Lou Williams, Tyreke Evans, DeAndre Jordan Head NBA Trade Rumors

After a few weeks of nothing but rumors, the NBA finally had some trades this week! On Monday the LA Clippers sent Blake Griffin, Brice Johnson, and Willie Reed to the Detroit Pistons for Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, and first- and second-round draft picks. On Thursday the Chicago Bulls finally made the expected trade of Nikola Mirotic, moving the fourth year forward along with a second round pick to the New Orleans Pelicans for Omer Asik, Tony Allen, Jameer Nelson, and a 2018 first-round draft pick.

With the Feb. 8 trade deadline less than a week away, there are plenty of rumors swirling.

Now that they have moved on from their All Star forward, will the Clippers continue to clean house? ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported after the Griffin trade that “Sources said Los Angeles will continue to discuss dealing Lou Williams and DeAndre Jordan, with a plan to focus on young players and draft picks while competing for a playoff spot this season.” Sporting News’ Mitch Lawrence reiterated as much on Friday:

As was the case when they sent Griffin to the Pistons, the Clippers don’t want any players with multi-year contracts coming back in a Jordan deal. It’s all about getting cap relief this summer and next, when Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson and Kevin Love headline the 2019 free agent class.

Lawrence listed Milwaukee and Cleveland as the favorites to acquire Jordan, with Miami, Portland, and Orlando as teams who have inquired about him. As for Lou Williams, Michael Scotto of The Athletic reported that the Clippers are looking for a first-round pick in exchange for their top scoring player.

One player that seems likely to be traded is Memphis Grizzlies guard Tyreke Evans. In his report, Scotto wrote that “Upcoming free agent Tyreke Evans will be traded—it’s just a question of where at this point.” Marc Stein tweeted on Wednesday that the Philadelphia 76ers were interested in Evans but were reluctant to give up a first-round pick. Keith Pompey, the 76ers beat writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, confirmed Stein’s report and added several other teams that are interested:

Grind City Media’s Michael Wallace reported on Thursday that Evans was expected to be moved to a playoff team:

Evans, who did not travel with the Grizzlies to Detroit for Thursday’s game, told Grind City Media he spoke with Wallace and was under the impression he would be heading to a team in playoff contention.

“I really don’t know how it’s going to turn out, but I’ve heard there’s a lot of interest out there for me, and that’s a good thing,” Evans said as he exited Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indiana on Wednesday night. “The season hasn’t gone that great, the way we wanted, but I’ve been happy in Memphis and with what I was able to do to help this team.”

The Orlando Magic have consistently shown up in trade rumors this season as a team looking to unload players. This week, Michael Scotto of The Athletic added forward Aaron Gordon to the list of Magic players that may be available:

The new regime of Jeff Weltman and John Hammond has left no stone unturned with the deadline approaching, including quietly gauging the trade market on Aaron Gordon, league sources told The Athletic.

Gordon is eligible for restricted free agency this summer, so Orlando could simply be doing due diligence.

Orlando previously discussed an Evan Fournier deal with Detroit, but talks stalled and the Pistons eventually moved Avery Bradley. It’s worth noting Orlando coveted Stanley Johnson as part of those trade talks.

Orlando isn’t the only team interested in Stanley Johnson. Scotto also reported that the San Antonio Spurs have also shown interest:

San Antonio has quietly worked the phones in advance of the trade deadline. The Spurs have kept tabs on Pistons forward Stanley Johnson and

Knicks center Willy Hernangomez, league sources told The Athletic.

San Antonio’s assistant general manager, Brian Wright, held the same position in Detroit when the Pistons drafted Johnson.

Detroit seems to be active in trying to move their third year wing. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reported that the Pistons have targeted Utah Jazz guard Rodney Hood in a potential Stanley Johnson trade:

Word in NBA circles is the Pistons have ramped up efforts to move out Stanley Johnson, with an eye for Utah’s Rodney Hood. It remains unclear if the Jazz engages in a deal built around Johnson, but the Pistons are being aggressive.

Hood isn’t the only Jazz player popping up in rumors. According to Marc Stein, Joe Johnson may be on his way out of Utah:

The Bulls may not be done after dealing Mirotic. In The Athletic, Michael Scotto reported that Chicago would “entertain moving center Robin Lopez for a first-round pick.” He also noted that several teams, including the Miami Heat, have expressed interest in DeMarre Carroll of the Brooklyn Nets.

Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports have reported that the Denver Nuggets want to add a point guard:

Denver will likely make a move of its own before the Feb. 8 trade deadline, as the Nuggets are known to be shopping for a veteran point guard who could allow Will Barton to return to his super sixth man role. According to two people with knowledge of the situation, they have serious interest in the Indiana Pacers’ Darren Collison (12.8 points, 5.3 assists per game as a starter) but have, thus far, been rebuffed. Collison, whose Pacers (28-23) are fighting to hold onto a playoff spot, has a team option worth $10 million on his deal for next season.

They also mention that Denver could be in the running for Sacramento Kings point guard George Hill. The Kings were reportedly close to dealing Hill to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but that deal fell through. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the deal fell through because Hill didn’t want to take a buyout:

George Hill, they didn’t want to buy him out this year. What they wanted to do was protect themselves in the event that, if LeBron James left, whether George Hill would be willing to take a buyout on the $20 million he’s owed on his contract after this season.

As the trade deadline approaches, expect the rumors to heat up. Whether teams are willing to pull the trigger on any deals or not remains to be seen.