Jimmy Butler’s trade situation is still the biggest story, but there are other trade talks happening around the league as well. Here are the latest updates.
Suns looking at Hornets’ centers Phoenix has been interested in trading for Jimmy Butler, but it seems less likely now. As a backup plan, the Suns are focusing on the Charlotte Hornets and their centers: Nick Richards, Mark Williams, and Moussa Diabate.
The Suns’ experiment with Jusuf Nurkic hasn’t worked out, as he has been moved to the bench and has even had a few DNPs recently. A potential trade could involve sending Nurkic to Charlotte in exchange for Richards and picks. The trade could work if Charlotte sends another player to balance the salary, like Vasilije Micic, and includes picks. The Suns are weighing whether this trade is worth it to improve their team this season.
Zach LaVine trade talks stalled, Lakers involved earlier The Chicago Bulls have been trying to trade Zach LaVine, but talks have slowed down. Earlier in the season, the Los Angeles Lakers spoke with the Bulls about a trade, but they later chose to trade for Dorian Finney-Smith instead.
Recently, the Bulls discussed a trade involving LaVine and Michael Porter Jr. with the Denver Nuggets, but those talks have also stalled. LaVine has been playing well, averaging 33.3 points per game with over 58% shooting in January. He’s also grabbing 5.7 rebounds and dishing out 4.8 assists per game.
LaVine commented on the trade rumors: “People are supposed to talk about you, have opinions about you. If you’re not at that level, they wouldn’t talk about you at all… I’ve done a better job this year of just canceling out a lot of the noise.” While a trade for LaVine remains possible, the Bulls are more likely to trade Nikola Vucevic at the deadline before moving LaVine.
Grizzlies, Nets talks on Cameron Johnson “not substantive” The Memphis Grizzlies nearly completed a trade for Dorian Finney-Smith from Brooklyn, but the Nets ended up trading him to Los Angeles. Despite that, Memphis is still in talks with Brooklyn about a potential Cameron Johnson trade, although those talks haven’t progressed much.
According to reports, the discussions aren’t very serious at the moment. Johnson, a 6’8″ two-way wing, is averaging 19.5 points per game and shooting 43.6% from three. Because of his strong performance, the Nets’ asking price is high, reportedly starting at two first-round picks. It’s unclear whether the Grizzlies or any other team will be willing to meet that price.
Pistons looking to improve, not rent cap space The Detroit Pistons are the only team under the salary cap by about $14 million heading into the trade deadline. Typically, this would make them a good candidate to rent out their cap space, helping other teams offload bad contracts in exchange for draft picks.
However, the Pistons, currently sitting at eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 20-19 record and led by Cade Cunningham, are looking to improve their roster to win now. Detroit is letting teams know they aren’t interested in taking on bad contracts just for draft picks. They’re focused on getting players who can help them win in the short term. While they may still be willing to rent out cap space in some deals, the price has gone up.
