The Warriors are continuing to explore avenues to trade Kristaps Porzingis’s contract, even after the 7’3″ big man announced that he was stepping away from basketball, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer report in their latest edition of The Stein Line (subscriber link).
Golden State would prefer to move the deal before December 16, Stein reports, and is hopeful that his partially guaranteed contract for next season, along with his reported willingness to discuss a buyout, could be financially enticing to potential trade partners. December 16 stands as a key date because that is the last day the Warriors could add someone via trade and re-aggregate their contract in another deal by the February 11 trade deadline.
The Warriors do have the possibility of buying out Porzingis, a route they may consider exploring if teams insist on Golden State adding draft picks to sweeten the deal. The team hasn’t ruled out using draft capital in a deal, but they would be cautious about which players coming back to them would be worth such a move, Stein reports.
He also notes that the team is unlikely to move Moses Moody in any mid-season trade, as they still expect him to make an impact once he returns from injury.
We have more from Stein’s latest newsletter:
- The Kings surprised many around the league by trading Nique Clifford to the Thunder for two second-round picks, Stein says, but there had been multiple trade suitors looking to acquire him after it appeared his grip on a rotation spot was starting to slip. The Pacers, Nuggets, and Lakers all registered trade interest, but the Thunder’s bounty of quality second-round picks, as well as their ability to absorb Clifford into a trade exception, thereby moving the Kings more than $6MM away from the luxury tax line, proved to be too much for other teams to match. Prior to the trade, the Kings had no second-round picks over the next seven years. The exception the Thunder used was the one created when they traded Aaron Wiggins to the Hawks, Fischer reports (via Twitter).
- The Kings now have 13 roster spots and will look to fill the 14th. One player under consideration for the spot is free agent point guard Gabe Vincent. After the trade, they now have room to sign him without going into the luxury tax, if they choose to go that route. The 30-year-old guard played for the Lakers and Hawks last season, averaging 4.4 points in 16.6 minutes per game between the two teams.
- Another player the Kings have shown interest in is Kevin Porter Jr.who was cut by the Bucks in mid-October. If the Kings choose to go in a different direction, Porter is expected to have other teams interested, including the Trail Blazers and Heat. Portland already has a good amount of guard depth, making them an unexpected suitor. Porter has experience playing with Heat star Giannis Antetokounmpoand the team could use more ball-handling, but their financial situation makes a move difficult.
- One of the reasons that Jeremy Sochan declined offers to play overseas in favor of a G League deal with the Mavericks’ affiliate, the Texas Legends, is his longstanding relationship with Mavs’ GM Mike SchmitzStein learned in an interview with the 23-year-old forward. Sochan, who won a ring with the Knicks last season, is hoping to parlay a strong showing with the Legends into an NBA call-up.
- The Raptors signed former Knick Kevin McCullar Jr. to a two-way deal on Thursday, but before doing so, they considered using their two-way opening on free agent point guard Rob DillinghamStein reports. Dillingham was waived by the Hornets in September after being included in a deal that sent Buddy Hield to the Bulls.