We're less than a week from the NBA Trade Deadline on Feb. 18 at 3:00 pm ET, which means there's plenty of rumors to sift through as teams look to either bolster themselves for a playoff run or punt on a lost season. With that in mind, here are all the latest news and rumors from around the league:
Celtics "reluctant to mortgage future"
The Boston Celtics immediately emerged as the frontrunner to land center Dwight Howard once news broke the the Houston Rockets were shopping him, but they aren't going to let their desire to land a superstar force them into selling the house. According to the Boston Globe, the Celtics don't want to give up a ton of future assets to land Howard:
Despite escalating buzz with next Thursday’s trade deadline approaching, though, the Celtics are taking a cautious, measured approach. According to league sources, Boston is reluctant to mortgage its future in exchange for players who could become free agents at season’s end. The Celtics are content to move forward without making a trade, and they will be careful not to get caught up in an unnecessary bidding war. “This team is not in it for the short term,” one league source said.
Howard intends to opt-out of his contract at the end of the season in hopes of signing a max contract in free agency.
Nuggets, Raptors not interested in Howard
Houston has called almost every team in the league to gauge their interest in Howard, but two teams have flat-out told the Rockets they aren't interested. The Denver Nuggets took a hard pass on him, according to the Denver Post, opting to rebuild through their young core, while Grantland's Zach Lowe reports the Toronto Raptors also told the Rockets they aren't interested.
DeMarcus Cousins is not on the market
The other All-Star big man that some thought might be available is DeMarcus Cousins, but the Sacramento Kings have made it clear that they have no intentions of trading him. The Boston Globe is also reporting that the Kings have repeatedly "made it clear" to several teams that Cousins isn't available, opting to instead build their team around him.
Heat shopping Jarnell Stokes
The Miami Heat have made reserve forward Jarnell Stokes available for a second-round pick, according to the Miami Herald. Stokes has found himself buried on Miami's bench this season, appearing in just seven games, and moving him would help the Heat lessen their luxury tax bill.
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