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New York Notes: Randle, Brunson, Durant, Bridges, Claxton

February 20th, 2023 at 11:05am CST by Arthur Hill

Playing in the All-Star Game was the latest sign of a much happier season for Knicks forward Julius Randle, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. Randle, who was selected among the Eastern Conference reserves, is in the midst of a strong bounce-back campaign, averaging 24.8 points and 10.8 rebounds through 60 games. He has adapted to a ball-sharing role in New York’s offense that came with the offseason addition of Jalen Brunson.

Randle was also selected for the game in 2021, but he went through a difficult year between his two All-Star appearances. He battled with fans and the media for much of last season and often appeared angry as the Knicks fell short of the playoffs. He credits this year’s turnaround to a visit during the summer from associate head coach Johnnie Bryant.

“One of the biggest things was he was like, you know, just talking about the year before,” Randle said. “And he said something like along the lines of — if you were your teammate and saw you acting the way that you did sometimes, body language, showing frustration, whatever it was, would you want to be your teammate? And I was like, no. I had to look at myself in the mirror and take accountability and get better and learn from it.”

There’s more from New York City:

Brunson has solved the Knicks‘ long-standing problem at point guard and should be viewed as the foundation to build a title contender around, contends Ian O’Connor of The New York Post.
Kevin Durant‘s emotional response when talking about his time with the Nets could benefit the franchise moving forward, suggests Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post. Sanchez notes that players frequently discuss their future at the All-Star Game, just as Durant and Kyrie Irving did before teaming up in Brooklyn. Sanchez believes Durant would give a positive review to anyone who asks about his time with the Nets, adding that the team’s front office didn’t try to create a bidding war because they knew Durant wanted to go to Phoenix.
The acquisition of Mikal Bridges in the Durant deal could give the Nets two members of the All-Defensive Team for the first time in franchise history, according to a NetsDaily article. Bridges was runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year honors last season, and center Nic Claxton has become a dominant rim protector.

Dinwiddie, Bridges Emerge As Leaders

February 19th, 2023 at 9:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mikal Bridges and Spencer Dinwiddie have already emerged as the Nets’ new leaders after being acquired at the trade deadline, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post (subscription required). “Right now, I think it’s been Spencer and Mikal, just naturally their IQ and want and feel for the game,” coach Jacque Vaughn said.

Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving Defend Trade Requests

February 18th, 2023 at 6:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

During their All-Star Weekend press conferences, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving both responded to critics who say trade demands are bad for the NBA, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

Durant and Irving were Nets teammates when February began, but the demands they issued a few days apart shook up the league in advance of the trade deadline. Irving was shipped to the Mavericks and Durant was sent to the Suns in separate deals that reshaped the Western Conference playoff race.

Although it reduces stability when so many star players ask to be moved, Durant believes the fan interest that the trades spark is ultimately positive.

“I don’t think it’s bad for the league,” he said. “It’s bringing more eyes to the league; more people are more excited. The tweets that I get; the news hits that we got from me being traded, Kyrie being traded; it just brings more attention to the league and that’s really what rakes the money in, when you get more attention. So, I think it’s great for the league, to be honest.”

Durant also asked for a trade last summer, but he rescinded that request before training camp as Brooklyn wasn’t able to find an acceptable offer. Irving explored leaving as well last June, but decided to pick up his player option and stay with the Nets when he found a shortage of teams willing to deal for him at his current salary.

Irving explained Saturday that he and Durant were just making the best moves for their careers.

“Why doesn’t anyone have the ability to ask for trades? That’s my question,” Irving said. “When did it become terrible to make great business decisions for yourself and your happiness and peace of mind? Not every employer you’re going to get along with, so if you have the chance to go somewhere else and you’re doing it legally, I don’t think there’s a problem with it.”

McMenamin points out that a long list of NBA stars have requested trades in recent years, including Jimmy Butler, Anthony Davis, Paul George, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. Durant sees that trend as one of the positive outcomes of player empowerment.

“Teams have been trading players and making acquisitions for a long time,” he said. “Now when a player can kind of dictate where he wants to go and leave in free agency and demand a trade, it’s just part of the game now. So I don’t think it’s a bad thing. It’s bringing more and more excitement to the game.”

Nets Notes: Depth, Mills, Thomas, Drummond

February 17th, 2023 at 9:45am CST by Luke Adams

The Nets‘ Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving trades earlier this month significantly reduced the team’s star power but have created a deeper roster, resulting in difficult decisions for head coach Jacque Vaughn, as Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post writes.

With Seth Curry back in action on Wednesday following a five-game absence due to a left adductor strain, the Vaughn and the Nets employed a 10-man rotation that left out a couple players who have had regular roles for much of the season. As Sanchez writes, there was no room in that 10-man rotation for Edmond Sumner or Yuta Watanabe in addition to Day’Ron Sharpe or Patty Mills.

Vaughn is happy to use 10 of the Nets’ 14 players (not counting two-ways) for the time being, but expects to tighten the rotation further this spring.

“We’re playing 10 guys right now,” Vaughn said on Wednesday. “Eventually that’s going to whittle down to nine or eight as you get into the playoffs, but I think that’s the biggest thing is being able to utilize the depth.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

Although he’s one of the odd men out of the Nets’ new rotation, Mills said he likes the look of the roster in the wake of the trade deadline and remains confident in the team’s chances to make the playoffs. In a conversation with Ian Begley of SNY.tv, the veteran guard made multiple references to the character of the locker room and the off-court bonds between Nets players. “Genuinely, you look around the room and we’ve just got really solid dudes,” Mills said. “(Potential) friendships, (where) you can talk and you can go outside of the basketball court, which I think at the end of the day makes a real impact on what we can do on the court.”
Given the opportunity to take on a larger role, Nets guard Cam Thomas scored 134 points in a three-game span earlier this month, but he has seen his minutes dip again within the last week, averaging just 19.8 MPG in Brooklyn’s last three games. Thomas, who expressed frustration with his limited playing time early in the season, doesn’t sound thrilled about once again taking a step back, Sanchez writes for The New York Post. “It’s tough,” Thomas said. “From doing one thing and trying to adjust to the team because that’s just what you got to do. It’s tough for sure. So just got to figure it out.”
Speaking to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Bulls center Andre Drummond admitted that he would’ve liked to re-sign with the Nets as a free agent last summer, but turned to the “next best option” when things didn’t work out with Brooklyn. “I definitely wanted to come back, but I think they were going in a different direction, so there was nothing I could really do about that,” said Drummond, who was the Nets’ starting center down the stretch and in the playoffs last spring.

Kevin Durant On Joining Suns, Time With Nets, Irving, More

February 16th, 2023 at 8:59pm CST by Rory Maher

The Suns held a press conference on Thursday (YouTube link via ESPN) introducing Kevin Durant, who was acquired last week from the Nets in a four-team blockbuster trade. With several thousand fans in attendance, the superstar forward confirmed that he requested a trade to Phoenix following Kyrie Irving‘s own surprise trade request and the subsequent deal that sent the guard to Dallas.

“I was upset that we couldn’t finish (the season),” Durant said, per Nick Friedell of ESPN. “I thought we had some good momentum. We were finally building a culture that we always wanted. I felt like every game we were building our chemistry, but I didn’t know what was going on with Kyrie and his situation with the organization, so I didn’t really focus on that. I only focused on what we were doing on the court, and it was a blow to our team. It just took away our identity. He was a huge, huge part to what we do. His game, he’s a Hall of Fame player, a great, great player, that can do everything on the floor and we relied on that.

“So without him we didn’t have a clear identity. So that was tough for me to stomach. I love playing with those guys throughout the year. I felt like we had dudes that were stepping up and doing stuff that they didn’t do on their previous teams. So I enjoyed everything about it — it was tough not finishing the season, but I just tried to move forward as quickly as I can and try to figure something out for myself, but also still focus on trying to rehab and get back. So it all happened so fast, but I’m glad it worked out this way.”

Durant got emotional discussing his time with Brooklyn, Friedell adds.

“It was a lot of ups and downs, but I loved the grind,” Durant said. “And everybody in Brooklyn loved the grind, too, so I built a family over there. They’re going to always be part of my journey. So we didn’t accomplish what we wanted to accomplish as far as winning a championship, but I enjoyed the grind. And everybody there, we tried our hardest every day, regardless of what was going on in the media, or what was going on with our teammates.

“I get emotional talking about them because that was a special four years in my career, coming off an Achilles (injury). They helped me through a lot, so I don’t have anything (bad to say).”

Here’s more from Durant’s press conference (quotes courtesy of Friedell, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic and Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports):

On the Nets’ “big three” he formed with Irving and James Harden:

“We just didn’t get on the court enough. I think when you seen James, Kyrie and myself, it was amazing basketball for (16) games, but in order for you to win a championship and be a great team, you just need more time on the floor. It’s another story about why we didn’t get on the floor together, but we just didn’t get enough time on the floor. And those are Hall of Fame players that I learned a lot from every day. I’m wishing them the best as well. It just didn’t work out.”

On why he wanted to join the Suns in particular:

“They experienced a lot the last couple of years. You see the growth of this team. When (head coach) Monty (Williams) took over, when (GM) James (Jones) came in, I saw the culture start to change. The way they played on the floor, the energy that they play with started to change. I always loved playing here in Phoenix. The fans always showed love to just good basketball in general. They always cheered their team on, but they always showed love to the opposing team as well. I knew this would be a great place to play and a great place to continue get better as a player.”

On Durant’s belief that the Suns have enough to bring Phoenix its first NBA championship:

“I think we got all the pieces to be successful. We got guys that have experienced what it’s like to play in that final round. We got a champion (Jones) already that’s overseeing us. Monty’s a champion as a coach. So we got guys that been there and that’s half the battle, just knowing what it takes.”

On playing with Devin Booker:

“He’s just such a quiet, efficient scorer, and he goes about his business on and off the court in just a mature manner. I wanted to be a part of his journey and see how good he can get from here. He’s just one of those players that I really admire, and people are gonna be doing classes on him once he’s done playing. You can learn so much from watching his game.”

On the support he’s received from Phoenix’s fans:

“While I appreciate it, I truly don’t think I deserve all this because I know I’ve done a lot of good things in basketball, but I haven’t done ‘em yet in a Suns jersey. I’m looking forward to doing it. I wanna go out there and do the most as I can and be the best that I can every day for you guys. So I appreciate the warm welcome, but I got more work to do.”

On when he might return to action from his MCL sprain:

“I’m going to follow the training staff and go on the schedule they got me on. So hopefully soon after the break.”

Atlantic Notes: Finney-Smith, Bridges, Embiid, Poeltl

February 15th, 2023 at 11:34pm CST by Rory Maher

The Grizzlies reportedly offered four first-round picks for Mikal Bridges, but he wasn’t the only new Nets addition that drew interest from rival teams. Sources tell Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscriber link) that “multiple teams offered two firsts” for Dorian Finney-Smith, who was acquired from Dallas in the Kyrie Irving trade.

A strong, versatile defensive player and solid three-point shooter (36% career), Finney-Smith is in the first year of a four-year, $55.6MM extension, so he’s under contract long term (the final year is a player option for $15.4MM).

Here’s more from the Atlantic:

Bridges exploded for a career-high 45 points (on 17-of-24 shooting) during Wednesday’s victory over Miami, as Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post relays. “If we keep learning and growing together, I feel like we’ll be a scary team that teams don’t want to play against,” said Bridges, who stuffed the stat sheet with eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks. “Defense comes first before anything.” The Nets lost major star power at the trade deadline, but Bridges has given the team hope that he can take his game to a new level, Sanchez writes.
Sixers star Joel Embiid might not compete in the All-Star Game, as he’s been dealing with a nagging foot injury, according to Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com. “I’m not sure, I’m not healthy,” Embiid said when asked if he’d play in Sunday’s game. “I haven’t been healthy for the past three weeks or month, I was just trying to get to the All-Star break without missing games and stuff. I feel like I’ve reached the point where I really need to follow the doctor’s advice and miss, back then he said I should have been sitting for two weeks. Going to see how the next few days go and go from there.”
The Raptors re-acquired center Jakob Poeltl, whom the team drafted ninth overall in 2016, ahead of last week’s trade deadline. In his third game back with the Raptors, he became just the second player in NBA history (David Robinson is the other) to record 30-plus points without making a free throw or a three-pointer while also registering at least five blocked shots, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. The Austrian big man recorded 30 points (on 15-of-17 shooting), nine rebounds, two assists, one steal and six blocks in Tuesday’s victory over Orlando.

Mavericks Notes: Ross, Irving, Harrison, Doncic, Trade Breakdown

February 14th, 2023 at 10:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks thought they had a verbal commitment from Terrence Ross after the veteran wing secured a buyout from the Magic, Marc Stein reports in a Substack story.

Dallas found out on Saturday night that Ross chose the Suns instead. It’s possible that Ross had a financial motive, since Phoenix had leftover money from its midlevel exception while Dallas could only offer the prorated veteran minimum, but we still don’t know what his deal with the Suns will look like.

The Mavs pivoted to Justin Holiday after getting spurned by Ross.

We have more on the Mavericks:

Kyrie Irving had a message for the media during his introductory news conference on Monday. He requested that they not ask about his future plans beyond this season, Tim MacMahon of ESPN relays. Irving will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. “It puts unwarranted distractions on us and our team,” Irving said. “I’ve dealt with it before, and it’s very emotionally draining to ask questions like, ‘What’s the long term? What’s the long term?'”
Even though Irving could turn out to be a rental, GM Nico Harrison said he had no qualms about acquiring the mercurial guard, MacMahon tweets. “I don’t see any risk at all. I actually see risk in not doing it,” Harrison said.
The Athletic’s Tim Cato takes a look at the early returns on the Luka Doncic-Irving partnership. Cato notes that the trade has eaten into the Mavs’ depth and has created more defensive issues. On the flip side, the offense has hummed when they’ve played together and the team is more competitive when Doncic needs a breather.
While the Mavs are 0-2 with Doncic and Irving playing together, Doncic is excited about his new backcourt partner, MacMahon writes. “He’s an amazing basketball player, and I think it’s going to be really fun,” Doncic said.
In a story for SportsBusinessClassroom.com, Eric Pincus breaks down all the financial aspects of the Kyrie trade with the Nets, including the math behind Irving’s and Finney-Smith’s trade bonuses.

Vaughn Isn't Sure How Simmons Fits In

February 14th, 2023 at 5:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nets coach Jacque Vaughn admits he’s not quite sure how to play Ben Simmons with the major changes made to the team’s roster the past two weeks, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Simmons has logged just 16 and 13 minutes in the team’s past two games.

“It’s gonna be some work that we have to do, because you just take a look at what the lineups could potentially look like,” the Nets coach said. “You put another big next to Ben, then you’ve gotta figure out what the spacing is around him. Then if you put another playmaker next to Ben, then you’ve gotta figure out what Ben looks like without the basketball. Then if you go small with Ben, then you’ve gotta figure out can you rebound enough with him. So the challenges are ahead of us. We’ll look them head on. We’ll figure it out.”

Injury Updates: Curry Brothers, LeBron, Kuzma, Robinson

February 14th, 2023 at 4:05pm CST by Luke Adams

There’s still no target date for Stephen Curry‘s return from a left leg injury, as he told reporters – including Kendra Andrews of ESPN – on Monday. The Warriors announced last week that Curry would be reevaluated after the All-Star break, but even if that assessment goes well, the former MVP won’t be ready to return to action right away.

“Ligaments can heal in all different types of timelines,” Curry said. “So there’s a window for each checkpoint. After the All-Star break, I will hopefully get back on the court, and then depending on how things go from there, we can key in on a specific date to get back.”

As Anthony Slater of The Athletic writes, the Warriors have a busy schedule out of the All-Star break, with six contests in nine days, so Curry’s missed games could add up quickly if he still needs a week or two to get up to speed after his next reevaluation.

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

A left adductor strain has kept Nets wing Seth Curry on the shelf for the last five games, but he has been cleared to return on Wednesday vs. Miami, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
Lakers star LeBron James has missed three straight games with foot and ankle injuries and could get an extra week of rest if he sits out the team’s last game before the All-Star break. However, head coach Darvin Ham said on Monday that “in all likelihood” James will return on Wednesday vs. New Orleans, writes Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group.
Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma will be back in action on Tuesday night in Portland after missing four consecutive games with a left ankle sprain, per Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Heat sharpshooter Duncan Robinson, who has been sidelined since January 2 due to finger surgery, appears to be on the verge of returning. He has been upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s game in Brooklyn, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Fischer’s Latest: Suns, Irving, VanVleet, Mavs, Nets, Bridges, Simmons

February 14th, 2023 at 1:39pm CST by Luke Adams

Before acquiring Kevin Durant from Brooklyn, the Suns also inquired about the possibility of trading for Kyrie Irving, and there were rumblings around the NBA about Phoenix trying to land the two Nets stars as a package, writes Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. That’s similar to what Chris Haynes reported last week on an episode of his #thisleague UNCUT podcast.

Haynes cautioned not to dismiss the possibility of the Suns pursuing Irving in the offseason if things in Dallas don’t work out, and Fischer conveys a similar sentiment, writing that “a future reunification of Durant and Irving with the Suns will loom on the periphery of both Phoenix and Dallas’ stretch runs.”

Although Chris Paul still occupies the point guard spot in Phoenix, he’ll turn 38 this spring, so the Suns are already working on a potential succession plan. Phoenix was viewed prior to the trade deadline as a team that could be in on Fred VanVleet this summer if the Raptors point guard tests free agency, and Fischer expects the club to explore other contingency plans as well.

Here’s more from Fischer:

The Mavericks‘ decision to gamble on Irving raised some eyebrows around the NBA, says Fischer. As he explains, sources close to the situation say that – despite some outside speculation about the franchise’s ceiling – Luka Doncic hadn’t begun to consider a future outside of Dallas this season. But if things go sideways with Kyrie, that could “escalate real concerns about Doncic’s timeline in Dallas,” Fischer writes.
Even after trading Durant and Irving, the Nets believe they have enough talent to be a playoff team, and Fischer says the “smart money” would bet on them seeking win-now moves in the offseason rather than taking another step back. To that end, Brooklyn didn’t seriously entertain trade offers for Mikal Bridges despite serious interest from the Grizzlies, whose pursuit of Bridges began when he was still with the Suns.
The Nets are widely expected to gauge the trade market for Ben Simmons this offseason, according to Fischer. However, the former Defensive Player of the Year runner-up will still have two years and $78MM+ left on his contract after this season.