The NBA trade deadline is just one day away. Already this season, a handful of deals have taken place (which you can keep track of here). As we close in on the official trade deadline (Feb. 7, 3 p.m. ET), talks of other deals will continue.
Keep up with the latest rumblings around the NBA — and the latest deals that have been agreed to — as deadline day approaches.
(And, if you missed it, here’s what happened on Tuesday.)
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Reports: Bucks to send Maker to Pistons
Versatile big man Thon Maker made it known late last month he was seeking a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks. He has apparently gotten his wish as the Bucks are reportedly dealing him to the Detroit Pistons.
Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Bucks are finalizing a trade that will send Maker to the Pistons for Stanley Johnson. The deal has been agreed to in principle by both teams. (The trade was also reported by Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.)
Deal is agreed in principle, per source. https://t.co/89WlGXf5qh
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 6, 2019
Maker, who averaged 16.7 minutes in 74 appearances last season, has only seen 11.7 minutes per in 35 of the Bucks’ 47 games thus far. He is averaging 4.7 points and 2.7 rebounds per game while shooting 44 percent overall and 33.3 percent on 3-pointers. Johnson, who the No. 8 pick in the 2015 draft, is averaging 7.5 ppg and 3.6 ppg in 20 mpg. He has played in 48 of Detroit’s 53 games this season.
The deal is seen as an ideal opportunity for both players, Wojnarowski writes, as Johnson will get playing time on a contender while Maker will get an opportunity in coach Dwane Casey’s rotation. For Detroit, the trade for Maker allows it to drop further below the salary cap, ESPN’s Bobby Marks reports.
— 11:33 a.m.
Report: Pick protection key in Gasol talks
Memphis Grizzlies big man Marc Gasol was mentioned in a trade last night that would put him on the Charlotte Hornets. As of this morning, both he and Mike Conley remain in a holding pattern.
Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer says that the protection on a future first-round pick that would be sent in a Hornets-Grizzlies swap may be holding up the Gasol move:
The Grizzlies are in talks to send Marc Gasol to the Hornets for Bismack Biyombo, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and a protected first-round pick, according to league sources. The holdup at this point is the protection on the pick, per a source; it might be enough of an issue to derail the trade entirely.
As for Conley, the Utah Jazz have reportedly made an offer of Ricky Rubio, Derrick Favors and a future first-round pick for the veteran point guard, O’Connor writes. In addition to the Pistons showing interest in Conley, the Indiana Pacers did as well before Victor Oladipo’s season-ending knee injury.
— 11:15 a.m.
Report: Cavs may look to make more deals
Much like the Chicago Bulls, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been fairly active with trades this season. While none of them have set the NBA world ablaze, they have all been in line with Cleveland’s plan to restock its cupboard with future Draft picks and other assets as it rebuilds.
Don’t be surprised, then, to see the Cavs get involved in another similar-type deal as Thursday’s deadline nears. Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reports swingman Alec Burks could be dealt, but if not, Cleveland could find another way to swing more future assets its way:
All signs point to the Cavs hoping to acquire another first-round pick before Thursday. In a handful of trades, they’ve added one of those and six second-rounders, accomplishing their goal of restocking their treasure chest after emptying it during a four-year stretch that led to four consecutive Finals trips.
A tax team, currently outside the playoff picture (Detroit as one example), could look to move a bulky salary, attaching a first-round pick as a sweetener. Maybe there’s a playoff squad looking for an extra scoring boost that’s willing to part with a late first-rounder that won’t have as much value to them, but could be worth it for Cleveland.
The Houston Rockets have been seeking help on the wing. What about them getting out from under Brandon Knight’s hefty $30 million dollars over the next two years and tossing in a late first-rounder? League sources told cleveland.com that is one deal being discussed.
San Antonio owes Pau Gasol more than $32 million over the next two years and has an extra 2019 first-rounder from the Kawhi Leonard-DeMar DeRozan deal. According to sources, the Spurs looked into a swap for Rodney Hood before he was sent to Portland. The Spurs also have interest in Burks. In this deal, the Cavs would have to add more salary filler to make it legal.
— 9:36 a.m.
Report: Bulls get some calls about Parker
In terms of teams who have made actual trades this season, the Chicago Bulls have made four of them so far this season. There are some other intriguing players on the roster trade-wise and Chicago has gotten some calls on some of them lately.
According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Bulls have been in contact with a couple of teams on trades regarding forward Jabari Parker. He is averaging 14.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game this season in 39 games, having bounced back from a stint out of the rotation in mid-December.
Here’s more from Cowley:
The Sun-Times confirmed a report Monday that the Bulls have been in contact with the Lakers about trading Jabari Parker for guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but Caldwell-Pope has no-trade rights and reportedly is not sold on leaving Los Angeles.
According to a source, there have been a handful of calls about Parker in the last week.
Then there’s center Robin Lopez, who could be a buyout candidate if the Bulls can’t find a landing place for him. Either way, Lopez thinks he can bring a lot to another team.
— 8:48 a.m.
What’s next for Gasol, Conley?
Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, the franchise icons of the Memphis Grizzlies, continue to see their names bandied about in trade talks. But as the trade deadline draws near, will either one of them actually get dealt?
Yesterday, Conley was reportedly being hotly pursued by the Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons. Another report cropped up that would reportedly send Conley and Gasol to the Toronto Raptors for Kyle Lowry and Jonas Valanciunas. As for Gasol, he was linked in “strong talks” with the Charlotte Hornets at the beginning of the night. By the end of it, it seemed that deal was dying off per the Sporting News’ Sean Devaney.
Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press reports (via Twitter) that the Pistons “aren’t expected to land Conley at this juncture.” That was made even more true because of Detroit’s late-night trade Tuesday that will reportedly send Reggie Bullock to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer explains what it might take for the Hornets to land Gasol, should the talks reignite between now and Thursday:
I don’t know what the Hornets are offering, but the aggregate salaries leaving Charlotte for Memphis would have to approximate the aggregate added to Charlotte’s salary cap because the Hornets are well over the cap and about $3 million below the luxury-tax threshold.
All that would complicate a deal that would also have to satisfy the Grizzlies’ intention to rebuild. Memphis’ wish list would logically be draft picks, young players controlled by rookie-scale contracts and short-term contracts to facilitate salary-cap flexibility. The Grizzlies are well on their way to missing the playoffs; moving on from veterans Gasol and point guard Mike Conley is a logical step toward starting over.
Young Hornets Miles Bridges and Malik Monk fit in that rookie-scale category. Players with expiring contracts would be Jeremy Lamb and Frank Kaminsky. The Hornets have plenty of first- and second-round picks over the next several years they could use as currency.
Hard to say what the Grizzlies would accept to match salaries. For instance, would they take back about $52 million remaining on Nic Batum’s contract? More likely, they’d accept one additional season for Bismack Biyombo at $17 million or Marvin Williams at $15 million.
— 8:16 a.m.
Lowry taking trade talk in stride
The Toronto Raptors didn’t make a large contingent of their fans happy last summer when they traded All-Star guard DeMar DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs as part of a deal to get Kawhi Leonard. That sentiment likely bubbled up again on Tuesday when rumors began to circulate that the Raptors were possibly interested in trading Lowry (and Jonas Valanciunas) to the Memphis Grizzlies for Mike Conley and Marc Gasol.
Lowry has seen his name in trade talks before and after last night’s 119-107 win against the Philadelphia 76ers, he wasn’t about to fret this latest round of chatter. ESPN’s Tim Bontemps confirmed that Lowry had been discussed as a piece in a potential deal with the Grizzlies. Lowry said he was surprised to find his name in any trades, but had not been contacted by Toronto’s brass about a potential deal.
Here’s more from Bontemps:
“I think they will make decisions for themselves, and they’ll do what’s best for them,” Lowry told ESPN on Tuesday. “I don’t think there’s one thing I can say or do [to change that], you know what I mean?
“I think that’s just how they work, and they operate. They make moves, and they make moves for the best of the organization. If they do something that will be their feeling to whatever the organization thinks is best for them.”
…
“No, I haven’t heard anything,” Lowry said. “Reassurance would be great, but at the end of the day, they don’t have to call me. My job is, as a player, to go out here and do my job. If they want to call me, that’d be great. I would appreciate it. But if they don’t, I understand.
“It’s a business. I know that’s such a cliche, but if they wanted to call me, I’m sure they would. I’ve been here six years, and I’ve given a lot to this organization. I’m sure if they were going to trade me, they’d say, ‘Hey, Kyle, this is what’s on the table.'”
Lowry remains confident that the Raptors can make a serious run at The Finals with a fully healthy roster. Valanciunas is still mending from left thumb surgery, but is slated to return to the lineup soon.
— 7:20 a.m.
From those who would know …
Speculating about trades and firing up the ESPN trade machine is always fun … if you’re not one of the names involved in a potential deal. Those who have been through a trade before — such as those on our Players Only panel last night — can comment on what trade talks can do for both the player and a team at large.
As the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves in the thick of the Anthony Davis trade rumors, how is it affecting team chemistry? Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Webber, Baron Davis and Candace Parker share their thoughts in a must-see segment.
— 7:15 a.m.
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