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Trade deadline: Miami and four other teams that could make financially-motivated deals

Five NBA teams could make cost-saving trades ahead of the trade deadline according to HoopsHype’s capologist Yossi Gozlan.

As we get closer to February 9th’s trade deadline, there are some teams that could be motivated to make cost-cutting deals. Some, like the Mavericks and Sixers, could look to decrease their luxury tax penalties for this season. But then there are teams that could be approaching the luxury tax next season with their current roster.

For example, the Raptors are a team that could be looking to make a significant trade partly because all their top players are due for raises in the near future. Whether this season or during the offseason, we could see teams preemptively move some of their highest-paid players to avoid any future tax issues.

Here are some teams that could make financially motivated trades soon.

Top trade candidates on each NBA team this season

Reporting on the top trade candidates for all 30 NBA teams from HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.

NBA executives are beginning their due diligence for the upcoming trade market with December 15th approaching, the first day players who signed offseason contracts can be traded.

Below is the latest intel HoopsHype has gathered on the top trade candidates for all 30 NBA teams.

Q&A: Herbert Jones on NFL safeties he modeled his defense after, Pelicans expectations, more

Pelicans forward Herb Jones explains how he learned defense from Tony Allen, Kawhi Leonard and NFL players Ed Reed and Kam Chancellor.

Pelicans forward Herbert Jones showed why he received votes for the All-Defensive Team as a rookie and is quickly becoming one of the best defenders in the game when he blocked Kevin Durant’s three-point attempt to begin his second NBA season.

“He’s long and athletic,” teammate CJ McCollum said. “He’s low maintenance. He doesn’t complain. Sometimes, he might not get the ball when he’s open. He does his job. He’s wise beyond his years.”

Pelicans coach Willie Green echoed praise for Jones, calling him “key” to their defense because of his ability to disrupt an opponent’s offense.

Despite being a former SEC Defensive Player of the Year, few expected Jones to be this impactful defensively so quickly after he fell to the second round in the draft.

“Nothing was given to him,” McCollum said. “I think he has a hunger and a ‘want to.’ Larry Nance Jr. talked about having to kick him out of the gym. I told him he needs to start going on more vacations. You can only work so much. I think he has that mindset that he’s going to work, and it’ll always pay off. Tonight, he showed his versatility guarding one through five and doing it well.”

Jones spoke with HoopsHype and discussed several topics, including who he watched growing up. The answers will definitely surprise you. The versatile defensive forward also shared his toughest players to guard, goals for the Pelicans this season, his long-term goals for his career, and much more in our interview below.

CJ McCollum: Damian Lillard trying to build a ‘lasting legacy’ with Trail Blazers

CJ McCollum discusses Damian Lillard’s chase to beat Clyde Drexler’s all-time scoring record and legacy with the Portland Trail Blazers.

As New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum stepped to the foul line in a blowout win over the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center, fans chanted, “You need Dame.”

The chant made McCollum laugh after missing one of his free throw attempts. After all, McCollum and Damian Lillard terrorized opposing backcourts by averaging 49 combined points in six full seasons as a starting tandem in Portland. Since the 2015-16 season, when McCollum became a full-time starter, they’re the only duo to score 10,000 points each on the same team, per HoopsHype’s Alberto De Roa.

After the game, McCollum lifted weights and decided to tune into NBA League Pass to watch Lillard’s season debut against the Sacramento Kings as he received his usual postgame treatment routine.

Following a 20-point season debut against the Kings, Lillard (17,530) is now 511 points away from surpassing Clyde Drexler (18,040) as Portland’s all-time career scoring leader.

During the postgame press conference, McCollum was asked by HoopsHype what breaking Drexler’s record would mean to Lillard.

“I think that’s one of the reasons why he’s been so committed to being in Portland to break all the records, show his loyalty to win, and to continue to try and build a lasting legacy,” McCollum replied. “I think he’s done all those things. People will say what they want about him, but he really works on his game, and he really cares about the game of basketball.”

Lillard is Portland’s all-time leader in points per game (24.6), three-pointers (2,144), free throws (3,926), offensive win shares (78.6), and player efficiency rating (22.2).

The six-time All-Star and All-NBA member now ranks ninth on the NBA’s all-time three-pointers list, 15th on the NBA’s career scoring average list, and 87th on the NBA’s all-time points scored list after passing Jason Kidd and counting.

“It shows you why he’s one of the Top 75 greatest players of all-time,” McCollum said. “He’s still a very talented player. I joke with him all the time that if he doesn’t become a billionaire before this is over, you did something wrong.”

You can follow Michael Scotto on Twitter: @MikeAScotto

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NBA executives poll: Who are the top breakout candidates for the 2022-23 season?

NBA executives predict who will be the top breakout players of the 2022-23 season in a poll by HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.

Which players will make the top leaps in their games this year?

HoopsHype polled 20 NBA executives to gauge who will be the top breakout candidates this season. Each executive was asked to list his Top 3 candidates for a breakout campaign.

Most of the talent evaluators prioritized young players who will see an increased role. Others selected younger players who could become All-Stars for the first time.

After receiving the feedback from the executives, the voting results were tabulated, with the top player receiving five points, the second receiving three points, and the third receiving one point for each ballot. Below are the results.

Pelicans season preview: The Zion Williamson show is back

The New Orleans Pelicans were looking like they were heading towards a nightmare season after striking out in 2021 free agency and then losing Zion Williamson for the season. While they got off to a slow start, they got a lot out of roster and …

The New Orleans Pelicans were looking like they were heading towards a nightmare season after striking out in 2021 free agency and then losing Zion Williamson for the season. While they got off to a slow start, they got a lot out of roster and rounded out their rotation at the trade deadline. They made a late push for the play-in tournament and gave Pelicans fans a lot to be excited about after stealing two wins from the Phoenix Suns. They will look to capitalize off their momentum with a deeper push up the Western Conference standings.

Below is a preview of the upcoming 2022-23 Pelicans season.

NBA execs poll: Luka Doncic top player to build around; Evan Mobley, Anthony Edwards Top 5

NBA executives share which players under 25 they’d build around in a HoopsHype poll conducted by Michael Scotto.

In January of 2022, HoopsHype polled 15 NBA executives and asked them to rank their top five players under 25 years old by the start of the NBA season to build around. We have repeated the exercise ahead of the 2022-23 season.

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic was the unanimous first choice among the NBA executives polled, while Evan Mobley and Anthony Edwards were two of the top risers.

Four new players earned votes while three players fell in the ranking.

In our scoring system, the top player received five points, the second received four points, the third received three points, the fourth received two points, and the fifth player received one point for each ballot.

The results of the poll are listed below.

Donovan Mitchell: His potential trade destinations

The NBA world felt shockwaves when the Jazz sent Rudy Gobert to Minnesota in a blockbuster trade for a historic return. When the Jazz got eliminated from the playoffs in April, speculation began on whether the Jazz would break up their All-Star duo and enter a rebuild. In our offseason preview for the Jazz, we concluded that they were in good hands for a rebuild under newly hired Danny Ainge because of his history of extracting optimal value in trades.

The former Boston Celtics executive managed to outdo his previous haul from the 2013 trade with the Brooklyn Nets by not only getting three unprotected first-round picks again (2023, 2025, 2027), but also an additional Top 5 protected first in 2029. If you include this year’s 22nd overall pick, Walker Kessler, the Jazz got five first-round picks for Gobert, all without taking on any long-term money. They also traded Royce O’Neale to the Nets for a first-round pick on the eve of free agency.

Now the big question is, what happens next? And what that really is asking is if the Jazz will also trade Donovan Mitchell now that the roster has taken a major competitive hit in the short term. As hard as it is to move an all-time generational defender, who by all accounts was fully bought-in to the organization and the city of Utah, the return they got was too good to pass.

Trades that make a lot of sense: Kyrie Irving to the Lakers and more

With free agency just three days away, HoopsHype’s salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan came up with several trades he’d like to share.

With free agency just three days away, HoopsHype’s salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan came up with several trades he’d like to share.

NBA rumors: Bradley Beal, Bobby Portis, Nicolas Batum, Lakers, Nets

HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reports the latest intel on Bradley Beal, Bobby Portis and Nicolas Batum. Plus, updates on Lakers, Nets and more.

One of the top free agents on the market has made a decision regarding his player option.

Below is the latest intel gathered by HoopsHype on some of the top names on the free agent market, including Bradley Beal, and notable prospects in this year’s draft class like Jake LaRavia.