With the NBA trade deadline just around the corner, sometimes, it might be difficult to keep up with everything that’s going on. And you better believe that there’s always something going on.
LeBron James and Stephen Curry could definitely use some help on their teams, but the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors aren’t the only franchises bound to move some pieces.
Also, even though we might not hear Zach LaVine’s name in any trade-related news, some other big-name players could be on the move at some point in the next couple of weeks. With that in mind, we’ve gathered some of the hottest rumors around the NBA scene right now.
Donovan Mitchell To The Heat?
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra could reignite their pursuit of Donovan Mitchell, who’s been balling for the Cleveland Cavaliers since Darius Garland fell with an injury:
Donovan Mitchell
“The Miami Heat, league sources say, continue to have bona fide interest in Donovan Mitchell despite Cleveland’s don’t-even-call-us approach and could well choose to test that resolve with Mitchell proposals after Miami’s trade pursuits of Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard over the summer ended with neither player landing on South Beach.”
Needless to say, trading for a proven scorer like Mitchell could prove to be quite costly, but the Miami Heat are just one piece away from being a legitimate NBA championship contender.
Clint Capela In Purple And Gold
The Los Angeles Lakers are keeping tabs on half of the league at the very least. Then again, John Hollinger of The Athletic reports that they could be engaged in serious trade talks with the Atlanta Hawks for both Dejounte Murray and Clint Capela:
“The Lakers, league sources said, have briefly discussed the scenario of acquiring both Murray and Capela from the Hawks. Whereas Atlanta has remained adamant on wanting third-year guard Austin Reaves, the Lakers have remained firm on their stance of keeping the 25-year-old out of all trade discussions. This extends to trade conversations Los Angeles has held with other teams besides the Hawks.”
Dejounte Murray gets ready to shoot.
Of course, the Lakers will try to lowball the Hawks as much as they can, which has been Rob Pelinka’s M.O. for years. That’s a dangerous game to play, but he’s found success multiple times in the past.
Siakam Goes To Sac-Town
The Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks are expected to make strong pushes to land Pascal Siakam. Nonetheless, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer claims that the Sacramento Kings would be willing to outbid any team for the Toronto Raptors star:
“My understanding is that the Kings would still trade for Siakam even without the assurance that he’d re-sign, but his lack of commitment certainly changes the assets they’d be willing to give up alongside Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter.”
Of course, there’s plenty of risk with trading for a guy who might not want to be there for more than a couple of months, but the Kings seem inclined to take a chance and try to convince him otherwise.
