Despite speculation to the contrary, the Trail Blazers aren’t currently pursuing free agent forward DeMar DeRozan, league sources tell Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link). Portland is only carry 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts for 2026/27 and could use some additional depth at forward, but it doesn’t sound as if the team has any real interest in DeRozan at this time.

According to Stein, there’s also no indications that the Trail Blazers would consider a buyout for Jrue Holiday or that the veteran guard is interested in one. There has apparently been speculation about a possible Holiday buyout that would get him back to the Sixers, his original NBA team, but that speculation isn’t credible, per Stein.

Holiday is owed $34.8MM in 2026/27, with a $37.2MM player option for the ’27/28 season. It’s unclear exactly what his role will look like this coming season with Damian Lillard set to return from his Achilles tear and Ja Morant now in Portland, but the Blazers “have been messaging for some time” that their preference is to hang onto Holiday rather than trade him, says Stein.

Here are a few more highlights from Stein’s latest dispatch of NBA intel:

• The mini-camp that Luka Doncic reportedly intends to host in his native Slovenia for his Lakers teammates is scheduled for later this month, Stein reports, noting that the star guard has chartered a plane and will bring all but one of his current teammates on the trip. As Stein explains, the Lakers would have had full attendance if not for a scheduling conflict for first-round pick Cameron Carr, who has to take part in an official NBA rookie orientation at the same time.
• Although many teams around the league view Mavericks forward P.J. Washington as a trade candidate, new president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri is “said to be a fan” of Washington, Stein writes. No player on Dallas’ roster is currently owed more guaranteed money ($88.8MM) or under contract for longer (four years) than Washington, so it’s not as if the front office needs to make any sort of decision on him anytime soon.
• Echoing local reports out of Sacramento, Stein is the latest insider to confirm that a buyout for Zach LaVine isn’t in the works at this time for the Kings, who are operating as if the veteran guard will start the season with the team. Of course, there’s still no guarantee that LaVine, who is on an expiring $49MM contract, will finish the season in Sacramento. I imagine the Kings would become more receptive to buyout talks if LaVine is still on the roster after February’s trade deadline.