2022 October | Hoops Rumors

Southeast Notes: DSJ, Beal, Haslem, F. Wagner

October 28th, 2022 at 11:36am CST by Luke Adams

Dennis Smith Jr. didn’t have a ton of personal or team success during his stint as a Knick from 2019-21, but he said on Wednesday that the adversity he experienced in New York “helped me grow as a person,” as Zach Braziller of The New York Post relays.

“Without going though what I went through, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I’m thankful for that whole time I was here, the good and the bad,” Smith said before his new team, the Hornets, faced the Knicks. “The thing I learned is nobody gave me my happiness or my job, so I can’t let anybody steal it. I came in, found something to be grateful for every day, and I started to make the most of every situation I was in. That really prepared me for where I’m at now.”

A free agent for most of the 2022 offseason, Smith said he told his agent he wasn’t interested in playing overseas and indicated that he mulled the possibility of trying to compete for a spot in the NFL as a defensive back, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Smith ultimately landed in Charlotte, and while his deal with the Hornets remains non-guaranteed, he has played well in LaMelo Ball‘s absence, including registering 14 points and 11 assists against his old team in New York on Wednesday. Head coach Steve Clifford likes what he has seen so far from the former lottery pick.

“His defense is just, I mean, it’s terrific,” Clifford said, according to Braziller. “His individual defense, his pick-and-roll defense, his team defense. He’s competing at an incredibly high level at that end of the floor. Some guys figure it out late, some guys figure it out right away. He’s a talented guy. Even though with the injuries he’s not the athlete he was, but he’s still a really good athlete even for this league. I don’t see that he’s doing anything that he can’t continue to do, frankly.”

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

After signing a record-setting $251MM contract in the offseason, star guard Bradley Beal is now trying to lead his teammates by example, especially on the defensive end, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. The 3-1 Wizards have a top-five defense in the NBA early on in the 2022/23 season. “I know that … if I’m engaged and locked in and energetic and ready to go on the defensive end, that speaks volumes to the rest of the team, and everybody else follows suit,” Beal said. “We almost have a saying: ‘If Brad can do it, everybody can do it.’ So if I can get down in a stance and get after it, everybody can. It’s something that we hold each other accountable to do, starting with me.”
Having appeared briefly in the Heat‘s Wednesday victory in Portland, veteran big man Udonis Haslem has now officially played in 20 NBA seasons, fulfilling a vow he made to his late father. Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel has the story and the quotes from Haslem.
In a conversation with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Magic forward Franz Wagner spoke about his long-term goals, his early impressions of No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero, and getting to play with brother Moritz Wagner in Orlando.

And-Ones: Wembanyama, 2023 Draft, Tanking, More

October 28th, 2022 at 10:18am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA will give fans an opportunity to take a closer look at 2023’s projected No. 1 pick over the next several months, announcing on Thursday that all of this season’s Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 games will be available to watch for free on the NBA app. The Metropolitans 92 are, of course, Victor Wembanyama‘s team in France.

The Metropolotians 92 compete in the LNB Betclic ELITE, France’s top basketball league. According to the NBA’s announcement, the French games included on the NBA App will include the All-Star Game on December 29 and the Leaders Cup (playoff) games from February 17-19. The league has a preliminary broadcast schedule right here, though it only includes October and November games for the time being.

The buzz around Wembanyama reached a new level when his French team faced off against the G League Ignite for a pair of exhibition games earlier this month. The NBA is clearly hoping to capitalize off of the increasing level of interest in the 7’3″ super-prospect as he prepares to enter the league in 2023.

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

While Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson remains locks to be the first and second players off the board in the 2023 NBA draft, there are plenty of questions behind them in the lottery, according to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic. Vecenie has published an updated version of his ’23 mock draft, projecting Amen Thompson of Overtime Elite to be the No. 3 overall pick, followed by Arkansas’ Nick Smith Jr., Villanova’s Cam Whitmore, Baylor’s Keyonte George, and Duke’s Dariq Whitehead.
Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports suggests that the NBA should attempt to curb tanking by prohibiting teams from getting a top-three pick in back-to-back years. He hears that a version of that rule was proposed by the NBA in talks with teams and was resisted by a “small handful” of general managers, despite being favored by commissioner Adam Silver.
Suns center Jock Landale and Hornets big man Nick Richards are among the under-the-radar players who are worth getting to know based on their performances in the first 10 days of this NBA season, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic. As Hollinger notes, both Landale and Richards will be restricted free agents in 2023.

Nets’ Cam Thomas Frustrated By Limited Role

October 28th, 2022 at 9:06am CST by Luke Adams

Through the Nets‘ first five games of the season, including four losses, second-year guard Cam Thomas has logged just 14 total minutes. Thirteen of those minutes came in the season opener on October 19 — since then, he has been a DNP-CD three times and played the final minute of Wednesday’s game in Milwaukee when the score was out of reach.

Asked after Thursday’s game whether his lack of playing time is frustrating, Thomas replied, “Of course,” according to Ethan Sears of The New York Post.

The Nets have dealt with some injuries in the early going this season — Seth Curry still hasn’t suited up for a game as he returns from ankle surgery, and Joe Harris has been in and out of the lineup, coming off his own ankle injury. Still, Thomas finds himself behind Edmond Sumner and Patty Mills, among others, on the depth chart and isn’t part of Brooklyn’s regular rotation, Sears writes.

The former first-round pick, who appeared in 67 games and averaged 17.6 MPG as a rookie in 2021/22, said that he wasn’t given a sense in training camp that he wouldn’t play regular minutes to open the season, adding that his role – or lack thereof – has been “very” surprising.

“Ain’t had no conversations (with Nets head coach Steve Nash),” Thomas said. “Just not playing at the moment. … It is what it is.”

Thomas is a prolific scorer who led all freshman during his lone college season at LSU with 23.0 points per game and put up 27.4 PPG in the Las Vegas Summer League this July.

While the Nets’ middle-of-the-pack offense could perhaps benefit from Thomas’ scoring punch, putting the ball in the basket hasn’t been the team’s main problem so far this season. Brooklyn’s 120.2 defensive rating ranks dead last in the NBA, so if Nash and the Nets’ coaching staff aren’t confident that Thomas can help improve the team on that end of the floor, his limited role makes some sense.

Brooklyn picked up Thomas’ third-year rookie scale option earlier this month, so he’s locked up through at least the 2023/24 season. The Nets also hold a team option on him for ’24/25.

NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots

October 28th, 2022 at 8:02am CST by Luke Adams

With 30 NBA teams each permitted to carry 15 players on standard contracts and a pair on two-way deals, there are a total of 510 roster spots available across the league. Nearly two weeks into the 2022/23 season, 500 of those spots are filled, with only 10 still up for grabs.

[RELATED: 2022/23 NBA Roster Counts]

The NBA’s transaction wire has been pretty quiet since the regular season tipped off on October 18, as the teams that began the year with open roster spots are in no rush to fill them.

In some cases, that’s about maintaining roster flexibility — teams want to be able to make trades where they acquire more players than they send out, or sign a free agent to a non-guaranteed contract to address a positional hole if multiple players start to go down with injuries.

In most cases though, it’s more about financial concerns. Many of the teams with open roster spots are either already over the luxury tax line or dangerously close to it.

Here are the teams that have open roster spots:

Atlanta Hawks
Charlotte Hornets
Cleveland Cavaliers
Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Clippers
Miami Heat
Minnesota Timberwolves
- Note: The Timberwolves’ opening is a two-way slot.
Philadelphia 76ers
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers

Of these teams, the Timberwolves are the most likely to fill their roster opening in the coming days or weeks — since two-way signings don’t count against a team’s cap, there’s no compelling financial reason for a team not to be carrying two players on two-way deals.

Minnesota has a relatively healthy roster though, and the G League season hasn’t started yet, so there’s no urgent need to add a two-way replacement for Eric Paschall, who was waived last week.

Among the other teams on this list, only the Hornets and Cavaliers could sign a 15th man without any immediate luxury tax concerns, so they’re probably the first two teams to watch for potential signings. If they were to sign a player to a non-guaranteed contract, they’d only have to pay his daily salary and would be able to waive him at any time before January 7 without being on the hook for his full-season cap hit.

Northwest Notes: McDaniels, Timberwolves, Brown, Jokic

October 27th, 2022 at 11:24pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Timberwolves power forward Jaden McDaniels gets his offense by being in the right space in the right time. A high-scoring night for McDaniels is usually indicative of good ball movement from his Minnesota teammates, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune.

“He’s a really good cutter,” head coach Chris Finch said. “Our offense relies on cutting a lot, and a lot of guys don’t have a great feel for that or are reluctant to cut, because they’re way more ball-dominant, but he’s such a good cutter, and the ball has to be moving in different spots that allows those cuts to open up to be there… He’s going to be the beneficiary of good offense, good flow.”

There’s more out of the Northwest Division:

The Timberwolves are emphasizing a motion-heavy offense this season, per Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune. All-Star center Rudy Gobert is excited to be sharing the floor, and the rock, with fellow All-Star teammate Karl-Anthony Towns. “I think this is where we can really punish teams,” Gobert said of Towns. “It’s really important that we keep working on it. The fact that he can pass and he’s willing to pass has made him even more of a threat.”
New Nuggets shooting guard Bruce Brown has a fan in head coach Michael Malone, per Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports (Twitter link). “I’m so thankful that we were able to sign Bruce Brown in free agency,” Malone told reporters after Wednesday’s win.
Sean Keeler of The Denver Post writes that Brown, known primarily as an unorthodox roll man and defender during his time with the Nets, is looking more multifaceted in Denver, thanks to a solid shooting start. “[His] shooting, in Brooklyn, he really wasn’t known for it because of the way he had to play,” Nuggets power forward Jeff Green said. “He had to sacrifice a lot (there). So I think now, people are going have to respect what he can bring to the table.” The 6’5″ vet did connect on 40.4% of his three-pointers during his 2021/22 season with Brooklyn, albeit on a fairly low-volume 1.3 attempts a night. Thus far with Denver, Brown is shooting 50% on his 3.2 looks from long range.
Though Nuggets All-NBA center Nikola Jokic is not an elite rim protector, his court sense on defense allows him to remain underrated on that side of the floor, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post in a new mailbag. Singer also discusses the team’s apparent plan to employ a switch-heavy defense for every position beyond Jokic, the three-point shooting prowess of Michael Porter Jr., and Denver’s road-heavy early season schedule.

Knicks Notes: Brunson, Randle, Robinson, Grimes

October 27th, 2022 at 9:55pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The emergence of new Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson as the team’s primary ball-handler has helped free up power forward Julius Randle from the pressures of the team’s lottery-bound 2021/22 season, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. Popper notes that Randle has appeared to be more engaged with his teammates and a more active leader overall.

“I’m just trying to lose myself in the team,” Randle said. “Adding Jalen, our team another year starting playing together helps. But the big shot he hit in crunch time [Monday], typically they’re looking for me to go get a basket. For him to take that pressure off me is huge.”

There’s more out of Madison Square Garden:

Brunson has already helped New York in late-game situations, winning the kinds of the games the team would lose last year, writes Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post. “We’re supposed to win game even when we’re not playing our best,” Brunson said. “That’s the sign of a good team.” Brunson’s arrival in New York reminds Vaccaro of the impact Hall of Fame point guard Jason Kidd had when he joined the then-New Jersey Nets in 2001. Though pundits were not particularly high on the Nets’ chances of title contention, Kidd promptly led the team to consecutive NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003.
Knicks starting center Mitchell Robinson has big goals now that he has signed his first big-money NBA contract, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. The seven-foot big man inked a four-year, $60MM deal to remain in New York this summer. “Most people yell out, ‘When you get paid, you don’t want to work no more,'” Robinson said. “That’s the opposite of me… Even though I got a little bag, I’m still gonna work even harder now because I want another one. I want more. I’m hungry.” Robinson also indicated that he was hoping to eventually earn a Defensive Player of the Year award.
Knicks reserve guard Quentin Grimes has been sidelined so far this season as he grapples with a sore foot. Ian Begley of SNY.tv reports that New York is holding Grimes out until he is pain-free. “They said it was kind of [an] overuse thing. Just being in the gym a lot [in the summer],” Grimes said. “Coming back at night, going back to Houston, working on it and working on it. Then [head coach Tom Thibodeau] had us in there for sure, working out.”

Raptors Notes: Young, Porter, Boucher

October 27th, 2022 at 8:24pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Raptors reserve forward Thaddeus Young has seen his role reduced in the early going this season, having been a DNP-CD for a couple games. Head coach Nick Nurse discussed how he saw the vet fitting into the club’s rotation, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports (Twitter link).

“He’s gotta stay ready,” Nurse said. “I talked to him immediately after the Miami game and he [said], ‘Coach, I’m ready and I’ll always be ready’ and totally with what we’re doing, all that kind of stuff. I wouldn’t say that I planned on not using him [in] Miami that night, it’s just kinda how it turned out… We’re gonna need him, there’s just no doubt about it… It’s kinda a night-to-night thing.”

There’s more out of Toronto:

Nurse said that Raptors forward Otto Porter Jr. will be unavailable “for a bit” due to undisclosed personal reasons, according to Lewenberg (Twitter link). Nurse suggested that the 6’8″ vet, who signed a two-year, $12.4MM contract with Toronto after winning a title with the Warriors last season, will be part of the team’s rotation once he makes his debut, Lewenberg adds (via Twitter).
Raptors reserve big man Chris Boucher has been a helpful change-of-pace figure for the club as a key backup, writes Lewenberg for TSN.ca. “It’s important for me to bring energy and I think that’s a way to show that I’m ready to the coach and also to myself,” Boucher said. Toronto point guard Fred VanVleet likes the new dimension that his teammate brings to the court: “He just plays with a little bit more energy than the rest of us at times. Fresh legs and just being able to fly around, throw some corner-threes in, [grab] offensive rebounds. He just finds creases that a guy like him is skinny enough to slip through. He’s just a great presence for us out there.”
In case you missed it, the Raptors were projected by Forbes as the NBA’s 11th-most valuable franchise, with an estimated worth of $3.1 billion.

Jazz Notes: Clarkson, THT, Markkanen, Gay, Fontecchio

October 27th, 2022 at 7:28pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The rebuilding Jazz have enjoyed a surprising 4-1 start to their 2022/23 NBA season, but still seem likely to trade several of their veteran players prior to February’s deadline. That said, Zach Lowe of ESPN suggested in his podcast The Lowe Post that the team is hesitant to offload 2021 Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson, who has thrived thus far this year.

“I’ve heard the same stuff that other people have reported, that they are just super reluctant to move Clarkson,” Lowe said on the podcast (hat tip to RealGM). ”They’re really fond of him for whatever reason. So, I would peg him as the least likely of all these Jazz guys to get traded.”

The 6’4″ combo guard out of Missouri has stepped into a starting role for the Jazz this season, and is playing well for the team under new head coach Will Hardy. Through five games, Clarkson is averaging 18.8 PPG, 5.2 APG, 4.2 RPG and 0.8 BPG. He’s currently posting shooting splits of .452/.429/.769.

There’s more out of Salt Lake City:

21-year-old Jazz reserve guard Talen Horton-Tucker had his first stellar turn for Utah in a 14-point, seven-rebound, four-assist, two-steal performance in a 109-101 win over the Rockets Wednesday. Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune wonders if that game could be the catalyst Horton-Tucker needs to start clicking with his new Utah teammates. “[When] opportunity presents itself, I’ll always be ready,” Horton-Tucker said.
Jazz starting small forward Lauri Markkanen has enjoyed a terrific start to his Utah tenure, to which he in part credits a strong EuroBasket performance this past summer, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. Through five games, the seven-footer is averaging 22.0 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 3.0 APG, 0.8 SPG and 0.6 BPG in 35.2 MPG. “I think having that experience this summer, coming in confident, I think I showed, yes, to you guys, but even to myself, that I can do all that stuff,” Markkanen told Fischer. “I was the guy this summer. And carrying that over [to Utah], we’ve got a lineup where everybody can do a little bit of everything. But mind-set wise, I’m trying to have that same approach.”
Jazz reserves Rudy Gay and Simone Fontecchio have both been placed in the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). Both will miss the team’s Friday contest against the Nuggets.

Pelicans Pick Up Options For Kira Lewis, Trey Murphy

October 27th, 2022 at 5:17pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Pelicans have announced in a press release that they have picked up their 2023/24 rookie scale contract options on third-year guard Kira Lewis Jr. and second-year swingman Trey Murphy III.

Lewis, a 6’1″ point guard out of Alabama, was drafted with the No. 13 pick in 2020 by the Pelicans. He continues to recover from a torn ACL and sprained MCL, which he suffered in December 2021. In his 24 games last season prior to the injury, Lewis posted averages of 5.9 PPG, 2.0 APG, and 1.6 RPG across 14.2 MPG as a bench player. As far as his rehabilitation goes, Lewis has progressed to 3-on-3 scrimmages with his teammates.

Lewis’ 2023/24 option is worth $5,722,116. He’ll now be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2023 offseason.

The 6’9″ Murphy was selected with the No. 17 pick out of Virginia in 2021. Thus far this season, the 22-year-old has taken a significant leap from his rookie output in 2021/22. Murphy’s minutes have more than doubled, from 13.9 MPG to 30.0 MPG. His other counting stats have taken major jumps, too. In four games this season, during which he has mostly operated as a reserve behind star forwards Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, Murphy is averaging 15.5 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.0 APG, and 1.0 SPG.

Murphy’s $3,359,280 salary for 2023/24 is now fully guaranteed. The Pelicans will have to make a decision on his fourth-year option for ’24/25 next fall.

New Orleans is young and deep this season, and has gotten off to a terrific 3-1 start against some tough competition. Murphy at least has emerged as a big part of head coach Willie Green‘s rotation.

Teams must make a determination on their eligible players’ rookie scale contract options by this coming Monday, October 31. A full list of players whose teams have exercised their rookie scale contract options is viewable here.

Hornets Exercise Options On Ball, Bouknight, Jones

October 27th, 2022 at 4:44pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Hornets have picked up their 2023/24 rookie scale team options on third-year All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball, as well as second-year players James Bouknight and Kai Jones, reports Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer.

Boone notes that the decision was widely expected. While Ball, the No. 3 draft pick in 2020, has already emerged as the focal point of Charlotte’s offense, 6’5″ shooting guard Bouknight has worked his way into the team’s rotation under returning head coach Steve Clifford, thanks in part to injuries incurred by Terry Rozier and Cody Martin. The 6’11” Jones, a power forward/center, is the team’s third-string five behind Mason Plumlee and Nick Richards.

Ball, 21, has yet to play for the 2-2 Hornets this season as he continues to work his way back from an ankle injury. The 6’7″ guard posted averages of 20.1 PPG, 7.6 APG, 6.7 RPG, and 1.6 BPG across 75 games last year, and was named an All-Star injury replacement by the league. In 2021/22, Ball posted .429/.389/.872 shooting splits. His 2023/24 option is worth approximately $10.9MM.

Across four games thus far in his sophomore season, Bouknight is averaging 5.8 PPG, 1.8 RPG and 1.5 APG in 15.5 MPG. The No. 11 pick in 2021 out of Connecticut has been coming off the bench for Charlotte. His stint with the Hornets thus far has not been without its off-the-court issues. Just prior to the start of the 2022/23 season, Bouknight was arrested for a DWI, making him the third Charlotte player overall to be arrested during the 2022 offseason. His $4.57MM salary for 2023/24 is now locked in.

Jones, the No. 19 pick out of Texas in last year’s draft, has seen spot minutes in two contests this season, averaging just 3.0 MPG. Richards, the No. 42 pick out of Kentucky in 2020, has had a robust start to his third NBA season. His minutes averages have leapt up from 7.3 in 2021/22 to 21.8, and he is averaging 13.0 PPG and 7.8 RPG for the Hornets, effectively squeezing Jones out of the team’s rotation for now. He’ll still earn a guaranteed $3.05MM in ’23/24.

All NBA clubs have until this coming Monday, October 31, to exercise their team options on players’ rookie scale deals. All of those decisions are listed here.

Month: September 2024