As the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline nears, the Pelicans are one of the many teams that will look to make improvements around the edges of its roster.
Latest on the Pelicans
The Pelicans are looking at trade options, specifically bringing a new center aboard and Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson hears that Wizards’ big man Daniel Gafford and Hawks’ big man Onyeka Okongwu are on New Orleans’ radar.
Gafford’s inclusion has been previously discussed but the team’s interest in Okongwu, who was the No. 6 pick in the 2020 draft, is a newer development. The 23-year-old center is averaging 9.4 points and 6.6 rebounds in a career-high 24.7 minutes per game this season.
The Hawks are undoubtedly open to making changes as the trade deadline nears. Dejounte Murray trade rumors have made major headlines, though other trades such as one for the 23-year-old center, could be equally consequential to the NBA landscape.
Knicks Trade Rumors
The Knicks are in the market for a big man and they have their eye on Gafford, as Robinson explains.
New York lost Mitchell Robinson for the season and they are without Julius Randle for the next few weeks.
As we wrote in our 2024 Wizards Trade Deadline Preview, Gafford can help a contending team and he may be available for a package of second-round picks.
Daniel Gafford, who is under contract through the 2026 offseason, has played the most games for the Wizards among active players.
Gafford has arguably been the Wizards’ best player this year. Did you know he leads the league in true shooting percentage and ranks third in offensive rating as of this writing?
It’s easy to envision a team sending a few legitimate second-rounders (like the 2024 selection that the Raptors received for OG Anunoby) and a prospect to the Wizards for Gafford. The Mavericks have long made sense for Gafford as a fit next to Luka Doncic, though it’s just as it’s easy to envision him remaining with the Wizards through the deadline.
While we wrote about the Mavericks as a team that could trade for Gafford, Robinson indicates that Dallas remains interested in Kyle Kuzma.
Nets Trade Rumors
Marc Stein hears that Nic Claxton might be more available in trade talks than initially believed (via his substack).
Claxton will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and Stein writes that mixed signals are coming from Brooklyn about what their plans are for the big man.
While Claxton could be moved, Dorian Finney-Smith, Royce O’Neale, and Spencer Dinwiddie are the three Nets most likely to be traded before next Thursday’s deadline. Finney-Smith and O’Neale have been linked to Cleveland among other teams.
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