Basketball

After Kevin Durant reportedly nixed a trade back to the Golden State Warriors, ESPN's Brian Windhorst believes he had the opportunity to leave the Phoenix Suns and join Miami.

"There was a window for Kevin Durant to be traded to the Miami Heat," Windhorst said on Thursday's episode of Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective (8:50 mark.)

Windhorst continued:

Once the Warriors were out, instead of it being a three-team thing, it was sort of a two-team thing with the Suns and the Warriors both potentially being able to negotiate with the Heat for Jimmy Butler.

I think the Suns were willing to negotiate. I don't think they were anxious to trade Durant. What you're going to hear going forward is that the Suns never wanted to trade Durant... but there was a window there for there to be a trade.

Windhorst and Shams Charania reported Wednesday night for ESPN that the Warriors had acquired Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat.

According to Windhorst and Charania, the Warriors, Heat and Suns were "nearing agreement" on a three-team trade that would have sent Durant to Golden State before Durant told the Suns he did not want to go to the Warriors.

Windhorst added on his podcast that the reason the three teams had come close to finalizing the three-team trade was because "the Suns were going to be able to get Jimmy Butler plus."

"It was going to be Jimmy Butler, plus some other things from the Warriors, to get Durant," Windhorst said. "If it was just the Heat negotiating directly with the Suns, you were looking directly at Jimmy Butler, and not much else."

The Heat needed to send out Butler, who had been suspended from the team for a third time following a public split with his former franchise, by the Feb. 6 deadline.

Initial reports indicated the Suns were interested in adding Butler after creating room for his contract by moving Bradley Beal, but Beal's no-trade clause may have gotten in the way.

In the days approaching the deadline, Durant's name began popping up in trade rumors involving Butler. Windhorst then reported Wednesday that Durant's most likely options were staying with the Sun or heading to the Heat.

Without the Warriors being involved, however, it looks like the Heat weren't able to match the Suns' asking price for Durant. Butler will now head to the Bay Area, while Durant is set to approach the final season of his current contract still with Beal and Devin Booker in Phoenix.

The Toronto Raptors might have the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference, but that didn't stop them from making an aggressive win-now move ahead of Thursday's 3 p.m. ET NBA trade deadline.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported the Raptors are acquiring forward Brandon Ingram from the New Orleans Pelicans for forward Bruce Brown, center Kelly Olynyk, a future first-round pick and a second-rounder.

Ingram remains out with an ankle sprain, having last played in New Orleans' 119-109 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 7.

Once he's healthy, this is how Toronto's lineup will look. The most notable change is RJ Barrett likely sliding over to shooting guard to accommodate Ingram:

Raptors Depth Chart

• PG: Immanuel Quickley, Jamal Shead, Davion Mitchell 
• SG: RJ Barrett, Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji, Ja'Kobe Walter 
• SF: Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji, RJ Barrett 
• PF: Scottie Barnes, Chris Boucher, RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram 
• C: Jakob Poeltl, Orlando Robinson, Chris Boucher

Especially with the return they received for Ingram, the Pelicans are pretty much waving the white flag amid their brutal 12-39 start, having lost guard Dejounte Murray to a season-ending Achilles injury.

Pelicans Depth Chart

• PG: CJ McCollum, Jose Alvarado, Bruce Brown, Brandon Boston Jr. 
• SG: Javonte Green, Bruce Brown, Jordan Hawkins, CJ McCollum, Brandon Boston Jr. 
• SF: Trey Murphy III, Javonte Green, Bruce Brown, Brandon Boston Jr. 
• PF: Zion Williamson, Karlo Matković, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl 
• C: Yves Missi, Kelly Olynyk, Karlo Matković

The trade isn't exactly a cost-savings maneuver for New Orleans, which maintains a $170 million payroll by swapping Ingram for Olynyk and Brown. The Pels could claw some money back if they agree to a buyout with Brown, who's collecting a $23 million salary.

The draft compensation adds to an already deep well of assets, with New Orleans still enjoying the fruit of the Jrue Holiday trade.

The Raptors likewise have a lot of flexibility in terms of draft capital. While they don't have any incoming first-rounders from other teams, this is the first outgoing first-round selection on their books.

The true cost of this transaction from Toronto's perspective will be revealed when Ingram either re-signs with the team or walks as a free agent.

The Raptors are on track to have a $137.3 million payroll in 2025-26 without accounting for any of their cap holds. That doesn't leave them with a lot of flexibility when the salary cap is projected to be around $154.6 million.

Retaining Ingram will take them far beyond that number and could put them close to the first luxury tax apron ($195.9 million). The franchise has little choice but to meet the 2019-20 All-Star's asking price, though, since it will have little means of finding an adequate replacement for him.

Team president Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster are displaying a strong endorsement of their current roster along with a firm belief that Ingram will help them contend next year.

Stephen Curry is hoping the Jimmy Butler drama is over following the former Miami Heat forward's trade to the Golden State Warriors.

Butler waived his 2025-26 player option and signed a two-year extension as part of the multi-team trade that sent him to the Warriors, ESPN's Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst reported Wednesday night.

The trade news broke just before Curry and the Warriors played the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. Curry said after the Warriors loss that he texted Butler at halftime, and that Butler sent him "a very pleasant message" in response.

"I understand there's a lot of drama down there, and who really knows what the story is," Curry said after the loss. "We expect to have a motivated, committed Jimmy that's ready to impact our team for the better."

When asked how the team could make the new addition a "drama-free situation," Curry said Butler's extension was an indication the discontented Heat star would fit it in with the Warriors.

"Him signing an extension is big, knowing he's committed for this next little run, and we've got to figure it out," Curry said.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr meanwhile said processing trade news that involved the departures of Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson and Dennis Schröder just before tip-off was difficult for both himself and his team.

"I think the league should consider making the trade deadline at the All-Star break, just so you don't have to face these games where guys are getting traded half an hour before a game, and you're trying to process the emotions and trying to win a game," Kerr said. "I don't know if it's possible, but it would be great if we could move it back, or make the last couple of days before the deadline off days."

Butler has played just five games since Dec. 20 amid a public split from the Heat that led to three separate suspensions by the team. But Curry expressed hope the Warriors could "feed off the energy of something new" once he returns to the court.

"It'll look different than what we're used to," Curry said. "I mean, he can show a little bit of emotion, but he's a shot creator, a finisher, someone who you have to take into account no matter where he is on the floor."

Curry concluded: "I'm going to watch a lot of, whenever there's time, I'll watch a lot of Miami film to understand some of the sets they like to run for him, and see what we can transition to our playbook."

The Warriors, who haven't strung together three straight wins since November, currently sit just behind the Phoenix Suns for the Western Conference's 10th seed.

The team was reportedly interested in acquiring Kevin Durant from the Suns before Durant told his team he didn't want to come to Golden State, according to Charania and Windhorst. The Warriors will now hope the acquisition of Butler can help the team beat out Durant and the Suns for the final play-in spot in the West.

The Los Angeles Lakers finally got their center with less than 24 hours to go until Thursday's NBA trade deadline.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported they're sending rookie guard Dalton Knecht, forward Cam Reddish, a 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap to the Charlotte Hornets for Mark Williams.

General manager Rob Pelinka told reporters Los Angeles remained in the market for a big and he was true to his word.

Here's how the Lakers look with Williams starting at the 5:

Lakers Depth Chart

• PG: Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, Shake Milton, Gabe Vincent
• SG: Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent, Shake Milton 
• SF: LeBron James, Dorian Finney-Smith, Jarred Vanderbilt 
• PF: Rui Hachimura, Dorian Finney-Smith, Jarred Vanderbilt 
• C: Mark Williams, Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt, Trey Jamison III

ESPN's Bobby Marks laid out the landscape for L.A. in terms of its salary cap situation and what draft picks it still has moving forward:

After somehow managing to keep the Lakers' 2031 first-rounder out of the trade for Luka Dončić, many wondered whether Pelinka would utilize it this week or wait until the offseason.

Giving up both that pick and Knecht is a pretty aggressive play because those are two assets that could've been leveraged for another major star in the summer.

But Williams is averaging 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 25.0 minutes per game this season. He's also young, having turned just 23 in December, and offers some cost control. The 7-footer has another season left on his rookie contract and is eligible to become a restricted free agent in 2026.

Although Williams may not qualify as a blockbuster addition, ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported Los Angeles sees him "as an answer at starting center right now and someone who can progress on the same timeline as the 25-year-old Dončić."

McMenamin noted another benefit of the trade is that the Lakers have a roster spot available. They can wait and see who hits the buyout market to add another reinforcement for the stretch run.

Acquiring Williams comes with some risk. He logged just 62 appearances through his first two years and has missed 25 games in 2024-25. Perhaps this proves to be an overpay for the Lakers if Williams can't stay healthy and Knecht emerges as a valuable role player for Charlotte.

The upside is nevertheless clear because L.A. might have found its starting center for the long haul.

The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly acquired center Mark Williams for a package including their top rookie and their last tradable first-round pick.

The Lakers sent Dalton Knecht, veteran forward Cam Reddish, a 2030 pick swap and an unprotected 2031 first-rounder to the Charlotte Hornets in order to acquire Williams, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Williams reacted to the news in a post on X:

Williams, who was limited to 62 games through his first two NBA seasons due to injury, has made just 23 appearances so far this season.

Although Williams has missed three of the Hornets' last seven games due to left foot injury management, ESPN's Dave McMenamin the Lakers are "confident in his medicals."

Williams, who turned 23 in December, has been effective when healthy. After sitting out the first 20 games of the season, he returned to contribute a career-high 15.6 points on 58.6 percent shooting from the field while adding 9.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game in 25 minutes per night.

Williams has a $6.2 million club option remaining on his contract and is scheduled to hit restricted free agency in 2026.

The Lakers are likely hoping Williams' rebounding will help the team replace Anthony Davis, who was traded earlier this week in the blockbuster deal for former Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić.

Adding the seven-foot center could give the Lakers a stronger frontcourt heading into the playoffs, providing Williams is able to stay healthy down the stretch.

In order to acquire a center to deploy alongside Dončić, the Lakers parted ways with a 2024 first-round selection in Knecht, who was averaging 9.4 points and 3.1 rebounds while playing more than 20 minutes per night through 48 games of his rookie season.

Knecht has three more seasons remaining on his rookie deal, including two club options that could take his contract through 2028.

The Lakers also bid farewell to Reddish, who was in his second season with the team. The 25-year-old was averaging 3.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 18 minutes per game as a depth option.

Reddish is playing on an expiring contract and is currently set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

The deal left the Lakers $3.8 million below the second apron of the luxury tax, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks.

The Lakers also gave up their 2031 first-round pick as part of the trade. The selection was the franchise's final tradable first-round pick, as noted by Marks.

The Hornets meanwhile own their next first seven first-round picks in addition to four additional first-round selections acquired through trades, according to Marks.

The Lakers have one tradable second-round pick and one roster spot remaining, Charania noted, after sending out Davis and Max Christie earlier this week and parting ways with Knecht and Reddish just before the deadline.

Williams could potentially join the Lakers for a Thursday night game against the Golden State Warriors, while Knecht and Reddish could join the Hornets before Friday's contest with the San Antonio Spurs.

After spending five-plus seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans, Brandon Ingram is reportedly being traded to the Toronto Raptors.

Shams Charania of ESPN reported the deal, with the Pelicans getting back Bruce Brown Jr., Kelly Olynyk and draft picks:

Rumblings about Ingram's future in New Orleans really picked up after the team's first-round playoff loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He didn't play well in the series, averaging 14.3 points on 34.5 percent shooting in the four-game sweep.

ESPN's Bobby Marks noted the Pelicans either had to trim their roster or let key free agents like Naji Marshall and Jonas Valančiūnas leave.

Marks also pointed out Ingram was eligible to sign a four-year, $208 million extension on the first day of free agency. His statistical performance would largely warrant that type of deal. He's averaged at least 20 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in each of his five seasons with the Pelicans.

But the combination of Ingram's playoff struggles, injury history and New Orleans' cap situation left his status up in the air. The 26-year-old hasn't played more than 64 games in a season since his rookie year in 2016-17.

The Pelicans already have Zion Williamson, whose injury history is well-documented, under contract for $163.2 million over the next four years.

New Orleans has been on the fringes of being a very good team if its best players could stay healthy. It has had top-10 net ratings in each of the past two seasons, including a plus-4.5 mark in 2023-24 that ranked 10th in the NBA.

Since having healthy players has been a huge problem for the Pelicans this season, they have bottomed out to this point. They have the worst record in the Western Conference (12-39).

Given where the Pelicans are at now and with no obvious franchise cornerstone to build around, trading away any players who have value is smart business for the front office.

Ingram is an interesting addition to a younger Raptors team that is clearly building around players like Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Gradey Dick and Ja'Kobe Walter, among others. Ingram isn't on that same timeline and was expected to go to a team looking to contend right now, rather than the retooling Raptors, which are just 16-35.

So there will be obvious questions about which direction the Raptors are now taking. Do they see a future building around the young core? Or do they simply see many of those players as potential trade chips down the line for more established stars?

Barnes isn't going anywhere, and it's hard to imagine the Raptors acquired Ingram only to lose him in free agency this summer, so he's a safe bet to stick around as well. But Wednesday's trade called into question what the future might hold for some of the team's other young contributors.

Joining a new team means a number change for Jimmy Butler.

Butler, who was traded from the Miami Heat to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, will wear No. 10 for his new squad, per NBA insider Chris Haynes. Butler's former No. 22 would presumably be available since Andrew Wiggins was traded to the Heat as part of the deal, but perhaps he felt it was time for a change.

Butler wore No. 21 with the Chicago Bulls, No. 23 with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers and was No. 22 for six years in Miami. It will take fans some time to get used to seeing the six-time All-Star rocking both a Warriors jersey and his new number.

Butler hasn't had the best year, albeit he's played just 25 games. His scoring average is his lowest since the 2013-14 season at just 17 points per game and he's adding 5.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists.

He was clearly not happy in Miami, though, and joining a new squad could be exactly what Butler needs to get back on track.

The Warriors seem to have confidence Butler can return to All-Star form, as they gave up a hefty haul for him. Golden State gave up Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schröder, Kyle Anderson, Lindsey Waters III and a protected first-round pick in the deal. Wiggins and Anderson are heading to Miami, Schröder will join the Utah Jazz and Waters is now with the Detroit Pistons.

Trading for an aging star like Butler might be a bit of a risk for the Warriors, but they needed to make a splash at the deadline to reroute their season. Golden State is currently in 10th place in the Western Conference at 25-24 but will soon look to surge behind a revamped roster.

A new era for the San Antonio Spurs is here.

De'Aaron Fox, who the Spurs acquired from the Sacramento Kings earlier this week, made his debut and helped lead San Antonio to a gritty 126-125 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.

Fox had a big night, putting up 24 points, 13 assists, five rebounds and three steals. He also played an integral role in the play that ultimately helped seal the win for the Spurs.

Tied with the Hawks in the final seconds, Fox and Victor Wembanyama executed a perfect pick-and-roll that sent Wembanyama to the free throw line to hit what would be the game-winning free throw.

Wembanyama finished with 24 points and 12 boards.

The stellar debut for Fox had fans excited for what the future holds in San Antonio.

It's only been one game for Fox, but it seems like he and Wembanayma already have an on-court connection. The pick-and-roll between the two that we saw late on Wednesday will likely be a play opposing teams have nightmares about for years to come.

With Fox now on the roster, the Spurs are looking to get into playoff contention. San Antonio is currently in 12th place in the West at 21-26, but took a step in the right direction with Wednesday's win.