2023 April | Hoops Rumors

Contract Details: Samanic, Carey, Lakers, Cauley-Stein, More

April 11th, 2023 at 7:05am CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz used a portion of their mid-level exception to give Luka Samanic a rest-of-season salary of $432,795 on his new two-year deal, Hoops Rumors has learned. A minimum salary for 2022/23 for the final three days of the season would have paid Samanic just $32,795, so Utah took advantage of its flexibility with the MLE to give him significantly more than that.

In return, the Jazz will have Samanic under contract for a non-guaranteed minimum salary in 2023/24. His $2.07MM cap hit would become partially guaranteed for $400K if he isn’t waived on or before July 18. That partial guarantee would increase to $600K after October 23.

Vernon Carey Jr., the other player who signed with the Jazz during the season’s final weekend, also got a portion of the team’s mid-level exception, receiving $100K for the end of the 2022/23 season. Like Samanic, Carey has a non-guaranteed minimum salary for 2023/24 on his new deal. He doesn’t have any offseason guarantee dates, but would be assured of receiving his full ’23/24 salary (approximately $2MM) if he remains under contract through October 23.

We have a few more details on recently signed contracts:

Both Tristan Thompson and Shaquille Harrison signed minimum-salary contracts with the Lakers, but Thompson’s deal only covers the rest of this season, while Harrison’s includes a non-guaranteed salary for 2023/24.
The contract that Willie Cauley-Stein signed with the Rockets on the final day of the regular season was just a one-year deal, so he’ll be an unrestricted free agent again this summer.
Kobi Simmons received a two-year, minimum-salary deal with a non-guaranteed 2023/24 salary when he was promoted to the Hornets‘ standard roster from his two-way contract.
The two-way contracts recently signed by RaiQuan Gray (Nets), Dereon Seabron (Pelicans), Jacob Gilyard (Grizzlies), and Xavier Sneed (Hornets) all include a second year.

Atlantic Notes: Randle, Maxey, Gray, Mazzulla

April 10th, 2023 at 11:08pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Injured All-Star Knicks power forward Julius Randle is now out of the protective walking boot he had worn since spraining his left ankle on March 29, writes Steve Popper of Newsday.

“Yeah, just the next step, following the protocol progression,” New York head coach Tom Thibodeau said of Randle’s departure from the boot. “So making good, steady progress.”

Popper notes that the team is hopeful Randle can return at some point during the postseason. The first game of the Knicks’ Eastern Conference quarterfinals matchup against the Cavaliers is scheduled for this Saturday.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey has had a 2022/23 season filled with peaks and valleys. At one point, he was demoted to a bench role in favor of De’Anthony Melton due to Melton’s defensive play. Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer unpacks how Maxey bounced back to once again becoming the team’s starting shooting guard. Maxey missed roughly six weeks of action due to fracturing a foot in November, and was relatively unaggressive upon his return. A pair of no-nonsense chats in February with All-NBA Philadelphia center Joel Embiid, who encouraged the third-year guard to look for his own shot more often, helped galvanize his resurgence. Maxey rejoined the club’s starting five on March 2. “I was just in a weird space mentally,” Maxey said of the slump. “Once I got out of that, I think I’ve helped us try to win games and came back to being myself. I feel like this was the same type of pace I was on at the beginning of the year, before I got hurt.”
The Nets’ new two-way signing, RaiQuan Gray, enjoyed a terrific debut game with Brooklyn on Sunday, scoring 16 points on 50% shooting, pulling down nine rebounds, dishing seven dimes and rejecting one shot. Net Income of Nets Daily unpacks potential next steps for the 23-year-old rookie. Net Income believes Brooklyn will extend a qualifying offer to Gray by the June 29 deadline and anticipates he will suit up for the team’s Summer League club in July.
First-year Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla is looking forward to facing Boston’s playoff challenges head-on, writes Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. “Listen, you can’t run away from the fact that the playoffs have a different consequence,” Mazzulla told Bulpett. “But the bigger things are, the more simple they are. So my goals are to do the same things I’ve done all season — rely on my staff, rely on the players and rely on the experience that I’ve had, because I’ve worked for great people… Our locker room is really intact, and I think that’s just as important as anything else.”

Raptors Notes: Barnes, Shooting Struggles, Strange Season, Anunoby

April 10th, 2023 at 8:41pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The evolution of second-year Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, the reigning Rookie Of The Year, is ultimately more important than how the team performs in this year’s playoffs, opines Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.

“I’m not super different [that last year],” Barnes said following Toronto’s last game of the regular season. “I do the same things, just a little bit better.”

“The biggest thing is [Barnes] is still really, really young,” head coach Nick Nurse said. “We like a lot of things about him, a lot about his approach. He’s competitive. He’s big. He’s strong. He loves to play. Those skills and things, I think, are what he has to continue to work on and improve. You know how it is: If you’re gonna be an All-Star or a great player in this league, you’ve got to score.”

There’s more out of Toronto:

The Raptors have had an underwhelming shooting regular season from long range, Grange writes in another article. “I think, listen, for us to really hit another level I think our shot-making still has to get a little better,” Nurse said. “I think we’re creating really good shots for guys that are pretty good historical shooters, and those numbers still have some room to go up.” Toronto will square off against the Bulls in a must-win play-in game Wednesday.
The Raptors’ disappointing 41-41 2022/23 season was marred by inconsistent play including an unsustainable defense, an ill-fitting roster, and perhaps some coaching issues, writes Doug Smith of The Star.
Versatile defender OG Anunoby could serve as the key to the Raptors’ efforts against the Bulls during their play-in matchup, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. Anunoby will most likely be tasked with stopping Chicago’s lone All-Star, ex-Raptor DeMar DeRozan, a former teammate of Anunoby’s. “He’s a very patient player,” Anunoby said. “When I came in I was definitely over-aggressive, biting on his head fakes and stuff, just little tricks he had. I definitely learned from him.”

Rockets Notes: Martin, Stone, Rookies, Next Coach

April 10th, 2023 at 7:19pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Rockets small forward Kenyon Martin Jr. has endeared himself to Houston with his play this season. As we’ve previously noted, the team has a variety of options for how it can retain the 6’6″ swingman into next season.

The Rockets hold a $1.93MM team option on Martin for the 2023/24 season that they could opt to exercise, though that would put him on track for unrestricted free agency in 2024. Turning down the option would allow Houston to make him a restricted free agent this summer. Martin is also extension-eligible.

As Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required) writes, while the Rockets are weighing their various options, Martin is trying to focus only on what he can control.

“If there’s a conversation that happens between us, that’s the most that can happen,” Martin said. “There’s nothing I can really do to control that side of it. Whatever they want to do, whether it’s this year or next year, whatever it may be, that’s on them. I’m just here to play basketball and hope it happens for the future.”

“Obviously, it’s important to me, contract extension and stuff like that,” Martin said. “There’s a lot of stuff that goes into it, the draft, a lot of stuff in the summer that goes into it. I can’t determine whether they’re going to … just wait until my fourth year is done. I’m just here to play and whether it’s this year or next year, I’m excited.”

There’s more out of Houston:

The future of Rockets general manager Rafael Stone may be on the line depending on how he performs during the 2023 offseason, according to Kelly Iko, Shams Charania, and Sam Amick of The Athletic. Stone will need to hire a new coach, draft well, and figure out how to use over $60MM in available cap space. “It could be a make or break summer for [Stone],” a source told The Athletic.
Rockets rookies Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, TyTy Washington Jr. had an intense first NBA season with Houston, writes Feigen in another piece. “Just the ups and downs of it — I don’t think anything prepares you for it,” Eason said. “You know it’s 82 games, so you’re not going to have a great night every night, whereas in college, there was a third of that. So you know, you could kind of dwell on your losses and things like that a little bit more.” Smith responded similarly when asked about his thoughts on what stood out from his first pro season. “Just the long grind, the ups and downs of the season,” Smith said. “The bad things, the quick turnarounds, how important it is to stay in the gym, really work on your craft, don’t take days off, just get better every day.”
Stone revealed that the next Rockets head coach will have the opportunity to select their own staff, Iko reports (via Twitter). “That’s not gonna be my decision,” Stone said. “I think it’s important that the new coach picks that.”

Pacers Notes: Hield, Smith, Nesmith, Hill, Turner, Offseason

April 10th, 2023 at 5:48pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Pacers starting shooting guard Buddy Hield unpacked his resurgent season in Indiana, as Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star writes.

“I wanted to come in this year and put a stamp on what I’ve been doing my whole career in the NBA and even next year take the next big jump too,” Hield said. “Staying locked in. Credit to my teammates each and every day, getting me open and finding me in the right spots.”

Dopirak notes that Hield’s volume three-point shooting was his biggest attribute for a rebuilding Indiana club. His 288 made three-pointers in 2022/23 represented both a career best and the second-most in the league this year.

There’s more out of Indiana:

Pacers power forward Jalen Smith had an uneven first full season with Indiana. He began the year as the team’s starting four, and was later moved to a reserve role before being benched altogether. After the club shut down starting center Myles Turner for the year, he played well upon being reintegrated into the team’s rotation. Smith spoke about his year, as Dopirak relays. “Every challenge and every obstacle helped me grow and helped me become a better person and better basketball player,” he said. “Nobody likes falling out of the rotation. Everybody wants to play basketball. That’s something we grew up loving. It’s tough as a young player still finding a place in the league and a niche and still trying to prove themselves. But everything happens for a reason. I take on challenges head on. It’s not going to deter my work ethic. It’s not going to deter my team aspect.”
Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith was promoted to a role as the team’s small-ball starting power forward midway through the season, and responded well to the task. He reflected about how he hopes to develop during the offseason. “This summer as opposed to previous summers, I have more of a game-plan for my summer, things I have to get better at on and off the floor,” Nesmith said, according to Dopirak. “In the weight room, body wise stuff, on and off the court. Things I really want to hone in and be better at. … It’s having the minutes, figuring out what my role is here, how I can help the team and how I can expand on that role in a positive way.”
Turner sounds relieved to have inked a new extension to remain in Indiana. He spoke with Pat Boylan of Bally Sports Indiana (Twitter video link) about his decision to stick around. “I’m so glad I was able to stay here, come to the city that fully embraced since I’ve been here,” Turner said. “I’m just hoping to build for years to come. … I’m at home, man.”
Veteran reserve point guard George Hill once again has reiterated his own desire to return to the floor for Indiana next season, as he told Boylan in a separate interview (Twitter video link). “You never know what the future holds for you,” Hill said. “If this is my last game, I can say I went out putting the ball in the basket a couple of times. I would love the opportunity to come back with these fans and this team.” Hill, 36, is an unrestricted free agent. His ties to Indiana basketball may help convince the front office to bring him back for another run.
The lottery-bound Pacers will have an intriguing offseason focused on building towards a brighter future. Bobby Marks of ESPN provided an in-depth guide to the team’s offseason (YouTube video link).

Wolves Confirm McDaniels Has Broken Hand, Out Indefinitely

April 10th, 2023 at 4:04pm CST by Rory Maher

Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels has sustained fractures of the third and fourth metacarpals of his right hand, the team announced in a press release.

According to the Wolves, the third-year small forward has been placed in a cast and is out indefinitely.

While Minnesota didn’t provide a recovery timeline, Jeff Stotts of InStreetClothes.com notes (via Twitter) that Pistons big man Marvin Bagley III sustained a similar injury in 2022/23 and missed 19 games and 54 days after undergoing surgery (20 total games). Based on that rough timeline, the Wolves will have to make a very deep postseason run for McDaniels to have a chance to return — the NBA Finals tip off on June 1.

The 22-year-old broke his hand on Sunday when he punched a wall in the arena tunnel out of frustration after picking up a couple early fouls. Sources tell Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link) that McDaniels apologized to the team and took responsibility for his error in judgment. Krawczynski points out that McDaniels went down a tunnel that was covered in a plastic curtain and was unaware of the concrete wall behind it.

McDaniels is the team’s top wing defender and had his best offensive season to date, averaging 12.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.9 SPG and 1.0 BPG on .517/.398/.736 shooting in 79 games, all starts (30.6 MPG). He will eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.

In other Minnesota health news, guard Jaylen Nowell is trending in a positive direction for Tuesday’s play-in game against the Lakers, reports Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News and SkorNorth (Twitter link). Nowell has missed 17 of the past 20 games due to left knee tendinopathy.

Magic To Relocate, Rebrand G League Affiliate

April 10th, 2023 at 3:29pm CST by Rory Maher

In a press release, the Magic say they have a “major announcement” scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. League sources tell Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (subscriber link) that the Magic will announce they are relocating and rebranding their G League affiliate.

The club’s G League affiliate currently plays at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland, Florida, which is roughly 55 miles from the Amway Center in downtown Orlando.

The problem is I-4 — the interstate highway between Lakeland and Orlando (it technically runs from Tampa to outside of Daytona Beach) — is frequently heavily congested with traffic and/or construction, making the travel tedious and about an hour-and-a-half.

According to Price, Orlando will be relocating its NBAGL affiliate to Kissimmee, specifically Osceola Heritage Park, where the team will play at the Silver Spurs Arena starting in November. That’s much closer to the Amway Center — about 24 miles or 31 minutes, per Google maps.

Orlando’s G League team will now be known as the Osceola Magic.

Kawhi Leonard, Bobby Portis Named Players Of The Week

April 10th, 2023 at 2:40pm CST by Rory Maher

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard and Bucks forward/center Bobby Portis have been named the NBA’s players of the week, the league announced today (via Twitter).

Leonard averaged 25.7 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists on .491/.389/.842 shooting in leading the Clippers to a 3-0 record last week. They secured the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference playoffs and will face Phoenix in the first round.

In 52 games this season, the two-time Finals MVP averaged 23.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals on .512/.416/.871 shooting. Leonard is under contract at $45.6MM in 2023/24 and holds a $48.8MM player option for ’24/25.

Portis, the East’s winner, averaged 20.0 points and 12.3 boards on .447/.591/.636 shooting in three games last week. The Bucks went 2-1 in those contests and 2-2 overall last week, resting some key players as they locked up the NBA’s top overall seed for the playoffs.

The 28-year-old averaged 14.1 points and a career-high 9.6 rebounds on .496/.370/.768 shooting in 70 games this season, primarily off the bench (22 starts, 26.0 minutes). The veteran big man should get some votes for Sixth Man of the Year following his strong regular season. Portis is under contract through at least ’24/25 with a player option for ’25/26.

According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other nominees in the West were Stephen Curry, Anthony Edwards, Brandon Ingram and LeBron James, while Jimmy Butler, Portis’ teammate Jrue Holiday, Immanuel Quickley and Pascal Siakam were nominated in the East.

Draft Notes: Strawther, Roach, Martin, Audige, More

April 10th, 2023 at 2:21pm CST by Rory Maher

Gonzaga’s Julian Strawther has declared for the 2023 NBA draft, he announced via Twitter. The junior wing didn’t say anything about maintaining his college eligibility, so we’re assuming he’s going to hire an agent and turn pro.

Strawther averaged 15.2 PPG and 6.2 RPG on .469/.408/.776 shooting in 37 games (31.2 MPG) this season for the Bulldogs. Gonzaga went 31-6, ultimately losing in the Elite Eight to UConn, the eventual champions.

Strawther, who turns 21 years old next week, is considered a potential second-round pick, as he’s ranked No. 50 on ESPN’s best available players list.

Here are some more draft related notes:

Duke guard Jeremy Roach (Twitter link), Florida Atlantic guard Alijah Martin (Twitter link), and Northwestern guard Chase Audige (Twitter link) are all declaring for the draft while maintaining their eligibility. Roach and Martin are juniors, while Audige is a redshirt senior who has one year of eligibility left due to COVID-19. None of the three are on ESPN’s list, so they’re considered unlikely to be drafted.
The Portsmouth Invitational tournament has released its rosters, as Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report relays (via Twitter). The Portsmouth tournament is often used a springboard for lesser-known prospects to try and get invites to the G League Elite Camp and then the NBA combine, Wasserman notes, with Tyrese Martin and Jared Rhoden among the players who successfully went down that path last year and played some NBA minutes in 2022/23.
In case you missed it, we released an update on the projected lottery standings and tentative draft order for each of the league’s 30 teams, as well as which picks will and won’t change hands.

Rudy Gobert Receives One-Game Suspension, Out Vs. Lakers

April 10th, 2023 at 1:23pm CST by Rory Maher

1:23pm: The Wolves officially confirmed Gobert’s one-game suspension in a press release.

12:36pm: Rudy Gobert isn’t traveling with the Timberwolves and will not compete in the play-in game against the Lakers on Tuesday after receiving a one-game suspension, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links).

Gobert is expected to return for the following game(s), whether that’s another play-in contest or a first-round playoff series, Wojnarowski adds.

According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link), the Wolves decided to suspend Gobert after reviewing his altercation with Kyle Anderson on Sunday, when Gobert took a swing at his frontcourt teammate. The two players continued to argue at halftime, with Gobert ultimately getting sent home by the team.

The three-time Defensive Player of the Year was experiencing back spasms that hindered his mobility, but was pushed to play yesterday due to the importance of the game. Reports indicated that Anderson profanely told Gobert to play better defense, which evidently caused Gobert to punch Anderson in the left shoulder/chest area. The veteran center subsequently privately and publicly apologized, but obviously the team didn’t take his actions lightly.

The Wolves will also be without Jaden McDaniels for the rest of the season after he broke his hand punching a wall. The third-year forward was frustrated after picking up two early fouls. Backup center Naz Reid is expected to miss several weeks as well following wrist surgery to repair a fracture.

Despite being down two starters for the majority of the game, Minnesota wound up defeating New Orleans in a close, back-and-forth game. The victory clinched the No. 8 seed entering the play-in tournament for the Wolves, while the Pelicans fell to No. 9.

The winner of the Lakers/Wolves matchup will advance as the No. 7 seed and play Memphis in the first round. The loser will play the winner of Wednesday’s Pelicans/Thunder matchup on Friday for a chance at the No. 8 seed.

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