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Pelicans Rumors: Williamson, Ingram, Potential Trades

December 31st, 2024 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran agent Bill Duffy, who is representing Zion Williamson after the Pelicans forward parted with CAA earlier in the season, doesn’t intend to push New Orleans to move his client before this season’s trade deadline, sources tell Tim MacMahon and Bobby Marks of ESPN.

The focus for both the Pelicans and Williamson’s camp, according to MacMahon and Marks, is to get the 24-year-old back on the court in the coming weeks for the first time since a hamstring strain sidelined him on November 6. The former No. 1 overall pick went through some non-contact work on Monday, tweets William Guillory of The Athletic, and the team announced last week that he’s expected to begin practicing in full very soon.

“Let’s ramp him up and create value for him,” a source said, “whether that’s with the Pelicans or another team.”

Within their deep dive into Williamson’s situation, MacMahon and Marks consider whether a trade would be a viable option for the Pelicans, exploring what the forward’s value on the market would be and what teams might be interested. According to ESPN’s duo, executives trying to come up with a logical landing spot for the former Blue Devil suggested he might make sense for a veteran team seeking another star, like the Warriors, or a retooling club looking to move off big contract of its own, like the Bulls with Zach LaVine.

A rebuilding team looking to roll the dice on a player with star potential at a discounted price could also be a fit, some of ESPN’s sources suggested. One Eastern executive who spoke to ESPN called Williamson’s trade value “the hardest question to answer in the NBA” at the moment.

“It’s really hard to see anybody paying a ton for him right now, but there are a very limited number of players in the league when healthy who are at or near the franchise-player tier,” that exec said. “The only way you win at the highest level is to have a guy who can do the type of things he can do if he’s healthy.

“I would probably do something stupid to get him if it were me making decisions.”

Here’s more on Williamson and the Pelicans:

Williamson’s 2025/26 salary of $39.4MM will likely become at least 20% guaranteed, since he’s on track to meet the weight benchmarks in his contract, sources tell MacMahon and Marks. However, he has missed too many games to reach the 61-game threshold, which means no more than 80% of his total salary for next season will be guaranteed entering the summer. Assuming he passes his required weigh-ins, Williamson can increase his partial guarantee to 60% by playing in at least 41 games or 80% by playing in at least 51.
Despite the structure of his contract, which will remain non-guaranteed beyond ’25/26, the Pelicans don’t consider waiving Williamson in the offseason in order to generate cap flexibility to be a feasible path to improving their roster, per MacMahon and Marks, given that the team still wouldn’t have maximum-salary cap room and New Orleans has never been a free agent destination anyway.
Finding a trade for forward Brandon Ingram remains the top priority for the Pelicans’ front office in the short term, sources tell ESPN. Ingram is on an expiring deal and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2025 if he’s not extended before then.
William Guillory of The Athletic fields several hypothetical trade ideas from Pelicans fans, evaluating each suggestion and considering whether the Pelicans or their proposed trade partner is more likely to pass on each offer.

Kings Notes: Trade Talks, Brown, Fox, Carter

December 30th, 2024 at 4:21pm CST by Rory Maher

As the Kings began to slide down the Western Conference standings over the past several weeks, the front office contemplated making smaller trades “just to change things up,” and also discussed larger deals involving Bulls wing Zach LaVine, Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram, Nets guard Cam Thomas, and Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma, league sources tell Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.

According to Shelburne, the Kings consulted with former head coach Mike Brown on whether to make roster or coaching staff changes prior to parting ways with the 2023 Coach of the Year.

“Nobody wanted to fire Mike,” one Kings source told Shelburne. “He’s a good coach. People here really care about him. Until the very last moment we were trying to make it work.”

Sources tell Shelburne that general manager Monte McNair, assistant GM Wes Wilcox, team president Matina Kolokotronis and owner Vivek Ranadive had “several calls and meetings” to discuss Brown’s future with the organization during Sacramento’s recent 0-5 homestand. McNair ultimately called Brown to inform him of the decision as Brown was driving to the airport to board a team flight to L.A. — the timing and execution of the move drew criticism from around the NBA.

After speaking to Brown, McNair and Wilcox called De’Aaron Fox, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis to let them know, but none were consulted beforehand, Shelburne reports.

Shelburne also confirms a report from The Athletic stating that Kings players had grown weary of Brown publicly bashing the team in post-game press conferences.

For what it’s worth, Marc Stein writes that it’s a “struggle to find anyone around the league” who thinks the firing of Brown was justified (Substack link).

Here’s more on the Kings:

There has been some speculation that Fox may have been unhappy with Brown, in part because of the way the veteran coach criticized him for committing a disastrous foul in the closing seconds of Thursday’s loss to Detroit, but the former All-Star tells Shelburne he enjoys being coached hard and was on good terms with Brown. “I feel like there’s this perception that people thought that we were at odds,” Fox says. “You can ask anybody in this organization: me and Mike have never even had an argument. We could disagree with something. We talked about it and it was gone.”
According to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, there have been “grumblings in NBA circles” suggesting that Fox will ask to be traded before the February 6 deadline. With that in mind, Pincus comes up with a hypothetical deal that sees Fox land with the Rockets.
Rookie guard Devin Carter made his NBA G League debut with the Stockton Kings on Saturday and was recalled prior to Sunday’s matchup with the Lakers, though he didn’t end up playing in what would have been a back-to-back (Twitter link via Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 Sacramento). Still, it’s obviously a positive development, as Carter is inching closer to making his NBA regular season debut following offseason shoulder surgery.

Trade Rumors: Grizzlies, Nets, C. Johnson, Wizards, Lakers

December 30th, 2024 at 9:22am CST by Luke Adams

After Michael Scotto reported on Sunday that the Grizzlies wanted to include top-15 protection on their 2025 first-round pick in their offer to the Nets for Dorian Finney-Smith, Marc Stein writes at The Stein Line (Substack link) that one source said the protection on that pick was actually top-17.

Brian Lewis of The New York Post, confirming that the protection on the pick the Grizzlies offered was so heavy that “it might never have conveyed,” adds (via Twitter) that Memphis was asking for the Nets’ own 2025 second-round pick in return. Based on the current standings, those two selections are just 11 picks apart at No. 26 and No. 37, per Tankathon, and they could end up even closer than that if Brooklyn moves further down the standings.

As Stein explains, the Nets were more inclined to take the Lakers’ offer for Finney-Smith since it added three future second-round picks to their stash without requiring them to give up any draft assets of their own. It also didn’t include any guaranteed salary beyond this season, whereas the Grizzlies’ offer would’ve meant taking back John Konchar, whose deal is guaranteed through 2026/27.

Now that they’ve missed out on Finney-Smith, it wouldn’t surprise anyone around the NBA if the Grizzlies continue talking to the Nets and pivot to pursuing forward Cameron Johnson, according to Stein, who adds that Memphis is expected to continue shopping Konchar.

Brooklyn is said to be seeking multiple first-round picks for Johnson, but they were also asking for a first-round pick for both Finney-Smith and Dennis Schröder and ultimately settled for second-rounders, Stein observes. That doesn’t mean they’ll take second-rounders for Johnson too, but it suggests the asking price of “multiple first-round picks” may come down a little before February 6.

Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors from across the league:

Many league observers had been expecting the Lakers to pursue the Wizards duo of Malcolm Brogdon and Jonas Valanciunas and were surprised to see them make a deal with Brooklyn, according to Stein. Los Angeles could still technically make a deal for both of those two Wizards, but it would be difficult to land more than one of them without D’Angelo Russell‘s expiring contract. “I like the combo of Finney-Smith and (Shake) Milton better for the Lakers than the two Washington guys,” one longtime talent evaluator told Stein.
Citing team and league sources, Jovan Buha of The Athletic confirms that the Lakers will continue exploring the trade market for additional upgrades ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline. For now, the Lakers’ plan is to assess Finney-Smith’s fit with the current group and make a decision close to the trade deadline on whether it makes sense to give up one or both of their tradable first-rounders (2029 and 2031) in another deal.
Given that Schröder and Finney-Smith were traded for second-round compensation, teams pursuing a first-round pick in exchange for their role-player trade candidates might have trouble getting the return they’re seeking, Stein notes, pointing to Bulls center Nikola Vucevic and Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma as a couple examples. Valanciunas, Brogdon, Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson, and Raptors teammates Kelly Olynyk and Bruce Brown are a few of the players believed to be available for second-round picks, Stein adds.

Bulls Notes: Giddey, Dosunmu, Trade Talks, Buzelis

December 29th, 2024 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Josh Giddey returned to the lineup with a triple-double Saturday night as the Bulls got a much-needed win over Milwaukee, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. He missed the previous four games with a sprained right ankle that was originally feared to be much worse than it turned out to be. Giddey sparked the team with 23 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, but he preferred to talk about his improved defense.

“Taking more pride on that side of the ball is something I wanted to buy into probably 10, 12 games ago,” he said. “I met with (coach Billy Donovan), and we spoke about it in order to close games and be an impact. Even when offense isn’t going great, you’ve got to be locked in on that side of the ball. So, I really tried to hone in that side. It’s not going to be perfect. It won’t be for anybody, but I just made an emphasis to really be locked in on that side of the ball.”

Giddey realized he needed to upgrade his defense after a November 15 game in which the Cavaliers repeatedly targeted him on that end of the court, Mayberry adds. He responded to the experience with extra film study and a commitment to bring more effort to his defensive responsibilities.

“There’s only so much film you can watch,” he said. “It’s your will and your want to do it. I flipped that switch, and I want to do it now. It’s something I’ve wanted to take pride in and put myself in those positions where I have to sit down and guard the ball. I’ve really tried to lock in on that side of the ball and make an emphasis of standing my ground and not being the weak link on that side of the ball. You get to a point in your NBA career where you are who you are, and I didn’t want to be that way on the defensive side.”

There’s more from Chicago:

Ayo Dosunmu will be reevaluated in 10 days after straining his lower right calf in a December 23 game, the Bulls announced (via Twitter). He sat out Thursday’s contest with a sore Achilles, and medical imaging on Friday revealed the cause of the pain, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “Let it calm down,” Donovan said. “No tears or anything like that, but certainly a strain showed up. With the way he plays, it’s probably in an area that will continue to cause problems unless he rests it. You’re always going to be susceptible to causing more problems. It was something that was caught earlier, which is a positive.” Cowley notes that Dosunmu was coming off his best stretch of the season, averaging 14.2 points and 6.4 assists in his last nine games.
The Bulls appear to be quiet in trade talks, as Donovan indicated that team vice president Arturas Karnisovas hasn’t contacted him about any serious proposals, Cowley adds in a separate story. “I think he’s always been respectful that we’ve got games coming, and we’re talking about the team, the roster, where we’re at now, how we get better, how we improve, those type of things,” Donovan said. “But there hasn’t been anything of substance of ‘Hey, this is where things are at.'”
Matas Buzelis may already be the Bulls’ best shot blocker, notes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. The rookie forward had two more blocks Saturday night and leads the team in that category even though he’s only ninth in minutes played.

Bulls Sign Emanuel Miller To Two-Way Deal, Waive DJ Steward

December 28th, 2024 at 10:15am CST by Rory Maher

DECEMBER 28: The Bulls officially signed Miller to his two-way contract, according to a release from the team. The team waived Steward to make room for Miller. Steward didn’t appear in a game for the Bulls but averaged 19.9 points and 7.5 assists per contest in the G League this season.

DECEMBER 27: The Bulls are signing free agent forward Emanuel Miller to a two-way contract, agents Mike George and Shy Saee tell Jamal Collier of ESPN (Twitter link).

Miller went undrafted in 2024 after playing five collegiate seasons — two at Texas A&M and then his final three at TCU. In 2023/24 with the Horned Frogs, Miller averaged 15.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals while posting a .486/.383/.815 shooting line in 34 games (32.6 minutes).

The 24-year-old signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Mavericks over the summer, then was waived before the ’24/25 season began. He has posted impressive numbers for their G League affiliate, the Texas Legends, averaging 18.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals on .483/.375/.750 shooting in 16 games (37.5 minutes).

As our tracker shows, Chicago’s two-way spots are currently occupied by Adama Sanogo, DJ Steward and E.J. Liddell. One of those players will have to be released to make room for Miller.

A native of Canada, Miller is the older brother of Timberwolves forward Leonard Miller.

Assuming he officially signs with Chicago on Friday or Saturday, Miller will be eligible to appear in up to 31 NBA games this season, a prorated portion of the usual 50-game limit.

Bulls Notes: LaVine, Vucevic, Ball, Giddey, Dosunmu, Carter

December 27th, 2024 at 6:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Although there have been “whispers” about the Lakers as a possible landing spot for Bulls guard Zach LaVine for the better part of a year, the pieces that would need to be included in a deal between the two teams wouldn’t fit for Chicago, a source tells Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, making Los Angeles an unlikely landing spot for LaVine.

Cowley, who previously confirmed that there was some “light momentum” in LaVine talks between the Bulls and Nuggets, says no additional progress has been made. The two teams have sent each other feelers about what a trade might look like, but discussions haven’t gone beyond that.

Cowley also takes a look at where things stand with Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball, noting that the Bulls would ideally like to get draft assets and expiring salaries in exchange for both players.

While one report stated that Chicago is seeking a first-round pick in return for Vucevic, a source who spoke to Cowley suggests that’s not necessarily the case and that a package of multiple second-rounders is a more realistic return. Second-round draft compensation and matching expiring money would likely also be a best scenario in a Ball deal, Cowley adds.

Here’s more on the Bulls:

Point guard Josh Giddey, who has missed four straight games due to a sprained right ankle, is listed as questionable to play on Saturday vs. Milwaukee, as are Ball (illness) and Matas Buzelis (illness). According to Cowley, head coach Billy Donovan seems confident that Ball will be available and said Giddey might be too. “I wouldn’t say it’s a long shot, but a lot is going to depend on how he responds off (Thursday’s) workout and then probably get another one in (Friday),” Donovan said of Giddey’s potential return. “That will probably be a pretty good tell on if he’ll be available on Saturday.”
While Giddey and Ball may be back on Saturday, it sounds like another injured Bulls guard, Ayo Dosunmu, will miss a little more time. He’s listed as doubtful to play in the Milwaukee game due to a right soleus (calf) strain. “It’s kind of lingered a little bit, gotten sorer and sorer,” Donovan said, per Cowley. “Some of it may be his minutes, I don’t know, but enough that they want to evaluate it and look at it. He is uncomfortable with it right now in terms of planting, pushing off, springing, jumping, that kind of stuff is bothering him.”
With the Bulls’ backcourt banged up, veteran guard Jevon Carter played 36 minutes and scored 26 points in Thursday’s loss to Atlanta. It was just the second time this season he’s played double-digit minutes and it was his highest-scoring game since he joined the Bulls as a free agent in 2023. In a separate story for The Chicago-Sun Times, Cowley writes that Carter has maintained a positive attitude despite his limited role as a Bull. “I’m happy for him personally, just because all of the time he puts in,” Donovan said. “The opportunities have been limited, but the ability and the maturity competitively just to keep himself ready at all times is really impressive to me. To see him rewarded for the work he puts in was great.”

Reportedly Prefer To Make Trades "Sooner Rather Than Later"

December 25th, 2024 at 6:03pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bulls have been prominently mentioned in trade rumors this season, but have yet to make a deal. Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times takes stock of where things currently stand for veterans Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball, writing that the Bulls would prefer to make moves “sooner rather than later” with the trade deadline set for Feb. 6.

Central Notes: Giddey, Mitchell, Cunningham, Beasley

December 24th, 2024 at 9:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Should the Bulls give Josh Giddey a long-term contract? Giddey, currently sidelined by an ankle sprain, will be a restricted free agent after the season. Head coach Billy Donovan believes the fourth-year guard can be a foundation piece for the franchise.

“I think like any player, coach, we all need to get better, so I’ll just start there,” Donovan told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “But I really felt like there was a learning curve with him with our team because one of his greatest strengths is his passing. The defensive part for him, I think he’s gotten better as time has gone on. I think the thing for him the last five or six games before he got hurt, I thought he was really impacting our team in a positive way as he started to figure things out, so I definitely think without question that he can be an important piece to us.”

The front office reportedly didn’t hold serious discussions on a rookie scale extension with Giddey prior to the October deadline.

We have more from the Central Division:

Donovan Mitchell has settled in with the Cavaliers after previously dealing with trade rumors and concerns about his long-term future, Tony Jones of The Athletic reports. “For years, everyone has talked about if I like Rudy (Gobert), or talked about me going to the New York Knicks or the Miami Heat,” he said. “So, it’s great to finally have that sense of peace.” Mitchell signed a three-year extension with Cleveland over the summer. “It’s hard to win championships. It’s hard to win in this league. Despite public opinion, I love being in Cleveland and I want to win a title with this group,” he added.
Accolades from the league’s superstars keep piling up for Pistons guard Cade Cunningham. After Kevin Durant offered high praise for Cunningham over the weekend, LeBron James also complimented him following Detroit’s win over the Lakers on Monday. “He’s just too big,” James said, per Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. “He’s got wide shoulders, big legs and he knows exactly what he’s doing. And he gets to it. Solid player. Very, very solid. He’s gotten better and better, and the best thing I think this year is that he’s been healthy. He was the No. 1 pick, right? That’s for a reason. They got a great one.”
After signing a one-year deal with the Pistons, Malik Beasley is proving to be one of the league’s best free agent pickups during the offseason. He’s averaging 16.6 points per game for the much-improved club and told Mark Medina of Sportskeeda that he’s made himself an elite shooter. “A lot of people don’t work. A lot of people don’t come in and do extra work,” he said. “As much as I do it, you’d be surprised on how many guys don’t do it. How many guys don’t come in to work before shootaround? It’s not mandatory. But that’s what separates those guys. What separates me as an elite shooter? I’m not a Hall-of-Fame player. But I’m a Hall-of-Fame shooter. So you just keep pushing.”

Eastern Notes: Shamet, Nets, Lillard, Middleton, White

December 24th, 2024 at 5:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau is happy to have Landry Shamet back on his roster after the veteran wing recovered from the dislocated shoulder he suffered during preseason with the team. Praising Shamet for his leadership and ability to play multiple positions, Thibodeau said the 27-year-old had a “great” training camp and was deserving of a roster spot once he was healthy.

“He’s been around, he’s played in big games,” Thibodeau said (Twitter video link). “He knows how to play off people extremely well. The three-point shooting, he can handle the ball (or) play off the ball.”

After officially re-signing with the Knicks on Monday, Shamet was active for the club’s game vs. Toronto and made a brief appearance in the fourth quarter with 84 seconds left and New York holding a 16-point lead. He made a 13-footer on his first possession for the Knicks’ final points of the night.

“I was so amped up today, man, I’ve been chomping at the bit for a while,” Shamet said after the win, according to Peter Botte of The New York Post. “It just felt good to be back in the building, suit it up, be with the guys, lock in on a game plan, and be a teammate. I’m just grateful that I felt good to get in the game there at the end and kind of just see the first one go in.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Injured Nets guards Cam Thomas and Ziaire Williams are nearing their respective returns, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post, who says both players participated in 5-on-5 action on Monday. “It seems like they’re getting close,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. Thomas (left hamstring strain) has been out since November 25, while Williams (left knee sprain) hasn’t played since Dec. 1.
Bucks guard Damian Lillard missed Monday’s game due to an illness, but the calf issue that sidelined him on Saturday has improved, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “He’s doing much better,” head coach Doc Rivers said. “I expect him to possibly be ready (for Thursday’s game vs. Brooklyn), but then he gets sick.” Rivers, who jokingly referred to the illness affecting Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and other Bucks as the “Vegas flu,” clarified on Monday that the bug began circulating before the NBA Cup semifinals. “About a week before Vegas, (this illness) has gone down the chain of guys getting sick, but it happens,” Rivers said.
With Lillard and Antetokounmpo unavailable vs. Chicago on Monday, Bucks forward Khris Middleton looked like his old All-Star self for a second straight game, scoring a team-high 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting in just 23 minutes to lead the club to a comfortable 21-point victory. Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has the story.
Coby White‘s .414 FG% and .358 3PT% are his lowest marks since his rookie year, and he has been especially struggling as of late, shooting 27.8% on three-pointers since Nov. 27. But the Bulls guard isn’t using ankle and groin injuries as an excuse, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network, and his teammates aren’t worried about him, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “There’s ups and downs throughout an NBA season,” Zach LaVine said on Monday. “We’ll all be OK.”

Suns Looking To Move Jusuf Nurkic

December 24th, 2024 at 4:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Suns are shopping starting center Jusuf Nurkic, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic reports.

Phoenix’s front office is seeking another big man in return, with the Wizards‘ Jonas Valanciunas and Bulls‘ Nikola Vucevic among the players mentioned in trade talks.

There still are conversations about a deal with the Heat involving Jimmy Butler, Rankin adds, confirming a Marc Stein report. Bradley Beal would be a natural fit salary-wise in a Butler deal but he’d have to waive a no-trade clause — and the Heat would have to be willing to take on his multiyear, maximum-salary contract.

The Suns, with three star players in their lineup, are floundering at the .500 mark. Their desire to move Nurkic indicates they’re looking for ways to shake things up, though second apron restrictions limit what they can do.

Nurkic is averaging 9.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 24.5 minutes per game during his second season with the Suns. Nurkic played just 15 minutes against Denver on Monday. He averaged 10.9 PPG, 11.0 RPG and 4.0 APG last season.

Phoenix acquired him in the three-team blockbuster in which Damian Lillard was dealt to Milwaukee and former Suns center Deandre Ayton was sent to the Trail Blazers.

Nurkic is signed through next season. He’s making $18.125MM this season and will bring in $19.375MM next season.

Valanciunas is making $9.9MM this season, so there would need to be additional players in a transaction involving the Wizards. Vucevic, also signed through next season, is pulling in $20MM this season.