Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks
We’ve been checking in on NBA trade rumors for weeks now, and with a little more than a month to go, the market will start heating up in earnest in the coming days. No doubt, Giannis Antetokounmpo is the headliner, and with good reason–there’s no star of consequence better set up in trade position than he is right now.
But the problem with Antetokoumpo now is the same as it has been in recent years. The Bucks do not want to trade him, and won’t trade him, not until he forces them to do so. And Antetokounmpo, after 13 years of good will built up in a city he does truly love, does not want to set fire to his Milwaukee legacy by demanding an exit.
So the staring contest continues. Damian Lillard did much the same thing in Portland, and it wound up a disaster for everyone (except Jrue Holiday). It would benefit all sides to get Antetokounmpo traded sooner rather than later.
NBA Trade Rumor Hero: Lauri Markkanen
Who wants him: Spurs, Rockets, Warriors, Lakers, Heat, Pistons, Pacers, Trail Blazers
We’ve been told that the guy most teams would like to see shake free and land on the market is Lauri Markkanen, but so far the Jazz have not budged on moving him. He is having a career year, at 27.7 points per game, and has been so good that the Jazz’s tanking plans are losing steam. That’s led to hope that he could be dealt.
“It’s too early in the process to know,” one Eastern Conference executive said. “They like him, they want to keep him but they have other motivations, too. For everybody else, he is the unicorn here on the trade market. When you’re talking about the big fish that could be out there, he would be the one with the least risk.”
Point Guard Longshots on the NBA Trade Rumor Mill
Trae Young is the big name on the trade market for point guards, but there is not that much of a demand at the position, and there has not been that much of a demand for Young. That’s true across the board–but it means guys like CJ McCollum, Coby White and Jose Alvarado could be had on the cheap. Other possibilities, though longshots:
Darius Garland, Cavaliers
Who wants him: Bucks, Clippers, Timberwolves
Garland’s toe issue—he had surgery in the offseason—continues to be troublesome but there is no indication that the Cavs are now considering moving Garland. “They get a lot of calls about him, there are plenty of teams that would be serious about a package, but they’ve not budged on him, not yet,” the exec said.
LaMelo Ball, Hornets
Ball’s name has come up in NBA trade rumors, but his value is very, very low. He has dealt with an ankle injury and is in the second year of a five-year, $205 million contract, making him all but impossible to move.
“He might be a reflection of that organization,” one NBA GM said. “Put him on a more competent team, I would like to see what he does, whether he responds to tough love. But at that money, there’s too much risk. If you gamble that you could get him to turn his career around and you’re wrong, you’re sunk.”
Kyrie Irving, Mavericks
There’s some notion that Dallas, in the midst of a disappointing year, could clean house on veterans and rebuild around Cooper Flagg starting now. But Irving tore his ACL last year and is not back on the floor yet.
He is in the first of a three-year, $120 million contract and not likely to return until January. There just won’t be time to showcase him before the deadline. “He’s 33, 34, and has a long list of injuries,” one Eastern Conference executive said. “You don’t trade for him before you see him healthy.”
NBA Trade Rumor Mill’s Sure Bet: Keon Ellis
Who wants him: Lakers, Knicks, Magic, Heat, Trail Blazers
Ellis has struggled lately, but he remains a person of interest when it comes to NBA trade rumors. That’s because he is a cheap, effective 3-and-D wing who can be had for second-round draft capital. The Kings would love to get a first-rounder, but that was going to be a longshot even before he hit a slump.
“At least half the league has asked about him,” one NBA GM said. “The Lakers tend to get talked about more, but everyone loves him.
“It’s not that the guy is a star player out there or he is going to develop into a star or anything like that. He has not even played that great this season, but he has a couple things going for him that are pushing his market. One, he is plug-and-play. Everybody needs another guy who can knock down shots and defend on the perimeter.
“Two, he is cheap. He makes ($2.3) million. You can take a guy off the end of your bench, put a couple of second-round picks in the deal and come away with a guy who would be in anyone’s rotation right now.”
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney