With the NBA trade deadline about a month away, speculation and rumors around the league have been coming at a premium. Things change around the league every day, every hour, every minute. Around this time of the year, every rumor and every ounce of speculation can completely flip with one phone call. The trade deadline brings plenty of questions from fans of every team, which is why the NBA mailbag is back with the latest rumors around the league pertaining to the Los Angeles Lakers and Darvin Ham, as well as trade talks centered on Pascal Siakam and Dejounte Murray.
Before we dive into all of the questions submitted to ClutchPoints by our amazing NBA fans, how about we talk about the upcoming trade deadline and all the latest rumblings around the league? More specifically, let's start things off with the Lakers, because they have not been the same team since winning the in-season tournament. In fact, the Lakers have lost 10 of their last 14 games since taking down the Indiana Pacers in Las Vegas.
When the Lakers lose, not all is bright in Hollywood. Finger pointing always occurs in Los Angeles and, right now, the lack of success surrounding this organization is being attributed to Ham, which is a little unfair given the circumstances he has navigated the team through.
The Lakers have constantly had to shift their rotations around due to injuries, directly impacting their lack of consistent play. Rui Hachimura has been injured, D'Angelo Russell missed some games, Jarred Vanderbilt missed a large chunk of the season so far, and Gabe Vincent continues to be a huge question mark for this franchise given his knee troubles. For what it's worth, Ham keeping this team right at a .500 record is not bad whatsoever.
Aside from questions being asked about Ham and his future with the organization, much has been made regarding the futures of Siakam and Murray with the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks, respectively. The Raptors have been fielding calls from rival teams for Siakam in recent weeks, giving no inclination as to if they are leaning towards trading or keeping the two-time All-Star. Siakam, who is in the final year of his contract, is still eligible to receive an extension from Toronto.
The Sacramento Kings recently held trade discussions with the Raptors pertaining to Siakam, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. The Raptors were apparently unmoved by what the Kings were offering, which is likely because of Sacramento's unwillingness to even bring up recent first-round pick Keegan Murray in any trade discussions. This is not necessarily saying the Raptors wanted Murray for Siakam, but league sources have told ClutchPoints in the past the Kings have zero interest in shipping Murray off.
Now to the Hawks and their Murray. There have been mixed reviews on what Atlanta intends on doing at the trade deadline, and it really depends on who you talk to. Many agents are expecting the Hawks to take a step backwards, dealing Murray and looking for ways to load up on assets now in order to make big moves in the offseason.
While there are executives around the league who share this same belief, there's also a notion that Landry Fields and the front office are still wanting to bring in another star player right away. Siakam, who has been on the Hawks' radar since the offseason, remains of interest to this organization. For Murray and his future alongside Trae Young, several teams have been brought up as suitors for the former All-Star, some of which we will discuss shortly.
More and more details regarding the trade deadline will be revealed in due time, but what do you all want to know? Over the last week, fans have been submitting the biggest questions on their minds to ClutchPoints, so let's dive right in and discuss a variety of topics, starting with the Lakers and their head coach.
What's the latest with Darvin Ham and the Lakers? Is he going to be fired? – Devonte’
Okay, so here we go. The Lakers, everyone's favorite team, right? LeBron James is in Year 21 and is now 39 years old. In my opinion, Anthony Davis is having the best year of his career and, knock on wood, has remained healthy. Given all the depth they had on their roster entering the year, the Lakers should have been considered championship contenders.
Right now, this team appears to be collapsing and trending in the wrong direction since their in-season tournament championship. The body language of all the players is not the same, morale appears to be low in the locker room based on postgame talk and interviews, plus Darvin Ham's job security continues to come into question.
We might as well just get this out of the way right now since it is the focus of the question: Ham is not going anywhere barring some drastic change in the mindsets of general manager Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss. I mean, we are talking some sort of major fight or blowup would need to occur in order for Ham to be fired right now. While his seat may be getting hotter and while there is internal pressure to win, the Lakers will not be making a change at head coach until the offseason at the earliest, at least that's the general consensus from other Western Conference folks outside of the Lakers organization.
As for the latest with the Lakers, this is a team that expects to win and wants to win. They are going to be active at the trade deadline and have made it known to other teams they are open to discussing anyone and hearing trade offers as long as they do not involve James, Davis, or Austin Reaves. Even with no teams showing interest in him right now, I would expect the Lakers to find a way to move D'Angelo Russell at the trade deadline. Whether or not they will have a real shot at someone like Zach LaVine or another star player are details that will come out closer to the start of February.
Is this the end of the Warriors as we know it with the NBA trade deadline coming up? – David
Lakers fans probably hate where their team is at right now, but seeing the Golden State Warriors struggle surely brings a smile to their faces. The Warriors are currently 17-19 on the season, which is outside the play-in picture. Storylines for them this season are all over the place. Klay Thompson hasn't been a consistent scoring force, Draymond Green is returning from his suspension sometime in the next week, Chris Paul has a broken hand, and Andrew Wiggins looks nothing like the dominant force he was during this team's NBA Finals run in 2022. Oh, and both Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody are unhappy with their lack of playing time.
Did we miss anything here?
Simply put, the Warriors need to change. However, I am not of the belief that this core group of Steph Curry, Thompson, and Green is what needs to change. Paul and Wiggins both own large contracts, while Kuminga and Moody are both valuable, young players on rookie contracts. The idea of having a two-track plan of competing for titles while also building for the future just has not worked out, which is why they need to go out and fix this mess.
Unfortunately, sacrifice is going to have to be made if Golden State is to have a shot at winning another title. As the trade deadline nears, the Warriors need to start giving serious thought to the idea of moving assets like Wiggins, Kuminga, Moody, and/or draft picks in order to better their championship outlook, because their Hall of Fame trio is not getting any younger. To me, Pascal Siakam could really change the dynamic of this entire roster and organization.
Golden State has not had a big man like him. At 29 years old, the Warriors could utilize Siakam as one of the faces of that next stage with Curry, Thompson, and Green reaching the end of their careers. If the Raptors are willing to do business with the Warriors, a trade for Siakam makes too much sense for Golden State.
Who is a realistic trade target for the Knicks? – Ryan
Do you want the obvious name being linked to the New York Knicks? If so, that's Dejounte Murray.
If you want my specific thoughts here on what the Knicks need and are wanting, I would point in the direction of the Utah Jazz. Ah, yes, the infamous Brian Windhorst meme of him asking “why would they do that?” Well, why would the Knicks give up both RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley for OG Anunoby when they could have included added draft compensation to keep one of these players.
To me, this points us in the direction of the Knicks' front office wanting to keep capital to make a move with a team wanting draft picks. The Jazz are expected to be sellers at the trade deadline this season, and they have several intriguing names who stand out on their roster pertaining to the trade deadline. Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, Kelly Olynyk, Talen Horton-Tucker, and John Collins are all players the Jazz are open to discussing in trade talks right now.
While Lauri Markkanen's name has been floated around as being “available,” Utah has zero intentions of trading their star forward, league sources told ClutchPoints. That is unless another Rudy Gobert-like trade package came their way. It wouldn't be a surprise if some of this Markkanen stuff leaked from Utah in order to try and drive up the asking price of some of their other players like Clarkson and Olynyk, who are likely to be dealt. Look out, because Danny Ainge is looking to pull another fast one on any organization not paying attention!
For the Knicks, I like the idea of pursuing Sexton, I like the idea of grabbing Clarkson, and I also like the idea of bringing in a perimeter big man like Olynyk. Ultimately, if the Knicks were to pursue a trade with Utah, they could probably only grab one player for cap reasons. Although he is not a great defensive guard, Clarkson can be the scorer off the bench the Knicks no longer have with Quickley gone. Plus, Clarkson's contract goes from $23 million this season to $14 million each of the next two. That right there is a contract Leon Rose and this front office would love to get their hands on.
Any word on what the Celtics are planning? – Cohen
Brad Stevens likes to be aggressive. Stevens was always an aggressive coach in terms of play calling and scouting, which is why he has maintained this mindset in his front office role with the Boston Celtics.
Right now, there is no need for the Celtics to make a move. They are 28-8 at the top of the NBA with a starting group that has proven to be the best in the league. However, it is a known fact around the league that the Celtics are not settling and want to bring in more talent in order to do everything they can to win a championship. This has led to questions being asked about who the team would be willing to part ways with seeing as they have little financial flexibility.
It is worth noting the Celtics own a $6.2 million traded player exception stemming from their sign-and-trade with the Dallas Mavericks and Grant Williams this past offseason. Boston wants to utilize this exception to upgrade their roster if possible. The Celtics also have several players like Oshae Brissett, Svi Mykhailiuk, Lamar Stevens, and Dalano Banton on minimum deals who can be packaged together to create a $6 million to $8 million financial buffer for the team to potential make a deal.
While Kelly Olynyk is a player who has been rumored to be on the Celtics' monitor, I would tend to think they will aim for one or two players in the $4 million to $6 million contract value range. Jae'Sean Tate from the Houston Rockets would be an interesting name for Boston to consider.
Will the Nets get involved at the NBA trade deadline? – Chris
It seems like the Brooklyn Nets need to get involved at the NBA trade deadline. The Nets have continued to fall down the Eastern Conference standings. While they have talented players on their roster, this team has just looked like an assortment of talent at times this season with no sense of direction. Is Mikal Bridges the actual No. 1 guy on this team and the star Brooklyn wants to move forward with, or will the top scoring role go to Cam Thomas? Can these two players coincide with one another long-term?
These are two key questions the Nets need to answer quickly, along with what veterans they are going to be giving up. Spencer Dinwiddie and Royce O'Neale are in the final year of their respective contracts. Dorian Finney-Smith remains under contract for years to come, yet he could return a few assets from playoff-contending teams. It is also worth pointing out that Nic Claxton is in the final year of his contract.
The Nets are bound to move on from at least one of these four players outlined above. O'Neale will likely generate a little more interest than Dinwiddie because of his two-way play and smaller contract price.
Have you heard anything about the Hornets regarding a new front office, new coaching staff, and roster changes? – Imraan
With Michael Jordan selling his majority ownership stake in the Charlotte Hornets before the start of the 2023-24 NBA season, this organization is set to make some big changes once the offseason rolls around. Currently 8-26 on the season, the Hornets have found zero success, and that is unlikely to change even with All-Star guard LaMelo Ball nearing a return from an ankle injury he suffered in November.
General manager Mitch Kupchak finds himself under the microscope of the organization's new management. It would not come as a surprise to see a new front office take over at the conclusion of this season. Not much has gone right for the Hornets in recent years as they have continued to underperform since making their last playoff appearance in 2016. Along with Kupchak's future being in question, head coach Steve Clifford is also in danger of his time in Charlotte coming to an end. While he inherited a fractured roster with little room for growth, changes in the front office would almost definitely translate to changes on the bench as well.
As far as the Hornets' roster goes, this is a team that has a few players who can impact games. Terry Rozier drew a lot of interest at the trade deadline last season and will once again have a few suitors given his career year. The Hornets have always held a high asking price regarding Rozier, which is why there is a belief he will remain next to LaMelo in the backcourt. Regardless of what the front office wants to do at the trade deadline this season, Charlotte's new ownership will have the final say regarding moves that could be made.
What's Gordon Hayward's trade value across the NBA? – James
At 33 years old, Gordon Hayward finds himself in the final year of his contract and once again on the injury report due to a left calf strain. Hayward just has not been able to remain on the floor in recent years, which is a shame because he was such a talented player earlier in his NBA career with the Jazz. Although he may be past his prime, Hayward can still be a smart playmaker out on the wing when he is available. In the 25 games he has played in this season, that has been apparent.
Hayward scored at least 20 points in eight different games this season and has averaged 4.6 assists per game, the highest mark of his career since the 2013-14 season. Many teams in the league are unable to pursue Hayward because of his $31.5 million contract, but he can definitely still provide value to a playoff-contending team.
If he was making say $5 million this season, there would be a ton of teams interested in adding a player of Hayward's talents. Unfortunately, there does not appear to be a vast market for a player like him right now. That could absolutely change over the course of the next few weeks leading up to the deadline, especially as teams look to match salaries in other deals.
From a pure speculation mindset, a few teams come to mind that would make sense as landing spots for Hayward. The Miami Heat need some extra scoring production on the wing and could match Hayward's contract with that of Kyle Lowry's. The Dallas Mavericks are another team with known interest in adding a forward at the deadline. We might as well throw the Warriors in this group as well given their struggles to find scoring production on the wing.
There are playoff-caliber teams that could benefit from adding a healthy Hayward. However, it is just really hard to envision the veteran being the sole focus of a trade over the next few weeks.
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