Here we are again, folks. The NBA trade deadline is only a few days away and we’re already deep in the midst of chaos.
Kyrie Irving has officially forced his way out of Brooklyn and is now a Dallas Maverick, LeBron James is upset and tweeting weirdly, and now everyone is trying to figure out who the next player to be shipped out will be.
There’s a lot going on around this year’s trade deadline and it’s certainly a lot to keep up with. If you’re struggling to, no need to worry. We have you covered here.
Here’s a round-up of all the latest trade rumors in the NBA.
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Kevin Durant probably isn't going anywhere
The natural progression from the Kyrie Irving trade is to ask what’s next for the Nets. And, by that, most people mean is Kevin Durant about to be on the move, too?
The answer is no … for now. Though Kevin Durant and the Nets are having ongoing conversations about the future of the franchise, the Nets reportedly don’t plan on moving him before Thursday’s trade deadline, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
In aftermath of Kyrie Irving trade, the Brooklyn Nets and Kevin Durant are having ongoing conversations on the direction of the franchise, but organization has thus far told inquiring teams that they’re not planning to trade him before Thursday’s deadline, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 7, 2023
On top of that, it doesn’t seem like the Nets are interested in dealing Durant to Phoenix, which was his main destination over the summer.
Durant had interest in a deal to the Suns over the summer, but so far the Nets haven't shown a willingness to move him to Phoenix or anywhere else, sources tell ESPN. There have been a number of teams reaching out to Brooklyn on Durant. https://t.co/xYvo5rGZCY
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 7, 2023
It’s hard to determine where things will end up with how unpredictable KD is. Nobody should envy the Nets’ situation.
Ben Simmons has no trade value
The biggest problem the Nets have right now isn’t that they don’t know what their future holds with Durant — it’s that they’ve gotten absolutely nothing so far this season out of Ben Simmons.
Simmons has been a shell of himself for most of the season and has battled injury throughout much of it. Because of that, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, Simmons’ trade value is very low right now.
A couple of Nets notes from @BobbyMarks42 on @KeyJayandMax:
1. Ben Simmons has no value around the league right now in any potential deal.
2. If the Nets decide to move KD — their return would be greater this summer than it would be before Thursday’s trade deadline.
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) February 6, 2023
That puts the Nets in a tough situation.
The Heat want to make a move and could involve Kyle Lowry
The Miami Heat were also a Kevin Durant destination over the summer.
They don’t seem to be focused on Durant right now, but they are active in the trade market. They’ve already made a move in trading Dewayne Dedmon to the Spurs along with a second-round pick. More moves are coming and Kyle Lowry could be part of them.
The Heat are open to moving their point guard, according to the Miami Herald.
“The Heat initially had no interest in dealing Lowry. But the team’s position has softened recently, and Miami is now open to trades involving Lowry if the team is offered a deal it views as advantageous, according to a source in contact with the team.”
The Clippers are a potential suitor for Lowry and, it’d make sense, considering his history with Kawhi Leonard.
The Raptors have set their price for OG Anunoby
The Raptors look like they’re going to be sellers so far this year and OG Anunoby is one of the most coveted trade pieces on the market as a premier 3-and-D wing.
The Pelicans have inquired about him, per the Times-Picayune’s Christian Clark, and the asking price is steep. It’s young players and picks.
“Multiple league insiders told The Times-Picayune that the Raptors’ preference is to get back young players in any deal for Anunoby as opposed to picks. The Pelicans are armed with both of those things. Dyson Daniels, Jones and Naji Marshall are all homegrown talent on team-friendly deals. Plus, the Pelicans own the rights to all of their own first-round picks in the next five years in addition to the 2024 Los Angeles Lakers first that can be deferred until 2025 and a 2027 Milwaukee Bucks first.”
That’s a lot for a non-All-Star, but we’ll see if the Raptors can make it happen.
The Nets are targeting Pascal Siakam
Speaking of the Raptors, there are a number of teams interested in Pascal Siakam. That includes the aforementioned Nets.
According to NBA Insider Marc Stein, the Nets are looking to use their trade package from the Irving deal to make a move for Siakam and, potentially, Fred Van Vleet as well.
The Nets have also been described to me as a team with Pascal Siakam interest … although the signals entering the final week of trade season have reflected a reluctance from Toronto to this point to make Siakam available. https://t.co/8ugkJVbX7e
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 6, 2023
Lauri Markkanen is untouchable
Speaking of sellers, everyone is expecting the Utah Jazz to sell off some of their players by Thursday in an effort to continue their rebuild.
It remains to be seen who they’ll move. But, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, there are 3 “untouchable” players on their roster: Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler and Ochai Agbaji.
Outside of that, everyone else is in play.
The Bulls aren't interested in moving Zach LaVine
Folks around the league are keeping their eyes on the Bulls, too, as the team continues to struggle. Whether they’d be keeping Zach LaVine around has been a big question looming all season long.
However, it doesn’t look like he’ll be on the move, according to ESPN’s Jamal Collier.
“LaVine, who signed a five-year, $215 million contract extension in July, has drawn interest from several teams, including the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, but rival executives say the Bulls have shown little interest in moving him at the deadline. LaVine reiterated his commitment to Chicago recently, stating he signed an extension because he wanted to be with the Bulls and that hasn’t changed.”
Things can obviously change in the blink of an eye in this league, but the Bulls seem to be holding firm for now.
Moving Russell Westbrook will still require a draft pick
The Lakers are always looking to upgrade and, after losing out on Kyrie Irving, the spotlight is once again on Russell Westbrook.
The Lakers would like to free up cap space and find players who fit with their main core of Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
Nothing has seemed to change on this front, however. According to the Los Angeles Times’ Dan Woike, the Lakers would still be required to move a pick in order to trade Russell Westbrook.
“Four months later, the market for Westbrook has largely been unchanged, according to league sources from rival teams,” the Los Angeles Times’ Dan Woike wrote. “The sense is any Westbrook trade probably would still require the Lakers to include a first-round pick to offset a team paying the rest of Westbrook’s $47 million salary.”
The Clippers are still looking for a point guard
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Clippers are still looking for help at point guard. The addition of John Wall hasn’t been beneficial to LA and Reggie Jackson has played below his normal standards over the last few years.
So the Clippers are exploring the trade market, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Jake Fischer.
“Along with VanVleet, Kyle Lowry, Terry Rozier and D’Angelo Russell have all been connected to the Clippers and Suns. Phoenix has gauged the trade market with an eye toward finding ball-handlers who could both relieve Chris Paul during this season’s playoff push and potentially replace him in the future, sources said. Both the Clippers and the Suns held talks with the Nets regarding Irving, sources said.”
The Wizards aren't interested in trading Kyle Kuzma
Despite their most recent downturn, the Washington Wizards still seem to be standing pat on their current team.
They’ve already committed to Bradley Beal and the team is confident it can keep Kyle Kuzma around once he hits unrestricted free agency, according to The Athletic.
“League sources told us the Wizards have shown no willingness to entertain trade offers for Kuzma. The six teams with projected significant 2023 cap space this summer — Detroit, Houston, Indiana, Oklahoma City, Orlando and San Antonio — don’t project to be contenders next season.”
That’s a big gamble for the Wizards. We’ll see if it pays off in the summer time.
