NBA Trade Deadline Live Chat

OK, so the deadline has come and went with plenty of suspense and just one transaction from a Los Angeles team. Still news to come in the buyout market. Be sure to check out our coverage for the rest of the day on LATimes.com

Can tell you the Lakers haven't acquired Kyle Lowry from Toronto. They leave the deadline, seemingly, without a move.

Was impossible to think that Houston was going to keep Oladipo, a name that came up in every conversation.

The Clippers are sending Atlanta a 2023 second-round pick via Portland, and their own 2027 second-round pick.

Some details on the Clippers-Hawks deal:

As we move past the noon deadline (see editors, it doesn't mean what YOU think it does), Chris Haynes is reporting that Andre Drummond is headed for a buyout. Lakers are thought to be the favorites

A good reminder that sometimes deals trickle in after the 12 p.m. deadline

NINE MINUTES!

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Can confirm, via a league source, that Lou Williams is being dealt to Atlanta in exchange for Rajon Rondo. Sources had said in recent days that they did not expect Williams to be dealt at the deadline, but this for him is a homecoming to Atlanta, where he played high school ball and lives in the offseason. And for the Clippers, Rondo represents a point guard with savvy and championship experience, even if his stats this season have been far below his past production.

The Clippers are getting the point guard they need. The Atlanta chicken wing scene gets one of its most enthusiastic costumers. Rajon Rondo for Lou Williams is done, the Clippers striking a deal that gets them a steadying point guard that's been missing. Can't undersell the importance of this either -- he's a leadership voice with championship experience. Should quickly fit into the void on a roster where the Clippers best players are either quiet (Kawhi) or laid back (Paul George). He and Serge Ibaka are big upgrades in the leadership department, a huge criticism of the Clippers over the past season.

If the Kyle Lowry trade talks are about who budges first, the Lakers off THT or Miami off Herro....that's an interesting standoff

OK - SOUND THE ALARM - We've got some heating up reports on Rondo and the Clippers. BT and Andrew, you've floated ATLien Lou Williams as a possible out-going player. Rondo would be the Clippers' first true point guard since Chris Paul left, right?

Here's a Lakers note to pass on...I think it's clear that the focus in on Andre Drummond post buyout, but it's not impossible the team ends up with Damian Jones if they miss on the Cleveland big. The Lakers have said the door isn't closed on Jones, and he was fairly impressive in his limited run with the team. If they struck out on the big targets, he'd be a comfortable fallback plan

I don't blame her, Dan. LOL

It's just a lot of texting and a lot of phone calls. I was talking with an Eastern Conference exec a few days ago and my wife said, "We don't ever talk on the phone that long." She seemed relieved by that too.

Dan and I just got off a Zoom with Lakers and coach Frank Vogel said Marc Gasol is playing tonight on a 15 minutes restriction.

Seriously, days before my first trade deadline in 2019, the Clippers made a deal with Philadelphia at around 2 a.m. local time when the team (and I) were in Charlotte.

It looks like waking up several times in the middle of the night making sure you didn't just hear your phone buzz.

Reader question: what does trade deadline day look like for NBA reporters?

"Denver got better," Kyle Kuzma just said. He dyed his hair blonde too because "AD told me to." The Lakers just wrapped shootaround today in El Segundo.

Plus, the Nets had the draft capital to make a move on James Harden, for example, similar to what the Lakers had to get AD

I think for one, there's an inherent interest in something that's new and the Nets are very, very new. Two, they're kind of in the position the Lakers were in prior to the AD trade except they already had KD and Kyrie on board. Three, I can't think of anyone who would credibly say they're not the best team in the NBA right now so if you can't beat them, join them.

READER QUESTION: Why have the Nets been able to make all these moves and not the Lakers?

Air horn: Just about 1 hour to go!

It's gotten quiet out there....some names to monitor around the league
Lonzo Ball
Victor Oladipo
Kyle Lowry (of course)

I'm not sure what the Bulls really are but Vucevic and LaVine both firing away from 3 is something I'll be watching on League Pass, for sure.

Agree. JaVale McGee gives Denver much needed backup center and Aaron Gordon gives Nuggets more depth in in front court. And Nuggets did deal without giving up super talented Michael Porter Jr.

We're 90 minutes in to the chat -- aka Act 1 of the Snyder Cut -- What are our favorite deals so far? I don't think anyone has done better than Denver getting Aaron Gordon without sacrificing Bol Bol or Michael Porter Jr. JaVale McGee is a nice add too.

OK, this is the best stat in the NBA right now

The word is that the Lakers are still talking to Toronto (via ESPN). My sources there say the Lakers have definitely shown interest (nothing new there). One thing to consider -- the Raptors aren't really going into a full rebuild. Dennis Schroder/Fred VanVleet/Pascal Siakam/OG Anunoby/Chris Boucher....that's got to be appealing to them, especially if Miami won't include Tyler Herro. Would be fascinating if the Lakers don't do the deal because of THT. If that's the case, they'd have to believe Talen can help them win now and will be REALLY good in the future.

Reggie pushes the pace of the offense in a way no other ball-handling guard really does for the Clippers. Very few players are better at putting the ball through the hoop than Lou, though. He just reached 15,000 career points last night. Plus, he's viewed as a great locker-room guy for the Clippers this season. It's not a no-brainer deal, to me, but again, it would have to be considered through the lens of the postseason and whether the Clippers believe Lou can keep it up for four rounds. Rondo has that championship experience (and he also knows Ty Lue well from when they overlapped together in Boston as player/assistant).

Well Dan, just heard from a fourth NBA front office type that said he would not include Talen Horton-Tucker for a Kyle Lowry deal. All, among other things, cite the age. THT is 20 and Lowry is 35. Man, people really like THT.

Me? Unless I'm trying to hit homers or go after the Queen of England (NAKED GUN joke), I'd rather have Lou Williams

Rondo is making about $7.5M this season. Lou is making $8M. So the money works. BT and I have now both heard Lou's name connected with Atlanta.

If you're the Clippers, would you rather keep Lou Williams or Reggie Jackson?

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Would they/ Could they flip Lou for Rondo and open up more time for Mann/Kennard in the backcourt rotation? Money works

Rajon Rondo and the Clippers were linked during free agency but the Hawks could pay him the most at the time. He's averaged 3.9 points and 3.5 assists this season in Atlanta. But I think you have to look at any Clippers consideration through the lens of whether they believe he will improve their playoff roster. Team president Lawrence Frank said when the season began that all their moves in the offseason were made at upgrading their playoff potential. If the Clippers believe Playoff Rondo is a real thing, then, yes, I could see the interest.

Some good-ish news possibly on the Lakers' front -- I'm still hearing that there's pessimism inside the Cavs that an Andre Drummond deal gets done meaning a buyout is on the horizon.

A quick thought on THT and the Lakers...Portland is loading up. Denver is loading up. The Lakers are....hoping their stars get healthy. Some really interesting choices to be made over in El Segundo as the team looks at the landscape and tries to weigh pros and cons about going for it now and going for it in the future. Horton-Tucker and Kuzma are probably the two young players with some value outside the org. and they're probably the Lakers' best bets for future development. But how much time with LeBron do you really have? What's your window? How many titles with him should you win? Tons of good questions

Lakers also have to weigh an extension Lowry certainly would be seeking if he joins them or any other team.

The trade would certainly either be Schroder, KCP and THT or Schroder, KCP and a 2027 first (and maybe, say McKinnie's non-guaranteed deal). The Lakers would want Lowry because he's an elite leader, an elite defender and a tough-as-all-hell player who would give them a legit 3rd All-Star and would close the talent gap against Brooklyn. He's 35, though, and a FA after this season.

Back to the texts: Readers want to know about Kyle Lowry and what it would take to get him/why would the Lakers would want him. I'll take the first crack:

Old friend Austin Rivers is headed to OKC as part of the George Hill deal

Ok, George Hill to the 76ers. Hill is a nice combo guard and is solid when healthy.

Well, Dan and Andrew, Rondo to the Clippers is interesting and something to keep any eye on.

We've got a potential STOP THE PRESSES trade via Shams Charania. Philly is trading for George Hill. Was definitely someone on the list for the Clippers and the Lakers. Wonder what the fall out of that is going to be in regards to Kyle Lowry, who Philadelphia has been chasing

My initial thoughts on Rondo -- the Clippers have kind of been in on him for a few years, like BT said, because of his leadership. Obviously has a relationship with Ty. He's kind of on that list of "Lowry-like" players who give you a leadership bump while not taking shots from your best players. Obviously have a tremendous upside in the postseason. Andrew, any guesses on what that deal might look like? I'm opening up trade machine

The Clippers had a chance to get Rondo last summer but instead sign Serge Ibaka. Rondo is exactly what the Clippers need, a leader who knows how to run the offense and can take the ball out of the hands of Kawhi and PG

Here's my question about Denver: Does Gordon move the needle in terms of whether it could help the Nuggets beat the Clippers or Lakers?

BT, Denver is going to be really good. Gordon gives them a wing with a chance to try and guard Kawhi/PG, LeBron in a way they had prayer of before.
The text line is blowing up with questions -- here's the first "How likely is the Clippers will nab Rondo?" - question from the 408

Gordon immediately became Denver's best defender, I think. I really like the idea of him next to Jokic.

Denver has made two very good moves, getting JaVale McGee from Cleveland and Aaron Gordon from Orlando. Gordon hasn't quite lived up to his potential. Maybe he will with the Nuggets.

"That $%$%$%$%$%$%&#&#&#& might start for us next year."

In talking to now three NBA front office executives, all of them said a resounding "No" about the Lakers including THT in any potential trade for Kyle Lowry. THT is liked that much by scouts. And the Lakers love his potential and upside. Yes, the Raptors would want a young talent like Horton-Tucker and yes the Lakers are hesitant. Dan, remember what people told you about THT in the bubble? Since this is a family chat, you can't use that language.

Catch-up time: Orlando has traded Aaron Gordon to Denver. They've sent Evan Fournier to Boston. And, in the shocker of the day, they sent Nikola Vucevic and Al-Farouq Aminu to Chicago. The Bulls, (THE BULLS!) have been crazy active, also dealing for Troy Brown and Laker legend Mo Wagner.

Lowry with the Clippers would get the Raptors championship band back together alongside Serge Ibaka and Kawhi Leonard. There are ways the salaries could work -- as Dan and I have talked about offline -- but I can't imagine that package would trump anything offered by, say, Miami or Philly.

Lowry is so fascinating - a truly move-the-needle player that would elevate either LA team. I think it almost certainly costs the Lakers Talen Horton-Tucker or a 2027 first-round pick, which based on how the last year or so has gone, seems a little presumptuous if you ask me. I've written a lot about THT and the Lakers' decisions with him. BT, you've heard some stuff on him, right?

The Lakers and Clippers are on the trade clock. Will either one of them pull off a deal that helps their team? I guess time will tell. Toronto's Kyle Lowry is wanted by the Lakers and Clippers, also Philadelphia and Miami.

If the Magic are in full-on rebuild mode -- and all signs point to it! -- the team has to be getting a ton of calls about Terrence Ross's availability, right? His contract actually gets cheaper each of the next two seasons and he's shooting right around his career average from 3 (36%). Could be a nice infusion of offense off the bench for someone.

I think we need to start by talking about point guards -- it's a need for the Clippers and apparently the Lakers too.
We should talk Lowry first, because he’s the most interesting player in terms of Los Angeles. Since the Clippers saw their post-Kawhi Leonard roster, everyone around the league, Clippers execs included, weren’t too quiet about the team needing a “Kyle Lowry-type” point guard – one who is unselfish, who can knock down shots, who defends and who is a great leader. Turns out, there aren’t too many of those guys and they’re even tougher to trade for.
But when Lowry and the Lakers first got connected on Wednesday, it was an eye opener. Maybe they’re not so enthralled with Dennis Schroder or their extension talks with him? Maybe the chance to add Lowry, a bonafide third star, would make them dismantle their rotation to get it done.
It's fascinating stuff.

Welcome to the NBA trade deadline day, a time where fans can bask in the chaos of NBA transactions and a time where players are set scrambling into Wal-Mart’s looking for undies (https://www.latimes.com/sports/nba/la-sp-nba-players-movement-20190320-story.html). For weeks, NBA executive types predicted the trade deadline would be slow, that too many teams were unsure of their place on the buyer-seller spectrum for things to be active.
But like a child (or in my case, a grown adult) staring at a sleeve of Thin Mint cookies in the fridge, NBA teams usually can’t help themselves.
The biggest domino to fall was the Toronto Raptors – with Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell entering the trade market meaning that top-tier, established NBA champion players might be able to swing things for some teams. Add in the active morning for the Orlando Magic.....and we're off

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Happy Draft Day! Thanks for joining us. Reporters Dan Woike, Andrew Grief and Broderick Turner will be here soon to chat about the draft as the deadline nears.