It’s been unusually quiet for the NBA trade deadline to be just eight days away, but that likely means we’re in store for a bunch of chaos as we get closer to Feb. 5. The big move everyone is waiting on is seeing if Giannis Antetokounmpo gets traded by the Milwaukee Bucks, which could be a real possibility after the latest news that came out on Wednesday.
There’s only a few teams that can truly give the Bucks a worthy package for the two-time MVP right now, but other teams around the league are trying to improve in smaller, significant ways. We’ll see if any splashy moves actually happen, but until then let’s take a look at the trade rumor landscape and see what’s worth paying attention to.
Giannis finally open to trade, and the Bucks are obliging
It’s not quite a Giannis trade, but it’s the closest we’ve come to suggest the biggest potential blockbuster of this trade deadline may happen. ESPN’s Shams Charania is reporting that Giannis Antetokounmpo is “ready for a new home” either before the Feb. 5 deadline, or this summer, and the Bucks are starting to listen to trade offers.
This is a complete 180 from a few weeks ago, when the Bucks were rebuffing trade talks, and Antetokounmpo has maintained that he would not outright request a trade request. But consider this a soft launch to see how people react to the news.
Antetokounmpo has reportedly been informing the Bucks for months that trading him is the best path forward, and now that may be coming to fruition.
Marc Stein has reported that the Miami Heat are a team to watch for an Antetokounmpo trade at the deadline. A package could be centered around Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware and draft picks per Stein. That’s not a shabby return, but the Bucks, per Charania, are communicating to teams that they’re not in a rush to trade him before the deadline.
Instead, Milwaukee could wait until the summer if a deal doesn’t materialize that nets them a high-end prospect and several draft picks. Given that more teams will be able to offer better packages in the offseason, waiting for the summer might be the better option.
Lakers interested in Marshall, DiVincenzo, others
The Lakers will be buyers at the deadline, as they try to improve enough to be legitimate contenders this season. L.A. could certainly use a better big man than what the duo of Deandre Ayton and Jaxon Hayes provides them, but they’re also on the hunt to improve on the perimeter too.
Los Angeles Times writer Broderick Turner is reporting that the Lakers hold some interest in a wide array of wing players as the deadline approaches. That includes Naji Marshall, Donte DiVincenzo, Keon Ellis, De’Andre Hunter, Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III.
So basically every coveted role player on the market. It’s unclear how available some of these players are, as the Pelicans said both Jones and Murphy are untouchable. Marshall has garnered some interest around the league, especially since he’s been on a tear since the new year, averaging 18.3 points on 56% from the floor. But it would be shocking to see the Mavericks make a deal with the Lakers so close to the anniversary of the Luka Dončić trade, a deal so poorly received on every level that it caused a revolt within their own fanbase and led to the firing of the man to championed the deal just nine months after it happened.
As far as everyone else on this list, it will come down to how valuable other teams view L.A.’s tradable players, which will primarily consist of Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knecht. Something’s telling me that probably won’t net the Lakers a player they’re really wanting in return, but who knows.
Cavaliers open to reunion with LeBron
Could the kid from Akron be coming home? Everyone is wondering what James’ future will hold. Will he be traded at the deadline? Will he retire this summer? Will he stay with the Lakers on another short-term deal? Will be sign elsewhere for a farewell tour?
If this were a movie, James would sign with the Cavaliers for one final season before he retires, and apparently Cleveland would “welcome” that idea, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
There’s no telling if the feeling is mutual for James, who will be a free agent in the summer, but what we do know about the first-ballot Hall of Famer is he loves to put on a show. Imagine how much attention that season would garner in Cleveland. The marketing opportunities, the ticket sales, the feel-good ending. James is a basketball player, but he’s also a businessman and that would be a phenomenal business move. And he’d be joining a Cavs team that has a legitimate chance at making the NBA Finals next year. It’s almost too perfect a situation. But we’ll have to wait and see if that comes to fruition in the offseason, unless the Cavs are open to trading for him now.
Add Comment