San Antonio Spurs Preparing For Deals, Latest Trade Deadline Talk And More - Siegel's Scoop
With the Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Lakers coming together to complete the first impactful trade of the 2022-23 NBA season with Rui Hachimura being shipped out to Los Angeles, quite a bit of action around the league will soon unfold.
The main thing front-offices around the league have been trying to figure out is which teams will end up being “sellers” at the trade deadline this season and while there are still unknowns, the San Antonio Spurs are a team that is very much open for business.
Sitting near the bottom of the Western Conference standings, San Antonio entered this season with the mindset of figuring out their young core moving forward and attempting to add future value where they can.
It is not secret that the Spurs are aiming for the top pick in the 2023 NBA Draft to select French big man Victor Wembanyama and whether they are lucky enough to land the highly rated prospect, one thing that has become clear is that Jakob Poeltl’s time in San Antonio is fading.
The 27-year-old center is in his fifth season with the Spurs and is once again making an impact as a low-post threat offensively and a strong rebounder on either side of the floor, but the Spurs are open to dealing him at this trade deadline, especially if they can add valuable draft assets for him.
Poeltl continues to be a key name in trade deadline talks with many around the league anticipating the Spurs flipping the big man for at least one first-round draft pick and a young player that they can immediately put in their lineups alongside Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell and Tre Jones.
Both the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics have been two teams linked to the Spurs’ big man over the last couple of months and the Washington Wizards are an intriguing team to watch in possible trade talks for Poeltl after recently moving Hachimura.
The Wizards have made it clear to teams around the league that their core of Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma is not available in trade talks and league sources tell Fastbreak on FanNation that Washington is prepared to target several key names ahead of the deadline in order to try and make a real playoff push this season. Should unexpected stars become available, Washington will be a team willing to give up assets to make this deadline’s biggest move.
Making a move for Jakob Poeltl may be tough for the Celtics to do unless they are willing to part ways with players like Grant Williams and veteran Danilo Gallinari, who continues to rehab from an ACL injury.
For the Raptors, their path to possibly landing Poeltl makes a lot more sense, as Poeltl began his career in Toronto and the team could very much look to unload the contracts of Khem Birch and Otto Porter Jr., who is now out for the season with a foot injury. A package of Birch, Porter and two first-round picks could get Poeltl back to Toronto, but giving up two first-round picks may not be something Masai Ujiri and the Raptors’ front-office want to do, especially given their own struggles this season.
Things have not been great for the Raptors since they won their only championship in 2019 and trending towards the trade deadline, they still find themselves fighting for a position in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament picture. As a result, many around the league are closely monitoring the availability of Toronto’s roster and their core of Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, O.G. Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr.
At this time, the Raptors have not gone out and attempted to move any of these players, but they have taken trade calls for these four, league sources say. O.G. Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. are the two players many around the league are anticipating the Raptors looking to deal with Trent likely being the player the Raptors would prefer to move.
However, should Toronto show a willingness to talk about trades involving VanVleet or Siakam at the trade deadline, they could very much add at least three first-round picks and a young, proven talent on a rookie deal for either player.
Along with Jakob Poeltl being available in trade talks, the Spurs will also be willing to talk about trades involving veterans Doug McDermott and Josh Richardson. As HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto stated recently, McDermott could command one or two second-round picks on the trade market depending on the pick number and any protections. Scotto also states that Richardson could be moved for a second-round pick.
Both McDermott and Richardson are experienced players that can instantly contribute off-the-bench for a playoff caliber team in this league.
Going from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks continue to be a team being discussed in league circles for all the wrong reasons.
Atlanta has struggled to find consistent play all season long and John Collins is once again at the center of trade discussions for this team. It seems inevitable that Collins will be moved at some point and should that come at the trade deadline this season, Atlanta will be looking to bring in at least one key scorer that can compliment both Dejounte Murray and Trae Young by playing off-the-ball, as well as draft assets within the next few seasons, sources told Fastbreak.
Two weeks ahead of the deadline, the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers have been the two teams inquiring about Collins the most, but there is still a level of interest being shown by the Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks. The Brooklyn Nets were previously mentioned this season as a possible landing spot for Collins, but Brooklyn has not shown a willingness to part ways with sharpshooter Joe Harris, a player that would need to be on the move for financial reasons.
What happens in a possible John Collins trade could very much dictate the pace of this trade deadline, especially since he remains one of the bigger names available.
Along with the Spurs and Raptors, the Hawks are a team that could immediately get things going at this season’s trade deadline depending on if they move on from Collins.
Other News, Notes & Rumors From Around The NBA:
- Charlotte Hornets: Far away from being in the Play-In Tournament picture, the Charlotte Hornets have taken a step back and will enter the offseason trying to find ways to better their future. Finding ways to add future talent around LaMelo Ball is the key for this franchise, which is why Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, P.J. Washington and Jalen McDaniels are all players involved in trade conversations right now with Charlotte looking to bring back draft assets.
- Chicago Bulls: Contrary to some reports, the Chicago Bulls are not “open for business” right now and are instead searching for ways to upgrade their roster ahead of the trade deadline to make another playoff push. Many within the Bulls organization feel that they are much better than their record shows and that they can compete with the best in the Eastern Conference come playoff time. It is worth mentioning that Chicago is 7-3 this season against the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers, the four best teams in the Eastern Conference right now.
- Denver Nuggets: The Denver Nuggets have a $9.1 million trade exception that expires in the summer that they could look to utilize in order to add some more depth on the wing. Keep an eye on names like Grayson Allen, Rudy Gay and P.J. Washington, all of which could be absorbed into this exception.
- Detroit Pistons: Other than Nerlens Noel, the Detroit Pistons have not shown a willingness to make a trade involving any of their players just for the sake of making a trade. Detroit is wanting real assets in return and will force a team to “overpay” to get a key talent from their roster like Bojan Bogdanovic or Saddiq Bey.
- Indiana Pacers: Teams around the league continue to inquire about Myles Turner’s availability, but the Indiana Pacers are not interested in moving Turner and would like to agree to a long-term deal with the now eight-year veteran. The Pacers envision Turner being the experienced leader of their core alongside Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin moving forward.
- Los Angeles Clippers: In recent weeks, the Los Angeles Clippers have shown trade interest in Utah Jazz veteran Mike Conley, which was first reported by NBA insider Marc Stein. League sources have since confirmed this interest the Clippers have in Conley to Fastbreak, yet the Jazz have not made it known whether or not the veteran point guard is available at the trade deadline.
- New York Knicks: Adding another key secondary contributor on the offensive-end of the floor is something the New York Knicks are looking to do right now and they have put Cam Reddish, Evan Fournier, Immanuel Quickley and Derrick Rose at the center of their trade discussions. There is a push from some within the front-office though to keep both Quickley and Rose, sources say.
- Oklahoma City Thunder: There is a belief around the league that Sam Presti and the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to enter the NBA offseason with the idea of making a big move on their minds. The Thunder have exceeded expectations this season with Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, on the sidelines and some front-office personnel that spoke with Fastbreak recently presented the idea of Oklahoma City leveraging some of their future draft assets and a couple of their recent first-round picks for a star that becomes available to get Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a little bit more help. Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks), LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets) and Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves) are some star players around the league some believe could become available in trade talks this upcoming summer as a result of requesting a trade due to their team’s struggles and/or their franchise looking to “reset” in the offseason.
- Sacramento Kings: Teams have called the Sacramento Kings in recent weeks asking about the availability of veteran wing Harrison Barnes, but the Kings have made it clear that Barnes remains a key part of their core and they will not be dealing him ahead of this year’s trade deadline. Richaun Holmes is a player that the team is making available, but his contract is tough for many teams around the league to navigate.
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