Three Things to Know: Trade rumor roundup as deadline nears

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It’s almost here — Thursday at 3 p.m. Eastern is the NBA trade deadline, and nothing gets done in the NBA without a deadline. Teams are talking. We’ve seen a couple of trades — Norman Powell to the Clippers, Caris LeVert to the Cavaliers — and more are coming. But will we see a blockbuster?

Here is a roundup of the trade buzz highlights around the league as of Tuesday morning:

• Don’t bet on a Ben Simmons trade happening. While one can never say never around this league, Philadelphia is not backing off its demands for an All-Star, maybe an All-NBA player who can help Joel Embiid win a ring. Brooklyn is uninterested in moving James Harden, according to both league sources and their own words. Maybe that’s a smokescreen, but Harden has reportedly told the Nets he wants to stay, and so long as that is the case the Nets are more likely to bet they can get healthy and still contend more than they are likely to ship Harden out of town.

• The biggest name likely to be moved may be CJ McCollum of the Trail Blazers. New Orleans is a buyer at the deadline (which feels like a GM trying to save his job, but that’s another discussion) and has long been linked to McCollum. However, the Knicks are interested (potentially sending Julius Randle out West in a deal). Dallas and Indiana both have interest as well. Portland is trying to retool its roster and build a contender around Damian Lillard, they do not just want a couple of picks for players they can develop over years. The Trail Blazers want help