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Southeast Notes: Preview, Kuzma, Poole, Avdija, Magic

October 2nd, 2023 at 9:25pm CST by Rory Maher

David Alridge, Eric Nehm and Josh Robbins of The Athletic recently previewed the Southeast Division. Both Aldridge and Robbins think the Wizards overhauling their front office was the most impactful move a Southeast team made this offseason, while Nehm thought the Hornets showing confidence in LaMelo Ball by giving him a max extension was arguably the biggest move.

As for decisions that might backfire, Aldridge questions the Magic selecting Anthony Black sixth overall in June’s draft. He wonders where another point guard will fit into Orlando’s rotation, especially one with a shaky jump shot on a team in need of floor spacing.

Nehm believes the Hawks might regret trading John Collins, as he’s a firm believer in the power forward’s talent and wonders if he was the right player to move. As for Robbins, he thinks the Heat got worse by not making a major trade while losing Max Strus and Gabe Vincent in free agency.

The three writers also chose breakout candidates for the division, with Aldridge selecting Hornets forward Miles Bridges, Nehm picking Magic forward Franz Wagner, and Robbins going for Magic point guard Markelle Fultz.

Here’s more from the Southeast:

How can Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole become All-Stars in 2023/24? Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network explores that topic, writing that the two Wizards will have to increase their scoring averages to 25-plus points per game, lead the team to a winning record at the All-Star break, and improve their statistics in non-scoring categories.
There were rumors during the summer that Wizards forward Deni Avdija was dealing with a hip injury. However, head coach Wes Unseld Jr. said Avdija will be a full participant in training camp. “He looks strong,” Unseld said, according to Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link). “I think he had a tremendous summer.”
Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel lists five Magic storylines ahead of training camp. Can reigning Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero improve his scoring efficiency and defense? Will the team attempt more shots and become more accurate from three-point range? Those are two of the questions posed by Beede.

Hornets Notes: Jones, Ball, McGowens, Camp Questions

October 2nd, 2023 at 8:45pm CST by Rory Maher

Hornets big man Kai Jones is away from the team indefinitely with no timetable for a return following a series of strange social media posts. Charlotte said he’s away for personal reasons.

However, one of his former teammates doesn’t think there’s anything amiss with Jones, according to Noah Weber of The Smoking Cuban (Twitter video link).

“Kai has always been like that…People just have never seen the real Kai,” said forward Greg Brown, who played college ball with Jones at Texas. “Kai is really just showing the real Kai right now.”

Brown is currently on an Exhibit 10 training camp deal with the Mavericks. He said he reached out to Jones, who says “he’s doing great.”

Here’s more on the Hornets:

Point guard LaMelo Ball missed 46 games last season due to three left ankle sprains and a broken right ankle, which required surgery. At Monday’s Media Day, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer asked the 22-year-old if he planned to wear ankle braces in 2023/24, and Ball said yes. An All-Star in ’21/22, Ball signed a rookie scale max extension with the Hornets this offseason which will begin in ’24/25.
According to Boone (Twitter link), second-year wing Bryce McGowens will be a limited participant in training camp, which starts Tuesday, after rolling his ankle last week during a workout. McGowens will earn a guaranteed $1.72MM this season after being promoted to a standard contract from a two-way deal in February. His salaries for ’24/25 and ’25/26 are non-guaranteed.
In an article for The Charlotte Observer, Boone poses five questions the Hornets need to answer entering training camp, including if Ball can stay healthy, how No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller fits into the equation, and the health status of wing Cody Martin, who only played seven games last season due to a knee injury.

And-Ones: Holiday, N. Young, J. Parker, 2024 Draft, More

October 2nd, 2023 at 2:55pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat and Clippers are believed to be the other teams that were seriously in the mix for Jrue Holiday before the Trail Blazers accepted the Celtics’ offer for the All-Defensive guard, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said during the latest episode of his Hoop Collective podcast.

“I’m not sure exactly where are the offers were at the end for the Blazers before they decided on the Celtics’ offer, but based on my conversations, my feel was there was at least three teams who were making significant bids.” Windhorst said, according to RealGM. “… The teams I really think were there in the end were the Celtics, Heat and the Clippers.

“The reason I think those three teams were there because I think those were the three teams Jrue Holiday was really focused on at some point being able to sign a longer-term contract (with). And that message kind of went out in recent days. Other teams made offers but it was sort of a three-team, aggressive race at the end. Only the Blazers know exactly what the offers were.”

The Clippers came close to acquiring Malcolm Brogdon back in June, so it will be interesting to see if they make any effort to re-engage the Trail Blazers in talks for Brogdon after missing out on Holiday.

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

Former NBA guard Nick Young is resuming his playing career overseas, having signed with the Macau Black Bears of the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL), according to the team (Instagram link; hat tip to Sportando). A former first-round pick, Young has appeared in 720 regular season NBA games, but has been out of the league since being waived by Denver in 2018.
Speaking to Alex Molina of Eurohoops following his move to FC Barcelona, former No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker said he believes the NBA is getting “watered down” because so many teams are trying to tank for draft picks each season, and expressed dismay that players like Dwight Howard, DeMarcus Cousins, and John Wall can’t find NBA homes.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Insider link) has updated his mock draft for 2024, moving USC guard Isaiah Collier up to No. 2 and Perth Wildcats big man Alexandre Sarr up to No. 4. While Ron Holland of the G League Ignite is still considered the early favorite to be next year’s No. 1 pick, Givony says Sarr has done enough to join the small group of prospects with a legitimate case for the top spot in the 2024 draft.
With a series of holes in its programming schedule this winter due to the writers’ and actors’ strikes, ABC will air NBA games on every Wednesday night in January, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. That slate of games will includes matchups between the Pelicans and Warriors, Mavericks and Lakers, and Suns and Nets, among others.
Kurt Helin of NBC Sports believes that Jason Kidd (Mavericks), Steve Clifford (Hornets), and Billy Donovan (Bulls) are three head coaches who will be on the hot seat this season.

Steve Clifford “Really Optimistic” As Hornets Prepare For Camp

October 1st, 2023 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

In an interview with the Charlotte Observer, coach Steve Clifford describes himself as “really optimistic” as he prepares for his second season since returning to the Hornets. Clifford had a full offseason to get ready for the upcoming campaign, unlike last year when everything felt rushed as he got hired shortly after the draft.

Clifford is particularly encouraged by the level of commitment he saw during the summer, with as many as 13 players showing up for optional workouts last month. Veterans Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward had a hand in organizing those sessions, which Clifford believes will set the tone for training camp.

“Terry, Gordon, they were great,” Clifford said. “They kind of set the whole thing up. When we do the drills — because you are limited to what you can do — they are the first guys in. So I really feel like we got a lot out of September.

Charlotte was just 27-55 in Clifford’s first year back with the team, but the season was derailed by injuries to key players and the suspension of Miles Bridges. Clifford has a much healthier roster heading into camp and hopes to fully instill his vision for the team, which involves an up-tempo approach and stresses good decision making with the ball. He points out that the Hornets ranked eighth in transition opportunities a year ago, but only 27th in efficiency.

“This team was built to run, and so last year we actually did a good job in terms of our pace, getting the ball up and down the floor,” he said. “But we were inefficient in the first eight seconds of the clock.”

Clifford touches on a few other topics in the interview:

On Bridges’ performance after being out of the league for an entire year:

“I thought he’d be a lot further behind, But he’s obviously spent a lot of time in the gym. You can see it when he works out. I think his individual skills and stuff are good and he’s on it, but also playing. He was in a lot better shape and everything. So he’s already getting back to where he was. And we still have training camp and then we have to have a good plan for him through the first 10 games (as his suspension continues). But he’s put himself in a good spot.”

On second overall pick Brandon Miller and how he’s fitting in with his teammates:

“They like playing with him already just because to me it’s his decision-making. To me, everything makes sense when you watch him. And he can really shoot. But he can really pass. He knows how to play without the ball. He’s been coached. He plays in a way that helps his teammates play better. So even in pickup games, the ball moves quickly. He knows who he’s on the floor with, where they want the ball and he’s a very quick learner. So he’s also coming off the mono. His Summer League, he wasn’t quite back to full strength. He’s done a good job in the weight room. He’s gained a lot of that weight back and you can tell he’s getting more and more confident here as we get through September.”

On the importance of having Cody Martin back after missing almost all of last season because of knee issues:

“Yeah, look guys like him, there’s just not many of them. Tough-minded, very smart player, plays well at both ends of the floor. He’s a winning-type player. He’s a throwback. He’s got great toughness and his teammates love him when he’s on the floor. So, obviously we miss him, we missed him last year. He’s worked really hard all summer to get ready, and I think he does feel a lot better about where he’s at right now. We just have to be smart because he’s had a couple times where he felt good and then we’d have a setback. So, we’ve got a great performance staff here and they are all over it and we just hope for the best.”

Hornets’ Kai Jones Away From Team Indefinitely

September 30th, 2023 at 1:55pm CST by Rory Maher

While it isn’t described as a suspension, the Hornets will have center Kai Jones away from the team indefinitely with no timetable for a return, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Jones will be absent for training camp due to personal reasons, Charania adds, and Charlotte is in “constant” contact with the former first-round pick.

The Hornets released a statement (via Twitter) confirming that Jones is indefinitely away from the team for personal reasons.

Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer reported a few days ago that there were indications that Jones might not play for the Hornets this season. The 22-year-old made a series of strange social media posts — including calling out some of his teammates — and has been absent during optional sessions for players in recent weeks.

Jones will earn a guaranteed $3.05MM this season after the Hornets picked up their third-year team option on his rookie scale contract last fall. However, based on recent events and his limited role during his first two seasons, it’s looking extremely unlikely that they will pick up his $4.69MM option for 2024/25.

A native of the Bahamas, Jones played two years at Texas before being selected No. 19 overall in the 2021 draft. During his two seasons with Charlotte, he has averaged a 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 67 total games (9.1 minutes per night).

Jones has had a much bigger role at the G League level, averaging 17.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 2.1 blocks in 38 regular season games with the Greensboro Swarm — Charlotte’s affiliate — from 2021-23. However, he was still projected to be the Hornets’ third-string center entering ’23/24, behind Mark Williams and Nick Richards.

Hornets Sign Edmond Sumner, R.J. Hunter To One-Year Contracts

September 29th, 2023 at 5:18pm CST by Rory Maher

5:18pm: Sumner and R.J. Hunter, whose deal was previously reported, are officially members of the Hornets, according to a press release.

As we previously noted, the team waived three players to create roster space for Sumner, Hunter and Theo Maledon, who is back with Charlotte on a two-way deal. The Hornets are still at 21 players under contract — the offseason maximum — following the transactions.

4:12pm: The Hornets are signing free agent guard Edmond Sumner to a one-year contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Sumner will be vying for a roster spot in training camp, Wojnarowski adds.

According to Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer, Sumner’s contract will be non-guaranteed (Twitter link).

Sumner, 27, is a 6’4″ combo guard who played college ball at Xavier. He holds six years of NBA experience — five with Indiana and one with Brooklyn.

The 2022/23 season represented a comeback year for Sumner, who missed all of ’21/22 with a torn Achilles tendon. He appeared in 53 games (13.9 MPG) for the Nets last season, averaging 7.1 PPG on .461/.356/.917 shooting.

The Nets waived Sumner in July before his salary for ’23/24 became fully guaranteed. HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto previously reported that the Hornets were interested in adding Sumner to their roster.

The Hornets’ roster is currently full, and Theo Maledon is returning to the team on a two-way deal. That means Charlotte will have to release two players to make room for Sumner and Maledon.

Hornets Sign Theo Maledon To Two-Way Deal, Waive Three Players

September 29th, 2023 at 4:58pm CST by Rory Maher

4:58pm: Maledon’s contract is official, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

In order to make room for Maledon and Edmond Sumner, who is signing a non-guaranteed one-year deal, Charlotte released Angelo Allegri, Tre Scott and Jaylen Sims. All three players were on Exhibit 10 contracts and will likely be heading to the G League.

4:17 pm: Free agent guard Theo Maledon is returning to the Hornets on a two-way contract, sources tell Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski confirms the news (via Twitter).

The Hornets gave Maledon a two-way qualifying offer at the end of June, making him a restricted free agent. He was the last restricted free agent left on the board this offseason, and likely just accepted his QO ahead of training camp.

The French point guard was the 34th overall pick of the 2020 draft. He spent his first two NBA seasons with the Thunder, but was traded to Houston prior to last season. The Rockets waived Maledon, and he signed a two-way deal with Charlotte a few days later.

Maledon averaged 6.7 PPG, 3.5 APG and 2.8 RPG in 44 games for the Hornets in 2022/23 (19.4 MPG), posting a .402/.297/.851 shooting slash line. Overall, he has appeared in 160 NBA games.

The Hornets will have to release someone to make room for Maledon, as their roster is currently at the offseason maximum of 21 players under contract. The 22-year-old will fill the team’s final two-way spot.

Kai Jones’ Status With Hornets Uncertain

September 26th, 2023 at 6:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kai Jones remains on the Hornets’ roster but there are indications he may not play for Charlotte this season, according to Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer.

Jones has been a no-show during the players’ optional sessions and he’s called out some of his teammates in social media posts in recent weeks.

Jones also made a series of odd social media posts and Instagram Live appearances, claiming in one tweet that he’s better than Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James and then standing by the statement. Hornets head coach Steve Clifford told Boone that “We are aware of the social media posts and it’s a situation that’s been handled internally.”

The club exercised its $3.05MM option on Jones for the coming season last October. The team has a $4.69MM option decision to make on Jones’ contract for the 2024/25 season. The deadline is the end of next month.

Jones was a first-rounder in 2021, acquired on draft night from the Knicks. He has appeared in 67 games during his first two seasons, all off the bench. He averaged 3.4 points and 2.7 rebounds in 12 minutes per game during 46 appearances last season.

He was on the Hornets’ Summer League team in July and expressed to Boone back then that “I’m having the most fun ever.”

However, Jones still projects as Charlotte’s No. 3 center behind Mark Williams and Nick Richards.

Eric Church Is Thrilled To Be Part Of Hornets' Ownership Group

September 25th, 2023 at 9:21am CST by Arthur Hill

Theoden Janes of The Charlotte Observer talks to country music star Eric Church about his love for basketball and how he became part of the Hornets‘ new ownership group. He calls owning his favorite childhood team “beyond any dream I ever had when I was a young man.”

Pre-Camp Roster Snapshot: Southeast Division

September 23rd, 2023 at 2:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is in the process of taking a closer look at each NBA team’s current roster situation, evaluating which clubs still have some moves to make and which ones seem most prepared for training camp to begin.

This series is meant to provide a snapshot of each team’s roster right now, so these articles won’t be updated in the coming weeks as more signings, trades, and cuts are made. You can follow our roster counts page to keep tabs on teams’ open spots as opening night nears.

We’re continuing our pre-camp Roster Snapshot series today with the Southeast Division. Let’s dive in…

Atlanta Hawks

Players on guaranteed standard contracts: 15
- Saddiq Bey, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kobe Bufkin, Clint Capela, Bruno Fernando, AJ Griffin, Mouhamed Gueye, De’Andre Hunter, Jalen Johnson, Garrison Mathews, Wesley Matthews, Patty Mills, Dejounte Murray, Onyeka Okongwu, Trae Young
Players on two-way contracts: 3
- Trent Forrest, Seth Lundy, Miles Norris
Players who have reportedly reached contract agreements: 2
- Jarkel Joiner (training camp), David Singleton (training camp)

Capela and Hunter were among the Hawks veterans whose names frequently surfaced in trade rumors earlier in the summer, and when Atlanta acquired Mills, it wasn’t clear whether the move was just about saving some money or if the team intended to keep him.

But all three players remain on the roster with training camp around the corner and seem likely to start the season as Hawks. Barring a late change of direction, Atlanta’s roster looks good to go for opening night.

Charlotte Hornets

Players on guaranteed standard contracts: 13
- LaMelo Ball, James Bouknight, Miles Bridges, Gordon Hayward, Kai Jones, Cody Martin, Bryce McGowens, Brandon Miller, Nick Richards, Terry Rozier, Nick Smith Jr., P.J. Washington, Mark Williams
Players on non-guaranteed standard contracts: 2
- Frank Ntilikina ($200K partial guarantee), JT Thor
Players on Exhibit 10 contracts: 4
- Angelo Allegri, Nathan Mensah, Tre Scott, Jaylen Sims
Players on two-way contracts: 2
- Amari Bailey, Leaky Black
Players who have reportedly reached contract agreements: 1
- R.J. Hunter (training camp)

It appears No. 31 overall pick James Nnaji will be sticking with Barcelona for the 2023/24 season rather than joining the Hornets. And while Theo Maledon is one of the final restricted free agents left on the market, his qualifying offer is for a two-way contract and Charlotte appears to holding a two-way slot open for him.

That puts Ntilikina and Thor in position to join the 13 Hornets with guaranteed salaries on the 15-man roster to open the season.

Miami Heat

Players on guaranteed standard contracts: 12
- Bam Adebayo, Thomas Bryant, Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Haywood Highsmith, Jaime Jaquez, Nikola Jovic, Kevin Love, Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin, Josh Richardson, Duncan Robinson
Players on non-guaranteed standard contracts: 1
- Orlando Robinson ($75K partial guarantee)
Players on Exhibit 10 contracts: 5
- Justin Champagnie, Caleb Daniels, Drew Peterson, Cole Swider, Alondes Williams
Players on two-way contracts: 3
- Jamaree Bouyea, Jamal Cain, Dru Smith

Despite an apparent lack of involvement in the recent Damian Lillard trade talks, the Heat remain the odds-on favorites to land the star point guard. If that happens, some additional moves will probably be necessary to fill out the roster, since Miami would almost certainly send out more players than it receives in any deal for Lillard.

If no Lillard trade materializes, the Heat could end up having a pretty quiet preseason. They’d need to retain Orlando Robinson and add a 14th man to their standard roster in order to meet the regular season minimum. In that scenario, Cain would be a solid candidate for a promotion, which would open up a two-way slot for one of the Exhibit 10 camp invitees. The club could also consider adding a veteran free agent such as Goran Dragic.

Orlando Magic

Players on guaranteed standard contracts: 14
- Cole Anthony, Paolo Banchero, Goga Bitadze, Anthony Black, Wendell Carter Jr., Markelle Fultz, Gary Harris, Caleb Houstan, Jett Howard, Joe Ingles, Chuma Okeke, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, Moritz Wagner
Players on non-guaranteed standard contracts: 1
- Jonathan Isaac ($7.6MM partial guarantee)
Players on Exhibit 10 contracts: 3
- Mac McClung, Trevelin Queen, Brandon Williams
Players on two-way contracts: 2
- Kevon Harris, Admiral Schofield
Players who have reportedly reached contract agreements: 1
- Miye Oni (training camp)

There’s no indication that the Magic will part ways with Isaac, so it seems safe to pencil him in for the final spot on the 15-man roster. Orlando’s two-way slots could be more up in the air, since Harris is a carryover from last season and may not hang onto his spot if some of the team’s camp invitees make strong impressions. It wouldn’t be a surprise if McClung and/or Queen end up being converted to a two-way deal.

Washington Wizards

Players on guaranteed standard contracts: 17
- Deni Avdija, Patrick Baldwin, Xavier Cooks, Bilal Coulibaly, Johnny Davis, Daniel Gafford, Danilo Gallinari, Taj Gibson, Anthony Gill, Tyus Jones, Corey Kispert, Kyle Kuzma, Mike Muscala, Jordan Poole, Ryan Rollins, Landry Shamet, Delon Wright
Players on Exhibit 10 contracts: 2
- Chase Audige, Dejan Vasiljevic
Players on two-way contracts: 2
- Jared Butler, Eugene Omoruyi

I examined the Wizards’ roster crunch at length in this week’s exclusive article for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers, concluding that Cooks, Gallinari, and Rollins are some of the players most at risk of being cut if no trades materialize. Washington would likely prefer to get down to 15 players on standard contracts by dealing a couple players, if possible — I expect the club would welcome offers for Shamet and Wright.

If the Wizards don’t have a specific player in mind for the third two-way slot, camp invitees like Audige and Vasiljevic could make their cases for it in the preseason.

Previously: