Trade rumor rankings: Jerami Grant, De’Aaron Fox and more

With just three weeks remaining until the 2021-22 NBA trade deadline, the scuttle league-wide about potential player movement is starting to hit a fever pitch.

As such, for the first time this season, we are ranking the 10 players who have appeared most often on our Trade Rumors Page over the past week, as opposed to the Top 5.

With so much info to get into, let’s go ahead and jump right in.

Domantas Sabonis (Indiana)

There has been a ton of back-and-forth information on Domantas Sabonis regarding a potential trade for the All-Star big man over the past week, a lot of it refuting each other.

First, Shams Charania reported that the Indiana Pacers have placed an extremely high value on Sabonis, making rival execs believe that a Sabonis trade is unlikely. Jared Weiss then reported that Indiana wants an All-Star in exchange for Sabonis, only adding to the validity of Charania’s original report.

Then, Sam Amick shared that he’s hearing that the Sacramento Kings are an interested suitor for Sabonis.

The Sacramento Bee backed that up by sharing that not only are the Kings interested in Sabonis, but they’d also be willing to part with De’Aaron Fox to land the All-Star frontcourt big man:

Then, almost as if the Kings were trying to put out a potential fire, that same day, Charania reported that Sacramento would not be willing to trade Fox for Sabonis.

So the waters are murky here, but it seems that if a team is willing to fork over a big-name player, Sabonis could be traded. We’ll just have to wait and see if anyone is willing to meet that price.

Story continues

For the latest on the Domantas Sabonis trade front, click here.

Matisse Thybulle (Philadelphia)

A bombshell report came out of Pennsylvania yesterday indicating that the Kings and Philadelphia 76ers were discussing a blockbuster trade centered around Ben Simmons, who we’ll discuss later, one that featured young defensive phenom Matisse Thybulle.

In essence, the deal reported would have sent Buddy Hield, Tyrese Haliburton, Harrison Barnes and two first-rounders for Simmons, Tobias Harris and Thybulle, according to Keith Pompey.

Pompey also shared that another source told him that the Sixers hadn’t received any such offer, but that Thybulle is considered close to untouchable by Philadelphia:

Thybulle has quickly become one of the most impactful defenders in the NBA, and though he doesn’t provide much as a scorer, his defense is so nasty that it doesn’t matter.

A package of Thybulle, Simmons and Harris for what Sacramento reportedly wanted to send for it would have been one-sided for the Kings, so it makes sense why the 76ers would reject such an offer – if it did take place.

For the latest on the Matisse Thybulle trade front, click here.

Harrison Barnes (Sacramento)

As we just discussed in the Thybulle section, Harrison Barnes would be one of the names heading to Philadelphia in that reported trade. But Barnes’ name has come up in other rumors this week.

For starters, Marc Stein reported that the belief around the NBA is that Barnes and Hield will be traded by the deadline:

In addition, Eric Pincus shared that Barnes is a player on the Los Angeles Lakers’ radar.

Barnes having interest around the league makes sense, as the veteran swingman can play either the 3 or small ball-4, he’s shooting 39.4 percent from three over the last three seasons and despite being more of a complementary piece, he can do some one-on-one scoring against second units when called upon.

Keep an eye on Barnes, and other Kings players, as we get closer to the deadline.

For the latest on the Harrison Barnes trade front, click here.

Tyrese Haliburton (Sacramento)

Outside of being mentioned as potentially being a part of a Simmons deal, the two reports that have come out this week about a Haliburton trade have reiterated that the Kings would like to build around the former Iowa State standout and Fox.

The first such report came from Chris Haynes early last week:

And that was backed up recently by Charania, who wrote:

Haliburton is averaging 13.7 points and 7.1 assists this season while shooting 42.9 percent from beyond the arc, numbers that indicate he could be even more productive with a bigger role elsewhere.

It’ll be interesting to find out whether he or Fox gets traded this deadline, or if neither goes and Sacramento does continue to build around the solid duo.

For the latest on the Tyrese Haliburton trade front, click here.

Jerami Grant (Detroit)

Detroit Pistons big man Jerami Grant has quickly become one of the hottest names on the trade market, with a multitude of teams reportedly having an interest in the versatile frontcourt player.

Charania mentioned four teams as having interest in Grant, including the reeling Lakers:

Another team mentioned this week as being after Grant are the Atlanta Hawks, which came via Eric Pincus, though Stein reported that Pistons general manager Troy Weaver is a backer of Grant and would like to keep him around.

What’s more, The Athletic also mentioned that in trying to keep Damian Lillard happy in Portland, the Blazers view Grant as a player who could do just that if they were to acquire him, as his defensive versatility and scoring out of the frontcourt are exactly what the team needs around Lillard.

However, as of now, it appears the Washington Wizards are one of the favorites to land Grant, at least according to Jake Fischer:

Fischer also mentioned that Detroit is looking for either two first-round picks or a first-rounder and a young, high-upside player.

Either way, with the Pistons gearing up for another potential No. 1 pick and Grant not fitting that timeline whatsoever, it would be somewhat surprising not to see him traded this month.

For the latest on the Jerami Grant trade front, click here.

John Collins (Atlanta)

There’s a ton of smoke about John Collins’ future in Atlanta despite the big man signing a huge extension with the Hawks just prior to this season, which makes it seem like the former Wake Forest Demon Deacon could actually be on the move ahead of the deadline.

The fact that the Hawks sit at 19-25 only lends credence to that belief.

According to Stein, the Dallas Mavericks are a team interested in Collins, an interesting fit considering both he and Kristaps Porzingis are floor-spacing big men.

Marc Berman, meanwhile, reported that the Hawks could make Collins available if the Hawks’ season doesn’t turn around soon.

Additionally, Collins was, according to Pompey, offered to the 76ers as part of a potential Simmons deal, along with Harris, before talks fell apart.

Although Collins has reiterated more than once that he wants to stay in Atlanta, as recently as this very week even, with this much smoke and that much interest, and the Hawks struggling to the extent that they are, seeing Collins dealt over the coming weeks would make a lot of sense.

For the latest on the John Collins trade front, click here.

De’Aaron Fox (Sacramento)

Despite all of the rumors surrounding his name, Fox isn’t worried about being traded, as he told the media last night:

The Kings recently told Fox and his agent that they do not plan to move him and plan to build around both him and Haliburton (via The Athletic):

It wouldn’t be the first time a team has lied to a player or his agent, however, so those words could mean very little if the Sixers do decide they’d like to move Simmons for Fox, for example.

Either way, Fox’s name has come up in rumors this season more than in years prior, so this will be an interesting situation to watch unfold.

For the latest on the De’Aaron Fox trade front, click here.

Myles Turner (Indiana)

The odds of Myles Turner getting traded were far greater one week ago than they are now, and the reason for that is solely due to the fact that the big man has since been shut down for the time being due to a stress reaction in his foot.

That could have a huge impact on his trade market. Allow our own Michael Scotto to explain:

Stein provided a great example of that when reporting that the Mavericks were pulling out of the Turner sweepstakes in part due to that injury:

Regardless, Scotto also reported on what Indiana wants in exchange for Turner, and that’s two first-round picks or one first-round pick and a promising young player, a popular package for proven commodities league-wide.

For the latest on the Myles Turner trade front, click here.

Tobias Harris (Philadelphia)

Maybe it’s due to Simmons’ absence and getting different looks from his current teammates, but there’s no debating that Harris is having a down year, shooting 31.3 percent from three and averaging an efficient 18.2 points per game.

Add in the fact that he’s signed through 2023-24 and projected to be the NBA’s 15th-highest-paid player next season, and you can see why the Sixers might be interested in trading him, perhaps as part of a larger Simmons deal.

Harris’ name has come up in trade rumors this week pertaining to potential Simmons deals to Sacramento and Atlanta, it doesn’t appear anything regarding the former Tennessee Volunteer is all too imminent. That albatross of a contract has a lot to do with that, without a doubt.

That is, unless, a Simmons deal does come together over the coming weeks.

Stay tuned.

For the latest on the Tobias Harris trade front, click here.

Ben Simmons (Philadelphia)

The bombshell report on the Simmons trade front has been discussed ad nauseam already in this article, but just to recap, it was reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer that the Kings and Sixers were discussing a blockbuster deal that would have sent Simmons, along with Harris and Thybulle, to Sacramento in exchange for Hield, Haliburton, Barnes and two first-round picks.

However, that Pompey report also added that league executives believe Simmons will remain a Sixer until the offseason when Daryl Morey will have a chance to circle back on a potential Lillard or Bradley Beal trade.

We added the second part, but there’s no other reason for the 76ers to keep Simmons unless it was to try and land a superstar that isn’t currently available.

If that were to happen, The Athletic reported this week that Simmons plans to sit out the season if he isn’t traded by the deadline and that Simmons isn’t swayed by Joel Embiid’s pleas for him to suit up this season:

The Simmons saga appears to have no end in sight.

For the latest on the Ben Simmons trade front, click here.

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