It took a while, but the NBA trade season is officially here now that the Trae Young deal came together rather quickly. As usual, this post will be constantly updated to serve as a one-stop shop for every trade that happens up until the deadline.
Like last year's edition, the confirmed salaries come from Keith Smith's work at Spotrac, previously traded draft pick details come from RealGM, and I always make sure to list which reporter was first on the news. The latest deals will be added at the top of the post so that you don't have to keep scrolling to the bottom for updates, and salaries are color-coded based on whether they're player options, team options, or non-guaranteed.
Boston ducks the tax at the buzzer (Shams 2/5)
Hornets receive:
Celtics receive:
2030 Hornets 2nd round pick (protected 31-55)
I was wondering why Boston would do the Minott deal and not have a follow up trade lined up to get out of the luxury tax completely, but it turns out there was one last deal to be reported an hour after the deadline passed. As long as the teams were in the queue to make the trade call into the league office by noon PST today, trades can go through.
The actual money saved here probably won't be a lot more than the reported $3.5 million that Charlotte is receiving now that so many teams got out of the tax to lower the league distribution. However, Boston making these moves could be important since it starts the path towards resetting the repeater penalty. They were taxpayers in each of the last three seasons to trigger that, so they'll need to also avoid the tax next season in order to not be penalized at such harsh rates in '27-28. The fact that they were able to get all the way from the Second Apron to this point and still be tied for 2nd in the East with no Jayson Tatum is pretty remarkable.
Update: The Hornets' official press release is out to confirm that it's a 2nd rounder with maximum protections that they're sending out, as expected.
Milwaukee re-routes Richards (Shams 2/5)
Bulls receive:
Bucks receive:
This will technically end up being a three-way trade with Phoenix's involvement below, but the main point is that Milwaukee is ending up with Dieng instead of Richards, who provides some much needed center help to Chicago.
Charlotte and Dallas flip new guards (Shams 2/5)
Mavericks receives:
Charlotte receives:
Even with both of these guards being acquired just yesterday, they can be traded here since it's a one for one deal without being aggregated. It makes sense, too, since Dallas could really use a set up man and now have more financial flexibility than over the summer. Fischer added that Jones was their main target over Russell but couldn't afford him at the time.
Charlotte didn't really have a need for another point guard, so this was probably to save a little bit of salary and get a look at the younger Branham, whom I liked as a mid-1st rounder coming out of Ohio State. Still only 22, he brings more size at guard to help replace Connaughton, who was waived as part of the Jones trade.
Update: Reading the press release, this technically got looped into the Mavs-Wizards trade that originally landed Branham in Dallas. I don't think that changes the trade mechanics, and Mavericks' Trade Exception worth Hardy's $6,000,000 should stay intact.
Indiana gets their center (Fischer that it was close, Shams and Siegel the deal 2/5)
Pacers receive: $20,756,880 total
Clippers receive: $16,787,573 total
2026 Pacers 1st round pick (protected 1-4 and 10-30, then becomes 2031 1st)
2029 Pacers 1st round pick
2028 Mavericks 2nd round pick
I don't think we've ever seen so many lottery teams be buyers (and all for big men), but since Zubac is on such a great contract, I get it in this case. Including this year's protected pick is fascinating since Indiana currently has the third-best lottery odds. If they stay in that position, then L.A. will have a 47.86% chance of the pick dropping to #5, #6, or #7, otherwise it will become an unprotected 1st five years from now instead of just rolling over to next year like most protections. I suppose the Clippers preferred it this way to try to maintain lottery upside given the uncertainty of the team that far down the line compared to them likely returning to playoff status next season. The back-end protections don't seem likely to come into play since the Pacers would have to drop to the 6th spot in the lottery standings to even have a 0.15% chance of dropping to #10. The 7th spot would have a 1.33% chance of the pick dropping far enough and then 7.13% if in the 8th position, but it is still a pretty creative set up to have here just in case.
The Pacers aren't like the Jazz or Wizards, of course, since they were just a game away from winning the Finals last season before having to take this gap year due to Tyrese Haliburton's torn Achilles. Now they've locked in his new pick and roll partner with a 28 year old (29 next month) who also made 2nd team All-Defense. And they could still add a top-4 pick (in a great draft) to this core with their odds basically coming down to a coin flip pending any big movement in the standings. Gozlan did point out the nearly $800K bonus that Zubac will get from his trade kicker, so I think this is how his salaries will now look:
The Clippers 1st rounder that the Thunder own just got dangerously good again after they had been on a hot streak, but that was a sunk cost for them anyway. After making the Harden trade, cashing in on Zu at the likely peak of his value makes sense with the upside of this return.
In addition to the draft picks, Mathurin is nice get since he's only 23, averaging a career-high 17.8 points, and will be a restricted free agent. He didn't fit into Indy's long-term plans with the other money that they owe and the luxury tax basically acting as a hard cap for them, but he has a ton of talent and had his moments in their Finals run. I've never been particularly high on Jackson, but he does have strong rebounding rates. His shot blocking has seen big a dip in this first year back from his torn Achilles, though, so the money owed to him could be seen as negative.
Philly salary dumps Gordon (Shams 2/5)
Grizzlies receive:
76ers receive:
Draft rights to Justinian Jessup (51st pick in 2020)
Philadelphia had already gotten out of the tax, but now this opens up another roster spot to convert their other Two-Way forward, Jabari Walker. Niang was waived to open a spot for this move, and Kelly Iko reports that Gordon will likely be waived by Memphis after this goes through. This seems like mostly just a favor to another front office that doesn't cost the Grizzlies much and can maybe give a small advantage in the 2nd round far down the line when you don't know how good either team will be.
Brooklyn continues to be a salary dumping ground (Shams 2/5)
Nets receive:
Celtics receive:
Cash considerations
This edges Boston closer to being able to get under the luxury tax line completely. Stein also reported that they're converting the Two-Way contract of Amari Williams, the #46 pick last year, to two year deal that's basically in conjunction to this. I'm projecting that a team option is included so that they can leverage a longer deal in the summer, and you can see the difference in salary for this roster spot here:
Update: In Brooklyn's official press release they announced that this was a straight swap for cash considerations. Minott's always been an intriguing forward with his length and athleticism, so I guess he showed enough to not have to have anything attached to be taken on.
Denver gets out of the tax (Shams 2/5)
Nets receive:
Nuggets receive:
2026 2nd round pick (Lesser of Clippers or Hawks)
Maybe because Tyson was a relatively highly picked 2nd rounder (37th overall in 2023), but this deal proved less costly than some others for Denver to duck the tax. They also create a tiny Trade Exception worth this salary, but these small ones are only really useful for claiming a player who's on a small salary that might not technically be a "minimum contract." It's also being mentioned how they can now convert Spencer Jones' Two-Way contract, but they already had an open roster spot...they just didn't want to use it due to the tax.
Brooklyn will need to create a roster spot again now for this deal that sees them help rebalance their bounty of draft picks to a different year and with more upside.
Update: Shams reports that Cam Thomas will be waived to allow him to find a new home. He's far from perfect, but the lack of interest in him in both restricted free agency and the trade deadline is surprising to me. Maybe his right to veto trades due to signing the qualifying offer hindered things, but in any case, he'll now be able to provide an offensive spark off the bench for any team at pretty much no cost.
2/6 Update: Looking through Brooklyn's press releases, Tyrese Martin was waived for the roster spot, and Tyson ended up being waived after the trade processed. So much for my thought about why this trade didn't cost Denver too much.
New York adds a backup PG (Shams first, Haynes the return 2/5)
Knicks receive:
Pelicans receive:
This might end up being a three-teamer with Chicago to loop in last night's trade, but Terry can be re-routed immediately since he's not being aggregated here. I thought that New York was relatively set at guard with Miles McBride, Landry Shamet, Tyler Kolek, and Jordan Clarkson already available as bench options, but Alvarado has been a rumored target of theirs for a while. He is a defensive upgrade, of course, and going from Yabusele's salary to this gives them more breathing room under the Second Apron to fill their last roster spot.
Update: Fred Katz broke some news that McBride needs sports hernia surgery and might be sidelined until the playoffs, which makes this trade even more important. Fischer later added the pick details that I updated above.
Boston sheds more salary (Shams 2/5)
Jazz receive:
Celtics receive:
This doesn't get Boston out of the luxury tax yet, but they keep getting ever closer. Like with the Ball trade, Utah is just churning through their open roster spot to pick up something for their room below the tax line. Unsurprisingly, Scotto adds that Boucher is going to be waived to hopefully join a playoff team.
Update: Now that Utah's official press release is out, I added the details about a future 2nd rounder, cash, and Two-Way player Tonje to the list above. That explains the timing of Boston converting Williams' Two-Way contract immediately since they needed an open spot.
Phoenix gets out of the tax (Shams 2/5)
Bucks receive: $7,048,494 total
Suns receive: $4,592,548 total
Immediately after Shams reported that Milwaukee is keeping Giannis (meaning even more rumors due to this delaying of the inevitable), the talk of them wanting to go the other way and add came to fruition here. Richards is a solid backup big man thanks to his rebounding, and while both Anthony and Coffey have proven to be useful rotation players in the past, they didn't work out as minimum signings. Hayes-Davis also returns to Wisconsin after starring for the Badgers back in the day, so that's fun.
The main thing here is that Phoenix has climbed all the way out of the Second Apron to duck the tax completely after this. All three of Anthony, Coffey, and Hayes-Davis can be taken in via the Minimum Exception, and the Suns will create two separate Trade Exceptions worth the salaries of Richards and Hayes-Davis.
Update: Hayes-Davis was actually waived after this went through, so nevermind about what I said about fun.
2/7 Update: It wasn't mentioned in the press release, but The IV Point Play reported that Phoenix $4.5 million to Milwaukee as part of this deal. That's a pretty good incentive to take on the extra salary and help the Suns receive the tax distribution instead of paying into it.
L.A. land a shooter (Dan Woike that it was close, Shams the deal 2/5)
Lakers receive:
Hawks receive:
There goes the only 2nd rounder that L.A. owned. Kennard is an absolutely elite shooter, but given his tendency to fall out of rotations in the playoffs due to his defense, I'm a little surprised that this is the move the Lakers used it for. The money being a wash is nice since they're so close to the Second Apron, and the expiring salary doesn't hinder their cap space plans for the summer, at least.
Following last night's addition of a similar shooter in Hield, this helps balance out Atlanta's roster that lacks point guards. The draft pick being so far out helps its upside chances since Doncic will be older and possibly not on the team by then. Lastly, they can use their Bogdan Bogdanovic Trade Exception here before it expires tomorrow and create a new TE worth Kennard's salary with a new shelf life for a year.
Minnesota lands its guard help (Jon Krawczynski 2/5)
Timberwolves receive: $9,740,195 total
Bulls receive: $8,797,797 total
It's kind of funny that these teams agreed to this deal now after they just made the Conley trade two nights ago that could have potentially been looped in here. Dosunmu garnering one more draft pick than White is also notable given how both are pending free agents, with Scotto adding details on which picks are involved. Maybe that's due to Dillingham's salary for next season, but in theory landing the #8 overall pick from just two years ago was part of the appeal of this deal.
Maybe the expected price point to re-sign White versus Dosunmu was a factor, but in any case, this was a great pickup worth those picks in my opinion. Minnesota really needed another guard who can do a little bit of everything like this. Despite only averaging 26.4 minutes this season, he's averaging 15 points and 3.6 assists (against only 1.4 turnovers) on 51.4%/45.1%/85.7% shooting while taking 4.3 threes. The scoring, 3PA, 3P%, and FT% all career-highs, and he just turned 26 last month. Dosunmu doesn't have quite the same size or defensive versatility that they had with Nickeil Alexander-Walker last year, but he has good length length himself at 6'3.5" without shoes and a 6'10.5" wingspan that's actually a touch more than NAW's 6'9.5".
Chicago finally swaps out a guard for size (Shams 2/4)
Bulls receive:
Knicks receive:
It's unfortunate that Yabusele, who had a strong market in free agency, didn't fit with what was being required by Mike Brown, who was hired after the signing. At least now New York was able to get off of the money owed in next year's player option without having to attach anything to him, and who knows, maybe Terry will provide surprising depth with a change of scenery. I like him coming out of Arizona, but the former 1st rounder never found a way to make an impact. Now Chicago at least has some heft up front following their flurry of trades that left the roster so guard heavy at the moment.
2/5 Update: K.C. Johnson reports that Yabusele agreed to remove his player option for next season as part of this trade. There were rumors that he had offers to play overseas, so I guess he's confident enough in his ability to get a new deal somewhere if he just gets more of an opportunity to play than he had in New York.
Toronto adds center depth (Shams 2/4)
Raptors receive:
Warriors receive:
2026 Lakers 2nd round pick
Golden State has a severe lack of 2nd round picks, so picking up one here for their own former late 2nd rounder who hasn't been able to hold onto a rotation spot is solid. Toronto's big man rotation has been in flux with Jakob Poeltl's back injury, so they get a cheap option here with an extra pick that they had. I'm guessing that they'll use part of the MLE here, or they could use the new Agbaji Trade Exception, while still having room under the tax line after that deal.
The Kuminga saga finally ends (Shams 2/4)
Warriors receive:
Hawks receive: $31,719,512 total
I had thought about Porzingis as an ideal stretch big fit next to Draymond Green when Boston was shopping him over the summer, but the money didn’t work at the time with Kuminga’s Base Year Compensation issues in a sign-and-trade. Now it does, and I believe that since the salaries are actually a match in a one for one trade, Golden State creates a Trade Exception worth Hield's $9,219,512. The veteran shooter needed to be included since First Apron teams must send out more money than they receive, and it doesn't hurt that they also get off of the $3 million that he had guaranteed for next season. This also creates an open roster spot to convert Pat Spencer's Two-Way contract. (2/5 Update: Upon further examination this morning, I realized that with the trade mechanics of an Apron team, a TE isn't created here. My mistake.)
This is not the blockbuster that fans wanted, but Porzingis is an impactful player on both ends with averages of 20.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.8 blocks in 30 minutes over the past four season. The 49.6%/38.7%/84.4% shooting coming with 5.4 three point attempts per game is especially nice for a rim protector. The question around him is always availability, and a myriad of health issues has limited him to just 17 games this season after 42 and 57 the prior two with the Celtics. Al Horford was one of his front court mates there, and they'll now reunite to form a versatile group of big men with Green. That is if all can stay healthy, of course, and director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini might be his toughest test yet. At least Porzingis is only 30 years old compared to the other two and comes with no future commitment if things don't work out.
This is also a pretty risk free gamble for Atlanta given the team option on Kuminga and small guarantee for Hield. Their GM, Onsi Saleh, was in Golden State when they drafted the athletic forward, who was actually selected 13 spots ahead of Hawks star Jalen Johnson. I'm curious to see how their fit together will look, especially since last year's #1 pick Risacher recently came back from injury, but in any case, this is a nice upside play at the cost of an expiring contract that didn't work out. Kuminga could never seem to find his way consistently enough with what the Warriors wanted him to do compared to how he wants to play, but the talent is there for the 23 year old.
2/5 Update: Michael Scotto reports that Reath and Dante, both out for the season, will be waived to open the roster spots for this and the Landale addition.
Charlotte adds another guard (Shams 2/4)
Hornets receive:
Magic receive:
Cash considerations
This gets Orlando out of the luxury tax after Jones didn't work out as an organizer for them. Charlotte's deals earlier did end up as two transactions, which means that they presumably did use part of the MLE on Dieng, and now Jones will fit snugly in just about the rest of it as a free pickup for depth while adding even more draft equity. The Magic ended up paying about the same price as the Cavs did below, and they will likewise create a Trade Exception worth Jones' salary.
Update: The Hornets waived Pat Connaughton in a corresponding move to free up a roster spot.
OKC picks up future trade fodder (Team announcement 2/4)
Thunder receive:
Draft rights to Balsa Koprivica (57th pick in 2021)
Jazz receive:
Cash considerations
I'm only listing this in the spirit of including every trade that goes down in this post, but I don't expect this late draft pick from 5 years ago to become a contributor. At Keith Smith pointed out, the players whose draft rights OKC own are too old to be included in trades now, so they bought an extra one. As shown in the Brooklyn trade below, this can be useful for trades when a team needs to send out something to make it an actual trade when the other team just wants to give up someone.
Hawks add center depth (Shams 2/4)
Hawks receive:
Jazz receive:
Cash considerations
Atlanta needed a backup big man with Porzingis' status often in doubt and N'Faly Dante out for the season, and Utah has plenty of depth, along with a need for a roster spot for the trade below. Sometimes it's that easy.
Cleveland sheds more salary (Shams 2/4)
Jazz receive:
2028 Cavaliers 2nd round pick
2032 Cavaliers 2nd round pick
Cavaliers receive:
Cash considerations
This saves Cleveland $65 million in luxury tax payments, per Gozlan, and they're pretty close to getting out of the Second Apron even. This also creates a nice Trade Exception worth Ball's salary, likely for next year's roster building.
Even with yesterday's big trade, Utah still had flexibility under the tax to take on a contract like this. They will likely use the rest of the Collins TE in order to add more draft picks here, with these being the last two that Cleveland had to trade. With next year a team option, it's expected that Ball will be waived and free to join a contender, though his production this year has taken an unfortunate nosedive.
2/5 Update: Ball was officially released, but neither Utah's nor Cleveland's announcement mentioned anything that went back the other way.
2/6 Update: Keith Smith let me know that it was just cash going the other way, and I'd venture that it was the minimum amount required to send.
L.A. and Toronto shed salary (Shams 2/4)
Raptors receive:
Nets receive:
2032 Raptors 2nd round pick
Cash considerations, via Clippers
Clippers receive:
Vanja Marinkovic (60th pick in 2019)
This gets the Raptors under the luxury tax line while trimming the Clippers' tax bill after their franchise legend was sent home from the team earlier in the season. Shams is already reporting that Paul is not expected to report to the team as they discuss another home for him.
As soon as I pressed update with my speculation on L.A.'s return, Fischer added which former draft pick it was. This deal is really just about the $7 million or so saved in tax payments, with Haynes reporting that they're sending Brooklyn $3.5 million to facilitate this, and clearing space under their First Apron hard cap to convert the Two-Way contracts of Kobe Sanders and Jordan Miller.
2/5 Update: Scotto reports that Haywood Highsmith is being waived to create the roster spot for the Nets. He unfortunately has yet to play this season after having offseason knee surgery.
Charlotte picks up former UNC guard (Shams first, Siegel on the three-way 2/4)
Hornets receive: $23,662,927 total (sent out $21,271,274)
OKC needed to clear a roster spot for McCain, so they'll likely execute this first, immediately waive Plumlee, and then do the Philly trade. The difference in Dieng's and Plumlee's salaries, $4,374,608, matches perfectly with McCain's $4,221,360 to keep them from going into the tax, and since Plumlee can be taken into the Minimum Exception, they should create a Trade Exception worth all of Dieng's salary. They would then likely use the MLE to take in McCain and leave that new TE since it would have a longer shelf life of a full year.
Like with Saric, Chicago is able to re-trade Conley immediately since he's not technically being aggregated here: the two for two trade can work as two separate one for one trades. As I speculated yesterday, there's already talk from Fischer and Brett Siegel that he could get bought out, and now that he's been traded again, he could technically return to Minnesota.
This might end up as two separate transactions for Charlotte with them first using part of their MLE to take in Dieng, and then sending him to Chicago. Since they likely won't be using the MLE, I believe doing it that way is most beneficial to create a Trade Exception worth the difference in Sexton's and Conley's salaries, $8,200,962. Doing it as a three-way deal would preserve the MLE but only create a TE worth Plumlee's minimum contract.
This continues the nifty work done by the Hornets, who have stayed hot after I pointed out the turnaround with their surprisingly killer starting lineup. Consider how last year they got a (bad) 1st rounder to take on Jusuf Nurkic's contract for smaller contracts and a 2nd, flipped him for Sexton and a 2nd, and now are turning him into White at the net cost of two 2nd rounders. The North Carolina native missed the first 11 games of the season and has seen his shooting tick a touch down, but he only turns 26 this month as an electric playmaker. Over the last three seasons he's averaged 19.5 points, 4.8 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 2.4 turnovers in 33.9 minutes with 44.8%/36.9%/85.9% shooting on 7.4 threes and 4 free throw attempts.
Sexton is a strong offensive player in his own right, but he's more of a volume scorer with slightly more turnovers and less spacing. The 38.8% career 3P% is good but comes on only 3.8 attempts per game, or 4.7 per 36. I'm still surprised that his trade value was so low last summer, and now he's on the move again to replace White. The return is underwhelming for Chicago in terms of draft equity, so hopefully they can get the most out of the players involved, with Dieng at least worth a flier as an athletic forward whom the Thunder once drafted with the pick ahead of Jalen Williams.
2/6 Update: Katz reports that White's physical discovered a calf injury that will cause him to miss some time, so the trade was amended to remove one of the 2nd rounders.
OKC adds another guard (Shams 2/4)
Thunder receive:
76ers receive:
2026 Rockets 1st round pick (protected 1-4, then becomes 2026 2nd)
2027 2nd round pick (Best of Heat, Pacers Rockets, or Thunder)
2028 Bucks 2nd round pick
2028 Thunder 2nd round pick
I thought that the reigning champs might add another forward instead of a guard since they already have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell, and Isaiah Joe, but this could just be a value that they thought they couldn't pass up. They were looking at having three or four 1st round picks in this coming draft (from the Clippers, Rockets, 76ers, and maybe the Jazz, with their own going to Dallas), so moving the Houston one for a more known commodity who can help the current campaign makes a ton of sense.
It's a little funny that Oklahoma City have Philadelphia's 1st rounder but instead gave them Houston's since they have a better record right now, along with three 2nd rounders, whose details were first reported by Fischer. Philly bailing on McCain so quickly after the fast start to his career last season before he went down with a torn meniscus is surprising but not a total shock after the additions of VJ Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes since then. Now they are out of the luxury tax, no longer out a 1st rounder in this draft, and have a roster spot to convert Dominick Barlow's Two-Way after his emergence as a regular starter for them.
Washington makes it back to back days with a shocker (Shams 2/4)
Wizards receive: $68,107.724 total
Mavericks receive: $43,645,083 total
2029 Rockets 2nd round pick
I guess the new trend for rebuilding teams is to make their big moves at the deadline when they have more flexibility than competitors will have in the summer. Even the trade mechanics of this are similar to yesterday's Jackson deal with Dallas creating a large Trade Exception (the difference in salary between Davis and Middelton, $20,830,154) and Washington needing to use their own Exceptions to take back the smaller pieces. All four players they're sending out were needed to salary match with Davis, and then Hardy will likely go into the Jonas Valanciunas TE (that was going to expire tomorrow), Russell probably eats into the Kelly Olynyk TE (leaving $7,760,122 left), and Exum into the Minimum Exception.
I wonder how many games we'll actually see with Trae and AD together this season as they recover from their respective injuries since the Wizards are still in position for top-5 lottery odds, but it could be a dynamic pick and roll tandem down the line. Davis is a pretty interesting front court partner for franchise centerpiece Alex Sarr since each can toggle between power forward and center with their perimeter skills on offense and shot blocking. With Washington's recent 1st rounders Tre Johnson, Kyshawn George, Bilal Coulibaly, Bub Carrington, and Will Riley providing a variety of lineup options on the perimeter next to Young, they will be intriguing next year.
This gets Dallas out of the luxury tax this season in addition to restocking their barren stock of draft picks. The 1st rounders lack upside, but this at least helps make up for the fact that they likely won't control their own 1st between 2027-2030. The '27 pick is only top-2 protected, they owe pick swaps in '28 and '30, and the '29 pick is gone outright, though they have the Lakers' 1st rounder that year. They also didn't have 2nd round picks in 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029, and 2031 before this either.
Of course, those picks were somewhat recklessly sent out the door by previous GM Nico Harrison when they were going all in to build around Luka Doncic. That got them to two Wester Conference Finals and a Finals appearance before the utterly shocking trade of Doncic for Davis a year ago, and now they're settling for this return in a cold market for The Brow.
To recap, Doncic (due $46 for this season before a $49 million player option) was traded alongside Maxi Kleber (due $11 million this season), Markieff Morris (expiring contract), and a 2nd round pick for Davis (contract above), Max Christie (on a good extension), and just a single 1st round pick. Now the only long-term returns are Christie, one unprotected 1st, these two low upside 1st rounders, three 2nd rounders, and Johnson, who has shown intriguing flashes but is likely a backup combo guard. Good riddance to Harrison.
L.A. and Cleveland swap guards (Mannix had first news 2/2; Shams the deal 2/3)
Cavaliers receive:
Clippers receive:
Cleveland being the team to concede draft compensation is really surprising given the 10.5 year age difference, so they must have really been worried about Garland's health. The near identical salaries make this pretty straightforward otherwise, with Harden waiving his implicit no trade clause and most of his trade bonus to facilitate this. I believe he'll only get bumped up to the same salary as Garland since Cleveland is an Apron team who can't take back more salary than they're sending out. I've listed his player option as purple since even if he picks it up, it's only guaranteed for $13,317,307 until July 11th, but there could be an understanding that they will guarantee all of it (or give him a new deal after opting out).
After missing the first seven games of the season following surgery on his left big toe, Garland has now missed the last nine games with a sprain to his right big toe, in addition to other time missed in between. In the 26 games he has been able to play, his shooting is a tick down, particularly from 3 (36% compared to 39.2% on the basically same amount of attempts), but his per minute stats are about the same as the prior four seasons, aka since he made his first All-Star team. There's definitely a chance that L.A. was just gifted a core piece of their long-term future if he can get past the various maladies that have been problematic in recent years.
The timing of Harden wanting out is pretty crazy since Mannix first broke the story last night when the Clippers were on a 17-4 stretch after starting the season a dreadful 6-21. The Cavs are on an 8-2 run in their own right, though, and being on more stable ground in the playoff picture thanks to residing in the East could give The Beard more reasonable hope of attaining his first title. Based on the two guards' play and availability this year, it's fair to say that Cleveland got a short term upgrade as they try to maximize their window of contention before Donovan Mitchell could potentially opt out in 2027, which could dovetail with the end of Harden's current contract. We will see just how long this new partnership lasts as Harden joins his fifth team in the past six seasons.
Boston adds more size (Shams 2/3)
Celtics receive:
2027 Nuggets 2nd round pick
Bulls receive:
Neemias Queta and Luka Garza have done an admirable job at center for Boston, but this deal gives them more experience in addition to shaving around $20+ million off of their luxury tax bill. And if they can shed about $6 million more in salary, they could get out of the tax completely. Starting with their summer trades of Jrue Holiday and Krisptaps Porzingis, this is like the opposite of the old "trade a paperclip for..." sequence. As Gozlan pointed out on Twitter, Vucevic fits almost perfectly into the Porzingis Trade Exception, so now they can create a new, even bigger TE worth Simons' salary.
Going back to Vucevic's last couple of years in Orlando, he's become a pretty legitimate stretch center to average 4.4 attempts over a large sample size of eight seasons. He's connected at a 35.6% clip over that span but with two seasons above the 40% mark and 37.6% in the current campaign. The defensive vulnerabilities might limit his minutes on a bigger contender like the Celtics compared to the Bulls, but allowing them to play five out like they like is pretty useful.
Chicago is getting a pretty good draft pick to help them out since it will likely be near the very start of the 2nd round thanks to New Orleans being so bad (with the details via Keith Smith). They now have an absolute logjam at guard between their moves, but I expect that they're not done dealing yet, with Coby White (and to some extent Ayo Dosunmu) in a lot of rumors.
Guards get swapped around the midwest (Shams 2/3)
Bulls receive: $20,881,201 total ($23,417,471 sent out)
Pistons receive: $23,417,471 total ($10,774,038 sent out)
Timberwolves receive: $0 total ($10,774,038 sent out)
Cash considerations
I'm still waiting on more news about what Minnesota is getting out of this, but for now they're still just above the luxury tax line if taking no salary back. Detroit had a lot of flexibility under the tax to make an uneven trade like this, and I think they're using part of the Schroder Trade Exception to take in Saric in order to get a small jump at the end of the 1st round. As of this morning, the Pistons hold the #29 pick while the Wolves own #23 to make that a worthy proposition.
Although Huerter isn't as dynamic of a trade target as I expected for them to add offensive reinforcements, he is a 37.1% career 3-point shooter on 5.6 attempts in 27.8 minutes. That's down to just 31.4% this season, so hopefully he has a post-trade bounce back like last season when he went from 30.2% with the Kings to 37.6% with the Bulls.
In theory, Ivey would've been that more explosive force to help take pressure off of Cade Cunningham, but after missing the end of last year with a broken fibula and the start of this season with a minor knee injury, it kind of seemed like that ship had sailed. He's only averaged 16.8 minutes in 33 games, almost exclusively off the bench, so a trade ahead of restricted free agency this summer made sense. I thought that Detroit might get more for him, but instead Chicago gets a nice test drive before a potential deal.
This is another sneakily nice move by the Bulls to actually take on a little money for once in order to add value. They don't have much need for a veteran like Conley, especially with all of the guards they already have, so I wonder where he might end up. If bought out, it would be cool to see him try for his first ring with his fellow 2007 top-10 picks Kevin Durant and Jeff Green since Houston could use a proven organizer, but I'm just speculating here.
Update: Fischer reports that the Wolves are receiving cash in the deal, so this move is all about financial flexibility, potentially setting the stage for a bigger trade now that they're under the First Apron for trade matching purposes. I'm surprised that they weren't interested in Ivey themselves since they've been looking for guard help all season, but I guess all else is on hold while they pursue the Greek Freak.
2/6 Update: Shams reports that Conley will sign back with Minnesota since Chicago subsequently traded him, which means the Wolves are no longer his most recent team and thus eligible to sign him. Besides all of this maneuvering saving them a decent amount in luxury payments, we'll see if getting under the First Apron proves meaningful. Doing so allows them to sign a buyout player whose previous salary was above the MLE amount of $14,104,218. There hasn't been anyone who fits that description yet, but Middleton might be the main name to watch in that regard.
Utah makes a shocker (Shams 2/3)
Jazz receive: $45,762,861 total
Grizzlies receive: $27,537,912 total
Of all the teams to pry JJJ away from Memphis just months after he signed an extension, I don't think anyone expected this. Perhaps Utah is preparing to let Walker Kessler go in restricted free agency this summer, or else Lauri Markkanen will be playing a whole lot of small forward (and Ace Bailey playing guard?). Jake Fischer had the details on which picks are involved to get the deal over the hump, and aside from probably the Lakers one, there's some nice upside there.
Utah had a cache of draft capital to deal from, but it's certainly notable that adding Jackson could lead to losing their pick this season. The Thunder get it if it lands outside of the top-8, and the Jazz are currently 6th in the lottery standings. We'll see how much he ends up playing down the stretch if the records around them are close.
I think that Utah is using their John Collins Trade Exception for Konchar, the PJ Tucker TE to take in Williams, and the Minimum Exception for Landale, with all of their aggregated salary needed for Jackson. On the other side, Konchar, Williams, and Landale combine for enough to match most of the incoming salary, so Memphis will create a massive Trade Exception worth the difference in salary between Jackson and Hendricks: $28,872,920.
Hendricks actually got some JJJ comparisons during the 2023 draft process when he went 9th overall, so he's a nice get in this deal if he can fully come back from the gruesome broken fibula and dislocated ankle that he suffered early in last season. Clayton was an even more recent 1st round pick having been taken just last year in a trade up that cost them three 2nd rounders just to move up from #21 to #18. Having to include a versatile guard on a cheap contract like Williams in the deal is tough, but I like this overall return of getting those two on top of the draft capital. They also now have so much luxury tax space that they could use this new TE to act as a salary dumping ground to pick up even more draft picks to boot.
Conversely, I'm pretty puzzled by the Jazz's side, but that might be because I feel like it's somewhat of a waste how much small forward that Markkanen already plays. I just think you can get better lineup combinations going the other way. Will Hardy is one of the best young coaches, though, so it should be interesting to see how he plays things in the future. This signals a turn towards actually trying to win games next season after a prolonged rebuild, with the breakout season of Keyonte George likely playing a part in that decision. It's just a curious choice to do it now when they're 15-35 and potentially in danger of losing that aforementioned pick compared to the summer.
Hendricks actually got some JJJ comparisons during the 2023 draft process when he went 9th overall, so he's a nice get in this deal if he can fully come back from the gruesome broken fibula and dislocated ankle that he suffered early in last season. Clayton was an even more recent 1st round pick having been taken just last year in a trade up that cost them three 2nd rounders just to move up from #21 to #18. Having to include a versatile guard on a cheap contract like Williams in the deal is tough, but I like this overall return of getting those two on top of the draft capital. They also now have so much luxury tax space that they could use this new TE to act as a salary dumping ground to pick up even more draft picks to boot.
Conversely, I'm pretty puzzled by the Jazz's side, but that might be because I feel like it's somewhat of a waste how much small forward that Markkanen already plays. I just think you can get better lineup combinations going the other way. Will Hardy is one of the best young coaches, though, so it should be interesting to see how he plays things in the future. This signals a turn towards actually trying to win games next season after a prolonged rebuild, with the breakout season of Keyonte George likely playing a part in that decision. It's just a curious choice to do it now when they're 15-35 and potentially in danger of losing that aforementioned pick compared to the summer.
Portland adds perimeter depth (Shams 2/1)
Trail Blazers receive:
Hawks receive:
Krejci has seen his role in Atlanta decrease since Kispert's arrival, but he's a great shooter in his own right with a 40.5% career mark from deep on 6.4 attempts per 36 minutes. Although not a dynamic playmaker, he brings good size as a 6'8" ball handler and is on a cheap contract that comes with little commitment. With Reath recently undergoing season-ending foot surgery, this is a solid price to pay in draft capital to replace his roster spot with an actual contributor. I don't love it for the Hawks since I've always kind of liked Krejci, but I can understand cashing in now.
Schroder gets moved yet again (Stein and Scotto had it as close, Shams had it official 1/31)
Cavaliers receive: $16,405,587 total (sending out $23,303,571)
Kings receive: $23,303,571 total (sending out $21,831,987)
Bulls receive: $5,426,400 total (sending out $0)
Chicago is taking in Saric's salary by using the rest of the Trade Exception that was created by last year's trade of Zach LaVine...to Sacramento. These teams can't help but made deals together, but it's pretty good business by the Bulls to use a TE that was about to expire on Tuesday in order to pick up two draft picks. They are still in no danger crossing the luxury tax line even with Saric's salary, which is an expiring contract anyway. It did require waiving veteran Jevon Carter for the roster spot and sending out Miller on a Two-Way, but it didn't seem like either were in their long-term plans.
Gozlan pointed out that this is the eighth time that Schroder's been traded, tied for the second-most in NBA history. In this case, I think it's less about wanting him as a backup guard as opposed to Cleveland wanting to save around $50 million in salary and luxury tax payments. They had to waive Luke Travers in order to open up a Two-Way spot for Miller, but they had an open roster spot to pick up a better perimeter defender in Ellis, who was heavily in trade rumors with a bunch of teams.
Sacramento could have declined the cheap team option that Ellis is playing on this season in order to have made him a restricted free agent last summer and get him signed long-term with that leverage. Instead, they're now trading him ahead of potentially losing him in unrestricted free agency this offseason, with the more expensive Hunter replacing him on the wing. They did get off of the money owed to Schroder (with the last year $4,350,000 guaranteed), but it's not really a great sign that they had to get rid of their big free agent addition from the summer after just half of a season.
Hunter is now on the move less than a year after Cleveland traded for him, in part thanks to the emergence of Jaylon Tyson (whose brother, Jordyn, might be the WR1 in this year's NFL draft, as an aside). After having a career-year last year, Hunter's shooting has seen a huge decline from 47%/40.5%/84.6% for 62.3% True Shooting to 42.3%/30.8%/86.9% and 55.3% TS. Maybe another change of scenery will help to help make him worth the increase in payroll for next season that could have the Kings dealing with luxury tax concerns. This did at least open up a couple of roster spots so that they can convert Two-Way big man Dylan Cardwell to a standard roster spot after he's had some productive minutes as a rebounder off the bench.
2/5 Update: Shams reports that Cardwell is getting a four year deal with two years fully guaranteed, which likely means using a piece of the MLE to go that long.
Trae salary dumped to Washington (Stein/Shams 1/7)
Wizards receive: $45,999,660 total
Hawks receive: $44,641,666 total
Marc Stein was all over this being the landing spot these last few days and even had the likely package before Shams Charania reported the deal was done. It's an underwhelming return for Atlanta's former face of the franchise but a fair move on both sides, even if each thought that they deserved to receive draft compensation.
Despite some gaudy stats as a dangerous offensive engine, Young just didn't seem to have a ton of value around the league due to his heavily ball dominant style of play, being arguably the worst defensive player in the league, and his contract situation. Add in the fact that multiple injuries have limited him to just 10 games this season, with the Hawks just 2-8 in them, and this is the resulting trade package.
With today's win, they are now 16-11 without him, and offseason addition Nickeil Alexander-Walker's career-year (20.5 points and 3.3 assists in 32.9 minutes) helps fill the gaps. Jalen Johnson has fully entrenched himself as the new franchise cornerstone, and the combined playmaking (on both ends) of him, Alexander-Walker, and Dyson Daniels makes Atlanta a more versatile team. The addition of McCollum can help provide more offense as a pure guard, at least in the short-term and likely off the bench, and Kispert adds more depth on the wing as a very capable shooter on a solid contract.
The finances are key here since the Hawks reportedly didn't offer Young an extension last offseason and prefer to have financial flexibility rather than seeing him potentially pick up that nearly $49 million player option. We'll see what other moves they end up making and how high of a draft pick they get from the Pelicans to affect the rookie scale contract, but as of now the expiring contracts of McCollum, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luke Kennard set them up to have around $30 million in cap space this summer after this deal, per Yossi Gozlan. He and Sam Quinn have talked about this kind of trade on their Third Apron podcast along with the idea of having a guard like Coby White as a potential target to serve as a playmaker and scorer who can operate off the ball more than Young in basically the role that McCollum will fill for now. There's also been plenty of reporting about Atlanta's pursuit of Anthony Davis, and if Zaccharie Risacher does end up in that kind of deal, perhaps Kispert could help backfill those minutes a bit.
Washington was set to have over $80 million in room, so they're basically getting a head start on using it at the cost of Kispert, who wasn't quite in their future plans as a draft pick of the former regime who is about to turn 27 in March. Young just turned 27 himself this past September, so it's not like they're really speeding up their team's timeline by getting a lot older here. This was his preferred destination according to Shams earlier today, and you have to wonder if that's code for "this is where he knows he can get paid." It would not be a surprise if that player option is replaced in the near future with a 3 year extension with a little bit of a lower average salary.
Although I've never been as high on Young as others, I think this is a fascinating buy-low opportunity. On the one hand, it would be nice to continue to allow the intriguing Wizards prospects to get more reps with the ball in their hands and spread their wings. On the other, they need an organizer to see what the kids can do with better looks in a more functional environment. Young can easily serve as a floor-raiser for what's currently the #27 offense in the league. As long as a new contract isn't outlandish, this could be a worthwhile way for them to use their cap space.
No comments:
Post a Comment