Another day, another bombshell report.
Let’s get you up to speed as quickly as possible:
• On Friday, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers would discuss a Ben Simmons for James Harden trade ahead of the deadline.
• By Sunday, Nets head coach Steve Nash was calling the latest rumours “outside noise,” and came out with a firm proclamation that the team was not trading Harden.
• Then on Monday, ESPN’s Wojnarowski supported Nash’s statement by reporting Nets general manager Sean Marks had shut down an overture by 76ers president Darryl Morey a month ago, and talks had been stagnant since.
• But the latest, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst as of early Tuesday morning, is that “there is absolutely a chance” of a Harden-Simmons deal before the trade embargo.
Chaos. Just in time for the deadline.
The NBA never disappoints with its ability to routinely generate drama worthy of a soap opera. And this game of chicken even raises the bar.
Last season teams made a whopping 16 deadline day deals, but none came near the magnitude of this. That’s what separates this deadline from recent years, the amount of chatter surrounding bonafide superstars – even Bradley Beal could be in the mix. Anything is in the cards until 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, and the floodgates are already open with CJ McCollum, Domantas Sabonis and Tyrese Haliburton already on new teams.
Here are 10 players still on the market to keep your eyes on as we get closer.
1. Ben Simmons
The deadline’s crown jewel, Ben Simmons has yet to play a game since demanding a trade out of Philadelphia in the off-season, and the basketball world is eager to see where he’ll land. The last time we saw Simmons on the court he crumbled in the playoffs, passing up a point-blank layup in a crucial moment, but his playmaking and defensive versatility still make him a game-changer.
Morey has made it clear he’s willing to wait for a “difference-maker” to become available before dealing the 2016 No. 1 overall pick – that’s where Harden comes in.
Even then, Harden isn’t the only option out there. The Sacramento Kings could offer a package centred around De’Aaron Fox (though that’s now unlikely with the Sabonis trade), as could the Atlanta Hawks with John Collins or the Detroit Pistons with Jerami Grant. Those aren’t the level of difference-makers Morey has in mind, but when push comes to shove the prospect of maximizing his title-contending team with Joel Embiid playing at an MVP level might force his hand.
Or he stands pat, hoping a trade for Harden or Beal comes to fruition. Is it likely? The answer to that changes every minute. We’ll find out Thursday.
Potential Suitors: Nets, Hawks, Wizards, Pistons
[radioclip id=5287302]2. James Harden
Didn’t we just do this a year ago? Somehow James Harden is back in trade rumours despite forcing his way out of Houston and joining forces with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in January 2021.
Harden is telling his coaches, teammates and front office that he wants to be in Brooklyn and win a championship with the franchise, but reports and his recent apathetic demeanour suggest otherwise.
The 2018 MVP has been out since a four-point performance in a loss to the Kings on Feb. 2 due to left hamstring tightness, which may or may not coincide with all these rumours swirling, but the fact of the matter is his ability to stay on the court and his overall production have sharply declined.
Before arriving in Brooklyn, James Harden had missed only 39 games from the time he was drafted in 2009 to 2020.
He has now missed 31 games in 12 months.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) February 6, 2022
Still, it’s Harden.
It’s tough to picture a more devastating combination than Embiid and Harden – even if he’s only 80 per cent of his MVP form. In theory, the Nets could send him anywhere, but Harden controls his own destiny in free agency this off-season so teams will be wary of forking over assets unless they can be sure he’ll re-sign.
Potential Suitors: 76ers
3. Goran Dragic
When Toronto acquired Goran Dragic in the Kyle Lowry trade, his expiring contract immediately stood out as something the Raptors could use to facilitate a trade.
Dragic left the team in November due to disappointment with his role and an urgent family matter, according to Sportsnet’s Michael Grange, who added that the 35-year-old posted videos of workouts in Miami so teams knew he wants to play.
The Raptors are surging and suddenly hold the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, a far cry from their situation last season, so you can expect them to make use of the Dragic trade chip. The way Cleveland packaged picks around injured Ricky Rubio’s expiring contract to acquire Caris LeVert is a good indicator of how Toronto might do so.
Watch for the Raptors to chase secondary playmaking and a big man.
Potential Suitors: Whichever team the Raptors target in a trade.
[radioclip id=5287380]4. Jakob Poeltl
Jakob Poeltl is in the midst of a career-best season and drawing significant interest ahead of the deadline. Independent NBA Insider Marc Stein reports the San Antonio Spurs rejected an offer by the Chicago Bulls over the weekend.
The 26-year-old centre is posting career-highs in virtually every category, scoring at a 13.3 point-per-game clip and averaging nine rebounds. He’s also coming into his own as an elite interior defender, averaging 1.7 blocks per game.
With those attributes, it’s no wonder Poeltl is one of the most coveted big men on the market, and he’s also on a very reasonable contract. Since the Spurs are rebuilding, they might be willing to cash in – albeit at a steep price of one first-round pick and a “quality player,” according to Stein.
Potential Suitors: Raptors, Bulls, Hawks
5. Tobias Harris
Here’s a contract that 76ers executives probably regretted the moment Tobias Harris put pen to paper.
Harris is set to make $37-million and $39-million in the next two seasons, and according to Windhorst Philadelphia is making calls to offload his contract to potentially make room for signing Harden in the summer. Will there be any takers? Unlikely with that albatross. But there’s always the chance he gets packaged with Simmons in a trade, or a rebuilding team takes on his contract if the 76ers throw in some sweeteners.
Harris is still a solid player, scoring 18.9 points per game this season, he’s just not the guy you want to be paying nearly $40-million.
Potential Suitors: Timberwolves, Thunder
6. Bradley Beal
Bradley Beal would be higher on this list, but the Wizards want to “stengthen the cast” around him, according to Stein.
Still, the ball is in Beal’s court since he has a player option for next season. He could wait it out, see what the Wizards do to give him support, and either sign a five-year max extension, opt-in and demand a trade or do a sign-and-trade via free agency.
The 28-year-old, who’s spent his best seasons toiling in Washington’s mediocrity, could also demand a trade before the 11th hour on Thursday, at which point several league executives would immediately pick up the phone. Morey is probably already on Line 1 in perpetuity just in case.
What’s more, Sabonis was one of the players the Wizards were chasing to give Beal some help, he’s now off the board.
Potential Suitors: 76ers, Hawks, Knicks, Celtics
7. Jerami Grant
Jerami Grant possesses the ability to shoot three-pointers and defend multiple positions – skills you can never have too much of in the modern NBA, not to mention that he can score at a 20 point-per-game rate. Since he’s stuck on a Pistons team heading nowhere, that’s made him the subject of trade rumours dating back to last year’s deadline.
As Wojnarowski notes below, the Pistons are prepared to stay the course with Grant if an offer doesn’t suit them because he still has one year left on his contract beyond this season.
As we approach the trade deadline, @wojespn reports on teams’ interests in Jerami Grant and CJ McCollum: pic.twitter.com/Kyu9pX3Ibx
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) February 7, 2022
The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III reports the Wizards, Kings and Blazers have shown interest, and that Detroit is more willing to sell its two-way wing than a year ago. The Kings may be out after trading for Sabonis.
Potential Suitors: Wizards, Blazers, Nets, 76ers
8. Eric Gordon
After a couple of down seasons on a spiralling Rockets team, Eric Gordon is enjoying a bit of a renaissance – shooting .427 from three-point range, the second-highest mark of his career.
Three-point shooting never hurts, and the Rockets could cash in while Gordon’s playing well to get off his contract. The 34-year-old is owed an average salary of $18.89-million until 2024. Grange mentioned him as a player the Raptors could pursue.
Potential Suitors: Raptors, Bulls, Pelicans
9-10. Dennis Schröder and Donte Divincenzo
The Celtics have turned their season around as of late, but they’ll still look to take advantage of the interest shifty guard Dennis Schröder is drawing from teams looking for another creator.
Windhorst reports the Celtics are looking to reduce their payroll under the luxury tax while continuing to compete and have engaged in a Schröder-DiVincenzo swap with the Bucks in recent days. If not in this trade, DiVincenzo could still be on the move elsewhere. The Bucks did not sign him a contract extension, so teams are calling — although the 25-year-old is mired in a down season.
Potential Suitors: Bucks, Bulls
