The NBA trade deadline is less than a month away (Feb. 5), and with that the rumor mill is at full boil. Here is the latest on some of the biggest names.
Anthony Davis
The Dallas Mavericks do not feel they have to trade Anthony Davis before the deadline, but Davis’ camp doesn’t believe an extension with the Mavs is on the horizon, so they are looking for a new home.
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That’s the latest after Davis and the Mavericks held on for a win in Sacramento Tuesday night, via Christian Clark and Sam Amick of The Athletic.
The Mavericks are expected to continue to listen to offers on Davis in the coming weeks, but according to team sources, their front office doesn’t feel like it must deal Davis before the deadline…
However, league sources say Davis’ representatives do not believe there’s an extension agreement to be had with the Mavericks in the upcoming offseason. As such, the sources say, there is a strong desire from Davis’ camp to get him traded to a destination where they feel an extension would be more likely.
Where might that be? Three teams are mentioned most often, but there are issues with working out a trade with each.
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The Warriors are the sexy name, but with Golden State saying it would not send out Jimmy Butler or Draymond Green in any deal, constructing a trade is basically impossible. Atlanta is the name most mentioned, but the Hawks are focused on trading Trae Young and the Mavericks have no interest in a Davis-for-Young swap. Plus, from the Hawks’ perspective, part of the reason to bring in Davis was to pair with Young in pick-and-rolls, and that’s now off the table. Toronto is interested, and with center Jakob Poeltl battling back issues, the Raptors could use a high-level big. Toronto would have to send back longer contracts to make this work, and Dallas is only interested if it gets a lot of draft picks in return.
Davis staying with the Mavericks past the deadline is on the table, even if that is not everyone’s first option.
Trae Young
As we have written about recently, the Hawks and Young’s agents are working to find a new home for the All-Star point guard, with the Washington Wizards being the frontrunners (and not many great options beyond that).
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What Young wants is “to be the lead guard of a franchise elsewhere” and is “seeking a team that could give him an extension,” ESPN’s Shams Charania said yesterday on NBA Today. That is a very small pool of teams, maybe just a one-team pool (Washington). Jake Fischer added to that reporting at the Stein Line Substack.
“I am told that Trae Young’s camp has suggested Minnesota and Brooklyn, from their side, as two attractive potential destinations. Yet I’m also told that neither the Timberwolves nor the Nets are in pursuit.”
Fischer also reports that Young’s agents tried to float a Zach LaVine-for-Young trade last summer that would have sent Young to Sacramento, but the Kings shot it down. That sums up the reality about a Young trade, what league sources have been telling NBC Sports (and we have been reporting) all along — there isn’t much of a market for Young at his current salary around the NBA.
Kuminga likely sits until trade
The Warriors will not be showcasing Jonathan Kuminga in the run-up to the NBA trade deadline — he is not likely to play for the team again, and this is a mutual understanding, reports Brett Siegel of Clutch Points. Kuminga has already sat out the Warriors’ last nine games.
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Kuminga is not eligible to be traded until Jan. 15, and while that hasn’t stopped the Warriors from talking to teams, they have not made “substantial movement” toward a deal, reports Anthony Slater of ESPN. Slater adds to keep an eye on the Sacramento Kings, a team he has been linked to dating back to last summer, and the interest there remains strong. New Orleans also has had interest in the past, and there may be other teams. That said, don’t expect Golden State to take on long-term negative contracts just to move Kuminga.
Quick hits
• Despite their struggles this season, the Cavaliers are shooting down calls about trades for key players such as Jarrett Allen or Darius Garland, Michael Scotto reports at Hoopshype. The Cavaliers are over the second tax apron, so other teams are watching to see if ownership forces a move to lower payroll, but that doesn’t appear likely. Cleveland is still a team deep with talent, looking at the wide-open East and thinking it has a chance if it can just regain last season’s form.
• Minnesota is open to trading second-year point guard Rob Dillingham in the right deal, reports Marc Stein. The No. 8 pick from a year ago is not the playmaker the Timberwolves need, but there might be a team willing to take a longer-term flier on him.
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• The Clippers are not going to be sellers at the trade deadline. Not James Harden, and more importantly, not Ivica Zubac, who is the guy teams are calling about. The Clippers have won seven of eight and are righting the ship, it would take a godfather offer — starting with at least two first rounders — to get the team to even consider a trade, reports Scotto of Hoopshype.
• If you’re looking for a big man to get traded, keep an eye on Dallas’ Daniel Gafford, he may be the most likely center to be traded at the deadline (and may be more likely to be sent to a new team than Davis).
• Speaking of Dallas, they would love to find a trade and get off the contracts of Klay Thompson, Caleb Martin and D’Angelo Russell, but in a tax apron world, there are no serious suitors. At least not yet.
