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Month: November 2024

Injury Updates: Curry Brothers, LeBron, Kuzma, Robinson

February 14th, 2023 at 4:05pm CST by Luke Adams

There’s still no target date for Stephen Curry‘s return from a left leg injury, as he told reporters – including Kendra Andrews of ESPN – on Monday. The Warriors announced last week that Curry would be reevaluated after the All-Star break, but even if that assessment goes well, the former MVP won’t be ready to return to action right away.

“Ligaments can heal in all different types of timelines,” Curry said. “So there’s a window for each checkpoint. After the All-Star break, I will hopefully get back on the court, and then depending on how things go from there, we can key in on a specific date to get back.”

As Anthony Slater of The Athletic writes, the Warriors have a busy schedule out of the All-Star break, with six contests in nine days, so Curry’s missed games could add up quickly if he still needs a week or two to get up to speed after his next reevaluation.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

  • A left adductor strain has kept Nets wing Seth Curry on the shelf for the last five games, but he has been cleared to return on Wednesday vs. Miami, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
  • Lakers star LeBron James has missed three straight games with foot and ankle injuries and could get an extra week of rest if he sits out the team’s last game before the All-Star break. However, head coach Darvin Ham said on Monday that “in all likelihood” James will return on Wednesday vs. New Orleans, writes Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group.
  • Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma will be back in action on Tuesday night in Portland after missing four consecutive games with a left ankle sprain, per Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link).
  • Heat sharpshooter Duncan Robinson, who has been sidelined since January 2 due to finger surgery, appears to be on the verge of returning. He has been upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s game in Brooklyn, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
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Rockets Notes: Kaminsky, Deadline Moves, Silas, Green

February 14th, 2023 at 3:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets acquired three veteran players at the trade deadline, but have already bought out two of them, placing Danny Green and Justin Holiday on waivers on Sunday and Monday, respectively.

As Kelly Iko of The Athletic writes, Houston didn’t necessarily acquire those players expecting to let them go, since the team likes the idea of having some veteran leaders to complement its young core. Head coach Stephen Silas addressed that issue when he discussed Holiday’s exit from the team, tacitly acknowledging that it’s hard to blame those vets for not wanting to stick around and be part of a 13-44 squad.

“Ideally you want a few guys who have more than three years of experience on the floor and he had 10,” Silas said. “But that’s the business of the game and where we are as an organization as far as rebuilding. Ideally, you don’t want to roll out 10 guys who are first-, second- and third-year guys but these are guys who play hard, try and learn and are improving. That’s where we’re at.”

Frank Kaminsky is the lone veteran acquired at the deadline who is still a Rocket, though there’s no guarantee that’ll be the case for the rest of the season. Team and league sources tell Iko that Kaminsky’s situation is “fluid,” with some teams expressing interest in signing the big man if he’s waived by Houston. While the two sides continue to talk, Kaminsky plans to make the most of his time with the team, even if it’s brief.

“This is the team that wanted me,” he said. “They want me to be here, so I’m going to do whatever I can to help as much as I possibly can. Whether that’s playing or me being a vocal leader in the locker room, practice, shootarounds, whatever.”

Here’s more on the Rockets:

  • Asked about the deadline-day trades that sent out Eric Gordon, Garrison Mathews, and Bruno Fernando, general manager Rafael Stone told reporters, including Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle that he’s confident the cap flexibility and draft assets generated by those moves will make the Rockets a better team in the long run. “We are going to have the most cap space this summer of any team in the NBA, I believe,” Stone said. “We’re going to have a lot of room to sign free agents to make trades into that space to really transform the team. And we decided that we’re really, really valuing that flexibility. And so, within that context, we think that we improved the team.”
  • Stone said he’s not necessarily “satisfied” with the development of young players like Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, and Jabari Smith, but remains confident in the upside of Houston’s young core. “We want them to be great players, and they’re not, yet,” Stone said, per Feigen. “The goal is not to be OK. It’s not to be improving; it’s to be great. And we’re realistic. We knew that they wouldn’t be great in this time frame. But that’s the goal. So, until we get to the goal, we’re not going be satisfied. We like them. We liked their work ethic. We’re excited about their future. But we all have a lot of work to do.”
  • Stone declined to comment about the future of head coach Stephen Silas beyond this season. According to Feigen, Silas is under contract for 2023/24, but his salary is not yet guaranteed.
  • Danny Green gave up $289,472 as part of his buyout agreement with the Rockets, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link). That reduces his cap hit from $10MM to $9,710,528. Green is expected to receive $2MM from Cleveland on a rest-of-season deal.
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Sixers Sign Mac McClung To Two-Way Contract

February 14th, 2023 at 2:50pm CST by Luke Adams

2:50pm: The Sixers have officially signed McClung to a two-way contract and waived Champagnie, according to a press release from the team.

12:04pm: Mac McClung is getting a call-up from the G League to the NBA, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the Sixers are signing the 24-year-old guard to a two-way contract.

Philadelphia will waive current two-way player Julian Champagnie to create an opening for McClung, sources tell Charania (Twitter link).

Undrafted out of Texas Tech in 2021, McClung signed a pair of 10-day contracts with the Bulls in his first professional season and then inked a two-way deal with the Lakers in April, appearing in one game with each club. He spent the majority of his rookie year in the G League with the South Bay Lakers – earning NBAGL Rookie of the Year honors – and has been playing for the Delaware Blue Coats in 2022/23.

In 18 regular season appearances for the Blue Coats this season, McClung has averaged 19.1 points and 4.7 assists in just 25.9 minutes per game, posting a shooting line of .579/.500/.844.

McClung was poised to become the first G League player to participate in the NBA’s dunk contest, but assuming the 76ers officially sign him this week, he’ll now have an NBA job when he competes in that event. He’ll have a busy weekend in Salt Lake City, since he’s poised to take part in the Rising Stars event and the G League’s Next Up game as well.

Champagnie, a rookie out of St. John’s, logged just seven total minutes in two games at the NBA level while on a two-way deal with Philadelphia. He has spent most of the season playing with McClung in Delaware, recording 14.3 PPG and 5.7 RPG on .419/.352/.875 shooting in 18 regular season games (28.7 MPG) for the Blue Coats.

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Fischer’s Latest: Suns, Irving, VanVleet, Mavs, Nets, Bridges, Simmons

February 14th, 2023 at 1:39pm CST by Luke Adams

Before acquiring Kevin Durant from Brooklyn, the Suns also inquired about the possibility of trading for Kyrie Irving, and there were rumblings around the NBA about Phoenix trying to land the two Nets stars as a package, writes Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. That’s similar to what Chris Haynes reported last week on an episode of his #thisleague UNCUT podcast.

Haynes cautioned not to dismiss the possibility of the Suns pursuing Irving in the offseason if things in Dallas don’t work out, and Fischer conveys a similar sentiment, writing that “a future reunification of Durant and Irving with the Suns will loom on the periphery of both Phoenix and Dallas’ stretch runs.”

Although Chris Paul still occupies the point guard spot in Phoenix, he’ll turn 38 this spring, so the Suns are already working on a potential succession plan. Phoenix was viewed prior to the trade deadline as a team that could be in on Fred VanVleet this summer if the Raptors point guard tests free agency, and Fischer expects the club to explore other contingency plans as well.

Here’s more from Fischer:

  • The Mavericks‘ decision to gamble on Irving raised some eyebrows around the NBA, says Fischer. As he explains, sources close to the situation say that – despite some outside speculation about the franchise’s ceiling – Luka Doncic hadn’t begun to consider a future outside of Dallas this season. But if things go sideways with Kyrie, that could “escalate real concerns about Doncic’s timeline in Dallas,” Fischer writes.
  • Even after trading Durant and Irving, the Nets believe they have enough talent to be a playoff team, and Fischer says the “smart money” would bet on them seeking win-now moves in the offseason rather than taking another step back. To that end, Brooklyn didn’t seriously entertain trade offers for Mikal Bridges despite serious interest from the Grizzlies, whose pursuit of Bridges began when he was still with the Suns.
  • The Nets are widely expected to gauge the trade market for Ben Simmons this offseason, according to Fischer. However, the former Defensive Player of the Year runner-up will still have two years and $78MM+ left on his contract after this season.
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Mavericks Release Chris Silva

February 14th, 2023 at 12:32pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have released Chris Silva, terminating his 10-day contract with the team several days before it would have expired, the club announced today in a press release.

The move had been anticipated, since the Mavericks reached an agreement to sign Justin Holiday once he clears waivers and Silva was occupying the 15th spot on Dallas’ standard roster. The Mavs play on Wednesday for the last time before the All-Star break and Holiday is on track to clear waivers that afternoon, so it’s possible he could join the team in time for that game.

Silva had been on his second 10-day contract with the Mavs, though he only appeared in a single game during his stint with the club. He’s now ineligible to sign another 10-day deal with Dallas for the rest of the season.

Before joining the Mavs, Silva had been playing for Atlanta’s G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks. The 26-year-old averaged 13.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game in 18 Showcase Cup appearances (26.0 MPG) for the Skyhawks.

Since the G League’s regular season began, Silva has recorded 14.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 2.3 APG, and 0.9 BPG in 11 contests (22.4 MPG). If he doesn’t get another NBA offer right away, he’ll presumably report back to College Park.

Silva’s 10-day contract had been set to run through February 19. He’ll still receive his full 10-day salary ($109,318) even though the deal was terminated early.

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Pelicans Notes: McCollum, Zion Injury, Deadline, Richardson

February 14th, 2023 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

In his latest diary entry for Andscape, Pelicans guard CJ McCollum touches on several interesting topics, including Zion Williamson‘s rehab setback, the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations (McCollum, the NBPA president, says those talks are going in “the right direction”), and his own health.

As McCollum explains, he has been battling a right thumb injury that has affected his ability to dribble, shoot, and catch passes. With the All-Star break around the corner, the veteran guard is somewhat relieved that he won’t be part of the festivities in Salt Lake City and will get a week to rest the injury.

“I was talking to (All-Star center Domantas) Sabonis, as we both are playing with thumb injuries,” McCollum wrote. “I’ve been playing with a splint for a few weeks now, and he actually fractured his thumb completely. So, I was looking at his thumb, he’s looking at mine. At least I get a week off. Yeah, I need a week off instead of going to go play in the All-Star Game.

“I don’t think that I’ll need surgery after the season, fingers crossed. I’ll get another image in two weeks, I believe. As of right now, I’m not under the impression that I’ll need surgery when the season’s over.”

Here’s more on the Pelicans:

  • William Guillory of The Athletic takes a look at seven key questions related to the latest news on Williamson, who is expected to be out for several more weeks as he recovers from his right hamstring injury. Guillory believes Williamson’s extended recovery timeline probably affected the Pelicans’ aggressiveness at the trade deadline, though he’s skeptical that the club would have been willing to offer the pieces necessary to land an impact player like OG Anunoby or Mikal Bridges even if Zion were due back soon.
  • The Pelicans’ approach to the trade deadline made it clear that the team isn’t quite ready to go “all in” yet, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com. The belief is that New Orleans will be willing to surrender first-round picks and go into the tax when the time is right, but the club gave up only second-round picks and shed some 2023/24 salary at last week’s deadline.
  • The Pelicans’ lone deadline addition, Josh Richardson, made his debut in Oklahoma City on Monday and head coach Willie Green liked what he saw from the veteran swingman, who had a season-high five steals. “J-Rich was good,” Green said, according to Clark. “You could see his veteran savviness on the floor. Makes great decisions defensively. I thought he changed the game with steal after steal. That’s a part of what we wanted when we acquired him.”
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Thunder Notes: Saric, Deadline Deals, Omoruyi, Sarr

February 14th, 2023 at 10:20am CST by Luke Adams

Although he’s still just 28 years old, Dario Saric suddenly finds himself in the position of being his team’s oldest player following a trade from Phoenix to Oklahoma City last Thursday. Saric, who referred to the Thunder as a “high-level organization,” doesn’t sound like someone who will pursue a buyout from his new club, suggesting on Monday that he’s looking forward to taking on the role of veteran mentor in OKC.

“You’re always surprised,” Saric said of the trade, per Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. “That’s kind of how things go. At the end of the day, happy to be here. Happy to be part of this organization, a part of this group of young, talented guys who have a lot of years in front of them to play basketball.”

Asked about the role he anticipates playing with the Thunder, Saric said he doesn’t have any real expectations and is happy to play things by ear.

“I think I will go with the flow,” he said. “We’re gonna figure out everything, how the games go. I’m here open-minded, and coach (Mark Daigneault) says he’s open-minded.”

Here’s more on the Thunder:

  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is looking forward to seeing what Saric brings to the Thunder, but admitted it was tough to say goodbye to Darius Bazley and Mike Muscala at the trade deadline. Gilgeous-Alexander referred to the club’s locker room as “close-knit” and added that Bazley is “like a brother” to him. Daigneault, meanwhile, said he hopes Bazley and Muscala thrive with their new teams, Mussatto writes for The Oklahoman. “We want those guys to move on and continue to have success and contribute to the teams that they’re on,” the head coach said. “I think that would be a good reflection on the program.”
  • Eugene Omoruyi‘s new contract with the Thunder is a two-year, minimum-salary deal that isn’t guaranteed beyond this season, Hoops Rumors has learned. Oklahoma City will hold a non-guaranteed $1,927,896 team option on Omoruyi for the 2023/24 season following his promotion from a two-way contract last week.
  • As for Olivier Sarr‘s two-way deal, it only covers the rest of this season, Hoops Rumors has learned. Players who sign two-way contracts during the second half often agree to add a second year, but that’s not the case for Sarr, who will be eligible this summer for restricted free agency.
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Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard Headline 3-Point Contest Field

February 14th, 2023 at 9:54am CST by Luke Adams

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, and Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton will participate in this weekend’s 3-point contest in addition to the All-Star Game, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The eight-man field will be filled out by four non-All-Stars, according to Charania: Lillard’s Blazers teammate Anfernee Simons, Haliburton’s Pacers teammate Buddy Hield, Heat guard Tyler Herro, and Kings wing Kevin Huerter.

Some of those names had been previously reported, but Charania is the first to reveal all eight participants.

The eight-man field includes just one player who has previously won the event. Hield was the 3-point champion back in 2020 when he was still a member of the Kings. He also has the highest 3PT% of any of this season’s participants at 42.3% — that ranks 11th in the NBA among qualified players in 2022/23, so none of the league’s top 10 shooters are participating.

Last year’s winner, Karl-Anthony Towns, remains sidelined for the Timberwolves due to a calf strain, so he won’t get the chance to defend his title.

Markkanen will be the hometown favorite, with the event scheduled to take place this coming Saturday in Salt Lake City.

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Sixers Sign Dewayne Dedmon

February 14th, 2023 at 9:31am CST by Arthur Hill

FEBRUARY 14: The Sixers have officially signed Dedmon, the team confirmed in a press release.

FEBRUARY 13: Former Heat center Dewayne Dedmon has agreed to a contract with the Sixers for the rest of the season, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Philadelphia wasn’t able to find a backup center before last week’s trade deadline, so the team is turning to Dedmon, who has filled that role for numerous clubs throughout his 10-year NBA career. The 33-year-old has played for seven franchises, including an 11-game stint with the Sixers in 2013/14.

Dedmon began this season as the reserve center in Miami, but things turned sour after he lost that role to two-way player Orlando Robinson. In January, Dedmon was suspended for one game after a sideline incident with coach Erik Spoelstra and assistant Caron Butler. He apologized to the team, but only appeared in one game after that confrontation.

Last week, the Heat traded Dedmon to the Spurs along with a 2028 second-round pick in exchange for cash considerations. San Antonio waived him two days later.

Dedmon will try to revive his career in Philadelphia, where management had been seeking a veteran big man to back up Joel Embiid. Dedmon was averaging 5.7 points and 3.6 rebounds with Miami this season in 11.7 minutes per night.

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