Domantas Sabonis #11 and Russell Westbrook #18, subjects of NBA trade rumors.
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Domantas Sabonis #11 and Russell Westbrook #18, subjects of NBA trade rumors.
No doubt, NBA trade rumors are a tricky thing. While moves to be made for star players might look obvious form the outside, they’re much more complex from the inside–both in terms of satisfying league rules and restrictions, as well as dealing with personalities, egos and the optics of it all. A lot of moves that look easy, really aren’t.
Additionally, things change. Fast.
It was not long ago that the Mavericks had a market going for Anthony Davis, until he injured his hand and threw the rest of his season into jeopardy. Jimmy Butler blew out his ACL on Monday night, and now the Warriors’ short and long-term plans are completely upended. The Knicks went on a 2-9 stretch, and now they’re said to be shopping Karl-Anthony Towns. The Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo was booed at home, and suddenly, his vow to not ask for a trade looks shaky.
Swings in the market give teams a healthy dose of fear when it comes to making a major commitment, whether trading a big-time player in or out. With that in mind, let’s check in on where things stand as we approach the two-week mark before the deadline.
Warriors on the NBA Trade Rumors Mill: Sabonis the Best Bet?
Warriors: Despite the Butler injury, the Warriors are still looking to trade Jonathan Kuminga, though they will put him on the floor (he scored 20 points in 21 minutes on Tuesday) in the meantime. The Warriors are looking for a home-run move if they’re going to trade the future draft picks (they have three on hand) they’ve been holding onto, but the best likely scenario, according to one Western Conference exec, is Kings center Domantas Sabonis.
Sabonis is coming off a knee injury and has $136 million over three years on the books. That has made him popular in NBA trade rumors, because there’s some hope he can be had on the cheap. But he is versatile offensively and won three rebounding titles before this season.
“Realistically, they’re not getting Giannis, they’re not getting (Lauri) Markkanen, they don’t want (Davis),” the GM said. “Sabonis is actually on the market. It will take two firsts and Kuminga and some of their other young players, and probably a third team, but that would be probably the ceiling of what they can do.”
Knicks Won’t Admit Mistakes
Knicks: With nine losses in the last 11 games, it might behoove the Knicks to do something, anything. But trading Karl-Anthony Towns or Mikal Bridges or firing Mike Brown all would be moves that would be rife with trouble for seldom-seen team honcho Leon Rose. He made the blockbuster move for Towns, his former client from his agent days. He traded five first-rounders for Bridges. And Rose fired Tom Thibodeau to hire Brown.
“Leon does not admit mistakes easily, and Jim Dolan is not someone who is easy to admit mistakes to,” one league source said. “Doing something that reacts to what they’re going through now is going to reek of Leon saying he (expletive) up.”
Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks
GettyKarl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks
NBA Trade Rumors Follow the Pistons, Celtics and Raptors in the East
Pistons: Detroit is very happy with the way the team has responded to adversity as the season has gone on, and the Pistons remain very much in control of the East. But they are also very open to upgrading, as long as it does not eat too much into future cap flexibility. Jaren Jackson Jr. would be an interesting fit, but he’s not on the market. Michael Porter Jr. (with only next year left on his contract) remains the ideal target for the Pistons, and while the Nets are indicating they might hold onto him, the Pistons have the best assets on hand should Brooklyn relent.
Celtics: “They’ve been good but nothing’s changed there,” the league source said. “They’d add another big man if they can, so you could say they are buyers. But they’re in the bargain basement and there’s not much to pick from there. They can’t add payroll and they don’t have many pieces they’d give up.”
Two names that were mentioned: Kevin Love from the Jazz, more as an occasional contributor and veteran presence a la Blake Griffin’s stint in Boston; and Marvin Bagley from the Wizards, who could be had for a matching contract and second-round compensation. The Wiz like Bagley, but they like draft picks more.
Raptors: There’s pressure in Toronto to take a big swing on the trade market, with the Raptors overachieving and the East looking weak. But how? RJ Barrett is the most trade-friendly piece on the roster, but he’s struggled to stay healthy (knee, ankle) and has not been great when he has played. A healthy Jakob Poeltl, too, would draw interest, but his persistent back injury is concerning–teams are not lining up to trade for a 30-year-old 7-footer with back troubles and as many as four more years on his contract.
Kevin Love #42 of the Utah Jazz is an NBA trade candidate.
GettyKevin Love #42 of the Utah Jazz is an NBA trade candidate.
Still No Market for Ja Morant, and No Trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo
Ja Morant: All indications are he is not going to be traded. A slew of missed games, run-ins with NBA conduct rules and the general move of the NBA game away from undersize, ball-dominant guards meant that when Memphis opened up for trade talks on Morant, they got tumbleweeds. No one wanted to trade for him and now, conveniently, both Morant and the Grizzlies say they want to make things work in Memphis. Expect him to finish the year with the Grizz, hopefully play well, and go back on the market next summer.
Giannis Antetokounmpo: Now, Antetokounmpo said he would not ask for the Bucks to trade him. But he did not say he won’t leave in free agency, which can come in 2027 if he opts out of the final year of his contract. Rather than piling on the NBA trade rumors, teams (the Miami Heat, reportedly) are apparently hoping to hold open space for an Antetokounmpo pursuit in two summers. That’s not exactly wise.
“The days of a free-agent bonanza, clearing off the books, LeBron James in 2010 and all of that, that’s over,” the GM said. “Good luck to you if that’s the plan, but saving cap space to sign someone? That just doesn’t work the same way anymore.”