Fresh Trade Ideas from Latest NBA Rumors: Bold Moves for Lakers, Sixers and Others
The NBA trade deadline is only a day away now, which means we're tantalizingly close to finding out the smoke-to-fire ratio on months' worth of rumors.
Based on the latest reporting, we're putting together trades involving the Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves, LA Clippers, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and more. Not only do we get to draw up a three-teamer that lands a star next to LeBron James, but we also get to route potential missing pieces to several other contenders.
Soon, we'll get actual real-world trades followed by a period of relative transactional calm. For those who love the rumor mill and all the exciting speculation it produces, this is a bittersweet moment.
Let's savor these last few hours before the Feb. 8 deadline with some fresh trade ideas.
Dejounte Murray to Lakers in Three-Team Swap
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Los Angeles Lakers acquire: Dejounte Murray and Dennis Smith Jr.
Atlanta Hawks acquire: Spencer Dinwiddie, Jalen Hood-Schifino, a 2029 first-round pick (via LAL), 2024 second-round pick (LAL via LAC), and a 2025 second-round pick (via LAL)
Brooklyn Nets acquire: D'Angelo Russell and Patty Mills
Dejounte Murray may be the best player traded at the deadline, and not only do the Los Angeles Lakers need to make a move for a high-end guard ASAP (see: hourglass emoji), but D'Angelo Russell's new contract was essentially constructed with a trade in mind.
The issue, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, is Atlanta's "clear disinterest in taking back" Russell in a Murray deal. Amick also highlights the Brooklyn Nets as a potential third-team facilitator for a Murray-to-Lakers swap, which gives us more than enough to throw together a trade proposal.
The Lakers get their man in Murray, a two-way combo guard who'd offer more defensive heft than Russell and the security of four additional years under contract after this one. He'd last into a post-LeBron James world with the Lakers, giving the team another fringe All-Star to pair with Anthony Davis or whomever else the next headlining name in L.A. happens to be.
Dennis Smith Jr., a reserve guard averaging 7.3 points per game on a minimum salary, may not seem like much of a throw-in from Brooklyn. But he's among the best defensive guards in the league and could give the Lakers some of the on-ball tenacity Dennis Schroder provided during their 2023 postseason run.
The Hawks don't recoup all the assets they surrendered to get Murray from the San Antonio Spurs prior to last season, but they reel in an unprotected first from the Lakers, a recent first-rounder in Hood-Schifino and two more seconds. Not bad, especially with the salary relief that comes with swapping out Murray for Spencer Dinwiddie's expiring contract.
Brooklyn lands Russell for a second tour, bringing the guard back to the team with whom he was an All-Star in 2018-19. He'd be a significant upgrade over Dinwiddie for a Brooklyn team that badly needs a primary ball-handler. Fellow former Net Patty Mills also returns. His value lies in his expiring deal and veteran leadership, something Brooklyn might need as it navigates a stretch run that could feature a fair amount of losing.
Buddy Hield to the Philadelphia 76ers
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The Trade: Philadelphia 76ers acquire Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers for Marcus Morris Sr., KJ Martin and two second-round picks
Speaking on The Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN's Brian Windhorst said he expects the Philadelphia 76ers to execute "one to three trades before Thursday afternoon" and that the Sixers would focus on players with short-term deals. Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer got more specific, noting that Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield was a "known target."
Hield would bring elite three-point shooting and an expiring $18.6 million salary that wouldn't compromise the Sixers' 2024-25 cap space, which could total as much as $55 million. Assuming Joel Embiid returns this season, Hield would offer spacing for the big man and would rank as the most dangerous kickout option with whom Tyrese Maxey has ever played.
Hield's extension negotiations with Indy never led to a deal, so it's possible the Pacers would consider taking back a relatively modest package headlined by second-rounders (Philly can trade up to six of them) rather than let the veteran gunner leave for nothing. The Sixers can also trade up to three future first-rounders and three swaps, but it's hard to imagine an offer involving any of those assets with Hield ticketed for free agency this summer.
Indiana is only two-and-a-half games behind the 76ers for the East's No. 5 playoff spot and may not be ready to give up an important piece of its rotation. That said, Hield is posting his lowest scoring total (12.0 points per game) since his rookie year and has cycled in and out of the first unit all season.
Since Christmas, Aaron Nesmith, Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin and Pascal Siakam have all hit a higher percentage of their threes than Hield, whose overall long-range hit rate of 38.4 percent is the second-lowest of his career. With Indy more in need of defense and two-way play than pure shooting, perhaps it'd be willing to move on from a specialist that might leave in free agency anyway.
Malcolm Brogdon to the New York Knicks
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The Trade: New York Knicks acquire Malcolm Brogdon from the Portland Trail Blazers for Evan Fournier, a 2024 first-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick (via UTA)
According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, the New York Knicks' deadline hope "is to bring in someone who can hold up the offense behind Brunson and play alongside him if needed."
That sounds like Malcolm Brogdon.
Katz continues: "That player would preferably be under contract into next season on a salary in the high teens into the low 20s (in millions, of course), which would make him a worthwhile trade chip if the Knicks wanted to flip him for a star next summer."
Wait a minute. That sounds exactly like Malcolm Brogdon.
On his podcast, The Woj Pod, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Brogdon leaving the Portland Trail Blazers via trade prior to Thursday's deadline was "unlikely." But this is smokescreen season, and we need to look past the leaks and consider reality. Brogdon is a veteran guard on a team loaded with young players at that position. Yes, the Blazers could keep his $22.5 million salary on the books this season, bring him back for the last year of his deal at that same pay rate in 2024-25 and try to move him at that point. But if Anfernee Simons, Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe continue to be on the roster, which they will, doesn't that run the risk of further cutting into Brogdon's production and sinking his value?
Better to deal him now, when the Knicks might be more motivated to part with a first-rounder and a sweetener.
Here, we have New York sending out its own 2024 first-round pick, Utah's 2024 second-rounder and Evan Fournier's essentially expiring salary (team option for 2024-25). That seems like more than enough for the Blazers to part ways with Brogdon, though they could push for the top-10-protected first-rounder Dallas owes the Knicks. That pick has the higher upside than New York's own first-rounder, which seems likely to land in the 20s.
The Knicks might not want to let that selection go, but they've got a total of eight tradable firsts, many with heavy protections, and should be able to get something done for a player in Brogdon who perfectly fits their needs.
Otto Porter Jr. to the Boston Celtics
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The Trade: Boston Celtics acquire Otto Porter Jr. from the Toronto Raptors for a 2024 second-round pick (via DAL)
Otto Porter Jr. hasn't played for the Toronto Raptors since Dec. 30. Between marquee trades that shifted the franchise's focus to a younger core and Porter's impending free agency, there's a good chance the 30-year-old forward will never suit up for the Raps again.
So why not send him someplace where he could actually help?
Sources told Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer that the title-chasing Boston Celtics could "bring on a veteran target such as Porter" using the $6.25 million trade exception generated in the sign-and-trade deal that sent Grant Williams to the Dallas Mavericks over the offseason. Considering his minimal value and short-term future in Toronto, you'd think it would only take a mid-to-late second for Boston to get him.
This would be a purely speculative play by the Celtics, one based on the belief that Porter could summon something close to the level he hit while playing a key rotation role for the 2021-22 Golden State Warriors. Remember, Boston had a first-hand look at OPJ shooting 58.8 percent from the field and 56.3 percent from three across six Finals games in 2022.
Health is a major concern for Porter, who's played 23 games since leaving Golden State two years ago. But Sam Hauser has been Boston's only reliable backup wing this season. If a 2024 second-rounder is the cost of seeing whether Porter can provide 10 minutes of production every couple of games, a squad with Boston's aspirations should be willing to pay it.
Bones Hyland to the Minnesota Timberwolves
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The Trade: Minnesota Timberwolves acquire Bones Hyland from the LA Clippers for a 2025 second-round pick (via UTA; top-45-protected) and a 2026 second-round pick (via IND; top-45-protected)
Bones Hyland earned an unceremonious exit from the Denver Nuggets (for two second-round picks) last season, as Denver GM Calvin Booth barely stopped short of calling the high-scoring guard outright selfish upon his exit. As evidenced by his 19 appearances on 13.2 minutes per game with the LA Clippers this season, Hyland still hasn't quite found his footing.
It turns out many contenders don't have a spot for a score-first guard who already has a reputation as a "buckets only" contributor.
Many. Not all.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported "there's a growing belief the Clippers would consider trading guard Bones Hyland for two second-round picks," with the Minnesota Timberwolves among the teams expressing interest.
The Wolves are in desperate need of a backup to starting point guard Mike Conley, ideally one who can juice their scoring punch in general. Owners of the league's No. 1 defense, Minnesota's offense currently sits 17th in the league and has occupied a spot in the bottom 10 for stretches this season. Hyland has his flaws, and it's not exactly a selling point that his original team gave up on him after just over a year. But this is still a player with a career per-36 scoring average of 20.1 points, one whose niche skills would actually matter in Minnesota.
If the Wolves can't secure a more reliable upgrade and don't believe they'll have a shot at someone like Kyle Lowry on the buyout market, Hyland could be the low-cost solution to their problems.
For the Clippers, this is about adding a few draft assets to their meager store. The seconds coming from Minnesota, though heavily protected because the Wolves themselves have so little draft capital to trade, give the Clips two more pieces to throw into a deal for a more meaningful rotation piece—either at this deadline or in the future.
Stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. Accurate entering games on Wednesday, Feb. 7. 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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