The NBA’s Feb. 10 trade deadline grows closer by the hour, and as such, the deals are beginning to trickle in. The Los Angeles Clippers swiped Norman Powell and Robert Covington from the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, and not to be outdone, the Cleveland Cavaliers responded by landing Caris LeVert on Sunday. Those deals are just the appetizers. The Philadelphia 76ers are still seeking a deal for Ben Simmons. James Harden is suddenly available. The Los Angeles Lakers are desperate to make a move of some kind to support LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and there’s always a surprise or two before the buzzer sounds.
There will be no shortage of action in the coming hours, and the music doesn’t stop until 3 p.m. ET on Thursday. Fortunately, we’ve got you covered until then. We’re tracking every deal, monitoring the biggest rumors and grading trades as they arrive, but in this space, we’ll be reacting to the news as it happens. Stay here for the latest updates and reactions during the final stretch of trading this NBA season.
Key trades ahead of Feb. 10 deadline
- Kings give up Haliburton to get Sabonis: Trade Grades
- Pelicans land McCollum from Blazers in seven-player deal: Trade Grades
- Pacers send LeVert to Cavs for Rubio, picks: Trade Grades
- Clippers acquire Powell, Covington from Blazers: Trade Grades
- Knicks land Reddish from Hawks for Knox, protected 2022 first-rounder: Trade Grades
For in-depth analysis on every trade, click here.
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I was expecting the Jazz to try to turn Ingles’ expiring contract into more of a win-now player than NAW. A veteran, defense-first wing, ideally. I don’t think this is bad value at all — Alexander-Walker has upside, especially if he can become a more consistent spot-up shooter — but it’s surprising. I immediately wondered if they’d try to flip him again before the deadline, but Woj tweeted that he’ll be in the rotation.
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We have a trade! According to Woj, the Jazz, Spurs and Blazers have agreed to a three-way deal.
Utah gets: Nickeil Alexander-Walker (from Blazers), Juancho Hernangomez (from Spurs)
San Antonio gets: Tomas Satoransky (from Blazers), second-round pick (from Utah)
Portland gets: Joe Ingles (from Jazz), Elijah Hughes (from Jazz), second-round pick (from Jazz)
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Gillian M asks “Do you think the Bulls make any moves?” My answer would be a soft yes, but nothing major. Keep an eye on forwards they could land using the first-round pick Portland owes them along with Derrick Jones Jr. as the primary matching salary. Marcus Morris is someone to watch given the Clippers’ potentially enormous tax bill this season and next. Kenrich Williams would be the more affordable option, but I suspect the Bulls don’t give up a first-round pick for. Patrick Williams, as I understand it, is incredibly unlikely to be moved.
I’ll also just throw out one of my favorite fake trade ideas of the deadline. The Bulls have reportedly been interested in Jakob Poeltl, but have been rebuffed to this point. I think it would make plenty of sense to shop Nikola Vucevic around a bit and see if the assets they could get back for him would help them land Poeltl. Vucevic is the more accomplished player, but Poeltl, an elite defender who at least gives them a chance against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid. I doubt that happens, but it’s something I’d be exploring.
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Another fun Twitter question: “Are the Hornets aggressively shopping for a Center and what are the chances PJ Washington gets moved??” Washington for Richaun Holmes feels like the most obvious trade left on the board at this stage. Charlotte has coveted Holmes at least since the offseason, and Washington would be a perfect replacement for Harrison Barnes in Sacramento if the Kings wind up deciding to move him.
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Interesting question from Jordan Pollard on Twitter. “Are there any moves outside of a potential John Wall swap, that could be made for Kyrie Irving? I’d rather see the Nets keep Harden.” My honest answer is that Kevin Durant’s friendship with Irving and his uncertain contract status (he can become a free agent this offseason) probably makes a trade impossible. If one was going to happen, it likely would have happened by now. That said, I’ll throw out some fun hypothetical destinations:
- Dallas. The Mavericks could send Brooklyn the replacement ball-handler it needs in Jalen Brunson as well as useful matching salary in the form of players like Reggie Bullock, Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell, all of whom would fill holes on this roster.
- San Antonio. The Spurs were among the teams Irving was interested in when he requested a trade from Cleveland in 2017, and he and DeJounte Murray would fit quite nicely together. Derrick White and Jakob Poeltl would do wonders for Brooklyn’s defense.
- Washington. Another team flush with role players that could sorely use a consolidation deal. Irving might help convince Bradley Beal to stay put, and the Nets would love this version of Kyle Kuzma. Throw in a center and perhaps a reunion with Spencer Dinwiddie and there might be something here.
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Knicks guard Evan Fournier is hoping that the team isn’t broken up at the deadline. “I really do believe we have the right pieces,” Fournier said. “We have talent, we have toughness, we have everything. And we’re not that far from playing better and getting wins. It’s just about finding a way to play and sticking with that and building confidence and all that.”
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At this stage, it’s hard to trust any single report about the Harden-for-Simmons negotiations too much. Both sides are trying to generate leverage through the media. Wojnarowski and Windhorst are two of the most credible basketball reporters on Earth. If they are getting such conflicting information, it means that they are getting it from different sources with different agendas.
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Well, time to throw some water on the latest Harden-for-Simmons rumors. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski does not believe a deal is imminent. “Right now, there’s no negotiation going on between Philadelphia and Brooklyn,” Woj said. “The trade deadline is tomorrow at 3, it can change, but the idea that they are going back and forth that’s been surmised by some, I don’t believe that to be accurate.”
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There’s definitely Buddy Hield interested around the league, but according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, the Pacers are not currently planning to trade him ahead of Thursday’s deadline. Should they decide to move him later on, there should be suitors in the offseason when his cap number goes down a bit.
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Let’s touch on the point guard Westbrook replaced in Los Angeles quickly. Keith Smith reports that the Celtics want a rotation player back in a Dennis Schroder deal, not just financial savings. Boston is $2.8 million above the luxury tax line. This is why a rumored swap involving Donte DiVincenzo makes sense, if Milwaukee is interested. He would save Boston around $1.2 million, but would still be playable for them this season. Expect Boston to prioritize getting under the tax line when it’s all said and done, though.
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Hield is expensive, but his salary declines in the final two years of his deal. I would guess that Indiana would not need a first-round pick in a trade provided they don’t have to take on long-term money to get off of Hield. Could the Lakers find an expiring contract with Horton-Tucker and Nunn as bait? Dallas is in the same boat. The only two meaningful players with expiring contract are core pieces: Jalen Brunson and Dorian Finney-Smith, though Maxi Kleber’s salary is non-guaranteed.
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Here’s a pretty natural segue off of Westbrook and into another Lakers target. Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer believes that both the Lakers and the Mavericks are “still circling Buddy Hield.” The notoriously thrifty Pacers needed to take on Hield as matching salary in their blockbuster Domantas Sabonis trade yesterday… but that doesn’t mean they want to keep him. He’d likely be their fourth or fifth guard next season behind Tyrese Haliburton, Chris Duarte, Malcolm Brogdon and potentially T.J. McConnell.
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We’ll shift off of Westbrook for now with this Twitter question from Sam Fenn. Here’s how I would rank the likeliest outcomes:
1. Russ is demoted to a bench player. Frank Vogel has clearly lost his patience with Westbrook, and given his numbers lately, it would be hard to argue that Westbrook actually deserves to start. I think in a perfect world, the Lakers would like to eventually start Kendrick Nunn at point guard, but until he is healthy, my guess would be that Talen Horton-Tucker, who Vogel has praised lately, would be the replacement if he’s still on the roster after the deadline.
2. Russ remains a Laker starter. Inertia is the most powerful force in the NBA, and if nothing else, demoting Westbrook severely hampers their leverage in possibly moving him in the offseason.
3. Russ is traded by the Lakers this year. My guess is that Westbrook, as an expiring $47 million contract, will be traded in the offseason along with the Lakers’ 2027 and 2029 first-round picks for some difference-maker with a longer contract. I don’t believe, at this time, that the Lakers are willing to give up the 2027 first for Wall, and there’s no other seemingly available trade out there.
4. Russ gets sent home like John Wall. The Lakers are known above all else for catering to stars. Sending Westbrook away would go against everything the Buss family tends to stand for as Laker owners, and frankly, there’s still hope that Westbrook can be salvaged as a reserve. After all, it was only a few years ago that Westbrook was playing with Carmelo Anthony in Oklahoma City as he was going through a similar decline. Anthony figured out how to be a role player. The Lakers will hope that Westbrook does the same, no matter how unlikely.
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Westbrook trade No. 3: A New York bailout.
This is by far the least likely scenario here, but if the Knicks were to trade the Lakers Julius Randle and Evan Fournier for Westbrook and draft compensation, they would save nearly $103 million between the 2023-24 and 2025-26 seasons. They could essentially clear their books beyond next season and position themselves for max cap space again in 2023 while picking up some draft capital in the process. I don’t think the Knicks are going to go this route… but if they really aren’t happy with their direction and want to emphasize their youngsters, this is a way to save money, open up minutes and maybe create some fun, low-stakes Madison Square Garden memories.
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Westbrook trade No. 2: Send him home to Oklahoma City.
The Thunder have roughly $32 million in cap space. In theory, they could take Westbrook’s $44 million salary into that space and send the Lakers only Derrick Favors and Mike Muscala back. Doing so would not only get the Lakers out of the luxury tax, but position them to create meaningful cap space in the offseason.
There are just two holdups here. First is how limited the Lakers are in terms of draft picks. They’d probably have to send multiple first-round pick swaps in addition to their 2027 pick just to get Oklahoma City’s attention. The second is financial. Oklahoma City already has around $104 million on the books for next season, including the dead money stuck on their cap for waiving Kemba Walker. Adding $47 million in Westbrook money would take them beyond the $147 million luxury tax projection. There are ways to cut down on that bill—including a buyout with Westbrook—but the Thunder are simply not going to be willing to pay the tax for a few extra picks. They’d have to know in some other way that they could save some money here.
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Westbrook trade No. 1: John Wall.
This is the simplest path to getting off of Westbrook. He and Wall share identical contracts. They’ve even been traded for one another once before. But this is a game of chicken. The Lakers are betting that Houston, which has no other way of getting anything out of the Wall contract, will eventually yield and accept second-round picks as compensation. The Rockets, sensing how desperate the Lakers are, are betting that Rob Pelinka will fold and send his 2027 first-round pick.
Let’s say both teams stand firm. There are two realistic compromises here. The first would involve offering Houston a pick swap in either 2026 or 2028 rather than a pick outright in 2027. The second would be to demand John Wall and Eric Gordon, who would fill another hole on the perimeter for the Lakers. Such a deal would likely also include Talen Horton-Tucker and Kendrick Nunn for financial purposes.
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Let’s touch base with the NBA’s most desperate team. According to The Athletic’s Bill Oram, “Sources have indicated that the Lakers no longer believe they can win at a high level with Westbrook alongside James and Davis.” Yikes. Okay… but what can they do about it? There’s no such thing as a likely Westbrook trade, but three teams feel like somewhat plausible options…
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Another non-Harden rumor to watch: Portland has drastically retooled its roster in recent days and is still reportedly interested in adding Jerami Grant to the fold, according to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer. This fits with their reported desire to put a winning roster around Damian Lillard next season, and Grant happens to fit snugly within the $21 million trade exception Portland generated with yesterday’s CJ McCollum trade. Watch for a deal to be built around the valuable first-round pick Portland acquired from New Orleans yesterday, though the Pistons are likely going to ask for promising forward Nassir Little as well.
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Here’s an interesting James Harden tidbit, from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “He is screaming in every way he possibly can ‘I don’t want to be here, get me out of here.'” There’s some gamesmanship to this, in addition to just getting a deal. The harder Harden pushes, the better the Philadelphia team he joins ultimately is. If he can limit Brooklyn’s leverage, he can save Philadelphia some of the assets they’ll need to put a championship team around him.
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Let’s shift gears a little bit. According to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, the Kings are trying to trade Harrison Barnes, but have informed teams that they are not interested in future-based packages. That’s going to be a pretty difficult needle to thread for Sacramento. Barnes will turn 30 during the postseason. He’s the sort of player win-now teams trade for, and win-now teams don’t give away their win-now assets.
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Some scattered Harden-for-Simmons thoughts:
- Nothing final yet, but my *suspicion* is that Seth Curry would be the best player to join Simmons in the Philly side of the deal. Tyrese Maxey seems untouchable, and Philadelphia has very little perimeter defense beyond Matisse Thybulle, so keeping him feels essential.
- Philly can trade their first-round pick in either 2022 or 2023… but technically, that’s it. The 2025 pick they owe Oklahoma City has protections that could prevent it from conveying until 2027, so the Stepien rule prevents any further direct trading, but Philly could work around this by trading the Nets another pick “in the first allowable year.” That would send the Nets Philly’s 2027 first-rounder so long as the 76ers send their 2025 pick (protected 1-4, so likely to convey). If Philly doesn’t send their 2025 pick to OKC, their obligation to Brooklyn would roll over to 2028, but if it didn’t convey by then, the pick would need to revert to second-rounders as teams cannot trade draft picks more than seven years away.
- Something to keep an eye on here is Brooklyn’s tax bill. The Nets are more than $35 million above the tax line and owe $110 million in tax payments as of this writing. Don’t be surprised if the Nets try to sneak ancillary salary like Jevon Carter into this trade to save a few bucks.
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Alright folks, we’re roughly 27 hours away from the final buzzer, so let’s cover the biggest rumors we’ve got on the docket for now. First thing’s first: James Harden-for-Ben Simmons appears to be “in the deal zone,” according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
