- 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.”
For the rest of the regular season and postseason, Hoops Rumors is taking a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents during the 2023 offseason. We consider whether their stock is rising or falling due to their performance and other factors. Today, we’re focusing on a handful of Southeast players.
Kyle Kuzma, F, Wizards
2022/23: $13,000,000- 2023/24: $13,000,000 player option
- Stock: Up
Kuzma has already said he plans to decline his player option and enter free agency, which makes a lot of sense from a financial perspective – he can only earn up to about $70MM over four years in an extension.
Through 35 games (35.4 minutes), the six-year veteran is averaging 21.6 points (a career high), 7.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists on .466/.341/.703 shooting (.560 true shooting percentage).
The 27-year-old’s TS% is actually below league average (.577, the highest in NBA history), but he offers three-level scoring and an interesting blend of versatility on both sides of the ball. He should see a significant raise on his $13MM deal starting next season.
Justin Holiday, G/F, Hawks
- 2022/23: $6,292,440
- 2023/24: UFA
- Stock: Down
It’s a rare and impressive accomplishment for an undrafted player to last 10 NBA seasons, but the eldest of the three Holiday brothers has now joined that group, having found a nice niche as a 3-and-D wing from 2016-2021.
Holiday has earned between $4.3MM and $6.3MM each of the past six seasons, but his role and production have been limited in ‘22/23. He’s averaging just 15.4 minutes per contest and 4.7 points through 26 games, while recording his lowest 3PT% (.345) since ’15/16.
Perhaps more concerning is the fact that Holiday’s defense isn’t what it used to be, and he’ll be 34 in April, so there’s little reason to believe that will turn around. At this point, he’s looking like a one-year, veteran’s minimum type in free agency – assuming he finds a team.
Will Barton, G/F, Wizards
- 2022/23: $14,375,000
- 2023/24: UFA
- Stock: Down
Similar to Holiday, playing 11 seasons as a former second-round pick (40th in 2012) is certainly an impressive achievement for Barton. He entered the league as a raw prospect, but flourished when he was traded from Portland to Denver, averaging 14.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game on .438/.362/.789 shooting over seven-plus seasons.
Unfortunately, injuries have sapped Barton’s athleticism in recent years, and he was never a great defensive player. That – along with being traded to the Wizards in the offseason – has been detrimental to his career. He’s producing at his lowest level since his Trail Blazer days, averaging just 8.3 points, 3.0 boards and 2.7 assists per game on .371/.370/.800 shooting (.486 TS%) through 31 contests (22.3 minutes).
Barton will have earned more than $80MM in his career once this season is over, but he’s clearly on the tail end of things, and is probably looking at a veteran’s minimum contract in the offseason.
Nick Richards, C, Hornets
- 2022/23: Minimum salary
- 2023/24: RFA
- Stock: Up
The 42nd pick of the 2020 draft, Richards rarely saw the court in his first two seasons, averaging just 6.3 minutes across 68 games. Suffice it to say, external expectations were not high for the 7’0” center entering ‘22/23.
The fact that he has been one of the most productive backup centers in the league this season – he’s averaging 9.0 points and 6.4 rebounds in 33 games (18.8 minutes) – has been a pleasant surprise to say the least. The 9-26 Hornets currently hold the second-worst record in the league, but Richards has been a bright spot.
The 25-year-old will be a restricted free agent in the offseason and should garner a nice raise on his current minimum-salary deal.
(As an aside, I have no idea why Mason Plumlee continues to see the majority of minutes in the middle over Richards and first-rounder Mark Williams. Plumlee turns 33 in March, will be an unrestricted free agent, is a negative on defense, and Charlotte clearly isn’t going anywhere. Very odd situation for one of the league’s most perplexing teams.)
P.J. Washington, F/C, Hornets
- 2022/23: $5,808,435
- 2023/24: RFA
- Stock: Down
Washington has several desirable traits – he can play both frontcourt positions (though he has played almost exclusively power forward this season), he’s a decent defender, he holds a career 3PT% of .368, he can leverage the threat of his outside shot to pump-and-drive, and he can post up smaller players, particularly favoring a mini-hook shot down low.
The former lottery pick will turn 25 in the offseason, so he’s theoretically still on the upside of his career, and he’s posting a career-best 14.8 points through 34 games in ‘22/23. So why is his stock down to this point?
Well, down is relative. I thought Washington could get a deal in the four-year, $60-70MM range on a rookie scale extension before the season started, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he still does, but it won’t be because he’s having a strong contract year. Despite playing a career-high 31.8 minutes per contest, he’s averaging a career-low 4.9 rebounds, his defense has regressed a little to my eyes, and his efficiency has plummeted. He has posted .416/.337/.798 shooting splits for a .519 TS%, after registering a career-high .588 TS% in ‘21/22.
Playing without the team’s best passers for much of the season hasn’t helped, and there’s plenty of time for Washington to turn things around with a strong second half. Still, his stock has definitely dipped since October.
Hornets fans anxious to see rookie center Mark Williams are getting their chance with Nick Richards still considered day-to-day due to a right ankle sprain, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.
After playing just 13 minutes in three games prior to this week, Williams logged a total of 34 minutes on Monday and Tuesday and acquitted himself well, registering 15 points, eight rebounds, three steals, and a pair of blocks. He also had a positive net rating in both games despite the fact that the Hornets lost by 11 and five points, respectively.
“He was impressive,” Hornets head coach Steve Clifford said after Monday’s loss. “The way he handled himself, his poise on the court, his basket protection, we were very organized when we were on the floor. He did a good job in his pick-and-roll coverage and I thought he did a really, really, good job.”
There wasn’t a ton of trade chatter at the G League Winter Showcase in Las Vegas this past week, but the news of the Suns‘ sale to Mat Ishbia generated plenty of discussion, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic. Specifically, the franchise’s $4 billion valuation raised eyebrows, given how far above recent projections it was.
As Hollinger explains, that eye-popping sale price led to speculation on two fronts. For one, there were conversations about whether other franchises could find their way onto the market — for instance, Paul Allen‘s estate appears content to exercise patience before eventually opening the bidding on the Trail Blazers, but it’s possible the Suns’ valuation could help expedite that process. Hollinger adds that there have also been whispers over the years about whether Michael Jordan will sell the Hornets.
Perhaps more importantly, the Suns’ high sale price could be good news for the prospect of NBA expansion. As Hollinger observes, the existing 30 team owners are more likely to agree to bring in two new partners if their cut of the expansion fee high enough to offset their losses from splitting the NBA’s TV deal and other sources of revenue 32 ways instead of 30 ways. The Suns selling for $4 billion increases the odds of expansion fees for teams in cities like Seattle and Las Vegas reaching the neighborhood of $4-5 billion, says Hollinger.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Former NBA lottery pick Ekpe Udoh is resuming his playing career in Japan, according to Alessandro Maggi of Sportando, who relays that the big man has signed with the Shimane Susanoo Magic. The No. 6 overall pick in the 2010 draft, Udoh appeared in 384 total NBA games, but hasn’t played in the league since the 2018/19 season.
- Scoot Henderson wasn’t available for the G League Ignite during the league’s Winter Showcase event in Las Vegas this past week, but Jeremy Woo of SI.com got a chance to scout several other Ignite players, including London Johnson, Leonard Miller, Sidy Cissoko, and Mojave King. Woo shares several of his key takeaways on the Ignite’s non-Henderson prospects, identifying Miller and Cissoko as players who have a chance to be selected in the first round of the 2023 NBA draft (Johnson will be draft-eligible in 2024).
- Veteran NBA executive Mark Warkentien, who won an Executive of the Year award in 2009 as the Nuggets‘ head of basketball operations, has passed away at age 69 (Twitter link via the Nuggets). Warkentien most recently worked in the league as a special assignment evaluator for the Thunder. We at Hoops Rumors send our condolences to his family and friends.
The only restricted free agent left on the market may have a deal in place in the near future, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports that the Hornets and forward Miles Bridges are “gathering traction” in their contract negotiations.
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.
Following the resolution of his legal case, Bridges appears to have a path back to the NBA, though the league is completing its own investigation into the incident and has the power to suspend the four-year veteran. As Wojnarowski writes, Bridges can’t begin serving a possible suspension until he signs a new NBA contract, so if the Hornets intend to bring him back into the fold, they could be motivated to get something done sooner rather than later.
It’s unclear how long a suspension Bridges would be facing. Wojnarowski notes that another former Hornet, Jeffrey Taylor, was banned for 24 games in 2014 after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence assault. Bridges didn’t formally admit guilt in his case, but the allegations were considered credible and the NBA would likely face substantial pressure not to let him off lightly.
If he’s suspended for at least 20 games, Bridges would lose 1/110th of his 2022/23 salary for each game he misses, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
On the basketball court, Bridges had a breakout season in 2021/22, establishing new career highs in points (20.2), rebounds (7.0), and assists (3.8) per game while starting 80 games and averaging 35.5 minutes per night.
The foot injury that Anthony Davis suffered last week has decreased the chances that the Lakers will gamble on a major trade, multiple sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic. He adds that the only exception would be if the team can acquire a young star that it believes can succeed alongside Davis over the next few years.
Even before the Davis injury, the Lakers’ front office wasn’t confident that there was a trade available that would turn the team into contenders, Buha states. He suggests the most likely current scenario is a deal that would include some combination of Patrick Beverley, Kendrick Nunn and a protected first-rounder in either 2027 or 2029 in exchange for a 3-and-D wing or a combo forward.
Along with the players who have already been linked to the Lakers in trade talks, Buha’s sources point to the Suns‘ Jae Crowder, the Rockets‘ Eric Gordon, the Pistons‘ Alec Burks, the Hornets‘ Terry Rozier, P.J. Washington and Kelly Oubre Jr. and the Spurs‘ Josh Richardson and Jakob Poeltl as players to watch.
There’s more on the Lakers, all from Buha:
- LeBron James has posted four straight 30-point games, but his playing time is starting to become a concern. He’s averaged 39.2 minutes over the past five games, and the Lakers need to be careful that they don’t rely too heavily on him. Buha notes that James, who will turn 38 next week, ranks sixth in minutes per game among players with at least 50 total games over the past two seasons.
- The loss of Davis has been eased somewhat by the emergence of Thomas Bryant. Buha states that Bryant was considered “almost unplayable” before Davis got hurt, but he’s averaging 17.7 points and 7.0 rebounds in the last three games while shooting 61.1% from the field and 55.6% from three-point range. The 25-year-old center joined the Lakers during the offseason on a veteran’s minimum contract and will be a free agent again next summer.
- Rookie shooting guard Max Christie recently moved into the rotation and may be playing well enough to stay there. The second-round pick provides a much-needed 3-and-D option for coach Darvin Ham, and he’s one of the best rebounders among the team’s guards.
- The starting backcourt of Beverley and Dennis Schroder hasn’t performed well, and Buha wonders why Ham keeps playing them together. The Lakers are minus-50 in 161 minutes when they’re on the court at the same time, and their skills seem to be redundant.
- Hornets guard Terry Rozier suffered a contusion on his right hip while diving for a loose ball Sunday night, according to Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer. Rozier’s status for Monday’s game at Sacramento will be determined later today.
DECEMBER 16: Hayward plans to make his return to the Hornets’ lineup on Friday, agent Mark Bartelstein confirms to Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
DECEMBER 15: Hornets forward Gordon Hayward, who has missed nine consecutive games with a left shoulder fracture, is “hopeful” he’ll be able to return to action on Friday against the Hawks, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
According to Wojnarowski, Hayward will determine whether he’s ready to go after Friday’s shootaround.
Hayward also missed eight straight games early last month with what the Hornets called a left shoulder contusion. That apparent discrepancy was a point of contention for Hayward’s wife, who criticized the organization for not protecting its players after her husband was diagnosed with a fracture, not a contusion.
The 32-year-old has always been a productive player when healthy, and this season has been no different. Through 11 games (32.3 MPG) in 2022/23, he has averaged 16.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG and 4.4 APG on .445/.381/.767 shooting.
Hayward’s potential return will be a welcome sight for both the player and the team, as star point guard LaMelo Ball just returned on Wednesday. Ball has appeared in just four games thus far for the Hornets after dealing with a couple of left ankle sprains.
Injuries have been a significant issue for Hayward since he joined Boston as a free agent in 2017, but if he can stay healthy for the next few months perhaps he’ll boost his stock. He has one more year left on his current contract, which will pay him $31.5MM in ’23/24, so he’ll be a free agent in 2024.
Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is the choice for Most Valuable Player one-third of the way through the 2022/23 NBA season, Nekias Duncan of BasketballNews.com argues in an early-season award ballot. Tatum is averaging over 30 points, eight rebounds, and four assists per game with terrific shooting numbers and is a candidate for an All-Defensive spot on the other end of the floor, according to Duncan, who contends that doing all that for the NBA’s best team makes the MVP award Tatum’s to lose.
Duncan also checks in on the NBA’s other award races, selecting Bucks center Brook Lopez as the top candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, Magic forward Paolo Banchero as the early Rookie of the Year frontrunner, and Bucks forward/center Bobby Portis as his Sixth Man of the Year choice, among others.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Which teams should be throwing in the towel on 2022/23 and focusing on next year’s draft? John Hollinger of The Athletic breaks down the potential tankers, ranging from the “pull the plug already” group (the Pistons and Hornets) to the “one injury away” tier, which includes playoff hopefuls like the Heat, Mavericks, and Raptors.
- A panel of SI.com basketball writers – including Howard Beck, Chris Mannix, and Chris Herring – prepared for NBA trade season by identifying a player they expect to be moved, picking an intriguing team to watch, and naming a trade they’d like to see happen this season. Three of the five panelists pointed to a Bradley Beal deal as one they’re hoping for, even if it’s probably unlikely in the first season of his five-year contract with the Wizards.
- Michael Pina of The Ringer poses and explores nine questions related to the trade market, including whether the league-wide parity we’ve seen so far this season will catalyze or stifle negotiations. Like those SI.com writers, Pina would welcome some action on the Beal front, referring to the union between the All-Star guard and the Wizards as “the most frustrating dead-end relationship in the entire NBA.”
5:05pm: Ball will be “active and available” for tonight’s game against the Pistons, the Hornets confirmed (via Twitter)
11:17am: Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball has been upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s game against Detroit and is aiming to return to action, barring a setback during pregame warmups, according to Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer.
Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link) classifies Ball as “optimistic” about playing on Wednesday, while Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link) says the former No. 3 overall pick is “hopeful” to return.
Ball, who missed the first 13 games of the Hornets’ season due to a left ankle sprain, re-injured his ankle in his third game back on November 16. He has been sidelined for 11 more games since then and has now been on the shelf for 24 of 27 total contests during the first third of the season.
The Hornets have struggled mightily without their All-Star available this fall, going 6-18 in the games Ball missed. They won one of the three he played, as the 21-year-old averaged 19.3 points, 7.0 assists, and 3.7 rebounds in 32.7 minutes per night. Charlotte is currently on a five-game losing streak.
The Hornets will host the Pistons tonight and the Hawks on Friday. Assuming Ball returns and makes it through those two games without aggravating his ankle, he should be good to go for the team’s six-game road trip that begins on Sunday in Denver.