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Month: November 2024

Nets Notes: Bridges, Thomas, Claxton, Johnson

March 12th, 2024 at 6:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cam Thomas returned from an ankle sprain for the last two Nets games and it’s had a positive effect on their top player, Mikal Bridges, according to The New York Post’s Brian Lewis.

Thomas had 29 points and five assists in a win over Cleveland on Sunday, while Bridges had his best offensive output in five games, supplying 25 points and five assists. Bridges shot 9-for-14 from the field.

“It was good for Mikal, too, to see some shots go in, and coming off the curl, playing off [Thomas], just taking the pressure off himself and stepping up,” interim coach Kevin Ollie said. “He puts so much work in, so I know those seeds that he’s planted are going to bloom and blossom at some point.”

We have more on the Nets:

  • Speaking of Thomas, the team is looking for him to be a more well-rounded player instead of just being known as a scorer, Lewis writes. He showed signs of that against the Cavaliers. “Yeah, we challenged him about the EGBs [energy-generating behaviors]. He had seven rebounds, five assists. So it wasn’t all his scoring,” Ollie said. “He was contributing in other ways, and that’s great to see. I want him to keep that up. We’re gonna keep challenging him. We want him to be a masterpiece on the offensive end and a masterpiece on a defensive end. And he can do it. But we’ve got to keep challenging [him].”
  • Thomas is extension-eligible this offseason and it’ll be tough to attach a dollar figure to him due to his reputation as a one-dimensional player, Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily.com opines. Meanwhile, unrestricted free agent Nic Claxton will be one of the top players on the market. Claxton is the team’s defensive stalwart but his inconsistent performances sometimes lead to bad losses, Kaplan writes.
  • Forward Cameron Johnson has been upgraded to probable for the team’s road game against the Magic on Wednesday, Lewis tweets. Johnson has missed the last three games.
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Karl-Anthony Towns Undergoes Knee Surgery

March 12th, 2024 at 4:22pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair a left knee lateral meniscus tear, the team announced in press release. He will be reevaluated in four weeks, the statement adds.

Towns obviously won’t return for the regular season. The reevaluation timeline leaves the door open for Towns to make it back sometime during the postseason, depending on how his rehab goes and how deep a run Minnesota makes.

Towns was diagnosed with the injury after his most recent outing on March 4 against Portland. The Timberwolves have gone 1-2 since Towns was sidelined, sliding to third place in the Western Conference standings.

Towns, whose career has been marred by long-term injuries in recent seasons, averaged 22.1 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 60 games this season.

A Grade 3 calf strain limited him to 29 regular season games last season. However, Towns bounced back strongly this season, sitting out only two games until he experienced soreness in his knee.

Naz Reid has averaged 24 points and six rebounds the past three games. The team signed T.J. Warren to a 10-day contract, which expires on Friday, and he’s gotten rotation minutes off the bench with Reid sliding into the starting lineup. Warren is averaging 5.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in 17.0 minutes per night over the past three games.

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Darius Bazley Signs With Jazz

March 12th, 2024 at 4:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

MARCH 12: Bazley has officially signed with the Jazz and they’ve terminated the 10-day contract of guard Kinsey, according to a team press release.

As we relayed in a separate story, Lofton officially signed his contract with Utah on Monday when the team waived Porter.

MARCH 11: The Jazz will sign Darius Bazley to a three-year, non-guaranteed contract, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Utah will also add Kenneth Lofton Jr. under the same terms, Wojnarowski tweets.

Bazley, a 23-year-old center/power forward, made a brief NBA appearance last month when he signed a 10-day contract with the Sixers. He saw limited playing time in three games and didn’t receive a second 10-day deal.

Bazley returned to the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League, where’s he’s averaging 20.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in 22 regular season games.

The Jazz will be third team this season for Lofton, a 21-year-old power forward. He began the season in Memphis, where he played on a two-way contract in 2022/23, but he was waived in mid-December after appearing in 15 games.

The Sixers signed him to a two-way contract five days later, but released him at the beginning of March. He’s averaging 2.4 points and 1.1 rebounds in 17 total games this season.

Utah currently has a full roster, but that includes Taevion Kinsey, whose 10-day contract began on Saturday. Kinsey may be released early from that deal, or the Jazz could wait a few days to make the Bazley or Lofton signings official.

Veteran forward Otto Porter, who hasn’t played since being acquired from Toronto at the trade deadline, seems likely to be waived to open another roster spot.

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Latest On Stephen Curry

March 12th, 2024 at 3:54pm CST by Luke Adams

After announcing on Saturday that Stephen Curry would miss at least two games due to his sprained right ankle, the Warriors provided an update on their two-time MVP on Tuesday, issuing a press release (via Twitter) stating that he has been cleared for on-court workouts.

Curry, who injured his ankle last Thursday vs. Chicago, was unavailable for a pair of games vs. the Spurs on Saturday and Monday and has been ruled out for Wednesday’s matchup with the Mavericks. According to Golden State, he’s expected to join the team in Los Angeles for practice on Friday and will be reevaluated again following that practice.

After Wednesday’s contest in Dallas, Golden State will be in action on Saturday vs. the Lakers, and it sounds as if Curry might be able to return for that game, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. If that’s the case, it would be great news for the Warriors, who are battling for play-in positioning and currently trail L.A. by one game for the No. 9 seed in the West.

Curry hasn’t been at his best in recent weeks, making just 37.0% of his shots from the field, including 32.8% of his threes, over his past 10 games. However, his season-long numbers remain strong — he has averaged 26.9 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.4 rebounds in 32.8 minutes per game across 59 starts, with a .449/.407/.920 shooting line.

The 15-year veteran, who will turn 36 this Thursday, needs to play in six more games to be eligible for end-of-season awards, including All-NBA. If he doesn’t return on Saturday in Los Angeles, his next opportunity to play would be in the Bay Area next Monday as the Warriors open a three-game home stand by hosting the Knicks.

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Rockets’ Sengun Has Severe Ankle Sprain, Bone Bruise On Knee

March 12th, 2024 at 3:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

MARCH 12: It’s a Grade 3 right ankle sprain for Sengun, according to Shams Charania of Stadium (Twitter video link), who confirms that the big man will be out for several weeks and is unlikely to return this season. The bone bruise isn’t considered as serious as shouldn’t take as long as the ankle to heal, sources tell Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link).

MARCH 11: Rockets center Alperen Sengun has a severely sprained ankle and a bone bruise on his right knee, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (Twitter link).

All things considered, the news isn’t as bad as it could have been. Sengun escaped a major injury to his knee, though he’s likely done for the season. While that hasn’t been officially determined yet, “significant healing” would have to occur for him to be cleared to play before the end of the season, sources tell Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

The Rockets’ regular season finale is April 14 and they’re 4.5 games behind the Warriors for the final play-in spot in the Western Conference.

Sengun underwent an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of the damage.

The breakout star big man was taken off the court in a wheelchair with 39.1 seconds remaining the Rockets’ 112-104 victory over Kings Sunday night. Sengun landed awkwardly after contesting a shot in transition by Domantas Sabonis. He immediately grabbed his right knee in agony and put his hands over his face as he was wheeled off the court.

Sengun is averaging 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game in his third season with the Rockets and is a prime candidate for the Most Improved Player award, even though he fell short of the 65-game minimum required for award eligibility. A player who appears in at least 62 games and then suffers a season-ending injury can retain his eligibility if he appeared in at least 85% of his team’s games and is deemed more likely than not to be sidelined through May 31.

Sengun will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason.

With the Rockets’ starting center out, Jock Landale, Jeff Green and Boban Marjanovic could all see a jump in playing time.

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Lakers Notes: Vincent, Vanderbilt, Bronny, Russell

March 12th, 2024 at 2:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Lakers guard Gabe Vincent, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in late December, has been cleared for non-contact on-court work, head coach Darvin Ham told reporters today (Twitter link via Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group).

Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic reported on Monday during an appearance on FanDuel’s Run It Back (Twitter video link) that Vincent had progressed to “conditioning and ramping up,” adding that he could return to action as soon as next week. While that remains possible, Ham’s update on Tuesday suggests that the veteran still isn’t taking contact, so he has a little more work to do before he’s ready to suit up.

Vincent, who received a three-year deal worth most of the Lakers’ mid-level exception this season, has been limited to just five appearances due to health issues after having been an important part of Miami’s rotation during the team’s NBA Finals run last spring. He’s owed guaranteed salaries of $11MM in 2024/25 and $11.5MM in ’25/26.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

  • Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt, sidelined since February 1 due to a left foot sprain, doesn’t appear to be quite as far along as Vincent in his rehab process. Ham said today that Vanderbilt is making progress but hasn’t yet been cleared for on-court work (Twitter link via Price).
  • With USC’s season nearing its end, Bronny James has yet to establish himself as “any kind of draftable player for 2024,” according to John Hollinger of The Athletic, who writes that the idea of LeBron James teaming up with his son next season in Los Angeles looks increasingly unlikely. The optimal developmental path for Bronny probably involves him remaining in college for at least another year, Hollinger adds.
  • Within the same Athletic story, Hollinger notes that D’Angelo Russell‘s expiring contract has long been viewed as a logical trade asset for the Lakers this offseason, but wonders whether it’s a lock that the point guard will pick up his $18.7MM player option for 2024/25, given how well he has played as of late (22.5 PPG and 6.4 APG on .477/.457/.848 shooting in his past 26 games). If Russell opts out, it could complicate Los Angeles’ plans on the trade market, Hollinger observes, since the team won’t have any other sizable expiring deals.
  • It’s impossible to predict how this Lakers’ season will end, Bill Plaschke writes in a column for The Los Angeles Times. As Plaschke details, a recent stretch that included impressive wins over Oklahoma City, Milwaukee, and Minnesota also featured disappointing losses to potential playoff opponents like Denver and Sacramento. Ham said on Sunday that he believes the team is “trending in the right direction,” but stressed that L.A. must bear down to continue that trend: “Just take things one day at a time, one game at a time.”
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Community Shootaround: 2024 Buyout Market Impact

March 12th, 2024 at 1:01pm CST by Luke Adams

As our tracker shows, eight notable veteran players were waived at some point after last month’s trade deadline and subsequently landed with teams that have playoff or championship aspirations. Those players are as follows:

Unlike last year, when Russell Westbrook joined the Clippers after being let go by Utah, there are no former MVPs in this year’s group of buyout-market additions. But Lowry is a six-time All-Star; he and Mills have won titles; Gallinari, Dinwiddie, and Young have strong career résumés; and guys like Wright and Muscala have been consistent, reliable contributors for years.

Of course, it’s rare for any buyout market acquisitions to play important roles for championship-caliber clubs, and several of these players likely won’t be part of their respective teams’ playoff rotations. Still, Lowry is starting for the Sixers, while Gallinari is playing semi-regular minutes for a Bucks team that appears capable of making a deep postseason run. Others could emerge as key contributors, especially in the event of injuries.

This was also the first season that a new rule was in place prohibiting players who were earning more than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($12.4MM) before they were waived from joining teams whose salaries are above either tax apron.

That rule applied to Lowry and Dinwiddie, who weren’t eligible to sign with the Celtics, Nuggets, Warriors, Clippers, Heat, Bucks, or Suns. Those seven teams are also prohibited from signing a couple of veterans still available in free agency: Marcus Morris and Joe Harris.

Those tax-apron teams were still able to be players on the buyout market, but they were only able to target free agents whose pre-waiver salaries had been below $12.4MM, such as Gallinari, Wright, Mills, and Young.

Now that the NBA’s buyout season is just about over, we want to know what you think about this year’s moves. Which buyout market addition has the potential to make the biggest postseason impact? Will any of the players still on the free agent market play rotation roles for playoff teams? Did you appreciate the new restrictions placed on apron teams in the buyout market or find that rule unnecessary?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your two cents!

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Southeast Notes: Wizards, Wright, Peterson, Mosley

March 12th, 2024 at 11:38am CST by Luke Adams

Ted Leonsis‘ plan to move the Wizards from Washington, D.C. to Alexandria, Virginia appears to be on life support, according to David Aldridge of The Athletic.

As Aldridge details, Virginia senator Louise Lucas, who is the chair of the state senate’s Finance and Appropriations Committee, removed the proposal to build a new arena and “entertainment district” from the state’s 2024 budget, and that budget was approved on Saturday by Virginia’s General Assembly.

While it’s possible that proposal will be revived and regain momentum as a result of various political maneuvering, Aldridge believes the setback gives Leonsis a chance to return to the bargaining table with D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser to figure out a deal that would keep the Wizards in Washington going forward. Reaching a compromise to keep the Wizards in the nation’s capital would allow everyone to save face, Aldridge contends.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

  • Heat guard Delon Wright, who signed with Miami last month after being waived by Washington, has been a DNP-CD for five straight games, including a surprising loss to his former team on Sunday. However, he’s not complaining about his role, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “I’m just trying to stay as ready as I can,” Wright said. “I can’t complain too much because I’m coming into a different situation with a team that just went to the Finals. I’m just trying to fit in. I’m not in a position to be moping around. So I just have to stay ready whenever I’m called upon and do the best I can with whatever role they give me.”
  • Nets guard Dennis Schröder, who knew Jeff Peterson in Atlanta before reuniting with him briefly in Brooklyn, said the Hornets‘ new head of basketball operations is a “great human being” who is honest, straightforward, and holds people accountable, per Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Peterson is already making a positive impression on Hornets players, Boone adds. “Yeah, he’s engaged,” Miles Bridges said. “He’s coming to every practice, every game. And just to have a GM who cares and shows up all the time means a lot.”
  • Jamahl Mosley‘s new four-year extension with the Magic doesn’t include a team option for the 2027/28 season, a league source tells Josh Robbins of The Athletic. That reporting suggests the deal is fully guaranteed.
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And-Ones: NBA Media Rights, Bell, 2024 Draft, Sheppard

March 12th, 2024 at 9:39am CST by Luke Adams

The exclusive media rights negotiating window between the NBA and current partners Disney and Turner is open until April 22, and sources recently told Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal they believe the parties entered those negotiations roughly three-quarters of the way toward an agreement based on their preliminary talks in recent months.

According to Friend, those sources also expect the in-season tournament – now known as the Emirates NBA Cup – to be part of the Disney and Turner packages rather than going to a streaming service such as Apple or Netflix.

Once the current exclusive negotiating window closes on April 22, Amazon and Apple are expected to talk to the NBA, with Amazon considered the favorite for the league’s national streaming rights and Apple viewed as likelier to pursue a smaller “singular” event, such as perhaps the play-in tournament, says Friend. The SBJ report also suggests that NBC is a candidate to regain some broadcast rights.

NBA team executives think the overall media rights deal will end up being worth about $60-72 billion, with negotiations potentially concluding in June or July, Friend reports. The league’s previous media rights deal was worth $24 billion over nine years.

  • Former NBA big man Jordan Bell is leaving the Indiana Mad Ants – the Pacers‘ G League affiliate – with a few weeks remaining in the NBAGL season. According to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files, Bell agreed to a buyout with the Mad Ants and is pursuing an international opportunity. Bell’s destination isn’t yet known, but Agness believes he’s likely headed back to the Chinese Basketball Association, where he played in 2022/23.
  • In an Insider-only story for ESPN.com, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo preview this week’s NCAA conference tournaments, posing 15 burning questions to be answered, including what version of UConn’s Stephon Castle will show up in the Big East tournament and whether Isaiah Collier‘s stock, which has bounced back since he returned from a hand injury in February, will continue to rise in the Pac-12 tourney.
  • Kentucky freshman Reed Sheppard ranks second overall on the newest 2024 big board from Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer and is the No. 1 pick in O’Connor’s mock draft (to San Antonio).
  • Law Murray of The Athletic takes a look at how all 30 NBA teams have adjusted their rotations and depth charts since the start of the season.
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