Month: November 2024

De’Aaron Fox Sprains Ankle, Will Be Reevaluated In 7-10 Days

July 15th, 2020 at 6:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox has suffered a left ankle sprain, the team announced today in a press release. The injury, which Fox sustained during Wednesday’s practice, will be reevaluated in approximately seven-to-10 days, according to the club.

It’s an unfortunate turn of events for Fox and the Kings, who will want their point guard at full strength during their eight seeding games this summer if they hope to make a serious push for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

If it’s a mild sprain, perhaps Fox will be close to returning when he’s evaluated next week. However, a more significant sprain would likely force him out of action for at least some of those seeding games. Given the abridged ramp-up period leading up to the restart, the Kings will want to be cautious with one of their cornerstone players, making sure not to rush him back.

Sacramento’s summer schedule gets underway on July 31 when the team faces the Spurs.

And-Ones: Early Entrants, FAs, M. Williams, Draft

July 15th, 2020 at 5:01pm CST by Luke Adams

NCAA early entrants who are testing the 2020 NBA draft waters will have less than three more weeks to decide whether or not to keep their names in the draft pool. According to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link), an NCAA official has clarified that the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline for early entrants will be August 3 at 5:00 pm ET.

[RELATED: 2020 NBA Draft Early Entrants List]

The NCAA had previously announced that this year’s withdrawal deadline would be postponed until August 3 or 10 days after the NBA draft combine, whichever came later. With the status of this year’s combine still up in the air, August 3 is now the official withdrawal deadline.

Early entrants can still withdraw their names up until October 6, which is the NBA’s deadline. However, college players who do so after August 3 won’t be eligible to return to their NCAA teams.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Andrew Lopez and Bobby Marks of ESPN highlight several free agents worth keeping an eye on during the NBA’s restart this summer, starting with Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram. Many of the players identified by Lopez and Marks – including Ingram, Raptors guard Fred VanVleet, and Clippers center Montrezl Harrell – are near the top of the latest 2020 FA power rankings we published earlier today.
Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer explores how some roster moves from back in February, including the Bucks‘ signing of forward Marvin Williams, could impact the Eastern Conference playoffs this summer.
With three months to go until draft day, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has updated his mock draft. The Athletic’s draft guru has Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, James Wiseman, Deni Avdija, and Onyeka Okongwu coming off the board in the first five picks.

Southeast Notes: Bryant, Hornets, Heat, Jones

July 15th, 2020 at 3:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Wizards big man Thomas Bryant, who previously tested positive for COVID-19, has reported to the NBA’s campus at Walt Disney World, the club announced today (via Twitter).

Bryant was part of a small group of Wizards players who didn’t initially travel with the team to Orlando last week. Gary Payton II also contracted the coronavirus, while Garrison Mathews‘ arrival was delayed due to a personal matter.

Now that he has reported to the Disney campus, Bryant will have to go through a brief quarantine period and undergo COVID-19 and physical testing before being cleared to practice with the Wizards.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

The eight teams not involved in the NBA’s summer restart still aren’t permitted to conduct group workouts, but that didn’t stop Hornets players Devonte’ Graham, Miles Bridges, and Dwayne Bacon from playing 5-on-5 ball at a non-Hornets gym, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. There’s no expectation that the league will fine those players, but it’s the latest indication that those bottom eight teams are anxious for some form of league-sanctioned offseason activities, writes Bonnell.
Heat forward Derrick Jones contracted COVID-19 in June, but was fortunate not to significantly affected by the virus, he told reporters on Tuesday. “I never felt a symptom at all,” Jones said, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Jones also spoke about his desire to remain with Miami in free agency this fall. “I wouldn’t want to be on any other team,” he said. “I love it here.”
The Heat have shown interest in meeting with TCU prospect Desmond Bane, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Bane, the No. 42 player on ESPN’s big board, is one of the top shooters in the 2020 draft class, having knocked down 43.3% of his three-point attempts in four college seasons.
Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington explores what the Wizards‘ starting lineup and rotation might look like with Bradley Beal and Davis Bertans not playing this summer.

2020 NBA Free Agent Power Rankings 3.0

July 15th, 2020 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

A lot has changed since we published the second installment of our 2020 NBA free agent power rankings at the end of January. One player who showed up on that list (Dillon Brooks) has since signed a contract extension, taking himself off the 2020 market. More importantly though, the coronavirus pandemic has upended the NBA season and changed the landscape of the ’20 offseason.

In a normal year, most or all of the free agents on our last list would have come off the board by now, reaching contract agreements with new teams or their old clubs shortly after the negotiation period opened on June 30. Now though, the new league year has been pushed back to the fall — the 2020 free agent negotiating period won’t open until October 18.

Additionally, the stoppage forced by COVID-19 and the uncertainty surrounding the 2020/21 season will result in next season’s salary cap coming in lower than initially expected, and many teams around the NBA figure to tighten their purse strings when it comes to free agent spending. That means that the majority of the veterans who hold lucrative player options for ’20/21 are far more likely to simply exercise those options than to try their luck on the open market.

As a result, we’re taking many of the players that were on the last version of our FA power rankings off our list this time around. Andre Drummond, Gordon Hayward, DeMar DeRozan, Evan Fournier, and Tim Hardaway are among the players we’re now projecting to opt into the final year of their respective contracts rather than becoming free agents this fall.

As always, this list reflects each player’s current expected value on the 2020 free agent market, rather than a their present-day on-court contributions. For instance, an older player like Marc Gasol has strong short-term value, but didn’t crack our top 20 because he’s entering his age-36 season and is unlikely to sign a lucrative multiyear deal. In other words, age and long-term value are important.

If you need a refresher on which players will be free agents this fall, be sure to check out our FA lists sorted by position/type and by team.

With all that in mind, here’s the third installment of our 2020 free agent power rankings:

Anthony Davis, F/C, Lakers (player option): Davis is the one player who remains a lock to turn down his option for 2020/21 — the cap would have to dip below $96MM for his $28.75MM option salary to be worth more than the 30% max he’d earn as a free agent. He also seems extremely likely to stick with the Lakers, given the team’s success this season, meaning the only mystery left is whether he’ll sign a short- or long-term deal.
Brandon Ingram, F, Pelicans (RFA): Besides Davis, Ingram is the best bet of any free agent this fall to sign a maximum-salary contract. Despite his looming payday, the Pelicans forward said he never considered sitting out the NBA’s restart this summer as his team prepares to push for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Fred VanVleet, G, Raptors: VanVleet has 76 career NBA starts under his belt, so his placement at No. 3 on this list is perhaps an indictment of the 2020 free agent class as a whole. Don’t sleep on his earning potential though. Rebuilding teams with cap room and a need at point guard – such as the Pistons or Knicks – may view the 26-year-old as an ideal long-term answer, given his abilities as a shooter, play-maker, and defender, which could force the Raptors into a bidding war.
Montrezl Harrell, C, Clippers: Like VanVleet, Harrell is just 26 years old, meaning potential suitors can be pretty confident they’ll be getting his prime seasons even at the end of a four-year offer. Harrell’s per-36-minute production in his contract year (24.1 PPG, 9.2 RPG) has been better than ever, making him an intriguing long-term investment for a club in need of help up front.
Bogdan Bogdanovic, G/F, Kings (RFA): The Kings’ trade-deadline moves, which included moving Dewayne Dedmon‘s pricey multiyear contract for a pair of expiring deals, suggest the team will prioritize locking up Bogdanovic to a new contract this fall. Bogdanovic made a strong impression in the weeks before the NBA season was suspended, moving into Sacramento’s starting lineup without his production missing a beat.
Davis Bertans, F, Wizards: Unlike everyone else on this list, Bertans decided not to participate in the NBA’s restart this summer, citing his history of ACL injuries when he opted out. Still, the decision shouldn’t hurt Bertans’ value on the open market — his .424 3PT% on 8.7 three-point attempts per game make him one of the game’s most valuable stretch fours. The Wizards reportedly want to re-sign him, but they’ll likely face stiff competition.
Malik Beasley, G, Timberwolves (RFA): No one saw his free agency value affected more significantly by a trade-deadline deal than Beasley, who went from an inconsistent bench piece in Denver to a full-time starter and key contributor in Minnesota. Beasley’s performance in 14 post-deadline contests (20.7 PPG and 5.1 RPG with a .426 3PT%) was a double-edged sword for the Timberwolves, who had to feel great about their decision to acquire Beasley and a little less great about his rising price tag.
Danilo Gallinari, F, Thunder: Gallinari’s age (32 in August) and injury history work against his odds of securing a lucrative long-term deal, but he has been one of the NBA’s most reliable frontcourt scorers over the last couple years, averaging 19.5 PPG on .452/.421/.897 shooting since the start of the 2018/19 season.
Joe Harris, G/F, Nets: Three-point shooting is more important than ever in the modern NBA and few players do it better than Harris, who has made 43.6% of his attempts from beyond the arc over the last three seasons.
Serge Ibaka, F/C, Raptors: Ibaka, who turns 31 in September, isn’t the rim-protecting menace he was during his days with the Thunder, when he led the NBA in blocks in consecutive seasons. But he’s still a strong interior defender who can hold his own on switches and contributes on offense — his .398 3PT% in 2019/20 is a career high and will certainly appeal to potential suitors.
Marcus Morris, F, Clippers: Morris was a little shaky in his first 12 games with the Clippers following a deadline deal — his scoring average was cut in half and his percentages dipped to 38.6% from the floor and 28.3% from three. Still, when taking into account the eye-popping numbers he was posting in New York, his full-season stats are strong, and he’s capable of defending offensive-minded forwards.
Jerami Grant, F, Nuggets (player option): It took some time for Grant to adjust to his new team, but he showed in the two months leading up to the hiatus why the Nuggets were willing to surrender a first-round pick for him last summer. In his last 26 games, Grant averaged 14.0 PPG on .481/.420/.785 shooting, and the Nuggets were better with him on the court than off it.
Christian Wood, F/C, Pistons: Wood played well through the season on a per-minute basis. However, he didn’t secure a spot on this list until he entered the starting lineup following the trade deadline and kept up his strong per-minute production while taking on a larger role. In his last 13 games, he posted 22.8 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 1.0 BPG, and a shooting line of .562/.400/.757. Now he’ll enter unrestricted free agency at age 25.
Paul Millsap, F, Nuggets: I left Millsap off the first two iterations of our 2020 free agent power rankings due to the fact that he’ll turn 36 next February. But the more I see of him this season, the more I’m convinced he’ll still receive a nice payday on a two- or three-year deal this fall. His .440 3PT% is a career high and his impact on the Nuggets’ defense shouldn’t be overlooked. The club has a 102.2 defensive rating when Millsap plays, compared to 110.7 when he doesn’t.
Hassan Whiteside, C, Trail Blazers: Whiteside’s impressive individual statistics don’t always translate to team success, but he deserves credit for the impact he’s had in Portland this season. His 3.1 blocks per game lead the NBA and his 14.2 rebounds per contest rank second. The Blazers have missed Jusuf Nurkic, but Whiteside has been as strong a replacement as the team could have realistically hoped for.
Derrick Favors, C, Pelicans: The former third overall pick will never be an All-Star, but he’s still just 29 years old and has established himself as a reliable defender and rebounder (he’s averaging a career-best 9.9 RPG this season). While certain free agents get paid based on their potential ceiling, Favors’ value stems from his relatively high floor.
Derrick Jones, F, Heat: Jones will reach unrestricted free agency at age 23, which is pretty uncommon for a rotation player on a top-four team in a conference. His numbers don’t jump off the page and his lack of a three-point shot will limit his value this fall. However, Jones is a tremendous athlete and a strong perimeter defender who still has room to improve.
Tristan Thompson, C, Cavaliers: Thompson had one of his best seasons in 2019/20, averaging a double-double (12.0 PPG, 10.1 RPG) with a career-high in APG (2.1). He doesn’t necessarily have the versatility or shooting ability that teams would like to see from their bigs, but his skill set has value and he still has some prime years left.
De’Anthony Melton, G, Grizzlies (RFA): It can be tricky to identify which second- or third-tier restricted free agent will do the best on the open market, since it only takes one suitor to drive up a player’s price. Fellow RFAs Jakob Poeltl and Dario Saric could certainly get better offers this fall than Melton, but I’m a big fan of the Grizzlies guard, an excellent perimeter defender whose +6.2 net rating this season is easily the best mark on the team.
Aron Baynes, C, Suns: I was a little surprised that I ended up finding a spot on this list for Baynes, who will turn 34 this December and has never earned more than $6.5MM in a season. Perhaps I’m slightly overrating his strong season in Phoenix, but the big man showed an ability to score (11.5 PPG) and shoot (.351 3PT%) that he hadn’t before. Already a terrific screen-setter and strong defender, Baynes may be in line for the most lucrative contract of his career this fall. Marc Gasol, Dwight Howard, and Jordan Clarkson were among the other candidates for this last spot.

As I noted in the intro, there are some veterans who would earn a spot on this list – or would at least receive consideration – if they turn down player options and become free agents. At this point, I think they’re unlikely to do so, but not all of them are a lock to opt in. Here are some of the most notable names in that group with player options for 2020/21:

Avery Bradley, G, Lakers ($5,005,350)
Mike Conley, G, Jazz ($34,502,132)
DeMar DeRozan, G, Spurs ($27,739,975)
Andre Drummond, C, Cavaliers ($28,751,774)
Evan Fournier, G/F, Magic ($17,150,000)
Tim Hardaway Jr., G/F, Mavericks ($18,975,000)
Gordon Hayward, F, Celtics ($34,187,085)

Disagree strongly with any of our rankings? Feel like we omitted any players that should be in the top 20? Weigh in below in the comments section to let us know!

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Western Notes: Holiday, Duncan, Len, Hield, Schiller

July 15th, 2020 at 1:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday announced today during an appearance on ESPN’s The Jump that he and his wife Lauren will be putting his remaining game checks toward the Jrue and Lauren Social Justice Impact Fund, as Andrew Lopez of ESPN writes.

The aim of the social justice fund will be to help communities in New Orleans, Indianapolis, and the Los Angeles area, according to Lopez. Holiday plays in New Orleans, his brothers Aaron Holiday and Justin Holiday play in Indiana, and the Holiday family is from the L.A. area.

“We want to make an impact,” Holiday told ESPN. “God has blessed us with so much. We know a couple of things that are important are time and money, and right now, we have both. To be able to give away our money to help further this movement and Black-owned businesses that have taken a hit in COVID-19, to us, it felt like the perfect time and opportunity.”

Lopez suggests that Holiday’s remaining game checks could be worth up to $5.3MM — that estimate seems a little high based on my calculations, but considering the veteran guard has a 2019/20 salary of $26MM+, his donations will be substantial.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

Spurs assistant coach Tim Duncan won’t be with the team in Orlando, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times, who tweets that Duncan is staying in San Antonio to help oversee LaMarcus Aldridge‘s rehab from shoulder surgery.
Like Harrison Barnes, center Alex Len – who recently contracted COVID-19 – isn’t yet with the Kings at the Walt Disney World campus, reports Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “We have to prepare as if we’re not going to have either one of those guys,” head coach Luke Walton said of Barnes and Len. “And that’s just getting ready for what worst-case scenario would be. And there’s a reality that might be it. So our mindset is we prep that we’re not going to have them with us, and we’re hopeful that they rejoin us.”
Within the same story, McMenamin passes along Buddy Hield‘s comments on his experience with the coronavirus. The Kings sharpshooter said his symptoms were mild and that the virus resulted in just “a little head cold” and “chills one night.”
G League Coach of the Year Martin Schiller, who had been the head coach of the Jazz‘ NBAGL affiliate, is leaving the Salt Lake City Stars to coach Zalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania, as Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune details.

Oladipo: “Strong Possibility” Of Playing This Summer

July 15th, 2020 at 12:33pm CST by Luke Adams

Twelve days after he first announced that he’d be sitting out of the NBA’s restart this summer and two days after word broke that he may be reconsidering that decision, Pacers guard Victor Oladipo spoke to reporters on Wednesday. Asked about his status for the summer, Oladipo confirmed that there’s a “strong possibility” he’ll suit up for the Pacers if his body continues to respond well to workouts, as Joe Vardon of The Athletic relays.

“My body is feeling good,” Oladipo said after the Pacers’ practice on Wednesday. “It was hard for me to assess where I was at from the long layover and obviously corona(virus), couldn’t really control that. But now you know, coming down here and getting some practices in, getting my feet under me, going out there and playing with the guys, there’s a possibility that I could play. I am just reassessing myself and my body every day.”

When Oladipo first announced that he wouldn’t be participating in the restart, he cited health concerns related to his torn quad tendon. Although the two-time All-Star returned from that injury in January, he hadn’t fully recaptured his pre-injury form by the time the season was suspended in March. He expressed reservations this month about the summer’s abridged ramp-up period and the possibility of experiencing a setback.

However, Oladipo traveled to the Walt Disney World campus with the Pacers and has been practicing without restrictions. So far, his body has responded well to those workouts and practices, leading to renewed optimism about his potential availability for the summer.

“At the end of the day, I’m trying to play,” Oladipo said today (Twitter link via Tim Bontemps of ESPN). “… There’s no definite answer, but I’m trending upwards. Hopefully when the time comes to make that decision, it will be easy to make and I can let you guys know.”

If Oladipo plays this summer, he’ll receive his remaining game checks. If he sits out, the NBA and NBPA will have to resolve a dispute over his salary — as we detailed on Tuesday, the union believes Oladipo should receive his remaining salary since his absence would be health-related, but the league contends that the guard would be sitting out despite receiving medical clearance from doctors and would therefore have to forfeit his summer pay.

Asked today about that dispute, Oladipo offered no new insights, telling reporters that he’s focused on playing basketball and has “no control” over his salary situation, as Eric Woodyard of ESPN tweets.

Tyson Chandler Not Sure Whether He’ll Retire After Season

July 15th, 2020 at 11:44am CST by Luke Adams

Rockets center Tyson Chandler is on an expiring contract and will turn 38 years old this fall, but he’s not sure whether he’ll call it a career after this season, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

As MacMahon notes, Chandler originally thought he would retire last summer, but decided he still had the desire to continue playing and signed with Houston after the club recruited him for weeks. After another year in the NBA, he hasn’t yet made a decision on what his future holds.

“I’ll do myself some justice, not get ahead of myself and wait for that moment to come,” Chandler said.

The second overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft, Chandler has appeared in a total of 1,160 career regular season games, including 26 for Houston this season. The veteran big man has also played in 75 postseason contests, winning a championship with the Mavericks in 2011 and earning an All-Star nod with the Knicks in 2013.

While Chandler doesn’t play a major role on the small-ball Rockets, he’s essentially the only option the team can turn to if it wants to match up with an opponent by using a traditional center, especially with Isaiah Hartenstein no longer on the roster. Forwards like P.J. Tucker, Jeff Green, and DeMarre Carroll typically serve as Houston’s de facto centers.

Markelle Fultz, James Ennis Report To Magic

July 15th, 2020 at 10:40am CST by Luke Adams

Magic guard Markelle Fultz has arrived at the NBA’s Walt Disney World campus and has begun his initial quarantine period, a league source told Josh Robbins of The Athletic this morning (Twitter link).

As Robbins notes, Fultz didn’t travel with the rest of the Magic when the team headed to Disney last Tuesday. Fultz’s arrival was delayed by a personal matter, unrelated to COVID-19. Once he returns a pair of negative coronavirus tests, clears quarantine, and passes a conditioning test, he’ll be able to join the Magic for practices.

Meanwhile, forward James Ennis told reporters on a Zoom call that he was the Magic player who recently tested positive for the coronavirus, Robbins tweets. President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman had said last Tuesday when the club arrived at Disney that one player didn’t accompany the team due to a positive COVID-19 test.

According to Robbins, Ennis had a headache for four or five days and experienced some nausea, but is feeling good now. He has completed his quarantine period and practiced on Wednesday with the Magic for the first time since arriving at the campus.

“I’m just trying to get my wind up and my legs back under me and just get in rhythm, because our first scrimmage is next week,” Ennis said, per Robbins (Twitter link). “I want to be prepared for that.”

The Magic, who currently hold the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, will be looking to secure a playoff spot when they resume play on July 31. Their goal will be to pass the depleted Nets for the No. 7 seed, which would allow them to avoid a first-round matchup with the 53-12 Bucks.

Restart Notes: COVID-19 Testing, Campus Hotline, More

July 15th, 2020 at 9:37am CST by Luke Adams

There has been some concern that the daily coronavirus testing taking place in the NBA’s Walt Disney World – as well as the quick turnaround on those test results – has placed some strain on BioReference Laboratories’ testing capacities for the general public. However, Dr. Jon R. Cohen of BioReference insists to Joe Vardon of The Athletic that that’s not the case.

“Our current capacity is somewhere in the vicinity of 50,000 to 70,000 tests a day,” Cohen said. “So the amount of testing we’re doing for the sports franchises is minimal compared to our total number of testing.

“Secondly, we have continued to increase the amount of testing not just nationally, but specifically in the state of Florida. So I have hospitals, urgent care, physicians, all of these other clients in Florida, and not only did we bring more equipment to the lab in Florida, but we devoted more resources. I will tell you in the last two weeks, we’re doing more testing in Florida than we did two weeks beforehand. Hospitals, urgent care, all of that has increased, and we’ve done it without missing a beat.”

The optics of the NBA getting preferential treatment has been a cause for concern for the league since March, when the Jazz and Thunder were able to get tested immediately following Rudy Gobert’s diagnosis. In the four months since then, nationwide testing has ramped up greatly, meaning the NBA’s extensive testing program at Disney is no longer the outlier it once would have been.

Here’s more on the NBA’s restart:

Multiple tips have been placed to the NBA’s anonymous hotline to report campus protocol violations, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links). According to Charania, some players have received warnings for those violations.
According to Malika Andrews of ESPN (Twitter link), the NBA is working on addressing concerns about players who continue to test positive for COVID-19 despite having already recovered. Teams are concerned about the possibility of false positives sidelining healthy players once games begin, says Andrews.
In his latest newsletter, Marc Stein of The New York Times outlines the restrictions that will face the 15 or 20 NBA reporters who are on location (and currently self-quarantining) at Walt Disney World.
ESPN provides a roundup of quotes from players and coaches about life on the Disney campus.

Categories:
COVID-19

James Harden Arrives At Orlando Campus

July 14th, 2020 at 8:45pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Rockets All-Star James Harden arrived at the NBA’s Orlando restart campus on Tuesday evening, five days after most of the rest of his club touched down, per a video tweet from the team’s official Twitter account.

The 2018 NBA MVP did not travel with the rest of the Rockets for undisclosed reasons. Harden is averaging 34.4 PPG, 7.4 APG and 6.4 RPG in 61 games this season, his eighth All-Star campaign in Houston.

Tonight’s arrival is in line with the targeted mid-week estimate that Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni said the team had been aiming for as recently as Sunday, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Before Harden can join his teammates at practice, he will have to quarantine within his hotel room. Next, Harden will have to test negative for COVID-19 over three straight days and undergo a physical conditioning test, per Rachel Nichols of ESPN (Twitter link) and Marc Stein of the New York Times (Twitter link).

Despite the arrival of Harden, the Rockets will continue to be without a few players for now. Harden’s fellow All-Star guard Russell Westbrook announced yesterday that he did not travel with the team because he tested positive for COVID-19. Westbrook hopes to join the Rockets once he recovers.

Forward Luc Mbah a Moute also did not travel with the Rockets last Thursday for undisclosed reasons. Additionally, after accidentally breaking the campus’s quarantine restrictions, Mbah a Moute’s fellow forward Bruno Caboclo has been forced to re-isolate for seven more days.

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