The NBA Trade Deadline is a week away and there will be a lot of talking between teams before then, but the question is if there will be significant action behind those talks.
Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported on the absence of big-name players in the market and the possibility of low activity. Nonetheless, there's still going to be a lot of noise, so here's the latest I've heard in the world of NBA trade rumors, including potential moves for the Warriors, Lakers and more.
Orlando's Great Point Guard Search
The Magic have been on this track for over a year, looking for long-term help at point guard. They were involved in talks last year for Fred VanVleet before the Raptors held onto him (and subsequently lost him in free agency). Orlando has kicked around every potential option on the board, and the latest interest involves two veterans: Kyle Lowry and Chris Paul, according to sources.
Lowry was traded for Terry Rozier, and the Hornets made it clear from the jump they wanted assets back for the former All-Star in a trade and did not plan to buy him out. That will come to be the tension point. Will Orlando commit assets that make it worth it for the Hornets if the alternative is just buying him out after the deadline, as Lowry has a $29 million expiring contract that will see him become an unrestricted free agent this summer?
(If Lowry is in fact bought out, expect the Philadelphia 76ers to have interest, although that information was prior to Joel Embiid's meniscus injury last weekend.)
For the Magic, they're in a unique position to send assets they are willing to part with if Lowry is content to stay in Orlando. It might provide the Magic with a way to add a veteran while they try to find long-term answers there, even if that answer is ultimately committing money to Markelle Fultz on a big extension.
The other name mentioned is Chris Paul. The Warriors are obviously keen to shuffle the deck chairs on the Titanic that is their season. Details of talks aren't known, but Jonathan Isaac and Moses Moody are players each team has interest in for a potential deal. Whether the Magic and Warriors are willing to trade those players may be an entirely different question.
Elsewhere in Warriors World
The other player the Warriors are looking to move is Andrew Wiggins, whose plus-minus splits this season are essentially a horror show. The team with the most interest in Wiggins over the last two weeks, according to sources, is the Dallas Mavericks. Details of talks aren't known.
Wiggins would provide Dallas with a more stable small forward option who can also play power forward, as free agency acquisition Grant Williams has been disappointing.
The other player Dallas has shown significant interest in is Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges, despite his suspension last year for domestic violence, but the most interested party for Bridges currently is the Phoenix Suns, multiple sources said, and Yahoo reported. The Suns are considered to be the "leader" for Bridges, but with a week to go before the deadline, that doesn't mean much.
The Rockets Cooling Their Engines
As Houston's record plummeted back towards the horizon, there were big trade talks, with Houston continuing to seek out veteran additions. HoopsHype reported the Rockets had talked about sending multiple picks, including the Nets' own pick sent to Houston in the James Harden trade, to Brooklyn for Mikal Bridges but those talks stalled.
The Pelicans are also known to have made a serious offer for Mikal Bridges and were likewise rebuffed. Two league sources said the Nets have claimed multiple offers of five first-rounders for Mikal Bridges, but I'm pretty skeptical on that front. One, it might be five "firsts" with swaps and/or heavily protected picks, and if the offer was really five firsts, why share that and then continue to say they are not interested in trading Mikal Bridges?
Jalen Green's recent improved play (30 points, seven rebounds and four assists over his last five games) has cooled talk of Houston potentially moving on from the No. 2 pick, though several sources said he was a key component in early talks between the Rockets and Nets for Mikal Bridges.
The Tyus Jones Threshold
The Wizards are obviously open for business, with credible reports about talks for Kyle Kuzma, Daniel Gafford (a popular name among teams looking for backup center help) and to a lesser extent Deni Avdija.
But the name with the most interest and player most likely to be traded is point guard Tyus Jones. Jones is on a $14 million expiring contract, and last summer, sources said he was looking for "starter money" wherever he wound up. But most teams are specifically interested in his value as a reserve.
The Wizards' offer threshold continues to stay at a first-rounder. The Minnesota Timberwolves, two sources said, offered four second-rounders for Jones, but Washington held the line. (UPDATE: A source close to the situation says the Wolves did not offer four seconds, but did make an offer for Jones.)
The Timberwolves have big point guard decisions coming up with Mike Conley becoming a free agent this summer at age 36.
Jones would be a perfect fit for Minnesota as a backup, but is he ready to return to Minnesota, and will they want him to take the reins as their starter? Jones' free agency preferences will influence any trade in a big way.
Bruce Brown Might Stick Around
Multiple sources indicated this week that the Lakers had at least temporarily moved away from talks for Raptors guard Bruce Brown, who they had interest in at the deadline last year. There continues to be nothing but billowing smoke from the idea of a Lakers trade for Klutch client Dejounte Murray in Atlanta, but talks reached an impasse recently with the Hawks holding the line at Austin Reaves and the Lakers continuing to refuse his inclusion. Reaves' recent level of play certainly lowers the likelihood of him being traded.
Hall of Famer Marc Stein reportedly recently that D'Angelo Russell's strong play has also moved him further away from being included in talks for the Lakers. This prompted this question from a personnel director not involved in talks: "So what exactly are the Lakers going to trade for Dejounte (Murray), who the Hawks sent all those picks for?"
Back to Brown, the Knicks continue to be mentioned as a potential landing spot, but New York has been seeking bigger deals. Brown might wind up being the "Plan B or C" for the Knicks, an outside source suggested.
With the Raptors' notoriously high offer marks for various trade assets, the "finally" trades of Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby have not eased skepticism that the Raptors will be tough to get trade value from.
Utah Active Again
The Jazz are active in the market, with Jordan Clarkson, Kelly Olynyk and Collin Sexton routinely described as available assets. Interestingly, the talks suggested by sources are not for future draft capital. The Jazz, sources say, called the Nets to inquire about Mikal Bridges, though they found the same impossibly high bar to clear in return.
Utah seems to be pursuing upgrades to the roster and not rebuilding moves.
Olynyk, in particular, is highly sought after in the market. He's a backup center in a market in which everyone wants size help for the playoffs who can also shoot, pass and defend. Miami has shown interest in Olynyk in the past, though with their recent seven-game slide, one source said, "No one knows what the hell Miami is going to do in the next week, as much as we know what any team will do."
