There’s less than a month until the NBA’s Feb. 6 trade deadline, and as we hit the season’s halfway point, the league is starting to separate into buyers and sellers. It remains to be seen how many actual deals will get done, but there will be plenty of discussion over the next few weeks.
As the action starts to ramp up, here’s a look at some of the latest rumors around the league.
Nets have high asking price for Johnson
The Brooklyn Nets, who recently lost by 59 points to the Los Angeles Clippers and have dropped 15 of their last 19 games, have fully embraced the tank. But while they’ve already traded Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith, prying Cameron Johnson away from them won’t be so easy.
According to Jake Fischer, writing in Marc Stein’s newsletter, the Nets have a “high asking price” for the swingman, who is averaging a career-high 19.2 points per game and shooting 42.8% from 3-point range. It’s no surprise that other teams would have interest in Johnson, but he’s under contract until 2027, so the Nets are not under pressure to move him. Per Fischer, the Nets have asked for “as many as two first-round picks packaged with a young player” in exchange for Johnson.
Two notable contenders, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder, have explored the Johnson situation but are not serious suitors at this time. The Cavaliers may struggle to meet the Nets’ asking price due to their lack of draft picks available for trade, while the Thunder are reluctant to mess with their chemistry.
Pels receiving little interest in Ingram, not listening to calls on Jones
This has been an extremely frustrating season for the New Orleans Pelicans, who have dealt with a severe injury crisis that has seen their top seven players all miss at least 15 games. While they’ve started to get hot recently thanks to better health, they’re still stuck in 14th place in the Western Conference at 11-32, which leaves them 10.5 games out of the final Play-In Tournament spot.
Given their predicament, there has understandably been chatter about possible trades. Our own Sam Quinn recently made the case that the Pelicans should consider moving Zion Williamson, though that seems unlikely prior to the deadline.
As for another one of their stars, Fischer reported that the Pelicans have received little interest in Brandon Ingram, who has been sidelined with an ankle injury since Dec. 7. Ingram will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer, which complicates matters there.
On the flip side, the Pelicans have been getting plenty of calls on defensive specialist Herb Jones, but have been shutting them down. Jones is out indefinitely after tearing the labrum in his right shoulder.
Pistons might be changing course
The Pistons have been one of the best stories in the league this season. New coach JB Bickerstaff has been a major improvement on Monty Williams, while Cade Cunningham has taken a leap and smart veteran signings have provided some much-needed shooting.
Thanks to a recent hot streak, the Pistons (21-20) have not only surpassed last season’s win total, but are within striking distance of a top-six spot in the Eastern Conference, which would come with an automatic playoff spot. The team has not been to the postseason since 2019, and they have a good chance to end that drought.
As a result, the team might be changing course on its deadline direction. Coming into the season, they were widely expected to take on bad contracts in exchange for draft capital. Instead, they may actually become buyers, especially if they keep playing well over the next few weeks.
It’s important to note, however, that the Pistons would only be looking at complementary moves, per Fischer, rather than any major addition that would potentially take the ball out of Cunningham’s hands.
That makes complete sense, given how well Cunningham has been playing this season. The former No. 1 overall pick is putting up career-highs across the board at 24.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 9.4 assists per game.
