2023 February | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Notes: Hart, McBride, Grimes, Brunson

February 12th, 2023 at 9:47am CST by Arthur Hill

Josh Hart‘s competitive fire was on display Saturday night in his first game with the Knicks, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Calling himself “a dog” in post-game interviews, Hart brought the defensive intensity the team was counting on when it acquired him Thursday in a four-team trade.

Hart delivered 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals in 26 minutes. He played the entire fourth quarter, sinking a late three-pointer to help stave off a Jazz rally, and appears to be a new fan favorite at Madison Square Garden.

“I’m a guy that’s gonna bring it every night,” he said. “I’m a guy that’s gonna be physical. I’m a guy that’s gonna do the dirty work. Going to rebound, going to defend. Get on the floor for a loose ball and do those kind of things. I feel like that style fits every team, especially a New York team. That’s what this city is about and what the city builds off of. I take that with pride. I’m just a blue-collar guy; I think that’s really going to work well here.”

There’s more on the Knicks:

Hart is expected to turn down his $13MM player option and become a free agent this summer, Bondy adds in a separate story. The Knicks have a few months to decide whether to make a long-term commitment to the 27-year-old guard, but with team president Leon Rose having served as Hart’s agent at CAA, a strong connection is already in place. “It’s definitely somewhere that I would definitely like to be,” Hart said of New York. “It’s my third time getting traded, sixth year in the league, fourth team, sixth head coach. It’s been a whirlwind. I didn’t think that was how my first six years were going to be, but I’m looking for a home, and I think this could be it.”
Hart’s arrival may mean reduced roles for Miles McBride and Quentin Grimes, observes Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post. McBride didn’t play at all Saturday, while Grimes was limited to 22 minutes and wasn’t used in the fourth quarter. McBride had played in the last 35 games and had been part of the rotation since early December. “Those things are tough, but you always have to do what’s best for the team,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “What makes the team function best, and we’ll go from there.”
Jalen Brunson turned in his latest huge scoring performance since being snubbed for the All-Star Game, Sanchez notes in a separate piece. Brunson has averaged 31 PPG in the five games since the All-Star reserves were announced.

Thunder Sign Olivier Sarr To Two-Way Contract

February 12th, 2023 at 8:38am CST by Arthur Hill

Center Olivier Sarr has returned to the Thunder on a two-way contract, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

The 23-year-old center signed a pair of 10-day contracts and then a two-way deal with Oklahoma City last season. He appeared in 22 total games, averaging 7.0 points and 4.2 rebounds, before being waived in April.

Sarr joined the Trail Blazers for training camp on an Exhibit 10 contract and was impressive enough in the preseason to earn a two-way deal with the team. However, he suffered a partial tear of a ligament in his right wrist that sidelined him for six weeks and he was waived in mid-November. In January, he signed with the Thunder’s G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue.

OKC had a two-way opening after converting Eugene Omoruyi‘s contract to a standard deal on Friday.

Terrence Ross To Sign With Suns Following Buyout

February 11th, 2023 at 11:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

Terrence Ross plans to join the Suns after his buyout with the Magic is complete, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Ross must clear waivers before he can sign with Phoenix.

Earlier in the day, Wojnarowski reported that the Mavericks were the frontrunners to add Ross, but he says that changed when new Suns owner Mat Ishbia and coach Monty Williams got involved. They were able to sell Ross on the idea of coming to Phoenix to join Kevin Durant in pursuit of a title.

The Suns have two open roster spots, so they can sign Ross without a corresponding move.

Dallas’ offer is limited to a pro-rated minimum contract, which is worth about $900K, points out Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype (Twitter link), while Phoenix has $5.2MM of its mid-level exception left and could offer more than the minimum (though it’s unclear whether they will).

Ross will help replace some of the wing depth the Suns had to send to Brooklyn in the Durant trade. He’s a career 36.2% shooter from three-point range and is connecting at 38.1% from long distance this season. He was averaging 8.0 PPG in 42 games for Orlando.

Atlantic Notes: Pritchard, D. Green, Ross, Harden, Raptors

February 11th, 2023 at 9:44pm CST by Arthur Hill

Payton Pritchard was a little surprised and disappointed to still be with the Celtics when the trade deadline passed Thursday afternoon, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. The third-year guard has proven he can contribute when he gets the opportunity, but he’s only averaging 12.6 minutes per game this season, the lowest figure of his career.

“I definitely was expecting and hoping (for a trade),” Pritchard said. “But you know, I (have to) look at the good things. We’re the best team in the NBA right now and we have a great team with really great players, so for me it’s an opportunity to learn and to keep growing.”

The Celtics were open to trading Pritchard and reportedly explored the market to see what they could get in return for him and Danilo Gallinari. One report said Pritchard was part of Boston’s offer to the Spurs for Jakob Poeltl, but San Antonio opted to send Poeltl to the Raptors.

Pritchard, a four-year college player, is already 25 and is hoping to find a situation soon that offers consistent playing time. The Celtics already picked up his option for next season, so there’s little he can do about his situation until the summer of 2024.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Danny Green and Terrence Ross are probably the most realistic targets for the Celtics in the buyout market, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. He points out that the $3.2MM disabled player exception that Boston received for Gallinari puts the team in position to outbid most competitors.
James Harden played his first game in Brooklyn tonight since being traded to the Sixers at last year’s deadline. Harden offered his thoughts about what went wrong for the Nets‘ Big Three and said he was glad to get out when he did, tweets Nick Friedell of ESPN. “I don’t look like the crazy one,” Harden said. “I don’t look like the guy or the quitter or whatever the media want to call me. I knew what was going on and I just decided to … hey, I’m not built for this. I don’t want to deal with that. I want to play basketball and have fun.”
The Raptors had to renounce their rights to six former players to complete the Poeltl trade, tweets Spotrac contributor Keith Smith. They are Isaac Bonga, Jeremy Lin, Jodie Meeks, Lucas Nogueira, Jason Thompson, and longtime restricted free agent Nando De Colo.

Nets Notes: Bridges, Marks, Durant, TV Schedule

February 11th, 2023 at 8:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mikal Bridges had been a fixture in the Suns‘ rotation since he joined the team in 2018, but he wasn’t surprised that Phoenix was willing to trade him when the opportunity to get Kevin Durant arose, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN. Speaking alongside Cameron Johnson in their first press conference as members of the Nets, Bridges said no one can be considered untouchable when a star like Durant is in play.

“It’s KD. I get it. I 100 percent get it,” Bridges said. “That’s just how it is. I would rather say I’d rather be happy that I got traded for KD than probably like somebody else who I didn’t think would be good or something like that. So just being a realist at the end of the day. Obviously, I’m going to miss everyone there, miss my home, miss all my friends that’s back there, but I get it. You’re getting Kevin Durant, bro. Maybe I would have probably made that trade too.”

Bridges said he didn’t believe the news at first when teammate Damion Lee broke it to him in a phone call. He also had a brief moment of panic when he thought his streak of playing 365 consecutive games might end. Bridges was held out of Thursday’s contest against the Bulls, but the NBA ruled that it didn’t count as a missed game because he hadn’t officially reported to the Nets. Because Bridges appeared in 56 games as a Sun and has the opportunity to take part in up to 27 with Brooklyn, he could actually play 83 games this season.

There’s more from Brooklyn:

Although their stars are now gone, general manager Sean Marks believes the Nets are in a better position than when he joined the organization in 2016, per Alex Schiffer of The Athletic. At the time, Marks felt he was rebuilding from scratch with very little talent or draft capital to work with. Now he has a roster of proven NBA players, although their roles and long-term fit still have to be determined. “The last time I took over I didn’t have anything,” Marks said. “So it definitely looks different.”
Marks was able to talk Durant into rescinding the trade request he made last summer, and the GM was asked at a meeting with reporters after the deadline if he tried to do it again, Schiffer adds. “I think there’s a limit, right?” Marks responded. “I mean, you can certainly try and convince guys and you put your best foot forward and say here’s what the roster looks like, here’s what we’re trying to do. But at the end of the day, I think this works out for all parties included.”
With Durant and Kyrie Irving gone, the Nets are less appealing for national TV games. ESPN has dropped Brooklyn’s February 15 contest against Miami and replaced it with a Cavaliers-Sixers matchup, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post.

Southeast Notes: Bey, R. Jackson, Mykhailiuk, Bamba

February 11th, 2023 at 7:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Hawks believe they improved their rotation at the deadline, assuming one of their deals goes through, writes Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The team is still waiting to find out if it will add Saddiq Bey, who was acquired from the Pistons in a four-team trade that’s still pending after Gary Payton II failed his physical with the Warriors. Golden State has until Sunday night to make a final decision.

Atlanta, which also added Bruno Fernando and Garrison Mathews in a separate trade with Houston, believes Bey can be part of its long-term future. The 23-year-old can play either forward spot and would add another dimension to the offense with his outside shooting.

“He was a starter for Detroit a couple years ago and this season, and some of last season he started to come off the bench,” Atlanta coach Nate McMillan said. “But he’s a guy who can put the ball in the basket, who can help spread the floor for you.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Reggie Jackson and the Hornets have reached an agreement that he doesn’t have to report to the team, tweets Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Boone adds that buyout talks are ongoing with Jackson, who was acquired from the Clippers on Thursday. The Suns and Nuggets are believed to be among the teams with the greatest interest in Jackson once he hits the open market.
Svi Mykhailiuk, whom the Hornets landed from the Knicks in a four-team trade, told reporters before Saturday’s game that he originally believed he was heading to the Trail Blazers in the deal, Boone relays (via Twitter). Mykhailiuk’s agent informed him about an hour before the deadline that he was going to Charlotte.
The Magic have more roster and salary cap flexibility after sending center Mohamed Bamba to the Lakers on Thursday, notes Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando selected Bamba with the sixth pick in the 2018 draft, but he fell out of the rotation and didn’t appear to have a future with the team. Bamba began the season as the primary backup to Wendell Carter Jr., but Moritz Wagner has taken over that role. The Magic wanted to ship Bamba to a team where he’s likely to play more often and were happy to get a future second-round pick in return, according to Price, who hears from league sources that the Clippers, Raptors and Celtics also expressed interest.

Warriors’ Decision On Gary Payton II Trade Due By Sunday Night

February 11th, 2023 at 6:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors must decide by 9:30 pm Eastern time on Sunday whether to rescind a four-team trade in the wake of Gary Payton II‘s failed physical, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. He adds that Golden State may take another day to evaluate Payton’s condition and determine if it’s in the team’s best interest to keep him.

Sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link) that Warriors officials believe the Trail Blazers withheld important information about Payton’s condition prior to the trade, which was completed shortly before Thursday’s deadline. Payton is dealing with a core muscle injury that Golden State’s medical staff says could sideline him for up to three months. The muscle issue prevented Payton from making his season debut until January 2, but he has been playing regularly since then.

Portland general manager Joe Cronin insists the Blazers were completely open in trade negotiations, saying Friday that the organization was “confident that he was healthy.”

At stake is a complex trade in which the Hawks acquired Saddiq Bey from the Pistons; the Pistons received former lottery pick James Wiseman from the Warriors; the Trail Blazers landed Kevin Knox from the Pistons, three second-round picks from Atlanta and two second-rounders from Golden State; and the Warriors re-acquired Payton from Portland, along with two second-round picks from Atlanta.

Because the trade deadline has passed, the terms of the deal can’t be altered, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. Initial reporting indicated that might be an option after news broke about the failed physical, but Marks has learned that accepting the trade in its current form or rescinding it entirely are the Warriors’ only choices.

Marks reports that the NBA issued a reminder to each team last week that medical information on players had to be fully disclosed in trade talks (Twitter link). The Warriors could ask the league to investigate (there’s precedent for a team being retroactively rewarded a draft pick in such a case), but Marks notes that it could take weeks or months to complete and wouldn’t help the team with its current decision.

Multiple league sources tell Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area that Golden State is strongly considering holding on to Payton, even if he’s out of action indefinitely. Poole notes that the Warriors’ perimeter defense has been an issue lately, and Payton showed last season that he can make a difference as a point-of-attack defender.

Tim Kawakami of The Athletic first reported that Golden State would have until Sunday to make a final decision on the Payton trade.

Russell Westbrook Will Take Time To Consider Next Move

February 11th, 2023 at 5:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

Russell Westbrook‘s decision on his NBA future may not happen until the All-Star break, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Lakers sent Westbrook to the Jazz on Thursday as part of a three-team trade. Sources tell Wojnarowski that CEO Danny Ainge, general manager Justin Zanik and coach Will Hardy have informed Westbrook that he’s welcome to report to the team and finish the season in Utah. However, the Jazz are planning to prioritize their younger players, so there’s no guarantee that Westbrook will see regular playing time.

The 34-year-old guard is considered a strong buyout candidate, but he’ll have to give up part of the pro-rated money remaining on his $47MM+ salary for that to happen. In order to be eligible for the playoffs with another team, Westbrook would have to complete a buyout with Utah by March 1.

There are three scenarios in play for Westbrook, Wojnarowski adds. He can pursue buyout talks, he can report to the team and accept whatever role the coaching staff gives him, or he can stay home and collect the rest of this season’s salary.

Wojnarowski hears that the Bulls, Clippers and Heat are among several teams interested in Westbrook if he becomes a free agent. Chicago is coached by Billy Donovan, Westbrook’s former coach in Oklahoma City; L.A. has prominent veterans pushing for Westbrook’s addition; and Miami wasn’t able to find point guard help before the trade deadline.

Raptors Sign Joe Wieskamp To Multiyear Deal

February 11th, 2023 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

5:00 pm: Wieskamp’s deal is worth the minimum salary and doesn’t currently include any guaranteed money for 2023/24, tweets Anil Gogna of No Trade Clause. Wieskamp’s salary for next season would become guaranteed if he remains under contract beyond June 30.

10:15am: The Raptors have signed free agent swingman Joe Wieskamp to a multiyear contract, the team announced today in a press release.

Wieskamp previously signed a pair of 10-day contracts with Toronto in January. Because teams aren’t permitted to sign a player to more than two standard 10-day deals in a single season, the Raptors were unable to bring back the 23-year-old without committing to him for at least the rest of 2022/23.

Now that the trade deadline has passed and Toronto still had an open spot on its 15-man roster, the club has decided to re-sign Wieskamp to fill that opening.

In his first 20 days as a Raptor, Wieskamp appeared in just two games, scoring nine points in 17 minutes and making 3-of-4 three-pointers. The former Iowa standout has spent most of this season in the G League, where he has averaged 16.7 PPG and made 41.2% of his threes in 19 total contests for the Wisconsin Herd and Raptors 905.

Wieskamp was drafted 41st overall in 2021 by the Spurs and spent most of his rookie season on a two-way contract with San Antonio. The 23-year-old re-signed with the Spurs last August on a two-year deal that included a guaranteed $2.175MM salary for 2022/23, but was the victim of a roster crunch in San Antonio and was waived in October just before the regular season tipped off.

The deal with Wieskamp likely means that the Raptors won’t be a player in the buyout market, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). While Toronto could waive a player to open up another roster spot if needed, its team salary is quite close to the luxury tax line, Murphy notes.

The exact terms of Wieskamp’s new contract aren’t yet known, but it seems unlikely to include much – if any – guaranteed money beyond the current season. Assuming it’s a minimum-salary deal, he’ll earn $545,989 for the rest of 2022/23.

Hornets Notes: Deadline Deals, 2023 FAs, Bridges, Rozier, Hayward

February 11th, 2023 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The fact that both Jalen McDaniels and Mason Plumlee were on track for unrestricted free agency this summer was a major factor in the Hornets‘ decision to trade them at Thursday’s deadline and get what draft assets they could for the duo, president of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak said on Friday, per Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.

“You don’t know what their value is going to be (in free agency),” Kupchak said. “They are both having great years. You don’t know what the market is going to look like (and) we have a bunch of other players that are also going to be free agents. So, something I’ve learned is you can’t pay everybody and these are hard decisions, especially Jalen.”

As Kupchak alludes to, other key Hornets players who are headed for free agency include forward P.J. Washington, wing Kelly Oubre, and big man Nick Richards. According to Boone, re-signing Washington is a priority and the team would like to retain Oubre. A new deal for Richards will be on Charlotte’s radar too, so the idea of also re-signing both Plumlee and McDaniels didn’t make sense for a team hoping to maintain some cap flexibility.

“When I got to Charlotte, we had, I don’t know, four or five contracts that all went out three or four years,” Kupchak said. “And made it difficult for us to navigate and get through the first two or three years and kind of wean ourselves away from those contracts. We’ve got to be careful that we don’t put ourselves in that same situation.

“Is Jalen a starter if Gordon (Hayward) comes back and we are looking at a very attractive draft pick?”

Here’s more from Kupchak, via Boone:

Although the Hornets could create a significant chunk of cap room this summer, Kupchak says he doesn’t anticipate the club being especially active on the free agent market. “The way we are going to get better is through the draft and player development, and then if we get lucky make a couple of savvy trades,” he said. “Every now and then, you might be able to get into the free agency market and get a player. And I’m hopeful that down the road a little bit we can become a very attractive team, even for a small market, and maybe we can get a big fish. But right now, I don’t think that’s how we have to look at it.”
According to Boone, it looks like the Hornets are waiting for the NBA’s investigation into the Miles Bridges situation to be resolved before they engage in possible contract talks with him. Accused of domestic abuse, Bridges took a plea deal to avoid jail time, but could still face a lengthy suspension depending on the outcome of the NBA’s probe. “I don’t know when the investigation is going to end,” Kupchak said. “When the investigation ends, we will have more information and we’ll go from there.”
Kupchak didn’t explicitly deny that Terry Rozier and Hayward came up in trade talks, but he said the Hornets weren’t actively looking to move either player and recognized well in advance of the deadline that’s not the direction they’d go. The front office was reluctant to majorly reconfigure the roster due in part to how many injuries the club has endured this season. “We’ve got to be careful not to assume that what happened this year is a fair representation of what this team really is,” Kupchak said. “If we were healthy this season relatively, and our team was intact, and we had the season that we are having right now, then it’s something that maybe you’ve got to make a big move, I didn’t feel, we didn’t feel, that the way this season played out to date that this season was something we had to react quickly on.”

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