BS Meter on Latest Lakers Trade Target, Warriors Rumors, More
NBA trade season is quickly warming up, as there's been plenty of hot news and rumors to get us through January.
From a potential earth-shattering shakeup with the Golden State Warriors, one Atlanta Hawk being seriously shopped around, Pascal Siakam and the Toronto Raptors expected to part ways and more, it's gearing up to be an exciting deadline.
It's time to run the BS meter through the latest NBA news and rumors.
Nets Want Equivalent of Two First-Round Picks for Dorian Finney-Smith
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As the league searches for three-and-D wings, the Brooklyn Nets may have a few available for teams that are willing to pay the price.
Dorian Finney-Smith, acquired last season from the Dallas Mavericks in the Kyrie Irving trade, tops this list, as he's split time between starter and reserve on a 16-22 Nets team.
"He's a guy who could fit literally on every team, but on a championship contender or high-caliber playoff team, he'd be great," HoopsHype's Michael Scotto said. "They would want the equivalent of two first-round picks for him, I'm told."
This seems like a steep asking price for Finney-Smith, as good of a player as he is.
The 30-year-old forward is averaging 9.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and shooting 40.9 percent from three and has a favorable contract moving forward ($14.9 million in 2024-25, $15.4 million player option in 2025-26).
Despite these figures, Finney-Smith is currently posting the worst swing rating of his career (minus-3.2, 35th percentile via Cleaning the Glass) and has a negative estimated plus-minus rating on both ends of the floor this season according to DunksandThrees.com.
Brooklyn may be able to land a late first-round pick in 2024 or a future protected first-rounder from a team that needs a starting-caliber power forward, but getting the second (or the equivalent of) seems unlikely.
Finney-Smith would have to have a strong couple of weeks before the deadline for this to happen—if the playoff-hopeful Nets even decide to trade him at all.
BS Meter: BS that Brooklyn can get multiple first-round picks or the equivalent of them for Finney-Smith.
Zach LaVine 'Would Happily Go to the Airport' if Bulls Traded Him
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Zach LaVine has given the Chicago Bulls a boost lately, averaging 20.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and shooting 42.9 percent in his three games back in the starting lineup.
Chicago is 4-1 since LaVine returned from a 17-game absence because of a foot injury and is now back in the East play-in tournament picture.
Does this mean the Bulls should actually want to keep the two-time All-Star now?
"If they could trade Zach LaVine in the next five minutes they would trade him, and Zach would happily go to the airport," ESPN's Brian Windhorst said on NBA Today. "I don't think anything has changed there; I think they absolutely want to trade him."
Recent success shouldn't change anything for Chicago.
The Bulls' core four of LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Coby White and Nikola Vučević carries an abysmal net rating of minus-12.1 in 892 possessions together. With LaVine off and the other three on the court, Chicago's net rating shoots all the way up to plus-7.6.
LaVine is still a tremendously talented scorer and solid playmaker, but it's clear he's no longer a fit with this roster.
If any sort of a reasonable trade offer presents itself, the two sides should part ways.
BS Meter: No BS here. LaVine and the Bulls are better off without each other.
Hawks, Lakers Have 'Exchanged Ideas' on Dejounte Murray Trade
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At 15-23 overall, the Atlanta Hawks probably need to make a move to save their season.
While trading Dejounte Murray less than two years after giving up three first-round picks for him is less than ideal, Atlanta should find plenty of potential buyers to help reshape their roster around Trae Young.
"Dejounte Murray is the player that they're engaged around the league with," ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said. "They have talked to the Lakers. They've exchanged some ideas on a potential trade."
The Los Angeles Lakers certainly make sense as a trade partner.
Sitting at just 19-21 overall this season and with an offense that ranks 23rd overall, adding a former All-Star at the point guard position who's also an elite defender could make a huge difference.
Murray is also just 27 and will begin a team-friendly four-year, $114 million extension next season. Like LeBron James and Anthony Davis, he just happens to be a Klutch client as well.
Could L.A. really offer the best package to acquire Murray, however?
Sending D'Angelo Russell back to the Hawks makes for a bad fit alongside Young. The Lakers are down to one tradable first-round pick (either 2029 or 2030) and don't have any surefire future young stars on their roster, either.
While the two sides should talk, Atlanta can find a better offer unless a third team gets involved.
BS Meter: A little BS. Ideas may have been exchanged, but it will be difficult for the Lakers to build a good enough trade package for Murray.
Warriors Making Everyone but Stephen Curry Available?
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How bad has the Warriors' season been? Golden State currently sits in 12th place in the West, besting only the lowly San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers and Memphis Grizzlies thus far.
We know Stephen Curry isn't going anywhere, but is the two-time MVP really the only untouchable player on the roster?
"The mindset in Golden State right now is everyone but Steph Curry is on the table," said Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. "That's their mindset. Realistically, there's an asterisk. Klay Thompson, would they want to keep him long-term and keep him in Golden State? I think that's been their hope. They have not been able to reach a contract extension with him. And Draymond Green just got [re-signed to] an extension. Those have been their three core guys."
The Warriors and new general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. wouldn't really trade Thompson and Green, would he? Even with Thompson in the final year of his contract and Green missing over half Golden State's games due to suspensions, shipping either or both off now not even two years removed from a championship seems like an overreaction.
Save for a weird, injury-riddled 2019-20 season, this is the worst Warriors team we've seen since 2011-12, Thompson's rookie year. Major changes need to be made, but this is still a team that can build around a nucleus of Curry, Thompson and Green.
Golden State is far more likely to trade players like Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and others before it parts with one of its legends. Doing so in his first year running the team certainly wouldn't do much for Dunleavy's popularity, either.
The Warriors will do something at the deadline, but don't expect Thompson or Green to go anywhere.
BS Meter: This is BS. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are staying in the Bay.
Pascal Siakam 'Will Be Traded' by Deadline
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While we suspected that the Toronto Raptors could explore a Pascal Siakam trade after already moving OG Anunoby, it appears more certain than ever that both sides are headed towards a split.
"They, Pascal and the Raptors, are on the verge of parting ways. This is serious. He will, from what I'm being told, it sounds like without a doubt he will be traded by the February 8th trade deadline," Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes explained.
Haynes mentioned the Anunoby trade, the hiring of a rookie head coach in Darko Rajaković and his recent praise of Scottie Barnes as signs that the Raptors are heading in a new direction. The potential for Siakam to leave in free agency this summer has had an effect on trade talks as well.
At 15-24 overall, the worst thing the Raptors can do is keep the band together and hover around the play-in tournament every year. Siakam should still fetch multiple first-round picks in a trade or help bring in another young centerpiece to add to a core of Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and others.
Siakam has been a staple of Toronto's success for the past eight years, especially as he averaged 19.8 points during the 2019 NBA Finals to help the Raptors capture their first title.
However, It appears time for Siakam to find a new home, whether that be with the Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers, Golden State Warriors or another destination that could use some frontcourt help.
BS Meter: No BS here. While there's been rumblings, Siakam now certainly seems destined to be traded.
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