NBA rumors

The Phoenix Suns are expected to waive Cole Anthony, per John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7, with Phoenix’s guard depth making it difficult to carve out consistent minutes.

Anthony landed in Phoenix alongside Amir Coffey as part of the deal that also involved Nick Richards and Nigel Hayes-Davis. With the rotation already crowded, a waiver would give Anthony the chance to join a team offering a clearer role.

If finalized, the move would open a roster spot for Phoenix while sending Anthony into free agency.

Source: Arizona Sports 98.7

The Detroit Pistons are signing Daniss Jenkins to a two-year contract, converting his two-way deal. The new agreement includes a 2026-27 team option.

The deal was negotiated with agent Derek Jackson (UNLTD Sports Group), per reports. The Detroit Pistons used part of their bi-annual exception to finalize the contract.

Jenkins, 24, has emerged as an unexpected contributor for the East’s No. 1 seed, logging nearly 17 minutes per game and making seven starts. He’s shooting 39% from three while averaging 8.2 points and 3.3 assists, after going undrafted out of St. John’s in 2024.

Free agent guard Cam Thomas has agreed to a deal with The Milwaukee Bucks, his agent Tony Ronzone of Wasserman told ESPN. The move comes shortly after Thomas was waived by the Brooklyn Nets.

Thomas has averaged 21.4 points per game over the past three seasons, and he’s at 15.6 points in 24 games this year after a 20-game absence due to a left hamstring strain.

He took a $5.9 million qualifying offer last summer and will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, giving Milwaukee immediate scoring punch and added backcourt options alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo.

According to Jake Fischer, the Golden State Warriors have Lonzo Ball on their radar after the point guard returned to the open market following his separation from the Utah Jazz.

Ball arrived in Utah as part of a multi-team trade involving the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks.

In addition, Golden State is working to convert Pat Spencer’s two-way contract into a standard NBA deal.

The Charlotte Hornets are signing forward Tosan Evbuomwan to a two-way NBA contract, per ESPN.

Evbuomwan’s agent George S. Langberg of GSL Sports Group confirmed the deal to ESPN.

In 50 career NBA games, Evbuomwan has posted 7.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.

The Brooklyn Nets have decided to waive Cam Thomas, according to Shams Charania.

This season, Thomas was averaging 15.6 points and 3.1 assists per game, after posting 24.0 and 22.5 points per game over the previous two seasons.

The 24-year-old LSU product had been linked to the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers as recently as yesterday.

Earlier today, the Nets also announced the release of Haywood Highsmith, a move required to finalize a trade involving the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers.

The swingman has fully recovered from his meniscus injury and subsequent setback and is ready to return to action.

The Dallas Mavericks have reached an agreement with the Charlotte Hornets on a trade that will send Tyus Jones to Texas in exchange for Malaki Branham.

Dallas had already pursued the point guard during last offseason, ultimately pivoting to D’Angelo Russell, who has since been traded to Washington.

Jones returns to the Western Conference after an underwhelming half-season with the Orlando Magic, while still maintaining his trademark elite assist-to-turnover ratio, with 116 assists and just 14 turnovers.

The news was reported by Shams Charania.

The Milwaukee Bucks have agreed to a trade with The Phoenix Suns, landing Nick Richards and Nigel Hayes-Davis while sending Cole Anthony and Amir Coffey to Phoenix, per Shams Charania.

Charania noted that over the past week Milwaukee has been focused on incoming calls regarding Giannis Antetokounmpo, while also canvassing the league for smaller salary-focused deals.

This swap fits that “small salary trades” lane, with the Bucks still working the market on deadline day even as the Giannis storyline looms.

Source: ESPN (Shams Charania)

The Milwaukee Bucks have told teams they’ve pulled Giannis Antetokounmpo off the trade block and will shift focus to other deadline options, as reported Shams Charania.

The Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat and New York Knicks were the most engaged suitors, but alternative moves—Warriors landing Kristaps Porzingis and the Wolves acquiring Ayo Dosunmu—were early signals that a Giannis deal was unlikely.

Milwaukee still hopes to keep him long-term, may reassess in the offseason, and he becomes extension-eligible in October.

The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired Luke Kennard from The Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round pick, according to ESPN sources.

Vincent, signed in the summer of 2023, has dealt with injuries during his first seasons in Los Angeles and is headed toward free agency in the offseason.

Kennard, on a one-year deal with Atlanta, gives the Lakers immediate floor spacing: he’s averaging 7.9 points in 20.5 minutes across 46 games while shooting 49.7% from three.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have acquired Ayo Dosunmu from The Chicago Bulls, adding a guard to strengthen their perimeter rotation alongside Anthony Edwards.

Dosunmu is a pending restricted free agent, and the move is framed as a direct answer to Minnesota’s ongoing backcourt upgrade efforts. A 2021 second-round pick, he helped fuel Chicago’s early 2021-22 surge before injuries changed the Bulls’ trajectory.

In 45 games this season, Dosunmu is averaging 15.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 45.1% from three.

According to Jake Fischer in The Stein Line, The Minnesota Timberwolves and The Miami Heat are still viewed as being “in play” for Giannis Antetokounmpo ahead of the deadline. Even so, there’s widespread belief around the league that The Milwaukee Bucks may ultimately keep Giannis through the cutoff.

That reluctance, per the same report, has Milwaukee exploring ways to upgrade around its star, and one option being weighed is a pursuit of Ja Morant. In that scenario, The Memphis Grizzlies could entertain a return built around shorter contracts and role players as they lean into a reshaping phase.

The situation remains volatile right up to the buzzer, with The Stein Line framing deadline day as a live-moving landscape for multiple headline names.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s agents are currently in Milwaukee, according to Haris Stavrou on the “BIG 4 By Betsson” show, as reported by SPORT24.

With the NBA trade deadline nearing its end, late-hour activity is intensifying and speculation around the Greek Freak remains at a peak, with fans waiting to see whether he stays with The Milwaukee Bucks or moves on.

SPORT24 also notes that the agents’ presence in the city does not automatically indicate anything about Antetokounmpo’s future, despite the heightened spotlight on the situation.

The New York Knicks and The Chicago Bulls have agreed on a trade sending Guerschon Yabusele to Chicago in exchange for Dalen Terry, according to ESPN sources.

It’s a one-for-one move designed to tweak both teams’ rotations as the season continues. Yabusele changes teams after his stint with New York, while Terry joins the Knicks’ group as part of the reshuffle.

The transaction is expected to be finalized once the usual league procedures are completed and the NBA formally approves the deal.

The Charlotte Hornets have agreed to acquire Tyus Jones from The Orlando Magic, a move widely tied to Orlando’s efforts to get out of the luxury tax.

Jones had been viewed as a prime candidate to be moved for financial reasons, while Charlotte also uses the deal to help offset the second-round picks they dealt earlier Wednesday in the Coby White trade.

Jones has appeared in 48 games this season, averaging 3.0 points and 2.4 assists in 15.7 minutes. A career 37.3% three-point shooter, he’s at 29.4% from deep this season after spending last year with The Phoenix Suns.

The Charlotte Hornets acquired Coby White and Mike Conley Jr. from The Chicago Bulls in exchange for Collin Sexton and three second-round picks.
As part of the deal, Chicago also takes Ousmane Dieng from The Oklahoma City Thunder, with Mason Plumlee sent to OKC.

White is set to become a free agent in the offseason and had been viewed as a strong deadline trade candidate on a $12.9 million expiring deal.
He’s averaging 18.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 29 games this season with Chicago.

The Bulls receive the least favorable 2029 second-rounder between Charlotte and Denver, plus New York’s 2031 second and Denver’s 2031 second.
The multi-team structure adds OKC’s piece while reshaping Charlotte’s guard rotation ahead of the stretch run.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is not seen applying meaningful public pressure to be dealt at the deadline, while still telling media he wishes he could stay and contend.
At the same time, he has reportedly accepted the reality and communicated a preference to be traded.

Charania said that message has forced the The Milwaukee Bucks to listen and engage with teams in the days leading into the deadline.
The strongest interest cited includes The Golden State Warriors, The New York Knicks, The Miami Heat and The Minnesota Timberwolves.

The decision point remains whether Milwaukee executes a trade now or pushes the process to the offseason, with different risk-reward outcomes.
Sources around involved teams say there are ongoing questions about whether the Bucks are genuinely prepared to make a franchise-altering move at the deadline.

The Utah Jazz acquired Lonzo Ball in a three-team trade with The Cleveland Cavaliers and The Atlanta Hawks, but he’s expected to be waived.
That would allow Ball to enter free agency, according to ESPN sources.

Cleveland sent Ball and two second-round picks to Utah, which also received cash considerations from Atlanta for Jock Landale.
Ball became expendable after the Cavs landed James Harden and Dennis Schroder in separate trades over the past week.

The move comes one day after Utah’s blockbuster to acquire Jaren Jackson Jr. from Memphis, where Landale reached the Jazz in that package.
Ball, 28, struggled in Cleveland, averaging 4.6 points on 30% shooting and below 30% from three.

Sources describe Ja Morant’s trade market as still limited, even with the scheduling irony of him being in Sacramento on the night The Memphis Grizzlies face The Sacramento Kings.

From Sacramento’s side, there’s only a conversation if Memphis adds meaningful draft capital alongside Morant, while the Grizzlies view it the other way around: if they’re taking on a bad contract, they want picks coming back.

The gap is portrayed as significant, and the Kings are said not to be actively pursuing Morant; instead, Memphis has been canvassing the league, with Sacramento also carrying fit-and-chemistry concerns as a separate obstacle.

The Athletic

The Golden State Warriors have agreed to trade Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks for veteran center Kristaps Porzingis, according to ESPN sources. The move also marks the practical end of Golden State’s pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo, after recent indications Milwaukee won’t move him by the deadline.

The deal closes Kuminga’s five-season run in Golden State and gives the Warriors a veteran stretch big on an expiring $30.7 million contract, assuming he’s healthy. Porzingis has appeared in just 17 games this season and hasn’t played since Jan. 7 due to an illness described as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and other setbacks.

Golden State is betting on Porzingis’ rim protection and spacing alongside Draymond Green, whom the team now plans to keep after floating him in talks. The Warriors sit 27-24, eighth in the West, while Atlanta targets a controllable, high-upside wing after Kuminga averaged 12.5 points on 50.3% shooting across 278 career games with Golden State.

In a separate move, the Warriors also traded center Trayce Jackson-Davis to the Toronto Raptors for a 2026 second-round pick (via the Lakers), per ESPN sources.

The Chicago Bulls have agreed to trade Coby White and Mike Conley Jr. to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng and three future second-round picks.

The news was reported by Shams Charania.

The French forward Dieng had only just arrived in Charlotte via a separate trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder, which sent Mason Plumlee to the defending champions.

The centerpiece of the deal is clearly Coby White, who returns to his home state after more than six seasons with the Bulls. The former UNC guard – who is averaging 18.6 points and 4.7 assists per game- is set to become a free agent at the end of the season.

It’s a low-cost, high-upside addition for the Hornets, who — riding a recent positive stretch — are firmly in the race for a Play-In spot.

Chicago’s plans for Collin Sexton remain unclear. The guard is still a proven scorer, capable of making an impact both as a starter and off the bench.

The Washington Wizards and the Dallas Mavericks have reached an agreement on a massive blockbuster trade involving eight players and five future draft picks, headlined by Anthony Davis.

According to details just revealed by Shams Charania, Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell and Dante Exum are heading to the nation’s capital. In return, Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham and Marvin Bagley will move to Dallas, along with two future first-round picks and three second-round picks.

This marks the second major acquisition in-season for the Wizards, following the move that brought Trae Young to Washington.

On the Mavericks’ side, Dallas parts ways after just one year with the player acquired in the deal that sent Luka Dončić to the Lakers. The largely unexpected arrival of Cooper Flagg last January reshaped the franchise’s outlook, convincing the front office to fully reset and build around the uber-talented former Duke forward.

According to Jake Fischer, the price tag set by the Memphis Grizzlies for Ja Morant has “significantly decreased” in recent days.

After trading Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis has effectively begun yet another rebuilding phase, and Morant no longer appears to be the ideal cornerstone to lead such a young and inexperienced roster.

Fischer reports that three teams have emerged as potential destinations for the two-time All-Star guard: the Sacramento Kings, Miami Heat, and Milwaukee Bucks.

A possible move to Milwaukee is particularly intriguing — could the arrival of Morant be enough to convince Giannis Antetokounmpo to give another chance to the only NBA franchise he has ever represented?

Per ESPN sources, LeBron James is expected to finish the season with the Los Angeles Lakers despite the looming trade deadline and ongoing speculation about his long-term future. His longtime agent and friend Rich Paul (Klutch Sports) said in December that James wouldn’t seek a trade: “No. Where is he going to go?”

James, 41, also has a no-trade clause, meaning any potential deal would require his approval. Since Paul’s comments, the Lakers have slipped from No. 2 to No. 6 in the West, and an ESPN report (Jan. 21) detailed tension with acting governor Jeanie Buss, but James responded days later: “I’m good… I’m good.”

What happens after this season remains unclear. James said he doesn’t know if he’ll retire this summer and noted that Wednesday’s game in Cleveland “very well could be” his last in Northeast Ohio. Still, ESPN’s reporting is firm: James is not expected to join a new team before this season ends.

Source: ESPN

The first true blockbuster of the final stages of the NBA trade market comes from one of the least expected teams: the Utah Jazz.

The Jazz front office have convinced the Memphis Grizzlies to part ways with Jaren Jackson Jr., the 26-year-old big man who has yet to fully enter his prime but is already a former Defensive Player of the Year and two-time All-Star.

The full details of the deal , via Shams Charania:

The Jazz acquire Jaren Jackson Jr., John Konchar, Jock Landale and Vince Williams Jr.
The Grizzlies receive Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, Georges Niang and three future first-round picks.

Few around the league expected such an aggressive move from Utah. With this trade, the Jazz clearly put their foot on the accelerator, betting on a core built around Jackson Jr., fellow All-Star Lauri Markkanen, and Most Improved Player candidate Keyonte George.

In Memphis, the direction is much clearer. The Grizzlies’ stash of future draft capital now rises to 13 first-round picks over the next seven drafts, putting them in the same tier as the Thunder and Nets, according to Bobby Marks. It also makes it increasingly likely that Ja Morant, the other crown jewel of the roster, will be heavily discussed in trade talks leading up to the deadline.