NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz on John Wall, Marvin Bagley III and More

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Carmen Mandato/Associated Press

Trades are a uniquely major part of the NBA. Given the league’s comparatively small rosters, one deal can make or break a team more easily than it might in the NFL or in Major League Baseball.

Trades are also incredibly frequent during the NBA season. While the NBA trade deadline might not carry the fanfare of the MLB deadline, it’s usually a hotbed of activity—both involving trades and non-trades that result in post-deadline buyouts.

This year’s deadline is still months away (February 10), but it’s certainly not too early to examine the names that could be on the move between now and then. Here, we’ll dive into some of the latest NBA trade-related buzz.

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Carmen Mandato/Associated Press

Not every trade results in instant success, and the Los Angeles Lakers are struggling to fit their roster around offseason acquisition Russell Westbrook. Before Westbrook was traded to L.A., of course, he was dealt from the Houston Rockets to the Washington Wizards.

Point guard John Wall was sent to Houston in that 2020 December deal, but we haven’t seen him on the court this year. Before the season, Wall and the Rockets reached an agreement that would see Wall inactive as Houston tried to find a trade partner for him, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.

Well, we’re approaching the quarter mark of the season, and it seems that the Rockets are not close to finding Wall a new home. According to Sports Illustrated‘s Chris Mannix, Houston has failed to create momentum on that front.

“To this point, I’ve been told there has been zero traction on a trade for John Wall, so he’s just hanging out, doing nothing …while the Rockets are one of the worst teams in the NBA,” Mannix said on the Crossover NBA Show (at the 16:30 mark).

Houston (1-13) is clearly in rebuilding mode, but if it was hoping to quickly flip Wall for developmental assets or draft capital, it may be out of luck. There’s always a chance that a team bites closer to the deadline, but Wall does not appear to be a hot commodity right now.

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Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press

Sacramento Kings forward/center Marvin Bagley III might not be a particularly hot commodity right now either, but it seems that at least one team is interested in acquiring him.

Bagley, who was showcased in Monday’s win over the Detroit Pistons, is reportedly drawing interest from that very team.

With Kelly Olynyk now sidelined with an MCL sprain, Detroit views Bagley as a potential replacement, according to James L. Edwards III and Jason Jones of The Athletic:

“There’s a disgruntled No. 2 overall pick just sitting on the bench in Sacramento. His name is Marvin Bagley III, and it’s clear the big man’s future with the Kings won’t last much longer. Per sources, the Pistons have kept an eye on Bagley and his situation in Sacramento for some time.”

Against Detroit—in only his second appearance of the season—Bagley played just under 18 minutes and produced seven points and three rebounds. While his showing wasn’t likely enough to get Detroit to pull the trigger, it did seem to be a case of Sacramento dangling the proverbial carrot.

If a team like Detroit is willing to make a fair offer, Bagley can probably be had.

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Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

King shooting guard Buddy Hield is an interesting name to monitor, largely because he was almost acquired by the Lakers in the offseason instead of Westbrook.

Jason Jones of The Athletic reported in July that players on the Lakers side of the potential Hield trade “expected” that deal to happen. Obviously, it fell through, but this doesn’t mean that Hield is destined to stay in Sacramento long-term.

“Buddy’s going to be gone,” one NBA executive, said, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype last month. “They already traded him and had a done deal,”

Hield himself may believe that a trade is going to happen before the February deadline. According to Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, Hield recently changed agents.

“Yahoo Sources: Sacramento Kings sharpshooter Buddy Hield has changed agents and is now being represented by Diana Day of Icona Agency,” Haynes tweeted.

While changing agents doesn’t necessarily mean that a deal is imminent, it does suggest that Hield expects some sort of negotiation to take place in the foreseeable future.