2022 July | Hoops Rumors

Pelicans Rookie Liddell Injures Right Knee

July 11th, 2022 at 10:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Second-round pick E.J. Liddell injured his right knee during the third quarter of the Pelicans’ summer league game against the Hawks on Monday. He’ll have an MRI to determine the extent of the injury, according to Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times Picayune.

Liddell, who was selected with the No. 41 pick, was unable to put any weight on his right leg as he was helped off the floor. The Pelicans are calling it a right knee sprain. Liddell felt some knee pain in the first half but it subsided and he re-entered.

“It’s tough,” summer league coach Jarron Collins said. “We mentioned it the other day with Dyson (Daniels). Injuries are part of the game. You don’t want to see anyone get injured out there. We’ll have more information for you guys tomorrow.”

The former Ohio State forward averaged 19.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.5 APG, and 2.6 BPG over 33.2 MPG last season and was projected as a first round pick. He has yet to sign a contract and the Pelicans don’t currently have an opening on the 15-man roster, though they have a two-way slot available.

Daniels, the team’s lottery pick, sprained his right ankle on Saturday.

Northwest Notes: Lillard, Moore, Minott, Mitchell, Porter Jr.

July 11th, 2022 at 10:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Damian Lillard hasn’t joined many of his peers by demanding a trade or signing with another team as a free agent during his career. The Trail Blazers star just signed a two-year max extension and says there’s power in loyalty, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press writes.

“Something that’s missing in our league is the character and the fight and the passion and pride about not just the name on the back, but the name on the front and how you impact the people you come into contact with,” Lillard said. “I think because of how much I’ve embraced that, and haven’t pretended to embrace it, this just shows the power in that.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

Timberwolves rookie draft picks Wendell Moore and Josh Minott have shown promise but also growing pains during Summer League play, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes. Moore has a shot to be the team’s No. 3 point guard and Minott, a frontcourt player, has intriguing potential as well. “I guess my playbook is going to open up a little bit for him, I’ll tell you that,” assistant coach Kevin Burleson said of Minott. “Some of the stuff he did, I didn’t know he could do. I didn’t see that in practice or the camp.”
While the Jazz reportedly are building their roster around Donovan Mitchell, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said on Brian Windhorst’s podcast that there are whispers around the league that “(top executive) Danny Ainge is not convinced Mitchell can be the face of a contending franchise,” as HoopsHype relays.
Michael Porter Jr. offered another encouraging update on his health, Chris Dempsey of Altitude Sports tweets. The Nuggets forward says he has fully recovered from his latest back surgery. “I’m doing really well. I’m feeling good,” he said. “I just continue to give all the glory to God. I’m feeling great. I’m able to workout as much as I want. No pain or anything. I’m in a really good spot. I’m excited to get back with the team.”

Pacific Notes: Moody, Kuminga, Wainright, Sabonis

July 11th, 2022 at 9:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The departures of Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr. open up playing time for Warriors guard Moses Moody. He could have a 20-minute role as the eighth or ninth man in the rotation if all goes well, Anthony Slater of The Athletic writes.

“Try to make myself beneficial,” Moody said of his goals. “Make it to the point where if I’m getting into the game, it’s not because someone likes me. It’s not doing me a favor. I want to be needed. I want you to think ‘I need Moses on the floor.’ That’s on me. I’ve got to make that the scenario.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Moody, James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga are all showing signs of rewarding the Warriors’ patience in them during Summer League play, according to Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. Kuminga, in particular, sparkled at the end of the Warriors’ one-point win over the Spurs on Sunday, with eight points and an assist in the last four minutes as well as making defensive plays.
Free agent Ish Wainright is hopeful of re-signing with the Suns, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports tweets. The undrafted Wainwright appeared in 45 regular season games last season. He had his two-way contract converted into a standard end-of-the-season-deal during the waning days of the season. “Everybody knows I want to be back,” said Wainwright, who is playing Summer League games with the Suns. “It’s out of my hands.”
Domantas Sabonis is happy with the Kings’ moves during the offseason, as he told James Boyd of the Indianap0lis Star. “We’re doing the right things,” he said. “We’ve got a coaching staff that is motivated to get us better and put us in the right direction. We made some good add-ons in free agency (signing Malik Monk and trading for Kevin Huerter), and we still have some time left, so I’m just excited.”

Bulls Notes: LaVine, Ball, Dragic, Lewis

July 11th, 2022 at 7:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bulls swingman Zach LaVine didn’t meet with any other teams during free agency, Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago writes. The parties swiftly agreed to a five-year max deal with a player option in the final season.

“I went into the offseason with an open mind. I laid out my goals, just like I always have,” LaVine said. “And once I was able to meet with (GM) Marc (Eversley) and AK (Artūras Karnišovas) and they came to me with everything that I wanted, there was no other reason for me to go outside and look at any other teams. I think that would have been disrespectful on my end because they gave me everything that I asked for.”

We have more on the Bulls:

Lonzo Ball is showing signs of progress after missing the second half of the season with a torn meniscus and bone bruise in his left knee, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago relays. Coach Billy Donovan provided the update during an ESPN2 broadcast. “Every day he seems to be improving. I think that the progress he has made has been steady. He keeps showing that progress. And that’s really what we all hope to continue to see,” Donovan said. “We’re obviously all hopeful that it will happen faster. But he is making progress.”
In the same interview, Donovan praised the signing of free agent guard Goran Dragic, who provides insurance in case Ball’s knee issues persist. “He has been in the league for a long time. He’s really, really smart. Gives you a level of experience back there,” Donovan said. “And he’s been in a lot of big games and has been around the league for a long time. You have great respect for how hard he competes and plays.”
Justin Lewis, who was signed to a two-way contract, admitted that going undrafted was an unpleasant surprise, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. The former Marquette forward was an All-Big East First Team selection. “Sad. Upset. Frustrated. But I mean, I’ve got this opportunity now,” he said. “And the guys that got drafted got the same opportunity. So I feel like we’re back at ground zero and I’m ready to work and build up.”

Southwest Notes: Jackson Jr., Irving, Poeltl, Wood

July 11th, 2022 at 6:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jaren Jackson Jr. underwent foot surgery after the season but the Grizzlies remain confident he’ll be a major contributor in 2022/23, according to Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Jackson is expected to be out four-to-six months due to a stress fracture in his right foot.

“Jaren is going to be just fine,” Grizzlies executive VP of basketball operations Zach Kleiman said. “This is not a concerning injury. Jaren’s already putting in the work to get back. We know he’s going to be even better. Not worried about Jaren. He’s going to be a big part of our group this season.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

The Nets reached out to the Mavericks regarding a potential Kyrie Irving trade but Dallas showed little interest, Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Coach Jason Kidd has been emphasizing “chemistry and accountability” and Irving’s reputation would change that mantra. It would also be difficult for Dallas to put together a suitable package.
Jakob Poeltl‘s name has been bandied about in the trade market but he may wind up staying with the Spurs, according to Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. The Spurs look at Poeltl as a stabilizing force on a rebuilding team. They were asking in the range of a rotation player and a first-round pick for Poeltl at February’s trade deadline and the price could be even higher now.
Officially a member of the Mavericks, Christian Wood took what appeared to be a dig at the Rockets during his introduction to the Dallas media, Caplan writes. Wood is thrilled to join a perennial playoff contender. “I’m thankful I came to a good organization,” he said. Wood is entering the final year of his contract and is extension-eligible this offseason.

Nets Notes: Irving, Simmons, Durant, Sumner, Claxton, Gray

July 11th, 2022 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Nets wing Cam Thomas isn’t letting the drama surrounding Kyrie Irving affect his outlook for the 2022/23 season and said this weekend that he won’t think any less of his star teammate if Kyrie pushes to be traded elsewhere, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Irving has been spotted at multiple Las Vegas Summer League games, but didn’t attend the Nets’ contests on Friday or Sunday.

“Kyrie’s my guy. Whatever’s his choices, that’s a choice,” Thomas said. “So I still keep in contact with him. That’s my guy. So whatever he does, that’ll still be my guy, my brother. So, it is what it is; it’s part of the business.”

While Thomas said he wasn’t bothered by Irving not showing up to the Nets’ Summer League games, he did praise three-time All-Star Ben Simmons for coming out to watch some of his young teammates on Sunday vs. Philadelphia.

“Yeah that’s big to have somebody of that stature come out and support us as the young guys. That makes us feel good. It makes us happy to play,” Thomas said. “So kudos to Ben for coming out here and watching us play.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

Nets general manager Sean Marks and Heat GM Andy Elisburg were seen talking in Las Vegas on Monday, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter links), who says the two GMs are “going beyond cursory conversation” by dining together. Miami is, of course, considered one of Kevin Durant‘s preferred landing spots, so any discussions between the two front offices are worth keeping an eye on.
The new contract Edmond Sumner signed with the Nets is a two-year, minimum-salary contract, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who tweets that the second year is non-guaranteed.
Nic Claxton‘s new two-year contract with Brooklyn, initially reported to be worth $20MM, actually has a base value of $17.25MM, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. The deal includes $2,587,500 in total unlikely incentives, so if Claxton earns all those bonuses, he could end up making nearly $20MM across the two seasons.
A second-round pick in 2021, forward RaiQuan Gray signed a G League contract and spent his rookie season with the Long Island Nets in the G League, so Brooklyn still controls his NBA rights. As Lewis writes for The New York Post, Gray has worked hard to get into better shape and show the Nets that he deserves a shot at an NBA roster spot this fall.

2022/23 NBA Roster Counts

July 11th, 2022 at 3:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Although NBA rosters are limited to 15 players during the regular season, teams are allowed to carry up to 20 players during the offseason. Expanded offseason rosters allow clubs to bring in players on contracts that aren’t fully guaranteed, giving those players a chance to earn a regular season roster spot or getting a closer look at them before sending them to their G League affiliate.

In addition to the usual 15-man rosters, NBA teams are permitted to carry two players on two-way contracts. Two-way deals essentially give clubs the NBA rights to two extra players, though they often spend much of the season in the G League rather than with the NBA team. While two-way players don’t count toward the 15-man regular season roster limit, they do count toward the 20-man offseason limit.

Over the course of the 2022/23 season, we’ll keep tabs on how many players are on each NBA team’s roster, breaking them down into a few groups. Here are the various categories you’ll find in our list:

Official: These players are officially under contract with a given team. The total number of players under contract is listed, with the number of players on fully guaranteed contracts noted in parentheses. So a team with 12 guaranteed contracts, one partially guaranteed contract, and two non-guaranteed deals will be listed as “15 (12).”
10-day: These players are signed to 10-day contracts. The expiry dates of those contracts are noted in parentheses.
Two-way: These are players signed to two-way contracts. Unless otherwise noted, these deals are official. You can find a specific team’s two-way players right here.
Reported: These are players whose contract agreements have been reported but haven’t been made official. We’re expecting them to be finalized at some point, though it’s possible that some will fall through or were reported erroneously.
Total: A team’s total roster count, taking into account all of the above. In some cases, this number will exceed 17, since not all of the players in the categories above are officially under contract.

Here are the NBA’s roster counts for 2022/23, which we’ll continue to update through the rest of the offseason and regular season:

Updated 4-11-23 (11:35am CT)

Atlanta Hawks

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Boston Celtics

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Brooklyn Nets

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Charlotte Hornets

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Chicago Bulls

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Cleveland Cavaliers

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Dallas Mavericks

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Denver Nuggets

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Detroit Pistons

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Golden State Warriors

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Houston Rockets

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Indiana Pacers

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Los Angeles Clippers

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Los Angeles Lakers

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Memphis Grizzlies

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Miami Heat

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Milwaukee Bucks

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Minnesota Timberwolves

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

New Orleans Pelicans

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

New York Knicks

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Oklahoma City Thunder

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Orlando Magic

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Philadelphia 76ers

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Phoenix Suns

Official: 15
Two-way: 1
Total: 16

Portland Trail Blazers

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Sacramento Kings

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

San Antonio Spurs

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Toronto Raptors

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Utah Jazz

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Washington Wizards

Official: 15
Two-way: 2
Total: 17

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Originals

Spurs Sign Dominick Barlow To Two-Way Contract

July 11th, 2022 at 2:16pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JULY 11: The Spurs have officially signed Barlow to a two-way contract, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

JUNE 24: The Spurs are signing a two-way deal with free agent former Overtime Elite forward Dominick Barlow, reports Jake Weingarten of StockRisers (via Twitter).

The 6’9″ forward averaged 14.8 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.2 BPG and 1.1 SPG while with Overtime Elite. He logged shooting splits of .530/.364/.769.

Vaunted for his mobility, the 19-year-old opted to forgo college, the G League, and international play in favor of the relatively new Overtime Elite, a professional league alternative for NBA prospects aged 16-19.

Barlow will be joining three other new Spurs rookie additions following a jam-packed first round during the 2022 draft. San Antonio selected forward Jeremy Sochan with the ninth pick out of Baylor, Ohio State wing Malaki Branham at No. 20, and Notre Dame guard Blake Wesley at No. 25.

Pacific Notes: Biyombo, Wiseman, Haliburton, Vezenkov

July 11th, 2022 at 1:56pm CST by Luke Adams

According to Suns center Bismack Biyombo, “winning teams” showed interest in him in free agency and he potentially could’ve made more money elsewhere, but he’s comfortable in Phoenix and believes the team’s system allows him to “excel,” writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.

Biyombo also said that he’s looking forward to being a Sun from day one this season after joining the team midway through the 2021/22 campaign.

“All the structure was set, and you’re kind of catching a rhythm of a team and trying to join the dance,” Biyombo said. “I think it’s always good to start the dance at the beginning, which is training camp. Have a better understanding of the team.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Warriors center James Wiseman looked good in his return to the court on Sunday in Las Vegas, scoring 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting and blocking a couple shots in 19 minutes, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN. It’s an encouraging first step for the former No. 2 overall pick, who missed the entire 2021/22 season due to a knee injury. “Walking into the locker room after the game and all the players cheering for him I think he can kind of (say), ‘Ah, I can breathe again,'” Warriors Summer League coach Jama Mahlalela told ESPN. “Every conversation I have with him is, ‘I am so proud of you but now the real work begins.'”
Now a member of the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton says he still has love for Sacramento, despite unexpectedly being traded to Indiana prior to the 2022 deadline. Haliburton told Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 in Sacramento (video link) that his feelings toward the Kings organization and Kings fans are “completely different” from one another.
After having his NBA rights acquired by the Kings in June, Olympiacos forward Sasha Vezenkov had reportedly planned to meet with the team in Las Vegas this month. However, Vezenkov isn’t traveling stateside after all, according to Vangelis Ioannou of Eurohoops.net, and he recently made comments hinting he may remain in Greece for the 2022/23 season, per Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops.net. Vezenkov has an NBA opt-out deadline of July 20 in his deal with Olympiacos, so he’ll have another nine days to see if he and the Kings can work out a deal. Sacramento has a small portion of its mid-level exception available to offer the 26-year-old more than two years, or could dip into its bi-annual exception to offer a two-year deal worth more than the rookie minimum.

Pacers Continue To Eye Deandre Ayton

July 11th, 2022 at 1:18pm CST by Luke Adams

It has been nearly 11 full days since the NBA’s 2022 free agent period opened, and Suns restricted free agent center Deandre Ayton still doesn’t have a new deal in place. However, it’s possible that will change soon.

Sources told Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic over the weekend that the Pacers are “seriously” interested in Ayton. Indiana’s interest in the former No. 1 overall pick has been reported repeatedly in recent weeks, but it’s notable that the team’s interest hasn’t waned — the Pacers are one of just two teams in the NBA (along with the Spurs) that have the cap flexibility necessary to make Ayton a significant offer.

According to Marc Stein (Twitter link), there’s “great interest” among league insiders in Las Vegas about whether the Pacers will move forward with what Stein refers to as a “widely anticipated” offer sheet for Ayton. Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up (video link) on Monday, Brian Windhorst also expressed a belief that Indiana is on the verge of making a play for the young center.

“We believe that the Indiana Pacers are very close to giving Deandre Ayton an offer sheet or executing a sign-and-trade,” Windhorst said. “The Pacers had to do some business over the weekend and complete the Malcolm Brogdon trade. That is now on the verge of happening and that is opening enough cap space to almost give Deandre Ayton the max contract he is looking for. We could see something with the Pacers and Ayton as early as today.”

As James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star writes, while the Pacers and Celtics announced their trade on Saturday, Brogdon still technically has to pass his physical before the deal is officially irreversible. At that point, Indiana will have approximately $26.4MM in cap room.

Ayton’s maximum salary is about $30.9MM, so Indiana would have to waive-and-stretch multiple players or trade someone to open up a max-salary slot. The team could also present Ayton with an offer sheet that’s a little below the max, but it’s not clear whether he’d be willing to sign such an offer. And of course, the lower the starting salary in an offer sheet, the more likely the Suns are to match it.

A sign-and-trade deal in which Indiana sends out a player or two could potentially get everyone what they want — Ayton could get his max salary, the Pacers could get their man without having to worry about an offer sheet being matched, and the Suns could avoid losing their former top pick for nothing. Myles Turner would be the most obvious trade candidate in that scenario.

However, signing-and-trading Ayton to Indiana would deprive Phoenix of one of its top assets for a potential Kevin Durant trade, so the Suns will likely drive a hard bargain with the Pacers, knowing that if they don’t get a sign-and-trade offer they like, they could simply match any offer sheet Ayton signs.

Still, that may not be an ideal outcome for the Suns, who reportedly aren’t enthusiastic about paying Ayton max money. Additionally, if they were to match an offer sheet, the Suns wouldn’t be able to trade Ayton until January 15, and even then, any deal this season would require his consent.

With so many variables in play, every involved party will have to weigh its options carefully before moving forward. But it sounds like we could get action on the Ayton front sooner rather than later.

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