Kevin Porter

Bucks Notes: Portis, Injuries, Playoffs, Rotation

February 20th, 2025 at 5:31pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Bucks forward Bobby Portis was suspended for 25 games on Thursday morning, an obvious blow to Milwaukee’s depth. The suspension will cost Portis $114,348 per game, or $2.85MM in total, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). Additionally, the Bucks receive a tax variance credit worth about $1.43MM, which is 50% of Portis’s lost salary.

That figure doesn’t come off Portis’s cap hit or the standard team salary. However, when it comes time to calculate Milwaukee’s tax bill at the end of the season, their total taxed salary will be reduced by that amount.

Before the suspension, the Bucks had an open roster spot. It’s unclear what Milwaukee’s exact plans were with that spot, but it’s important to note that two-way player Ryan Rollins has carved out a role for himself. Milwaukee would also be able to move Portis to the suspended list and sign an additional replacement player after he has been out for five games. Theoretically, the Bucks could fill their existing open roster spot and sign a replacement player.

In 46 games this season, Portis is averaging 13.7 points and 8.3 rebounds. With his production out from the lineup for the next 25 games, the team could lean on deeper reserve bigs like Jericho Sims and/or Tyler Smith.

We have more on the Bucks::

Injury luck will play a big part in whether Milwaukee can elevate itself from merely a playoff team to a true contender, Eric Nehm of The Athletic writes. The Bucks are outside the top 10 in both offensive and defensive ratings, which are typical indicators of contention status. If stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are able to stay healthy for the rest of the season and into the playoffs after dealing with injuries during the 2024 postseason, Milwaukee could reach its potential, Nehm writes.
The Bucks are in danger of not having home court advantage in the playoffs for the first time since 2018, when Joe Prunty was head coach. As Nehm writes in the same piece, the Bucks are a game behind the Pacers for fourth in the East, potentially setting up a rematch of last year’s first-round playoff series.
Even with Portis out, the Bucks have no shortage of depth options, leading to questions about the rotation, per Nehm. Outside of starters Antetkounmpo, Lillard, Andre Jackson Jr., Brook Lopez and Kyle Kuzma, Milwaukee has five players vying for four rotation slots. Taurean Prince, Gary Trent Jr. and A.J. Green seem certain to play regular minutes, leaving coach Doc Rivers to decide on whether Rollins or Kevin Porter Jr. will be the ninth man.

Central Notes: Giannis, Cunningham, Thompson, Green

February 19th, 2025 at 11:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Giannis Antetokounmpo likes the additions the Bucks made at the trade deadline, but a strained left calf has prevented him from getting on the court with his new teammates, writes Steve Megargee of The Associated Press. The injury caused Antetokounmpo to miss the last six games before the All-Star break, and he’s listed as questionable for Thursday’s contest against the Clippers. He was able to practice today, but neither he or coach Doc Rivers is sure whether he’s going to play.

Even though he’s stuck on the sidelines, Antetokounmpo has been impressed by what he’s seen from Kyle Kuzma, Jericho Sims and Kevin Porter Jr., whom Milwaukee landed in two trades earlier this month.

“The team looks great right now,” Antetokounmpo said. “We’re playing very, very fast. Everybody’s competing. Defensively I think we’re going to be way, way better. We’re big. And I’m excited.”

The downside of the deadline for Antetokounmpo was parting with long-time teammate Khris Middleton. They could back be on the court together again Friday when Milwaukee travels to Washington, and Antetokounmpo has a greeting in mind.

“I’m not shaking his hand, I’m not talking to him, I’m not even looking at him, and every time I see him, I’m going to guard him full court, pick him up full court and deny him,” Antetokounmpo quipped. “You know what I’m going to do? I’m going to make a 3 in his face and go, ‘Khash!’ I’m joking.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

Cade Cunningham became the first Pistons player to be selected to the All-Star Game since Blake Griffin in 2019 and the first Detroit guard to make it since Allen Iverson in 2009, notes Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. Cunningham enjoyed making his All-Star debut, but added that he expects to return many times in his career. “It’s cool, man. This is what I planned on, though,” he said. “This is what I saw for myself. To be in this position now is a great feeling, but there’s definitely more steps to climb. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season and all the things to come.”
Pistons forward Ausar Thompson could be primed for a strong close to the season, Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News states in a mailbag column. Davis notes that Thompson had to overcome a long layoff caused by blood clots he experienced late in his rookie season. When he was cleared to play in November, he was limited to 20 minutes per game and was still dealing with fatigue. He has been used as the team’s secondary play-maker over the last eight games and is averaging 4.0 assists per night, along with 13.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.0 steals.
Javonte Green, who is expected to join the Cavaliers after completing a buyout with New Orleans, was one of the wings the team considered adding before the trade deadline, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). Team officials believed Green was likely to be a buyout candidate, so they directed their trade efforts elsewhere and wound up with De’Andre Hunter.

Central Notes: Schröder, Pistons, Hunter, Porter, Bulls

February 11th, 2025 at 9:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Dennis Schröder is playing for his third team this season. He wound up with the Pistons as part of the five-team blockbuster that landed Jimmy Butler with Golden State. Schröder, who started the season with Brooklyn before getting dealt to the Warriors, made his Detroit debut on Sunday and will continue to be part of the rotation with Jaden Ivey on the mend from a broken fibula.

“It’s my 12th season. I think I consider myself a veteran now — 31 years old,” Schröder told Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “I can bring a lot to this team, making sure the young guys are doing the right things and not the wrong things and worry about the right things as well to make the team better. That’s what it’s all about and that’s the reason why I’m here 12 years, and I want to show those guys and try to lead by example every single day, but then on the court playing the right way is the reason they got me.”

Schröder will be a free agent after the season.

We have more from the Central Division:

Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon admitted that being a buyer at the trade deadline wasn’t on his radar when he was hired by the team last summer. Detroit’s surprisingly strong play convinced him to alter his plans, though he also used cap space as bait to acquire two future second-rounders. “These guys have put themselves in position where they believe they can be a playoff team, which is exciting. We know that’s important to them,” Langdon said, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “To add to that was important to us, as well. We were aware of that and kept that in mind leading to the deadline.”
The Cavaliers have been seeking a big, versatile wing for years and may have finally found their man in De’Andre Hunter, who was acquired from Atlanta. Hunter scored 12 points in 23 minutes against Miami in his Cleveland debut on Monday. “I’m not coming here … trying to change anything,” Hunter told The Athletic’s Joe Vardon. “I’m just trying to add my skill set to what they already have. They had a need they felt needed to be addressed. I feel like, as someone who prides himself on defense and kind of going out there and (trying) to be a two-way player as best I can. So I think that could really help this team, especially at the small forward. But like I said, they were doing good without me.”
Bucks general manager Jon Horst acknowledges there’s risk in bringing in guard Kevin Porter Jr., who was acquired from the Clippers. Horst believes Porter – who wore out his welcome in Cleveland due to locker-room issues and faced domestic violence charges during his time in Houston – has matured and put that behavior behind him. “I think we have an opportunity to help (him) continue on the path of what he’s on, which is improving and growing. There’s no question that if he does that, we think he can help us,” Horst said, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “So there’s a chance for a win-win. But, it’s not unlike any other transaction. There’s risk. And it’s not a five-year commitment and a massive, major thing. I mean, this is a bet, and for him, it’s an opportunity to help us and grow and improve, and he’s been doing it. And that’s what all of our due diligence showed us. And if he does that, he could be a pretty good fit with us. I know he’s excited to be here and we’re excited to have him.” Porter holds a 2025/26 player option on the two-year, minimum salary contract he signed with Los Angeles last offseason.
The Bulls added Zach Collins, Kevin Huerter and Tre Jones at the trade deadline but there’s no mandate by the front office to play them, according to coach Billy Donovan. “(The front office hasn’t) come out and said that to me like that, but I do think that there would be organizationally, no question, you want to find out about those guys, they’re here,” Donovan said, per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “Can they help our team, can they impact our team, and who are they as players? Right. There hasn’t been, ‘Hey, let’s play these guys right now.’ “

Bucks GM: Middleton Trade Was ‘Hardest Transaction’ Of My Career

February 11th, 2025 at 10:19am CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters on Monday for the first time since last week’s trade deadline, Bucks general manager Jon Horst said the decision to trade Khris Middleton to the Wizards was the “hardest transaction” he has made during his career as a front office executive, according to Jamal Collier of ESPN.

Middleton, who had been with the Bucks since being acquired from Detroit during the summer of 2013, made three All-Star teams during his 12 season with the organization and was a key part of the team that won a championship in 2021.

“I’m incredibly close with Khris personally, his family,” Horst said on Monday, per Steve Megargee of The Associated Press. “I probably have more Middleton jerseys in my house than anything and will still have more Middleton jerseys in my house than anything.”

Last week’s four-team trade saw the Bucks send out Middleton, 2024 first-round pick AJ Johnson, Delon Wright, a 2028 first-round pick swap, and cash in exchange for Kyle Kuzma, Jericho Sims, and a pair of second-rounders.

The deal significantly reduced Milwaukee’s overall salary, moving the team below the second tax apron, though Horst said that wasn’t a mandate from ownership. He believes the move will allow the Bucks to remain in contention in the present and future.

“It’s still the awesome responsibility to try to take this franchise and maximize the window that we have now as best we can,” Horst said. “What we think gives us the best chance to win, and figure out how to continue winning going forward. There’s a very narrow set of opportunities that we felt that we could do that, and this was one of them.”

Middleton has battled injuries in recent years and missed more games (112) than he played (111) from the start of the 2022/23 season to the time of the trade. However, Horst claimed the veteran forward’s availability wasn’t a driving factor in his decision to make the deal.

“Collectively, I think we’re deeper in the spots we needed to be deeper,” he said, according to Collier. “This gave us an opportunity to diversify a little bit, to kind of put money and talent and roster spots in other places where I thought we needed help.”

Kuzma is four years younger than Middleton and has been healthier too, though he’s having a down year this season. His shooting percentages of 42.0% from the field and 28.1% on three-pointers with the Wizards would have easily been career lows, and he averaged just 15.2 points per game prior to the trade after putting up 21.7 PPG in his first two years in D.C.

As Eric Nehm of The Athletic relays, Horst said the Bucks “strongly believe” that Kuzma remains in his prime and will play better than he did in the first half of this season. Milwaukee’s GM also lauded the veteran forward for his ability to move the ball, attack in transition, and serve as a secondary rim protector on defense.

Horst, noting that the Bucks made multiple deadline moves and also brought in Sims and Kevin Porter Jr., made it clear that he doesn’t want to directly compare Kuzma to Middleton.

“This isn’t a Khris or a Kyle comparison, although that’s the easy thing to do,” Horst said. “It’s the team before the trade deadline and the team after the trade deadline, and to be determined with an open roster spot, that we felt like in totality we positioned ourselves to have a better run this year. That doesn’t do anything to diminish the three-time All-Star, Olympian, NBA champion, pillar in the community, everything that Khris Middleton was for this franchise for over a decade.”

Central Notes: Beasley, Pacers, Kuzma, Sims, Porter

February 9th, 2025 at 10:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Malik Beasley could have been cashed in for future assets at the trade deadline. The veteran wing, who is on a one-year, $6MM bargain deal, has been highly productive for the surprising Pistons, including on Friday when he exploded for a career-high 36 points against Philadelphia.

However, Beasley specifically asked not to dealt and general manager Trajan Langdon obliged, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press reports.

“He came to me a couple of weeks ago and said ‘Please don’t trade me, I want to be here,” Langdon said. “Which means a lot. In the summer when we talked about players we were going after and players we wanted to roster, we wanted guys who want to be here. He’s a guy who has said from day one he wants to be in Detroit and has continued to echo that, and with his actions and play has shown that.”

Beasley has indicated he plans to re-sign with the club when he enters free agency this summer. He’s ineligible to sign an extension prior to free agency.

“To be able to talk to your GM is huge, to have that relationship,” Beasley said. “I think he knew that I wanted to stay but he wasn’t sure, because a lot of players come in and still want to leave. But I told him from the jump I want to be here, I want to help build this organization up, I want to be a vet and do everything I can to score, and just get some wins. I’m happy to be here, I want to continue to stay here and let’s keep it going.”

We have more from the Central Division:

The Pacers made only one minor move before the trade deadline, dealing away injured center James Wiseman and cash to Toronto for a top-55 protected draft pick. Coach Rick Carlisle is pleased there wasn’t a midseason roster shakeup, he told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “I’m absolutely not surprised,” he said. “The organization believes in this group. The coaching staff believes in this group. The players have shown a strong belief in each other.”
Kyle Kuzma, who won a championship with the Lakers, is happy to be back in a winning organization after being dealt from the rebuilding Wizards to the Bucks. “It’s been four years. It feels a long time,” Kuzma said, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “But I was in a different space when I went to Washington. I already won a championship, so when I came to Washington it was like all right, let me find myself, let me find my game, let me see how good I can be, let me see what I can get better at. And I did that. And now I’m back in a situation to win, and that’s what it’s about. Obviously, I’ve been licking my chops for an opportunity to compete at a high level.”
The Bucks also acquired center Jericho Sims and Kevin Porter Jr. prior to the deadline. Coach Doc Rivers commented on both players and Nehm relays that Sims could play a key role as a reserve big man. “I didn’t know that we needed a stretch big. I’ll take the size and the ability to roll and run the floor,” Rivers said. “Rollers are invaluable in our league. He’s one of them. He gets behind the defense. He’s as athletic as anyone in the league. I think he’s a fantastic fit.”

Clippers Trade Kevin Porter Jr. To Bucks For MarJon Beauchamp

February 7th, 2025 at 1:21pm CST by Rory Maher

February 7: The swap is now official, according to press releases from the Clippers and Bucks. This was the last deadline-day trade to be processed, so all of this week’s deals have now been formally finalized.

February 6: The Clippers are trading guard Kevin Porter Jr. to the Bucks for forward MarJon Beauchamp, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Porter is a former first-round pick who played in Greece last season after multiple off-court incidents, including reaching a plea agreement for misdemeanor assault and harassment in January 2024 after allegedly attacking his girlfriend in September 2023. The Clippers gave him another NBA opportunity in July when they signed him to a two-year, minimum-salary contract. He holds a $2.55MM player option for 2025/26.

Porter is still under a league investigation for that September 2023 incident involving former WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick, according to Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link).

While the 24-year-old has been a rotation regular for Los Angeles, averaging 9.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.0 steal in 45 games (19.6 minutes), he has struggled with offensive efficiency (.423/.245/.645 shooting line) and turnovers (1.9 per game). The Clips have also been much better when he’s off the court (+5.4 points per 100 possessions) than when he’s on it (-1.4).

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, Porter will earn a trade bonus of $129,245 as a result of the deal.

Beauchamp is another former first-round pick who has seen his minutes steadily decline over the course of his three NBA seasons, making just 26 appearances in ’24/25 for an average of 4.7 minutes per contest. The Bucks declined their rookie scale team option on the 24-year-old wing last fall, so he’ll be an unrestricted free agent in the summer. He’s making $2.7MM this season.

L.A. Notes: Clippers, Harden, Davis, Hachimura

January 25th, 2025 at 9:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers are built around their stars, but they also have a deep roster that’s capable of competing when their top players aren’t available, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. With six rotation members sidelined against the Celtics on Wednesday, L.A. managed to take the game into overtime before falling to the defending champions.

“We have four starters out and to be able to come out with the team that we had just shows how deep we are,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “It just shows you that guys deserve opportunities to play, but you can’t play 15 players. And so, it’s hard. But it definitely shows the job that (president of basketball operations) Lawrence Frank and (general manager) ‘Red’ (Trent Redden) and (assistant GM) Mark Hughes putting a team together that’s deep, that can step up and play when guys are out and we were able to see that tonight.”

Derrick Jones Jr., who signed with the Clippers over the summer after an NBA Finals run in Dallas, said he tries to create a “next man up” mentality among the team’s younger players so they’re ready when needed. That was evident against Boston as Kevin Porter Jr. scored 26 points and Amir Coffey added 24 as they both got a rare chance to start.

“I always tell ’em to be aggressive, be who you are. You are on the team for a reason, you in the NBA for a reason, so just go out there and be who you are,” Jones said. “Don’t shy away from no pressure, don’t shy away from no opportunity. Just go out there and take it in full force.”

There’s more from Los Angeles:

James Harden returned to the Clippers‘ lineup on Thursday and notched his 79th career triple-double, passing Wilt Chamberlain on the all-time list, per Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. “It means a lot, just impacting the game in other ways,” Harden said. “Scoring is one thing, but rebounding the basketball, facilitating is another thing. And just impacting the game. You don’t get to be the best player on the court by just scoring the basketball every single night. Obviously that helps, but there’s other ways to impact games and you’ve seen it throughout the course of history of the NBA. I’m just happy to be a part of it.”
Lakers management is paying attention to Anthony Davis‘ request for another big man, Shams Charania of ESPN said on tonight’s NBA Countdown (Twitter video link). Charania expects the front office to be aggressive in shopping its first-round picks for 2029 and 2031 to try to add another piece or two before the deadline.
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura is missing tonight’s game against Golden State due to left calf soreness, tweets Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Jarred Vanderbilt made his season debut after recovering from offseason surgery, but coach J.J. Redick said Hachimura’s absence won’t affect Vanderbilt’s minutes, relays Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). Dorian Finney-Smith got the start in place of Hachimura.

Clippers Notes: George, Offseason, Kuminga, Bamba

November 7th, 2024 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

According to team owner Steve Ballmer, the Clippers wanted to retain Paul George over the summer and “made him a big offer,” writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. But with the Clippers unwilling to add a no-trade clause or a fourth year to the three-year offer they put on the table for George, the star forward considered other options and L.A. began envisioning life without him.

“I don’t know when the blueprint changed,” Ballmer told Youngmisuk. “The truth of the matter is our situation was changing just because the guys are getting older anyway. So the way to think about it with Paul or without Paul, it started to morph on us.”

As Youngmisuk writes, the Clippers showed with the three-year, $150MM deal they offered George that they were willing to continue operating above the second tax apron. But the front office certainly wasn’t opposed to the idea of reducing its payroll, with more punitive roster-building restrictions – including a frozen draft pick seven years out – being implemented for teams in second-apron territory.

“Once your pick becomes frozen, (and) if you’re in the second apron for multiple years, you’re really f—ed,” Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said. “You’re in a situation where you never have cap space and you never have your mid-level exception and you’re just strictly dealing with minimums and trades. Our goal is we want to be a sustainable contender.”

As Ballmer points out, avoiding a $50MM-per-year commitment to George allowed the Clippers to add a handful of defense-first role players who will fit the team’s new identity and should be very movable on the trade market, if necessary.

“The truth is, with Paul not coming back, we were able to upgrade our team,” Ballmer said. “We don’t (sign) Derrick Jones Jr. if Paul comes back. We don’t (sign) Kris Dunn, (or have) our new defensive identity. Might not have (signed) Kevin Porter Jr., Nico (Batum). … You could say, well, they’re not Paul George. No, they’re not Paul George. … (But) we were able to get three guys who are tough, hard-playing guys. And we still have the ability to consistently make ourselves better. So it was the right choice for us.”

Here’s more on the Clippers:

The Clippers were open to making an opt-in-and-trade George deal with the Warriors before he became a free agent and would likely have pulled the trigger if Golden State had been willing to part with Jonathan Kuminga and a first-round pick, says Sam Amick of The Athletic. The two teams briefly discussed Kuminga, but Golden State pulled him off the table, and since he was the only young Warriors the Clippers viewed as a potential star, talks fizzled after that, Amick explains.
Youngmisuk also addressed the George talks between L.A. and Golden State in his ESPN feature, reiterating that the Clippers ultimately decided the assets available to them in that deal wouldn’t have been worth the cost (in tax penalties and roster flexibility) of taking on matching salaries. “Nothing is better than something,” one league source told ESPN in explaining the team’s decision to let George walk.
Ahead of his return to L.A. on Wednesday as a member of the Sixers, George made it clear he has no hard feelings toward Clippers management and that he had a great relationship with Ballmer and Frank. “They were awesome the whole time I was here,” George said, per Youngmisuk. “Kind of the reason why it was such a shocking decision how it played out at the end. But they were awesome.”
George, who heard plenty of boos during Wednesday’s game from the Clippers faithful, told reporters after the Sixers loss that he thought that reaction was “stupid,” according to Youngmisuk. “It wasn’t something that I demanded a trade or went against the team here. I was a free agent,” George said. “The team presented something that was team-friendly, and I did what was best for me in that situation. So there were the cheers. I appreciate them. Those were the ones that I played hard for. The boos, I didn’t get it.”
Clippers center Mohamed Bamba may be nearing his debut after missing the start of the season due to left knee injury management. A source tells Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link) that Bamba has been cleared for contact and has been involved in recent team shootarounds.

Los Angeles Notes: Porter Jr., Harden, Olivari, James Family

October 22nd, 2024 at 5:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA’s investigation regarding Clippers guard Kevin Porter Jr. remains ongoing, Law Murray of The Athletic tweets. Porter will be able to play until the NBA decides whether to take disciplinary action. The Clippers signed Porter to a two-year contract in the summer despite his past troubles with the law.

In 2023, following an arrest on a domestic assault charge, Porter was traded by the Rockets to Oklahoma City shortly before the start of the regular season. The Thunder waived him the day after the deal was completed and he didn’t play in the league last season.

Porter reached a plea agreement of a third-degree reckless assault misdemeanor in January. He was required to complete a court-ordered program, after which his plea was to move to not guilty with no criminal record.

We have more on the Los Angeles teams:

With Kawhi Leonard out indefinitely due to his knee rehab, James Harden is thrust into the role of primary scorer for the Clippers. However, coach Tyronn Lue doesn’t want to place too much of a burden on the 35-year-old guard. “Yeah, we got to be smart about it. We’ve been talking about it, meeting about it, just making sure we don’t run him into the ground,” Lue told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. “When you lose a power player like Kawhi to start, you can see yourself playing James way more minutes than you need to. So, we just got to make sure we keep him healthy and make sure we’re doing the smart thing, and we’re still working on that right now as far as minutes and what we try to have to start the season.”
Quincy Olivari had his Exhibit 10 contract converted into a two-way deal by the Lakers after his strong preseason showing. He’s thrilled to make the roster but has loftier goals in mind. “This ain’t my end goal in life, but it’s another milestone that I’ve completed and accomplished and I’m just ready,” Olivari told Khobi Price of the Orange County Register. “I’m just glad I was able to come back here to practice, honestly. I woke up and I was like, ‘It might be early, I might still be tired, but there’s some people that don’t have this blessing that I have so I’m just going to take full advantage.’ It changed my whole mindset.”
Will Bronny James appear on the court at the same time as his father in the Lakers’ season opener? LeBron James says there’s no rush to make history. “Whenever it happens, it will happen,” he said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “If it’s tonight or if it’s down the line, whenever it happens, it will happen. But it’s been a treat, and just in preseason, the practices, just every day … just bringing him up to speed of what this professional life is all about and how to prepare every day as a professional.” The Lakers host Minnesota on Tuesday.

Pacific Notes: Leonard, Clippers, Waters, Vincent

October 6th, 2024 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Kawhi Leonard sat out the Clippers‘ preseason opener Saturday night, but he expressed confidence that his surgically repaired right knee will be less of a problem this season, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Leonard was limited to two games in last year’s playoffs due to inflammation in the knee, then he was replaced on the U.S. Olympic team because of concerns that the knee wouldn’t permit him to play.

Leonard told Youngmisuk that the focus in training camp has been on strengthening his knee and preparing him for the long season ahead. However, no determination has been made on whether he’ll be used in back-to-back games.

“I feel good,” Leonard said. “Just been taking my time, getting stronger and getting ready. … We’re just taking it slow, day by day and just trying to get me back on the floor. Once those conversations come, we’ll see what they’re talking about [on the best approach for back-to-backs].”

Leonard appeared in 68 games last season, his highest total in seven years, and the Clippers will need him in the lineup as much as possible to remain competitive after losing Paul George in free agency. Leonard is hoping for a similar workload this season, but that’s not his primary concern.

“I strive to get a championship and I’m not out there to try to [solely] play 82 games,” he added. “I’m trying to win, even though [playing as much as I can] that’s obligated for me. I try to. But it hasn’t worked out [the last two postseasons] so we’ll see.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

James Harden, Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac looked ready for the regular season on Saturday, but it may take time for coach Tyronn Lue to work out the rest of the Clippers‘ rotation, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Newcomers Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones were in the starting lineup, but they both went scoreless. More impressive were Kevin Porter Jr., who scored seven points, and Kai Jones, who contributed four points, six rebounds and three assists.
Lindy Waters, who’s in camp on a non-guaranteed contract, won the game for the Warriors with a buzzer-beating three-pointer, per Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. Waters described the moment as the “cherry on top” after a long week of training camp. “I had already hit a couple of them, so that rim gets bigger and bigger,” he said. “So I just let it fly, and I knew it was good as soon as it left my hand.”
One positive for the Lakers in Friday’s preseason opener was backup guard Gabe Vincent, who scored 11 points in 15 minutes. Vincent missed 71 games last year with a knee injury, and he told Lakers Nation this week that he didn’t feel 100% until about a month after the season ended. “Obviously I was healthy enough to come back and compete, but I think it was clear to everybody that I wasn’t really myself even though I was able to impact in certain ways,” Vincent said. “It just wasn’t really what I was proud of producing and I don’t think it’s what this ballclub needed me to produce at the time. So definitely happy to be healthy coming into this season.”

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