NBA Rumors: Last-Minute Trade Reports Before 2023 Deadline
The Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets should come into focus in the final hours before the NBA trade deadline.
The pair of Eastern Conference franchises have a handful of players who should intrigue the championship contenders across the NBA, especially in the Western Conference, where a run to a title just got more difficult.
Brooklyn amassed more players on its roster early Thursday morning when Kevin Durant was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Jae Crowder and four first-round picks.
The Nets now have Bridges, Johnson, Crowder, Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, Royce O'Neale, Seth Curry and Joe Harris as scorers from the guard and forward positions. Not all of them will remain on a roster that is suddenly headlined by Cameron Thomas and his three-game 40-point streak.
Toronto traded for San Antonio Spurs center Jakob Poeltl in a deal that flew well under the radar as the Durant news broke. O.G. Anunoby is the primary trade target on Toronto's roster. Western Conference contenders could use him to bolster their depth.
Teams like the Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers could be more involved in the trade market than they expected to be 24 hours ago because they have to react to the Durant deal. That may turn into trades for the players currently on the Raptors and Nets before the 3 p.m. ET trade deadline hits.
O.G. Anunoby Receiving Interest from Multiple Teams
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According to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto, the Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers have expressed some sort of interest in O.G. Anunoby.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported early on Thursday morning that talks were "rolling into the final hours of the trade deadline" regarding a potential deal for Anunoby.
The rest of the Western Conference needs to respond in some fashion to Phoenix's acquisition of Kevin Durant and Dallas' trade for Kyrie Irving.
Memphis sits in second place in the West entering Thursday. The Grizzlies are just four games ahead of the Mavericks and Suns, who are tied at 30-26.
New Orleans is looking to gain an edge on the Los Angeles Clippers for the No. 6 seed. The Pelicans are one game adrift of that spot. They also have to worry about the Los Angeles Lakers' added depth gained from the D'Angelo Russell trade.
Portland dealt Josh Hart to the New York Knicks on Wednesday night, but it could still add a player to chase a playoff spot. The Blazers sit in the last play-in round spot. The Lakers are two games back of that spot.
Anunoby averaged over 15 points per game in each of his last three seasons. He could provide a Western Conference team with an extra scoring threat and wing defense to compete with Phoenix, Dallas and the first-place Denver Nuggets, who are 4.5 games clear of Memphis.
The 25-year-old has one year left on his contract after this season, per Spotrac. The lack of a big contract would help any title contender add him without blowing up their roster to be within the NBA salary-cap restrictions.
For Toronto, a deal for Anunoby now makes sense because it can get a return at the player's highest value.
Although the Raptors just traded for Jakob Poeltl, they should be active in selling Anunoby to pick up assets and to allow Scottie Barnes to take on more responsibilities on both sides of the ball.
Toronto sits 10th in the Eastern Conference, and even with Brooklyn's roster being weaker, the Raptors do not seem like a strong contender to the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers, so they can justify trading one of their starters to look ahead to future seasons.
Brooklyn Expected to be Active Before Deadline
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The Brooklyn Nets have an abundance of players on their roster who do a lot of similar things after the Durant and Irving deals.
The bloated roster should make the Nets one of the biggest sellers in the hours before the trade deadline.
Wojnarowski reported that the Nets "are expected to explore" deals for Jae Crowder, who did not play for the Suns this season before he was involved in the Durant deal.
Crowder's wealth of playoff experience could be valuable to any of the teams across the league looking to bolster their depth in the coming hours.
Mikal Bridges could be the most in-demand player on the current Nets roster. John Gambadoro of 98.7 Arizona Sports reported on Thursday that the Nets "could get up to three first-round picks" for Bridges.
Scotto reported that multiple teams called the Nets to inquire about Bridges' availability.
Brooklyn can't give playing time to every player on its roster, and it would be wise of the franchise to deal some of its new players in exchange for draft picks.
Bridges and Crowder were mentioned right after the Durant trade was reported, but the Nets may listen to offers for any players to maximize their return at the trade deadline.
Brooklyn already acquired four first-round picks from Phoenix, and it received a 2029 first-round pick from Dallas.
Boston Had Trade Package for Jakob Poeltl Denied
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According to MassLive's Brian Robb, the Boston Celtics attempted to make a deal for Jakob Poeltl before Toronto acquired him from San Antonio.
Robb reported that Payton Pritchard, Danilo Gallinari and multiple second-round selections were part of the package Boston proposed to San Antonio.
Toronto landed Poeltl by sending a protected first-round pick in the 2024 NBA draft, two second-round selections and Khem Birch to San Antonio.
Boston needs help in the frontcourt to back up Robert Williams and Al Horford. Extra rim presences are needed to help the Celtics deal with whatever team they would meet in a potential NBA Finals.
Blake Griffin and Luke Kornet are among the backup options the Celtics possess. The two forwards played well in place of Williams and Horford in Thursday's win over the Sixers, but they likely would not help sustain success over a few playoff series.
Boston has some young players, like Pritchard and Grant Williams, who could entice teams to make trades before the 3 p.m. ET deadline.
However, Boston may not land its primary option since Poeltl is with Toronto and Jarred Vanderbilt was packaged by the Utah Jazz in the D'Angelo Russell deal.
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