We are less than 48 hours away from the NBA trade deadline, and the rumors are flying around as contending and playoff-bound teams look to solidify their rosters and fill holes, while the few sellers this season look to send out veterans and get picks and players that can help them in the long run. We will have links to all the trades here as well.
When is the Trade Deadline? Thursday, March 25, at 3 p.m. Eastern. Teams must have their trades submitted by the league at that time. It can take an hour or more for any final trades submitted right at the deadline to get approved by the league and be leaked to the public.
Here are all the latest NBA trade deadline rumors and deals.
March 23, 10:30 p.m.: Toronto talking Kyle Lowry, Norman Powell trades with multiple teams
We’ve known for a while that Kyle Lowry trade talks had heated up again. Philadelphia wants to bring him back home and pair him with Joel Embiid (once the big man gets healthy), while Lowry would love to partner with his friend Jimmy Butler on a team that went to the Finals a year ago. Those talks continue to be on the front burner, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, but neither the Heat nor 76ers are giving Toronto everything they ask.
Sources: Raptors discussing Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell deals on multiple fronts and those talks are expected to extend into Wednesday — and perhaps even Thursday. Philadelphia, Miami are interested in Lowry, but both have shown restraint in how far they’ll go to get a deal.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 24, 2021
Powell would be a fantastic pickup, he has blossomed this season. Powell is averaging 22.8 points a game while shooting 44.6% from three since moving into the starting lineup, and he could help a lot of teams. He’s also a free agent this offseason and is going to get paid (Powell has a player option for $11.6 million but he is not going to pick that up and will hit the open market).
March 23, 8 p.m.: Raptors demanding Herro from Heat in any Lowry trade
The buzz has been growing that Kyle Lowry would rather head to sunny Miami and team up with Jimmy Butler rather than go home to Philadelphia. According to multiple reports, including Michael Grange of Sportsnet in Canada, the sticking point is Tyler Herro — the Raptors want him and the Heat don’t want to give him up. (Either Kelly Olynyk or Goran Dragic also have to be in the trade, or both if a couple Raptors players head from Tampa to Miami.)
The sticking point in a Lowry-to-Miami scenario is Tyler Herro. Miami is ok to give up 26yo Robinson, a pending RFA who might be pricy to sign; Raptors prefer 21yo Herro who is on 2nd year of rookie deal.
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) March 23, 2021
Lowry is a free agent after this season and is reportedly discussing terms for his next contract with the Sixers, Heat and the Raptors.
Denver looking for power forward help, discussing Aaron Gordon, Harrison Barnes
Denver quietly has been very active heading into the trade deadline — a team that feels it is one piece away is looking for that potential piece. Specifically, they are looking for help at the four and are talking to Orlando about Aaron Gordon (even if Boston is the frontrunner for him) and Sacramento about Harrison Barnes, reports Mike Singer at the Denver Post.
Bulls listening to trade offers for Lauri Markkanen
Lauri Markkanen will be a restricted free agent this summer and the Bulls likely don’t want to pay him what someone on the market will offer, so they are listening to trade offers, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic. Markkanen is averaging 17.7 points, shooting 39.6% from three, and adds 6 rebounds per game. Health concerns surround Markkanen (he missed more than 30 games the past two seasons, and has played just 22 this season), among other questions about his game.
Buyout buzz: Andre Drummond likely headed to Lakers, LaMarcus Aldridge to Heat
The Cavaliers and Spurs are continuing to look for trades for their good-but-over-priced big men, however, it is improbable they find a deal for Andre Drummond (making $28.7 million) or LaMarcus Aldridge ($24 million). Most likely, both will be bought out. Marc Stein of the New York Times reports that Drummond is likely going to sign with the Lakers (Drummond is an upgrade over the current version of Marc Gasol), and Aldridge is headed to Miami (a team desperately in need of help at the four and backup five).
Houston will trade Victor Oladipo but Heat, Knicks staying away
Victor Oladipo has long made it clear he wants to be in Miami, but as the Rockets have looked to trade him, the Heat have had limited interest (they could just sign him this summer as a free agent), and the same is true with the Knicks, another team Oladipo has been linked to.
ESPN Sources: Heat and Knicks – w/ summer cap space – are reluctant to offer premium packages for Victor Oladipo, but market’s developed of capped-out teams bidding w/ young player/first-round pick combos. One thing’s become clear: Houston’s likely moving Oladipo before deadline.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 23, 2021
Oladipo almost certainly will be traded before the deadline. He is averaging 20.8 points a game this season but is inefficient (50.8 true shooting percentage in Houston, well below the 57 league average) and not the All-NBA player he was before his injury.
Boston Celtics reportedly frontrunners to land Aaron Gordon
Forward Aaron Goron has requested a trade out of Orlando, and now comes word from multiple sources that Boston is the frontrunner to land him and maybe Evan Fournier. That would likely mean giving up Celtics’ fan favorite Marcus Smart — their best point-of-attack defender — but you’ve got to give up something to get something.
