It’s that time of year. We’re less than five weeks from the NBA’s trade deadline, which means that in the coming 34 days, we’ll see all manner of names wring their way through the league’s rumor mill.
Knowing that, when each week in the NBA comes to an end, we here at SN will run through some of the whispers and shouts coming in from around the league — some from sources, some purely from speculation and some, surely, from internet trolls.
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Call it the Friday Rumor-rama. (Or don’t.)
We’ll start with what we saw on Thursday night. In San Antonio, all eyes were focused on the reception for Raptors star Kawhi Leonard, who milked his way out of town last year. It made for good theater, but for our purposes, the real story was that Leonard’s Raptors teammate and fellow All-Star, Kyle Lowry, sat idly in a black warmup suit, in back of the bench.
Lowry was out for the fifth straight game with a bad back, an injury that has dogged him since the end of November. He’s missed 10 games since Dec. 1, and in the 11 games he did rush back to play, he averaged 11.6 points on just 36.0 percent shooting, 22.4 percent from the 3-point line.
Toronto has gone just 9-8 since his injury, which has brought a serious issue with the Raptors into sharp relief: They’re very, very low on players with playmaking skills outside of Lowry.
Lowry has an assist percentage of 35.9, which ranks eighth in the NBA among point guards. In the team’s first 24 games, when Lowry was healthy and the Raps were 20-4, the offensive rating was 114.6, second-best in the NBA. The Raptors had an assist percentage of 57.0. Since then, the Raptors’ rating is 107.5, 21st in the NBA. Their assist percentage has dropped to 53.7, 29th in the league.
For all the good that adding Leonard has done, on both sides of the ball, getting him cost Toronto its second-best playmaker, DeMar DeRozan, who averaged 5.2 assists last year. The Raptors have not come up with an adequate Plan B.
While Fred VanVleet is an excellent second-unit point guard, especially with fellow combo guard Delon Wright next to him, moving VanVleet into the starting five has been trouble. The offense isn’t as dynamic — Lowry is one of the league’s best pick-and-roll guards — and Wright is forced to take on too much ball handling with the second unit.
So what’s to be done? A trade, of course. But that won’t be easy, and don’t get your expectations up too high.
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Toronto does not have a lot to offer in terms of veteran contributors. C.J. Miles has been a shell of himself lately and is owed $17 million over the next two years. Serge Ibaka started strong but already appears to be running out of gas, as was the case last season. He has a $23 million price tag for next year. Norman Powell has worked his way back into the rotation, but his four-year, $41 million deal figures to be too hefty to be traded.
There’s been chatter about the Raptors pursuing Wizards guard Bradley Beal, but Washington wants two players and two draft picks for him, according to sources.
That would cost the team budding star Pascal Siakam and wing OG Anunoby, plus some filler salary and two future first-round draft picks. The Raptors already owe this year’s pick to the Spurs, and they would have to persuade Washington to take a pick as far out as 2023.
That’s a longshot. Trading for Beal means gutting the young talent Toronto would need if Leonard left in free agency after this season. Beal would address the Raptors’ need for shooting and playmaking, but the team would have to potentially bankrupt its future to get him.
The Raptors have mortgaged enough to make the most of this season, and hopefully keep Leonard in place, as it is. But Toronto could make a reasonable push for another backup point guard to ease Lowry’s burden.
The best possibility would be Minnesota’s Jeff Teague. The Wolves have gotten good production from Derrick Rose and Tyus Jones recently, which could make Teague expendable, though he is not being shopped actively. Teague has been out with an ankle injury, and though he’s still a solid passer, he has been a terrible shooter (38.4 percent from the field) this season. He is also owed $19 million next season. That’s a big investment for a backup guard.
Another route would be to push for one of Dallas’ veteran point guards, J.J. Barea or Devin Harris. Barea has been especially effective as a reserve playmaker this year, but both he and Harris returned to Dallas because they’re comfortable there, and the Mavs would not trade either player without their approval. To get Barea, then, the Raptors would have to convince him to play for a contender, then likely give up a future first-round pick.
Maybe the best option would be to pluck Jeremy Lin from the Hawks. Lin has been solid in coming back after knee surgery, averaging 10.4 points and 3.3 assists in 18.6 minutes, making 38.6 percent of his 3-pointers. That’s a good fit. Plus, he’d be plenty motivated to stick it to the Nets by going from the bottom-dwelling Hawks to a contender.
That’s the kind of realistic move that could help the Raptors shore up their most glaring issue. After the trade for Leonard, don’t expect them to follow up with a trade for Beal or any other type of blockbuster. Getting Lowry healthy and adding depth to address their most obvious issue will be enough.
Will Bulls go trade-and-tank route?
The Bulls pulled the trigger on a deal on Thursday, unloading Justin Holiday to the Grizzlies for MarShon Brooks and Wayne Selden. Holiday figures to be the two-way wing upgrade the Grizzlies wanted when their deal for Kelly Oubre fell apart last month.
The bigger implication for Chicago is that the team is scrapping hopes for a short-term rebuild, which had been the plan. But injuries and internal tumult have axed that idea. The Bulls are seeking to offload obviously unnecessary parts, like center Robin Lopez and bench-bound forward Jabari Parker, who is still awaiting a new destination.
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But the Bulls could make most of the roster available in the coming weeks, outside of four players: Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen, Chandler Hutchinson and Wendell Carter. Moving the deadwood is a no-brainer, but the Bulls could revert to a full-on tank by trying to dump the likes of Bobby Portis and Kris Dunn.
The Bulls want to stockpile picks, and anyone who can bring a first-rounder should be considered bait.
Knicks, Heat should free their shooters
Two veterans who could seriously use a change of scenery: the Knicks’ Courtney Lee and the Heat’s Wayne Ellington. Each has been essentially dropped from his team’s rotation, but each is a smart veteran and capable 3-point shooter who could give some heft to some of the very short benches around the league.
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Lee is a career 38.9 percent 3-point shooter, and Ellington (who has drawn interest from his former team, the Lakers) has made 38.0 percent of his 3s in his career. Both, too, have been solid from the corners, with Lee making 42.3 percent and Ellington also at 42.3 percent.
Ellington has only appeared in seven postseason games, but Lee has 50 playoff games to his credit, including a Finals appearance.