Author: Luke Adams

Knicks, Boo Buie Agree To Two-Way Deal

November 5th, 2024 at 8:46am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have agreed to sign rookie guard Boo Buie to a two-way contract, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). He’ll fill the two-way slot that is opening up as a result of Ariel Hukporti‘s promotion to the standard roster.

Buie, a 6’2″ guard, went undrafted in June after spending his entire five-year college career at Northwestern. As a super-senior in 2023/24, he averaged 19.0 points, 5.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 36.9 minutes per game across 34 starts, posting a shooting line of .438/.434/.858. He was named to the All-Big Ten first team in both 2023 and 2024.

Reporting on draft night indicated that Buie would sign an Exhibit 10 contract with Phoenix, but he ended up signing an Exhibit 10 deal with the Knicks instead. He was in camp with the team just briefly and reported to the Westchester Knicks – New York’s G League affiliate – this fall.

While Buie will likely still spend plenty of time in Westchester, his new two-way deal will also allow him to play for the Knicks’ NBA squad and will give him a significant salary bump. Assuming the signing is officially finalized on Tuesday and he spends the rest of the season on that two-way contract, the 24-year-old will earn $532,025.

Signing Buie to a two-way contract means the Knicks intend to sign Matt Ryan to a standard deal. Word broke on Monday that New York had agreed to sign Ryan, but it wasn’t clear if the veteran sharpshooter would be added to the main roster along with Hukporti or if he’d fill the open two-way slot. We know now it’s the former.

The Knicks’ other two-way players are Jacob Toppin and rookie Kevin McCullar.

Southwest Notes: Zion, Sengun, Lively, Popovich

November 5th, 2024 at 8:10am CST by Luke Adams

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson didn’t show any signs of suffering an injury in Friday’s win over Indiana, in which he scored a season-high 34 points. However, he was added to the team’s injury report on Sunday due to right hamstring tightness and has now missed two consecutive games, both Pelicans losses, as Christian Clark of NOLA.com details.

“I don’t know exactly how it occurred,” head coach Willie Green said of Williamson’s injury, which was listed on Monday as right thigh soreness. “He showed up. Said he felt a little something. We wanted to make sure we got a look at it.”

Already missing Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, Herbert Jones, and Trey Murphy due to longer-term injuries, the Pelicans have had to elevate little-used reserves to the rotation, with Brandon Boston, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, rookie Yves Missi, and newly signed Jaylen Nowell among those playing big minutes this week. The shorthanded team has dropped back-to-back games at home, losing to Atlanta by 15 points on Sunday and to Portland by 18 points on Monday.

While New Orleans badly needs a healthy Williamson back on the court to help end its skid, Green admitted on Monday that he’s not sure what the timeline is for his star forward’s return.

“He was not at the game,” Green told reporters. “Doctor’s orders. Because of the hamstring and quad. We kept him at home tonight.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

After signing a five-year, $185MM rookie scale extension the day before the regular season began, Rockets center Alperen Sengun got off to a slow start this fall, making just 38.6% of his field goal attempts through six games. Prior to Monday’s contest, he made it clear he wasn’t stressing about his low shooting percentage, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). “I’m not worried about it. Those shots are easy shots for me,” Sengun said. “They’re shots I used to make all three years. So I think it’s just going to come back and I’m going to make those.” The big man delivered on that promise by scoring 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting in a win over New York on Monday. He also contributed 14 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks in what was his best game of the season so far.
Mavericks center Dereck Lively II, who missed Monday’s loss to Indiana due to a right shoulder sprain, will undergo an MRI on that shoulder, head coach Jason Kidd told reporters. However, sources have expressed optimism that Lively’s injury isn’t significant, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link).
Ahead of his second game as the Spurs‘ acting head coach, Mitch Johnson said on Monday that he’s “not at liberty” to discuss Gregg Popovich‘s possible return timeline, but downplayed the seriousness of Popovich’s health issue. “Right now his health is the No. 1 priority,” Johnson said, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN. “We support him in that 100 percent and I talked to him last night. He’s in good spirits. He’s OK, and we can’t wait to have him back.”

Southeast Notes: Da Silva, Daniels, Mann, Sarr

November 4th, 2024 at 11:48am CST by Luke Adams

Although the Magic are devastated by the oblique injury that will sideline rising star Paolo Banchero for the foreseeable future, the team has managed to find one silver lining, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel, who writes that first-round pick Tristan Da Silva is has gotten the opportunity to play a role with Banchero on the shelf. After four straight DNP-CDs, the rookie had 17 points and five rebounds in 20 minutes of action during Friday’s loss to Cleveland.

“I just think that was a bright spot there, for him to be able to come in and step in and do the things he was able to do,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said after that game.

Mosley was impressed enough with Da Silva’s performance to insert him into Orlando’s starting lineup on Sunday in Dallas. The former Colorado standout wasn’t quite as effective, with just seven points and five rebounds in 31 minutes, though he was only a minus-four in a game the Magic lost by 23 points.

Da Silva earned praise from teammate Franz Wagner, who said it’s been “a lot of fun” playing alongside his rookie teammate and that he’s doing a “great job” so far (Twitter link via Beede).

“I thought he played awesome in Cleveland,” Wagner said. “He’s just keeping the game really simple, making easy plays, and he just understands the game really well. And knows how to play. (He) takes the shot when he’s open, makes a quick decision when he gets it.”

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

Facing their former team in New Orleans on Sunday, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels and big man Larry Nance Jr. both stared down the Pelicans‘ bench after making big shots, notes Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. While one of Daniels’ gestures toward the bench after a corner three resembled a finger gun (Twitter video link), he told reporters after the game that wasn’t his intent, writes Brett Martel of The Associated Press. “It might have looked like it, but I was just telling them it was worth three points,” Daniels said. “You know, pointing at them all, that’s all it was. I was making sure they all knew how many points it was worth.” As Martel observes, the NBA has fined players in the past for mimicking guns on the court.
While he saw his playing time dwindle during his two-and-a-half seasons in Oklahoma City, point guard Tre Mann said his time playing alongside Thunder ball-handlers like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey helped him learn how to play off the ball more effectively, which has benefited him since his trade to the Hornets. “That helped me develop my all-around game, like making plays other than scoring, being ready to shoot on catch-and-shoots, and hunting those opportunities,” Mann told Grant Afseth of Sportskeeda.com. “Now, playing with guys like LaMelo (Ball) and Brandon (Miller), I can still have an impact even without the ball.” Mann is off to a strong start this fall, having averaged 19.2 points per game on .467/.444/1.000 shooting in six appearances off the bench.
No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr got off to a bumpy start this season, averaging 8.0 PPG on 29.7% shooting through his first four games, but Saturday’s showing vs. Miami (17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, six rebounds, four blocks, three assists) provided a glimpse of what the Wizards hope he can become, writes Varun Shankar of The Washington Post. “I think it’s just me getting more comfortable as the games go on, realizing where I can attack, how I can be impactful and just transform my game,” Sarr said.

Gregg Popovich Away From Spurs Due To Health Issue

November 4th, 2024 at 10:23am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran head coach Gregg Popovich will remain away from the Spurs after suffering a health issue prior to Saturday’s game vs Minnesota, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. Assistant coach Mitch Johnson will continue to serve as the acting head coach during Popovich’s absence.

The Spurs confirmed the news, issuing a statement to say that Popovich isn’t traveling with the team on its current road trip to Los Angeles and Houston (Twitter link via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype).

San Antonio will face the Clippers on Monday and the Rockets on Wednesday before returning home to host the Trail Blazers on Thursday. It’s not yet known whether Popovich will be able to return to the sidelines at that time or Johnson will continue to coach the team beyond Wednesday.

A league source tells Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link) that Popovich is “OK” but “just needs rest.”

Popovich is the NBA’s all-time leader in head coaching wins, with a 1,391-824 regular season record (.628). He’s also the league’s oldest active head coach by a significant margin — he’ll turn 76 in January.

Johnson led the Spurs to a victory over the Timberwolves on Saturday as the team’s acting head coach and said after the game that he would stay prepared in the event Popovich wasn’t able to return right away, per Orsborn.

“Mitch did a great job, man,” Spurs point guard Chris Paul said following Saturday’s win, according to Charania. “I think our whole coaching staff (did). Things happen within this league all the time and just like with the players, it’s next man (up). So, shoutout to Mitch; he did a great job tonight.”

Injury Notes: R. Williams, Curry, J. Brown, LaVine, Gobert

November 4th, 2024 at 9:44am CST by Luke Adams

Trail Blazers big man Robert Williams has been listed as questionable to play in Monday’s game vs. New Orleans, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. It’s a signal that Williams, who has been on the shelf for nearly a full year, is on the verge of returning to action.

Acquired by Portland in the team’s Jrue Holiday trade with Boston last fall, Williams appeared in just six games during his first season as a Blazer before going down with season-ending knee surgery. He has been sidelined this fall by a hamstring strain and has yet to make his season debut.

Williams’ return will give Portland another option in a crowded frontcourt. Deandre Ayton (31.6 minutes per game) has seen most of the action at center so far this season, with rookie lottery pick Donovan Clingan (12.9 MPG) playing a modest role as his backup and Duop Reath (3.5 MPG) not part of the regular rotation.

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

Warriors guard Stephen Curry has been out for the past three games due to a left peroneal strain but is nearing a return. He has been upgraded to questionable for Monday’s game vs. Washington, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. If Curry doesn’t play tonight, his next opportunity would come on Wednesday in a showdown with the defending champions in Boston.
Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown, who was born in raised in Marietta, GA, won’t be able to suit up for Monday’s contest in Atlanta, according to Souichi Terada of MassLive.com, who writes that Brown will miss a second straight game due to his left hip flexor. Brown indicated over the weekend that he would undergo another MRI on the injury after getting one a couple weeks ago.
Zach LaVine has yet to miss a game this season and has played at least 33 minutes in each of his six outings, but the Bulls guard isn’t fully healthy. After suffering a sprained AC joint last week, LaVine is listed as questionable for Monday’s game vs. Utah due to a right adductor strain, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network.
Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert is considered questionable to play in Monday’s matchup with Charlotte due to a left ankle sprain, according to the team (Twitter link).

Knicks To Promote Ariel Hukporti To Standard Roster

November 4th, 2024 at 8:40am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks and Ariel Hukporti have reached an agreement on a new standard contract that will promote the rookie center from his two-way deal to the 15-man roster, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

According to Charania, Hukporti will sign a two-year contract that includes a team option for the 2025/26 season. While Charania doesn’t specify the financial terms, it figures to be a minimum-salary deal.

The 58th overall pick in this year’s draft, Hukporti logged 12 minutes in last Monday’s loss to Cleveland but has otherwise only seen garbage-time action in the early going this season. The 22-year-old has grabbed seven rebounds and blocked four shots in 29 total minutes across four appearances.

Under normal circumstances, the Knicks likely would’ve kept Hukporti on his two-way contract for most or all of his rookie season, but his promotion had been expected for a few weeks due to the team’s hard cap situation.

New York is carrying 12 players on standard contracts to open the season and needs to get to at least 14, the league-mandated minimum, by November 5. However, the team doesn’t have enough flexibility below its hard cap to simply sign two veteran free agents to minimum-salary contracts, meaning at least one of those two roster additions has to be a rookie who was on a two-way deal with the Knicks or whose draft rights the Knicks held. Hukporti had been viewed as the leading candidate since training camp.

If his promotion becomes official on Monday, Hukporti’s first-year cap hit will be $1,070,699, leaving the team approximately $2.5MM below the hard cap, with one more roster addition to come. If the two sides don’t finalize the rookie’s new deal until Tuesday, his 2024/25 cap hit would be $1,064,049.

While the Knicks will have to add one more player to their standard roster by Tuesday, Hukporti’s promotion opens the door for the club to make two additional signings, since it creates a two-way opening. Matt Ryan is considered a strong candidate to join the NBA squad in some capacity, perhaps filling that open two-way slot.

Landry Shamet was expected during the preseason to be part of the Knicks’ regular season roster, but his dislocated shoulder has complicated that plan — it’s possible the team will sign a healthy player to a non-guaranteed contract as its 14th man for now and pivot to Shamet later in the season if and when he has recovered. The veteran wing is currently rehabbing with the Westchester Knicks, New York’s G League affiliate.

Whether the Knicks exercise or decline Hukporti’s 2025/26 option at the end of this season, they’ll be able to make him a restricted free agent when his current contract expires, putting them in position to lock him up to a longer-term contract at that time if his development is trending in the right direction.

Bucks Rumors: Antetokounmpo, Early Struggles, Beauchamp

November 4th, 2024 at 8:01am CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks are off to a 1-5 start this season after falling to the Cavaliers at home on Saturday for their fifth straight loss, but the “league-wide lusting” for Giannis Antetokounmpo had begun even before Milwaukee stumbled out of the gate, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack story.

As Stein explains, outside interest in Antetokounmpo – and optimism that he could eventually become available – stems from two key factors. The first is the Bucks’ salary cap and roster situation, since the club is operating over the second tax apron with an aging core and limited trade assets.

The second factor, Stein says, is an interview that Antetokounmpo gave to Tania Gaguli of The New York Times in August 2023. In that conversation, which took place before the Bucks acquired Damian Lillard, the star forward expressed a desire to remain in Milwaukee for the rest of his career only if he continues to believe the team is capable of winning another title.

While there has been no indication that Giannis has lost faith in the current iteration of the Bucks, the team isn’t in a great spot, coming off two straight first-round exits and having posted a sub-.500 regular season record (18-24) so far under head coach Doc Rivers. Things won’t get any easier on Monday night with another game against the Cavaliers on tap, this time in Cleveland, though Antetokounmpo was encouraged by what he saw as forward progress in Saturday’s one-point loss.

“I think we are headed towards the right direction,” he said, per Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Now, that doesn’t mean we’re going to go to a five-game winning streak or 10-game winning streak, but I know that we are playing better and we trust another.”

Here’s more on the struggling Bucks:

In the event that Antetokounmpo becomes available via trade, a “credible” list of potential suitors would likely start with the Warriors, Heat, Nets, and Knicks, Stein states in his Substack story. While New York looks like a somewhat improbable suitor based on its current roster and draft assets, Stein says he’s heard “more than one rival team” wonder if having a star like Karl-Anthony Towns available to put in a future offer for Giannis was one of the reasons why the Knicks were willing to pull the trigger on that preseason deal with Minnesota. I’m a little skeptical that Towns is the sort of the player the Bucks would target if they ever seriously consider trading Antetokounmpo.
The Bucks and MarJon Beauchamp‘s representatives at Klutch Sports are working together to try to find a new home for the third-year forward, league sources tell Stein. Beauchamp, the No. 24 pick in the 2022 draft, has yet to emerge as a rotation player and recently had his fourth-year option for 2025/26 option declined, putting him on track to become an unrestricted free agent in July 2025. As long as they continue to operate above the second apron, the Bucks wouldn’t be able to aggregate the 24-year-old’s salary ($2,733,720) with another player’s salary for matching purposes in a bigger deal.
Beauchamp spoke to Owczarski of The Journal Sentinel on Saturday about his reaction to the Bucks declining his option. “I needed that to kind of put a fire under me,” he said. “So, I know who I am though and I know what (kind of) basketball player I am so I’m not really phased on that. I know that my work will always show and as long as I believe in myself, I’m not really worried about that. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise, you know? I’m still worried about right now and controlling what I can control.”

Community Shootaround: Early-Season Trends

November 2nd, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA season tipped off just 11 days ago, which means it’s still far too early to draw any sweeping conclusions about anything that’s happened so far.

Still, a quick glance at the standings reveals some expected outcomes. The defending-champion Celtics are off to another strong start, at 5-1. The Thunder, widely projected to be the top team in the West, are the only undefeated club left in the conference at 5-0.

On the other end of the spectrum, projected lottery teams like the Trail Blazers (2-4) and Jazz (0-5) sit at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, while the Raptors and Pistons (both 1-5) bring up the rear in the East.

There are a few records that are a little more surprising, however. We figured the Cavaliers would be among the East’s contenders, but they’ve been even better than expected in the early going — their 6-0 mark is the NBA’s best record.

Other would-be contenders in the East, like the Pacers (2-4) and Bucks (1-4) are off to far slower starts. Milwaukee’s performance, in particular, has been troubling, given the underwhelming way their season ended in 2023/24. Damian Lillard‘s fit doesn’t look any smoother in his second year with the Bucks than it did in the first, and the team badly needs a healthy Khris Middleton, who has yet to make his season debut after missing 74 games across the past two seasons.

In the West, several of the clubs led by former MVPs (Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and LeBron James) are off to strong starts, with the Suns (4-1), Warriors (4-1), and Lakers (4-2) holding top-four spots in the standings entering Saturday’s action. New head coaches Mike Budenholzer and J.J. Redick seem to be making a positive impact in Phoenix and Los Angeles, respectively, while Golden State’s depth has been a major asset so far.

On the other hand, after an underwhelming offseason in which they lost starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency and faced questions about the fit of newcomer Russell Westbrook and the health of Jamal Murray, the Nuggets are just 2-3 and required an overtime period to beat Toronto and Brooklyn. Nikola Jokic has been playing at his usual MVP level, but he’s not getting enough help, and Westbrook (.244 FG%, .200 3PT%) and Murray (.370 FG%, .304 3PT%) have done little so far to answer those offseason questions.

Again, with the caveat that the sample size is small, we want to hear your takeaways from the first week-and-a-half of the season.

Which fall trends are you taking seriously and which ones do you expect to be short-lived? Which struggling teams and players should be worried and which ones just need more time to hit their stride? Which clubs off to strong starts are legitimate and which ones do you expect to come back down to earth?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

Northwest Notes: Markkanen, Braun, Alexander-Walker, Avdija

November 2nd, 2024 at 2:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen has been ruled out for a second consecutive game, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, who tweets that Markkanen will be unavailable on Saturday in Denver. Utah’s leading scorer also missed Thursday’s loss to San Antonio after exiting Tuesday’s game vs. Sacramento early due to low back spasms.

According to Larsen (Twitter link), Markkanen doesn’t anticipate a lengthy absence, indicating today that he believes he’ll return to action at some point during the team’s current road trip. That trip will include stops in in Chicago (on Monday), Milwaukee (Thursday), and San Antonio (next Saturday) before Utah returns home on November 12.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Christian Braun has impressed the Nuggets in his new starting role so far this season, but he blamed himself for helping to spark a late Timberwolves rally on Friday, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. He and Rudy Gobert were each assessed with a technical foul following a brief dust-up instigated by Braun’s celebration of a big dunk over the four-time Defensive Player of the Year (Twitter video link). The Wolves, down by eight points at the time with 5:14 left, ended up winning by three. “Momentum changed like that, after the tech,” Braun said, suggesting he views the incident as a learning experience. “… It should have been a positive, and then I get the tech, and that turns it to a negative. … I’ve gotta be smarter after I make that play. Get back on defense.”
Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker has come a long way since being sent to Minnesota at the 2023 trade deadline as a throw-in alongside Mike Conley, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, who takes a closer look at Alexander-Walker’s impact after he helped Minnesota steal a win from Denver on Friday. The 26-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
After being acquired in an offseason trade, Deni Avdija is off to a miserable shooting start with the Trail Blazers, making just 33.9% of his field goal tries, including 14.3% of his three-pointers, in his first six outings. As Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian writes in a subscriber-only story, Avdija – who had a key blocked shot late in Wednesday’s one-point win over the Clippers, is making an effort to help the team in other ways during his shooting slump. “I feel like I’m still trying to get in rhythm with everything,” he said. “Opening the season a little bit on the slow start for me personally but I’m trying to contribute with other things.”

11 Players Affected By Poison Pill Provision In 2024/25

November 2nd, 2024 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

The term “poison pill” doesn’t actually show up in the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, but it’s used colloquially to refer to a provision in the CBA that affects players who recently signed rookie scale contract extensions.

As we explain in our glossary entry, the so-called poison pill provision applies when a player who signed a rookie scale extension is traded before the extension takes effect.

In that scenario, the player’s incoming value for the receiving team for matching purposes is determined by averaging his current-year salary and the salaries in each year of his new extension. His current team, on the other hand, simply treats his current-year salary as the outgoing figure for matching purposes.

For instance, Rockets big man Alperen Sengun is earning a $5,424,654 salary in 2024/25, but signed a five-year, $185MM extension that will begin in ’25/26.

Therefore, if Houston wanted to trade Sengun this season, his outgoing value for salary-matching purposes would be $5,424,654 (this year’s salary), while his incoming value for the team acquiring him would be $31,737,442 (this year’s salary, plus the $185MM extension, divided by six years).

Most of the players who signed rookie scale extensions aren’t realistic candidates to be traded anytime soon. But even in the event that a team does want to look into trading one of these recently extended players, the gap between the player’s incoming trade value and outgoing trade value could make it a real challenge to find a deal that works for both sides — especially if a team is operating in or near tax apron territory.

The “poison pill” provision applies to 11 players who signed rookie scale extensions in 2024. Here are those players, along with their outgoing salaries and incoming salaries for trade purposes:

Player	Team	Outgoing trade value	Incoming trade value
Cade Cunningham	DET	$13,940,809	$37,827,796
Jalen Green	HOU	$12,483,048	$29,454,095
Evan Mobley	CLE	$11,227,657	$37,375,604
Scottie Barnes	TOR	$10,130,980	$37,192,825
Jalen Suggs	ORL	$9,188,385	$26,614,731
Franz Wagner	ORL	$7,007,092	$36,672,177
Moses Moody	GSW	$5,803,269	$10,825,817
Corey Kispert	WAS	$5,705,887	$11,951,177
Alperen Sengun	HOU	$5,424,654	$31,737,442
Trey Murphy	NOP	$5,159,854	$23,431,971
Jalen Johnson	ATL	$4,510,905	$25,751,818

Once the 2025/26 league year begins next July, the poison pill provision will no longer apply to these players. At that time, the player’s ’25/26 salary would represent both his outgoing and incoming value.

Until then, the gap between those outgoing and incoming figures will make it tricky for several of these players to be moved, though it affects some more significantly than others.

The difference of nearly $30MM between Wagner’s incoming and outgoing trade figures, for instance, means there’s essentially no chance he could be dealt to an over-the-cap team in 2024/25 — given that the Magic have no desire to move Wagner, that’ll be a moot point, but it’s still worth noting.

On the other hand, the much smaller divide between Moody’s incoming and outgoing salaries makes a trade involving him a more viable option, though the Warriors will have a hard cap to deal with that could complicate matters in they event they look to include Moody in a deal.

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