NBA Trade Deadline: Old Team Was ‘Tired’ of Rumored New Laker, Execs Say

D'Angelo Russell, Lakers trade target

Getty D'Angelo Russell, Lakers trade target

Taking measure of trade talk that seems to be spinning faster than a basketball on Pete Maravich’s fingers (search for the videos, kids; you’ll thank me later) some 24 hours out from the NBA deadline.

— The Lakers are back to pure hoops after LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the all-time scoring lead, and the prospects there are certainly not worthy of any celebration approaching Tuesday night. The Slowtime Lakers are three spots out of the play-in tournament. I repeat, THE PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT.

They didn’t get Kyrie Irving, much to LeBron’s disappointment, but they were reportedly getting close to a reunion with D’Angelo Russell in a three-team deal this afternoon. Russell Westbrook would be in the outgoing mail.

Any team with LBJ and (when healthy) Anthony Davis has a puncher’s chance in a playoff series, but right now they’re closer to having someone in their corner throw in the towel. Will an exchange of Russells (D’Angelo-Westbrook) make a huge difference?

Prior to news of this potential trade, one general manager said of Westbrook, “I think that he’s just not a fit. He’s still in late in games, and I don’t think they want that. He does some good things for them. He should get the credit he deserves. But he still looks at himself as a superstar and it’s just hard to coach him that way. If he was a guy that was OK sitting on the bench some nights at the end of the game, playing 20 minutes some nights and 30 minutes other nights, I think they would not have any problems. But I think he just still sees himself as somebody special, and sometimes they all have issues with that.”

D’Angelo had fallen out of favor in Minnesota. A source who has dealt with the Wolves said, again before this news, that while some there were wanting to keep him, “another one told me there’d be a number of people there willing to drive him anywhere he needed to go. There comes a point where it’s good for people to makes moves to get some new energy, some new identity, some new personality. It can be a situation where the team is tired of the player or the player is tired of the team. It happens.”

The source then likened it to a situation elsewhere, saying, “I think the Miami Heat are there with Kyle Lowry. Nobody to goes to Miami, to Pat Riley’s team and gets heavier. He did. That was thought to be impossible because they monitor everything. I still think he can play. I think he can help a team. I’ve always been a Kyle Lowry guy. But sometimes it gets to a point with a player and a team where it’s best to just move on. I don’t know if Miami will be able to get what it needs back. Maybe they just have to let this play out. But he’s someone that’s been talked about in different places.”


Clippers Still Active Despite Missing Targets

As the Lakers appear to be dealing, down the hallway in the downtown L.A. arena, the Clippers are clinging to their rosary beads in hope of good health. But they’re looking for help, as well.

“If they can keep Kawhi (Leonard) and PG (Paul George) in the court, they’ll be OK — more than OK,” said a league exec. “But the Clippers are still trying to do stuff. They’re trying to just shore up their team for a stretch run. But they have guys that I’m not sure anybody else wants. Like, I don’t think anybody wants Reggie Jackson or John Wall, but the Clippers don’t need all of the guys they have. Those guys are a little bit like their stars, where you don’t even know when they’re going to play or not.

“I just think they want to move some people. They pay a huge tax. I don’t think they need anything great, but I think they’d like to clean up their rotation for when they ARE healthy. Those guys have been in and out of the lineup as much as Paul George and Kawhi Leonard and Luke Kennard. That’s got to be really, really frustrating for them.

“But they’re good. I can tell you that. They’re good. When they play their best players and they’re healthy, they’re a very good team, and I think they have a chance if those guys can stay healthy. I think they’re just waiting for the playoffs. They don’t care as much about the seed. If they can be whole, they’re comfortable with just seeing what happens.”


Nets Hope to Appease Kevin Durant

The Nets were looking to be of a similar mind before last week. They’d won 18 of the last 20 games Kevin Durant had played and Kyrie Irving had yet to overheat. Once Durant returned, the club thought, it might just make a serious run and be able to have the last laugh.

Now? Brooklyn is hoping to appease Durant and avoid a repeat of his trade request from last summer.

“They want somebody of significance to keep KD from sort of emotionally just bagging it,” a league source told Heavy. “So they’re looking to bring in a significant player that can help them now. And they just don’t want to have to rely on the idea that Ben Simmons has to be the No. 2 guy.

“But I don’t see anybody trading for Ben. He’s just damaged goods. He’s got the yips, man.”

Another exec said the Nets have been mentioning Patty Mills and Joe Harris in talks, adding, “They think those guys are going to bring something back. I think they would like to upgrade the front court also. (Nic) Claxton is good, but he’s not great against some people and some teams. He’s not a spacer. He plays a good role.

“He’s good for them in some ways, but against some teams he’s just not a presence. He’s a skinny, athletic, switching big that really can’t guard the post. Joe Harris just isn’t what he was. He’s just not the same player after the ankle surgeries. He’s just not the same guy. He’ll have moments in games and quarters where he’ll make three or four 3’s in a row, but, because of the injuries, he’s not the same player that he’s been. He’s not the same defensively. They’ve talked about those guys, but I don’t see them bringing any value back.”


Hornets Eager to ‘Get Rid’ of Star

While the Nets have had their season pulled out from under them, Charlotte never really got to the starting blocks after Miles Bridges’ domestic violence charges. The Hornets are looking in a number of different directions.

“Yeah, that’s a tough one,” a league executive told Heavy Sports. “They would do anything to get rid of (Gordon) Hayward, but they’re not going to find any takers there. (Terry) Rozier’s name has been put out there. I think they like him, but they have to see what they can get. LaMelo (Ball)’s had a frustrating year with injuries, and he just hasn’t taken the step forward that you thought he would. I don’t think they’re looking to move LaMelo necessarily, but that’s a tough situation all around there — from the Bridges thing on.

“They had hope that they would take a big step forward, but with all the circumstances, it just hasn’t worked. Obviously they’re just relegated to tanking. It looks like they’re tanking. At least half their games, it looks like they’re tanking. They’ll have a good game every now and then, but they’ve looked awful. Holy s***.”