The NBA trade deadline is officially just under 24 hours from closing as various teams around the league scramble to make moves that could make or break their season.
The potential availability of Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant remains the story to watch after teammate Kyrie Irving was sent to the Dallas Mavericks in the first blockbuster trade of the window.
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Elsewhere, the Lakers could be on the verge of a three-way trade to solve their Russell Westbrook headache.
Plus — an Australian is reportedly in high-demand and could be on a new team come Friday [AEDT].
Follow along below for all the latest updates ahead of the deadline!
Lakers lose despite Lebron milestone | 03:23
LAKERS EYE THREE-TEAM SOLUTION TO WESTBROOK DILEMMA
The Los Angeles Lakers look to be inching closer to finding a solution to their Russell Westbrook headache.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on Thursday morning: “The Lakers, Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves are in discussions on a three-team deal that would send D’Angelo Russell to the Lakers, Russell Westbrook and draft compensation such as a first-round pick to Utah and Mike Conley Jr. to Minnesota”.
“Ongoing discussions have included Utah’s Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt as part of the potential three-team deal to the Lakers,” Charania added.
“Sides are working through pick protections and additional draft compensation too.”
It is consistent to whispers ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was hearing on Thursday morning linking Russell to the Lakers.
Bleacher Report’s and TNT’s Chris Haynes, meanwhile, had reported earlier in the week that the Lakers and Jazz held preliminary discussions regarding a trade surrounding Westbrook.
The news comes after a report from Wojnarowski that Westbrook and coach Darvin Ham got into a “heated verbal exchange” in the locker room during halftime against Oklahoma City.
Though the tense exchange was reportedly brief, Ham was apparently annoyed with Westbrook’s lingering on the floor after getting subbed late in the second quarter.
Voices were raised, according to the report, with talk eventually turning back to the game at hand, one that the Lakers went on to lose, 133-130, to drop to 25-30 in what has been another woeful season in Los Angeles.
Simmons scores only 2 points in return | 01:14
Westbrook finished the game on the floor for the Lakers, tallying 14 fourth-quarter points — a season-high — and he and Ham apparently “dapped up” prior to each leaving the arena, per ESPN.
It has been an up-and-down season for the nine-time All-Star. Westbrook has been relegated to mostly a reserve role since early in the season. He’s averaging a career-low 28.7 minutes per game to go with 15.9 points per game, his lowest output since his rookie season in 2008-09 with the Thunder.
Westbrook finished Wednesday’s game with 27 points, eight assists and four rebounds.
— with New York Post
‘FOOLISH’ DURANT TRADE SUGGESTION ROASTED
Plenty has changed since Kevin Durant last requested a trade six months ago.
Coach Steve Nash and superstar teammate Irving are no longer on the team and now there is uncertainty surrounding Durant’s future once more ahead of Friday’s deadline.
ESPN’s NBA insider Wojnarowski reported on Wednesday that Durant and the Nets have been engaged in talks with owner Joe Tsai and general manager Sean Marks since Irving was traded to the Mavericks.
The focus of those talks, according to Wojnarowski, has been “the direction of the franchise and its ability to be a championship contender”.
Sources told Wojnarowski that Brooklyn is insisting to inquiring teams that it “has no intention” of moving Durant before the deadline.
Instead, having already acquired Dorian Finney-Smith and Spencer Dinwiddie as part of the Irving deal, the Nets could look to only build their roster further to put Durant in a position to succeed.
The recent emergence of Cam Thomas has certainly helped, although the Nets also created an additional roster spot and potentially freed up $8 million in salary and luxury tax on Wednesday by trading forward Kessler Edwards and cash to the Sacramento Kings.
Only complicating matters though is reporting from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst that rival teams have been strategically hesitant to negotiate with and help the Nets improve their roster.
“The Nets, I’m not sure teams really want to do business with them right now,” Windhorst said on a recent episode of his ‘The Hoop Collective’ podcast
“Because there’s at least some teams that are interested in seeing if they can get Durant. And why would I help the Nets do something to build around Durant when I’m just going to hold my assets for Durant.
“There may be other teams that are not even interested in doing business with the Nets right now that might also hold assets at this deadline, with the mind towards Durant, not that Durant would be available, but the Durant will be available again in the summer.”
‘No hard feelings towards Irving’ | 01:09
One team that has been linked to Durant ahead of the deadline is the Boston Celtics, with ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith claiming Jaylen Brown could be part of a possible deal.
That though is hard to believe given Brown is just 26 years old and squarely in the MVP discussion earlier in the season and Jalen Rose agreed it would be a “foolish” move.
“The Boston Celtics, they would be foolish to trade Jaylen Brown at this point of his career,” Rose said on ‘Get Up’.
“And (to) break up Jayson Tatum and that duo that a lot of people have been clamouring for them to do the last few years for some odd reason, for Kevin Durant at this point of his career.
“I know how dominant and great (Durant) is. But at his age, he’s dealt with some injuries over the last couple of years. You don’t trade Jaylen Brown for him if you’re the Celtics.”
AUSSIE THYBULLE ‘COULD BE MOVED’ AS TEAMS CIRCLE
Elsewhere, it is looking increasingly that Australian Matisse Thybulle will be traded before Friday’s deadline.
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, “nearly a third” of the teams in the NBA have “expressed exploratory interest” in trading for Thybulle during this season.
Now, whether all of those teams are still interested in trading for the 25-year-old is unclear at this stage but Scotto reported the Pacers, Blazers, Bucks, Mavericks, Hornets, Raptors, and Suns all made calls to inquire about Thybulle.
NBA insider Marc Stein, meanwhile, more recently reported that the Hawks and Kings had interest in Thybulle while Sixers beat reporter Keith Pompey heard similar about the Warriors.
“Determined to contend for a title, the Sixers are expected to keep their core group intact,” Pompey reported.
“But Thybulle, no longer viewed as an essential player, could be moved for a decent package.”
Pompey also reported that the Sixers are looking at a center and wing ahead of the deadline but that Thybulle’s trade value has been lowered by his lack of consistent offensive production.
“As a result,” Pompey reported, “Sixers president of basketball operation Daryl Morey could wait until moments before the deadline to see if offers increase”.
Thybulle has seen his average minutes plummet from 25.5 to 12.1 this season, averaging just 2.6 points per game, but the Australian is obviously still one of the league’s best defenders.
One option could also be including Furkan Korkmaz, who has requested a trade, into a potential package alongside Thybulle to increase the value.
NUGGETS GUARD FROZEN OUT IN ‘AWKWARD’ TRADE WAIT
Speaking of players who have seen their minutes shrink this season, Bones Hyland has been completely frozen out recently and appears certain to be traded by the Denver Nuggets.
The 38-17 Nuggets sit atop the Western Conference and while Hyland is an exciting prospect, it is quickly becoming clear the second-year guard is not part of Denver’s future plans.
The Nuggets are said to be looking for more defence in their bid for the championship this season and as much as Hyland brings energy and highlight-reel plays off the bench, he does not fit the franchise’s current timeline.
Nets undone in first Kyrie-less outing | 01:06
The young guard is a streaky shooter and the kind of player who still needs time to develop his game, particularly his playmaking and defence.
The Nuggets though, having made shrewd off-season moves to add Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown, are in a position to win right now.
Unfortunately for Hyland that makes him a valuable trade piece, with the 22-year-old not playing in Denver’s last four games.
“You know he’s such a talented player,” teammate Michael Porter Jr. said.
“Obviously he should be on the floor, everyone knows that. I don’t know what the futures gonna hold for him but I wish he was here. I wish he would stay here and it could be figured out.”
Nuggets veteran DeAndre Jordan knows a thing or two about being moved around, having been traded twice in his career.
“He’s been great during this awkward time for him for sure,” Jordan said of Hyland.
“But he’s been extremely supportive of guys. If he was a bad guy then he would not be shooting after practice with the guys and he would just leave, you know. But he’s being a pro.”
The Timberwolves are one team that has been linked to Hyland, where he would reunited with the man who drafted him, former Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly.
TORONTO STILL THE ONE ‘MYSTERY’ TEAM TO WATCH
If there is one team in particular to watch ahead of the deadline, it is the Toronto Raptors.
It has been a relatively underwhelming season so far in Toronto, with the Raptors sitting 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 25-30 record.
There is every chance the Raptors blow it up before the deadline and if that was to happen, there would suddenly be some seriously valuable players up for any contending teams looking to make one final splash in their title bid.
Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. are the two more likely players to be available, although that has not stopped rivals from reportedly inquiring about Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby.
No one really knows at this point what Toronto will do.
Even NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the Raptors “continue to be difficult for rival teams to read”.
Stein wrote that he “struggles” to see the Raptors trading Siakam or Anunoby before the deadline, although he added they have “expressed confidence to inquiring teams” that they can get three future first-round picks for the latter.
Stein also pointed out that any teams keeping an eye on Durant’s possible availability in trades would be hesitant to send away their best assets for Anunoby at this stage.
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