Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics Notes: COVID-19, B. Thomas, J. Jackson, I. Thomas

December 18th, 2021 at 4:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics continue to be impacted by a COVID-19 outbreak, with Brodric Thomas the latest player to enter health and safety protocols, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Thomas is the sixth player in the past 48 hours to be placed in the protocols, giving Boston eight inactive players for tonight’s game against the Knicks. Others sidelined are Dennis Schröder, who has a non-COVID illness, and Romeo Langford, who is dealing with a neck issue.

Boston can replenish its roster with hardship exceptions, but because Thomas has a two-way contract he can only be replaced by a player with three years or fewer of NBA service, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). That’s also true for fellow two-way player Sam Hauser, who is among the six players in the protocols.

There’s more from Boston:

With Justin Jackson joining the Celtics via the hardship exception, Chris Forsberg of NBC Boston looks at how the 26-year-old forward can help the team. Jackson will likely see time at power forward with Al Horford, Grant Williams, Juan Hernangomez and Jabari Parker all in the protocols. Jackson has been with four teams since being selected with the 15th pick in the 2017 draft, but he has been shooting well in the G League this season and may provide some minutes as a stretch four until a few players return.
Marcus Smart wishes the Celtics had signed former backcourt mate Isaiah Thomas, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Thomas, a long-time fan favorite in Boston, scored 19 points Friday night in his first game since signing a 10-day deal with the Lakers. “It’s amazing. I’m just proud that he gets another chance,” Smart said. “He’s been doing everything he can to show the world that he’s still IT. I think he was written off a little early, but that dude is a quiet warrior, and I’m just happy that somebody gave him a chance.”
New coach Ime Udoka has been relying heavily on film sessions to motivate players and point out their errors, according to Souichi Terada of MassLive. The latest instance was Friday’s game against the Warriors when Udoka showed clips at halftime of the Celtics getting beat to loose balls.

Celtics Sign Justin Jackson Via Hardship Exemption

December 18th, 2021 at 4:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

4:17pm: Jackson’s signing is official, the Celtics announced in a press release.

11:35am: The Celtics are planning to sign forward Justin Jackson to a 10-day contract using the hardship exemption, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Jackson has been playing for the Texas Legends, Dallas’ NBA G League affiliate.

The 15th pick of the 2017 draft, Jackson has appeared in 248 NBA games. Last season, he played 33 games for the Thunder and another for the Bucks. He began his career with Sacramento and also played one full season and part of another for Dallas.

The Mavericks waived Jackson during training camp prior to this season.

Boston has a handful of players in the league’s health and safety protocols — Sam Hauser, Juan Hernangomez, Al Horford, Jabari Parker and Grant Williams. The exemption is being used by multiple clubs to handle the current COVID crisis around the league. Players signed via the exemption don’t count against the 15-man roster limit.

COVID/Injury Notes: Reaves, Hauser, Carter Jr., Birch, Bulls

December 17th, 2021 at 9:51pm CST by Rory Maher

Rookies Austin Reaves and Sam Hauser have entered the health and safety protocols for the Lakers and Celtics, respectively, according to Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group and Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter links).

If Reaves and Hauser tested positive for COVID-19, they’ll be out for the next 10 days or until they record two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart.

Reaves has been a semi-regular member of the Lakers’ rotation, appearing in 17 games (19.7 minutes per game) with averages of 5.8 points and 2.5 rebounds on .500/.390/.882 shooting. He hit a memorable game-winning three-pointer in overtime against Dallas Wednesday.

Hauser is on a two-way deal with the Celtics and has appeared in just seven total minutes across three NBA games. He’s been a regular for Boston’s G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics, averaging 16.9 points and 5 rebounds on .487/.433/.917 shooting in 10 games (33.5 MPG).

Here are some more COVID-19 and injury-related notes:

Magic big man Wendell Carter Jr. was injured Friday night against Miami, suffering what the team called a right lower leg injury, per a team PR announcement (via Twitter). He missed the remainder of the game and will undergo further evaluation, the team adds. Hopefully it’s not a serious injury for both player and team, as the Magic already have several injured and/or COVID-afflicted players.
Khem Birch could return for the Raptors on Monday, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link). Birch has been suffering from a bone bruise which still isn’t 100% healed yet, and says he’ll likely have to deal with it the throughout the season, Lewenberg relays.
The Bulls will be able to practice on Saturday for their first official team activity in a week, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago relays (Twitter links). They’ve had several players in the league’s health and safety protocols over the past couple weeks, but a few, including DeMar DeRozan, have returned recently. Two of their games were postponed this week due to the outbreak.

Celtics’ Hernangomez, Lakers’ Nunn Enter Protocols

December 17th, 2021 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The list of players in the NBA’s health and safety protocols continues to grow. Celtics forward Juan Hernangomez and Lakers guard Kendrick Nunn are the two latest players to enter the protocols, according to their respective teams.

Hernangomez is the fourth Celtic currently in the health and safety protocols, while Nunn is the fifth Laker. By our count, there are now more than 50 NBA players in the protocols, though that number is changing constantly.

Hernangomez looked like a candidate to play an increased role with Jabari Parker, Grant Williams, and Al Horford unavailable in the frontcourt, so Boston’s rotation will be impacted by his absence.

Los Angeles won’t have to make any changes as a result of Nunn’s status — he has yet to play at all this season due to a knee injury.

If Hernangomez and Nunn have tested positive for COVID-19, they’ll remain in the protocols for 10 days or until they register two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart.

Warriors’ Poole, Two Celtics Enter Health And Safety Protocols

December 17th, 2021 at 9:48am CST by Luke Adams

Warriors guard Jordan Poole is among the latest players to enter the NBA’s health and safety protocols, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Jared Weiss of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that Celtics forward Grant Williams and one other Boston player have also been placed in the protocols. Shams Charania of The Athletic says (via Twitter) the second Celtic is Al Horford.

If Poole, Williams, and Horford have tested positive for COVID-19, they’ll be sidelined for at least 10 days or until they return two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart.

The Warriors hadn’t had any players in the health and safety protocols prior to today’s update on Poole, but they faced the Knicks on Tuesday. New York has been experiencing a minor COVID-19 outbreak and placed Kevin Knox in the protocols on Thursday after he logged 20 minutes vs. Golden State.

The Celtics, meanwhile, put Jabari Parker in the protocols on Thursday, so they now have three players affected.

The Warriors and Celtics are scheduled to play on Friday night in Boston, so they’ll likely test and retest all their players today to make sure there are no more positives before they tip off.

Parker Placed Under League Protocols

December 16th, 2021 at 5:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Celtics forward Jabari Parker has also been placed under health and safety protocols, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston tweets. Parker has only appeared in nine games this season, averaging 4.6 PPG in 9.3 MPG in those outings.

Trade Rumors: Sabonis, Kemba, Celtics, Pelicans, Magic

December 16th, 2021 at 11:13am CST by Luke Adams

On an episode of The Ringer’s podcast The Mismatch last week, Kevin O’Connor mentioned that Pacers big man Domantas Sabonis wants out of Indiana. The comment was made in passing and wasn’t expanded upon by O’Connor in any subsequent article or tweet, so it wasn’t clear whether it was something he was reporting or something he’d heard but hadn’t fully confirmed.

Following up on that rumor, Matt Moore of Action Network says he has also heard from multiple sources that Sabonis wants out of Indiana, adding that the big man’s desire for a change of scenery dates back to last season. However, all of Sabonis’ public comments have indicated that he’s happy to stick with the Pacers, and Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files, who is plugged in with the team, called O’Connor’s initial report “false” (Twitter link).

The Pacers are reportedly open to the idea of moving Sabonis, so whether or not he wants to be dealt may ultimately be a moot point — Indiana could trade him either way.

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the league:

Knicks guard Kemba Walker hasn’t generated much – if any – trade interest from rival teams, since his knees are viewed as too much of a risk, Moore reports.
Two sources who spoke to Moore suggested the Celtics are more likely to pursue a third impact player to add to their core of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, rather than breaking up the duo.
The Bulls are in the market for a wing defender who could come off the bench, says Moore.
Some executives were surprised by Jake Fischer’s report that the Pelicans could be buyers this season, since they’d gotten the impression New Orleans is more interested in long-term assets, Moore writes. Josh Hart is viewed as possibly the most likely trade candidate on the Pels’ roster, Moore adds.
Despite Mohamed Bamba‘s strong season, the Magic are considered unlikely to discuss center Wendell Carter Jr. in trades, per Moore, who notes that the team also hasn’t yet indicated that Bamba is available.
According to Moore, the Thunder are a good candidate to be a third team in a Ben Simmons trade, since Sam Presti and Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey have had multiple past dealings and Oklahoma City is well positioned to take on unwanted contracts.

Josh Richardson Clears Health And Safety Protocols

December 15th, 2021 at 12:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Celtics wing Josh Richardson, who entered the protocols last Friday, has been cleared and returned to practice today, per head coach Ime Udoka (Twitter link via Jared Weiss of The Athletic). Richardson, who is rumored to be unvaccinated, may have been a close contact of someone who tested positive rather than registering a positive test himself.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Kyrie, Knicks Trade Possibilities, Frazier

December 14th, 2021 at 8:25pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Celtics are trying to fight through what has been an uneven start to their 2021/22 season on both sides of the ball, writes Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Under new head coach Ime Udoka and head coach-turned-team-president Brad Stevens, Boston is currently the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 14-14 record thus far.

“Obviously we’re coming back from a tough stretch,” wing Jaylen Brown said, in reference to a recent 1-4 Celtics road swing. “We’ve got to just take care of business and take it one game at a time and just get back to playing basketball the right way and keep moving in the right direction.”

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Though reports this week suggested there’s optimism about Kyrie Irving potentially returning to the Nets, head coach Steve Nash hasn’t heard any news to that effect, writes Adam Zagoria of Forbes. “I have no updates,” Nash said on Tuesday. “We connected last week, but not with any intel or any insight that things are changing… I know he’s working out and he’d love to be playing but I think the boundaries are still the same as they were before recent reports.” Irving, who is unvaccinated against COVID-19, is not allowed to play on his home court in accordance with local ordinances. Brooklyn opted to shut Irving down completely rather than essentially only allow him to play with the Nets for road games in cities with more lenient coronavirus policies.
With the 12-15 Knicks struggling to start their 2021/22 season, Fred Katz of The Athletic discussed some trade possibilities in a recent reader mailbag. Among Katz’s preferred big-ticket targets are Pacers center Myles Turner and Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox. Katz also suggested that reserve point guards along the lines of Dennis Schröder, Jalen Brunson and Eric Bledsoe could fit well in New York.
Longtime MSG Network Knicks television broadcaster (and Hall of Fame shooting guard) Walt Frazier has entered COVID-19 health and safety protocols, per Marc Berman of the New York Post. Knicks players Obi Toppin, RJ Barrett and Quentin Grimes are also all sidelined in the NBA’s coronavirus protocols. In his playing days, the now-76-year-old Frazier was a seven-time All-Star with the Knicks, with whom he won two titles.

Eastern Trade Rumors: Brown, Celtics, Knox, Hunter

December 14th, 2021 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Celtics wing Jaylen Brown is among the players believed to be on the Sixers‘ list of targets in a potential Ben Simmons trade, but Brown – along with Jayson Tatum – is viewed as off-limits for the time being, writes Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.

“Talking to Boston, those are the only two untouchables,” one assistant general manager told Fischer, referring to Brown and Tatum.

Although the Celtics are currently averse to the idea of splitting up Brown and Tatum, there has been increased speculation around the NBA about the possibility, given the team’s underwhelming play this season, says Fischer. Teams are keeping an eye on Brown, in particular, in case Boston reverses course and make him available at some point in 2022, perhaps in the offseason.

“I think there’s pretty widespread belief that they don’t work together,” a general manager told Bleacher Report. “But unless ownership adds pressure on [president of basketball operations Brad Stevens], I don’t see them doing anything.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference, including another Boston-related note:

Besides Brown and Tatum, the players the Celtics value the most appear to be Marcus Smart and Robert Williams, according to Fischer. Smart, Williams, and Dennis Schröder are among the Boston players rival executives believe could be available in trades this season, Fischer adds.
Following up on Shams Charania’s Monday report on Kevin Knox, Fischer says the Knicks would be interested in trading the fourth-year forward, but it’s unclear if he has any real value on the open market.
Rival executives think the Hawks would be open to discussing De’Andre Hunter as part of a package for an “established impact veteran,” per Fischer. Hunter, who has been limited to 34 regular season games since the start of the 2020/21 campaign due to injuries, will become extension-eligible during the 2022 offseason