On Sunday (December 15), 85 players who signed or extended contracts this summer will be eligible to be traded, making it the date when trade talks around the NBA move from the back burner to the fore (throw at the G League Showcase in Orlando later this month, a meeting of most of the league’s general managers and front office staff, and things are really getting going).
Trade talks are flying around there, although much of what’s out there now is just an update news that we already knew and covered. There needs to be an update on that the Heat are listening to offers for Jimmy Butler. Here’s a look at other news around the competition.
Ingram, Pelicans not close to expansion, trade possible
Brandon Ingram recently switched agents – to Rich Paul and Klutch Sports – but that doesn’t change the fact that he wants a max or near max new contract after this. That doesn’t happen with the Pelicans and it makes a trade more likely. ESPN’s Shams Charania reports.
The Pelicans and Ingram were in contract extension talks and also looked to the league for a trade. Ingram’s previous representation demanded $50 million per season in a contract extension, sources said, which was close to his maximum number. No deal took place.
Ingram is making $36 million this season. The Pelicans, and many other league sources NBC Sports has spoken to, reportedly want Ingra to include a pay cut of that annual salary in his new contract. Clearly, Ingram and his new agent won’t see it that way. Ingram will be another test for the new CBA. Ingram is a high-level isolation scorer and an All-Star level player averaging 22.2 points per game this season, but teams aren’t convinced he contributes to winning at a high level. That limits his market, and combined with salary cap restrictions in the new NBA, finding a profession and a new home for Ingram will be a challenge.
Pelicans get calls from McCollum and Jones
New Orleans has to pull a tightrope this season – most pundits thought they could at least be a play-in team this season, and the Pelicans front office expected even more, but injuries leave the team at 5- 20 with no realistic path to the postseason in a West where a team will likely need to be better than .500 to make the play-in.
Other front offices sense this and are not only making calls about Ingram, but also testing the trades of CJ McCollum and Herb Jones. ESPN’s Charania reports this. Trey Murphy III is probably on that list. However, don’t expect any serious Zion Williamson talks (even if engagement/click-chasers end up writing about it), any offers that come in will be extremely lowball (one first-round pick plus an associated salary), or expect New Orleans to add a sweetener for the deal to have the team pick up the remaining three years and $128 million on Zion’s contract.
Warriors are still looking for another star
Jonathan Kuminga gets his chance – he is in a contract year and wants the opportunity to prove that he should be the No. 2 on this team, next to Stephen Curry, the player who can lead the Warriors into what’s next. Steve Kerr has moved Kuminga into the starting four and moved Draymond Green to the bench (though he closes games). How the next month goes — including an NBA Cup quarterfinal against the Rockets on Wednesday – could set the Warriors’ course for years to come.
That said, the Warriors are still looking for another star player to slot alongside Curry. ESPN’s Charania reports this. The Warriors unsuccessfully pursued Paul George and Lauri Markkanen last offseason, but they could be interested in Jimmy Butler (though that’s a complicated trade due to luxury tax platform restrictions).
Charania notes that Kuminga is a restricted free agent, with other teams keeping an eye on how he does in the coming months, wondering if he can be taken away from the Warriors this offseason.
Nuggets want to ‘shake things up’
Denver is 12-10 in the West, the 2023 NBA champions look like a play-in team that’s a threat to anyone when Nikola Jokic is on the court but falls apart when he’s gone (and their defense is also not great way). The Nuggets’ depth has not been impressive this season.
This ensures that the front office is ‘eager’ to ‘shake things up’, reports Marc Stein in the Stein Line Newsletter. The ace is backup forward Zeke Nnaji, who has played a very limited role for the Nuggets this season but has some fans in front offices around the league. How much Nnaji could yield in a trade is up for debate — how many teams look at a guy struggling to get minutes on a thin Nuggets team and think he’s a great fit for them — but it’s something to watch.
Nets veterans available through trade
We already knew before this season was tipped that the Brooklyn Nets would be sellers at the trade deadline and that hasn’t changed ESPN’s Charania list Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Dennis Schroder are among the players who have already come up in conversations.
Brooklyn will also be a team to watch this summer, as they will likely have more cap space than any other team and can use it to pursue free agents like the Warriors’ Kuminga.
Indiana looking for a backup center
This should be clear. The Pacers got terribly lucky this season losing both backup centers James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson to torn Achilles, so the team is looking for a backup five. ESPN’s Charania reports this. There are a few interesting ones available, including an intra-division trade with Detroit for Paul Reed.
