If you're trying to keep track of who's being shopped, who's staying put, the buyers, the sellers and the teams that are "considering all of our options," this is the place to be. The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 10 at 3 p.m. ET, and, as it approaches, we promise that we're maintaining our flexibility while aggressively looking for opportunities to improve. As always.
What follows is a regularly updated rumor roundup. If you would like a long list of players who might be moved before the deadline, we have that, too.
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Making sense of the Mavericks
Jan 31: Jalen Brunson, drafted in the second round in 2018, is on a $1.8 million expiring contract and playing a crucial role for a Mavericks team that is playing like a fringe contender. Dorian Finney-Smith, undrafted in 2016, is on a $4 million expiring contract, has improved offensively and remains an important part of a defense that now ranks in the league's top five. Is Dallas willing to pay what it takes to keep both of them?
Brunson and Finney-Smith are trade candidates because that is a difficult question to answer. The most likely scenario, though, is that both will remain on the roster after the deadline, per Marc Stein's newsletter. The Mavs reportedly believe Brunson wants to stay long-term and have rejected trade offers for both players. Brunson wants around $18 million per season in free agency, according to Stein.
On Jan. 28, ESPN's Zach Lowe reported that Brunson is real flight risk. On Jan. 27, Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer reported that Dallas is sending signals that it is prepared to re-sign both Brunson and Finney-Smith. Brunson is more likely to be traded than Finney-Smith, per The Athletic's Tim Cato.
Stein reported that the Mavs and Knicks are not actively discussing a Brunson deal, and that Dallas does not want to move him for its own 2023 first-round pick (which it sent to New York in the Kristaps Porzingis trade). The Knicks have been a rumored Brunson suitor for some time. On Jan. 15, the New York Post's Marc Berman cited an NBA source saying, "They want him bad."
Raptors confident they'll trade Dragic, not buy him out
Jan. 31: Goran Dragic will almost certainly be traded, rather than bought out, per the Toronto Star's Doug Smith. Dragic has been away from the Raptors since late November -- a serious family issue reportedly required him to be in South Florida -- and is on a $19.4 million expiring contract.
According to the Star, the front office is exploring several possible trade constructions: swapping Dragic for another expiring contract, packaging him with a first-round pick and packaging him with another player.
Dragic could still wind up choosing his next destination. If Toronto trades him to a non-contender, he could be bought out. At that point, Dallas would be one of the front-runners to sign him, but it would have competition, according to Stein.
Is Washington showcasing Bryant?
Jan. 30: The Wizards' three-center rotation is no more, and, oddly, Daniel Gafford was the odd man out against Memphis. Gafford, easily Washington's best rim protector, has started in all of his 45 appearances this season, but got a DNP-CD so the coaching staff could get a look at Thomas Bryant with the starting unit. Bryant is working his way back into form after a knee injury, but was a starter at the beginning of last season.
At least that's how coach Wes Unseld Jr. explained it. Josh Robbins of The Athletic wrote that he wouldn't be surprised if the prevailing fan theory -- that the front office is showcasing Bryant for a potential trade -- is correct.
The new starting five looked terrible against the Grizzlies, but Unseld said that the Wizards would give it a handful of games. Before the deadline, they will face the Bucks, Sixers, Suns and Heat.
Blazers' Nurkic says he wants to stay and believes he will
Jan. 28: Jusuf Nurkic has turned his season around, and he wants to remain in Portland. He's on a $12 million expiring contract, but he told The Athletic's Jason Quick that his gut tells him he won't be traded.
"Nothing is 100 percent, but I feel like for the team, and who I think I am as a player, there is no way I'm leaving [in a trade]," Nurkic said. "I don't see anything possible. Obviously, I want to be part of this organization as long as Dame [Lillard] is, and as long as we want to win. But if the team wants to go in a different direction, then I'm willing to do whatever they want to do."
If the Blazers tank the rest of the season, Nurkic is among many veterans who could be moved. Nurkic said that, when they fired Neil Olshey and made Joe Cronin the interim general manager in early December, Cronin immediately reached out and said, "You are here to stay." Plans can change quickly in the NBA, though, and, if Nurkic's improved production translates to better trade offers, he might be playing himself right out of the place he wants to be.
Kings no longer pursuing Simmons
Jan. 28: Sacramento is out of the Ben Simmons sweepstakes, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The Kings reportedly feel that the Sixers are asking for too much, so they're moving on.
Philadelphia reportedly hasn't given up on trading Simmons before the deadline, but, if Sacramento doesn't re-engage, it becomes even more likely that this saga stretches into the offseason.
In a radio interview on Jan. 20, Sixers president Daryl Morey said that "for sure there are deals with the Sacramento Kings that I think would work," but added that he had no idea if those deals would happen and they'd probably have to involve multiple teams. Morey also said that the chances of completing any Simmons trade before the deadline were "less likely than likely."
For more on Simmons -- and Philadelphia's refusal to trade him without getting an impact player in return -- see our timeline of this ongoing stalemate.
Pacers want two firsts for LeVert, Holiday
Jan. 28: Indiana is looking for at least two first-round picks for Caris LeVert, per Stein, and two first-round picks for Justin Holiday, per HoopsHype's Mike Scotto.
LeVert is 27 years old, needs the ball in his hands and is making $17.5 million this season and $18.8 million next season. Holiday is 32 years old, can slide into virtually any lineup in a 3-and-D role and is making $6 million this season and $6.3 million next season.
For some contenders, though, Holiday might not be an option because he is unvaccinated. On Dec. 12, he said he has no plans to get vaccinated. Holiday would fit well with the Nets, Warriors and Lakers, but, unless that changes, he wouldn't be eligible to play in their home games.
Knicks' Randle could be available
Jan. 27: Julius Randle's four-year, $117 million contract extension doesn't even kick in until next season. He and the Knicks have regressed this season, though, and he could be moved in the right deal, per SNY's Ian Begley, citing a source that had been in touch with New York recently. Randle's jumper has abandoned him, and in his last 10 games he has averaged 15.7 points on 45.8 percent true shooting and made a quarter of his 3-point attempts. Is there a team in the league that believes in his 2020-21 breakout and wants to buy low?
Hawks' Collins on the move already?
Jan. 27: Another player who recently signed a new deal and is in the rumor mill: Atlanta big man John Collins. After sending Cam Reddish to New York, the Hawks are asking for a starting-caliber player and a first-round pick in exchange for Collins, according to Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer. Collins is in the first year of a five-year, $125 million contract.
Atlanta has called San Antonio about guard Derrick White and has also been linked to the Pistons' Jerami Grant, per Bleacher Report. Collins, wing Bogdan Bogdanovic and forward Danilo Gallinari's names have all reportedly been involved in the Hawks' discussions with Philadelphia about Ben Simmons.
Portland's possibilities
Jan. 27: The Blazers could punt the season now that Damian Lillard is out with an abdominal injury, but their 20-28 record has them in the final play-in spot. They need to cut more than $3 million to get out of luxury-tax territory, and CJ McCollum, Norman Powell, Robert Covington and Jusuf Nurkic are all trade candidates, but there are a few different directions this could go. According to Bleacher Report, interim general manager Joe Cronin has been empowered to make major moves and reshape the roster around Lillard. New Orleans is reportedly a possible landing spot for McCollum. The Blazers are reportedly interested in Grant, too.
Covington and Nurkic are on expiring contracts. The Jazz have been linked to Covington, but are not a likely destination for him, per Bleacher Report. Nassir Little, who, along with Anfernee Simons, is expected to be part of whatever Portland builds next, tore the labrum in his left shoulder on Jan. 26 and is likely done for the season, per ESPN.
Pacers want multiple picks to break up the bigs
Jan. 27: Indiana is looking for multiple first-round picks in any deal involving Domantas Sabonis or Myles Turner, per Bleacher Report. Sacramento and New Orleans are both reportedly interested in Sabonis, but the Pacers are looking for a deal similar to the one that the Orlando Magic got for Nikola Vucevic last season.
The perceived chances of Turner being traded took a hit when he suffered a stress reaction in his foot in mid-January.
A shake-up in Sacramento? You don't say!
Jan 27: The Kings are falling apart. They've lost five straight games and 10 of their last 12, and they responded to their 128-75 (???) loss in Boston on Jan. 25 by losing 121-104 in Atlanta the next day. "Everyone we're playing is having a field day," said Harrison Barnes, who is among the many Sacramento players rumored to be available. The front office is shopping Barnes, Buddy Hield, Marvin Bagley III and Tristan Thompson, per Bleacher Report.
As of Jan. 19, the Kings still plan to build around both De'Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton, per The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Will Schroder stay in Boston?
Jan. 27: The Celtics got Dennis Schroder for one year with the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, a $5.9 million bargain that set him up to hit free agency again this coming offseason and will make it difficult for Boston to re-sign him. (It does not have his Bird rights.)
In an interview with MassLive's Brian Robb, Schroder said that he hopes to be with the Celtics "for a long time" and he "for sure" thinks he could be back on a new deal next season. In practice, however, he would either have to give them a big discount again or accept the full mid-level exception. (The latter scenario would require Boston to shed salary to get -- and stay -- under the luxury tax.) In an interview with The Athletic's Jay King in mid-January, president Brad Stevens declined to comment on how Schroder's contract will affect the front office's approach to the deadline.
According to Bleacher Report, Schroder and guard Aaron Nesmith are the two Celtics considered most likely to be traded, and Al Horford is also a trade candidate. Marcus Smart always comes up in trade rumors around this time, but his four-year, $76.5 million extension kicks in next season and it would reportedly take a "significant" trade offer for Boston to consider moving him.
On Jan. 19, The Athletic's Jared Weiss reported that they are exploring potential Horford trades, pursuing another center and are open to moving wing Josh Richardson. Horford is on the books for $26.5 million next season, but only $14.5 million is guaranteed.
Robert Williams III is *not* available, by the way.
Brooklyn's possible tweaks
Jan. 27: The Nets have had conversations involving the position-less Bruce Brown, guard Jevon Carter and even switchy center Nicolas Claxton, per Bleacher Report. It is also trying to move Paul Millsap, who reportedly considered the Bulls and Warriors in free agency last offseason.
Millsap wants to go to a team that has minutes for him. He hasn't played since Dec. 27, and on Jan. 20, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that the two sides had agreed to part ways. The next day, Nets coach Steve Nash described it as "an unfortunate situation."
Toronto thinking big
Jan. 27: The Raptors are looking at centers, per Bleacher Report. They've inquired about Turner, Theis and the Spurs' Jakob Poeltl, a former Toronto first-round pick. Stein reported the Raptors' interest in Poeltl on Jan. 14, but it's unclear if they will be able to meet San Antonio's asking price.
Houston's message: No urgency to make a deal
Jan. 26: The rebuilding Rockets have a couple of obvious trade candidates in 33-year-old guard Eric Gordon and 29-year-old big Daniel Theis. They could trade Christian Wood, too, and they'd love to find a way to move John Wall's contract. Their message ahead of the deadline, though is loud and clear: We don't have to do anything at all.
Houston is not looking for win-now players, for obvious reasons, and it is not looking for more picks in this year's draft, either, according to the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen. The Rockets are interested in high-upside young players and future picks with little protection, and, if they don't like the offers they get, they are reportedly fine with waiting until the draft and the offseason to do anything significant.
This jibes with what The Athletic's Kelly Iko reported on Jan. 24: Houston general manager Rafael Stone is content to take calls rather than aggressively making them. Theis and wing David Nwaba are more likely than Wood or Gordon to be moved before Feb. 10, per The Athletic, and, if the Rockets were to do another Wall-for-Russell Westbrook trade, they'd want to get the Lakers' 2027 first-round pick as part of the deal. (On that theoretical possibility: Los Angeles isn't interested, per Stein -- it would rather hope Westbrook finds his form than give up yet another asset to end this experiment, having sacrificed so much to get him in the first place.)
Houston can credibly take this position because none of the aforementioned players are on expiring contracts. A word of caution, however: There is risk in standing pat, particularly in a situation like Gordon's. His value should be much higher now than it was heading into this season, since he has stayed healthy and had the most efficient season of his 14-year career. The Rockets might not get exactly what they're looking for in a Gordon trade, but they'll have to weigh the offers they get against the possibility that they will get worse down the road.
Nets not listening to Harden offers
Jan. 26: James Harden has repeatedly told Nets ownership and management that he wants to stay in Brooklyn and compete for a championship, and the team doesn't even want to hear other teams' trade offers, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The 76ers want to pursue Harden, who can hit free agency in the offseason or pick up his $47.4 million player option, but they have not made Brooklyn an offer, per ESPN.
This follows a Jan. 24 report by The Athletic's Shams Charania and Sam Amick that, given the offers on the table for Simmons, Philadelphia prefers to keep him past the trade deadline and chase Harden (or another star player), confirmed by CBS Sports' Bill Reiter. It also follows a Bleacher Report's Jan. 25 report that, while Harden hasn't asked for a trade and still wants to compete for this year's championship with the Nets, he intends to look at his options in free agency and is frustrated by unvaccinated teammate Kyrie Irving's part-time availability, the weather and taxes in Brooklyn and Nash's experiments with the rotation.
Orlando is still selling
Jan. 24: The Magic pivoted at last year's trade deadline, moving Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier in separate deals that kickstarted a rebuild. They haven't quite finished selling off their veterans, though -- Terrence Ross (easily the longest-tenured member of the team) and Gary Harris (part of the Gordon trade) are both available ahead of the deadline, and Orlando is widely expected to move at least one of them, according to Stein.
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2022 NBA trade deadline rumors: Kings out of Ben Simmons talks; Mavericks to keep Jalen Brunson? - CBS Sports
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