- The Pacers have to make a decision on Lance Stephenson, whose 10-day contract expires tonight, tweets Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. Stephenson joined the team under the hardship provision at the start of January, but because all of Indiana’s players cleared protocols by the time that deal expired, he had to sign a standard 10-day contract. The Pacers have the options of giving him another 10-day deal or signing him for the rest of the season. He has averaged 9.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 11 games.
The Pacers will shut down guard Malcolm Brogdon for the next 10 days, tweets James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star. Coach Rick Carlisle told reporters that Brogdon will undergo a rehab program for his injured right Achilles.
Brogdon has only been able to play two games in the past month because of the injury, as well as a stay in the league’s health and safety protocols. He logged 17 minutes in a January 12 game against the Celtics and 26 minutes in Wednesday’s contest with the Lakers.
Brogdon, the team’s starting point guard, has appeared in 28 games this season, averaging 18.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists per night. However, he’s shooting a career-low 30.7% from three-point range.
Brogdon’s condition is part of a terrible run of injuries for the Pacers, who have lost Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis in the past week. T.J. McConnell had hand surgery last month and may miss the rest of the season, while T.J. Warren has yet to play this season because of a foot fracture.
- Despite being one of the league’s best shot blockers and part of the Pacers‘ foundation for the last six and a half years, Myles Turner is no stranger to trade rumors. In an interview with Mark Haynes of ClutchPoints, Turner says he has gotten accustomed to hearing his name thrown around. “I would say the first time I’ve dealt with trade rumors was probably like four years ago,” Turner said. “I didn’t know what to think of it. As the summers progressed, I kept hearing more things, and that stuff was almost getting done. I kind of got used to hearing it all the time. I just took it as part of the business.”
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said on Thursday that the team doesn’t have a “definitive” timeline for Domantas Sabonis‘ return from a left ankle sprain, but told reporters the All-Star big man will likely miss “at least a few games” (Twitter link via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN).
As we observed on Thursday, it’s bad luck for the Pacers that two of their top trade candidates – centers Sabonis and Myles Turner – are battling injuries with the February 10 deadline around the corner. However, Sabonis’ injury in particular seems unlikely to be a long-term concern. There’s still a good chance Indiana hangs onto Sabonis, but any trade offers the team gets shouldn’t be negatively impacted by what appears to be a minor ailment.
- Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files explores the impact that Myles Turner‘s injury will have on the Pacers and their trade deadline plans.
Pacers big man Domantas Sabonis suffered a left ankle sprain in the fourth quarter of the team’s win over the Lakers on Wednesday when he landed on Russell Westbrook‘s foot while going after a rebound.
Despite being in obvious pain, Sabonis stayed in the game and helped Indiana secure the victory. That doesn’t mean his ankle injury is minor, however. As James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star writes, head coach Rick Carlisle said after the game that the sprain is “probably going to be significant.” At the very least, the Pacers will likely hold the All-Star center out of the second game of a back-to-back set on Thursday in Golden State, though no decisions have been announced yet.
“He was not gonna come out of this game,” Carlisle said after the victory, per Boyd. “He was determined to help will us to the win along with Caris (LeVert) and the guys who were out there. … The 3-point shot that Sabonis hit on the bad ankle (to put the Pacers up by eight with 2:28 left) was one of the big shots of the year and just a guy that was completely determined to pull us through this thing.”
LeVert, Sabonis, and Myles Turner have been mentioned most frequently in recent weeks as possible trade candidates for the Pacers. With the February 10 deadline just three weeks away, Sabonis and Turner – who has been diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left foot – are both banged up. Those injuries could complicate Indiana’s trade discussions, though Sabonis’ ankle sprain seems unlikely to be a long-term concern.
If Sabonis does miss time, young centers Goga Bitadze and Isaiah Jackson could be in line for increased roles.
Sidelined since December 10 after surgery on his right thumb, Pistons forward Jerami Grant has now entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News. Grant has been making progress toward playing again and began a rehab assignment with the G League’s Motor City Cruise this week.
Grant is considered the “grand prize” by some observers heading into the trade deadline and has been the subject of rumors involving at least nine teams. His time in the protocols could further limit the number of games he can play before Detroit has to make a decision on a deal.
He and rookie center Luka Garza are the only players currently in the protocols for the Pistons, who recently were among the hardest-hit teams in the league by COVID-19.
Here are some more protocol-related updates:
- Clippers forward Nicolas Batum has been placed in the protocols, tweets Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Batum also spent time in the protocols in November.
- Heat guard Tyler Herro has entered the protocols, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). Herro is the only Miami player currently in the protocols.
- Pacers guard T.J. McConnell, who may miss the rest of the season after having hand surgery, has been placed in the protocols, tweets Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files.
- Celtics guard Marcus Smart has exited the protocols, the team announced in its injury report. However, he’s not playing tonight due to “return to competition reconditioning.”
- Spurs guard Tre Jones has cleared the protocols, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express News. He missed seven games while he was out of action.
- Taylor Jenkins is out of protocols and is coaching the Grizzlies tonight, according to Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (Twitter link). Jenkins missed six games.
The Hawks are a good bet to make significant changes at the trade deadline, according to Matt Moore of Action Network. Multiple sources tell Moore that the directive from team ownership is to turn the season around following an 18-25 start, so Atlanta won’t just be sellers — they’ll want to acquire players who can help right away.
While the price tag would likely be high, John Collins is someone the Hawks are willing to talk about, according to Moore, who hears from sources that Bogdan Bogdanovic is another veteran the team would discuss.
Here are a few more items of interest from Moore:
- The Pacers have received multiple offers for Caris LeVert, sources tell Moore. While Moore views LeVert as the Pacer most likely to be traded, he says it wouldn’t be surprising if others, such as Justin Holiday, are on the move, possibly in a larger deal.
- A pair of rival executives who spoke to Moore were skeptical that the Celtics will do anything too drastic at the trade deadline. “They’re not so off track that they need to just give up and trade Jaylen Brown and blow the whole thing up,” one of the execs said. “They’re where they usually are, with a team good enough to compete but not good enough to scare you. They’ll look for a big upgrade without having to give up anything.”
- With Max Strus‘ playing time on the rise and Duncan Robinson seeing his role reduced a little as of late, there’s a belief around the league that the Heat would be open to discussing the sharpshooter, says Moore. Robinson, who entered the season with a .423 career 3PT%, has made just 34.8% of his threes in 2021/22.
The Kings have informed De’Aaron Fox and agent Chris Gaston that they don’t want to trade the 24-year-old guard, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Fox’s name has surfaced more frequently in trade rumors as of late, including earlier today. However, sources tell Charania that the Kings’ current mindset is that they want to keep both Fox and second-year guard Tyrese Haliburton and build the team around them. Sacramento has conveyed that stance to potential trade partners and to Fox and his reps, says Charania.
Multiple reports this week stated that the Kings have expressed interest in Pacers center Domantas Sabonis, with one report suggesting Fox had been brought up in those discussions. Charania says a deal centered around Sabonis and Fox won’t happen.
The Kings are also believed to be very much in the hunt for Ben Simmons, though Sam Amick of The Athletic – who previously reported that Sacramento was open to the idea of acquiring Tobias Harris along with Simmons – now hears from a source that the team doesn’t have interest in that scenario (Twitter link). Amick says the Kings still see a pathway to landing Simmons, but it’s hard to imagine how they’ll construct an offer that meets the Sixers‘ asking price without including either Fox or Haliburton.
Fox and Haliburton were reported last summer to be off-limits, but that changed earlier this month, as Amick reported that no Kings players were considered untouchable. While that report – and others – stated that Sacramento’s preference would be to build around Fox and Haliburton, there had been a sense that the team was becoming more open to doing something drastic and perhaps breaking up its backcourt.
Based on Charania’s report, it sounds like the Kings are once again leaning toward making Fox and Haliburton untouchable. It’s possible they arrived at their latest position as a result of being underwhelmed by how the two guards were being valued on the trade market — it’s also possible this is posturing and Sacramento will reverse its stance again within the next three weeks.
For now though, it appears that any major move made by the Kings will involve some combination of Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, Marvin Bagley III, and others on the roster rather than Fox or Haliburton.
Wizards guard Aaron Holiday is considered to be available via trade, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who said on the latest HoopsHype Podcast that multiple teams have checked in on Holiday’s price tag.
The Wizards acquired Holiday from Indiana in the five-team offseason trade that sent Russell Westbrook to Los Angeles. As the team’s backup point guard this season, the ex-Pacer has averaged 6.2 PPG and 1.9 APG on .475/.382/.808 shooting in 35 games (16.2 MPG). He’ll be eligible for restricted free agency during the 2022 offseason.
Here’s more from Scotto:
- Most executives around the league believe Caris LeVert is now the most likely Pacers player to be traded, in the wake of Myles Turner‘s foot injury, says Scotto. There’s a sense that teams may lower their offers for Turner or back off pursuing him entirely, Scotto adds.
- A number of rival execs believe Trail Blazers interim general manager Joe Cronin has a chance to keep the job on a permanent basis, according to Scotto. Interestingly, Portland announced a series of front office hires and promotions today — none of those moves impacts the very top of the team’s basketball operations department, but the fact that the franchise is actively adding and promoting executives under an interim GM is noteworthy.
- On Tuesday, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report suggested that the Pistons offered Jerami Grant, Saddiq Bey, Kelly Olynyk, and a first-round pick for Ben Simmons earlier in the season, and the Sixers weren’t enthusiastic about the concept. Scotto has heard that Detroit’s offer, which was turned down by Philadelphia, actually consisted of Grant, Bey, and Josh Jackson.