If you missed any of this past week’s biggest headlines from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days:
Nets GM Sean Marks quashed speculation that Kevin Durant may try to return before the end of the season. There had been talk around the league that Durant could recover from a torn Achilles in time to help Brooklyn late in the season and into the playoffs. “The expectation now is that he’ll be out for the year,” Marks told reporters. “We’re not going to plan on him playing.”
Andre Iguodala reached an agreement with the Grizzlies that won’t require him to report to training camp. Iguodala, who played an important role on the Warriors‘ five straight trips to the NBA Finals, was traded to Memphis over the offseason to open up cap room. He will remain apart from his new team as it tries to work out a trade.
The NBA fined the Bucks $50K for publicly discussing their desire to give Giannis Antetokounmpo a super-max contract. At a televised fan event, GM Jon Horst talked about giving the reigning MVP that new deal, which violates league rules because Antetokounmpo isn’t eligible yet.
It appears the Celtics won’t reach a rookie scale extension agreement with Jaylen Brown before the October 21 deadline. A source called the chances “pretty slim,” which means Brown would become a restricted free agent next summer.
Markelle Fultz received full medical clearance to participate in Orlando’s training camp. The No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft was traded to the Magic last winter, but hasn’t played for them because of thoracic outlet syndrome.
Here are 10 more noteworthy headlines from the past week:
- Joakim Noah‘s scheduled workout for the Clippers was canceled. The veteran center remains unsigned as training camps around the league will be open by Tuesday.
- The Grizzlies won’t bring newly acquired forward Josh Jackson to camp and will have him begin the season in the G League. The Suns picked Jackson fourth overall in 2017, but a series of off-court incidents combined with disappointing performance have caused his stock to drop. He was shipped to Memphis this summer in a salary dump.
- The Lakers announced that Kyle Kuzma will be out of action for a while because of a stress reaction in his left foot. Kuzma will undergo an MRI, but not until mid-October after the team returns from China.
- Troy Brown will miss all of Wizards camp with a left calf strain. His prognosis has him returning around October 22, the night before the team’s season opener.
- The Cavaliers won’t have first-round pick Dylan Windler when the season opens because of a left tibial stress reaction. He will undergo treatment for four to six weeks before trying to play again.
- The Pelicans were awarded a Disabled Player Exception in the wake of Darius Miller‘s torn Achilles. New Orleans will have $3.625MM to work with, which is half of Miller’s salary for this season.
- The Mavericks picked up third-year options for 2020/21 on Luka Doncic and Justin Jackson. Doncic won Rookie of the Year honors last season, while Jackson played well after being acquired from the Kings in February.
- The Trail Blazers exercised options for Zach Collins and Anfernee Simons.
- Zach Randolph declared that he’s not ready to leave the NBA at age 38. Randolph spent last season with the Kings and Mavericks, but didn’t play a game for either team.
- LaMelo Ball is moving up draft boards and may be considered for the top pick in 2020.
It’s stupid to think that there’s any chance that Durant might play this season. They made a $164M investment, and even though KD will get $37M for not playing a single game, Brooklyn will still be on the hook for another $127M and they’d be foolish to risk him suffering another serious injury. The best hope for the Nets is that they will be able to compete with the handful of elite teams in the east (Milwaukee, Boston, and Philly) once they have a healthy Kevin Durant.