NBA Rumors: Hottest Gossip Ahead of 2023 Trade Deadline
Trade-deadline week has arrived in the NBA, and the action got off to a hot start over the weekend. The Brooklyn Nets agreed to send point guard Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks in a deal that was made official Monday.
The Mavs acquired Irving and Markieff Morris in exchange for Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, an unprotected 2029 first-round pick, and 2027 and 2029 second-round picks.
While the Irving trade was undoubtedly huge, it's likely to be the first of many dominoes to fall before Thursday's 3 p.m. ET deadline. Who could be next? Which teams are buying and which are selling? What's the latest buzz? Let's take a look.
Jazz Open to Selling, in Talks with Multiple Teams
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The Utah Jazz sit at 27-28 and on the fringes of play-in contention. However, Utah is still listening to offers in an effort to facilitate its ongoing rebuild.
"We're trying to do things that will help us long-term. We're not looking for a short-term fix so that we can get to the seventh seed instead of the 10th seed, unless it helps us long-term," Jazz CEO Danny Ainge said, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon.
According to MacMahon, Utah is open for business regarding players like Mike Conley and Malik Beasley, and it has had discussions with more than one team:
"Sources said the Jazz have had discussions about a deal in which a combination of rotation players including Conley and Beasley would go to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for 2027 and 2029 first-round picks and Russell Westbrook, who would likely receive a buyout instead of joining the Jazz. Another rumor making the rounds: The Jazz discussing a deal that would send Beasley and Vanderbilt to the New York Knicks ...for guard Evan Fournier (whose contract New York wants to shed), promising young forward Obi Toppin and draft compensation."
These potential moves fit Ainge's plan to obtain young players and/or draft capital. Beasley is still on the younger side at 26, but Conley is 35 and likely not part of Utah's long-term future.
Along these lines, some players are off-limits. According to MacMahon, 25-year-old forward Lauri Markkanen and rookies Walker Kessler and Ochai Agbaji are viewed as "significant parts of Utah's future" and won't reach the trade block.
Other teams seeking a package of veteran role players, though, would be wise to reach out to Utah.
Lakers Will Still Have to Pay to Unload Westbrook
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If the Lakers are able to flip Westbrook and a couple of picks for a package that includes Conley and Beasley, it could improve their roster dramatically. However, Westbrook has become a valuable role player off the bench under rookie head coach Darvin Ham.
Even so, teams aren't willing to take on the remainder of Westbrook's 2022-23 contract without receiving other compensation, which is why a package deal is likely Los Angeles' best option.
"A rival front office executive told SCNG [Southern California New Group] that Westbrook, who is averaging 15.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists this season, still likely requires significant draft compensation to be moved, likely at least one unprotected first-round pick and maybe more," Kyle Goon of the Los Angeles Daily News wrote.
This meshes with the reported trade offer Los Angeles made for Irving before he was dealt to Dallas.
"The Lakers offered the Nets a package of Westbrook and two first-round picks in 2027 and 2029 for Irving in the last two days, sources with knowledge of the discussions said," Shams Charania wrote for The Athletic.
Trading Westbrook straight-up for a difference-making player just isn't going to happen for the Lakers. While Ham has helped him become an asset as a sixth man in L.A., he is expendable enough that teams won't want Westbrook alone.
The real question is whether the Lakers can find a package they like enough to flip the switch on a trade by Thursday.
Few Expect Kevin Durant to Be Dealt This Week
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With Irving out of Brooklyn, it's fair to wonder if the Nets are in fire-sale mode and willing to part with star forward Kevin Durant. The 34-year-old would undoubtedly bring an impressive package in return, even with his recent MCL sprain playing a factor.
According to ESPN's Zach Lowe, however, few inside the league believe that Durant will be made available this week.
"I've been saying since the James Harden trade, that it just feels like the inevitable end of this is that (Durant) asks for a trade a second time, having already done it for the first time," Lowe said on The Lowe Post podcast (h/t RealGM). "I just don't know how likely that is, or when it would happen. Around the league, I think there would be some surprise—even within the Nets—if it happened in the next four days."
The reality is that the Nets hold a 32-21 record and aren't looking to tear it down while in contention. If Durant can return to 100 percent, Brooklyn still has a legitimate chance to emerge from the East with title hopes.
Irving wanted out, so Brooklyn made it happen. As The Athletic's Jay King noted, the Irving trade wasn't about closing shop and preparing for 2023.
"The package the Nets chose in an Irving trade suggests they wanted to land pieces to help them win immediately," King wrote.
A belief that they can still win this season is why the Nets went with Dallas' offer instead of Los Angeles'. According to Charania, Brooklyn also wanted young talents like Austin Reaves and Max Christie in any deal with L.A. General manager Rob Pelinka and the Lakers balked at that idea.
And if the Nets do believe they can make a run, there's no reason to make Durant available before the offseason, at the earliest.
Bulls Not Looking to Sell at the Deadline
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The Nets seem to have a much better shot at making a deep postseason run than the Chicago Bulls. Chicago sits at 26-27 and may be fortunate to earn a spot in the play-in tournament.
This is why teams have been monitoring the Bulls and their star forward, Zach LaVine.
"The Lakers, Heat, Knicks and Mavericks have consistently been mentioned by league personnel as holding motivations to land LaVine if the time does arrive. Portland also showed interest in signing LaVine last offseason, league sources told Yahoo Sports," Jake Fischer wrote Thursday.
LaVine, who is averaging 23.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists, would indeed be a valuable trade chip. However, Chicago reportedly has no interest in shopping him or other key players before Thursday.
"They find themselves at a crossroads but do not intend to trade core players this week, team and league sources told ESPN," Jamal Collier wrote.
Things haven't clicked for Chicago yet, but there's still plenty of time before the postseason for the Bulls to gain traction. The team's belief that it may happen is probably part of the reason it's not eager to be a deadline-seller.
Another reason might be the slim hope that Lonzo Ball returns from his series of knee surgeries in time for the playoffs—though head coach Billy Donovan has said that Ball is "nowhere near playing," per Collier.
Whether the Bulls are being realistic is another matter, but if they believe they have the right core in place, that stance is unlikely to change in the coming days.
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