The 2023 NBA trade deadline is now just over a week away on Thursday, February 9, and as such, the rumor mill is heating up. So far, there hasn’t been much news about potential blockbusters, but there are plenty of role players available to help contenders bolster their squads for the stretch run.
Here’s a look at the latest news from around the league:
Matisse Thybulle’s defensive abilities have never been questioned; the 76ers wing made the All-Defensive Second Team in 2021 and 2022, finishing fourth in the league in steals last season with 1.7 per game. However, whether he can do enough offensively to stay on the floor and make his defense worthwhile has always been up for debate.
While the Sixers have tried to make it work in the past, they’ve been less interested in doing so this season. Thybulle has only 12.1 minutes per game and has only made a start here and there. With an uncertain limited free duty approaching this summer, the team could try to move him by the deadline.
If so, he will have suitors including the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings, the Philadelphia investigator. The Warriors have been short on defensive wings since they lost Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr. lost in the summer, while the Kings could really use a defensive stopper on their playoff push.
Knicks looks at Bey
The New York Knicks’ roller coaster season is heading downhill again as they have lost six of their last eight games and fall to seventh in the Eastern Conference at 27-25. However, they are still just two games away from the Miami Heat for a top six finish and appear to be one of the more active teams at the deadline; it’s no secret that they want to get back to the playoffs after missing out last season.
Until then, they are interested in Detroit Pistons wing Saddiq Bey, per SNY. The Pistons have had a disastrous season and are currently tied for last place in the Eastern Conference 13-39. Everyone assumes they will be sellers by the deadline, and teams have been calling about some of their players, most notably Bojan Bogdanovic.
Whether Bey leaves remains to be seen, but with only one year left on his contract after this season, there may be a deal to be struck. However, it seems likely that the Knicks, or some other team, will really have to make it worth it for the Pistons. While Bey may not have improved as much as the team had hoped since his rookie season, he’s still a big, physical winger who’s earned 37 percent this season on catch-and-shoot 3s, and the rebuild teams aren’t standing eager to let such players go.