Fresh Trade Ideas from Latest NBA Rumors: Upgrading Knicks, Mavs, Bucks and Others
The countdown to the NBA trade deadline continues, and pressure on teams around the league to get deals done by Feb. 8 is only intensifying.
Whether it's contenders looking for one last piece, rebuilders in search of distressed assets or those in-between squads looking for ways out of the dreaded middle, everyone's on the hunt for opportunities right now.
Here, we'll run through the latest rumors and reports in order to build trade packages that benefit all parties involved.
P.J. Washington to the Dallas Mavericks
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The Trade: Dallas Mavericks acquire P.J. Washington from the Charlotte Hornets for Josh Green and Richaun Holmes
Per Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer, the Charlotte Hornets are "fielding more calls on P.J. Washington than any other player," a report Marc Stein supplemented on his Substack with a note that one of the interested teams, the Dallas Mavericks, would need to include Josh Green to get something done.
Easy enough!
Green and Washington both signed new deals this past offseason, but Green's was an extension that saddled him with the oft-dreaded "poison pill" designation. It's not as bad as it sounds; Green's outgoing salary simply counts for less than it otherwise would. Including Holmes to make the money work is the natural fix.
Holmes hasn't been a regular rotation piece since 2021-22 but holds a $12.9 million player option for 2024-25. The Hornets could request additional draft compensation for the trouble of taking on that contract, but Green is the more valuable asset than Washington in vacuum, so maybe Dallas would only need to include a future second-rounder if push came to shove.
Green, 23, is two years younger than Washington and has shot it better from distance for his career, topping 40.0 percent this season and last. Washington, a power forward who can play small-ball center in a pinch, occupies a position of greater need for Dallas.
For Charlotte, Green profiles as a logical replacement for Terry Rozier, whom it dealt to the Miami Heat last month. A dangerous spot-up shooter who pierces defenses as a cutter and has the ability to pass the ball on the move, Green could be an ideal complement to hypothetical backcourt mate LaMelo Ball. That the 6'5" Green can toggle between either guard spot defensively, shielding Ball from tough matchups, only ups the appeal of his fit.
If Dallas can't land a marquee name like Jerami Grant, and if it doesn't want to surrender the only future first-round pick it's currently allowed to trade, Washington fits the bill as a versatile forward who can defend and stretch the defense.
Tyus Jones to the San Antonio Spurs
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The Trade: San Antonio Spurs acquire Tyus Jones from the Washington Wizards for Devonte' Graham, a 2025 second-round pick (via CHI) and a 2028 second-round pick (via MIN)
The San Antonio Spurs started the season using forward Jeremy Sochan as a point guard, a signal they weren't in love with any of their conventional in-house options at the position. Though Tre Jones is now occupying most of the minutes at the 1 and (surprise, surprise!) making a more positive impact on the offense than a converted power forward, his 28.4 percent three-point shooting and single-digit scoring average suggest he's not the long-term answer.
This week, HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reported the Spurs were among the teams interested in Washington Wizards guard and Tre's brother, Tyus Jones. The only sticking point: Washington wants a first-round pick for the 27-year-old guard, even with unrestricted free agency coming this summer.
Consider this a bet that teams around the league won't be in a hurry to surrender a major draft asset for a player they could sign outright in July. The Spurs have second-rounders to spare, a glaring need at the position and good reason to use the rest of 2023-24 as an observation period to test Jones' fit before re-signing him.
Odds are, they'll like the look of things with one of the league's most historically mistake-free floor leaders feeding Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell. Jones has produced five seasons with averages of at least 4.0 assists and fewer than 1.0 turnover. Nobody else in NBA history has more than two.
Notorious stickler for fundamental basketball Gregg Popovich might be into that, particularly with turnovers aplenty coming from the glut of young players elsewhere on the roster.
San Antonio could wait for Jones to hit free agency, but why not add him to the fold early and let him get a sense of how easy life can be with Wemby?
Washington could hold out for a first, but the fact that it hasn't received such an offer yet probably means none is forthcoming. Two seconds and the essentially expiring contract ($2.9 million guaranteed next year) of Devonte' Graham might be the best offer available.
Bruce Brown Jr. to the New York Knicks
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The Trade: New York Knicks acquire Bruce Brown Jr. from the Toronto Raptors for Evan Fournier and a 2024 first-round pick (via DAL)
The New York Knicks are surging up the East standings and have the assets to swing deals of any size, but one particular player seems to have caught their eye.
Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported the New York Knicks "appear more interested" in Toronto Raptors guard Bruce Brown Jr. than P.J. Washington, whom we just sent to Dallas in our first fake trade.
The Knicks already pulled off one major deal with the Raptors, bringing aboard OG Anunoby for RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, so those lines of communication seem to be open. If New York is willing to send out "some return in the range of a first-round pick," Toronto's believed asking price, per Fisher, Brown could be a Knick.
Toronto could have its choice of first-round offers for Brown, who featured prominently in the Denver Nuggets' 2023 title run and whose Swiss Army knife game allows him to fit anywhere. The Knicks can dig deeper into their store of picks if a bidding war erupts, but they should build their initial package around the top-10 protected first-rounder they have coming from the Dallas Mavericks in either 2024 or 2025.
If the Raptors ask for a pick with a higher potential value, the Knicks can run down the list of the other seven first-rounders they have available to trade.
Brown's $22 million salary with a $23 million team option for next year might be just a little pricey for some other suitors, but the two-way play and championship experience he'd bring to New York should make the Knicks more than willing to pony up (within reason).
Toronto can decline Fournier's team option for 2024-25, add another first-round pick to the three it got for Pascal Siakam and use some of the savings to offset the cost of a hefty new contract for Quickley this summer.
Killian Hayes to the Memphis Grizzlies
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The Trade: Memphis Grizzlies acquire Killian Hayes and a 2025 second-round pick (via WAS) from the Detroit Pistons for Ziaire Williams
Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press reported earlier this week that Detroit Pistons guard Killian Hayes and his representation want a change of scenery. On the heels of that news, HoopsHype's Michael Scotto listed the Memphis Grizzlies among the teams expressing interest in the former No. 7 overall pick.
Hayes has been a substantial disappointment in his three-plus years with the Pistons, but the lefty guard is still just 22 and has at least shown a projectable NBA skill as a facilitator. His 7.1 assists per 36 minutes would be of help to a Grizzlies team that'll play the rest of this season without Ja Morant before heading into 2024-25 with less than ideal options at backup point guard. Derrick Rose is under contract, but his durability is an issue. Marcus Smart can handle the ball, but he struggled with the dual duties of setting up the offense and defending a high-level matchup earlier this year.
Hayes is a buy-low flier whose high block and steal rates suggest he might also develop into a real plus on defense.
To get him, Memphis has to part with its own underwhelming prospect in Ziaire Williams. Shooting under 40.0 percent from the field and unable to carve out major minutes even on a Grizzlies squad decimated by injury, the rangy forward has the look of a valuable two-way wing but hasn't produced like one. Detroit should value Williams' potential and better theoretical fit as a complement to current ball-handlers Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and perhaps eventually Ausar Thompson.
For Memphis, there's an added bonus of financial flexibility. Hayes is headed for restricted free agency, which could allow the Grizzlies to keep him relatively cheaply or let him walk, trimming valuable millions from their tax bill. Williams has a team option for $6.1 million in 2024-25 that Memphis might like to shed.
The second-rounder going from Detroit to Memphis feels necessary as a sweetener. Williams plays a more valuable position and has the higher upside as a potential two-way combo forward.
Delon Wright to the Milwaukee Bucks
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The Trade: Milwaukee Bucks acquire Delon Wright from the Washington Wizards for Pat Connaughton and a 2024 second-round pick (via POR)
The Milwaukee Bucks need one more reliable rotation piece as they pursue a championship under new head coach Doc Rivers, but they're shorter on assets and flexibility than just about any other contender this side of the Denver Nuggets.
Yahoo's Jake Fischer reports Delon Wright is on the Bucks' radar, and if a 31-year-old with a career scoring average of 7.0 points per game seems underwhelming, understand that he might be the best Milwaukee can hope for.
Don't sell Wright short, though. He's had elite steal rates (we're talking frequent 99th percentile rankings at his position) throughout his career, never fouls, crashes the offensive glass and has the mobility-length combo necessary to check everything from point guards to small forwards. Put plainly, those on-the-margins skills just don't play in a losing environment like Washington. But they'd matter immensely for the Bucks.
Connaughton's $9.4 million salary is actually about $400,000 too large to make this a one-for-one exchange, but we can worry about Washington sending back a minimum salary or finding a third team later. A Connaughton-for-Wright swap with Milwaukee sending Portland's 2024 second-rounder (projected as No. 35 overall) checks out logically.
Washington could flip Connaughton, who's under team control at $9.4 million per year through 2025 (player option for 2025-26), for another player or pick this summer. Failing that, it could move him at the 2025 deadline or even keep him in the rotation for the life of his deal. Wright's expiring contract, by contrast, creates some urgency. If the Wizards don't move him this week, he can walk in free agency.
Milwaukee needs a defender who can cover for Damian Lillard and Malik Beasley, which Wright can handle. A comparable shooter to Connaughton and a better facilitator, the veteran combo guard could be the exact kind of upgrade the Bucks need.
Stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. Accurate entering games played Tuesday, Feb. 6. Salary info via Spotrac.
Grant Hughes covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@gt_hughes), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, where he appears with Bleacher Report's Dan Favale.
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