliers, according to press releases from both teams. Utah also separately completed its deal with Atlanta involving Landale.
“Lonzo Ball was the consummate professional during his time with the Cavaliers, and we’re grateful for his hard work and team-first mentality,” Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman said in a statement. “We wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”
Oddly, neither the Jazz’s release nor the Cavs’ announcement indicated what exactly Cleveland received from Utah to complete the deal, so we’re still waiting on that detail. It will presumably be a very minor asset such as a draft-rights player or cash.
February 4: The Jazz have agreed to a pair of trades, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter links), who reports that Utah will be acquiring point guard Lonzo Ball and two second-round picks from the Cavaliers and is also sending center Jock Landale to the Hawks in exchange for cash considerations.
The Jazz are making their deal with Cleveland solely for the draft capital and are expected to waive Ball after the trade is complete, Charania adds (via Twitter). Once he clears waivers, he’d be eligible to sign with any team except the Cavs.
The Cavaliers acquired Ball from Chicago last summer in a swap for Isaac Okoro in the hopes that he could provide the team with a reliable replacement for Sixth Man of the Year finalist Ty Jerome, who departed in free agency. However, Ball had a disappointing season in Cleveland, averaging career lows in several categories, including points (4.6) and minutes (20.8) per game, as well as field goal percentage (30.1%) and three-point percentage (27.2%).
With the Cavs making an effort to reduce payroll and perhaps duck below the second tax apron, moving Ball and his $10MM salary made sense, especially after the team acquired guards Dennis Schröder and Keon Ellis from Sacramento over the weekend.
The Cavs will save approximately $65MM as a result of the Ball trade and are now just $3.9MM over the second apron, tweets Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron. Cleveland may very well keep looking for ways to get out of second-apron territory in order to avoid having its 2033 first-round pick becoming “frozen” for trade purposes this offseason, but the club has already generated massive savings as a result of its recent moves — approximately $115MM in total, per Gozlan (Twitter link).
Utah, meanwhile, still had a significant amount of breathing room below the luxury tax threshold after adding to their payroll in Tuesday’s Jaren Jackson Jr. blockbuster and will take advantage of that flexibility to take on some unwanted salary and acquire the Cavs’ 2028 and 2032 second-round picks in the process, tweets Jake Fischer of The Stein Line. Those were the only second-rounders Cleveland had available to trade.
The Jazz still have a trade exception worth more than $12MM from last summer’s John Collins deal that they’ll use to absorb Ball’s pseudo-expiring contract (he has a $10MM team option for next season that will be automatically declined when he’s waived). That Collins exception was initially worth over $26MM and has since been used to acquire Georges Niang and John Konchar as well.
Landale was one of three role players the Jazz acquired alongside Jackson in Tuesday’s blockbuster with Memphis, but he wasn’t part of Utah’s future frontcourt plans and will now head to Atlanta.
The 30-year-old Australian center was having a career year for the Grizzlies prior to the trade, averaging 11.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 23.6 minutes per game across 45 outings (25 starts). He was also knocking down 38.0% of a career-high 2.9 three-point tries per game. He’ll provide frontcourt depth for a Hawks team that has been hit hard by injuries up front this season.
The Hawks will have to waive a player in order to make room for Landale, but that shouldn’t be a problem — both Duop Reath and N’Faly Dante are out with season-ending injuries and are candidates to be cut. They’ll be able to take on Landale without sending out any salary of their own since he’s on a minimum-salary contract.
Hawks Finalize Jock Landale Trade, Waive Duop Reath
The Hawks have officially finalized their previously reported trade with the Jazz, acquiring center Jock Landale from Utah in exchange for cash considerations, the team confirmed in a press release.
While that agreement was reported as part of a Jazz/Cavaliers trade, it appears the two moves will be completed separately rather than as a single three-team transaction — the Hawks’ announcement doesn’t include any mention of Cleveland’s involvement in the deal.
Landale, 30, was having a career year for the Grizzlies prior to being sent to Utah in the Jaren Jackson Jr. blockbuster, averaging 11.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 23.6 minutes per game across 45 outings (25 starts). He was also knocking down 38.0% of a career-high 2.9 three-point tries per game.
The Australian big man will provide frontcourt depth for a Hawks team that has been impacted by injuries up front this season and is sending Kristaps Porzingis to Golden State.
Landale is on a one-year, minimum-salary contract, so Atlanta can acquire him without sending out matching salary. The team did need to open up a spot on its 15-man roster for Landale though, and did so by placing recently acquired center Duop Reath on waivers (Twitter link).
Reath, who was dealt from Portland to Atlanta in Sunday’s Vit Krejci trade, recently underwent season-ending foot surgery and wasn’t expected to remain on the Hawks’ roster. His $2,221,677 cap hit for this season will remain on the team’s books, but he isn’t owed any salary beyond 2025/26.
Western Notes: K. Murray, Reaves, J. Jackson, Jazz
It sounds as if the Kings are aiming to get forward Keegan Murray on the court shortly after the All-Star break, tweets James Ham of The Kings Beat. Murray, who has been out since January 4 due to a moderate left ankle sprain, was ruled out for two more weeks on Tuesday, per a press release from the team.
After the All-Star break, Sacramento’s first game will be at home vs. Orlando on Thursday, February 19. That contest appears to be Murray’s earliest potential return date, though it’s also possible he’ll require more recovery time after he’s reevaluated earlier that week.
We have more from around the Western Conference:
- Lakers guard Austin Reaves played on Tuesday for the first time since December 25. He shot just 3-of-9 from the floor in 21 minutes off the bench following a 19-game absence due to a calf strain, but scored 15 points and a +10 as the Lakers cruised to a comfortable win in Brooklyn. “I thought he moved great and looked like Austin,” head coach JJ Redick said after the game, per Dan Woike of The Athletic, adding that Reaves is in line for a “pretty significant raise” as a potential free agent this summer.
- Sam Vecenie of The Athletic contends that the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade between the Jazz and Grizzlies looks like a potential win-win deal for the two teams, while Tony Jones of The Athletic observes that it signals the end of the tank in Utah — or at least the beginning of the end of the tank, since the Jazz will still be motivated to hang onto their top-eight protected 2026 first-round pick.
- Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (subscription required) explores what Jackson will bring to the Jazz, writing that the former Defensive Player of the Year will give the team the sort of defensive play-maker it badly needed. Utah ranks dead last in the NBA in defensive rating for a third straight season in 2025/26. Larsen also advises not to overlook the other players the Jazz acquired in the deal, including fourth-year wing Vince Williams Jr., who may immediately become the club’s best perimeter defender.
- While Jazz players will miss their four teammates that headed to Memphis in the trade with the Grizzlies, they expressed plenty of enthusiasm about Jackson’s potential impact in Utah, Larsen writes in a separate story for the Salt Lake Tribune. “I think obviously the exciting part is Walker (Kessler) and Jaren, you know. That frontcourt is crazy,” guard Keyonte George said. “And then with Lauri (Markkanen) and just the versatility — I know Will (Hardy) is a phenomenal coach, so I just already know the crazy things that he’s gonna do with them. Walker can be a great presence, but now he also knows that he got somebody behind him. It’s rare that you can know somebody has got your back when you’re the person that’s got everybody back.”
Thunder Acquire Draft Rights To Balsa Koprivica
The Thunder and Jazz completed a minor trade on Tuesday, with Oklahoma City acquiring the draft rights to Serbian center Balsa Koprivica in exchange for cash considerations. Both teams sent out press releases to announce the deal.
Koprivica, 25, is currently with Bahcesehir Koleji in Turkey’s BSL. He played two seasons at Florida State before declaring for the NBA draft in 2021.
Koprivica was selected by Charlotte with the 57th pick in ’21 and traded to Detroit on draft night. The Pistons sent his draft rights to the Clippers in a cash deal in the summer of 2023, and those rights were shipped to Utah a year later as part of a trade involving Russell Westbrook and Kris Dunn.
There hasn’t been any indication that Koprivica is considering coming to the NBA. However, his draft rights could be a minor trade chip for OKC to use in a deal down the road, especially if the team is operating over the second apron in a future season and isn’t eligible to trade cash that year.
Mavericks To Trade Anthony Davis To Wizards
The Mavericks are trading big man Anthony Davis to the Wizards, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, who reports (via Twitter) that Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell, and Dante Exum will also head to Washington in the deal.
In return, the Mavericks will receive Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, two first-round picks, and three second-rounders, sources tell Charania.
Those first-rounders will be a “least favorable” 2026 pick that will almost certainly be the Thunder’s, plus the Warriors’ top-20 protected 2030 pick, per Charania. The second-rounders are Phoenix’s 2026 pick, Chicago’s 2027 pick, and Houston’s 2029 selection.
Davis had been on the trade block in Dallas for much of the season, but there was some doubt about whether a deal would materialize after he suffered a hand injury expected to sideline him for least most of February, if not beyond that. Rumored suitors like Atlanta and Toronto appeared to back off to some extent, opening the door for a surprise team like the Wizards to make a deal.
While Washington is an unlikely landing spot for a veteran star like Davis, the 13-36 Wizards are clearly pivoting toward being competitive next season, having acquired four-time All-Star Trae Young from Atlanta last month and now pairing him with a 10-time All-Star in Davis.
According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, the Wizards would ideally like to use second-year big man Alex Sarr as a “super-sized” and “switchable” power forward and had been seeking another impact frontcourt player to use alongside him. Washington explored a possible deal for Kings center Domantas Sabonis and had considered making a run at Jazz center Walker Kessler in restricted free agency before pulling the trigger on a trade for Davis, Fischer says.
As they did with Young, the Wizards are buying low on Davis amid an injury-plagued season in which he has dealt with several separate health issues and has been limited to 20 appearances. Although the draft-pick haul they’re giving up for AD looks substantial at first glance, the 2026 first-rounder will likely end up at No. 30, while the 2030 selection will turn into a ’30 second-rounder if it lands in the top 20.
Like Young, who has yet to make his Wizards debut as he rests a knee injury, Davis appears unlikely to play much – if at all – during the second half of this season. Washington will owe its 2026 first-round pick to New York if it lands outside the top eight, so the club will likely do all it can to avoid that scenario. Resting its veteran stars should help that cause.
Despite the modest value of the first-round picks changing hands, the Wizards’ package likely appealed to Dallas due to the financial flexibility it will afford the team going forward. Besides moving off Davis’ maximum-salary contract, which will pay him $58.5MM in 2026/27, with a $62.8MM player option for ’27/28, the Mavs will remove Hardy’s $6MM guaranteed salary and Russell’s $6MM player option for ’26/27 from their books.
Besides giving the Mavericks more cap flexibility going forward, the deal will also generate considerable short-term savings, with the Wizards taking advantage of their significant breathing room below the luxury tax line to take on more than $24MM in 2025/26 salary. Dallas had been operating right up against the second tax apron but will move all the way out of apron and tax territory with this move, resulting in $57MM in savings, tweets cap expert Yossi Gozlan.
Most importantly, the trade lines up the Mavs to begin building around star rookie Cooper Flagg. Dallas will have a pair of first-round picks in a strong 2026 draft, including their own selection which is on track to be a lottery pick. And the team has a much cleaner cap sheet to work with moving forward, even with long-term deals for role players like P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford still on the books.
Still, the return for Davis stands in stark contrast to what they gave up to get him just one year ago. Under former head of basketball operations Nico Harrison, the 32-year-old was the centerpiece of the package the Mavs received for franchise player Luka Doncic. Since making that deal, the franchise has parted ways with Harrison and now done the same with Davis, conceding that it made a major mistake at the 2025 deadline.
Grizzlies Trade Jaren Jackson Jr. To Jazz
6:06pm: The trade is official, according to a press release from the Jazz.
12:44pm: The Grizzlies and Jazz have agreed to a blockbuster trade, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), who reports that former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. is heading to Utah along with wings John Konchar and Vince Williams Jr. and center Jock Landale.
In exchange, Memphis will acquire guard Walter Clayton, swingman Kyle Anderson, forwards Taylor Hendricks and Georges Niang, and three future first-round picks, sources tell Charania.
Those three first-rounders headed to the Grizzlies are the Lakers’ 2027 pick (top-four protected), either the Cavaliers’, Timberwolves’, or Jazz’s own 2027 pick (whichever is most favorable), and the Suns’ 2031 pick (unprotected), reports Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
It’s a shocking move for a couple reasons. For one, multiple reports ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline suggested that Memphis had no interest in moving Jackson and hoped to hang onto – and build around – the big man going forward.
Additionally, while there were multiple teams said to be inquiring on Jackson’s availability in the hopes that the Grizzlies changed their mind, there was no indication that the Jazz were among them or that they’d be looking to use their stash of future draft picks to make this sort of move this week. Entering Tuesday’s games, Utah holds a 15-35 record, which is the sixth-worst mark in the NBA.
However, the move for Jackson suggests first-year president of basketball operations Austin Ainge and the Jazz are preparing to take a step forward next season. League sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link) that the team doesn’t plan to trade forward Lauri Markkanen and still wants to re-sign center Walker Kessler in restricted free agency this summer. Utah envisions a frontcourt made up of Markkanen, Jackson, and Kessler, Jones explains.
Third-year guard Keyonte George and 2025 lottery pick Ace Bailey are among the other long-term building blocks in Utah, where the Jazz still control at least one first-round pick in every future draft, starting in 2026. Notably, that 2026 first-rounder will be sent to Oklahoma City if it lands outside the top eight — the Jazz are still in a fairly strong position to hang onto it, since there’s a 4.5-game gap between them and the NBA’s seventh- and eighth-worst teams (the 18-29 Bucks and 19-30 Mavericks).
As for the Grizzlies, we’d heard for weeks that they were open to trading two-time All-Star Ja Morant, but it wasn’t clear whether they intended to retool around Jackson or fully rebuild around a younger core headlined by Cedric Coward, Zach Edey, and Jaylen Wells. Now we have our answer.
While Clayton and Hendricks are just 22 years old and could carve out places in the Grizzlies’ long-term plans, the return for Jackson is primarily about adding three more first-round picks to an ever-growing collection of draft assets and creating additional cap flexibility in the present and future. The Grizzlies now control 12 first-rounders in the next seven drafts, notes Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Twitter link).
Jackson renegotiated and extended his contract with Memphis last offseason and will earn $205MM over the next four years after this one. He’s the only player of the eight involved in this trade who is owed guaranteed money beyond next season, and taking on his long-term deal will likely eliminate Utah’s cap room this summer.
In terms of 2025/26 money, Utah will be taking advantage of its significant breathing room below the luxury tax line by increasing its payroll by more than $18MM — the Jazz are sending out a combined $27.5MM in salary and taking back roughly $45.8MM.
As Gozlan tweets, the Jazz will use their four outgoing players to legally match Jackson’s $35MM cap hit, then take the other three incoming players into existing traded player exceptions (or a portion of their mid-level, if they prefer to preserve their bigger TPE).
Memphis, meanwhile, will create a record-setting trade exception worth nearly $28.9MM, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).
Trade Rumors: Grizzlies, Bulls, Poeltl, Draymond, Giannis, More
After shedding significant salary and creating a $28.9MM trade exception in their blockbuster deal sending Jaren Jackson Jr. to Utah, the Grizzlies are viewed as a potential landing spot for Raptors center Jakob Poeltl, reports Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter link).
The Raptors have been discussing a possible Domantas Sabonis trade with the Kings, who have no interest in Poeltl, so a third team would likely be required if Toronto and Sacramento hope to get those talks over the finish line. Poeltl’s contract, which runs through 2029/30 and has more than $100MM left on it, is widely viewed as a negative asset, so Memphis would need to be incentivized to take it on.
The Bulls are also considered a potential facilitator for Poeltl, according to Siegel (Twitter link), but as things stand, Chicago would have to send out salary to accommodate the veteran center’s incoming $19.5MM cap hit, whereas Memphis wouldn’t.
We have more trade rumors on a busy day around the NBA:
- While it was essentially a given, based on reports that the Warriors weren’t including Jimmy Butler in their offer for Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Slater of ESPN confirms that Golden State has included 14th-year veteran Draymond Green in active trade conversations with Milwaukee. Without Butler involved, the Warriors would need to use Green’s $25.9MM salary for matching purposes in order to have a shot at Giannis.
- The Heat have expressed “some level” of interest in Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant in recent weeks, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link), but their focus remains squarely on Antetokounmpo. One source who spoke to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required) suggested Miami figures to remain involved in both fronts, since it wouldn’t be impossible for the team to land both players if Memphis’ asking price is low enough.
- The Timberwolves also remain in on Antetokounmpo, but they’re exploring other possible avenues on the trade market and have a lot of balls up in the air, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link), who cautions that Minnesota’s cost-cutting deal involving Mike Conley doesn’t necessarily mean the team will be acquiring Giannis.
- After agreeing to acquire Jackson from Memphis, the Jazz may not be done, tweets Tony Jones of The Athletic. Siegel (Twitter link) hears that Utah remains “very active,” with Jusuf Nurkic and his $19.3MM expiring contract included in the team’s trade discussions.
- Mavericks forward Naji Marshall has been the subject of some trade speculation in recent weeks, but he doesn’t want to go anywhere. Marshall tells Ron Harrod Jr. of DLLS Sports (subscription required) that he’d like to spend the rest of his career playing alongside rising star Cooper Flagg, adding that he expects Flagg to “create history.”
Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel Once Again Named Rookies Of Month
Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg and Hornets wing Kon Knueppel have once again been named the Western and Eastern Conference Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in January, according to the NBA (Twitter links).
Flagg and Knueppel, who were Duke teammates last season, have monopolized the award this season, gaining those monthly honors three consecutive times. No one else has won it this season, as the months of October and November were combined.
Flagg, the top overall pick, averaged 20.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game last month. He capped off the month with a 49-point eruption against Charlotte and 34 points against Houston.
Knueppel averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per night in January. He scored a season-high 34 points in the same game Flagg scored 49.
Ace Bailey (Jazz), Cedric Coward (Grizzlies), Caleb Love (Trail Blazers) and Derik Queen (Pelicans) were the other Western Conference nominees. Egor Demin (Nets), VJ Edgecombe (Sixers), Tre Johnson (Wizards) and Collin Murray-Boyles (Raptors) were also nominated in the East.
Cavs Rumors: Garland, Harden, Allen, Ball
Monday’s initial reports that the Cavaliers and Clippers are exploring the possibility of a trade involving James Harden and Darius Garland have since been confirmed by several outlets, though discussions between the two teams have yet to reach an “advanced stage,” according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
The Cavaliers’ interest in Harden is contingent on the possibility of acquiring draft compensation from the Clippers as part of the swap of the two point guards, per Tony Jones, Dan Woike, Sam Amick, and Law Murray of The Athletic. That echoes reporting from Chris Mannix of SI.com, who said on Monday that L.A. has resisted Cleveland’s request for at least one first-round pick or swap.
Before De’Andre Hunter was dealt to Sacramento on Sunday, the Clippers engaged in talks with the Cavs about John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Hunter, according to Stein and Fischer. While those discussions didn’t result in a deal, L.A. views Cleveland as a viable landing spot for Harden — sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com that the Clippers have had interest in Garland for several years.
Still, while Harden and the Clippers are working together on a potential trade, both sides recognize that one might not materialize by Thursday’s deadline, Stein and Fischer write.
Outside of Cleveland, Harden has been intrigued by Atlanta and Minnesota as potential destinations at various times this season, sources tell The Stein Line, but neither the Hawks nor the Timberwolves are considered likely to seriously pursue the former MVP at this point. The Wolves are focused on Giannis Antetokounmpo, while the Hawks no longer seem to be looking to make aggressive moves at the deadline after having sent Trae Young to Washington last month, per Stein and Fischer.
One source familiar with the situation told Stein and Fischer that Harden’s apparent desire for a change of scenery is “all about a contract extension.” While Harden isn’t technically extension-eligible this season, reporting on Monday suggested that he hopes to sign a new two-year deal as a free agent this summer, whereas the Clippers are believed to be looking to maximize their 2027 cap room.
Here’s more on the Cavaliers:
- Although the Cavs have been signaling for most of the season that they intend to hang onto Garland, who has been limited to 26 games due to toe issues, there’s a growing belief around the NBA that the two-time All-Star could be on the trade block this offseason if he’s not moved for Harden this week, report Stein and Fischer. Sam Amick of The Athletic has also heard “league-wide chatter” about Garland potentially being available in the summer.
- League sources tell Amick that the Cavaliers have explored the idea of trading veteran center Jarrett Allen, whose three-year, $90.7MM extension will begin in 2026/27. Amick suggests that moving Allen might be a way of “unlocking much bigger possibilities” in Cleveland, which suggests the club’s goal would probably be to move below the second tax apron. Even after reducing their team salary in Sunday’s Hunter trade, the Cavs are still operating roughly $14MM above that second apron this season.
- Sources with knowledge of the Cavs’ thinking have insisted for days that Lonzo Ball – not Garland, Allen, or Max Strus – is the team’s primary trade candidate this week, according to Stein and Fischer, who report that Cleveland has had some preliminary talks with the Hornets about the possibility of uniting Lonzo with his brother LaMelo Ball. Along with Charlotte, the Nets and Jazz are among the teams that have conveyed interest in taking on unwanted salary along with draft compensation. The Cavs would presumably attach second-round draft capital to Lonzo if they agree to a deal that sends him to Charlotte, per The Stein Line.
- The Cavaliers could’ve acquired Malik Monk from the Kings in the Hunter trade instead of Dennis Schröder, but Schröder’s performances with the German national team and his familiarity with head coach Kenny Atkinson from their time together in Atlanta appealed to Cleveland, says Fischer (Substack link).