The league-wide buzz heading into the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline — Thursday, Feb. 8, at 3 p.m. Eastern — is not to expect any big names to be on the move. There will be role players changing teams and some trades to shed salary, but with James Harden, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby already traded, the vibe is there are no more blockbusters out there. Of course, that is what we thought last year, and then Kyrie Irving was traded.
What follows is all the latest news, notes and rumors heading into the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline. It will be updated as news and rumors break between now and the deadline, so check back often for the latest.
Lakers most likely to stand pat at trade deadline
LeBron James is not going to like this.
While LeBron has been passive-aggressively advocating for the Lakers to do something, the question remains “Who is available via trade that could change the trajectory of this Lakers’ season?” The answer is nobody. The best player who could legitimately be moved at the deadline is the Hawks’ Dejounte Murray, and while he’s an upgrade over D’Angelo Russell (especially defensively) is he worth a first-round pick and a good young player in terms of an upgrade? The Lakers’ brain trust seems to be leaning toward “no.” (That deal also is stuck because the Hawks want a third team to take on Russell, and his reputation around the league does not have teams lining up.) Here is how Jovan Buha put it at The Athletic.
Though James has made it clear that he’d like for the organization to approach this deadline with the all-in approach he prefers, the likelihood that the Lakers stand pat or make a marginal move has somewhat increased in recent days, according to team and league sources. Their 2029 draft pick is valuable; if they keep it, they’ll be armed with three first-round picks to trade this summer.
The other player teams are asking about is Austin Reaves, but the Lakers are not going to trade him unless a true game-changing, All-Star-level player becomes available. Which is the right move, but that guy is not on the market right now. At age 39 (and with a player option for next season) LeBron is understandably impatient, but making a move just to make a move makes these Lakers worse long term. Better to sit on their pick and wait until the summer, when they will have up to three future first-rounders they can trade, and try to make a big splash then. That’s also when better players are available on the market.
Kuzma, Brogdon, Bogdanovic all staying put?
We’ve been saying that this may be an underwhelming trade deadline, but could it be slower and more boring than even we expected? ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski basically said, “Yes it will be” on his podcast with Bobby Marks, adding he expects the Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma, the Trail Blazers’ Malcolm Brogdon, and the Pistons’ Bojan Bogdanovic all will most likely stay put with their teams and not be traded at the deadline. The one Wizards player generating a lot of buzz is point guard Tyus Jones, but these are some of the best players who might be traded and things do not look likely for them to be moved before the Thursday, 3 p.m. Eastern deadline.
Phoenix would like to make a trade but doesn’t have the assets
Nassir Little, a player or two at the veteran minimum (Josh Okogie, Keita Bates-Diop, Bol Bol), and one or two second-round draft picks.
That is the Phoenix Suns’ trade package at the deadline. The Suns would love to add depth around Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, but they had to give up so much to trade for Beal and Durant — at the insistence of new owner Mat Ishbia — that what you see in the first paragraph is what they have to offer. The Suns have been linked to Miles Bridges in Charlotte (who scored a career-high 41 against the Lakers Monday night but comes with serious baggage from a domestic violence charge in his recent past) and the Nets’ Royce O’Neal, but can they get those guys with that trade offer? ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on his podcast that the Suns would likely make a trade “on the fringe” but don’t have the assets to get anything substantial done.
Look for Phoenix to do something, but they are going to bank on their big three showing up and overwhelming teams with offense in the playoffs. Good luck with that.
Jordan Clarkson would welcome trade to Knicks
The New York Knicks are looking for secondary playmaking and depth behind Jalen Brunson. The Utah Jazz are one of the sellers at the deadline — deal with Danny Ainge at your own risk — and one of the players available is former Sixth Man of the Year and bench gunner Jordan Clarkson. Whether Crawford is really a fit for a Tom Thibodeau team is up for debate, but Clarkson would welcome it Tony Jones of The Athletic said on ESPN 700’s The Drive with Spence Checketts.
“I can tell you just from my conversations with people around the situation, I think that Jordan [Clarkson] would welcome a trade [to the Knicks] if that’s how it would go down. There’s another team out west he would welcome a trade to. I’m not going to say the name of that team and the reason why I’m not going to say the name of that team is because there’s very little chance of that trade happening.”
Clarkson is averaging 17.5 points and 4.9 assists a game this season, doing most of his damage in the midrange.
No movement toward a DeMar DeRozan trade
Much to the dismay of Bulls faithful, it looks like Chicago will hang onto their core past the trade deadline. The Bulls prioritized trading Zach LaVine but there wasn’t much of a market for him due to the combination of his contract and his injury history (he is now out for the season following foot surgery). Teams called about Alex Caruso but the Bulls shot those talks down, wanting to hold on to the defensive specialist unless it was a Godfather offer. Now comes a report from Chris Hanes of TNT/Bleacher Report — on his #ThisLeagueUncut podcast with Marc Stein — that it looks like the Bulls will hold on to 34-year-old DeMar DeRozan and talk contract extension with him.
“I’m not hearing really anything going on the DeMar DeRozan trade front, which leads me to believe he will be kept through the deadline and I would think that both sides would get back to the table and start trying to talk about an extension…. Both sides are far apart and that still is the case, but I think past the deadline, uh, they’ll get back to the table, see if anything can be hammered out because as you mentioned, Stein. DeMar DeRozan will be an unrestricted free agent and they, they could risk losing him for nothing.”
Nets want more than late first for Dorian Finney-Smith
The Brooklyn Nets are a team to watch at the trade deadline. Teams are still calling them about Mikal Bridges but Sean Marks and the front office continues to shoot them down. However, there is a lot of buzz about other players such as Royce O’Neal and Dorian Finney-Smith. It’s Finney-Smith that is drawing the most attention. The Nets know the value of a plus defender wing who is shooting 38.3% from 3, which is why they are not willing to take a late first-round pick or a pick from the 2024 draft (considered a down draft) as part of any trade for him, Michael Scotto of Hoopshype said on the YES Network before the Brooklyn game Monday night.
Bucks, Mavericks talked Portis for Grant Williams trade
We know the Bucks are being aggressive in their search for upgrades, but would they trade a fan favorite to do it? Milwaukee and Dallas have had preliminary discussions of a Grant Williams for Bobby Portis trade, reports Marc Stein in his Monday newsletter. In terms of salary, those two can be traded for each other straight up. He adds that there is no evidence these talks ever moved past an exploratory phase.
Williams has struggled his first year in Dallas, but Doc Rivers and Bucks management see a more versatile, superior defender who could help Milwaukee on the end of the court they need it the most. Dallas would get off a contract they don’t like and pick up rock-solid bench help behind Dereck Lively II at the five. Both sides might be able to sell themselves on this trade, but it likely would not be popular with Bucks fans.
Dallas, Pacers expressing interest in Andrew Wiggins
The worst-kept secret at the trade deadline may be Dallas’ desire to upgrade on the wing next to Luka Doncic and (when healthy) Kyrie Irving. That has the Mavericks, as well as the Pacers, expressing some interest in Andrew Wiggins, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic. Dallas would have to believe that Andrew Wiggins’ struggles this year could be turned around in a new setting with a new coach (he has played better of late, as well). To make the trade work, Dallas would likely have to send Grant Williams and Richaun Holmes to Golden State.
Multiple teams interested in Tyus Jones
Tyus Jones is the kind of quality rotation point guard who could help a lot of teams, and that’s why the Lakers, Timberwolves, Magic, Spurs and Nets are all interested in him,reports Michael Scotto of Hoopshype. The Wizards have been holding out for a first-round pick for Jones, but that seems to be too rich a price for the point guard whose contract ends after this season. It’s likely multiple second-rounders.
Milwaukee Bucks remain aggressive looking for upgrades
The Milwaukee Bucks are 1-3 under new coach Doc Rivers with the 20th-ranked defense in the league over those four games (and an almost identical defensive rating to their season average). Beyond coaching issues, the challenge in Milwaukee is the roster — they have two elite defenders in Brook Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo, but little beyond that (after trading away Jrue Holiday). The Bucks are remaining aggressive in the run-up to the trade deadline looking to change that, reports Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. Of course, putting a trade together that works is another thing.
After switching head coaches midseason, the Bucks remain committed to improving their roster, “shopping hard for help,” as described by one league source with knowledge of the situation. Milwaukee has limited options of outgoing packages, with the No. 35 pick, Pat Connaughton and Cam Payne as the Bucks’ most likely outgoing scenario, sources said.
Stay up to date on the latest hoops news, breakout performances, transactions and fantasy fallout with Rotoworld Player News.
Could Hawks hold on to Dejounte Murray?
For more than a year, the Atlanta Hawks hung on to John Collins, through multiple trade cycles (deadline and offseason), waiting for an offer that met their standards. It never came (and Collins was essentially salary dumped to Utah (Rudy Gay and a second-round pick). The Hawks were patient, waiting for the right deal. Could that happen again with Dejounte Murray? Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports says it could.
For Murray, it should be noted that Atlanta will have a much easier time finding the draft capital — at least two first-round picks, sources said — it seeks for the former All-Star point guard this summer, when teams will gain access to future picks once the calendar flips to 2024-25. The Lakers, for example, will be eligible to deal two more future selections come draft time.
The Lakers, however, may be feeling the pressure to make a move now, which brings us to…
LeBron sending another message with Knicks towel?
First, it was the hourglass emoji.
Was LeBron James trying to send a second passive-aggressive “get something done” message to the Lakers’ front office when, during his walk-off interview after the Lakers snapped the Knicks’ winning streak on Sunday, he wore a Knicks towel around his neck?
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst — who has followed LeBron closely since Cleveland — said yes on his Hoops Collective Podcast Monday.
“But this is what LeBron excels at. He computes all this stuff. Of course, he was cognizant and aware he was putting on a towel that said New York Knicks. Why would he mess with the Knicks? Because he was using the Knicks as a tool to pressure the Lakers.”
Windhorst is right about this: LeBron doesn’t do things like this on accident. The Lakers are expected to make a trade or trades at the deadline. They are the most-named suitor for Dejounte Murray but have also been linked to multiple other players.
Lakers among teams interested in Raptors’ Bruce Brown
If one man should be almost a free space on your “traded at the deadline” bingo card, it would be Bruce Brown. He’s a quality two-way wing who played an important role in Denver’s title run last season, chased the payday to Indiana, who traded him to Toronto in the Pascal Siakam deal, but the Raptors always planned to flip him. The Knicks have been the most mentioned team in that sweepstakes (and he would be a perfect fit on a Tom Thibodeau team).
Add the Lakers to that list, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on his podcast. The Lakers tried to sign Brown last offseason but could only offer the mid-level exception ($12.4 million) and the Pacers gave him two years, $45 million. The Lakers could offer D’Angelo Russell, Jalen Hood-Schifino and a second-round pick for Brown (or a heavily protected 2029 first). That only works for the Lakers if they get another point guard (and get Gabe Vincent back healthy). Whether that is enough to interest the Raptors, or would beat offers from the Knicks or others, is another question. But the Lakers want LeBron to know they are looking.
Bulls want Anunoby-like haul for Alex Caruso
Chicago’s focus around the trade deadline had been to move Zach LaVine and then maybe talk DeMar DeRozan trade, with Alex Caruso considered off-limits. LaVine’s trade market never materialized due to his contact, injury history and perception of his play. However, teams are still calling Chicago about Caruso, but the Bulls want an “OG Anunoby-type deal” to give him up, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on his podcast.
As a reminder, the Raptors got Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and the Pistons’ 2024 second-round pick (likely pick 31 or 32 at worst) for Anunoby. The Bulls are not getting that for Caruso, in part because he’s not the two-way player Anunoby is, and also because of health concerns that limit Caruso to 20-25 minutes a night. League sources told NBC Sports the vibe has been the Bulls never wanted to trade Caruso, so the only way it happens is a Godfather offer.
Bull most likely to be traded: Andre Drummond
There are a number of teams looking for help along the front line, and one name that gets mentioned a lot is veteran center Andre Drummond. Chicago is willing to move on from him — likely for second-round picks — and the Celtics, Mavericks, Lakers and Suns are all interested,reports Michael Scotto at Hoopshype.
Mavericks seek power forward, eying Kuzma, Washington
It’s not a secret Dallas wants some athleticism and help on the wing to go with Luka Doncic and (once he gets healthy) Kyrie Irving, not to mention emerging center Dereck Lively II. However, they want more of a four than a three — feeling they need more size — and have their eyes primarily on the Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma and the Hornets’ P.J. Washington, reports Marc Stein in his newsletter.
“Dallas has been frequently mentioned as a potential trade suitor for both Washington’s Kyle Kuzma and Charlotte’s Washington in recent weeks and are still, I’m told, prioritizing power forwards over small forwards in its quest to address the team’s size and defensive shortcomings.”
Pistons reportedly leaning toward keeping Bogdanovic, Burks, eyeing Tobias Harris
One of the counterintuitive things at this NBA trade deadline is that the team with the worst record in the NBA, the 6-43 Detroit Pistons, may be buyers rather than sellers at the deadline. That starts with holding onto both Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks, unless an offer with enough quality draft picks or young players comes along and they can’t refuse, reports James Edwards III at The Athletic.
In that same story, Edwards reports that Detroit has its eye on former Piston Tobias Harris as the kind of upgrade they seek. What Philadelphia does at the trade deadline will hinge on what the doctors find when they do Joel Embiid’s meniscus surgery — if he is done for the season the 76ers may be open to trading the free agent to be in Harris. Or, the Pistons could wait and try to sign Harris as a free agent next summer.
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