Even if no more deals are completed before the NBA trade deadline comes and goes Thursday afternoon, this will go down as perhaps the most memorable trade deadline since this arbitrary date became a popular mid-season event on the calendar.
Teams have until 3 p.m. ET to complete trades, but already some of the biggest names in basketball have been dealt in recent days. The action began over the weekend, of course, when the Dallas Mavericks stunned the sports world by trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis. Then the Sacramento Kings traded De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs in a three-team trade that also sent Zack LaVine from the Chicago Bulls to Sacramento to reunite with former Bulls teammate DeMar DeRozan.
Another wave of significant trades occurred Wednesday. Jimmy Butler finally found a new home after the Miami Heat executed a complicated four-team trade that sent Butler to the Golden State Warriors and Andrew Wiggins to the Heat. The Milwaukee Bucks traded guard Khris Middleton to the Washington Wizards in exchange for a package revolving around forward Kyle Kuzma. The New Orleans Pelicans dealt Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors and the Lakers traded for Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams.
But there’s still time for more trades and the rumors are flying around league circles that another flurry of deals could arrive soon. Contenders are looking to add to their rotations for the stretch run and bottom dwellers are looking to offload contracts for draft assets.
USA TODAY Sports is keeping track of all the latest here:
Kevin Durant will remain with the Suns
As the deadline passes, Shams Charania announced on ESPN that Kevin Durant is not expected to be moved. For the moment, the other momentous trades the NBA supplied this week will have to do.
NBA teams ‘making aggressive calls on Kevin Durant’
Kevin Durant turned down Golden State Warriors reunion
Th behind-the-scenes maneuvering that preceded and eventually facilitated the trade of Butler from the Heat to the Warriors on Wednesday is beginning to trickle out. As had been hinted in recent days, conversations surrounding Butler and Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant became interconnected once it became clear Suns guard Bradley Beal was not going to waive his no-trade clause. And Steph Curry even got involved.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported on ‘Get Up’ Thursday morning that ‘this was close to being Jimmy Butler in Phoenix, Kevin Durant in Golden State.’ But Durant, according to Windhorst, ‘stepped up and made it known he did not want a reunion and once that deal fell apart, Golden State pivoted.’
The Warriors then got Butler from Miami in a four-team trade that also included the Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz. Butler also signed a 2-year, $121-million contract extension with the Warriors as part of the deal. But this was never straightforward, not once Butler made his trade request with the Heat and Pat Riley and not towards the end when the Warriors tried to get Durant.
The Athletic’s Anthony Slater led his analysis piece about Butler’s addition to Golden State with this fascinating nugget:’At some point in the last several days, Stephen Curry had a conversation with Kevin Durant that convinced him a reunion was extremely unlikely, no matter how much the Golden State Warriors ownership group and front office collectively ‘underestimated’ Durant’s coldness toward a return, as one team source put it.’
Golden State Warriors, Chicago Bulls discussing Nikola Vucevic
The Warriors might not be done adding to their roster after the Butler trade.
Though Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic told reporters after Wednesday’s 127-108 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves that he didn’t expect much to happen ahead of the trade deadline, reports Thursday suggest otherwise. Longtime Bulls insider K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network reports trade discussions surrounding Vucevic between the Bulls and Warriors are ongoing.
Memphis Grizzlies are talking to teams about Marcus Smart
NBA insider Ian Begley at SNY reports several teams have spoken with the Memphis Grizzlies about a trade involving guard Marcus Smart. Memphis was also mentioned as a potential suitor for guard Lonzo Ball before he signed a two-year contract extension with the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.
Smart returned Wednesday from a finger injury that had sidelined him for more than a month. He’s averaging 8.7 points and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 35.8% from the field in a bench role for Memphis. The 30-year-old has played in just 39 of 133 games since joining the Grizzlies via trade in June 2023 due to a variety of ailments. Smart has one year left on his contract after this season with a salary cap hit of more than $21.5 million.
Atlanta Hawks could trade De’Andre Hunter
A name to watch the next few hours is Hawks wing De’Andre Hunter, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, with the Cleveland Cavaliers emerging as a potential front-runner to get him.
Hunter has emerged as a Sixth Man of the Year candidate coming off the bench for the Hawks. He’s averaging a career-best 19.0 points and shooting 39.3% from 3-point range. The 6-8 forward has two years left on his contract after this season with salary cap hits of $23.3 million and $24.9 million.