Happy Trade Season to all who celebrate!
In anticipation of the upcoming Feb. 5 deadline, a number of you sent in questions from all over the country concerning pressing trade items around the league. As always, we appreciate the responses. Let’s dig in.
There doesn’t seem to be a Ja Morant suitor that’s willing to meet Memphis’ “young talent and draft asset” asking price. If no one improves their current offer, will the Grizz still move Ja before the deadline? — @CarlosLop32
We’ve seen both sides of the trade coin in recent years: a disgruntled player subtly or not-so-subtly making his desires to play elsewhere known, and an organization quietly or not-so-quietly making a player available.
Advertisement
What we haven’t seen lately is what the Memphis Grizzlies did two weeks ago: a tight-lipped organization changing course seemingly in the middle of the night, leaving their young star out to dry. The subsequent timing of Morant-related events — the awkward press conference in Berlin, stellar showing in London and unfortunate left elbow injury back home in Memphis — only add to the strangeness of the whole ordeal.
There’s an old saying that goes: Once the genie is out of the bottle, you can’t put it back in. Trade talks are always fluid and perception can change instantly, but I don’t think Memphis can reverse the damage it did to Morant and his psyche by putting him on the block in the manner in which it did. Regardless of whether or not the Grizzlies anticipated a slew of teams to drum up interest, or for Morant to accept a different role within the team structure, there’s no doubt the organization knew exactly what it was doing.
The reality, circling back to your question, is that neither the Grizzlies nor Morant hold any amount of leverage right now. Most teams with the assets Memphis desires — young players and draft picks — are in a holding pattern surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo and his uncertain future in Milwaukee.
Advertisement
[Subscribe to Yahoo Sports NBA on YouTube]
With that being the case, it’s highly unlikely general manager Zach Kleiman will fetch a haul for Morant similar to what he got for Desmond Bane. It’s hard to reach Morant’s $39.4 million salary without cobbling a slew of rookie-scale contracts or older players on negative money. Now, if Memphis is amenable to a salary dump, I could see a path to him being moved in the next 10 days. But I wouldn’t be surprised if the Grizzlies open Door No. 2: reevaluate Morant after the deadline, assess his health after the All-Star break and then ultimately decide to shut him down for the remainder of the season, clearing the runway for a clean offseason break.
Do you believe the Clippers will make any type of “big” move at the deadline (i.e. Michael Porter Jr.) or target smaller pieces that keep their 2026/2027 cap space plans intact (i.e. Collin Sexton)? — @APH00PS
It’s almost unfathomable to believe that, at one point, the Clippers had lost 19 out of 22 games spanning from early November to mid-December. During that same time span, future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul was sent home, putting the Clippers at the center of league-wide discussions over organizational instability and the potential fallout — rival teams hovering over their assortment of ill-fitting talent. John Collins and Ivica Zubac were the two most common names floated on the market at the time.
Advertisement
Since that low point, Los Angeles has gone 15-3 with the league’s fourth-best point differential, second-best offense and seventh-based defense, according to Cleaning the Glass. At 21-24, the Clippers sit comfortably in 10th in the West, good for the play-in tournament and, more importantly, in a prime spot to potentially be aggressive before the deadline.
In conversations around the league, even at the outset of the Clippers’ turnaround, they were thought to be buyers. Whether you want to chalk that up to stubbornness or having both Kawhi Leonard and James Harden on the roster, it’s clear that Los Angeles isn’t quite ready to pivot toward a rebuild just yet. Porter Jr., as you suggested, makes sense from a financial timeline standpoint. Both Leonard and Harden’s contracts are up in the summer of 2027, similarly to Porter, who is making $78 million over the next two seasons. A combination of Collins ($26.5 million), Brook Lopez ($8.8 million) and Nic Batum ($5.6 million) works under the current CBA, provided Brooklyn adds filler to satisfy roster guidelines.
Spotrac
A win-now move like acquiring Porter, a high-end, three-level scorer who has parlayed high usage into a productive, efficient Nets stint is more appealing than, say, adding Sexton. The Clippers have both Leonard and Harden playing at high levels right now. Go for it.
With Steven Adams probably out for a while, do you think Houston trades for a center? — @sengoonnn
The Rockets have won four out of their last five games following a three-game skid, enough of a turn in fortunes to suggest the Rockets are good as is. But since Jan. 1, the team is just 7-6 with the 21st-ranked offense in the league, according to Cleaning the Glass, and has seen drops in its offensive rebounding rate in the week since Adams suffered a Grade 3 left ankle sprain. The Rockets are an average half-court team in terms of points per possession, but now corral 31.5% of their own misses, 11th-best in the NBA.
Advertisement
Typically, a drop from first to just outside the top 10 in any offensive category wouldn’t be a death knell, and it’s not the end of the world for Houston. But when combined with some of the Rockets’ other offensive traits — sluggish pace, low 3-point volume, high turnover rate and their propensity to take shots late in the shot clock — the removal of their biggest strength becomes a bigger issue.
Reserve big Clint Capela’s number has been called recently and the veteran center has responded positively with 16 rebounds (including six offensive rebounds) in his last two stints. But with Adams expected to miss a decent chunk of the season, Rockets officials are still weighing whether or not to add another big to the roster — whether via a trade prior to the Feb. 5 deadline or the ensuing buyout market afterward.
It’s important to note Houston’s brass is merely pondering the idea right now. I’m sure Rockets fans are currently doing internal calculus concerning the more pressing need: center or guard depth. Because the Rockets are somewhat restricted financially, the most likely routes will come from inexpensive avenues. Last week, Amazon Prime’s Chris Haynes reported interest in Pelicans scrappy guard Jose Alvarado — which Yahoo Sports can confirm. But the Rockets aren’t huddling up with Alvarado’s name at the top of their wishlist. The 27-year-old guard represents what Houston would do, all things being considered: a low-risk, low-cost addition. You could theoretically throw in names like De’Anthony Melton, Cole Anthony and Seth Curry. Ditto with bigs like Day’Ron Sharpe, Kevon Looney (Houston had interest in him last summer prior to signing Capela) and Isaiah Jackson. Again, these are mental exercises. Looking at you, aggregators.
Advertisement
What are the Heat doing at the deadline? Is it just Giannis or bust? — @KursheedAl31828
I wouldn’t say Miami is strictly operating from a Giannis-or-bust standpoint. Outside of the Morant/Miami connection reported here two weeks ago, the Heat are thought to be seeking smaller-scale deals that would further fortify their asset war chest, positioning them for Antetokounmpo or a similar-scale superstar if and when they become available.
The Heat currently have seven future first-round picks and two future second-round picks under their control. Miami is in an interesting spot, sitting at 25-22, half a game out of sixth and two games from fifth in the East. Perhaps, given the absence of Tyler Herro (out since mid-January with a chest injury), the Heat would be more open to a Morant deal assuming it wouldn’t cut into their aforementioned Giannis dreams — and assuming Morant could return in a few weeks to give them a post-All-Star push.
Advertisement
In any case, I’m most interested to see what ends up happening with Terry Rozier’s contract. As a $26 million expiring deal, there should be avenues to move on from the veteran guard, but his alleged involvement in a gambling scandal likely has complicated matters.
