The NBA’s marketplace works in cycles and precedents, with yesterday’s price often setting today’s. When Devin Vassell signed a five-year, $135 million extension with San Antonio this fall, agents and executives around the league noted how the deal established a benchmark for every rookie-scale extension to follow. When Miami traded Kyle Lowry and a 2027 protected first-round pick to Charlotte on Tuesday in exchange for Terry Rozier, that price point certainly added further context around discussions for backcourt playmakers between now and the Feb. 8 trade deadline.
“At least a first-round pick” has thus been described as the necessary compensation for the Washington Wizards to part with table-setter Tyus Jones, league sources told Yahoo Sports. The same goes for Portland to move on from guard Malcolm Brogdon and Toronto with recently acquired Bruce Brown Jr. — not a straightforward floor general, but Brown is surely a reliable ball-handler, fresh off a championship with Denver. The Hawks, sources said, are searching for two first-round picks and a starting-caliber player to part with Dejounte Murray, considered the premium lead guard option on the trade block.
Lowry being dealt to Charlotte adds another name to the field of backcourt players available. He’s a potential re-trade candidate for the Hornets, sources said, but also as a potential player on the buyout market, should Charlotte not find a deal for the veteran floor general. At that point, one destination that currently appears to be a real possibility: Philadelphia, where the Sixers stand as one of the few contenders below the first luxury tax apron and capable of signing a player who was bought out from a contract pricier than this year’s mid-level exception ($12.4 million.) Lowry is not expected to join the Hornets prior to the trade deadline, league sources told Yahoo Sports, and will likely remain away from the franchise while the future of the respected 18-year veteran gets resolved.
There are several teams looking for point guard help across the board. The Lakers are chief among backcourt buyers, sources said, with an apparent goal to upgrade at the position currently being filled by D’Angelo Russell. New York, Milwaukee and Philadelphia have all been mentioned by league personnel as interested in finding point guard reinforcements. Those teams seem…