- The Hornets are likely to be sellers at the trade deadline, Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer opines in his latest mailbag. President of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak hasn’t made major trades during his tenure in Charlotte, but with the club floundering, players on expiring contracts such as Mason Plumlee and Kelly Oubre could be dealt to contenders.
Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic may not be the biggest-name player to change teams prior to the February 9 trade deadline, but he seems to be the one who is the most in demand at this point, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack story.
According to Stein, the list of clubs with interest in Bogdanovic has reached double digits, even though the Pistons have been telling teams for weeks that they’d prefer not to trade their top scorer.
Although they’ve expressed reluctance to move Bogdanovic, the Pistons have also been conveying that if they do have a change of heart, the asking price would be at least an unprotected first-round pick, says Stein. A previous report suggested Detroit would seek a first-round pick plus at least one more asset. Bogdanovic’s potential suitors are hoping that the Pistons’ apparent hesitation to move the 33-year-old is a negotiating ploy and that the price will drop as the deadline nears, per Stein.
Here’s more from Stein’s latest rumor round-up:
- Two teams have told Stein recently that the Rockets‘ asking price for Eric Gordon is similar to what the Pistons have sought for Bogdanovic. While Houston may be trying to get an unprotected first-round pick for Gordon, the club probably knows it won’t get that sort of return, according to Stein, who views it as an example of just how high prices are in general with over a month to go until the deadline and few sellers on the market.
- The Cavaliers, Suns, and Raptors were among the teams thought to have some trade interest in Hornets wing Kelly Oubre before he underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left hand, Stein writes.
- According to Stein, Pacers big man Myles Turner and Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson have so far rebuffed extension offers from their respective teams. Stein doesn’t expect Utah to trade Clarkson even if no extension is in place by February 9, but is less sure about Indiana’s plans with Turner.
The Hornets and Magic are among the seemingly lottery-bound teams who have yet to show much aggressiveness in trade discussions involving veterans, multiple sources tell Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.
“One of the unintended consequences of the play-in tournament is a chilling of the trade market,” one Eastern Conference executive told Pincus. “When almost the whole league can make the (play-in), you just don’t have as many sellers in December or January. End of the month, we’ll see more action leading into February.”
According to Pincus, the fact that virtually no teams are attempting to create cap room for the summer of 2023 could also be a factor in slowing down the in-season trade market.
“Nobody wants cap space this summer,” a Western Conference executive said. “The really bad teams are so bad, they can keep their (quality veterans) too. There aren’t any fire sales like we saw last year with Portland, but (even) that was for the purpose of retooling.”
While it’s true that we haven’t seen much action yet, we still have more than a month until the February 9 trade deadline arrives, so it’s too early to draw too many conclusions about this season’s market — I expect more sellers to emerge in the coming weeks and plenty of trades to be made as the deadline gets closer.
Here’s more from around the East:
- Khris Middleton will accompany the Bucks on their four-game road trip that begins on Monday in New York, but head coach Mike Budenholzer was noncommittal when asked if the star forward would play at all during the trip, which runs through next Saturday. Asked if there was any concern that Middleton’s right knee soreness might be an issue that requires surgery, Budenholzer simply replied, “No” (Twitter links via Eric Nehm of The Athletic).
- At age 34, Hawks general manager Landry Fields is one of the youngest heads of basketball operations in the NBA, but his rise through the front office ranks at such a young age became possible only because his playing career ended prematurely, as Howie Kussoy of The New York Post (subscription required) writes in a feature on the former Knicks wing. “I look back and I’m super proud of the fact that I was able to get to the NBA and experience some of that NBA success, Fields said. “… But there’s also this sadness to it. I was really thinking there’d be so much more. I thought there’d be 10-plus years in the NBA.”
- The player development magic that has helped make the Raptors successful in the past has vanished this season, writes Eric Koreen of The Athletic. The team doesn’t have enough reliable rotation players to complement its top guys and has had to rely too heavily on its starters, as Koreen and Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca observe.
- While some of those top Raptors players, such as Fred VanVleet, are seemingly having down years, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca argues that the Raptors have failed VanVleet more than he has failed the team — the former All-Star point guard has had to carry too substantial a workload due to Toronto’s lack of solid backcourt depth.
JANUARY 5: Oubre underwent a successful surgery on the torn ligament in his left hand, the Hornets have announced in a press release.
JANUARY 3: Hornets forward Kelly Oubre will undergo surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left hand, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Oubre is expected to be sidelined for approximately four-to-six weeks while recovering from the procedure, sources tell Charania.
Oubre appeared in each of the Hornets’ first 34 games of the season before missing three of the last four. However, according to Charania, the 27-year-old has been dealing with the hand injury since the first week of the season and has been attempting to play through the pain.
Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer wrote over the weekend that the Hornets were trying to come up with a plan for how to treat the injury, which was being referred to as a sprain. Head coach Steve Clifford said Oubre was “really sore” and “definitely needs time.” It sounds like Hornets doctors ultimately determined that surgery, rather than rest and treatment, will be the best path forward for Oubre.
Despite battling the injury, Oubre is averaging a career-high 20.2 points per game through 35 games (32.6 MPG) for Charlotte this season. His shooting percentage of 42.1% from the floor and 30.8% on three-pointers all well below his career marks though, which is perhaps an indication that the hand has been bothering him.
Oubre, earning $12.6MM this season, is in a contract year and had been considered a possible trade candidate if the Hornets decide to sell. The recovery timeline provided by Charania should put the forward on track to return sometime around the February 9 deadline, so he could still draw interest from teams looking for another piece in the wing.
Although Oubre’s absence is an unfortunate break for Charlotte, the club is healthier now than it has been for much of the season, with LaMelo Ball, Gordon Hayward, and Terry Rozier all available after missing time earlier in 2022/23. Point guard Dennis Smith Jr. also returned to action on Monday following an 18-game absence due to an ankle injury.
The Cavaliers would love to add a defensive-minded wing who is also a consistent shooting threat, but doing so won’t be easy, writes Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. After acquiring Donovan Mitchell in the offseason, Cleveland no longer has any first-round picks available to trade, so landing a wing would probably require the club to move Caris LeVert and another rotation player, which isn’t an appealing prospect.
Fischer names Tobias Harris and Jae Crowder as a couple veterans who would make sense for the Cavaliers from an on-court perspective. However, Cleveland likely wouldn’t be able to put together a package for Harris that would entice the Sixers, and the Suns are seeking a “playoff-caliber player” in return for Crowder — if the Cavs had that sort of player available, they wouldn’t be in the market for another wing, Fischer writes.
Although LeVert might have to be included in a package for an upgrade on the wing, the Cavaliers still value his “high-character presence in the locker room,” per Fischer, and aren’t looking to move him, even if they’re open to discussing him. As the Cavs consider what sort of impact any potential target might have, LeVert will be the “comparative barometer,” says Fischer.
Here’s more from Fischer’s latest story:
- The Cavaliers are still hopeful about Isaac Okoro‘s development into the sort of two-way wing they’re missing and he has a strong desire to remain in Cleveland, sources tell Fischer. The fifth overall pick in the 2020 draft, Okoro will be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2023 offseason.
- The Cavaliers are among the teams with interest in Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic, but Detroit has set a high asking price for Bogdanovic, according to Fischer. The team is believed to be seeking a first-round pick, plus either additional draft assets or a young player with upside. The Mavericks, Lakers, and Suns are among the other teams interested in Bogdanovic, Fischer adds.
- Crowder, who is in the final year of his contract, is hoping to sign an extension similar to the three-year, $33MM deal P.J. Tucker got from Philadelphia this past summer, Fischer writes. The Suns‘ unwillingness to give Crowder that sort of deal is considered a factor in his decision to remain away from the team this season.
- While forwards like P.J. Washington, Jalen McDaniels, and Kelly Oubre will draw interest from potential suitors, center Mason Plumlee appears to be the Hornets‘ most likely trade candidate, says Fischer. Moving Plumlee would open up more minutes for youngsters Mark Williams and Nick Richards at center.
A report published two days before Christmas last month indicated that the Hornets and forward Miles Bridges were discussing a possible contract and were “gathering traction” in their negotiations. However, the Hornets deny that they’re in talks with the restricted free agent, according to Paige Masten of The Charlotte Observer.
“We have not been engaged in contract negotiations with Miles Bridges,” the Hornets told Masten in a statement.
Bridges was on track to be one of the top free agents in the class of 2022, but was arrested and charged with felony domestic abuse just days before his rookie contract expired, casting doubt on his NBA future. He was accused of assaulting his then-girlfriend in front of their two children.
Bridges ultimately worked out a plea deal with prosecutors in Los Angeles County, agreeing to plead no contest to one charge of felony domestic violence while two child abuse counts were dismissed. The 24-year-old avoided jail time by accepting three years of probation. He was ordered to attend a year’s worth of domestic violence counseling sessions and parenting classes in addition to completing 100 hours of community service.
Given the details of Bridges’ case, the Hornets are sure to face criticism if they bring back the forward, who may face a lengthy suspension from the NBA before he’s allowed to play. With that in mind, it’s hard to know with any certainty how genuine their statement is.
It’s notable that the Hornets didn’t rush to dispute Adrian Wojnarowski’s report about their alleged talks with Bridges when it was published in December. It’s also worth noting that the Hornets said they “have not been engaged” in discussions with Bridges, rather than simply stating they “have not engaged” in negotiations with him — there may be some semantics at play there, with the team indicating that the talks haven’t been ongoing.
According to Masten, the Hornets declined to comment when asked if they’ve ruled out the possibility of bringing back Bridges.
Based on Woj’s report last month and the fact that the Hornets haven’t made a clear effort to distance themselves from Bridges, I suspect he’ll be back under contract with Charlotte at some point. Still, the team’s statement to Masten suggests it might yet be a while before it happens.
- Hornets forward Cody Martin feels ready to return following his long absence caused by an opening-night knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery, tweets Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Martin has been listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game against Memphis. “It’s just tough,” he said. “Nobody wants to sit out any games, much less however many games I sat out. So, I’m just looking forward to getting back.”
Bradley Beal returned to action on Tuesday after missing three games due to left hamstring soreness. However, the Wizards’ franchise player aggravated the injury and didn’t finish out the game, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington tweets.
We have more injury news:
- The Hornets’ Cody Martin is listed as questionable to play against Memphis on Wednesday, Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer tweets. Martin played one minute in the season opener, then was sidelined by a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery in November, but it appears he’s on the verge of returning.
- Magic big man Bol Bol was placed in the league’s health and safety protocols on Tuesday, according to Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel. He will miss Wednesday’s home contest against the Thunder and possibly more games beyond that.
- Thunder star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed the team’s game against Boston on Tuesday due to a non-COVID illness, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman tweets. Oklahoma City did just fine without him, setting a franchise record with 150 points.
- LeBron James is listed as questionable to play against Miami on Wednesday due to left ankle soreness, Jovan Buha of The Athletic tweets. The Lakers’ superstar scored 43 points in 40 minutes against Charlotte on Monday.
A consultation with a Los Angeles doctor over the weekend resulted in good news on the state of Heat All-Star small forward Jimmy Butler‘s sore right knee, reports Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). Butler sat out Miami’s narrow 126-123 victory over the Jazz last night but has been cleared to play in back-to-backs going forward, a source tells Chiang.
In 23 games this year, Butler is averaging 21.8 PPG on .528/.340/.829 shooting splits. He’s also chipping in 6.7 RPG, 5.8 APG and 2.1 SPG for the 19-18 Heat.
There’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- $28.3MM Heat starting point guard Kyle Lowry may need to step up his game or risk being rotated out of the team’s closing lineups for good, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida South Sentinel. The 36-year-old was recently sat for the entirety of the fourth quarter in the Utah win, after experiencing consecutive down nights in back-to-back games against the Nuggets and Jazz.
- Fourth-year Hornets reserve small forward Jalen McDaniels recently spoke with Alex Kennedy of Basketball News about his long road to major rotation time. “Playing in the G League [for much of his rookie season], it just got me real confident — just letting me play through my mistakes and play a lot of minutes,” McDaniels said. “I learned a lot of the game, coming from the G League, playing in a lot of games and just knowing what to expect. I feel like my game is just locked in and I know where I’m supposed to be.” This season, McDaniels is averaging a career-most 10.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.2 APG and 1.0 SPG in 25.9 MPG.
- Starting Hornets small forward Kelly Oubre Jr. will be sidelined for at least a few games as he grapples with a sprained left hand, reports Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “He’s working, doing as much as he can now to try and get back,” head coach Steve Clifford said. “Hopefully we’ll know more in the next couple of days. The hand is funny, it just got banged a bunch of times, and this was twice in a short period of time. It was really sore. You could see he was struggling to catch the ball. He definitely needs time for sure.”
- Mark Williams‘ emergence has created a “welcomed dilemma” for the Hornets, according to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. The rookie first-rounder, selected 15th overall in June’s draft, was given backup center minutes in recent games due to an ankle sprain to Nick Richards. With Richards available on Thursday, head coach Steve Clifford continued to use Williams, and he responded with a career night, Boone notes, recording 17 points (on 7-of-7 shooting), 13 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in just 21 minutes. “To me, they’re both developing players,” Clifford said of Richards and Williams. “When you have a roster of a lot of younger players, you do them both. You want to try to develop them and win as many games as we can. And we’re in a place where we need to win. But we’ve got to see. Yeah, it’s not easy. We have a lot of guys at that position. Nick’s going to be a part of things. I like the way he plays. He’s done a good job. But I also want to see what Mark can bring.”