2026 NBA Trade Deadline Tracker: Live updates, news, rumors, deals, analysis of all the action

We are just a day away from the NBA trade deadline — Thursday, Feb. 5, at 3 p.m. Eastern — and the trades have come fast — James Harden to the Cavaliers, Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Jazz — but the rumors are coming even faster. To help you stay on top of all of it, the NBCSports.com NBA crew is on it, putting updates on everything worth knowing in this one place. Just refresh here and stay up to date on everything.

Mavericks do not plan to trade Kyrie Irving

This is not a fire sale in Dallas (insert your “that was the Luka Doncic trade” joke here).

Dallas may have traded Anthony Davis, but they have no plans to do the same with Kyrie Irving, reports Christian Clark at The Athletic.

Dallas can go into next season with a core of Flagg, Irving — whom the Mavericks don’t plan on trading before Thursday’s deadline, a team source said — Dereck Lively II, Christie, Naji Marshall and whoever Dallas adds with its first-round pick in June. That is a potentially fun nucleus that isn’t so old and expensive that it will keep hindering the team-building efforts around Flagg.

Charlotte controls Dallas’ first-round pick next season (top two protected), so they are a winner in the trade, too. But with Irving and Flagg, Dallas is going to win some games and be very entertaining doing it.

TRADE: Magic trade Tyus Jones to Hornets, duck tax

Welcome to the portion of trade deadline week where the moves are more about financial concerns than basketball or players.

The Orlando Magic have agreed to trade point guard Tyus Jones to the Charlotte Hornets for a 2028 second-round pick and cash considerations, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. Orlando was $5.7 million into the luxury tax, Jones makes $7 million and the Hornets can absorb it. Orlando isn’t good enough this year to want to start the luxury tax clock (working toward the repeater tax teams try to avoid).

Jones seemed like a great signing by the Magic over the summer, but he has struggled with his shot this season (34.2% from the floor overall and 29.4% from beyond the arc). If the Hornets can help Jones find his shot again, this is a good pick-up for them.

TRADE: Lonzo Ball traded to Utah, will be waived in 3-team deal

There are a lot of moving parts to this deal.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are trading Lonzo Ball and two second-round picks to the Utah Jazz, who are expected to then turn around and waive Ball, making him a free agent. Utah is also trading recently-acquired center Jock Landale to Atlanta.

Why is all of this happening, you ask? ESPN’s Shams Charania, who broke all these trades, sums it up.

TRADE: Clippers send Chris Paul to Toronto in three-team deal

The Clippers were able to find a home for Chris Paul, but it’s north of the border. And he may not stay there.

The LA Clippers are trading Chris Paul to Toronto in a three-team deal that also sends Ochai Agbaji, a 2032 Raptors second-round pick and $3.5 million in cash to the Nets, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. Toronto will not require CP3 to report and will work to flip him in another trade before the deadline, Charania reports.

This trade was not about Paul, it was about money — this deal gets the Raptors out of the luxury tax. Brooklyn gets a free player in the deal — that cash covers Agbaji’s salary — and a pick for their trouble. —Kurt Helin

TRADE: Bulls send guard Coby White to Hornets for Collin Sexton

The Chicago Bulls had a lot of teams calling about guard Coby White, but Charlotte — a team with a famous point guard, for now at least — came through with the best offer.

Chicago is trading White, as well as the recently acquired veteran point guard Mike Conley Jr., to Charlotte for another point guard, Collin Sexton, plus Ousmane Dieng and three second-round picks, a trade broken by Shams Charania of ESPN.

If you’re saying to yourself “how can the Hornets trade Dieng, he’s not on their team” that’s because this was one part of a larger trade.

Chicago is overloaded with ball-handling guards — White, Trey Jones, Conley, Ayo Dosunmu, Yuki Kawamura on a two-way deal — on a roster where Josh Giddey will have the ball in his hands most of the time. The Bulls didn’t want to pay White going forward, and Sexton is on an expiring contract.

That said, the Bulls are a small team now with nobody on the roster taller than 6'9" and still two handfuls of guards. It’s a work in progress.

White is a great pickup for the Hornets. He has come into his own over the last couple of years and this season is averaging 18.6 points and 4.7 assists, playing with high energy and leading the Bulls locker room. He’s also in the final year of his contract and is going to get a healthy raise, up to starter money ($20+ million a season), which was too rich for the Bulls.

White can play the two and be point guard depth this season on a Hornets team making a push into the postseason in the East. The bigger question is long-term — is he there to replace LaMelo Ball if the Hornets test the market for him? Play next to him? White is going to get starter money from someone this summer, will it be Charlotte?

Expect Charlotte to buy out Conley. He could return to the Timberwolves on a minimum deal now because he has been traded twice, and he was a big part of their locker room. —Kurt Helin

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s injury leads Thunder to trade for Jared McCain

The Thunder made a surprising trade on Wednesday, sending the Rockets’ 2026 first-round pick and three second-round picks to the 76ers for Jared McCain. It was then revealed shortly after the trade was completed that Gilgeous-Alexander had suffered an abdominal strain during last night’s game against the Magic and could be out through the All-Star break and then would be evaluated to determine his exact timeline. While McCain will obviously not replace an MVP, the 21-year-old was the 16th overall pick last season and averaged 15.3 points on 38.3% from beyond the arc in 23 games last year before suffering an injury. Injuries have also led to McCain averaging under 17 minutes per game this season in just 37 games. Quentin Grimes has stepped in and taken the role that Philadelphia had envisioned for McCain, which made him expendable for this kind of draft return. It will also allow the 76ers to convert two-way player Dominick Barlow’s contract.

Now we just wait to see how long the Thunder will have to play without their star guard. - Eric Samulski

TRADE: Anthony Davis traded to the Wizards in a nine-player deal

After months of speculation, the Mavericks finally found a trade partner for Anthony Davis, sending the big man, Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell, and Dante Exum to Washington for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, and Marvin Bagley III, two first-round picks, and three second-round picks.

While the Wizards were not one of the teams often linked to Davis, it does make some sense. Earlier this season, they took a gamble on adding Trae Young after injuries and poor team fit hurt his value, and they now do the same with Davis. Much like with Young, Davis will likely sit out the vast majority of the remainder of the season so that the Wizards can secure a top pick in the draft. Then, the team will enter the 2026-27 season with that top pick, Trae Young, Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Bilal Coulibaly, and Tre Johnson as part of their main core. That’s a competitive roster, and the interior defense of Davis and Sarr will help offset some of the perimeter defensive struggles.

The Mavericks don’t get much here to help them this season, but that was never part of the plan. They will receive five picks in this deal, including a 2026 Thunder first-round pick and a 2030 protected Warriors first-round pick, with second-rounders in 2026 (Phoenix), 2027 (Chicago), and 2029 (Houston). AJ Johnson scored 9.1 points in 27 minutes per game for the Wizards last year and may get a chance to play more in Dallas, as will Marvin Bagley III. The expectation is that Khris Middleton will be bought out and could look to join a contender after the deadline. - Eric Samulski

Grizzlies “motivated” to find Ja Morant trade

Trading Desmond Bane this summer started the snowball rolling down the mountain, but it became an avalanche with the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade to Utah — the Grizzlies are in full rebuild mode.

The Grizzlies are “motivated” to trade Ja Morant now, reports Jake Fischer at The Stein Line, and there are multiple reports that the price has dropped (but Memphis still wants picks or young players). Miami has long been linked to a possible Morant trade (the Heat have rehabbed more than a few careers), and Kevin O’Connor says the Kings are also in the mix. However, the most interesting thing was the note from Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports about how the Grizzlies are handling this.

It sounds increasingly like we may have a Morant trade before the deadline. —Kurt Hein

Lakers looking for wings, market dry

It’s no secret that the Lakers have been in the market for a 3&D wing to pair with Luka Doncic, LeBron James and the now returning Austin Reaves — the Lakers need the shooting and defense. The Lakers would even be willing to trade their 2031 first-round pick for the right deal, according to reports.

The problem is that those guys are just not on the market. Dan Woike of The Athletic sums it up well:

The Lakers had conversations with New Orleans earlier this season about Herbert Jones and were told the Pelicans intended to keep him. The price for Trey Murphy III, another favorite of some in the Lakers’ organization, was even higher. According to league sources, the Lakers have been linked to virtually every defensive wing on the market, including Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga, the Clippers’ Derrick Jones Jr. and Chicago’s Isaac Okoro...

That has put the Lakers in a tight spot — yet again — with the team possessing clear needs for roster help but incredibly limited means to acquire it and, perhaps, better options in the future that they could limit with the wrong move now.

Look for the Lakers to be aggressive this summer in retooling their roster around Doncic and Reaves (with the assumption that LeBron James and Los Angeles are parting ways). That just may not start at the deadline. —Kurt Helin

Antetokounmpo latest: Sixers out for now, Lakers in for summer

James Harden has been traded, as has Jaren Jackson Jr. (and we didn’t expect that one), which leaves Giannis Antetokounmpo as the biggest name still on the board. Here is the latest on him.

• Talks are still moving slowly, at best, according to multiple reports, including NBC Sports’ own Grant Liffman. League sources continue to tell NBC Sports they expect this to be a soap opera that drags out into the offseason. That said, there is some logic to the “you can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube” idea that the Bucks don’t want to drag this out.

• The Philadelphia 76ers are out of the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, at least at the deadline, reports Tony Jones at The Athletic.

• The Lakers don’t have the picks and young players to get in the mix at the trade deadline, but would “become a very viable threat to land” the Greek Freak in the offseason, reports Marc Stein at The Stein Line. My sense with the Lakers is kind of the same as the Knicks — it only happens if Antetokounmpo puts his thumb on the scale, but he also would be far from the first star to put his thumb on the scale to get to Los Angeles.

• If an Antetokounmpo trade does happen at the deadline, the Warriors may well be the team with up to four first-round picks they can throw in the deal. If it happens — which means Antetokounmpo pushed to go there, and there are rumblings he’s not sure he wants to go to what is clearly (and deservedly) Stephen Curry’s team — Draymond Green would be part of the trade. That has led Steve Kerr to talk to Draymond about it.

“This is probably the first time since I’ve been here that his name has ever really been mentioned in trade talks. So it’s different. But it’s also part of the league.”

Even if the Bucks like the Warriors’ offer, it would still be there in the offseason if they want to wait. Which remains the expectation around the league with just more than 24 hours until the trade deadline. —Kurt Helin

James Harden denies requesting trade

What league sources had told NBC Sports, what had been the wisdom around the league was that James Harden was traded because he wanted to talk future money with the Clippers — making sure they gave him his full $42.3 million next season (only $13.3 was guaranteed) and discussing an extension after that — while the Clippers were ready to pivot out of the Harden/Kawhi Leonard era. So both sides focused on a trade.

Harden denied requesting a trade and made it all sound very amicable when talking to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.

At the end of the day, this could be a good trade for the Clippers if they can get Darius Garland healthy and playing like he did last season — he’s an All-Star and 10-years younger than Harden. Will this, plus trading away Deandre Hunter and bringing in Keon Ellis, turn the Cavaliers back into contenders? It should improve their roster in the short term, but we’ve all seen the James Harden in the playoff movie. It doesn’t end well. —Kurt Helin

Giannis Antetokounmpo opens up about trade talks

In a pregame interview Tuesday discussing the trade rumors swirling around him, Giannis Antetokounmpo was honest, emotional, and you could sense how conflicted he feels. Here are some highlights from his fantastic interview with Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

“What I want deep down in my heart is I want to be a Milwaukee Buck for the rest of my career and win here,” Antetokounmpo said.

When asked about his input into potential trade discussions, Antetokounmpo responded flatly: “Zero. Zero. I’m not.”

A couple of his comments got into how he feels conflicted but wants to win badly enough to consider a change.

“If you ask me what do I really want, deep down in my heart? I want to be a Milwaukee Buck until I retire and win a championship here. End of sentence. If that is not possible to happen, and if then you realize maybe that’s not the case and maybe they’re looking elsewhere and that’s not what they’re trying to do, then automatically you have to be in the plans of what they’re trying to do or weigh the other options. It’s normal.”

“But what I’m trying to say, how many chances do I have left to win a championship? So, you just gotta [be] more careful and more urgent in every decision that you make moving forward. It doesn’t change. I think I’ve listened since day one and that will never change. I have great respect, love and likeness for Jon and the ownership and that will never be different. Won’t change. But at the end of the day...”

He paused for nearly eight seconds before concluding: “You gotta look.”

As NBC’s own Grant Liffman reported, things aren’t really moving on the Antetokounmpo trade front. Milwaukee has listened to offers, but there’s been very little negotiation between suitors and the Bucks, according to reports. That can change quickly, but league sources continue tell NBC Sports they expect the Bucks to wait into the summer before trading Antetokounmpo.

If you’re looking for tea leaves to read, there is also this cryptic social media post from Antetokounmpo.

LeBron to remain with Lakers past deadline

Every trade deadline, I see a report come out refuting some rumor I have never heard, and all I can think is, “How did that even gain traction? Did anyone actually believe that crap?”

This year, I give you this report from ESPN’s Dave McMenamin: LeBron James will not be traded before the deadline and will stay a Laker for the rest of the season.

Did anyone actually think a LeBron in-season trade was possible? Let’s go over just a few of the biggest reasons that was never within the realm of possibility. First, LeBron has a no-trade clause, so he couldn’t be traded without his express permission (and he’s not going to give that midseason). Second, LeBron is making $52.7 million this season, and as we have seen in trade talks for other stars making in the ballpark of LeBron’s salary, constructing a trade for that much money in the apron era is next to impossible. Finally, and this may be the biggest reason, any team interested in him knows he’s a free agent, and is very likely leaving the Lakers after the season (that is the conventional wisdom around the league). So why give up a bunch of assets to trade for him when you can just sign him as a free agent in the summer? All that’s not even getting into his agent, Rich Paul, shooting down the idea on his podcast a couple of months ago. Time to move on from this whole rumor. —Kurt Helin

TRADE: Clippers trade Harden to Cavaliers for Garland, pick

The rumored deal that, less than 24 hours ago, felt like it jump-started NBA trade deadline week has been consummated.

The Los Angeles Clippers have agreed to trade 11-time All-Star James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for two-time All-Star Darius Garland and a second-round pick, a trade initially broken by Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated and this final agreement by Shams Charania of ESPN.

What held up the trade in the final stage was the draft-pick compensation — both sides felt they should have received a first-round pick, or at least a swap, in the deal. Eventually, it was settled that the Clippers would get a second-round pick for taking on the extra year of salary.

Harden and Garland can be traded for each other straight up under the CBA, despite the Cavaliers being over the second apron, because Harden makes about $300,000 less than Garland. Garland has two years and $87 million left on his contract.

The Clippers and Harden had been working together for a couple of weeks to find a trade, a process Harden initiated according to sources. Harden grew up in Southern California, played at Atesia High School, just 22 miles from the Intuit Dome, and had consistently said he loved playing in Los Angeles.

However, this was business — it was all about money, league sources told NBC Sports. Harden has a player option for $42.3 million next season, however, just $13.3 million of that is guaranteed (it was a dual option contract). Harden wanted assurances that the Clippers would exercise their option (which would pay him his full salary next season), and he also wanted to talk about an extension next summer. The Clippers, looking to preserve cap space for the summer of 2027 and pivot out of the Harden/Kawhi Leonard era, did not want to discuss a couple-year extension. At least not yet.

That led Harden to request a move. He lands in Cleveland, where Garland was an All-Star a year ago, but ongoing toe issues — which required offseason surgery and continue to linger — have slowed him down. Cleveland wants to contend this season in a wide-open East, and they see Harden as a playmaker and passer who can lift up their game. Harden, 36, has averaged 25.4 points per game this season. The Cavaliers are looking past Harden’s playoff struggles, particularly in big games (he was 2-for-8 with 7 points against Denver in Game 7 of the last playoffs, for example).

The Clippers get a potential point guard of the future who is just 26, but they need to get him healthy. This also messes with their 2027 cap-space plan as Garland is under contract for that season. Still, the Clippers’ pivot to whatever is next has begun. —Kurt Helin

Heat still interested in Antetokounmpo and Morant trades

Pat Riley takes big swings, and the Heat have been home to more than one reclamation project over the years.

Could Ja Morant be the next? Miami is still interested in a Morant trade — and a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade — reports Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

The former All-Star point guard [Morant] has made it clear he would be amenable to a relocation to the Heat, and he had been linked to considerable Heat speculation before the NBA went on hold while the Milwaukee Bucks decide what to do with Antetokounmpo. An NBA source told the Sun Sentinel on Tuesday that he believes the Heat could be active on both the Antetokounmpo and Morant fronts ahead of the trade deadline, with decisions on the two not being mutually exclusive.

A day ago, one might have said Miami doesn’t have the trade assets to land both Morant and Antetokounmpo. Maybe they don’t. But in the wake of the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade, the Grizzlies know they won’t get as much back for Morant and will take less, Brian Windhorst of ESPN said.

Antetokounmpo has to be the priority for Miami, but Morant could be the fallback if the Bucks decide to wait until the summer to deal with the Greek Freak. Or, maybe on a long shot, the Heat could land them both. —Kurt Helin

TRADE: Chicago trades Nikola Vucevic to Boston for Anfernee Simons

Scroll down just a few items on this tracker and you’ll come across a note about how the Boston Celtics were trying to use the expiring $27.7 million contract of Anfernee Simons to trade for the center they need, someone like Nikola Vucevic.

It’s done. The Bulls are trading Vucevic to the Celtics for Simons in a deal that also sees the teams swap second-round picks, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.

Vucevic, 35, is a 15-year NBA veteran and two-time All-Star, a quality offensive center who is averaging 16.9 points and nine rebounds per game in Chicago this season. He is shooting 36.7% from 3-point range this season, and while that is on a small volume (1.7 attempts a game), expect his attempts to skyrocket in Joe Mazzulla’s system. What Vucevic is not is a quality defender and rim protector, so expect Neemias Queta and Luka Garza to still get plenty of run.

This is a sign Boston wants to go for it in a wide-open East (what that means for a Jayson Tatum return is up to Jayson Tatum). That’s good for Vucevic, who has said he wants to play for a contender and have a real chance to compete for something meaningful, something he hasn’t had in recent years in Chicago.

The Celtics also save about $1.2 million and move closer to escaping the luxury tax, and actually save $22 million in salary and tax penalties, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

For the Bulls, trading for Simon, and before that, Jaden Ivey and Mike Conley Jr., suggests more deals are on the way. Chicago has been testing the trade market for Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, one or both of them could be on the move before the trade deadline on Thursday. —Kurt Helin

TRADE: Jaden Ivey and Mike Conley Jr. head to Chicago in a three-team deal

The stove is heating up in the NBA with Chicago, Minnesota, and Detroit involved in a three-team deal. Both Jaden Ivey and Mike Conley Jr. will head to the Bulls, with Kevin Huerter and Dario Saric going to the Pistons. Detroit will also receive a 2026 first-round protected swap from Minnesota, which doesn’t take on a single player in this deal.

The Jaden Ivey piece is interesting here. The fifth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Ivey looked great last season, averaging 17.6 points on 46% from the field and 41% from beyond the arc while chipping in 4.0 assists and 4.1 rebounds. However, a major leg injury limited him to just 30 games. This season, he is playing just under 17 minutes a game for a loaded Pistons team. With the Bulls potentially trading Coby White away, Ivey could see a major uptick in minutes in Chicago.

Huerter will take Ivey’s place in the Pistons rotation and provide shooting in his 17-ish minutes per game. While Huerter is shooting only 31.4% from deep this season, he is a 37% three-point shooter in his career, and that will fit nicely in Detroit.

So why is Minnesota involved in this, sending Mike Conley and a first-round pick swap? Well, Minnesota now has an open roster spot and freed up almost $11 million in cap space, so that they are now $2.5 million below the first tax apron. They appear to be making a strong run to land a particular Milwaukee Bucks MVP. - Eric Samulski

TRADE: Memphis sends Jaren Jackson Jr. to Utah in massive deal

The Utah Jazz have quietly been telling anyone who would listen that they may be tanking this season, but starting next season they want to flip the timeline and start winning in the West. Memphis has been looking at Ja Morant trade options and a way to pivot from its current roster — which didn’t live up to expectations, largely due to injuries and suspensions — and move toward what is next.

The two sides got together for a blockbuster trade on Tuesday.

Memphis is trading former Defensive Player of the Year and All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr., as well as John Konchar, Jock Landale and Vince Williams Jr. to the Utah Jazz for three first-round picks, as well as Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks and Georges Niang, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN.

Those three picks are Utah’s best 2027 first-round pick (between Cleveland/Minnesota/Utah), the Lakers’ 2027 first-round pick, and Phoenix’s 2031 first-round pick, reports Jake Fischer. Memphis now controls 12 first-round picks in the next seven years.

In Memphis, this means a Ja Morant trade — either in the coming days before the deadline, or more likely this summer — will happen they enter into a total rebuild. When gauging the trade market for Morant, teams had asked about Jaren Jackson Jr., but had largely been turned away. The Jazz, however, found a deal — with enough picks — that the Grizzlies could not resist.

Utah now has an impressive front line of Jackson Jr., Lauri Markkanen — who they refused to trade despite calls — and Walker Kessler (who is out injured for the season). Keyonte George has emerged as an All-Star-level point guard who can run the show for this team, and they have No. 5 pick Ace Bailey on the wing, who has started to find his footing as the season has moved along. That can be a big, impressive starting five for the Jazz next season.

The short-term question is, can Utah continue its tanking mission this season? How many games will Jackson play the rest of this season? The Jazz owe their 2026 first-round pick to the Thunder, but it’s top-eight protected. The Jazz would currently enter the NBA Draft Lottery with the sixth-worst record in the league and a better than 75% chance of keeping their pick, but if this team starts winning a lot, those numbers change in the Thunder’s favor. —Kurt Helin

Celtics may trade Simons for big man

Give Neemias Queta and Luka Garza their flowers. Going into this season, the Boston frontcourt was seen as a weakness that would sink the Celtics in the East. Instead, Queta has been a rock-solid starter, Garza has shown he is a good rotation player, and behind a monster Jalen Brown season the Celtics are in the thick of things near the top of the East.

That said, the Celtics are looking to upgrade — or, at the very least, fortify — their front line for a playoff run with a move at the trade deadline. To do that likely means trading Anfernee Simons, something Jay King wrote about at The Athletic.

In any trade for significant salary, the Celtics would be likely to part ways with Anfernee Simons, according to league sources. That wouldn’t be an easy loss for the team to stomach, as he has acclimated himself well in Boston. Based on all indications, the Celtics have appreciated Simons’ approach this season. After leading the Portland Trail Blazers in scoring last season, he has fully bought into a bench role.

Simons has had a strong season, scoring 14.2 points per game and shooting 39.5% from beyond the arc. He is on an expiring $27.7 million contract, which means a deal for someone such as Nikola Vučević, Jusuf Nurkić or Myles Turner. If it’s a trade for someone like Daniel Gafford (making $14.4 million with the Mavericks) they may not need him. Just something to watch. —Kurt Helin

Donovan Mitchell reportedly would welcome Harden

Would James Harden mesh with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ more up-tempo, ball-movement style? Donovan Mitchell is reportedly open to finding out.

Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line report Mitchell “would welcome the addition of an experienced ball-handler like Harden to ease some of the playmaking burden he has shouldered this season.” Darius Garland handled that role last season when he was an All-Star, but a toe injury that ultimately required surgery limited him last playoffs and into this season, where he has played in just 26 games and been much less efficient. That has left a larger role for Mitchell to carry, and in the postseason the Cavaliers will need another shot creator to make a run.

Harden is a gifted passer, but his preferred style of play is different from what Cleveland does now — Harden holds the ball an average of six seconds per touch this season, the longest of any player in the league. He likes to pound the rock, survey the defense, then make his move (often after calling for a specific pick). Last season, when the Cavaliers had the best record in the East, Garland held the ball for an average of 4.8 seconds, he and the rest of the Cleveland roster pushed for faster ball movement.

Still, the sides are pushing towards a trade, reports NBA insider Chris Haynes.

—Kurt Helin

Mavericks could trade Klay Thompson but keep Anthony Davis

ESPN’s Tim Bontemps reports that, due to Anthony Davis’ most recent hand injury, “the belief around the league for weeks has been that the trade deadline will pass without a move.” The market for him just doesn’t seem to be there, and the Mavericks aren’t willing to simply give him away. However, with the team not in contention, they are willing to move veterans in exchange for younger players or cap flexibility for the offseason. Any or all of “Klay Thompson, Daniel Gafford, and D’Angelo Russell could find new homes this week, and any expiring money that comes back would allow the Mavericks to reset their books for next season.” That would then allow the Mavericks to build around Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving next season.

As of now, there are no specific rumors involving any of those three players, but they remain names to watch as we inch closer to the deadline. — Eric Samulski

Kings and Raptors discussing Sabonis for Barrett swap

Hoops Hype’s Michael Scotto has reported that Toronto and Sacramento are in talks on a trade involving Domantas Sabonis, RJ Barrett, and Ochai Agbaji. The Raptors have been interested in Sabonis since the summer, which makes sense given their desperate need for a strong interior presence with Jakob Poeltl’s back injuries. Putting Sabonis on the block and then surrounding him with a slasher like Scottie Barnes, a shooter like Immanuel Quickley, and a mid-range shooter like Brandon Ingram would be a great foundation for the Raptors.

However, Barrett’s fit in Sacramento is more curious. They just traded for a wing in De’Andre Hunter and have Keegan Murray locked into a long-term deal. Barrett is more of a ball handler and attacker than those two, but the Kings would still have glaring holes in their lineup.

We should note that Scotto mentions that other angles need to be worked out here to make the finances match. There may need to be a third team involved to take on Poeltl’s contract, and there will likely be multiple first-round picks traded as well. So there is still a way to go here, but it’s a situation to monitor. — Eric Samulski

Timberwolves are also entering the James Harden sweepstakes

After a surprising report dropped on Monday night that the Clippers were entertaining the possibility of trading James Harden, the landscape for that potential deal is starting to take shape. A swap built around getting Darius Garland from the Cavaliers seems to be the most likely outcome, but Tomer Azarly of Clutch Points also reports that the Timberwolves remain in the mix to acquire Harden.

Those talks have not advanced as far as the Cavaliers talks, but Minnesota has been searching for a point guard to put alongside Anthony Edwards, who has been playing more of a point forward role this season out of necessity. The Timberwolves had been ready to part with Julius Randle for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but it likely wouldn’t take as much to land Harden, and the Clippers are focused on maintaining their cap flexibility from 2027 on. — Eric Samulski

Lonzo Ball could join brother in Charlotte

Now that Dennis Schröder and Keon Ellis are in Cleveland, the Cavaliers have a surplus of guards that they can trade from. While shipping Darius Garland to the Clippers for James Harden has been discussed, Marc Stein also reports that the Cavaliers have discussed a trade that would send Lonzo Ball to Charlotte to play alongside his brother, LaMelo.

“Sources say there has been some preliminary conversation between the Cavaliers and Hornets about Ball trade constructions that could furnish Charlotte with second-round draft capital and thus enable the Hornets to pair the elder Ball with his younger brother LaMelo. Charlotte, Brooklyn and Utah, according to league sources, are all teams that have been looking to facilitate multi-team trades or take on unwanted salary in exchange for draft pick compensation.”

Despite injuries to Darius Garland and Max Strus, Lonzo Ball hasn’t really emerged as a key piece in Cleveland’s rotation. He’s averaging 4.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 21 minutes per game. He’s also shooting a career-worst 30% from the field and 27.2% from beyond the arc with just a 41.5% effective field goal rate. While he has reportedly dreamed of playing in the NBA with his brother, it’s unclear why Charlotte would risk adding a player who is not producing on the court when they are arguably the hottest team in basketball right now. — Eric Samulski

Clippers players react to Harden report

A couple of weeks ago, Tyronn Lue said he expected this to be a quiet trade deadline for the Clippers. He was asked that same question Monday night — just after his team lost to the 76ers.

“I’m not sure,” Lue responded this time.

That’s because news has broken during the game that James Harden wants out and the Clippers are looking to trade the 11-time All-Star before the Feb. 5 trade deadline.

Lue’s Clippers — without Harden, who missed the game for “personal reasons” — came out Monday night and looked distracted in falling behind 16-2 early to the 76ers and never getting within single digits the rest of the night. That said, to a man the Clippers players said postgame that they were shocked by the news and didn’t learn about this until after the game.

“It’s a surprise…" Kawhi Leonard said. “Respect his decision, or whoever’s decision it is. That’s still gonna be my boy. Trust the front office.”

“It definitely was shocking,” John Collins said. “Obviously, I don’t know too much right now. Just gotta continue to see how it unfolds.”

Harden is a Southern California guy who went to Artesia High School just 20 miles from the Intuit Dome, and his coming home to the Clippers was and is a big deal.

“He means a lot, yeah, he means a lot to our team as we’ve seen in the last three years. So he means a lot,” Lue said.

Is Harden the kind of guy Lue would want on his roster for a playoff run?

“Who wouldn’t have James Harden?” he asked.

As for how to deal with the distraction, Lue was pretty old-school and straightforward.

“You gotta be professional, no matter what the rumors may be and what it is,” Lue said. “We got to come out and be professional and play.” —Kurt Helin

Harden for Garland trade in “advanced” talks

James Harden was out for the second straight game for the Clippers Monday night, due to what coach Tyronn Lue said pregame was for “personal reasons,” but didn’t elaborate beyond that. Turns out it was something else.

The Clippers and Cavaliers are in “advanced talks” of a James Harden for Darius Garland trade, a swap of point guards, reports Chris Mannix at Sports Illustrated.

The deal would represent an exchange of former All-Star guards. Harden, 36, has been a workhorse for the Clippers this season, averaging 25.4 points in 35.4 minutes per game. Garland, 26, has battled injuries this season. He missed Cleveland’s first seven games recovering from offseason toe surgery and has been sidelined since Jan. 16 with an ankle sprain. On the season, Garland is averaging 18 points per game.

This is not the only trade the Clippers and Harden have looked at, the two sides are working together to find a trade that works for both sides and are talking to multiple teams, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. The conversation between the Clippers and Harden had been going on for a couple of weeks.

The Cavaliers are asking for a first-round draft pick — or at least a first-round swap — as part of this trade but the Clippers are balking at that price, Mannix reports.

This is all about money, league sources told NBC Sports. Harden has a player option for $42.3 million next season, but only $13.3 million of that is guaranteed (it was a dual option contract). Harden wanted assurances that the Clippers were not going to exercise their option and that he was going to get his full salary next season, plus he wanted to talk extension next summer (Harden is not extension-eligible during the season). The Clippers are looking to pivot out of the Harden/Kawhi Leonard era and did not want to extend him beyond next season. That was what sparked the disagreement.

Cleveland has already given Evan Mobley a max extension, and this summer it can and will extend Donovan Mitchell for up to five years, $273 million. This may be a signal that Garland is the person left standing without a chair when the music stops, plus, due to his ongoing toe injury issues, he has given them very little this season. Harden serves as a shorter-term answer to keep the Cavaliers in contention.

Harden and Garland can be traded for each other straight up under the CBA, despite the Cavaliers being over the second apron because Harden makes about $300,000 less than Garland. Garland has two years and $87 million left on his contract. While the Clippers have not wanted to take back money in a trade that extends beyond next season, they might be willing to make an exception for a 26-year-old All-Star guard (but are they willing to blow up their 2027 cap space plan).

Cleveland is in Los Angeles right now and will take on the Clippers at the Intuit Dome on Wednesday, which makes the timing interesting. Both the Clippers and Cavaliers have been playing their best basketball of late. That said, the Clippers understand they are not a contender in the West and are looking beyond the Harden/Leonard era to what is next.

Cleveland entered the season thinking it should be a contender in the East, but then got off to a sluggish start, and Garland has missed much of the season dealing with a toe injury that dates back to last postseason. That said, the Cavs have climbed up to fifth in the East and in recent weeks have looked as good as any other team in the conference. They have done that without Garland.

How would the ball-dominant Harden and Donovan Mitchell mesh as a backcourt? Harden has meshed with Kevin Durant and other high-volume scorers in the past, but this would not be good for the Cavaliers’ defense. —Kurt Helin

Will Bucks trade Antetokounmpo at deadline?

It’s the question everyone in the NBA is asking: Will the Bucks trade Giannis Antetokounmpo before the Feb. 5 deadline, or will they hold off until the summer?

Nobody knows. The Bucks probably don’t even know — this isn’t a general manager question, this is an ownership question. While sources NBC Sports has spoken to lean heavily toward a summer trade (“maybe 10-20% chance” it happens before the deadline, one front office person told me), other people are saying this is closer to a coin toss. Situations like this have their own momentum, their own logic, and factoring into all of this is the question of what the locker room in Milwaukee would be like the rest of the season if Antetokounmpo is still there and walks back in. The Bucks should be in tank mode, but Antetokounmpo will return and want to play — and this is basically a .500 team this season with him on the court. What happens if the Bucks want to shut him down?

Where do things stand with the Bucks? Here is how ESPN’s Shams Charania summed it up on SportsCenter Monday evening.

“The Bucks are sifting through proposals specifically from the Heat, Wolves, Knicks and Warriors. And throughout the whole process, the Bucks have wanted a young blue-chip talent and or a surplus of draft picks. And so my understanding is the Warriors have made a pick-heavy offer. Minnesota is more of a player-centric offer, and Miami is somewhere in the middle, somewhere between players and picks. And so the Bucks are going to have to choose. Do we take one of these offers?”

Other reports say the Knicks are not being that aggressive at the deadline. Both the Heat and Timberwolves are trying to find three or four-team deals that are more enticing to the Bucks. That pick-heavy offer — Golden State can offer up to four first-rounders and a swap — is considered the frontrunner by many, reports Sam Amick of The Athletic.

None of that answers the question: Will the Bucks pull the trigger on a trade before the deadline? The only answer right now is nobody knows.

Will Bulls trade White or Dosunmu?

The Chicago Bulls appear ready to trade one of two guards at the trade deadline: Coby White or Ayo Dosunmu.

White, in his seventh year, is the player Chicago is pushing more, but they are having difficulty getting the first-round pick return they envisioned for a guy averaging 18.5 points and 4.8 assists a game, something Joel Lorenzi wrote about at The Athletic.

While so few transactions have made the going rate for Bulls guard Coby White difficult to gauge, one league source indicated that Chicago has struggled in early attempts to net a first-round pick in a deal that might involve the seventh-year guard. Any reluctance stems from his expiring contract, the potential figure on his next deal and his nagging calf issues this season.

Another factor is teams like Dosunmu, who is younger, a better defender, and is averaging 14.8 points per game while shooting 44.1% from 3. Our old friend Matt Moore nails the vibe.

Denver’s deadline plan: Duck the tax

Denver may be the team — once fully healthy — best equipped to push (and maybe beat) Oklahoma City in a seven-game series. Does that mean at the trade deadline they are looking to add that one more player that puts them over the top?

No. Instead, look for them to make a money-saving trade to get below the luxury tax, Bennett Durando reports at the Denver Post.

The team’s aim, as I’ve reported in recent weeks, will be to duck the luxury tax with a minor deal and convert Spencer Jones to a standard contract so he can continue playing, as long as his money aligns with [team owning family] Kroenkes’ end goal. The Nuggets would be able to treat Jones as an upgrade to their power forward depth for the stretch run and the playoffs. Aaron Gordon’s ongoing injury woes have increased the sense of urgency at that position...

The Nuggets have paid the luxury tax three consecutive years, meaning if they finish either of the next two seasons with a payroll that exceeds that threshold, they’ll trigger the repeater tax. This is basically a more dramatic tax penalty imposed on teams based on four-year windows, incentivizing owners not to spend excessively over the salary cap for prolonged periods of time.

Denver is just $400,000 over the tax line right now. They can get under that number with a small trade that does not impact them on the court. Look for that to happen.

(This summer, keep an eye on Denver and its spending when the tax is still an issue and both Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun both see their salaries spike with their extensions, plus Peyton Watson is owed a raise.)

Timberwolves aggressive in Antetokounmpo pursuit

Minnesota has emerged as the most aggressive suitor in pursuit of a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade before the deadline, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN. Here is what he said on the network’s “Get Up” show Monday:

“The most aggressive team in the West right now is the Minnesota Timberwolves. They are in the game for Giannis. I don’t believe that their offers can outweigh the other offers and I’m not even sure that Giannis is getting traded before Thursday. The Timberwolves are being aggressive. If they don’t make what I would call a Hail Mary Giannis deal, I think they are aggressively looking to upgrade their backcourt.”

Minnesota’s problem is simple: Milwaukee wants a lot of draft first-round picks, and the Timberwolves don’t have any. Straight up, Minnesota’s best offer is something like Julius Randle, Jade McDaniels, Rob Dillingham, and some first-round pick swaps. That’s not going to get it done, which is why the Timberwolves are trying to loop in a third and maybe fourth team — likely Brooklyn and Portland — to secure the picks they need. At some point, Minnesota needs to step back, ask, “We have beaten the Thunder already twice this season, do we really need to blow up our roster and depth for this trade?”

The backcourt move by Minnesota seems more likely. They have been linked to Chicago’s Coby White, among others.

On that same episode, Windhorst said the Knicks “are not showing that aggression to get Giannis right now. And I think that’s because they like this team.” Same as the Timberwolves, the only way the Knicks make this trade work by the deadline is to bring in a third and maybe fourth team to get more picks, and in doing so completely blow up their roster. As evidenced by their win over the Lakers on Sunday on NBC, the Knicks may not need to do that to win the East, given how they are defending lately.

One other Antetokounmpo trade note: The Bucks have made counteroffers to some of the teams that have called about the Greek Freak, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.

No Chris Paul trade near

The last time Chris Paul played in an NBA game was Dec. 1. After that, a frustrated Tyronn Lue and the Clippers sent him away from the team as they worked to find a trade.

There has been “no substantial movement toward finding him a new home,” sources told Michael Scotto of Hoopshype. That echoes what NBC Sports heard from league sources, that any teams interested were just going to wait until he gets bought out, then snap him up as a free agent. —Kurt Helin

Knicks deadline decisions

If the Knicks — both the front office and their fans — could waive a Harry Potter magic wand and make it happen, Giannis Antetokounmpo would be a Knick before Thursday. The reality is that leaks coming out of New York suggest they may not think that will happen.

There was the well-connected Brian Windhorst of ESPN saying recently on his Hoop Collective podcast that the Knicks “believe in the core of this team and this roster.” Then there is what James Edwards III wrote at The Athletic on Sunday:

“The Bucks are looking for a premier young player(s) and multiple, good draft picks in exchange for one of the three best players in the NBA. The Knicks have neither of those, and to get close to what the Bucks are asking for, New York would need to trade two or three players in its starting lineup, most likely OG Anunoby, [Mikal] Bridges and/or [Karl-Anthony] Towns.”

If the Knicks are not going to get Antetokounmpo before the deadline, they have other priorities.

They are focused on landing a big man for depth and have trained their sights on Goga Bitadze, who has fallen out of the rotation in Orlando, or on New Orleans’ Yves Missi, reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Either man would just be bench help for now, although Missi — just a second-year player — could grow into a larger role. —Kurt Helin

Doc Rivers thinks Giannis stays a Buck. For now.

What else is Doc Rivers going to say? You think he wants to stick around and coach through a rebuild?

On ESPN’s NBA Countdown over the weekend, the Milwaukee Bucks coach said what he has always said, that Giannis Antetokounmpo is saying all the right things to his teammates, and that Rivers expects him to be with the Bucks past the deadline.

“Giannis has said everything that we need to hear, that he wants to be a Buck, he loves the city and that’s all I can go by as a coach right now. Has it been difficult? Yeah. Your players every day have to hear stuff. Every single day, about not just their best player but they’re thrown in the mix as well. My favorite day of the year this year will be the day after the trade deadline. That’ll be my favorite day. I think everyone will be here.”

Rivers may well get his wish, with league sources continuing to tell NBC Sports they expect the Antetokounmpo trade saga to drag out past the Feb. 5 deadline and into the offseason. Whether Antetokounmpo — and for that matter, Rivers — are back with the Bucks next season is another question. —Kurt Helin

DeMar DeRozan staying put

There’s no real interest in DeMar DeRozan around the league, and while that could change it seems more likely DeRozan will play out the season in Sacramento, reports Sam Amick of The Athletic. DeRozan can still get a team buckets, he’s averaging 19.2 points a game this season and shooting 50.6% from the floor, but he’s a midrange shooter who is 36 and making $24.6 million this season and $25.7 million next season. That’s more than teams want to take on in the apron era, at least at the trade deadline. —Kurt Helin

Ja Morant’s cryptic post

Ja Morant trade talk has died down, and it appears highly unlikely he gets traded before the Feb. 5 deadline. With that in mind, what does this cryptic social media post from Morant mean? — Kurt Helin

Handling trade rumors in locker room

It’s an issue for every NBA coach in February: How do they keep their team focused with trade rumors swirling around and players looking ahead to the upcoming All-Star break? The Knicks’ Mike Brown summed it up well, talking to Ian Begley of SNY.tv.

“We understand that we have no control over the noise out there, so we have to have a bunker mentality. Not just at the trade deadline but all the time because there is a lot of noise out there. We’re all human and you try not to listen to it – you just try to stay together. You keep moving forward, trying to get better as the days go along and I think that’s what this group is trying to do.”
—Kurt Helin