Tag: Miami Heat

Podcast: Discussing the top rumors ahead of 2020 NBA trade deadline

Alex Kennedy and Frank Urbina preview the 2020 NBA trade deadline, discussing the various teams and players to keep an eye on.

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On this episode of The HoopsHype Podcast, Alex Kennedy and Frank Urbina preview the 2020 NBA trade deadline. They discuss the teams and players to keep an eye on over the next 24 hours. Time-stamps are below!

1:15: The New York Knicks are reportedly open for business since firing Steve Mills. Now, they’re apparently open to trading Marcus Morris. They’re also one of the teams in the mix for D’Angelo Russell.

4:45: Discussing what the Los Angeles Lakers may do ahead of the deadline. They’ve shown interest in Morris, Spencer Dinwiddie, Dennis Schroeder and Darren Collison among others, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. Also, will Kyle Kuzma be traded?

8:15: The Los Angeles Clippers are keeping tabs on what the Lakers are doing and they’re competing for many of the same players. Alex and Frank discuss the Clippers’ options. If they land Morris, how much better would they be?

12:15: The Phoenix Suns are reportedly listening to offers for Kelly Oubre all of a sudden, which is somewhat surprising. Are the Suns sellers?

13:40: Discussing the Golden State Warriors’ trade talks, including their options with D’Angelo Russell, Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III.

21:20: The Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers reportedly want to add a shooter, but Milwaukee doesn’t want to disrupt their chemistry and Philadelphia doesn’t have many trade chips.

26:55: Prior to the Warriors-Nets game in Brooklyn, Alec Burks was on the phone for a while and then was consoled by Warriors staffers, according to HoopsHype’s Bryan Kalbrosky. Alex and Frank react to this as well as the fact that Burks and Robinson III were held out of tonight’s game.

28:35: Breaking down the Oklahoma City Thunder’s options leading up to the deadline. They’re open to selling Schroeder, Danilo Gallinari and Steven Adams, but they have reportedly fielded some calls as a buyer too.

31:30: The Miami Heat have expressed in Gallinari and Iguodala (who they traded for shortly after this was recorded). Alex and Frank discuss Miami’s options, Iguodala’s fit with the Heat and more.

34:50: What will the San Antonio Spurs do ahead of the deadline? They’ve reportedly had conversations about DeMar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge and Rudy Gay, but they’re asking for a lot. They’ve also made calls that indicate they could be a buyer.

37:15: Discussing the Detroit Pistons’ options in regards to Andre Drummond, Markieff Morris and Derrick Rose.

40:55: Breaking down the Toronto Raptors’ approach to the deadline. They are reportedly a buyer. Will Masai Ujiri make a move? And how tough is it for Masai to make a trade these days after fleecing so many rival executives?

43:40: Alex and Frank each share a trade that they’d love to see happen prior to the deadline.

Report: Grizzlies Andre Iguodala traded to Miami, agrees to extension

The desired target of the Los Angeles Lakers has landed with the Lakers legend Pat Riley and the Miami Heat, according to reports.

The Los Angeles Lakers pursuit of Andre Iguodala, as well as the pursuit of several other teams, has ended. Rather than going back to Los Angeles, Iguodala will be spending the twilight of his amazing NBA career on the shores of Miami Beach.

Andre Iguodala has not only been traded from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Miami Heat, but the 16-year NBA veteran has agreed to a contract extension to stay in Miami, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Shams Charania of The Athletic followed up by reporting the Heat maintained their flexibility to pursue free agents in 2021 by making the second year a team option.

In exchange for Iguodala, the crown jewel for the Grizzlies was Miami wing Justise Winslow.

Given that Winslow is cost-controlled for the next couple of seasons and also adds some extra creative ability to the Grizzlies, it’s not hard to see why the Lakers never had a chance in a potential bidding war for the services of Iguodala.

Even if they had given up Kyle Kuzma and Alex Caruso, they clearly didn’t have the available talent to exchange that the Grizzlies thought was worth Iguodala’s market price.

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Report: Lakers tried ‘all avenues’ for Iguodala but Heat frontrunner to land him

The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly tried to acquire Iguodala but are unlikely to do so, according to Yahoo’s Chris Haynes.

The Los Angeles Lakers have been trying to improve their team through various avenues over the past few weeks and the same goes for their cross hallway rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers. But one of the crown jewels of this year’s trade deadline looks like he will be in a different, luxurious locale.

According to multiple reports, the Miami Heat are in serious talks with the Memphis Grizzlies to acquire Andre Iguodala as they attempt to make a run to the NBA Finals. The Lakers, according to Yahoo’s Chris Haynes, explored all avenues to acquire Iguodala but it looks as though they are focused on a deal with the Heat.

Iguodala would have helped fill a need as a secondary ball-handler for the Lakers without having to give up any size. But a player with his championship pedigree was always going to generate some kind of bidding war, which the Grizzlies were banking on. While the return is unclear, it looks like Memphis’ gamble paid off for the package they wanted.

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What the Miami Heat should do at the trade deadline

The Miami Heat are looking to get better at guard and on the wing, but will they make a move?

The NBA trade deadline comes up on Thursday at 3 p.m. Eastern, so we’ve decided to throw the spotlight on some specific teams who could be active to either help bolster their playoff chances or clean house in order to rebuild for the future.

The Miami Heat might be the NBA’s biggest surprise. Right now, they’re the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference standings but are only 1.5 games back of the 2 seed. They’re 22-3 at home and have one of the best offenses in the league despite employing a bunch of former G-Leaguers and cast offs.

Nobody but the Heat players themselves thought this was possible. With every week that passes they look more and more like a top-4 team in the playoffs. Thursday’s deadline gives them a chance to lock that in.

What the Heat should do

The Heat are in a very peculiar place given the fact that they don’t have many assets to deal around. They traded away their 2021 first round pick (unprotected) and a 2023 first round pick (lottery protected). Because they’ve dealt those picks they can’t move their 2020 or 2022 first round picks per the Stepien rules that prevent teams from dealing picks in consecutive years.

Their best move would be trading the assets on their roster — that means Tyler Herro and Justise Winslow will probably end up being their most tradeable pieces.

They won’t do it, but they should package those two together in a deal for Jrue Holiday. The Pelicans don’t seem keen on moving Holiday — they’re trying to make a push for the 8th seed in the West.

BUT if you throw Herro and Winslow in there with, say, Dion Waiters, then it might be worth it for New Orleans. They’d at least have to kick the tires on that one.

What the heat will do

It’s really hard to tell with this Heat team. Holding tight is definitely an option here — they’re already a really good team!

But, come on, y’all. We know what’s going to happen here. Somebody is going to get moved and they’re going to make a wild deal we didn’t see coming.

It’s Pat Riley, fam. That’s just what he does. He throws his rings on the table and gets people to say yes to him… except for LeBron James. And they’ll somehow do it without actually moving Herro, too, which will be the part that confuses us the most.

Contracts worth noting

  • Dion Waiters — $12.1 million in 2019-20, $12.6 million in 2020-21
  • Meyers Leonard — $11.2 million in 2019-20
  • Justise Winslow — $13 million in 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22
  • Goran Dragic — $19.2 million in 2019-20
  • Kelly Olynyk — $12.6 million in 2019-20, player option for $13.5 million in 2020-21

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MVP Race: Damian Lillard is climbing after his recent stellar play

Each week, HoopsHype’s staff gives our Top 10 candidates for this year’s Most Valuable Player award. Which stars have stood out thus far?

Each week, HoopsHype’s staff gives the Top 10 candidates for this year’s Most Valuable Player award. This list highlights stars who are in the mix for the 2019-20 MVP award due to their impressive play.

Which stars have stood out? Here are our latest MVP rankings:

10. BEN SIMMONS, PHILADELPHIA

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

STATS: 16.7 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 8.2 APG, 2.1 SPG, 58.4 FG% 

This season has been a rollercoaster for the Philadelphia 76ers, who have gone on several hot and cold streaks. The point forward has made 271 field goals in the restricted area this season, which ranks fourth-best in the league. His unique size has helped him pull down rebounds on 5.5 percent of his squad’s missed field goals, per Cleaning The Glass, which is the best rate among point guards. Simmons also has defensive rebounds on 31.7 percent of opponent’s missed free throws, also the best among point guards. On the defensive end, Simmons is averaging an NBA-best 2.1 steals per game. He also leads all players in both loose balls recovered (87) and deflections (190) this season.

9. JIMMY BUTLER, MIAMI

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

STATS: 20.7 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 6.2 APG, 1.8 SPG, 45.3 FG% 

Jimmy Butler has found a perfect home on the Miami Heat. The five-time All-Star is averaging 1.46 points per possession in transition, which ranks No. 1 in the league (minimum: 100 possessions) in 2019-20. He just put up a season-high 39 points per game against the Philadelphia 76ers. His career-best assist rate (28.6 percent) puts him in the 96th percentile among all NBA wings. Butler has been a fantastic hustler, too. He currently ranks sixth-best in steals (1.8 SPG), sixth-best in deflections per game (3.6) and sixth-best in loose balls recovered per game (1.6) thus far.

8. KAWHI LEONARD, L.A. CLIPPERS

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

STATS: 27.4 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.9 SPG, 46.5 FG% 

Once again, Kawhi Leonard is having a sensational season on both ends of the court. The biggest issue is that he has only played 38 games, though the Clippers have won 30 of those. He is averaging 2.1 steals per game since January, tied with Simmons for the best in the NBA. The Clippers have scored 120.4 points per 100 possessions with Leonard on the court since December 1. That gives Leonard the second-best offensive rating among all players in the league (minimum: 25 minutes per game) during that span.

7. NIKOLA JOKIC, DENVER

Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

STATS: 20.4 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 6.8 APG, 1.1 SPG, 51.5 FG%

Denver’s Nikola Jokic has been one of the most multidimensional players in the league over the past few seasons. He is shooting 43.7 percent on jump shots, which ranks Top 10 among all players who have taken at least 400 jumpers thus far. The center ranks second-best in the NBA on field goals made (77) within five to nine feet of the basket. His field goal percentage (61.6 percent) is the best among those with more than thirty attempts. He has recorded 10 triple-doubles in 2019-20, which ranks third-best in the NBA. His assist percentage (34.5 percent) and assist-to-usage rate (1.19) are both in the 100th percentile among all big men, per Cleaning the Glass.

6. LUKA DONCIC, DALLAS

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

STATS: 28.8 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 8.7 APG, 1.0 SPG, 46.4 FG%

The second-year superstar has been sensational for the Mavericks, leading Dallas to an impressive 62.0 winning percentage this season. His team has played very well even when they are not playing at home, as we recently noted. The guard has averaged 29.1 points per game on the road, second-best in the NBA. Doncic has scored 13.9 PPG as the ballhandler in pick-and-roll possessions, per Synergy Sports, which ranks third-best in the league. As a primary playmaker, his assist percentage (53.8 percent) ranks second-best behind only LeBron James among those with at least 100 minutes played. He leads the league with a dozen triple-doubles so far this season.

5. ANTHONY DAVIS, LA LAKERS

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

STATS: 26.4 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.5 SPG, 2.4 BPG

Davis is shooting 210-of-280 (75.0 percent) in the restricted area, which is the best among all players who have had at least 200 attempts this season. The big man is averaging 1.12 points per possession, according to Synergy Sports, which ranks second-best among those who have finished at least 800 possessions this season. Davis has more loose balls recovered per game (1.9) than anyone who has played at least ten games. The Lakers are currently 33-9 (.786 percent) in games when their superstar acquisition has played.

4. DAMIAN LILLARD, PORTLAND

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

STATS: 29.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 7.9 APG, 1.0 SPG, 46.1 FG% 

Since our last MVP Race update, Portland’s Damian Lillard is averaging 39.0 points with 5.8 three-pointers per game. The Trail Blazers have three wins and just one loss during this stretch, helping bounce back from a rough start to the season. Lillard is also leading the league in scoring with 34.3 PPG since January 1. He has hit 66 three-pointers from at least 28 feet, which is over five feet from beyond the NBA’s three-point line. That is over a dozen more than anyone else in the league has made in 2019-20. He is averaging 1.13 points per possession, per Synergy Sports, which ranks No. 1 overall among those who have finished at least 800 possessions this season. Lillard also leads all players with 757 points scored as the ballhandler in pick-and-roll possessions.

3. LEBRON JAMES, LOS ANGELES LAKERS

Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

STATS: 25.2 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 10.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 49.3 FG%

Knowing that narrative plays a big role in MVP voting, the momentum is there for the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James. He currently leads the league with 10.7 assists per game. The 35-year-old superstar is also putting up a career-high 2.1 three-pointers connected per game, including five three’s in less than three minutes against the San Antonio Spurs last night. He keeps putting up monumental performances, putting up outstanding numbers while also helping elevate the play of another star teammate in Davis. The more he keeps winning for the Lakers, the better the odds he will have of winning his fifth Most Valuable Player Award.

2. JAMES HARDEN, HOUSTON

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

STATS: 35.8 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 7.3 APG, 1.7 SPG, 43.6 FG% 

Harden has connected on 208 non-corner three-pointers, over twenty more than anyone else has hit thus far. The guard leads the league in jump shots (313) in 2019-20. He has once again been fantastic creating his own shot, too. Only 14.6 percent of his three-pointers have been assisted, which is the best among all players in the NBA. Harden has scored 16.2 points per game on isolation possessions, per Synergy, which is nearly ten points more than any other player in the league. In fact, his 762 points scored on this play type is more than any other team besides his own Houston Rockets. To put that in perspective, the Milwaukee Bucks lead the Eastern Conference with just 386 points scored in isolation.

1. GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO, MILWAUKEE

Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

STATS: 30.1 PPG, 13.2 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.1 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 55.4 FG%

He is averaging 8.7 points per game when operating in a transition offense, per Synergy. That ranks No. 1 overall in the NBA, over a point and a half more than anyone else thus far. He has the second-most dunks (141) and the most double-doubles (41) among all players in the league in 2019-20. His rebound percentage (18.8 percent) ranks Top 10 among all players who have averaged at least 20 minutes per game. Most important, though: Milwaukee is currently outscoring opponents by 14.4 points per 100 possessions when he has been on the court so far this season. That ranks as the best among those who have averaged at least 25 minutes per game.

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What all 30 teams are doing at the NBA trade deadline

This deadline is sure to be a good one.

It’s quiet in the NBA. Probably a little bit too quiet. You can literally count the number of trades that have happened this season on one hand.

It feels like we’re due for an explosion and that could come on Thursday when the trade deadline hits. Most of the league feels like they’re in a position to compete this season, so there isn’t a lot of selling going on.

It’s hard to keep track of what everything is and what everyone is thinking so far — even some the bottom-feeders are trying to get better.

Luckily for you, we’ve got you covered here. Here’s who is buying, selling and standing pat at the deadline.

All salary cap data pulled from EarlyBirdRights.com.

Buyers

Atlanta Hawks

  • Team salary: $106,507,190
  • Cap room: $2,632,810

It’s rare that you see the worst team in the NBA as a buyer, but here the Hawks are. They’re looking to get newly minted All-Star Trae Young some help in the front court — specifically at center. They’ve been linked to both Andre Drummond and, more recently, Clint Capela.

Boston Celtics

  • Team salary: $119,147,133
  • Cap room: –$10,007,133

The Celtics are also buyers and are looking to shore up their center spot being occupied by Daniel Theis and Enes Kanter at the moment. Like the Hawks, they’re in on the Capela sweepstakes.

Dallas Mavericks

  • Team salary: $122,689,077
  • Cap room: -$13,549,077

The Mavericks have a massive title window with Luka Doncic in hand, but they still want to try and win as much as they can this year. They’re in the market for a wing upgrade after trading for Willie Cauley-Stein when Dwight Powell went down.

Denver Nuggets

  • Team salary: $131,648,234
  • Cap room: -$22,508,234

The Nuggets have a two very tradeable assets in Gary Harris and Malik Beasley with Beasley being the more moveable piece. The rise of Michael Porter Jr. has strengthened their wing rotation but they’re still looking to upgrade at guard. They’ve made calls on Jrue Holiday, ESPN’s Zach Lowe reports, but it’ll take a lot to pry him from New Orleans.

Los Angeles Clippers

  • Team salary: $130,766,745
  • Cap room: -$21,626,745

The biggest thing for the Clippers right now is getting all of their best players healthy at once, but they’re looking to upgrade at multiple positions, but especailly on the wing. They’ve been rumored to have their eyes on Marcus Morris, Andre Iguodala and Robert Covington as potential upgrades.

Los Angeles Lakers

  • Team salary: $120,604,780
  • Cap room: -$11,464,780

The Lakers are trying to upgrade at the guard spot and on the wing, but they don’t really have the ammo to pry Iguodala from Memphis. They’ve also been connected to Bogdan Bogdanovic, who would be a great pickup. But the Kings have said Kyle Kuzma isn’t enough and he’s the Lakers’ best trade chip.

Miami Heat

  • Team salary: $136,587,504
  • Cap room: -$27,447,504

The Heat are mostly trying to keep their books clear for the summer of 2021, but they think they have a shot to win now. They’ve been linked to Jrue Holiday, Andre Iguodala and Danillo Gallinari. They’ll be active on Thursday.

Minnesota Timberwolves

  • Team salary: $122,612,735
  • Cap room: -$14,472,735

The Timberwolves have been absolutely zeroed in on D’Angelo Russell and are trying to organize a convoluted four team deal to get draft picks that they’ll trade to the Warriors to land him in Minnesota. Uhhh, yeah, keep an eye on this one.

New York Knicks

  • Team salary: $112,598,829
  • Cap room: -$3,458,829

The Knicks, per usual, are a dumpster fire. They’re refusing to trade Marcus Morris in a lost season but are also willing to give up assets for D’Angelo Russell…who they could’ve signed in free agency last summer. Quick — somebody check on Charles.

Philadelphia 76ers

  • Team salary: $128,394,366
  • Cap room: $-19,254,366

You can just feel a panic trade coming from Philly after two straight big losses to the Celtics and Heat. They need shooting and Robert Covington is on the front of their list, but he’s on everyone else’s, too. We’ll see if they have the assets to get it done.

Washington Wizards

  • Team salary: $129,139,339
  • Cap room: -$19,999,339

No idea why but the Wizards are trying to push for the playoffs and get the 8th seed just to get swept by the Bucks in May. They want to upgrade at center and Tristan Thompson is in their sights.

Sellers

Charlotte Hornets

  • Team salary: $124,235,791
  • Cap room: -$15,095,791

The Hornets are in cost cutting mode with a ton of big salaries in Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marvin Williams and Bismack Biyombo that they’d like to shed. Their focus is going to be moving those guys along and bringing in assets.

Cleveland Cavaliers

  • Team salary: $126,974,619
  • Cap room: -$17,834,619

The Cavs are finally hitting the reset button. They’re trying to move both Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love to new teams. They’d better hurry before Love throws another fit.

Detroit Pistons

  • Team salary: $132,623,331
  • Cap room: -$23,483,331

As the Pistons’ season has gone into the tank, they’ve been trying to move on from Andre Drummond to avoid paying him a massive contract this summer. Also in a shocking move, they’re on the cusp of moving Luke Kennard to Phoenix for a future first rounder.

Houston Rockets

  • Team salary: $139,930,773
  • Cap room: -$30,790,773

It feels strange to say, but the Rockets are actually trying to shed money with the deadline looming. They’re $321,465 into the luxury tax right now. They’re in the middle of talks with Minnesota and Atlanta right now to move on from Clint Capela and bring in Robert Covington, which would save them a bit of money so expand some deal to come forward.

Sacramento Kings

  • Team salary: $119,264,165
  • Cap room: -$10,124,165

The Kings have a ton of logjams all over the place — they’re a roster filled with power forwards and shooting guards. They’ve been in trade talks with teams about Bogdan Bogdanovic, but they haven’t been wowed by an offer so nothing has changed…yet.

San Antonio Spurs

  • Team salary: $124,807,109
  • Cap room: -$14,667,109

We knew the Spurs would definitely be sellers this year, but we got the players wrong. We thought DeMar DeRozan and Lamarcus Aldridge would be on the table but once Aldridge realized it was 2020 and started shooting threes, they became fine. Instead, it’s Demarre Carroll and Marco Bellinelli on the market.

Weighing their options

Brooklyn Nets

  • Team salary: $126,769,572
  • Cap room: -$17,629,572

Kyrie Irving is hurt again with a knee injury, so moving Spencer Dinwiddie doesn’t make sense right now. Joe Harris, Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince are all rotation players they’re going to need next year when Kevin Durant comes back. A move to build for the future makes no sense. Their window to win opens next year — draft picks won’t help with that.

Chicago Bulls

  • Team salary: $113,930,996
  • Cap room: -$4,790,996

The Bulls are in a tricky situation. Otto Porter, Kris Dunn, Wendell Carter Jr. and Lauri Markkanen are all missing significant time right now. They can’t make a move because they haven’t seen their whole roster fit together.

Golden State warriors

  • Team salary: $136,356,159
  • Cap room: -$27,216,159

The Warriors are almost $4 million over the luxury tax threshold, so a move to shed salary wouldn’t be a surprise. But they’ve been adamant that it’ll take a really good deal to move D’Angelo Russell who is their most tradeable asset right now, so we’ll see. The Wolves are trying their hardest to get that done.

Indiana Pacers

  • Team salary: $114,591,944
  • Cap room: -$5,451,944

The Pacers’ biggest addition this season was always going to be getting Victor Oladipo back from injury. They’re going to see how this squad plays together. And those Myles Turner rumors? Put them to bed, please.

Memphis Grizzlies

  • Team salary: $125,591,931
  • Cap room: -$16,451,931

The best move the Grizzlies can make right now is moving Andre Iguodala before this beef escalates any further. I’m only half kidding.

Milwaukee Bucks

  • Team salary: $129,625,386
  • Cap room: -$20,485,386

The Bucks are in a tricky situation. They want to show Giannis Antetokounmpo they mean business but they don’t want to shake up the team’s chemistry. A good trade could guarantee them a spot in the Finals. We’ll see what happens.

New Orleans Pelicans

  • Team salary: $117,626,046
  • Cap room: -$8,486,046

Literally everyone in the league wants Jrue Holiday on their team but the Pelicans seem to be content with keeping him. They’re just 5 games back of the 8th seed and are 6-4 in their last 10. No sense in moving him now.

Oklahoma City Thunder

  • Team salary: $133,256,688
  • Cap room: -$24,116,688

The Thunder are a weird team of misfits that everyone wants a piece of. The Nuggets and Heat want Gallinari, the Knicks want Dennis Schröder, everyone wants Chris Paul. But the Thunder are a playoff team and they’re not inclined to move any of them barring a crazy deal. They’re also not looking for help.

Orlando Magic

  • Team salary: $125,034,186
  • Cap room: -$15,894,186

The East is so bad the Magic will probably limp their way into the playoffs but, darn it, they’re going to make it. They’re so hurt right now on the wing with Jonathan Issac and Al-Faroq Aminu out it’s too dangerous to make a deal.

Toronto Raptors

  • Team salary: $125,154,361
  • Cap room: -$16,014,361

The Raptors are sitting pretty at second in the East despite injuries throughout the year to big names like Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam and Marc Gasol. At the beginning of the season, if anything, it felt like they’d be selling at this point. But they’re so good it doesn’t actually make sense to.

Trail Blazers

  • Team salary: $140,006,275
  • Cap room: -$30,866,275

The Blazers are just a couple games back of the Grizzlies for the 8th seed and are 7-3 in their last 10 with Damian Lillard playing like a maniac. That big move that we all thought they needed to make seems less necessary now.

Utah Jazz

  • Team salary: $120,805,158
  • Cap room: -$11,665,158

The Jazz are probably too busy celebrating having a couple All-Stars to care about the trade deadline — people are finally talking about their team. Seriously, though. They already made a move for Jordan Clarkson to shore up their backcourt. All that’s left is to figure out what role to play Mike Conley in.

 

Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Monday’s Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat sports betting odds, with NBA matchup analysis and picks.

The Philadelphia 76ers (31-19) visit the Miami Heat (33-15) at the AmericanAirlines Arena for a 7:30 p.m. ET tip-off Monday night. We analyze 76ers-Heat odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.

76ers at Heat: Key injuries

76ers

  • C Joel Embiid (hand) probable
  • SG Josh Richardson (hamstring) out
  • PG Trey Burke (illness) questionable

HEAT

  • SF Justise Winslow (back) out

76ers at Heat: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 1:20 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Heat 108, 76ers 100

Moneyline (ML)

The Heat have a massive home advantage in this spot—their 21-3 home record is among the best in the NBA—and city of Miami is even more electric than usual since it hosted Super Bowl LIV Sunday night. Both teams had several players in attendance at the Super Bowl, but the home team has to have the edge being more used to the world-class social life of Miami.

Philadelphia’s road struggles have been well-documented. The 76ers are 9-17 away from home on the season and have lost nine of their last 11 games on the road, including a 116-95 whoopin’ Saturday at the hands of the Boston Celtics. Monitor the injury report before making your wager because Embiid’s availability would severely impact the 76ers’ interior performance. The Heat give up the eighth-fewest points in the paint and have the sixth-best opponent’s field-goal percentage in the NBA.

However, let’s PASS on a moneyline bet because the 76ers +125 should be a bigger ‘dog and the Heat -150 is too chalky.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

Philadelphia’s defense is very reliable—ranked third in opponent’s points per game and fourth in defensive rating—but their offense is inconsistent. Again, the absence of Embiid would be vital because he’s averaged 26.6 points and 13.6 rebounds in the three 76ers-Heat games so far this season. Plus the 76ers are 12-4 this season when they shoot above .40% from 3-point land, and the issue with that is the Heat have the top-ranked defense against the 3-pointers in the NBA.

Also, betting trends favor the Heat in this matchup. The 76ers are 1-3-1 against the spread in the last five meetings, a league-worst 7-17-2 ATS on the road and 3-9-1 ATS on the road against teams above .500.

BET HEAT -2.5 (-110).

New to sports betting? A successful $10 wager on the Heat to win by at least 3 points would return a profit of $9.09.

Over/Under (O/U)

I lean UNDER 211.5 but ultimately PASS ON THE TOTAL in 76ers-Heat. Expect the Super Bowl hangover in a raucous Miami to hurt both the teams’ offenses. Both squads get after it defensively and are better than +4 in rebound differential per game. However, the Over is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Miami and the Heat has a 15-9 Over/Under record at home this season.

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @Geoffery_Clark and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Report: Miami has ‘expressed interest’ in Danilo Gallinari

According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, the Miami Heat have expressed interest in Danilo Gallinari ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline.

Over the next three days, it seems like everyone for Oklahoma City might be in play as the clock ticks down on the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

The Thunder has been one of the more interesting cases this season. They were thought to be one of the big sellers, but their surprising success has put a lynchpin in their rebuilding process, if even only for the moment.

That’s not to say that OKC hasn’t made players available. They have. The team has made it known that Chris Paul, Danilo Gallinari, and Steven Adams are among the players on the trading block.

But so far, the only deal that has been made was sending Justin Patton and cash to the Dallas Mavericks in return for Isaiah Roby.

Gallinari has been linked to a number of teams in terms of potential trades, and according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, Miami can be added to the list of possible destinations.

Both Miami and Denver will look other places for help, too; the Heat are among teams who have expressed interest in Danilo Gallinari, for instance, sources say.

Gallinari is second on the Thunder in scoring this season, averaging 19.2 points per game and shooting 44.1% from the floor. Though his 3-point percentage is down slightly from a year ago, he’s been a crucial part of the Oklahoma City offense, providing a stretch-four option that has opened the floor for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dennis Schroder.

Lowe also points out that “this summer’s cap crunch also might give the Thunder some leverage in the sign-and-trade market with Gallinari”, who is in the final year of his contract and making $22.6 million this season.

Other teams that have reportedly been interested in Gallinari including the Philadelphia 76ers, the Dallas Mavericks, the Phoenix Suns, and the Portland Trail Blazers.

Miami Heat at Orlando Magic odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s Miami Heat at Orlando Magic sports betting odds and lines, with NBA matchup analysis, picks and best bets.

The Miami Heat (32-15) take an in-state road trip Saturday to play the Orlando Magic (21-27) at Amway Center at 7 p.m. ET. We analyze Heat-Magic odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.

Heat at Magic: Key injuries

Heat

  • PG Kendrick Nunn (Achilles) probable
  • SF Justise Winslow (back) out

Magic

  • SG Evan Fournier (back) questionable
  • SF Jonathan Issac (knee) out
  • PG D.J. Augustin (knee) out
  • PF Al-Farouq Aminu (knee) out

Heat at Magic: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 3:10 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Magic 102, Heat 97

Moneyline (ML)

The Heat (-128) have been up-and-down over the past four games—going 2-2 outright and 1-3 against the spread—and the Magic (+105) have been awful lately losing six out of eight games straight up and against the spread. Orlando is really well-rested with their last game being a 113-92 loss to the Heat Monday, and they have a 4-2 record when playing with a rest advantage. Conversely, the Heat are 5-8 with a minus-4.5 margin of victory when having a rest disadvantage.

There are a few other reasons why this is a good spot for the Magic. Miami is 5-5 overall as an away favorite with a minus-4.7 ATS margin. Also, Miami has a 1-2-1 ATS record when laying 1-2.5 points and Orlando is 4-0 ATS when getting 1-2.5 points. The Heat are 2-5 ATS in the last seven meetings with Orlando and 1-6 ATS in their last seven games as a road favorite. I’m applying all of these ATS trends to my Heat-Magic moneyline handicap because the number is so short (+/- 1.5 points) that they can be used in a game BetMGM is essentially calling a coin flip.

BET MAGIC (+105) on the moneyline.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

There isn’t much value in the line either way so I’ll PASS on the AGAINST THE SPREAD wager in Heat-Magic. I’ll waive the Magic +1.5 (-106) as insurance and just predict the straight-up upset.

Over/Under (O/U)

The Under is 5-1 in the last six meetings and Orlando has the highest percentage of Unders thus far with a 19-27-2 O/U record. Plus, the Magic have a 7-16-1 O/U record as a home team, including a 2-6-1 O/U record as a home dog.

The under very much correlates with the Magic winning outright as Miami’s defense matches up well against Orlando’s offense. The Magic are ranked 29th and 28th in field-goal percentage and 3-point %, going against a Heat team ranked seventh in opponent FG% and first in opponent 3-point percentage.

BET UNDER 207.5 (-110).

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @Geoffery_Clark and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Al Horford and Mike Scott are questionable for game against Hawks

Al Horford and Mike Scott might not be available to play Thursday against the Atlanta Hawks.

The Philadelphia 76ers might be without Al Horford and Mike Scott for the first game of the team’s four-game road trip.

According to Sixers Wire’s Ky Carlin, Horford (left knee soreness) and Scott (right knee soreness) are questionable for Thursday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks.

Horford has missed four games this season. If Scott doesn’t play, this will be the first game he’s missed all season.

Though Horford’s season has been slightly uncharacteristic — he’s shooting a career-low 45.1% from the field — he’s still helped the Sixers in ways other than scoring. He’s the team’s third-leading rebounder, and a capable passer throughout his career, Horford is second in assists behind Ben Simmons.

Scott is having a rough season shooting the ball, especially considering he shot 40.1% from the 3-point line last season; that was the second-highest mark of his career. This season, he’s shooting 33.3% from deep on 3.3 attempts.

The Sixers have been in a groove lately, winning their past two games against the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers.

Though the Hawks should be a relatively easy win for Philly, the rest of this road trip will be tough. The Sixers will play the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks on this road trip. Each of those teams rank in the top four of the Eastern Conference.