I'm pretty sure this is the earliest that I've had to start this post, but teams aren't wasting any time with most free agents from this past summer becoming trade eligible on December 15th. Like last year's edition, I'll be adding deals to the top of this post as they happen so that the latest news is easily accessible and including in parentheses who broke the story and when. Future draft pick details are typically from RealGM.com, and the salary figures are from Keith Smith's work at Spotrac.com with future money color-coded in case of a player option, team option, or not fully guaranteed.
Grizzlies shake things up (Shams, Haynes, and Stein 2/6)
Wizards receive:
Kings receive:
Grizzlies receive:
I know that Smart has not played much this season, but a team that is currently the #2 seed in the West trading away two players who could be in the playoff rotation for nothing in return floors me. Less than two years ago Memphis traded two 1st rounders and Tyus Jones for Smart, and now they appear to be attaching another 1st to get off of his contract. It hasn't been reported yet which 2nd is coming back, but based on the last one that I think Washington has left this year after complicated swaps, this could be a drop from a pick in the 20's to the 40's. That's similar to the Nurkic trade below but with more certainty of the large gap since it's this year already.
Since LaRavia's rookie scale option was surprisingly declined, he can only be re-signed for up to the amount of that option, $5,163,127, which makes for a tricky situation, and I guess Memphis is trying to make up for that mistake by getting something for him now. It was a nice opportunistic move by Sacramento to jump in and grab him for just a future 2nd, a backup center who barely plays in Len, and a recent 2nd rounder whom I was hopeful for but hasn't developed in Jones. LaRavia can do a little bit of everything as a backup to either forward spot, and while he hasn't been taking threes at as high of a rate as his first two seasons, he's shooting a career-high 44.4%.
Between this and the Middleton move, the Wizards cut into a lot of their cap space for this offseason, but they could still have enough to be a salary dumping ground for more draft assets again as part of their patient rebuild. Having two vets with so much playoff experience could be good for their young locker room, and as they go into the last years of their contract next season, Washington might even be able to flip them again to contenders if better health is shown.
2/7 Update: Hollinger reports that the 2nd rounder is the worse of Golden State's or Phoenix's, so my estimate above of a 20 spot drop will probably come to fruition. I just don't understand why Memphis couldn't wait until draft night to make this kind of deal when Smart would have played more than 39 total games for them over two seasons. Yes, creating cap room for the summer is important to potentially renegotiate-and-extend Jaren Jackson Jr, but I don't see the benefit of doing it now with nothing coming back to help this current top-2 seed.
Indy adds some breathing room (Shams 2/6)
Raptors receive:
Pacers receive:
TBD (likely minimal cash, a fake 2nd, or old draft rights)
Wiseman has unfortunately been out for basically the entire season again, so Indiana is likely paying Toronto for the remainder of his contract and then some in order to have some flexibility to sign someone without going into the tax.
2/7 Update: The Pacers press release confirms that it is a conditional 2026 2nd rounder coming to them, and I'd bet that those conditions are "protected 31-55."
Milwaukee and LA flip former 1st rounders (Shams 2/6)
Bucks receive:
Clippers receive:
Neither player has been particularly productive, but I wouldn't want to be in the Kevin Porter Jr. business with his legal history, even if it does help out Milwaukee's tax bill a bit. He has been the better player of the two, but Los Angeles probably didn't want to have to deal with that player option for next season.
One more Atlanta move to duck the tax (Shams (2/6)
Rockets receive:
This can be viewed in conjunction with the Cavs trade below in order to stay out of the luxury tax. It's more nice work from Houston to use the new MLE rules to absorb salary for draft assets like with the Springer trade. Zeller ended up playing in zero games for Atlanta after being lucky enough to get this contract purely to help match salary in the Dejounte Murray trade.
Update: As anticipated, Kelly Iko reports that Houston is merely sending the draft rights to the last pick way back in 2017, Alpha Kaba, who was coincidentally enough originally chosen by the Hawks.
Atlanta continues re-shuffle (Shams 2/6)
Clippers receive:
2025 Timberwolves 2nd round pick
2026 Grizzlies 2nd round pick (protected 43-60)
Their own 2027 2nd round pick back
Hawks receive:
I misread Shams' tweet and was looking at my spreadsheets confused about LA sending three 2nd rounders that they don't have before Law Murray reported that the picks were actually going the other way. That's a pretty costly move even with Bogdanovic having a down season at age 32. I'm not sure this is worth it for Atlanta to go a little younger with Mann (28), who just signed an extension in September but has seen his own drop in play, and Hyland (24), who has mostly stagnated since his rookie season. If this was enough to get them out of the tax following the Hunter trade, I guess it would be understandable, but upon second look it's still doesn't get them there. Even if Bogdanovic has completely fallen off the cliff, he only has one more guaranteed year after this, so I like this way more for the Clippers side with the picks.
Cleveland make a move at SF (Stein first, Shams the details 2/6)
Cavaliers receive:
Hawks receive:
Before Brian Windhorst provided the details of the pick swaps, this felt a touch pricey for Hunter given the size of his contract, but the trend of Horcruxing picks that you already owe swap rights to is catching on. As things stand with the initial reporting, this would get Cleveland out of the luxury tax and put Atlanta in it, but I would expect a third team such as Detroit to be involved to avoid the latter aspect. Thus, the Cavs kill two birds with one stone this way since Hunter is more of a true forward than LeVert to fit better next to their star guards. Hunter can play up to power forward at times to help replace Niang, as well, so this could end up being a really good fit for the 27 year old who has impressively increased both his three-points attempts (6.7) and accuracy (39.3%) to career-highs.
Assuming the Hawks do have a follow up to this to keep them out of the tax, this move also helps their books next year when Jalen Johnson's big extension kicks in, and that's on top of the nice draft capital return here. LeVert can bring more playmaking than Hunter to help fill in for void left by Johnson's injury, and then they could see about re-signing him depending on any other moves. Niang also helps fill in some of Johnson's minutes as he reunites with Quin Snyder from their Utah days.
Phoenix and Charlotte connect again (Shams 2/6)
Suns receive:
Hornets receive:
This can almost be considered part of the Richards trade below. It sounded at the time like Phoenix wanted to include Nurkic in that deal instead of Okogie for both Richards and Martin, but they couldn't incentivize Charlotte enough to take on that guaranteed salary for next season. Six days later the Suns split their one juicy 1st rounder into three weaker ones to facilitate this kind of deal, as it unlocked the ability to trade their other picks without worrying about the Stepien Rule.
The Wizards already owned swap rights to the 1st being dealt, and then it was Horcruxed out to the Magic and Grizzlies with more swaps to leave it without a ton of value. We'll see which 2nd rounder is heading out (the Hornets have their own, the Nuggets', and the Warriors' picks that year), but they're basically exchanging some extra salary for a jump up from potentially the mid-2nd to late-1st. The difference in salary will depend on Martin's non-guaranteed contract and Vicic's team option, and I think the former might be the only one of the two who sticks around as a tough wing with underrated passing. He's not as good of a shooter as his twin Caleb, who also happened to be traded this week, but Cody did reach 38.4% a few seasons ago and has been at 34.2% over the past three and a half seasons.
Update: Marks reports that the 2nd will be the worse of the Denver's and Golden State's, which makes sense. That will likely be a decently large drop from the 1st to the 2nd for Phoenix, but it's arguably worth it to get off of absolute dead weight with Nurkic's contract. I did not like the addition of him from the start, and it looks even worse now with how well Toumani Camara has developed as part of that trade. Now the hope is that Martin can be that type of wing option, and maybe Micic ends up a surprise with his creativity. Contract aside, the big man could be a solid locker room presence for Charlotte and actually get a good amount of minutes in the wake of their Williams trade below.
Miami and Toronto agree on a different forward (Shams 2/6)
Heat receive:
Raptors receive:
About 15 hours after it was reported that Tucker would be returning to Miami and that they'd be sending Anderson to Toronto, the 39 year old is the one heading above the border instead. This could end up being part of that massive multi-team deal, but the crux of it is primarily between these two teams. While it won't get the Heat completely out of the tax as it stands, this would take them within striking distance while also getting them clear of the First Apron to open up buyout possibilities.
It's a funny coincidence that Mitchell gets dealt so quickly after his former Baylor backcourt mate Butler, and he was having a decent first season in Toronto with a career-high in assists. The 26 year old is in the last year of his contract and would enter restricted free agency if Miami extends the qualifying offer. Depending on the pick and cash involved, we'll see how much they value his skillset versus the salary savings. The Raptors originally got a couple of draft picks from the Kings for taking on Mitchell (and Sasha Vezenkov) in a summer salary dump, so getting another one here is pretty slick work.
Update: This did in fact get looped into a five-team trade, so that trade is updated below. It is kind of funny that these teams stayed so connected because there was talk that Toronto wanted to get involved in any Butler trade with Brown's big expiring contract potentially going to Miami (where he played in college) and Maple Jordan himself, Wiggins, coming home. I'm curious whether the Raptors preferred this move for Ingram instead or if the Heat preferred keeping Wiggins.
Philly clears even more savings (Scotto first, Stein the details 2/6)
76ers receive:
2027 2nd round pick (Worse of Suns or Warriors)
2028 Warriors 2nd round pick
2030 2nd round pick (Worse of Suns or Trail Blazers)
2030 Wizards 2nd round pick
Wizards receive:
2026 1st round pick (Worst of Clippers, Rockets [top-4 protected], or Thunder)
This comes as a bit of a surprise for Philadelphia after yesterday's reported KJ Martin trade already got them under the tax line, but now they have a little more room to operate with smaller moves. Based on the front office history, Justin Edwards will probably get converted from his Two-Way into a long-term deal amid his breakout season, and that technically has to happen first since they already have three Two-Way deals. Butler is also having a sneaky good season in limited minutes, with per-36 averages of 21.9 points, 8.2 assists, and only 2.9 turnovers with 48.3%/36.6%/77.8% shooting.
Jackson is having a down year after being a solid minimum signing to fill out the rotation, and I expect that the 34 year old will be bought out by the rebuilding 'Zards, who have surprisingly won three in a row after a 16 game losing streak. It's an intriguing asset play from both sides since Philly is giving up most likely a late 1st to get off of salary, but they are getting so many 2nd rounders and a nice 24 year old back to make it worth it. Washington has been stockpiling small additions of picks in so many deals that a nice consolidation into a 1st rounder makes sense for them, as well, since Marks mentioned them having 18 2nd rounders prior to this when reporting which are included. Lastly, in order to create a roster spot, Cissoko was waived after just being acquired yesterday...following him being traded on Sunday. Maybe the 20 year old could return to San Antonio in some capacity now to keep developing, but it's another reminder that this week can be a tough whirlwind uprooting actual humans.
Update: Washington announced that Jackson was already waived, and so was Pete Nance by Philadelphia to create a Two-Way slot for this deal, which gives them more time before possibly converting Edwards or Butler.
LA makes their move for a big (Shams 2/5)
Lakers receive:
Hornets receive:
When healthy, Williams is exactly the type of rim-runner that Los Angeles needed after Saturday's big trade, and now they gave up just about the rest of their trade chips to get him. Those first two words are a key disclaimer as he unfortunately only played 43 and 19 games his first two seasons and missed the first 20 games of this campaign. Since starting to get cleared for over 20 minutes per game over his last 15, though, Williams has averaged 18.9 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.4 blocks in 29.8 minutes. The rise in assists is nice to see in a young big man as he sees the floor more, and the other stats are consistent with his per-minute production coming into the season. Williams measured 7'0", 242 lbs with a 7'6.5" wingspan at the 2022 combine, and that size literally fills a big hole for LA both now and going forward considering he just turned 23 in December.
I still can't believe that they even had these assets left over after Dallas didn't demand everything for Doncic, and that is now to Charlotte's benefit. As much as I like Williams, this is a strong return for a team that's not going anywhere soon, especially given his track record of health and extension eligibility this summer. As I've continually been writing, draft picks this far down the line provide a wide range of outcomes, and who knows, Luka could be on a different team again by then. My coworker who is a Hornets fan was surprised that they didn't take Knecht in this past draft given their history of drafting his type of profile, and now he's eventually arrived with plenty of opportunity to get shots up. The 23 year old has been solid as you'd expect with his experience, and Reddish is only a 25 year old veteran himself, though his inclusion is more for room under the Second Apron. He's not going to wow you but can fill in the back end of a wing rotation decently enough, and now he returns to the state where he played in college, coincidentally in exchange for another Duke player.
2/8 Update: The Lakers announced that this trade has been rescinded “due to failure to satisfy a condition of the trade.” I hope not for his sake, but you have to wonder if Williams' spotty medical history ended up getting flagged. With LA using up the rest of their trade chips here, I guess they wanted to be absolutely sure before finalizing the deal, no matter how awkward it is now.
BI gets dealt at long last (Haynes first, Shams the details 2/5)
Raptors receive:
Pelicans receive:
This is a better return than I expected for New Orleans after it's been known that Ingram would be on the move pretty much ever since they got swept in April. With no extension reached and just a few months until free agency, getting any kind of 1st, even one a year away, along with two useful veterans feels like a golden parachute before potentially losing him for nothing. Looking to next year after this lost season, Olynyk's shooting at center should be pretty useful next to Zion Williamson.
I don't hate it for Toronto since they wouldn't have had the cap space to sign Ingram outright in free agency, and this was the extra 1st that they had left from the Pascal Siakam deal, per Fischer. The fit just feels odd with Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett already in tow since the skillsets are a bit duplicative, but I guess you simply add talent to the room when available at a reasonable cost. Ironically, I'd like the look of things more if Olynyk was kept to provide spacing around them. I'm assuming that they have an idea of what the next contract will be to continue this new partnership, and Ingram doesn't turn 28 until September. He picks up a nice $2.1 million trade kicker on top of the number above once the deal goes through, as Marks noted, and he can extend immediately for up to 3 years, $144 million before free agency.
2/11 Update: Shams reports that Ingram and the Raptors are in agreement on a 3 year, $120 million extension with the last year being a player option. Since this is basically in conjunction with the trade for him, I'm just including it here to show the slight raise he's getting with this 2+1 deal in what's almost like an early sign-and-trade. His max starting salary this summer projected to be about $46.4 million, but based on his slow trade market it didn't seem that he was getting that anywhere. This feels like a fair extension that provides security for both sides with potential to get paid again in two years if things work out.
The Butler saga finally ends (Shams 2/5)
Warriors receive:
Heat receive:
Pistons receive:
Jazz receive:
2028 2nd round pick (via Pistons, TBD which)
2031 2nd round pick (Better of Heat or Pacers, via Heat)
Cash considerations (via Heat)
Raptors receive:
There are obviously a ton of moving parts to this one, and it's the second time since the summer that the Dubs are involved in a complicated trade of five+ teams. I would assume that Detroit and probably Utah are getting draft compensation to take on salary here, but the (updated) key points are:
- Butler lands in Golden State and replaces his $52,413,394 player option for next season with a two year, $111 million extension that was the max that he could receive (I don't know why Shams reported it as $121 million).
- Miami gets
all the way out of the luxury tax by only taking backWiggins, Anderson, old friend, Tucker, and some savings on their tax bill. - Toronto
can absorb Anderson without anything back via the MLE and still stay out of the tax, though Fischer reports that his initial detail of that might be falling throughused some of their financial flexibility to add a pick while opening up backup guard minutes for rookie Jamal Shead. - Detroit used the last cap space available to pick up a veteran playmaker by just switching out 2nd rounders and a contract they just picked up.
- Utah got paid to flip the recently acquired Tucker for a flier in Martin.
The Warriors have been a rumored suitor for Butler since last summer, and despite there being some reported concerns about how his strong personality would fit in the locker room, they are committing to him for the next ~28 months. Now that the payday has come, the hope is that he'll be a star again to take the offensive load off of Stephen Curry and take the team to another level before the window closes for the best Warrior in history. The over-38 rule limited how big of an extension this could be since Butler turns 36 in September, and that could end up being a saving grace for Golden State given the risk here.
In theory, Butler slides right into the starting spot of his former Wolves' teammate, Wiggins, to upgrade the position, but I want to shoutout how well the former #1 pick fit in with the Dubs. He didn't worry about how many shots he got, took on the toughest perimeter defensive assignments, knocked down open 3's, and played the most meaningful stretch of his life to be the second-best player during the 2022 championship run. And in the wake of dealing with some nagging injuries and the tragedy of losing his ailing father, which kept away from the team at times the past two years, he bounced back to his usual standards this season. After the Warriors' huge early season rotation started to narrow, Wiggins averaged 18.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.8 blocks, and only 1.4 turnovers in 31.2 minutes with 44.8%/38.1%/79.3% shooting the past 33 games. That goes up to 20 points over the past 14 since Jonathan Kuminga got hurt, albeit with a little less efficiency (43.5%/34%/75.9%) due to the heavier load. The Schroder experiment didn't work out after I wrote below about the intriguing but suspect fit, so it's almost refreshing to see them move on from a mistake this quickly following 24 games of shooting 37.5%/32.2%/74.4% for 47.4% True Shooting. Lastly, Waters was a nice diamond in the rough who exceeded even my hopeful expectations after he cost them nothing during the draft, but he's mostly been out of the rotation for a while. Maybe he regains the hot outside shooting that he's flashed at times as a 3-and-D wing with solid length for Detroit.
Butler was never known for his 3-point prowess, and that's especially so over the past six years with Miami. He's only even attempted 2 per game at a 30.6% clip (33% for his career) in this span, so his spacing around Curry will be interesting next to Kuminga and Draymond Green, even in the same lineup at times. They've been experimenting with 2nd rounder Quinten Post, who should get converted from his Two-Way contract now that there's space under the Apron, in the starting lineup as a stretch center for exactly this reason. Golden State still could finalize a deal for rumored target Nikola Vucevic to fill that role, as well, since they only had to give up one pick here, with fair protections. The big man never overlapped with Butler on the Bulls, but someone who did is Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr for three seasons. Green also played with him on the 2016 Olympic team, so the team has at least some idea of how those two big personas will mesh. And while Wiggins has been getting to the free throw at a rate closer to his Minnesota days this year, that's an area where Butler could help Golden State even more with his strength inside.
It's a solid deal for Miami to get out of this headache after already suspending Butler multiple times for how he handled the situation this past year. If they do end up ducking the tax altogether like it originally seemed, that's a huge financial benefit on top of the salary relief with the switch to the younger Wiggins. Who knows, maybe the vaunted #HeatCulture could even bring out another level from the talented wing who turns 30 this month. I don't think Tucker has much in the tank as he approaches this 40th birthday in May, but they know what he brings after they reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in their lone previous season together. And if they hold onto Slo Mo, his smart style of play would seem to be right up Erik Spoelstra's alley just like with Steve Kerr.
I'll wait to write about the other teams involved until the dust settles because this is basically me after everything going on today.
2/6 Update: Omari Sankofa reports that instead of Utah, Schroder will end up in Detroit, who would use up just about the rest of their cap space. Fischer adds that Richardson and Martin, from the Pistons' other trade, are going to the Jazz along with one of their 2028 2nd round picks. Detroit appears to value the veteran guard as another creator next to Cade Cunningham, especially with the injury to Jaden Ivey. Between their two deals, they ended up with one extra 2nd, Schroder, and Waters just to rent out their available room.
Now that the Heat's official press release is out, I updated the details above, particularly with the picks involved. Looking at everything in total, it feels like the Jazz somehow snuck in there to continue to collect picks without sacrificing anything and got Martin for free. Unless Toronto actually values Tucker, in his third stint with them, as a contributor to their 16-35 team for some reason, I don't think Utah really needed to be involved aside from the fact that they were initial facilitators before the total deal grew. And on a funny note, Wiggins will officially stick with his usual #22 that Butler had on the Heat, but the latter will switch to #10, apparently for soccer reasons with his previous #21 and #23 not available.
Sacramento adds backup big (Stein 2/5)
Kings receive:
Wizards receive:
2028 Nuggets 2nd round pick (protected 31-33)
2029 Kings 2nd round pick
It didn't take long for Sacramento to take advantage of their savings from the Fox trade or to re-route one of those 2nd rounders along with Cissoko, whom I discussed below as a flier. They're using the MLE to absorb Valanciunas' salary and preserve the Trade Exception from that trade for the summer while still sliding in below the tax line. Now they'll have a strong center presence behind Sabonis at a decent price, so this is a pretty smooth operation all around, even if Valanciunas is a bit overqualified to only play 13 minutes behind his fellow Lithuanian.
Washington only had to send out a 2027 Bulls top-50 protected 2nd when acquiring the rugged big man last summer, so they've most likely ended up ahead in draft assets yet again. They're also creating another large TE involving Valanciunas after using one in that deal to acquire him, so their flexibility to make similar moves will continue.
New Orleans avoids the tax (Shams 2/5)
Thunder receive:
Pelicans receive:
Cash considerations
If there was one thing that you could absolutely bank on this trade deadline it was that the Pels would make a small move like this to get out of the luxury tax. The only question was who would get paid a pick to help them out, and it turns out it's OKC, where an experienced big man could actually help out their depth in a pinch. Since Theis is on a minimum, they can just take him in while sending the bare minimum in cash or draft rights back while New Orleans creates a small Trade Exception (that they probably won't use). Stein adds that it will be a 2031 2nd rounder involved, which the Pelicans already owed swap rights on, and Scotto reports that is is cash going back the other way.
2/6 Update: Scotto now adds that Theis will be waived, so forget what I said about him potentially helping their young team. I should've realized that they would need the roster spot to convert Ajay Mitchell from his Two-Way after surprisingly carving out a role already as the 38th pick. Based on Shams' report of a 2 year, $6 million pact, it sounds like they're using the Room MLE to give my fellow UCSB alumni something of a balloon payment this year with a team option for next season, which I expect them to decline in order to then use Non-Bird Rights to lock him up to a longer deal like they've done in the past with Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins. Lastly, Branden Carlson is getting taking the vacated Two-Way spot after being waived from his non-guaranteed deal and then signing two 10-day contracts, per Scotto.
Boston reduces their tax bill (Shams 2/5)
Rockets receive:
Celtics receieve:
The luxury tax levels get so steep that this relatively small deal will save Boston over $15 million in tax payments. I'm guessing that Houston will use part of their MLE to facilitate this, and they add draft capital while getting a free look at a 22 year old who has had the occasional flashes as a former late 1st rounder. Good deal.
2/6 Update: Hollinger reports that Springer will simply be waived now that his involvement is done, and that roster spot will be used in the subsequent Zeller trade doing the same thing as this one.
Philly avoids the tax (Bodner 2/5)
Pistons receive:
76ers receive:
Cash considerations
Well that's a disappointing outcome after a big deal was made of Martin receiving a bloated contract jump over the summer in order to become essentially a walking Trade Exception to aggregate later (similar to Okogie below). Instead Philadelphia had to attach two picks to get off of this deal to get under the luxury tax line, with no return in the initial reports likely indicating a fake 2nd, minimal cash, or long-forgotten foreign draft rights going their direction. They at least create an actual TE worth his salary here that will likely be used in the summer, but that can't be aggregated for a bigger deal.
This is great work from Detroit to leverage their flexibility to add draft capital and take a flier on an athlete like Martin. Stein had a key detail that he'd go into their Room MLE, so I'd bet that they aren't done fielding calls to rent out their remaining $14M in cap space. They can still use that up and then finalize what they're sending in return here.
2/7 Update: In the official 76ers press release they announced they simply received cash considerations in the deal, and they also (somewhat surprisingly) confirmed exactly which picks were involved.
Milwaukee and Washington make expected exchange (Shams 2/5)
Bucks receive:
Wizards receive:
Knicks receive:
Draft rights to Hugo Besson (58th pick in 2022)
Cash considerations, via Bucks
Spurs receive:
It was a great run for Middleton (33) and the Bucks, but now they're going younger, cheaper, and bigger with Kuzma (29) in a deal that Fischer and Stein have been reporting on all week. While I don't love the downgrade in playmaking and shooting, especially with Kuzma having a down year, this should allow for more versatile lineups with their current roster and give them more reliability. Middleton has unfortunately played just 23 games this season even with a minutes restriction and scheduled rest, and this is after only 55, 33, and 66 games played the previous three seasons.
After Kuzma had two of the best years of his career to average 21.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 4 assists on 45.6%/33.4%/75.3% shooting from '22-24, he's down to 15.2, 5.8, and 2.5 with 42%/28.1%/60.2% percentages this season on this rebuilding Washington side. After they reportedly presented a trade option last year, he turned down the chance to join a Dallas team that went onto the Finals to mentor this young squad, but this time he is joining a playoff contender, where he's better-suited as a third option given the mostly consistent 54.2% True Shooting for his career. Marks reports that Kuzma is adjusting his trade kicker to do so, which will allow Milwaukee to drop under the Second Apron, and I think they'll create a Trade Exception for the difference in Middleton's and Kuzma's salaries. The combination of the savings and the relative low-cost here makes it a more solid trade than I was expecting. They already owe a 2028 pick swap to Portland, so they're just "Horcruxing" out that pick further here, as Zach Lowe would say, and giving up last year's surprise #23 pick, Johnson, while adding a 2nd in the process.
The 20 year old guard has just 44 NBA minutes to his name after playing only 239 total minutes in Australia last season, so he's still mostly a wild card after being a 5-star recruit who was supposed to go to Texas. Johnson is averaging 13.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal against 2.9 turnovers with 43.3%/36.8%/78.8% shooting in 28.6 minutes across 25 total G League games to provide an idea of his game. He only weighed 167 lbs at the combine but does have a 6'8.5" wingspan on his 6'4.25" frame. It's a decent gamble for Washington to add him to their pool of prospects, even if it already is guard-heavy, and the former top high school player of their own going the other way, Baldwin, already had his rookie scale option declined.
The Wizards already have secondary swap rights on a 2028 1st from Phoenix in one of the first examples of Horcruxing, so the draft capital return here is pretty light for them. It doesn't hurt getting another bite at the apple, though, and if Johnson can tap into his potential, this deal will be worth it. Maybe they can even flip Middleton to a contender down the line.
Update: 12 hours later now, Shams reports that the Knicks are sending Sims to Milwaukee as a late addition to this deal. That's now reflected above with Wright and cash heading to New York, along with the draft rights being swapped as reported by Fred Katz. The Knicks loves to include these former rights, and Besson could actually be a prospect as a recent, intriguing late stash who is having a good year in Turkey. And the Bucks pick up some decent center depth with a fourth-year player who has flashed at times, mainly on the glass.
2/6 Update: Shams reports that Baldwin will end up in San Antonio along with cash from Milwaukee whenever this deal becomes finalized, thus lowering their tax bill and opening a roster spot. It might end up being two separate deal, but the main thing is that the Bucks will be sending enough bucks to cover the rest of his salary and make it worthwhile for the Spurs to help them out. The press release indicated draft compensation back, and I'm guessing it's a fake 2nd that's top-55 protected.
Dallas and Philly swap wings (Shams 2/4)
Mavericks receive:
2030 2nd round pick (see below)
76ers receive:
There was some speculation that Martin could be on the move given Philadelphia's record and also that Christie's arrival in Dallas could make Grimes expendable after a rookie extension wasn't reached, but I didn't necessarily expect the two to be be connected. Funnily enough, these teams play each other tonight.
It's a little surprising since it seemed like the Mavs included the Jazz in Saturday's trade to get below the luxury tax, but now this takes them back over it. That's especially true since Gozlan pointed out that Martin has a trade kicker worth $3.2 million that will raise his cap hit to just over $9 million post-trade. He can play up a little more in position than Grimes and is cost-controlled at a fair rate going forward, though, so it's a reasonable follow up trade.
I like it more for Philly since they get draft capital (likely their own pick back), younger (24 vs. 29), cheaper (another trade or two could get them out of the tax now), and a new, albeit small TE (the difference in salary). Grimes has had a resurgent year to look more like the prospect that New York was hesitant to trade a couple of years ago with averages of 10.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in only 22.8 minutes while shooting 46.3%/39.8%/76.5%. His per-36 numbers are career-highs of 16.1, 6, and 3.4, and he probably fits in better positionally between Tyrese Maxey and Paul George, assuming the latter doesn't get moved. Grimes continuing his strong season could make him more expensive than Martin going forward, but that's what restricted free agency is for.
2/6 Update: Stein reports that Philadelphia is now sending a 2030 2nd pick as part of this trade due to the hip injury that Martin has been dealing with. That is now reflected above, and I wonder if this influenced today's trade for the Wizards' 2nd rounders, which included a couple of 2030 picks. Which of their picks is heading to Dallas has yet to be reported.
Charlotte and OKC swap picks (Team announcement 2/3)
Hornets receive:
2029 Suns 2nd round pick
Thunder receive:
2030 Nuggets 2nd round pick
A third straight day of blockbusters?! Just kidding, but in all seriousness, this is a curious trade to make right now. OKC already owns Denver's 2030 1st that is top-5 protected and would convert to this 2nd if it fell in that range, with the obligation to Charlotte then extinguished. They did have six 2nd rounders in 2029 compared to three in 2030, so this evens it out a little. The timing does have me intrigued as to whether this could somehow lead to another move for them. For the Hornets, they went from two 2nds in both 2029 and 2030 to three and one, but now this pick guaranteed to convey.
Spurs, Kings, and Bulls combine on another three-way (Shams 2/2)
Spurs receive:
Kings receive:
2027 Spurs 1st round pick
2031 Wolves 1st round pick (via Spurs)
2025 Bulls 2nd round pick (via Spurs)
2028 Nuggets 2nd round pick (via Spurs, protected 31-33)
Their own 2028 2nd round pick back (via Bulls)
Bulls receive:
I got some deja vu going through which 2nd rounders are involved here after these same teams combined last summer to land DeMar DeRozan in Sacramento, and now his former wing man LaVine is joining him there. Fox going out the other way is the headliner here, though, so we'll start with him getting his wish of landing in San Antonio, as reported by Stein, Sam Amick, and others. It's kind of amazing that it's already a desired destination in only Victor Wembanyama's second season, but he's just that good already. It also doesn't hurt that Fox is a Texas native whose wife grew up in San Antonio, per Scotto, or that the Spurs could potentially have cap room to give Fox a renegotiation-and-extension for a higher salary this upcoming season. The fact that he only recently turned 27 means that he fits the newly turned 21 year old's timeline pretty well as the dynamic playmaker to set things up.
In order to upgrade from Jones to Fox, it cost the Spurs one future 1st, two of their extra 1st rounders, a fake 1st that's not going to convey from Charlotte, and two 2nd rounders. However, they still have some valuable draft assets left, got to keep their core pieces, and got off of that doomed Collins extension money. I liked Cissoko as a 2nd round flier in the 2023 draft coming out of the G League Ignite, but he unfortunately hasn't progressed much in the G League to make him more than a throw-in to match salary here. I am curious to see if they do anything with Chris Paul now since he's done well as a veteran leader for this young team but won't really fit next to Fox. His contract number was seemingly designed to be traded later (potentially even absorbed into the MLE) or be bought out while still being eligible to sign with a Second Apron team, so that could bear watching. Adding McLaughlin via the Minimum Exception also gives them another small guard option, though he's only played 190 total minutes this season.
Chicago is where the two veteran Spurs landed, and while I like Jones as a backup point guard, he's pretty superfluous with who they already have. Huerter provides decent size on the wing, but his shooting has really gone down these past two seasons to likely make his contract a negative value like Collins'. They at least got their 1st round pick back for this year's strong draft class after it was previously top-10 protected this year and top-8 protected over the next two before converting to a 2nd, and funnily enough that was from the original DeRozan deal involving the Bulls and Spurs in 2021. The main benefit here presumably is getting off of the future money owed LaVine, but considering how strong of a year he's having now that he's healthy again, it's a pretty underwhelming deal, especially since they sent back a 2nd rounder to boot. John Hollinger did point out that they could take Huerter into their previous $17.5 million DeRozan Trade Exception that expires in July to create a new TE that lasts until next February worth the difference in LaVine's salary and Collins' and Jones', about $17.1 million.
Now LaVine will finally be playing in Sacramento, where he previously signed an offer sheet in restricted free agency back in 2018 before Chicago matched it, and he's amending his trade kicker to facilitate this, per Bobby Marks. He's only adding about $1.5 million in each of the next two years, which means that aggregating just Fox and McLaughlin is enough to match salaries so that they will create a large Trade Exception for the entirety of Huerter's salary. Pairing LaVine with DDR and an offense-first center again doesn't inspire a ton of excitement for their upside, but considering that they will seemingly always chase the Play-In under Vivek Ranadive, this is a pretty good return.
Getting out of Huerter's contract with Fox saves them some salary both this year and next before LaVine almost certainly picks up his huge player option in 2026, and they replenish a previously weak supply of draft picks while remaining competitive. There's no way that the Hornets pick doesn't just convert to two 2nd rounders this year, but getting two unprotected 1st round picks (particularly that Wolves one so far down the line), two other 2nd rounders, and one of the 2nds that they gave up for DeRozan back is a nice haul, even if they somewhat surprisingly didn't get the 2031 swap rights back from the Spurs in this.
I'd guess that they start Malik Monk, LaVine, DeRozan, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis to have a good amount of playmaking in total, but the defense looks like it'll be pretty flammable. They'll need Keon Ellis and rookie Devin Carter to provide help there off the bench. Maybe I'm wrong about already seeing the ceiling of this type of lineup on the Bulls before, though; they did get off to a good start in 2021 before Lonzo Ball's health gave out. I don't know that they could've done much better after Fox informed them that he didn't intend to sign the projected 4 year, $228.6 million 30% max extension this summer before hitting free agency in 2026. Now the Spurs in six months, if they don't have other plans with their cap space or the full MLE, can potentially get to around $9 million in projected cap space to bump him up to his upcoming 30% max, about $46.4 million, in addition to that extension.
Finally, it is amazing that Sacramento went from deciding to choose between Fox and Tyrese Haliburton three years ago to having neither on the roster now. And in light of last night's bombshell, it's worth remembering that they could've paired Doncic with Fox in the 2018 draft when they instead took Marvin Bagley III #2 overall. I've talked about it a lot, but I still can't believe that the Suns, Kings, and Hawks all passed on the opportunity to have Luka on their team...with the Mavericks now a part of that list, as well.
I was also thinking of this same play.
— Dave Giovanazzi (@SF_DavidGio) May 25, 2024
I will never stop making the same point I wrote in 2018: it's crazy that THREE teams passed up the chance at Luka Doncic. Dude had just turned 19 a month before this highlight, among his many notable accomplishmentshttps://t.co/psETEMsKz2 pic.twitter.com/IZ56M8JceO
2/3 Update: Chicago waived Torrey Craig and Chris Duarte to open the roster spots to make this deal official. That makes one last connection to these teams' summer trade since Duarte was part of Sacramento's package for DeRozan.
Lakers and Mavs shock the league (Shams 2/1)
Lakers receive:
Mavericks receive:
Jazz receive:
The fact that many players and reporters were tweeting about whether or not Shams was hacked gives an indication of how crazy of a deal this is. Per ESPN, it's the first time in NBA history that two reigning All-NBA players were traded for each other.
Not to take anything away from Davis, who is in the middle of his prime as a likely Hall-of-Famer, but trading a perennial MVP candidate who is only turning 26 this month for someone turning 32 next month, a decent prospect in Christie, and only one future 1st rounder is practically unheard of without a trade request. Doncic led the Mavs to a Finals appearance just last year after all, and he is expected to return from his calf injury before the All-Star Break. Shams adding that Dallas was the one who brought this trade to LA makes it even crazier, especially since it was such a secret that other teams couldn't try to make a bigger offer.
And it's not like this fills a huge hole in the roster, on either side of the equation really (and both stars also happen to be hurt right now). Just last season Dallas drafted a rising star in Dereck Lively and then traded for Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington, so it's not like they were starving for front court help. Gozlan pointed out that Doncic was eligible to sign an extension this summer that projected to be worth 5 years, $346 million that they might have had hesitations about, and Tim MacMahon reports that the team had "major concerns" over his constant conditioning concerns ahead of that potential deal. Now that Luka has been traded to a new team, he'll "only" be able to extend for 4 years, $228.6 million since he won't be eligible to receive a deal worth 35% of the salary cap anymore.
That works to LA's benefit, along with the fact that they somehow didn't have to include their last tradable 1st rounder (or Reaves). Now they could potentially use that 2031 pick to add a center to replace AD since Jaxson Hayes or small lineups with the injured Kleber, Jarred Vanderbilt, or Finney-Smith playing up isn't enough. New arrival DFS happens to be one of Doncic's good friends from their Dallas days, head coach JJ Redick is also a former Mavs teammate, and LeBron was the Slovenian's idol growing up, so there's a foundation for moving forward together. The Lakers were in position to try to pursue Doncic as a free agent with cap space in the summer of 2026, and now they can focus on extending him past that date instead. With the 35% max contract not on the table anymore due to not being on his original team, he might prefer a shorter, 3 year, $165.3 million deal that includes a player option in the third year. Doing that sort of 2+1 deal at his current max of 30% of the cap would allow him to hit free agency in 2028 with 10 years of experience and then be eligible for a 35% max.
In any case, this deal is meant to take the Lakers into their next era once LeBron retires, and it will be a fascinating fit for however long he and Luka play together. Sharing ball-handling responsibilities between the two of them (with Reaves sprinkled in) might be awkward at first, but they are both such incredible passers that they could make it work. The funny thing is that when Irving was traded to Dallas two years ago, the easy comparison was that he could fit around Doncic in the same way that he did with James, and now it's the latter two paired together.
Kyrie, who can opt out this summer with more leverage for a new deal, now has The Brow as his running mate after they were #1 picks back to back in 2011 and 2012, and Davis will presumably get his wish of playing next to a center again despite always thriving as a lone big. The rotation between him, Washington, Gafford, and eventually Lively when he gets healthy will be interesting to keep an eye on, with Washington maybe even getting small forward minutes in some clunky groups. Both Spencer Dinwiddie and Quentin Grimes have started in Doncic's place at times next to Irving and Klay Thompson, so there will be plenty of lineup options to choose from for Jason Kidd, who coached AD as a Lakers assistant previously. General manager Nico Harrison also has a prior relationship with Davis as a Nike executive, which of course played a factor here, and he's taking a big leap of faith in him now. For as great of a player as the big man is, durability has not often been a strength, and his own max extension from 2023 is only about to kick in at a finalized number this summer. If things go south quickly with this aging group, especially after the future picks they gave up these past two years, Harrison could forever be known in Dallas as the man who traded away Luka Doncic.
As for how the math works and where Utah fits in, the combination of Hood-Schifino getting diverted there and Davis waiving his trade kicker (per Chris Haynes) allows Dallas to slide in under the luxury tax at the cost of a 2nd round pick. As mentioned below, the Jazz have plenty of flexibility to take in salary like this for more draft capital, and they also picked up a 2nd from the Lakers while getting a free look at the former 17th overall pick in the 2023 draft. Hood-Schifino getting the third-year option declined in his rookie contract after just one year isn't a great sign, but he's only 21 and could have more room to spread his wings in Utah. Doncic and Davis having nearly equal salaries is simple enough, but with Dallas wanting Christie in the deal and presumably wanting to get off of Kleber's money given his health history, Hood-Schifino was a key component for LA to match salary while staying under the Second Apron. The Lakers then reunited with Morris as a veteran bench player by taking him in with the Minimum Exception, which I believe creates a second small Trade Exception for Dallas along with one for
2/3 Update: The newly acquired Bamba ended up being who was waived by Utah to open up a roster spot to complete this trade. I also learned from Smith that Dallas ended up using part of their $16.2 million Tim Hardaway Jr. TE to take in Christie and thus have a new Kleber TE that's worth his entire $11 million. I guess they figured that it's more beneficial to have two mid-sized ones than keeping that previous one whole since it expires in July.
Clippers get salary relief (Shams 2/1)
Jazz receive:
There's been a small theme of the same teams being involved in back to back trades so far this season, with the rebuilding Jazz helping out a playoff contender again. There aren't any details about which draft pick is involved, but it's likely LA's 2031 2nd since Utah already has swap rights on the 2030 pick and those are the only two that the Clippers own. The combination of the wide range of outcomes for that pick and the cash to likely cover the difference in salaries (if not more) is a fair return for the Jazz, who have plenty of room under the luxury tax to make these kinds of deals. I'd expect them to buyout Tucker to allow him to chase another ring and open up a roster spot for a Two-Way player or G Leaguer while also saving a little bit more money.
LA wasn't involving Tucker with the team at all this season, so this type of move with him was imperative to get under the tax line and avoid the repeater penalty after they've been in the tax the past four years. Now they have about $4 million of breathing room when looking at the buyout market. Swapping out Bamba for Eubanks could also give them a small upgrade as a backup center option considering how the former has had an inconsistent role and had to settle for a minimum contract when both were free agents last summer. And as an added benefit, Mills can be taken in via the Minimum Exception, so the Clips are creating a $6.5 million Trade Exception (the salary difference between Tucker and Eubanks) and $2.1 million TE (Bamba's salary) to use over the next calendar year.
LA wasn't involving Tucker with the team at all this season, so this type of move with him was imperative to get under the tax line and avoid the repeater penalty after they've been in the tax the past four years. Now they have about $4 million of breathing room when looking at the buyout market. Swapping out Bamba for Eubanks could also give them a small upgrade as a backup center option considering how the former has had an inconsistent role and had to settle for a minimum contract when both were free agents last summer. And as an added benefit, Mills can be taken in via the Minimum Exception, so the Clips are creating a $6.5 million Trade Exception (the salary difference between Tucker and Eubanks) and $2.1 million TE (Bamba's salary) to use over the next calendar year.
Update: Michael Scotto reports that it actually is the 2030 2nd rounder, which Utah already controlled via swap, that is included here. That's pretty underwhelming for the Jazz, but it still gives them an extra pick I suppose.
Utah bets on upside (Shams 1/21)
Jazz receive:
2031 Suns 1st round pick
Suns receive:
2025 1st round pick (Worst of Cavaliers, Jazz, or Wolves)
2027 1st round pick (Worst of Cavaliers, Jazz, or Wolves)
2029 1st round pick (Worst of Cavaliers, Jazz, or Wolves)
This is a fascinating gamble by both parties. I probably like it more for Utah since they already so many extra draft picks and players on rookie contracts that they could afford to consolidate the weaker ones for a high-upside commodity. As mentioned in the prior Phoenix trade below, owning another team's pick that is as far out as possible carries the biggest range of outcomes since you don't know who will be on the roster by then, and that's especially the case for this Suns team that's already ridiculously expensive and not in control of any of their future picks.
The Jazz giving up the lowest possible pick that they own in these three years for the chance at a top-5 pick could definitely be worth it, and I also think that's a reasonable move the other way. Phoenix tripled their amount of tradable 1st rounders with this trade, and getting these picks in the three years that they didn't own a 1st allows them more flexibility around the Stepien Rule. We'll see what the other shoe to drop ends up being, but I would guess that this allows them to offer multiple teams a less valuable pick to facilitate a three or four team deal rather than just the one highly coveted asset. Second Apron rules complicate any trade with them, particularly when dealing with another Apron team (such as the Heat with Jimmy Butler), so there will likely be other teams involved to grease the wheels, with these picks as an incentive.
Phoenix wastes no time adding big man help (Shams 1/15)
Suns receive:
Hornets receive:
A day after allowing 20 offensive rebounds in a loss to the Hawks, including a 22-21 game to Onyeka Okongwu off the bench, here comes Richards to help the Suns in that area. The 27 year old may only be a borderline starter, but he owns a career 23.4% defensive rebounding percentage, including a career-high 27% this season. In 51 starts last season, he averaged 10.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 28.9 minutes, and he's averaged a solid 14.4 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per-36 minutes for his career. Richards' strong finishing inside will be a welcomed sight compared to the struggles of Jusuf Nurkic, who has been dropped out of the rotation completely since losing his starting spot.
As I wrote when Okogie signed his free agent contract last summer, his surprising pay raise felt like a way to give Phoenix a mid-sized salary to match salary in a trade, and now here it is. And not only is Richards under contract cheaply for next year, Yossi Gozlan pointed out that this deal saves them about $20 million with the luxury tax due to how far into it they are. That helps make this addition of potentially a new starting center for a wing defender who's been in and out of the rotation worth a net of two 2nd rounders.
I think it's definitely worth it from Charlotte's perspective as they continue to rebuild. Okogie can be a solid veteran to set an example on defense for their young roster and then be waived this summer with no future commitment, and they continue to add draft capital. The 2nd that they're swapping out is almost certainly going to be Denver's and in the back half of this year's draft, and they already have two 2nd rounders in it anyway. Kicking it forward to next year at least provides the chance of upside in case anything befalls the Nuggets next season, and then the two additional picks are so far out that either could end up near the top of the round given that no players are signed through those seasons yet.
DLo returns to another former team (Shams 12/29)
Lakers receive:
Nets receive:
At this rate, Russell might be back with the Warriors and Wolves again in a couple of years, as well. Jokes aside, he could do well being handed the keys in Brooklyn again not long after the Schroder trade below left them bereft of primary creators. Although they are not exactly trying to win, having a competent poing guard is good for a rebuilding team to have in order to help set up younger players for success. And this trade gives the Nets another 22 year old who was drafted 40th overall just a year and a half ago in Lewis. Adding three draft picks is the main appeal here considering he hasn't put up amazing stats in the G League so far, but he is worth a look with just $100,000 guaranteed for next season.
It's an interesting return considering how DFS has been rumored as a possible way to fetch an additional 1st rounder practically ever since he was acquired from Dallas in the Kyrie Irving trade. They may have waited too long now that he can potentially opt for free agency this summer, but Brooklyn also could have just preferred the salary flexibility with Russell's expiring contract compared to the salary attached to the protected 1st that Memphis was offering according to Marc Stein. Finney-Smith also was a bit up and down in his Nets tenure and turns 32 in May, so I think expectations need to be tempered for LA fans.
It's an interesting return considering how DFS has been rumored as a possible way to fetch an additional 1st rounder practically ever since he was acquired from Dallas in the Kyrie Irving trade. They may have waited too long now that he can potentially opt for free agency this summer, but Brooklyn also could have just preferred the salary flexibility with Russell's expiring contract compared to the salary attached to the protected 1st that Memphis was offering according to Marc Stein. Finney-Smith also was a bit up and down in his Nets tenure and turns 32 in May, so I think expectations need to be tempered for LA fans.
DFS is a prototypical 3-and-D forward who shot 37.1% from deep over the five years prior to the career-best 43.5% so far this season, so it will be interesting to see how he does when spacing the floor for LeBron James and Anthony Davis now. The Lakers had already taken Russell out of the starting lineup in favor of more defense with the ball in hands of James and Austin Reaves, so Finney-Smith could slide into a starting spot held by Max Christie or Rui Hachimura relatively seamlessly. Milton was likely only included to match salaries, but he did have some nice games for the Nets as a backup playmaker. If he can continue to play more like his early 76ers days than how he did last year with three different teams, maybe his non-guaranteed contract could get picked up for next year.
Golden State replaces injured guard (Shams 12/14)
Warriors receive:
2025 Heat 2nd round pick (protected 31-37)
Nets receive:
Another trade that's pretty much reported as done and will be finalized once Melton is trade-eligible tomorrow. He was a great fit for the Warriors as a 3+D guard who can act as an ancillary creator but unfortunately suffered a partial ACL tear last month, so his one-year contract at the MLE level became an obvious trade piece. Golden State being hard-capped at the First Apron limits their trade flexibility, so having to only give up 2nd round draft capital to add the proven secondary playmaker that they need is a really solid move. I would guess that the '26 and '28 Hawks 2nd rounders that they own are a part of this and that Shams' later report of getting a 2nd back will be a protected pick, possibly Miami's (protected 31-37) this year.
12/15 Update: Anthony Slater confirms that it is exactly the two Hawks picks and protected Heat pick involved as I speculated, along with the inclusion of Beekman that I mentioned below from Fischer's report. The terms are now updated above.
I think Schroder has been overrated a bit in the past, but he is more than qualified to be a backup point guard who can also close games next to the star like when he finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting back with the Thunder. He was backing up Chris Paul then, and I would guess that he steps into the role that CP3 had with the Warriors last year, funnily enough. Schroder's 6'7.75" wingspan and outside shooting improving to 37.8% over the past two seasons (34.4% for his career) makes him easier to fit into different lineup combinations, and he could provide the type of spark they need after a 2-7 stretch following their 12-3 start to the season.
It does feel like a little bit of a light return for Brooklyn given the year that Schroder is having, but a cynic might say that he was hurting their chances of tanking too much. At the very least, they're adding to their cache of draft picks instead of simply losing a free agent at the end of the season. Jake Fischer did mention in his report that rookie point guard Reece Beekman could also be heading their way in a rare instance of a player traded while on a Two-Way contract. He was considered a 2nd round prospect at various points of his Virginia career for his defensive prowess, so that could be a sneaky addition to the Nets' return. Beekman is averaging 18.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 2.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks through his first nine G League games, and he could be in line for some point guard minutes at the next level with Schroder out the door.
Indiana adds center depth (Shams 12/13)
Pacers receive:
Heat receive:
2031 2nd round pick swap
This was reported on Friday but can't become official until Sunday since Bryant opted out and re-signed at a slightly lower number over the summer to help lower Miami's luxury tax bill. Now they lower it even more by shipping him out and replacing him with a pro-rated minimum salary, which is understandable considering he's only played 115 total minutes this year after just 441 last season.
Bryant has bounced around a lot in recent years but has had flashes of being a stretch big (35.5% career 3P%) who still helps on the glass. This could be a nice homecoming for the former Hoosier since Indiana has unbelievably lost both James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson to torn Achilles tendons and need another backup big. The addition comes at a pretty minimal cost, and they'll still be able to stay out of the luxury tax.
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