The Stein Line | Marc Stein | Substack

[Stein] Dallas has been repeatedly described as a potential Kevin Durant suitor, before the deadline and since, but I continue to hear that reports of its interest have been overstated. The Mavericks, based on my best read, are not currently planning for a three-star construction. https://marcstein.substack.com/p/monday-best-around-the-nba-trade 144 comments 10/3/2025 nba

[Fischer] The Toronto Raptors are motivated to act as a facilitator in trade deadline moves, and want in on any potential Jimmy Butler trade. In turn, the Heat have interest in Bruce Brown from the Raptors, whose salary could be a key component in completing a Butler trade. https://marcstein.substack.com/p/jake-fischer-latest-what-do-the-miami 111 comments 25/1/2025 nba

[Stein] Warriors more willing to move Kuminga over Podziemski in Lauri Markkanen trade https://marcstein.substack.com/ 64 comments 22/7/2024 nba

[Stein]Mikal Bridges is expected to take a pay cut to stay with the Knicks https://marcstein.substack.com/p/this-week-in-can-only-ht-jalen-brunson 323 comments 15/7/2024 nba

[Stein] "The Lakers are still searching for coaches to join JJ Redick’s coaching staff. Among the names they are said to have pursued: Dwane Casey and Jacque Vaughn. The Suns continue to be mentioned as a team with interest in drafting Bronny James, who is projected as a second round selection..." https://marcstein.substack.com/p/all-my-latest-nba-trade-free-agency 64 comments 26/6/2024 nba

Contract talks between the Chicago Bulls and DeMar DeRozan have gone "cold," and momentum is building towards him becoming a free agent, per @TheSteinLine & @ChrisBHaynes https://marcstein.substack.com/p/all-my-latest-nba-trade-free-agency?r=3shtjf&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoyMjkyNTkyMTEsInBvc3RfaWQiOjE0NjAxNjg5OCwiaWF0IjoxNzE5NDI4MTg0LCJleHAiOjE3MjIwMjAxODQsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0zOTIyMDUiLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.Zgrev_DFSzFAmEKycfjxTRdchTBdCVCDd7ScjnrNKHc 143 comments 26/6/2024 nba

[Stein] “It has been suggested in some corners of the league that Lakers star big man Anthony Davis probably prefers for James Borrego to get the job over Redick… he and Davis overlapped briefly during Borrego's first stint with the Pelicans” https://marcstein.substack.com/p/free-agency-latest-and-coaching-carousel?r=3shtjf 261 comments 6/6/2024 nba

[Stein] Cavaliers continue to send signals that they have no interest in fielding trade offers for Donovan Mitchell. Miami Heat, league sources say, continue to have bona fide interest in Mitchell despite Cleveland’s don’t-even-call-us approach and could well choose to test that resolve https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-latest-on-donovan-mitchell-and 107 comments 10/1/2024 nba

[Stein] Inside the stunning sale of the Dallas Mavericks https://marcstein.substack.com/p/inside-the-stunning-sale-of-the-dallas?publication_id=392205&r=2lhmlw 19 comments 29/11/2023 nba

[Stein] League sources say that the Mavericks fully intend to re-sign Dwight Powell. https://marcstein.substack.com/p/latest-nba-free-agency-talk-what 96 comments 30/6/2023 nba

[Stein] Word is the Suns are starting to assess their post-Paul future and have Charlotte’s Terry Rozier, New York’s Immanuel Quickley and Toronto’s Fred VanVleet as potential trade targets. https://marcstein.substack.com/p/nba-trade-deadline-latest-whispers-016 350 comments 24/1/2023 nba

[Stein] Checking with various coaches and players around the league supported the sentiment that altercations in NBA practices still happen far more often than we usually end up hearing on the outside. https://marcstein.substack.com/p/what-a-difference-four-months-makes 855 comments 10/10/2022 nba

[Stein] One source said that the Lakers took only one proposed trade in 2007 to gauge Kobe’s willingness to waive his no-trade clause: Detroit. Kobe vetoed the trade to the Pistons headlined by Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince instantly and wound up reporting to training camp. https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-nba-waiting-game 75 comments 22/8/2022 nba

[Stein] Growing belief among rival teams that despite issuing the ultimatum KD knew Tsai had no intention of firing Marks & Nash. One theory KD has begun trying to create as much behind the scenes discord in hopes it will lead the Nets to lower their asking price and trade KD out of exasperation https://marcstein.substack.com/p/trade-me-and-pay-me 400 comments 11/8/2022 nba

[Stein] League sources tell me that Durant’s latest deal includes the most aggressive early payment schedule allowed by league rules; he’ll receive half of his $42,969,845 salary in Year 1 in two installments before the first week of training camp is complete https://marcstein.substack.com/p/trade-me-and-pay-me 406 comments 11/8/2022 nba

[Stein]’’A buyout is still expected before the start of the season, but Kemba Walker officially remains a Piston for now." https://marcstein.substack.com/p/an-nba-lovefest-continues 3 comments 22/7/2022 nba

[Stein] League sources say LeBron’s desire for a max contract in 2014 didn't stop Pat Riley from proposing that James re-sign with Miami for a nominal number to give Riley latitude to retool the roster. The proposal was greeted with silence. https://marcstein.substack.com/p/an-nba-lovefest-continues 166 comments 22/7/2022 nba

[Stein] Brooklyn privately maintains that it won’t trade Durant unless it gets a package in return that starts with a blue-chipper like Brandon Ingram or Scottie Barnes https://marcstein.substack.com/p/more-nba-free-agency-and-trade-talk 822 comments 6/7/2022 nba

[Marc Stein] - There’s been ‘serious murmurs’ about John Wall successfully negotiating a buyout with the Rockets, “Interest in Wall from the Clippers and Heat, if he can finally make his way onto the open market, has been mentioned for months.” https://marcstein.substack.com/p/nba-free-agency-latest 8 comments 26/6/2022 nba

[Stein] Monday night also delivered the strongest rumbles I’ve heard to date that a new multiyear deal to keep Mitchell Robinson in New York is looming. https://marcstein.substack.com/p/nba-draft-forecast-trades-aplenty 126 comments 21/6/2022 nba

[Marc Stein] Bulls have informed the interested teams that Zach Lavine will sign 5 year max contract, per Jake Fischer https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-latest-nba-intel 20 comments 19/6/2022 nba

[Stein] The Pacers are hopeful about Myles Turner’s long-term prospects in Indiana, but word is he might seek to play out the final season of his contract valued at $18 million. https://marcstein.substack.com/p/a-weekends-worth-of-nba-intel 30 comments 13/6/2022 nba

[Stein] The Milwaukee Bucks are expected to sign Bobby Portis to a new multiyear contract. He signed a two-year, $8.9 million contract with Milwaukee in 2021 that carries a 2022-23 player option for $4.5 million, which Portis is expected to decline en route to a new multiyear deal https://marcstein.substack.com/p/more-on-the-lakers-coaching-hire?s=r 183 comments 4/6/2022 nba

[Stein] Sources maintain that the Lakers’ search is moving deliberately at least in part because L.A. wants to see if Philadelphia’s Doc Rivers or Utah's Quin Snyder makes it to the open market this offseason. https://marcstein.substack.com/p/latest-from-the-nba-coaching-carousel?s=r 155 comments 7/5/2022 nba

[Stein] "I would (cautiously) stick with the idea that Popovich coaches for at least one more season. Yet I reserve the right to change that answer if Quin Snyder becomes unexpectedly available. More and more, I hear Snyder's name as a potential Pop successor that the Spurs would naturally relish." https://marcstein.substack.com/p/to-russia-to-play-basketball-now?s=r&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjozNTYxOTYxMCwicG9zdF9pZCI6NTAxNjMyMzQsIl8iOiJPRlZnVyIsImlhdCI6MTY0NzIxMjEwMCwiZXhwIjoxNjQ3MjE1NzAwLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMzkyMjA1Iiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9._pXiruENagg-UKo8_fHt263RuqfvxyNYMLHJhhV9df0 51 comments 13/3/2022 nba

[Stein] The conspiracy theory already making the rounds in league coaching circles holds that Daryl Morey will eventually want Mike D’Antoni to take over for Doc Rivers https://marcstein.substack.com/p/trade-deadline-days-other-blockbuster 420 comments 13/2/2022 nba

[Stein] Harden has been a brooding presence for months. League sources say there were times before Durant’s injury that the two stars, for reasons unclear, were hardly communicating. https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-flop-of-all-superteams 307 comments 12/2/2022 nba

[Stein] When I checked in Friday morning on the prospect of Turner being moved between now and the deadline while he’s still recovering from a foot injury, I was told that it remains a coinflip at this stage https://marcstein.substack.com/p/one-more-gust-of-friday-trade-winds?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxNjkxNTY4LCJwb3N0X2lkIjo0ODE3MDIyMiwiXyI6InpEdGx1IiwiaWF0IjoxNjQ0MDAzNjEzLCJleHAiOjE2NDQwMDcyMTMsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0zOTIyMDUiLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.AZzgLdRZYIIF_-NK3dAEmHvUWOLbavRzx5F4T7l60TQ 35 comments 5/2/2022 nba

[Stein] The Atlanta Hawks could emerge as a suitor for Ben Simmons, per a league source https://marcstein.substack.com/p/trade-season-has-arrived 912 comments 7/1/2022 nba

[Stein] With Detroit on a 13-game losing streak and quickly slumping to a 12-70 pace, Jerami Grant is increasingly regarded by rival teams as one of the NBA’s most likely players to be traded before the Feb. 10 trade deadline. Also climbing on Most Likely To Be Traded lists: Dennis Schröder. https://marcstein.substack.com/p/next-up-we-hope-an-nba-trade-convention 239 comments 17/12/2021 nba

[Stein] I’m told that the Warriors are strongly weighing a night of rest for Curry on Monday in the first half of Indiana/New York back-to-back against the Pacers. That approach would significantly increase the odds that the league’s current MVP favorite passes Allen in his lone MSG appearance. https://marcstein.substack.com/p/weekend-dime-dropping--569 112 comments 10/12/2021 nba

[Stein] Although league sources concur that Morey is likely to wait until after Dec. 15 to trade Simmons, we should also note that he vowed to take a so-called gap year with family members after his abrupt departure from the Rockets in October 2020. Morey accepted the Sixers’ offer 2 weeks later. https://marcstein.substack.com/p/weekend-dime-dropping--01c 260 comments 24/10/2021 nba

[Stein] Doc Rivers held out of Clippers training camp as a player for nearly 3 weeks in October 1991. Traded from Atlanta to the Clippers a few months earlier, he racked up nearly $9,000 in fines during a 19-day absence aimed at convincing the Clippers to give him a one-year, $4 million extension. https://marcstein.substack.com/p/holdouts-dont-always-work?justPublished=true 33 comments 12/10/2021 nba

[Stein] I’m hearing that Marc Gasol is not a lock to return to the Lakers. It’s not yet clear if that means Gasol is poised to be set free to play elsewhere in the NBA or if he would ultimately opt to finish his career in his home country like brother Pau. https://marcstein.substack.com/p/pops-last-prize 207 comments 20/8/2021 nba

[Stein] "[Mike Tobey's] strong play in the Olympics alongside Luka Dončić with Slovenia might have rekindled Tobey's prospects for a return to the league...Yet I'm told it would take a guaranteed contract above the league minimum for Tobey to make the finances feasible for such a leap" https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-official-2021-all-lefty-team 36 comments 13/8/2021 nba

[Stein] The Raptors might ultimately trade Goran Dragić after completing their sign-and-trade deal with Miami that will send Kyle Lowry to the Heat, but they have resisted external interest in Dragić thus far, league sources say. Dallas has tried to acquire him via trade and remains interested https://marcstein.substack.com/p/whats-left-for-the-lakers 112 comments 6/8/2021 nba

[Stein] The Knicks, I’m told, discussed making a run at Schröder but were lukewarm on the idea even before the opportunity materialized to sign Kemba Walker on a bargain two-year deal in the $8 million range annually. https://marcstein.substack.com/p/whats-left-for-the-lakers 94 comments 6/8/2021 nba

[Stein] Chris Paul has to sort out the other unresolved element of his future. Paul’s second four-year term as president of the NBA Players Association ends this year. Portland’s CJ McCollum has been mentioned as a potential successor, but Paul has the ability to run for another term if he chooses. https://marcstein.substack.com/p/whats-left-for-the-lakers 29 comments 6/8/2021 nba

Marc Stein: Patty Mills and Wayne Ellington are two of the "prime" targets for the Lakers this offseason. https://marcstein.substack.com/p/free-agency-almost-and-already-underway 37 comments 2/8/2021 nba

[Marc Stein] “Atlanta’s Trae Young, Phoenix’s Deandre Ayton, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver’s Michael Porter Jr. are all strong candidates for five-year deals worth $168 million starting at midnight ET. “ https://marcstein.substack.com/p/free-agency-almost-and-already-underway 306 comments 2/8/2021 nba

[Stein] Boston, I’m told, has interest in an Isaiah Thomas reunion, with new Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens known to be one of Thomas’ biggest fans. https://marcstein.substack.com/p/free-agency-almost-and-already-underway 148 comments 2/8/2021 nba

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