Only three in-season trades had been made across the NBA before Tuesday — then, the floodgates opened.
Still, only a couple of the most oft-reported-available dominoes fell, with headlining names Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Ja Morant and Domantas Sabonis all remaining on the market.
The number of trades we’ve seen this season more than doubled in the last 24 hours. Former Defensive Player of the Year and two-time all-star Jaren Jackson Jr. was the centrepiece of an eight-player deal between the Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies that saw the latter add to their king’s ransom of first-round picks. The Chicago Bulls’ backcourt is bursting at the seams after acquiring 2022 fifth-overall pick Jaden Ivey, veteran Mike Conley and scorer Anfernee Simons across two trades, with centre Nikola Vučević going to the Boston Celtics for Simons. Then, the Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers completed a guard swap of aging star James Harden for buy-low candidate Darius Garland.
But the flurry of early activity somehow still feels tame in comparison to last year’s pinch-me Luka Dončić trade that sent shockwaves through the sporting world. Not to worry, much remains up in the air with the buzzer less than 48 hours away; plenty of potential adrenaline-inducing and landscape-shifting moves remain possible.
Intel from insiders most familiar with the behind-the-scenes of NBA team building has painted a picture of a robust yet complicated frontcourt market. There’s plenty of elite supply, but almost all of the top-tier players are banged up. Antetokounmpo has no timeline for return from a calf strain. Sabonis is out with a back injury after already missing over half the season recovering from a partial meniscus tear. Davis will be re-evaluated in three weeks with a hand issue.
These health concerns unquestionably make this group less desirable for steady teams aiming to make a win-now addition. Instead, they may be more enticing for less risk-averse teams looking to make a big swing.
That naturally leads to the only two-time MVP who is “ready for a new home” and an ailing dynasty aiming to keep the fire burning: The Greek Freak and the Golden State Warriors.
Multiple recent reports from league insiders, including NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer and The Athletic’s Sam Amick, characterize the Warriors as “frontrunners” and confident “that they have one of the strongest possible trade packages to offer in-season” for Antetokounmpo.
Both similarly detail Golden State’s best offer: Draymond Green, Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga and a boatload of draft capital (Amick cites four first-round picks and a first-round swap).
Kuminga briefly rejoined the Warriors’ rotation after Jimmy Butler suffered a recent season-ending ACL tear. But the bouncy forward did not play for 19 of 20 games previously and requested a trade out of San Francisco the day he became eligible on Jan. 15, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Mathematically, at least one of Butler or Green would need to be included to make the money work. And Butler has been given strong indications that the Warriors plan to stick by him as he undergoes a year-long rehab process, according to both Amick and Stein.
Green acknowledged the possibility of him being outbound in an Antetokounmpo deal after 14 years with Golden State, saying, “If I’m traded, that’s part of the business,” to reporters on Friday.
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The Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks and Miami Heat round out the group most involved in the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, according to multiple reports.
The Timberwolves may be the biggest threat to the Warriors uniting two former MVPs, with the team “undeniably making an all-out push” for Antetokounmpo, per Stein. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that Minnesota is looking for a third or fourth team to make the deal work and The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski wrote that the Timberwolves have “cemented themselves as one of the teams firmly in the mix” for the Bucks’ franchise icon.
According to ClutchPoints‘ Brett Siegel, Antetokounmpo has joining Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves at the top of his trade list. It’s also of note that Minnesota shed Mike Conley’s $10-million salary by dealing him to the Bulls, opening more room to operate without incurring additional tax penalties.
However, Amick also included that the offers Milwaukee has received are “underwhelming,” and both him and Stein stated that it’s possible the saga extends into the off-season.
Big men moving slowly
While the prospect of adding Antetokounmpo has the whole league salivating, the rest of the big-man market hasn’t been met with the same enthusiasm lately.
After initially being one of the most sought-after centres available, Davis’s market has slowed to a crawl. Windhorst said the Cavaliers talked to the Dallas Mavericks about the oft-injured big — but circumstances may have changed after they acquired Harden.
For a player of Davis’s calibre — a five-time All-NBA and All-Defence selection — anything less than a return including young talent and valuable first-round picks would be a disappointment. And that’s without factoring in that he was acquired for Dončić in the first place.
Yet the 10-time all-star’s hefty contract and chronic injury issues have discouraged would-be suitors. ESPN’s Tim McMahon reported Monday that “there are some within the (Mavericks) organization who would be in favour of trading Davis, even if the return is only expiring contracts, simply because they value the flexibility it would give the franchise as it builds around (Cooper) Flagg.”
That would be some way to end the story of “The Trade.”
Meanwhile, The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III reported that “a few executives don’t believe that (Karl-Anthony) Towns is off limits” in trades. But KAT is averaging his lowest points per game (19.8) and three-point percentage (35.9 per cent) since his rookie year. Nothing is off the table for a Knicks teaming eyeing championship contention out of the wide-open East, but trading a player at low value is bad business.
There has also been ample reporting linking the Toronto Raptors to Sabonis, including both Fischer’s and Amick’s reports mentioned above. HoopsHypes’ Michael Scotto shared on The Raptors Show that talks between the teams have involved RJ Barrett, Ochai Agbaji and a third team potentially taking on the salary of either Jakob Poeltl or Immanuel Quickley.
Alternatively, Sportsnet’s Michael Grange reported that when it comes to the Raptors and Sabonis, “information has been all over the place” and that a small move to duck the luxury tax is most likely.
That aligns with both Blake Murphy’s expert cap analysis and general manager Bobby Webster’s past deadline behaviour when the Raptors have been buyers.
If Toronto does opt to pursue a depth big to help fill the void left by Poeltl’s absence — he’s played one seven-minute stint in the team’s last 23 games while dealing with a persistent back injury — there appears to be plenty of options.
The Raptors have made calls and expressed interest in centres Daniel Gafford and Day’Ron Sharpe, according to Stein. In addition, Yves Missi and Goga Bitadze have both been linked to Toronto, per Siegel. Both Siegel’s report and Stein’s newsletter mention Ochai Agbaji’s contract being outbound to shed the $967,000 the Raptors are above the tax line. And Scotto added that centres in this tier would fetch multiple second-round picks.
Fastbreaks
• After acquiring Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder from the Sacramento Kings, in addition to the Garland-Harden swap, the Cavaliers have a crowded backcourt. Stein reported that they could look to move Lonzo Ball’s $10-million salary to increase flexibility and that a family reunion with his brother LaMelo in Charlotte is a possibility.
• According to Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports, Morant is slated to be traded next as Memphis enters a full rebuild, but the star guard’s market is diminished and the organization is “aware they won’t recoup a similar haul compared to what Jackson or Desmond Bane procured.”
• While the Warriors have also expressed interest in Trey Murphy III and Michael Porter Jr., per Siegel, “it’s unlikely either player is traded over the next few days.” This aligns with reports that Porter and Murphy are seen as part of the Nets’ and Pelicans’ futures, by Charania and NBA on Prime’s Chris Haynes, respectively.
