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Raptors Notes: Siakam, Trade Rumors, Quickley, Barnes

December 31st, 2023 at 8:33am CST by Luke Adams

After word of the OG Anunoby trade broke on Saturday, the general consensus among league insiders who spoke to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca is that the Raptors were just getting started, with multiple sources suggesting that the deal with the Knicks may be the first of several moves made by Toronto.

“It’s a reboot around Scottie Barnes, that’s for sure,” one source told Grange.

After previously reporting that league sources expect Pascal Siakam to be on the move sooner or later, Grange adds the Mavericks to the list of teams likely to to pursue the Raptors forward. The Hawks, Pacers, and Kings are the clubs that have been repeatedly cited as presumed suitors for Siakam.

Jalen Johnson was a player the Raptors coveted in previous talks with Atlanta, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, though the Hawks won’t be particularly inclined to include him in an offer in the midst of his breakout season. Along similar lines, the Kings have been unwilling to discuss former No. 4 overall pick Keegan Murray, Scotto confirms.

As Scotto has previously observed, Pacers forward Jarace Walker, this year’s No. 8 overall pick, seems to fit the mold of the kind of young, controllable player the Raptors would like. Walker’s lack of playing time so far in his rookie season has some people around the league wondering if Indiana would give him up in a package for an impact player.

Here’s more on the Raptors:

Finding a guard who is comfortable playing off the ball and who can space the floor alongside Barnes was a priority for Toronto, according to Grange, who says there’s a lot of enthusiasm among Raptors officials about what Quickley can bring to the team. “Quickley is the perfect pairing next to Scottie Barnes because of the shooting and floor spacing he’ll provide,” one rival executive told Scotto.
While the Raptors’ goal is to add pieces that better complement Barnes, the young forward declined to comment when asked about Saturday’s trade, which sent three of his best friends on the team to New York, Grange notes. “This is the NBA, that’s the thing, right?” Siakam said of the deal. “Like we got to be robots and just move on. Because that’s what it is. We get paid for it, right? So you have to move on… (but) it sucks. It’s not easy. For some people is the first time (they’ve been through it) but I’ve seen it happen. So I understand. … It’s a business and you learn about it every day, and every day you try to just be out there you know, like look out for yourself, look out for your teammates, and do the best that you can.”
Following a loss to the lowly Pistons on Saturday, the Raptors are 12-20 on the season, and postgame comments from Dennis Schröder indicated that the club isn’t exactly a “cohesive, well-oiled” machine, writes Grange. “When I got here, (head coach) Darko (Rajakovic) did a great job just putting this system into the organization,” Schröder said. “But I think we just got to follow that. Everybody just being unselfish, sharing the ball… to be a winning team, we need everybody, Even the guys who don’t really, really play. People got to be grateful, cheering on their teammates when they get a stop, when they get on the floor, dive, pick them up, being excited for one another. I don’t want to go deep into that, but I need to feel that because in the summer I did. … I went to war with all my brothers from the (World Cup champion German) national team. But we knew we had each other. I don’t feel it here yet like that.”

Raptors To Continue Exploring Pascal Siakam Trades

December 30th, 2023 at 2:24pm CST by Luke Adams

After agreeing to send OG Anunoby to New York, the Raptors are expected to continue exploring trades involving forward Pascal Siakam, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

While Wojnarowski reports that there’s currently no traction on any deal involving Siakam, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link) says league sources expect the two-time All-Star to be on the move at some point.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports also writes that league personnel anticipate a Siakam trade following today’s Anunoby deal. As Fischer observes, many rival executives had long believed that Siakam was more likely to be traded than Anunoby, with the Hawks, Kings, and Pacers frequently mentioned as potential suitors. Toronto and Atlanta had serious conversations about the 29-year-old over the summer.

Like Anunoby, Siakam can become an unrestricted free agent in 2024, so the Raptors will have to make a decision soon on whether or not he’s part of their long-term plans. Toronto’s cap situation going forward will allow the team to re-sign both Siakam and Immanuel Quickley to new contracts that begin in ’24/25, but the club would, of course, gain significantly more cap flexibility by not having to commit to a new maximum-salary – or near-max – contract for Siakam.

As cap expert Yossi Gozlan observed this afternoon (via Twitter), the Raptors are in position to generate more than $36MM in cap room in 2024 and then go over the cap to re-sign Quickley, but that projection would require Siakam to not be on the books beyond this season — it would also mean not taking back any multiyear money in a Siakam trade, which may not be realistic.

From a basketball perspective, there had been questions about the long-term on-court fit of the Anunoby/Siakam duo alongside franchise cornerstone Scottie Barnes. Led by those three forwards, the Raptors had gotten off to a 12-19 start this season.

Removing Anunoby from the equation could give Barnes and Siakam an opportunity in the coming weeks to show that they can thrive alongside one another, but Anunoby is a better shooter and floor-spacer than Siakam and was widely considered to be the better complementary piece for Barnes.

Reports have indicated that the Raptors have “no appetite” for a teardown or rebuild, and the return in the Anunoby trade reflects that, as the team opted for two young building blocks rather than attempting to load up on future draft picks. If Toronto makes a move with Siakam, the club would presumably seek a similar kind of package.

And-Ones: Kohl, Holland, Sellers, G League, Goodwin

December 29th, 2023 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Bucks owner and Wisconsin senator Herb Kohl passed away this week at age 88, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic, who takes a look back at Kohl’s legacy in Milwaukee. Part of that legacy, Nehm notes, involves selling the Bucks to Marc Lasry and Wes Edens and ensuring that they would keep the franchise in Milwaukee.

“His goal was to make sure that if we bought the team, that the team stayed in Milwaukee. That was the requisite for us owning the team,” Lasry told Nehm. “He cared deeply about the city, about the people and he cared deeply about the Bucks.”

In order to keep the Bucks in town, the team needed to build a new arena to replace the aging Bradley Center. While Lasry and Edens received some public funding and paid a portion of the arena cost themselves after spending $550MM on the franchise, an extra $100MM from Kohl helped push the project over the finish line.

“In an extraordinary gesture, he basically gave to us, towards the building of the arena, a $100 million gift,” Edens said. “And I think it’s one of the most extraordinary acts, philanthropically sports-related that I’m aware of, maybe the most. He gave us $100 million. … And I think that his $100 million was really the pivotal amount at the time. And had that not happened, then it was very likely the Bucks would be in Las Vegas or Seattle or wherever else they might be. So it’s extraordinary.”

“It was very important to him for us to keep the team in Milwaukee,” Lasry added. “He ended up giving us $100 million to build a new arena. And we had said to him, ‘Is there anything you want? Should we name it the Kohl Center? Is there anything you want us to do?’ And he was like, ‘No, no, this is for the community. This isn’t about me. This is about what’s good for Milwaukee.'”

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

In a conversation with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, G League Ignite prospect Ron Holland compared himself to NBA players Mikal Bridges and Jaylen Brown and explains why he believe he’s the top player in the 2024 draft class. Holland was atop ESPN’s 2024 draft rankings earlier this year, but has since slipped to No. 6.
John Hollinger of The Athletic considers which teams will emerge as buyers and sellers in the coming weeks, noting that it would create some clarity if one team from the trio of the Bulls, Hawks, and Raptors begins pulling away with the No. 10 seed in the East, forcing the other two to become sellers.
Within the same Athletic story, Hollinger observes that the annual G League Showcase in December used to provide teams with an opportunity to scout potential call-up candidates, but with so many of those players now on two-way contracts, the NBAGL talent pool isn’t as deep as it once was. Teams these days are more inclined to use the Showcase to get a closer look at players who are already on NBA contracts in order to gain more information for future transactions, per Hollinger. Still, Brandon Goodwin, the MVP of the event, is one notable free agent who boosted his stock at the Showcase and looks like a candidate for a 10-day deal next month, Hollinger adds.

Southeast Notes: Griffin, Johnson, M. Williams, Wizards

December 28th, 2023 at 1:06pm CST by Rory Maher

After being inactive for the past eight games due to personal reasons, second-year wing AJ Griffin is back with the Hawks and spoke to the media on Thursday, tweets Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“Yeah, I would say I’m glad to be back,” he said. “The team has been great to be able to support me through that time stepping away for a little, just for personal reasons. I definitely want to keep it brief and not put it all out there.”

Griffin added (Twitter link via Brad Rowland) that being back on the court and around the team was “kind of like opening a present for Christmas Day. That joy. Coming back and doing what you love and knowing that people just love being around you.”

The 16th overall pick of the 2022 draft, Griffin had a solid rookie campaign in 2022/23, averaging 8.9 PPG and 2.1 RPG on .465/.390/.894 shooting in 72 games, including 12 starts (19.5 MPG). However, he hasn’t played much so far in his second season, averaging just 9.2 MPG in 12 appearances.

Here’s more from the Southeast:

Jalen Johnson‘s return to the Hawks will provide a needed boost to a team that went just 4-10 without him in the lineup, according to Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscriber link). Johnson, who missed a month with a distal radius fracture in his left wrist, recorded 10 points, nine rebounds, four assists and a steal in 29 minutes during Tuesday’s loss to Chicago, his first game back from the injury. The former first-round pick will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the 2024 offseason.
Second-year center Mark Williams has missed the past eight games for the Hornets with a lower back contusion and is officially doubtful for Thursday’s contest against the Lakers, per the latest injury report. “He did more (Tuesday at morning shootaround) than he’s done for a while,” Clifford said of Williams, per Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “But I don’t think we have a definitive timetable.” The Hornets are 0-9 without Williams in the lineup this season.
The Wizards currently have the worst defense in the NBA and the team looked particularly listless on that end during Wednesday’s blowout loss to Toronto, writes Ava Wallace of The Washington Post. The Raptors had gone just 3-10 over their past 13 games entering the contest, but scored 132 points while shooting 57.1% from the field last night. Rebounding issues continue to plague the 5-25 Wizards, Wallace notes, with Toronto winning the battle of the boards 53-34.

Pacific Notes: Booker, Vogel, Ishbia, Murray, James

December 26th, 2023 at 9:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Devin Booker says head coach Frank Vogel and the team’s leaders share the responsibility of turning the Suns’ fortunes around, Erin Walsh of Bleacher Report relays.

“We just have to get it together,” Booker said. “And that’s on me. That’s on Coach. That’s on KD, Eric (Gordon), all the leaders that we have in here to make sure that we’re more prepared when we come play.”

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported this week that Kevin Durant has grown increasingly frustrated with the team’s mediocre play.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Suns owner Mat Ishbia has been very proactive in making moves since acquiring the franchise toward the end of last season. However, Vogel said Ishbia has offered words of encouragement through the team’s struggles, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. “He’s been incredibly supportive,” Vogel said. “Talks through every game with me. Has a great knowledge of the game of basketball. We have a ton of discussions about the teams that we’re playing, the thing we’re doing on the floor and what the results look like. Those conversations have been very productive and supportive.”
Hawks guard Dejounte Murray is worth keeping an eye on as a potential trade target for the Lakers, The Athletic’s Shams Charania said on FanDuel TV’s Run It Back show (video link). Charania notes that “the Hawks’ direction, of course, it’s in flux.” Murray’s four-year, $111MM+ contract extension kicks in next season but Charania notes that contract is favorable compared to that of Zach LaVine, another player who’s been linked to the Lakers. Austin Reaves would be a target for rival GMs, but the Lakers have shown no inclination of moving their talented young guard, Charania adds.
LeBron James now holds the NBA scoring record. So what other major milestones could he shoot for? Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated writes that James could reach the 40,000-point mark. With three more healthy seasons, the Lakers superstar could also overtake Robert Parish for the all-time record in games played (1,611).

Injury Notes: Lively, Little, C. Martin, Smart, Hawks

December 25th, 2023 at 8:29pm CST by Rory Maher

After missing the past four games with a left ankle sprain, Mavericks center Dereck Lively will be available tonight against Phoenix, Dallas announced (via Twitter). Marc Stein was the first to report that Lively was on track to return (Substack link).

The 12th pick of the 2023 draft, the 7’1″ Lively has made an immediate impact as a rookie, averaging 8.9 PPG, 7.7 RPG and 1.6 BPG while shooting 73.4% from the field in 23 games (25.3 MPG). The Mavs have gone just 1-5 without him this season, including 1-3 over the past four contests.

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

Suns wing Nassir Little has been upgraded from out to questionable for the matchup with Dallas, tweets Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. Little, who is averaging 5.4 PPG and 2.6 RPG in 16.2 MPG over 21 appearances, is dealing with left knee soreness.
Heat wing Caleb Martin sprained his right ankle and was ruled out for the remainder of Monday’s game against Philadelphia, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link). Miami was already shorthanded, with Jimmy Butler, Haywood Highsmith and Josh Richardson all out for the Christmas Day contest.
Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart is questionable for Tuesday’s contest in New Orleans, Memphis announced (via Twitter). Smart has been out since November 14 with a left foot sprain.
Rising Hawks forward Jalen Johnson is officially questionable for Tuesday’s game against Chicago, but he’s ready to return, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Star point guard Trae Young is also questionable with a right shoulder AC sprain, as Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution relays (via Twitter).

Knicks Notes: Barrett, Bucks, Brunson, D. Murray

December 25th, 2023 at 7:24pm CST by Rory Maher

Knicks forward RJ Barrett broke out of a shooting slump in Monday’s home victory over Milwaukee, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Barrett, who had converted just 36.7% of his field goal attempts over the past six games leading into Monday, set the tone early with 14 points in the first quarter, ultimately finishing with 21 on 8-of-14 shooting in 28 minutes.

“I got into a good rhythm early in the game, helped us get a lead,” Barrett said. “After that, it was kind of trying to play the game and listen to what the game was telling me to do.”

Barrett, 23, is in the first season of a four-year, $107MM+ rookie scale extension.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

The Christmas Day win snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Bucks, with three of those losses coming in 2023/24, notes Braziller of The New York Post. The Knicks had just been defeated by Milwaukee on Saturday. “[It meant] a lot, just because obviously we struggled against this team throughout this year, so the fact that we came up with a win today, it’s special,” said Jalen Brunson, who scored a game-high 38 points. “I liked the way we had a lead and no matter how much they cut the lead down we stayed poised and figured out a way to keep it.”
Brunson’s performance today was a reminder of his “elite ability,” according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who takes a look at the connection between Brunson and Adrian Griffin. The Bucks head coach played with Brunson’s father Rick in the CBA and coached with the elder Brunson in Chicago. “He’s tough because he has all the nuances,” Griffin said of Jalen. “He knows how to draw fouls. He can shoot the 3 off the dribble. He has a pull-up off the bounce, and then he can finish at the rim. He’s a very high IQ player.”
According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, “some prominent members” of the Knicks view Hawks guard Dejounte Murray as an “ideal trade target.” However, there’s a significant hurdle to a deal coming together: Murray’s agent is Klutch Sports Group’s Rich Paul, who is “reluctant to do business” with New York. As Begley writes, Paul would help facilitate a move if Murray specifically asked to be traded to the Knicks, but otherwise prefers not to deal with them. That could change if the Knicks agree to an in-person meeting with Paul to work out their differences, Begley reports.

Stein’s Latest: Olynyk, LaVine, Tucker, Murray, McClung

December 25th, 2023 at 3:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics view Jazz big man Kelly Olynyk as a possible trade target, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column.

With a $12.2MM expiring contract, Olynyk is one of several Utah veterans who might be on the move prior to the trade deadline. Boston drafted him in 2013 and he spent his first four NBA seasons with the Celtics, so he’s familiar with the organization.

After being a starter last year, Olynyk has moved into a reserve role in his second season with the Jazz, although he has started seven games because of injures to teammates. He posted 27 points, three rebounds, six assists and four steals in Thursday’s win at Detroit.

Boston’s current salary structure makes an Olynyk trade challenging, notes Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Without giving up one of their rotation players, the Celtics would have to have to send out several minimum contracts to match Olynyk’s salary.

Stein also expects the Knicks to have interest in Olynyk after starting center Mitchell Robinson underwent ankle surgery that could sideline him for the rest of the season.

Stein passes along more inside information on potential trades:

Citing conversations at the G League Winter Showcase, Stein remains skeptical that the Sixers have interest in trading for Bulls guard Zach LaVine. League sources tell Stein that Philadelphia wants to find someone who can contribute on both ends of the court, and the team is reluctant to give up its cap space for next summer to acquire LaVine, who still has three seasons left on his five-year, $215MM deal. The Lakers may be more inclined to consider LaVine after going 2-5 in their last seven games, but Stein notes that L.A. also prizes salary flexibility and tends to seek out players with shorter contracts to team with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The Bucks and Heat still have “a healthy level of admiration” for P.J. Tucker, league sources tell Stein, but his $11MM salary for this season and a guaranteed $11.5MM for 2024/25 will limit trade interest. Tucker, who was acquired from Philadelphia as part of the James Harden deal, hasn’t played for the Clippers in nearly a month.
Rival teams expect the Hawks to consider a Dejounte Murray trade before the deadline, Stein adds. Atlanta’s front office may explore deals involving several players as it tries to assemble a better mix of talent around Trae Young. Stein states that the Hawks would be hoping to replenish their draft assets after sending three future first-round picks and a pick swap to San Antonio in the trade to acquire Murray.
In an interview with Mac McClung, the 2023 Slam Dunk Contest champ says he’s still deciding whether he’ll return to the event to try to defend his title.

De’Andre Hunter To Miss At Least Two Weeks With Right Knee Inflammation

December 25th, 2023 at 1:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

De’Andre Hunter will undergo a non-surgical procedure on Tuesday to address inflammation in his right knee, the Hawks announced (via Twitter).

Hunter’s condition will be reevaluated in about two weeks, the team added. The 26-year-old small forward sat out Atlanta’s last two games because of pain in his knee.

Hunter has appeared in 24 of the Hawks’ first 29 games and is averaging 14.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per night while shooting 46% from the field and 40.4% from three-point range. He has been the subject of recent trade rumors as a result of Atlanta’s disappointing 12-17 start.

Hunter is in the first season of the rookie scale extension he signed in 2022 and has three more years left on his contract at $21.7MM, $23.3MM and $24.9MM.

Injury Notes: J. Johnson, Robinson, Suggs, Tatum, Luka, Kawhi

December 23rd, 2023 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

There’s optimism that injured Hawks forward Jalen Johnson could be back in action as soon as Tuesday vs. Chicago, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Johnson was in the midst of a breakout season before suffering a left distal radius fracture on November 25. In his 14 healthy games this year, the 22-year-old averaged 14.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 31.4 minutes per night, with a .590/.421/.774 shooting line.

As Wojnarowski details, the Hawks’ performance, especially on defense, has nosedived since Johnson injured his wrist. The team is just 4-9 and ranks 29th in defensive efficiency without him. At 12-16, Atlanta in the mix for a play-in spot and currently sits percentage points behind Chicago for the No. 10 spot in the East.

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

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said on Friday that the eight-to-10 week timeline to reevaluate Mitchell Robinson‘s ankle injury remains unchanged and wouldn’t confirm that the team expects the center to miss the rest of the season. However, Thibodeau also didn’t deny that Robinson will be out for the year, simply stating that the club will know more once he’s reevaluated in February.
Still without starting point guard Markelle Fultz, the Magic are down another starting guard. Jalen Suggs, who is battling a sprained left wrist, missed Thursday’s game in Milwaukee and has been ruled out for Saturday’s contest in Indiana, tweets Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Gary Harris will get a second consecutive start tonight in place of Suggs, who said on Thursday that he doesn’t anticipate missing much time with the injury, per Beede.
A pair of All-Stars are back in action today after a one-game absence. Jayson Tatum (left ankle sprain) is available for the Celtics, per Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (Twitter link), while Luka Doncic (left quad strain) is no longer on the injury report for the Mavericks, according to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (left hip contusion), on the other hand, is missing a second consecutive game on Saturday vs. Boston (Twitter link via Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times).