Siegel's Scoop: West contenders buying from East sellers in NBA trade market

12/27/2024 01:41 PM

There are less than six weeks until the NBA trade deadline. While everyone was busy opening up gifts and celebrating the holidays with their families, front offices around the league continued to try and put the puzzle pieces together for how this year’s trade market will unfold. Of everything that is known so far, the one constant in conversations around the league is that trades around the NBA will be a lot more complex than in years past due to various teams dealing with hard-cap rules. The other important information is that there are plenty of sellers in the East and many buyers in the West pertaining to the NBA trade market.

Almost every team in the league has played 30 games this season. At this point, it has become abundantly clear which teams won’t be contending. More specifically in the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Toronto Raptors, and Washington Wizards will be open for business and very willing to hear offers that come their way. With this said, that doesn’t necessarily mean they will be ultimate sellers and give away their talent to the highest bidder.

What is meant by this is that the Pistons aren’t going to trade Cade Cunningham, the Hornets aren’t giving up LaMelo Ball, and the Raptors aren’t splitting up their young core of Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley. Each of these six teams in the East is being viewed as likely sellers, yet it is not out of the realm of possibilities to think that they could also pull off an upgrade or two in the process.

Take the Pistons for example, who are 14-17 this season after recently defeating the Sacramento Kings on Thursday. Cunningham is going to be an All-Star this season, and JB Bickerstaff has helped improve this young core in Detroit. As much as they could look to unload contracts for draft assets and future value, the Pistons are also in a position to truly push for a playoff or play-in tournament spot in the East. The same can be said with the Bulls, who haven’t been terrible at 13-18 overall.

The Nets will be the ultimate sellers and are open to hearing any offers that come their way between now and the Feb. 6 trade deadline. This has led to teams expressing interest in Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Day’Ron Sharpe. Teams have also inquired about Cam Thomas and Nic Claxton’s availability, league sources told ClutchPoints. However, the expectation among league circles is that Sean Marks and Brooklyn’s front office have a very high price tag on both players.

It is no secret to anyone that Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk are being shopped by the Raptors. At the same time, it’s also no secret that the Wizards are open to hearing all offers for Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Poole, Jonas Valanciunas, and Malcolm Brogdon. Washington has generated a lot of trade rumors in recent weeks about Kuzma and Valanciunas, two players expected to be moved before the trade deadline.

Although the East is weak as a whole, there are still talented teams sitting at the top of the league standings. The Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, and New York Knicks have been three of the best teams this year. Cleveland, who has always been in the market for two-way wings, isn’t expected to be aggressive on the trade market. The same can be said about Boston. New York, on the other hand, wouldn’t be opposed to flipping Mitchell Robinson in a package for an impactful sixth-man-like player. Jericho Sims has also seen interest in trade conversations around the league.

One other East contender nobody seems to want to talk about is the Orlando Magic, a young, gritty team finding ways to win without Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Speaking of Banchero, he has been ramping up his activities after suffering a torn oblique on Oct. 30 and continues to progress with no setbacks. The team will provide further updates on his status and when he could return to play in the coming week.

As far as trades go for the Magic, there is still no clarity as to whether Cole Anthony will be leveraged. If Orlando wanted to make a big splash, say for a player like Johnson from Brooklyn, they certainly have the means to do so with Anthony and Gary Harris, who owns a $7.5 million team option for the 2025-26 season. No matter what happens in Orlando, head coach Jamahl Mosley should 100 percent be the favorite for Coach of the Year given what this young, inexperienced group has accomplished amid injuries to their top talents.

A quick note about another sneaky team in the East — the Atlanta Hawks are exploring the market for a low-cost backup option in their backcourt behind Trae Young and Dyson Daniels, sources said. With the Hawks interested in adding backcourt depth during the back half of the season, Bulls guard Jevon Carter has popped up in multiple conversations pertaining to Atlanta.

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Western Conference buyers emerging

Enough about the East, as the real questions pertaining to the NBA trade deadline and rumors across the league revolve around the wealth of buyers in the Western Conference.

The Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, and Sacramento Kings have experienced underwhelming seasons to this point. Whereas the Warriors and Suns started hot and have stalled out as of late, the Lakers appear to be rising from a rough patch they faced. The Kings can’t relate to this, as five straight losses have them at 13-18 overall and outside of the playoff picture.

As is the case every year in trade rumors, the Lakers have been linked to many of the big names expected to be available before the trade deadline. Valanciunas has been the prominent player mentioned as one of Los Angeles’ top trade targets, as has Johnson for an immediate wing upgrade. While it appears as if Rob Pelinka will be aggressive to get LeBron James and Anthony Davis more help, the Lakers are not in the market to take on significant contracts, league sources said. It is unlikely LA will pursue a third All-Star talent, especially with the organization not wanting to part ways with Austin Reaves.

In Phoenix, there has been plenty of talk about the Suns giving strong thought to the idea of flipping Bradley Beal for Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler. This is not something that is imminent, nor is it a realistic situation at this point. Beal is happy where he is, and he owns a full no-trade clause, which means he dictates everything about a potential trade. While it’s true that Butler and the Suns have mutual interest, the Heat hold zero interest in Beal’s contract, sources said. If a deal is to be had, it won’t come until closer to the trade deadline.

Instead, the Suns have been searching the market for possible upgrades with starting center Jusuf Nurkic and his $18.1 million contract this season. Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic was the first to report on Nurkic’s availability. Phoenix is currently a second-apron team, which makes any trade they try to make super complicated. Not to mention, Mat Ishbia’s aggressiveness in forming this team has resulted in the Suns owning virtually no draft assets.

Bulls starting center Nikola Vucevic is a player that Phoenix holds interest in, according to NBA insider Marc Stein, yet this isn’t a plausible scenario either because Vucevic is making $20 million this season. The Suns are unable to aggregate another player’s salary with Nurkic’s in order to add a player like Vucevic in a trade due to second-apron restraints. This is exactly why financial regulations play a major role in the NBA trade deadline.

Should the Suns fully push for a trade involving Nurkic in order to find a new starting center, the three cost-effective players that would make the most sense are Robert Williams III, Nick Richards, and Valanciunas. Perhaps a veteran center like Kevon Looney could be of interest to Phoenix if he is moved in a multi-team deal, which leads us to the team that could unlock a lot of answers for everyone on the trade market based on what they do.

Out of all the teams in the West, the Warriors find themselves in the most intriguing spot. Golden State began the season 12-3 and looked like a true title-contending threat once more. A loss to the Lakers on Christmas by way of a Reaves game-winner now has the Warriors staring at a 15-14 record. It has become abundantly clear that change needs to happen for the Warriors to find success, which is why the team is more willing than ever before to discuss their young core of Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and Brandin Podziemski in trade discussions, sources said.

With this said, Golden State is going to be very selective with the moves they make and creative with the structure in order to maintain financial flexibility. It would come as a surprise to many if they restricted themselves by adding a player like Butler or Zach LaVine, for example. If Golden State trades for players with multiple years left on their contracts, they will do so with the intent of possibly flipping these talents again in a bigger deal that could form over the summer for a superstar.

A sense of urgency exists for the Warriors, yet head coach Steve Kerr still believes in the team he has. Kuminga is the big question mark at the moment given his constant role change and fit next to both Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green on the wing. Potentially dealing Kuminga would open the door to the Warriors maximizing their trade deadline value.

Elsewhere in the West, the Denver Nuggets and Michael Porter Jr. are dealing with a weird situation. Even though the rumors regarding Porter being included in trade dialogue centered around LaVine and the Bulls are true, the Nuggets haven’t given rival teams any indications that they’re actively searching the market to move him, sources said. Denver discussed a scenario involving the sharpshooter with the Bulls that would’ve sent LaVine to the Nuggets, but these talks never reached a point where there was serious trade momentum gaining in the sense that Porter was on the verge of being dealt.

The Nuggets have since defended Porter, and the front office has done so behind the scenes. What Denver decides to do is certainly one of the big questions around the league because leveraging the 6’10” forward opens the door to possibly pursuing the biggest name in trade rumors — Jimmy Butler.

Pat Riley shuts down Jimmy Butler trade 

The Heat have been making headlines for all the wrong reasons this season. As if losing to the Magic after leading by 22 points entering the fourth quarter wasn’t bad enough, there has been plenty of noise surrounding Butler and his future with the organization. Crazy enough, teams who led by at least 22 points in NBA games were 796-0 all-time before the Heat got outscored 37-8 in the final quarter and lost to a Magic team without Banchero, both Wagner brothers, and Jalen Suggs.

Butler has not played for Miami since Dec. 20 due to an illness he’s been dealing with. The All-Star forward is expected to rejoin the team on the road for Saturday’s contest against the Atlanta Hawks.

This whole drama surrounding Butler and the Heat stems from the offseason when the 35-year-old was looking for Pat Riley and the front office to reward him with an extension. After all, Butler has been the face of the franchise through the years, leading them to the NBA Finals in 2020 and 2023. Between Riley’s stern comments about Butler talking about the team losing in the postseason when he wasn’t playing and no extension being offered, the writing was on the wall entering the 2024-25 season for this organization.

At this point, it is hard to say what will happen with Butler. He has a list of teams he would like to play for, which includes the Warriors and Suns, but there have been mixed reviews as to whether the Heat would seriously entertain the thought of trading Butler. There has been the battle of ESPN’s Shams Charania vs. Butler’s agent on social media regarding what is right and wrong in this situation, which prompted Riley to make his thoughts on the Butler situation very clear in a statement on Thursday.

“We usually don’t comment on rumors, but all this speculation has become a distraction to the team and is not fair to the players and coaches,” Riley said. “Therefore, we will make it clear – We are not trading Jimmy Butler.”

When Riley spoke in the past and publicly commented on matters like this, which hasn’t happened a whole lot, he’s stayed true to his word. Without Butler, the Heat are not a threat in the East, so it would make sense for them to ride things out this season and then figure out a long-term approach in the offseason. This is especially true since the Nets are the only team in the league primed to have a plethora of cap space, which still puts the ball in the Heat’s court regarding Butler’s future since they can always do a sign-and-trade.

The Heat are not actively discussing trades involving Butler as of right now. The noise surrounding the Warriors and Suns is simply that, and there isn’t anything to suggest that Riley was lying about his comments from Thursday. That doesn’t mean Golden State or Phoenix wouldn’t be interested in Butler, as mutual interest exists between the star and these two Western Conference organizations, sources said.

The Heat have six weeks to figure out what to do with Butler since they are locked in with the talent they have.

Kings’ struggles lead to trade rumors

No contending team is struggling more right now than the Kings. Throughout the first two months of the 2024-25 season, Sacramento has failed to string together more than three straight wins, and consistency has been a major problem for this group. Interestingly enough, the Kings are the only team in the league that owns a positive point differential with a losing record.

After winning four of their first six games to begin December and looking like they were trending in the right direction, the Kings have lost five straight. Their most recent loss at home to the Pistons on Thursday came by way of a Jaden Ivey four-point play with three seconds left, a play that must’ve felt like a knife in the back for everyone in Sacramento given that this win was stolen from them.

The Kings are at a crossroads. A team with De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and DeMar DeRozan shouldn’t be 13-18 overall, and this group held high contending aspirations at the start of the year. So, what is going to happen in Sacramento?

First things first, it would come as a major surprise to many around the league if head coach Mike Brown is fired. Between the front office and players, Brown has earned the trust of everyone within the organization through the years. The Kings don’t have a coaching problem, but they do have a personnel problem relating to their talent not living up to who they are. This roster is set in stone, which is why the Kings are going to have to ride things out with what they have because, on paper, this team is good enough to be very much in the playoff picture.

If the Kings do make a move at the trade deadline, it’s almost a foregone conclusion that they will look to leverage Kevin Huerter and a first-round pick to add depth. Although, the Kings have refrained from making all their draft assets available. Along with Kuzma, Finney-Smith is another name emerging as a trade target for Sacramento, sources said. Johnson has also been mentioned in league circles as a player high on the Kings’ trade list, but it’s more feasible for the Kings to get a deal done for Finney-Smith. Bruce Brown is another name to keep tabs on if Sacramento falls out of the race for either Nets player.

The bottom line is that the Kings aren’t looking to pull off a huge move at the deadline, but instead add a player who can help fill gaps that exist defensively. It would also make sense for said player to be a secondary scoring option, and Johnson fits this description perfectly, especially if he was to be Huerter’s replacement.

DeRozan is not going to be traded, nor is Sabonis. Recent rumors about Rich Paul, Fox’s agent, meeting with the Kings’ brass has led to speculation about the All-Star guard’s future. Fox declined an extension from the Kings in the offseason, which fuels rumors about his eventual departure even more.

Despite the fact that he has one more year left on his contract and the Kings’ struggles are mounting, this organization holds zero interest in trading Fox before the trade deadline this season, multiple league sources told ClutchPoints. Fox is the face of the Kings’ franchise, and they intend to give him the supermax extension he wants. While this will be a hot topic in league circles over the next several months and heading into the offseason, Sacramento and Fox are not looking to part ways at this moment.

If things change and Fox eventually asks for a trade after this season, he will have numerous suitors. Right now, it is pointless to speculate about who could target Fox in a trade or free agency simply due to the fact that he is committed to the Kings this season and the organization holds no interest in seeing him leave.

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How Nets will shape NBA trade deadline

The Nets are entering the NBA trade season as ultimate sellers. Dennis Schroder was already traded to the Warriors before the holidays, and the Nets are expected to be included in a few more trades entering 2025.

Johnson and Finney-Smith are the two prominent names on the trade block, with several playoff-contending teams targeting both players.

Whether or not Brooklyn truly parts ways with Johnson is a key topic that isn’t getting enough attention. While he is one of the better players who can be traded this season, the Nets are in no rush to make a change with Johnson. He is a player the organization trusts, and the 28-year-old is easily one of the better secondary players in the league when next to an established star. The Nets are going to be in the market for star-level talent next offseason, which makes Johnson’s value even higher than imagined.

Between the organization’s love for him and the desire of multiple teams pursuing him on the trade block, Marks and the Nets’ front office have already created a bidding war leading up to the deadline without doing anything. Any trade proposal for Johnson is going to need to start with at least two valuable first-round picks, and the structure of any deal will need to include a lot more value than just expiring contracts.

The Magic, Lakers, Warriors, Kings, and Memphis Grizzlies have all made calls this season to inquire about Johnson, sources said. The San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat, and Indiana Pacers are other teams mentioned in conversations around the league as potential suitors for Johnson. To keep things short, over half the league is interested in trading for the Nets forward, which is why the Nets can help control how this trade deadline plays out.

Speaking of the Grizzlies, they are not looking to make that much of a drastic change despite inquiring about Johnson, sources said. Memphis continues to shoot down teams that have called to check in on Marcus Smart’s availability, which leads to speculation about whether the former Defensive Player of the Year is the potential trade chip the Grizzlies are holding onto because they feel like they have an in with Brooklyn. Parting ways with Smart to land Johnson would be a massive upgrade for Memphis without a significant change happening to their core.

Jake LaRavia is a player in the final year of his rookie contract that the Grizzlies would be interested in packaging with another lower-contract player to try and add a low-cost secondary upgrade. Santi Aldama is not a player Memphis has shown interest in trading at this moment.

Along with Memphis, Oklahoma City could put together a very competitive package for Johnson. Aside from their vault of first-round picks that Sam Presti can use at his disposal whenever he wants, the Thunder have younger talents in Ousmane Dieng, Nikola Topic, and Dillon Jones. If the Thunder were to pursue Johnson, it would likely result in them needing to part ways with either Isaiah Joe or Aaron Wiggins, two secondary players the organization values highly.

Johnson was a player the Warriors inquired about before heavily pursuing a Schroder-De’Anthony Melton swap, sources said. Golden State could once again continue dialogue with the Nets about not only Johnson but Finney-Smith and Sharpe as well. It is possible for the Warriors to get creative in a trade either on Feb. 5 or 6 and combine Schroder’s salary with others in a multi-team deal to land Johnson or Finney-Smith.

A deal between the Lakers and Nets for Johnson would work perfectly with the salaries of D’Angelo Russell and Jalen Hood-Schifino, two players who are set to become free agents and would open immediate cap relief in Brooklyn. If the Lakers are willing to package two first-round picks and a second-round pick with these two expiring contracts, they can get a trade involving Johnson completed right now. This scenario would still leave the door open for Los Angeles to pursue Valanciunas from Washington.

As for Finney-Smith and his market, plenty of teams could utilize his two-way prowess at a significantly lower price than Johnson. Not to mention, the veteran wing is making $14.8 million this season compared to Johnson making $22.5 million and owning bonuses in his contract.

It is expected that Finney-Smith is going to find his way to a Western Conference contender, which immediately opens the door for other teams to try and match this move on the trade market by pursuing other secondary wings.

One quick side note on the Nets and their plans moving forward this season involve former All-Star Ben Simmons. Brooklyn would be fine with trading Simmons at the deadline this season if they didn’t have to take back salaries, but there have been zero discussions about a potential buyout, league sources told ClutchPoints. Neither Simmons nor the team wants a buyout, as the 28-year-old will enter unrestricted free agency in the summer.

NBA rating hit all-time highs on Christmas

So much talk about the NBA this year has been centered on ratings hitting new lows and people simply not watching regular-season games on television throughout the week. This isn’t just an issue the NBA is dealing with, as various professional sports leagues outside of the NFL have been fighting their own ratings battles.

Over the course of an 82-game NBA season, unlike the 18-week NFL season, interest comes and goes. Fans will be much more engaged when LeBron James and the Lakers are playing Stephen Curry and the Warriors compared to a game between the Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers.

This is no knock to those teams, but the interest isn’t there. The NBA has always been a star-driven league, and the audience players like James and Curry create extends well past the inner circle of NBA fans. Those two are global markets in their own right, just like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama.

There is no doubt that ratings have been an issue, but they weren’t on Christmas Day despite having to compete with the NFL. The NBA delivered its most-watched Christmas Day in five years on Wednesday with its five-game slate headlined by LeBron vs. Steph in the primetime slot. None of these games were duds, and viewership was up 84 percent compared to last year across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Disney+, and ESPN+, per league release.

The Lakers-Warriors matchup was the most-watched NBA regular season and Christmas Day game in five years, peaking with 8.32 million viewers.

If we’ve learned anything from the success of the Christmas Day games, it’s that LeBron and Steph are still the faces of the league. Until they retire, Adam Silver and the league are going to continue to utilize them to increase ratings and viewership.

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