NBA Rumors: Shabazz Muhammad Wants Out of Minnesota; Willy Hernangomez Might Want a Trade
The NBA trade deadline is Thursday, Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. ET, and with the cutoff dead ahead teams will be looking to improve their roster or dump salary to position themselves for free agency this summer.
The Celtics beat out the Pelicans for the services of Greg Monroe, signing the center to a one-year, $5 million deal. Monroe will presumably serve as the backup to Al Horford. The Grizzlies are expected to trade Tyreke Evans and remain in trade chatter involving possible deals to the Cavaliers, 76ers and Celtics.
After shipping franchise cornerstone and oft-injured forward Blake Griffin to the Pistons, the Clippers seem to have hit the reset button. The Clippers are rumored to be actively seeking younger players and draft picks in trades involving Lou Williams and DeAndre Jordan.
Check out the latest news and rumors circling around the NBA.
News and Rumors
• Willy Hernangomez has informed Knicks brass that he wants to play more—either in New York or elsewhere. After seeing his minutes drop it was rumored that Hernangomez and his representatives requested a trade from the Knicks. Reports later surfaced that the second-year man hasn't done so, but he has made it known that he wants more playing time. (Al Iannazzone, Newsday Sports)
• The Cavaliers are open to trading the rights to their first-round Brooklyn Nets pick in exchange for players that are locked into the team for the next couple of years. Cleveland would be open to trading its own 2018 first-round pick for a short-term rental such as DeAndre Jordan. (Terry Pluto, Cleveland Plain Dealer)
• The Bulls are listening to trade offers for Robin Lopez, Jerian Grant and Jameer Nelson. It's widely believed that they will move Nelson whose contract makes him a target. (K.C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune)
• The Nuggets have interest in adding Marcus Smart to their roster and have discussed multiple trade outcomes with the Celtics centered around a potential first-round pick. (Marc Stein, New York Times)
• Shabazz Muhammad reportedly wants out of Minnesota. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN.com)
• The Kings are still looking to part with George Hill for a favorable deal. Sacramento wants to avoid unnecessary contracts. (Jason Jones, Sacramento Bee)
• The Jazz have fielded calls from the Thunder, Bulls, Pistons, Nuggets and Magic regarding the availability of shooting guard Rodney Hood. With the loss of Andre Roberson for the season, Oklahoma City may be aggressive in attaining a scorer with three-point range like Hood. (Tony Jones, The Salt Lake Tribune)
NBA Trade Deadline Buy or Sell: Should Cleveland Clean House?
Over the Weekend
• The Orlando Magic are exploring the possibility of moving Aaron Gordon before the trade deadline. (The Athletic)
• Greg Monroe signs with the Boston Celtics. (ESPN.com)
•The Knicks say Joakim Noah will not be back with the team until further notice. Noah had been on the trading block. Noah has not played in the team's last four games and only appeared in two of the team's 16 games last month.
• The Pistons are listening to deals that would allow them to add another wing player. (Jake Fischer, Sports Illustrated)
• Joe Johnson is working behind the scenes to get traded out of Utah. (Marc Stein, New York Times)
