West Notes: Jazz, Malik Beasley, Thunder, Spurs

Jazz

Guard Malik Beasley said he is hopeful he will get a chance to compete in the 3-point contest at All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City.

“I feel like I’m going to win it,” he said, via Sarah Todd of the Deseret News. “I’m not going to be there just to be there. I believe I’m top five in makes, and I deserve to be in it.”

• Beasley continues to be mentioned in trade rumors, most recently being linked to the Cavaliers and Hawks. The Jazz are believed to be open to moving him.
• The Jazz’s overall status, however, is fairly murky entering the Feb. 9 trade deadline. “Utah has multiple conversations going to bring back what would be effective rotation-level players, so we shall see if the Jazz actually get anything done,” wrote Tony Jones of The Athletic.

Thunder

Guard Josh Giddey indicated the Thunder need to be more determined in setting the pace at the beginning of games.

“We’ve kind of got to dictate terms from the jump and make teams play how we want to play,” Giddey told the media after Monday’s home loss to the Warriors. “It’s hard to beat a team like that going back and forth and trading baskets because they’ve got so many weapons.”

Coach Mark Daigneault added that the Thunder may have been a little spooked by facing the defending champions.

“I thought there was a little bit of a boogeyman there in the first quarter,” Daigneault said. “And then, you know, once we opened the closet and realized there’s no one there, then we started playing.”

• Overall, it’s expected to be a quiet trade deadline in OKC, as relayed by Andrew Schlecht of The Athletic. “Their biggest need is a rim-protecting big, but the solution to that problem was selected second overall and will return from a foot injury next season,” Schlecht wrote, referring to injured forward/center Chet Holmgren.

Spurs

• The Spurs are likely to try to turn small forward Doug McDermott and guard/forward Josh Richardson into second-round picks at the trade deadline, per John Hollinger of The Athletic.
• Meanwhile, the Spurs are receiving lots of interest in center Jakob Poeltl, and will almost certainly make a deal if they can get two firsts in return, “and maybe even if they only get one,” Hollinger wrote.