Report: Pacers and Mavericks expressing interest in Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins

With the trade deadline looming, a pair of teams have reportedly expressed interest in Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins.

With the deadline around the corner, trade news is beginning to buzz around the NBA. While many names have been linked to the Golden State Warriors as potential additions, Andrew Wiggins’ name has been mentioned in different rumors as a player that could be leaving the Bay Area.

On a recent edition of Fan Duel’s “Run It Back” show, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that two teams are expressing interest in the Warriors forward. According to Charania, the Dallas Mavericks and Indiana Pacers have expressed interest in Wiggins.

Via @RunItBackFDTV on Twitter:

Wiggins has struggled during the 2023-24 season, averaging a career-low 12.2 points on 43.7% shooting from the field with 4.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

Through five seasons with the Warriors, Wiggins has averaged 16.8 points on 46.6% shooting from the floor with 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 31.6 minutes per game. Wiggins was a key piece in Golden State’s championship run in 2022, earning an All-Star starter bid along the way.

The NBA trade deadline is set for Thursday, Feb. 8 at 12 p.m. PT.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Report: Warriors trade Jordan Poole to Wizards in blockbuster deal for Chris Paul

12-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul is reportedly heading to the Warriors from the Wizards in a blockbuster trade for Jordan Poole.

Mike Dunleavy Jr. has taken his first swing as general manager of the Golden State Warriors.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Warriors are acquiring 12-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul in a blockbuster trade with the Washington Wizards. To land Paul in the Bay Area, the Warriors are trading Jordan Poole to the Wizards.

Via @ShamsCharania on Twitter:

Earlier in the week, Paul headlined a blockbuster trade that sent Bradley Beal from Washington to the Phoenix Suns.

In the 2022-23 season. Paul averaged 13.9 points on 44% shooting from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc with 8.9 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 32 minutes per game over 59 games for the Suns.

The 38-year-old guard has made 12 trips to the All-Star game and earned 11 All-NBA appearances in his 18-year career.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Has Celtics president Brad Stevens made a bad deal yet for Boston?

The trade for Malcolm Brogdon certainly wasn’t among them.

Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens continues to make a name for himself as an NBA executive with his trade for former Indiana Pacers point guard Malcolm Brogdon after having dealt for the team’s newest floor general with only reserves Daniel Theis, Aaron Nesmith, Nik Stauskas, Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan, and a top-12 protected 2023 first-round draft pick.

Just one offseason removed from swapping out the contract for Kemba Walker in exchange for veteran big man Al Horford — a key part of Boston’s postseason success — Stevens is establishing himself as among the league’s most crafty traders.

Has the Celtics president made a bad deal yet? And just how good was the Brogdon trade? The host of the CLNS Media “Celtics Beat” podcast Adam Kaufman and Celtics Blog’s Keith Smith recently debated these questions on a recent episode.

Check out the clip embedded above to hear their perspectives on Brad “Even” Stevens.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire.

Follow us on Facebook and check out the Celtics Lab podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

[mm-video type=video id=01g78cypass9nbm255z1 playlist_id=01eqbzegwgnrje4tv2 player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g78cypass9nbm255z1/01g78cypass9nbm255z1-c8cf3333544571c3eba9e8dd95857e98.jpg]

[listicle id=105266]

[listicle id=105212]

[listicle id=105169]

Celtics trading Theis, Nesmith, Stauskas, Fitts, Morgan, ’23 first for Indiana Pacers’ Malcolm Brogdon

The club reportedly was after a ‘true playmaking point guard’ for next season, relates Woj.

The Boston Celtics threw expectations a fairly major curveball on Friday with news from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that the team will trade for Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon. Per Woj, Boston is sending out veteran big man Daniel Theis, reserve wing Aaron Nesmith, and reserves Nik Stauskas, Malik Fitts, and Juwan Morgan.

The Celtics will also reportedly include a 2023 first-round draft pick to sweeten the offer for the Pacers. “The Celtics wanted to land a true playmaking point guard and now acquire Malcolm Brogdon without costing themselves a core player,” writes the ESPN NBA insider. “The Pacers land another first-round pick in the deal.”

The Celtics now have an additional four roster spots to fill via trades or minimum deals, and armed with multiple significant traded player exceptions — the largest at $17.1 million — will be active on multiple fronts in the coming hours and days.

Brogdon has averaged 15.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game while shooting 37.6% from deep over his career of 6 seasons, all spent with the Pacers.

Stay locked in for more news about this developing storyline at the Celtics Wire.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire.

Follow us on Facebook and check out the Celtics Lab podcast here.

[mm-video type=video id=01g6wwqej4p8ya0s8kxr playlist_id=01eqbzegwgnrje4tv2 player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g6wwqej4p8ya0s8kxr/01g6wwqej4p8ya0s8kxr-51b72bca960b0b51f43b92d90bd036a2.jpg]

[lawrence-related id=105073,105069,105066,105045]

[listicle id=104937]

[listicle id=104956]

[listicle id=104882]

HoopsHype names this Laker a top trade candidate

See who HoopsHype thinks will be a top trade candidate on the current Los Angeles Lakers roster.

The Los Angeles Lakers haven’t had the start to the season it would’ve liked as injuries and bad losses accumulate.

After bringing in 11 new players via free agency and trade over the summer, the team hasn’t developed the chemistry it needs to win a championship at the end of the season.

Could this lead to a trade? It depends. The Lakers signed the majority of free agents on one-year minimum deals. The only players on palatable contracts for a trade are Talen Horton-Tucker and Kendrick Nunn.

The Lakers re-signed Horton-Tucker to a three-year deal worth $32 million and Nunn to a two-year deal worth $10 million.

Of the players on the roster, who could be a top trade candidate? HoopsHype named Nunn as the key piece:

The Lakers have 10 players on minimum contracts, so either Talen Horton-Tucker or Kendrick Nunn is the top trade piece.

Nunn will be re-evaluated in another 2-3 weeks, Lakers coach Frank Vogel said Thursday.

He’s eligible to be traded after Dec. 15.

Nunn started the preseason healthy, but he’s since been out with ankle and knee issues.

The Lakers hope Nunn can be a strong secondary creator in various lineups who can thrive both on and off the ball after he broke out with the Miami Heat the last two years.

It would definitely be intriguing if the Lakers decide to trade players it just brought in, especially someone like Nunn who had the biggest payday out of the group with the full taxpayer MLE.

[listicle id=50604]

[mm-video type=video id=01fk4r5nxt2tva7gf892 playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fk4r5nxt2tva7gf892/01fk4r5nxt2tva7gf892-d84c2c86dfac8a7074ad147f0b993c26.jpg]

HoopsHype lists Boston Celtics’ most likely potential trade candidate

It probably isn’t who you think.

The NBA season is still young but there has already been some trade speculation, as Ben Simmons seems poised for a move away from the Philadelphia 76ers. HoopsHype spoke to four league executives to take a stab at the most likely trade candidates for each team this NBA season.

For the Boston Celtics, they listed forward Juancho Hernangomez, who was acquired in the offseason for Kris Dunn and Carsen Edwards from the Memphis Grizzlies. Hernangomez is under contract through the 2022-23 seasons for $14.5 million, but his contract next season is not guaranteed. The forward has not produced much in his first two games with Boston, largely because he’s played just four minutes per game.

Any deal including Hernangomez would likely just be for salary-matching as he has never quite put up great numbers. His best stretch to date was in 14 games for the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2019-20 when he averaged 12.9 points and 7.3 rebounds in 29.4 minutes per game.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

[lawrence-related id=62780,62771,62767,62764]

[listicle id=62742]

[mm-video type=video id=01fjm051a1z6nhd6sx4d playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fjm051a1z6nhd6sx4d/01fjm051a1z6nhd6sx4d-e33c3a95870cc6bbb5bf1a0f5a370d4b.jpg]

LeBron James responds to Brooklyn forming Big 3 after acquiring James Harden

LeBron James isn’t worried about what’s going on outside the Lakers organization, and doesn’t seem fazed by the James Harden megatrade.

The Brooklyn Nets started the 2020-21 season listed among the favorites to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals,  led by the All-Star duo of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving supported by a robust supporting cast of talented player. After acquiring another All-NBA player in James Harden from the Houston Rockets, the expectations for the Nets to win the championship have only spiked.

As Stephen A. Smith said on ESPN’s Get Up, “it’s the NBA Finals or bust” now for the Nets.

Prior to the trade, the Nets trailed Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, and Los Angeles Lakers in BetMGM’s NBA championship odds. Now with Harden, the Nets only trail the Lakers as the No. 2 listed team.

LeBron James, who often gets credit for launching the superteam era after leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010 free agency to join fellow All-Stars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in South Beach, was asked to shed his thoughts on the trade.

James didn’t have much to say, and admitted that he’s focused primarily on what’s happening regarding the Lakers.

“Obviously, trades and things happen every year, and for me, my main focus is on what we do here and how we can continue to get better, and that was the case today,” James told reporters. “The trade happened today, but I couldn’t allow myself to indulge in that knowing that we had a team that we had to play tonight, so my main focus was the Thunder.”

LeBron and the Lakers will meet the new-look Nets for the first time on February 18th at Staples Center.

[jwplayer sleHbrCL-z6KDnl0B]

Podcast: Exploring the latest James Harden rumors and beyond

Tuesday night’s Locked on Rockets podcast breaks down the latest news surrounding the Rockets, both on the Harden front and beyond.

Tuesday night’s Locked on Rockets podcast with host Jackson Gatlin and analyst Ben DuBose breaks down the latest news surrounding the Houston Rockets, both on the James Harden front and well beyond.

Topics discussed on the 45-minute episode include:

— Analysis on the current status of the trade request by Houston’s All-Star guard, as well as his decision to report to Toyota Center on Tuesday for COVID-19 testing;

— Early impressions of new head coach Stephen Silas after the initial three days of training camp;

— How the distraction of the Harden saga might offer an opportunity for Danuel House Jr.;

— The growing leadership role of veteran guard Eric Gordon, and how he might be able to bridge different team factions (“old guard” vs. newcomers); and

— The health and importance of new acquisition John Wall, both for the 2020-21 season and potentially beyond.

For full news coverage of these storylines and much more, be sure to check out Tuesday’s earlier coverage at Rockets Wire. The complete podcast episode can be listened to below.

[lawrence-related id=41537,41529]

Report: James Harden adds 76ers, other teams to desired trade list

The change could give the Rockets more leverage in trade talks, relative to Harden’s initial request of only going to Brooklyn.

All-Star guard James Harden recently indicated to the Houston Rockets that he would be open to a trade to either the Philadelphia 76ers or other perceived NBA title contenders, according to a new ESPN report.

This represents a change from Harden’s initial focus in recent weeks of solely seeking a trade to the Brooklyn Nets.

Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon, the Sixers and Rockets have yet to have any substantive talks about a potential deal. While former Rockets GM Daryl Morey now leads the basketball operations department in Philadelphia, he’s said thus far that he wants to keep the All-Star duo of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid together.

If that’s the case, it would seem to be difficult for the 76ers to meet Houston’s asking price, according to ESPN.

Houston hasn’t wavered in what the Rockets consider a fair asking price for Harden: a package that includes a young franchise cornerstone and a bundle of first-round picks and/or talented players on rookie contracts, sources said.

It’s worth noting that Morey could certainly change his evaluation at a later date. Regardless, Harden expanding his list of satisfactory trade destinations should come as a welcome development to the Rockets.

For Houston to receive the assets that it desires, the team receiving Harden would likely want to feel secure that “The Beard” wants to play there and is open to staying beyond his current contract. At the moment, Harden can become a free agent after the NBA’s 2021-22 season.

That dynamic was problematic when Harden’s sole focus was Brooklyn, since the Nets don’t appear to have the high-level assets (assuming Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are unavailable) to make a deal worthwhile. But the presence of other teams in trade talks could change the dynamic, and it might also create a “bidding war” phenomenon in which the presence of other suitors forces each team to offer more aggressively.

With Harden under contract for at least two more seasons, the Rockets are under no pressure to move quickly. They’ve expressed an openness to keeping Harden to start the upcoming 2020-21 campaign, and perhaps into the 2021 offseason, depending on how the season goes in Houston and what the offers are around the league.

At some point, a trade seems likely — assuming Harden doesn’t budge from his desire to leave Houston. If that’s the case, having more teams in the bidding should boost the odds of Rockets GM Rafael Stone eventually getting what he needs to justify trading a perennial MVP finalist.

[lawrence-related id=41505,41498]

 

Report: With newly acquired draft picks, Rockets eye future trades

“The Rockets now believe they have replenished the stock enough… to become major players at the trade deadline,” Kelly Iko writes.

[jwplayer q3z6dwSr-z6KDnl0B]

In a series of offseason transactions, the Houston Rockets effectively turned Robert Covington and Russell Westbrook into Christian Wood, John Wall, and three protected future first-round draft picks.

The protection details are complicated, but the bottom line is that Houston should be receiving a first-round selection at some point in the coming years from Portland, Detroit, and Washington.

If the Rockets were to eventually trade James Harden and consider a rebuild, those picks could help bolster a potential youth movement. But that’s not the goal today, with the team clearly focused on re-convincing the perennial MVP finalist to stay in Houston over the long haul.

That’s where those newly acquired draft picks in future years could prove very important to GM Rafael Stone. Per Kelly Iko of The Athletic:

After acquiring up to three first-round picks since the offseason began, the Rockets now believe they have replenished the stock enough and have the necessary flexibility to become major players at the trade deadline. Houston wants to continue to surround the roster with more talented players.

As a result, the start to the upcoming 2020-21 season will be critical for Harden, Wood, Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and the rest of the new-look Rockets. If things go poorly, it’s possible that Harden trade considerations could come back into play by the trade deadline in late March.

On the other hand, if things go well, the Rockets now have enough of a stockpile of future picks to be able to make compelling offers on the trade market for further upgrades. Besides bolstering their chances of making a title push in 2020-21, that might also be the important as it pertains to giving Harden a reason to stick around (under his current contract, he can become a free agent after the 2021-22 season).

[lawrence-related id=41349]

In addition to the three first-round draft picks that Houston traded for this offseason, they also have their own first-round choices in 2021, 2022, and 2023 — though Oklahoma City has a “pick swap” right for 2021.

That puts the Rockets in a much more favorable spot than they were in at this time a year ago, when they had no future first-round picks from other teams and many of their own upcoming  selections had already been surrendered to the Thunder as part of the Westbrook-Chris Paul trade. The Stepien rule, which prevents NBA teams from being without a first-round pick in consecutive future drafts, was also a major hindrance to potential Houston trade offers, since it was very difficult to package multiple future picks in a proposal without running afoul of that rule.

But after the 2020 offseason, that dynamic has changed significantly. It doesn’t guarantee that they’ll eventually trade those picks, because if the Rockets are looking likely to rebuild, it would probably make sense for them to keep many of those draft assets for themselves. But if things go well and the window to extend Harden’s era starts to re-open, those picks might help Houston secure a key upgrade at the 2020-21 trade deadline.

[lawrence-related id=41248]