NBA Notebook: Kyle Kuzma, John Collins, Jae Crowder, Yuta Watanabe, Dwight Howard

As the calendar turns toward 2023, executives around the league are monitoring the availability of three forwards: Kyle Kuzma, John Collins, and Jae Crowder.

With that in mind, this week’s NBA notebook includes the latest intel on the three-team trade talks between the Hawks, Jazz and Suns, Kuzma, Yuta Watanabe, and G League Ignite draft prospect Leonard Miller from our own Michael Scotto. Plus, the latest trade rumors commentary on Kuzma and Collins, along with a potential Myles Turner extension breakdown, from our capologist Yossi Gozlan, a free agency stock watch from our Frank Urbina, and former NBA player making notable contributions in our international spotlight by Alberto De Roa.

Hawks, Suns, Jazz 3-team trade talks

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As Shams Charania reported on The Rally, the Hawks, Suns, and Jazz engaged in three-team trade talks involving John Collins going to Utah, Jae Crowder and player(s) to Atlanta, and Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley to Phoenix.

Suns guard Landry Shamet was also discussed in the trade talks, league sources told HoopsHype. In at least one framework of the three-team trade talks, Shamet would’ve gone to Atlanta with Crowder, sources said.

The Hawks have been open to trading Collins if the right package comes along. Atlanta has had several forwards around the league on their radar, including Lauri Markkanen, Kyle Kuzma, and Crowder.

According to rival executives, the Jazz view Vanderbilt as worthy of a first-round pick in value given his production, contract (signed for $4.7 million next season), and age (23). At the end of November, Beasley told HoopsHype he’d like to remain in Utah and have the Jazz exercise his $16.5 million team option.

Phoenix has eyed a new home for the disgruntled Crowder for months, while Cam Johnson has only played eight games due to injury after failing to agree on a contract extension before the season. As previously reported by HoopsHype, Phoenix discussed a contract extension spanning four years between $66 and $72 million with Johnson before talks stalled.

– Michael Scotto

Cap insight: Hawks, Jazz, Suns trade talks

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We are nearly halfway through the season, and Jae Crowder is still at home awaiting a trade. We received an update on that front today from Shams Charania with a three-way framework that would’ve sent him and other players to the Atlanta Hawks. As part of the deal, the Suns would receive Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt, while the Jazz would get John Collins.

The Suns would need to send out an additional $5.7 million in addition to Crowder to match salaries for Beasley and Vanderbilt, though adding the bare minimum would increase their luxury tax payment for this season substantially. They may prefer to send out a player like Landry Shamet, as our Michael Scotto reported above, or Dario Saric to keep the incoming and outgoing salaries similar and their tax bill neutral.

This deal would increase Atlanta’s luxury tax space from $1.3 million under to a little over $5 million, assuming they take back one of Shamet or Saric. This type of trade would also ensure they don’t finish over the luxury tax, assuming Clint Capela and/or Dejounte Murray earn incentives they could realistically hit. Getting off of Collins now would also solve their upcoming luxury tax crunch for 2023-24.

According to Charania, the deal didn’t gain traction after the Jazz asked for multiple first-round picks along with Collins. They are the team with the least urgency to get this deal done, so it’s understandable why they’d press for more assets. But asking for multiple first-round picks suggests they view Collins as a negative asset. He may be having a down season, but his previous career averages suggest he’s due for a bounceback. If anything, he’s an amazing buy-low target for the price of two role players.

– Yossi Gozlan

Wizards want to keep Kyle Kuzma despite trade rumblings?

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Marc Stein recently reported, “There’s a rising belief leaguewide that (Kyle) Kuzma is gettable between now and the Feb. 9 trade deadline.”

Internally, however, Kuzma is considered, “a big part of the future” for the Wizards, according to a league source who spoke with HoopsHype. The Wizards believe they’re a more talented team than the record has shown to this point.

Coming into the season, the belief was the Wizards would try to supplement their top three players (Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis and Kuzma) with reinforcements to make the playoffs and begin to contend again after signing Beal to a max contract over the summer.

– Michael Scotto

Kyle Kuzma for John Collins?

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Last week we discussed Washington heading into the trade market and offered a perspective as to why they may choose to be buyers instead of sellers. But what if one of their core players doesn’t want to remain there long-term? The Wizards could be faced with that question ahead of the trade deadline in regards to Kyle Kuzma. According to Marc Stein, there is a belief Kuzma could be gettable if Washington feels they could lose him for nothing.

Kuzma has a $13 million player option which he plans on declining to enter unrestricted free agency next summer. If the Wizards do decide to trade Kuzma, their “middle-build” mentality could have them seek a deal that keeps them as competitive as possible over one that includes draft picks and prospects. One particular framework that fits that criteria and already has reports confirming interest on both sides involves the Hawks and John Collins.

According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Hawks have shown interest in Kuzma while the Wizards have shown interest in Collins. A swap involving both players could be mutually beneficial: the Wizards would get a replacement for Kuzma who is under contract for an additional three seasons while the Hawks would land a slightly cheaper option at the four. A third team may need to be involved to take on extra money since it’ll be tough to complete a deal with matching salaries while keeping both franchises under the luxury tax.

– Yossi Gozlan

Myles Turner contract extension talks

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Once thought as a certainty to be traded by this year’s trade deadline, Myles Turner could now be staying in Indiana for the long term. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Pacers and Turner have opened contract extension discussions as well as a renegotiation-and-extension framework. If the Pacers don’t trade Turner, it feels like a good possibility that they agree to some type of extension after the trade deadline.

In a renegotiation-and-extension, the Pacers can use their current available cap space to increase Turner’s current salary and add multiple years. They have enough cap space to increase his $18 million salary for this season up to his maximum allowable salary of $37.1 million. Theoretically, he could then get as much as 8 percent raises to add an additional $178 million over four years, essentially giving him a maximum contract. However, a maximum contract for Turner is unlikely.

One other way the Pacers can structure a renegotiation-and-extension is by increasing Turner’s current salary and then decreasing his 2023-24 salary by as much as 40 percent. One popular framework involves increasing Turner’s 2023-24 salary to the $37.1 million max, followed by a 40 percent decrease to $22.3 million, followed by 8 percent decreases. His contract would descend to $16.9 million in the final year and add a total of $97.4 million, $19.1 million from his in-season raise, and $78.3 million from the additional four years.

As creative as that framework sounds, the total amount of money added is virtually identical to the amount Turner could receive from his maximum extension amount. He is currently eligible to extend for up to four years, $96.8 million, and can sign it through June 30, 2022. While getting a ton of money up front sounds nice, the renegotiation is only more advantageous for Turner if the additional years are structured in a way that pays him more. At the same time, the Pacers could go into negotiations only willing to pay him $97 million if it’s upfront and in a descending structure.

– Yossi Gozlan

Is Yuta Watanabe a 3-Point Contest candidate?

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Brooklyn Nets forward Yuta Watanabe, who leads the NBA in three-point percentage (.540), told HoopsHype, “It would be an honor” to be selected to participate in the 3-Point Contest at All-Star Weekend.

Watanabe has been nearly automatic from the left corner, where he’s shooting 76.5 percent (13-for-17) and 68.6 percent (24-for-35) overall from both corner spots combined.

MORE: Watanabe fought Japanese stereotypes on NBA journey

– Michael Scotto

Leonard Miller expected to enter NBA Draft

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After withdrawing from the NBA Draft last year, G League Ignite forward Leonard Miller plans to enter the draft with the intention of remaining in this year, he told HoopsHype at the G League Showcase in Las Vegas.

“I want to develop my defense to a whole other level because the level I can reach on that side of the floor is what’s going to make me a lot of money,” Miller told HoopsHype. “It’s what teams want and need. It’s what I value as well. A lot of people just talk about offense, but on defense, I can really strive on that end.”

Miller, who compared his game to Lamar Odom, is projected to go 22nd overall in the latest HoopsHype aggregate mock draft.

“I want my name to be spoken in future years to come,” Miller told HoopsHype. “When I leave this Earth, I want guys to talk about me forever with what I’ve done on the court. I also want to win championships and enjoy the game as much as I can. I want to have fun every time I play because I love the game so much.”

– Michael Scotto

Free agent stock watch: Up

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Brook Lopez

Not only is Brook Lopez’s stock as a free agent way up, he’s even making a push at an All-Star spot with how well he’s playing this season at the ripe age of 34. This year, Lopez is averaging 14.9 points and 5.9 rebounds to go along with his league-leading 2.5 nightly blocks and pristine 40.1 percent shooting mark from three. Besides the obvious star-level centers in the league today, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better role-playing big man than Lopez this year, who’s made the Bucks 5.8 points per 100 possessions better during his time on the floor.

– Frank Urbina

Free agent stock: Down

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Seth Curry

A veteran who has hurt his value heading into unrestricted free agency, on the other hand, is Nets sharpshooter Seth Curry, who has seen injuries derail him from catching any sort of rhythm as we near the halfway point of the campaign. Curry has been in and out of the lineup all year, missing 12 games to this point, and when he has played, he hasn’t been his usual marksman self, shooting just 39.3 percent from three for the season. With him on the floor, the Nets have been a full two points per 100 possessions worse, a troubling number for a team that has been on a tear for the last few weeks. Still, Curry has plenty of time to turn things around, something he might do considering the level of shooter he has proven to be in his career.

– Frank Urbina

International Spotlight: Dwight Howard, Eric Bledsoe, OJ Mayo, Tyreke Evans

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For a professional player, losing a spot in the NBA is not the end of the world. The G League has established itself as the best place to bounce back as quickly as possible, and Europe has plenty of teams willing to pay decent wages for fringe NBA-level players. At least, better than what a non-guaranteed two-way contract can get you nowadays. But outside the usual spots, the market has been surprisingly entertaining lately, as we reflect daily on our International Transaction Log.

Among the former NBA players who moved overseas in the last few months, there’s no bigger name than Dwight Howard. The former NBA superstar and future Hall of Famer is now hooping in the Taiwanese T1 League with the Taouyan Leopards. Despite an exciting start, Howard has not been as dominant as one would expect, averaging 24.3 points and 13.3 rebounds in his four games so far. They’re decent numbers, but to put into perspective, former Knick Cleanthony Early is scoring 33.2 points per game. It didn’t help that Howard missed a few weeks due to an injury, or that, for some reason, he’s shooting six three-pointers per game on an abysmal 13.3 percent accuracy.

Not too far from Taiwan, the Chinese CBA is having a harder time attracting stars. The complex political situation and being the only professional league still playing in a bubble format due to the COVID-19 pandemic have made China a less attractive destination. Despite that, a couple of longtime NBA starters, Eric Bledsoe (Shanghai Sharks) and Greg Monroe (Shanxi Loongs), have landed recently in the CBA. They are not playing big minutes due to the restrictions on foreign players, but a 51-point game from Bledsoe got some extra attention last week.

Another two players with an unfortunate similar background signed overseas less than a week apart. OJ Mayo and Tyreke Evans, who were suspended for two years by the league for violating the league’s anti-drug program, found new teams in unexpected places. In Mayo’s case, after playing in America, Asia (Taiwan, China), and Europe (Russia), he just added a fourth continent to his resume, signing in Egypt with Zamalek, one of the top teams in Africa.

Meanwhile, we’ll likely have to wait a few months to watch Evans on the court despite agreeing to a new deal. Since his NBA suspension more than three years ago, the 2010 ROY has only played two official games, last season with the G League’s Wisconsin Herd. His new chance for a comeback is expected to happen in Puerto Rico, where he will suit up with the Indios de Humacao, tied for the worst team in the BSN league last season with an 8-24 record. The 2023 edition, though, won’t start until late March.

There are more well-known NBA veterans finding teams overseas. For example, Ekpe Udoh (Shimane Susanoo Magic) and Kyle O’Quinn (San-En NeoPhoenix) signed new deals in Japan. We also had a wave of Warrior NBA champions joining new clubs. Ian Clark moved to Australia with the Adelaide 36ers, while Quinn Cook (Zhejiang Guansha Lions) and Quinndary Weatherspoon (Tianjin Pioneers) found new challenges in China.

But the most unexpected trip we’ve seen recently was made by Keljin Blevins. After two years as a two-way player in Portland, where he played alongside franchise player cousin Damian Lillard, the former Montana State guard took a drastic detour in his career, signing in Romania with Rapid Bucuresti. Going straight from the best league in the world to the 13th-ranked team in the last Romanian Divizia A is going to be a fascinating experience.

– Alberto De Roa

You can follow Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto), Yossi Gozlan (@YossiGozlan), Frank Urbina (@FrankUrbina_), and Alberto De Roa (@TikotDeRoa) on Twitter. 

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Story originally appeared on HoopsHype