All's quiet with deadline near
Many years ago — in 2000 to be precise — the days leading to the NBA trading deadline were filled with rumors about big-name stars. Everyone even remotely connected to the NBA braced for an avalanche of star-laden deals. Then the deadline arrived. Anthony Johnson, later Jason Kidd’s Nets backup, went from Atlanta to Orlando for a second-round pick. That was the extent of deadline day swapping. Not quite back-page stuff. “It’s an ‘inquiring’ deadline so far,” one team exec said. “But there’s always a chain reaction. For the most part, it’s been quiet. [Teams] would rather not make a deal than make a bad deal.” There have been several major trades already, involving DeMarcus Cousins (from Sacramento to New Orleans), Serge Ibaka (from Orlando to Toronto) and Louis Williams (from the Lakers to Houston). Other hefty names have been discussed and have been at the hub of swirling rumors leading to Thursday’s 3 p.m. deadline. Indiana’s Paul George, Chicago’s Jimmy Butler, Philadelphia’s Jahlil Okafor, Detroit’s Reggie Jackson and closer to home, the Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose, plus the Nets’ Brook Lopez are among names in the papers for stuff other than scoring lately. Boston, armed with ultra-attractive draft picks for which they thank the Nets, is seen as the team with the most assets to do a deal. The Clippers have small forward atop their wish list, but lack credible assets. Reports out of Chicago insist Butler is not going anywhere, but that doesn’t deter the speculation. “The Bulls lose two games and Butler’s on the trading block, then they win two and they love him,” one team exec said. “It would take a seduction move to get Jimmy Butler. The only team with enough bullets to get him is Boston,” another team exec said.
Boston controls the Nets’ pick via swap from the disastrous 2013 draft night trade of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. The Nets gave up their future for Boston’s past and will continue paying in picks — Boston has their 2018 pick, too. The Red Sox got more for Babe Ruth.
“Everyone says Boston is going to make a deal. I don’t know. They’ve got a good team. Why mess it up?” one exec said.
The Celtics would be more inclined to trade next year’s pick than the rights to this June’s selection. The 2017 draft is seen as a monster draft, next year’s not so much. But if it meant landing Paul George with assurances he would stay and not bolt in free agency, then maybe the grip on the 2017 pick — a top-3 selection — would loosen. The Vertical reported Indiana is fielding offers for George.
“I just don’t see Larry Bird giving up Paul George,” a league source said.
The Lakers also have jumped onto the George landscape. What better way for Magic Johnson to make a splash in his new president of basketball ops role? George, a free agent in 2018, has L.A. roots.
So the Celtics may try to fill a glaring need — rebounding — with Dallas’ Andrew Bogut, according to a source in Boston. He won a title with the Warriors, is a terrific passer and could be short-term solution as he is scheduled for free agency.
Anthony likely is staying put — “I’d be shocked if Carmelo is involved in a trade somewhere,” one of the executives said, citing Anthony’s “no-trade clause and the [15 percent] tradekicker” as deal breakers.
One NBA exec pointed to the Wizards as “the team that really needs to bolster its roster.” And the Wizards did Wednesday, adding the Nets’ Bojan Bogdanovic. In the Wizards’ 10 games leading to the All-Star break, their bench had a doublefigure scorer just five times.
One NBA type insists in Philly with Okafor and Nerlens Noel, “one of them will get traded … I’d prefer Noel. He’s a good backup center. He’s an athletic, shot-blocking, run-the-floor guy.” Okafor interests Indiana and Chicago, reports say.
Okafor told reporters Wednesday: “Obviously, everybody knows the deadline is coming up … and I’m one of the guys who could potentially be traded. So just wait and see where I end up.”
In a deal also involving picks and first reported by The Vertical, Philadelphia sent Ersan Ilyasova to Atlanta for Tiago Splitter.