Los Angeles Clippers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Harden, Leonard, Russell, Huerter

April 29th, 2024 at 1:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers‘ acquisition of James Harden during the opening weeks of the 2023/24 regular season was met with mixed reviews at the time of the trade, then major skepticism after the team lost its first five games with the former MVP in uniform. However, as Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register writes, Harden has been indispensable in the first round for Los Angeles with star forward Kawhi Leonard ailing.

Harden has played over 39 minutes in each of the Clippers’ four playoff games so far. He leads the team in postseason scoring (26.0 PPG), has been L.A.’s top play-maker (7.0 APG), has a scorching hot shooting line of .541/.500/.913, and even leads the club with 1.3 blocked shots per contest.

“That’s what James is here for,” Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said on Sunday. “When PG or Kawhi or one of our top dogs is out, to be able to step in and fill in and be able to score the basketball, make plays for other guys, make it easier for Norm (Powell) and Zu (Ivica Zubac) and Mace (Mason Plumlee) and those guys.”

Because Harden is in the second season of a two-year contract, he won’t become eligible for an extension before reaching unrestricted free agency this offseason. The Clippers will hold his full Bird rights though, putting them in a good position to bring him back.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

With uncertainty surrounding Leonard’s availability for the rest of the Clippers‘ first-round series, Lue is focused on supporting the star forward rather than bemoaning the fact that the team might have to continue playing without him, per Law Murray of The Athletic. “(He’s) worked hard to get to this point, to a place he wants to be in the playoffs,” Lue said of Kawhi. “And then to be hurt and not be able to be 100 percent and play the way he’s capable of playing, it’s very frustrating for him. I feel bad for him.”
The first-round series vs. Denver has been a roller coaster ride for Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell, who made just 6-of-20 shots in Game 1 and 0-of-7 in Game 3, but had 44 total points on 51.6% shooting (57.9% on threes) in Games 2 and 4. Mark Medina of The Sporting Tribune takes a look at Saturday’s bounce-back performance from Russell, who could become a free agent this summer by turning down his $18.7MM player option for 2024/25. For what it’s worth, L.A. has a +3.6 net rating in D-Lo’s 145 minutes on the court during the series.
It was a forgettable year for Kings wing Kevin Huerter, who saw his minutes reduced, shot a career-worst 36.1% on three-point attempts, and suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in March. “Frustrating is definitely the word,” Huerter said, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. “Even before the injury, just a lot of ups and downs — a lot more downs, I think, than previous years.” On a positive note, the 25-year-old said he’s ahead of schedule in his recovery from shoulder surgery: “They said 12 weeks out from surgery was (when I can) start shooting, doing on-court stuff. … We’re hoping August is contact. Should be on pace for training camp in September.”

Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard To Miss Game 4, Series Status Unclear

April 28th, 2024 at 1:16pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Clippers All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard has been ruled out for Sunday afternoon’s Game 4 matchup against the Mavericks due to right knee inflammation, reports Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

More troublingly, team president Lawrence Frank has indicated that L.A. is unsure if Leonard will even be able to return in this first round series against Dallas at all. The Clippers are currently trailing the Mavericks 2-1, and missing their best player for possibly the duration of the remaining games certainly does not bode well for their overall chances.

“The obvious question is, ‘When’s he coming back?'” Frank said. “I can’t tell you a timeline. I wish I had a crystal ball. Basically, until he can show that he can make all the movements that he needs to make, that’s when he’ll come back. That will be the time frame.”

According to Frank, imaging on Leonard’s knee was at least promising, Mirjam Swanson of Southern California News Group tweets

“We’ve done another image, structurally everything is intact,” Frank said.

The two-time Finals MVP has only been available in two contests of the series thus far, and has hardly looked like his All-NBA self when he has played. Leonard is averaging 12.0 PPG on 45.8% shooting from the floor and 66.7% shooting from the charity stripe, in addition to 8.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 2.0 SPG and 0.5 BPG.

Amir Coffey will join the starting five in Leonard’s stead.

On the other side, meanwhile, Mavericks All-Star guard Luka Doncic is struggling with a knee injury. Head coach Jason Kidd indicated that the team will make a determination on how he feels after warming up.

Leonard Still Questionable For Game 4; George's Slump Comes At Unfortunate Time

April 27th, 2024 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers still aren’t sure about the Game 4 availability of Kawhi Leonard, who continues to battle inflammation in his right knee, per Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Leonard participated in practice on Saturday, which didn’t involve any contact drills, and the team’s medical staff will closely monitor Leonard if he’s able to take the court on Sunday. “I think just doing what’s right by him,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “So, just talking to medical staff throughout the course of the game, talking to him, seeing how he’s feeling and just kind of go from there. So, he can monitor his own body, he’s grown and he can tell us how he’s feeling. Sometimes you got to protect a player from themselves. And, so, that’s what my mindset is. Kawhi and our staff is the same way.”
Paul George may be losing some negotiating leverage with a shaky performance in the playoffs, notes Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. George, who holds a $48.8MM player option for next season, is hoping to reach a long-term extension with the Clippers. He had a chance to cement his value with Leonard’s limited availability, but Swanson observes that the team has been relying on James Harden as its number one option against Dallas.

L.A. Notes: Leonard, George, Russell, Wood

April 27th, 2024 at 1:57pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Clippers fell to the Mavericks in Game 3 and are now trailing the series 2-1. Kawhi Leonard, who was questionable before the game with right knee inflammation, played just 25 minutes and recorded nine points, nine rebounds and four turnovers before exiting the game for the final time with over four minutes left in regulation, writes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times.

Leonard missed the Clippers’ last eight regular season games and first playoff game. In his Game 2 return, he played 35 minutes but missed 10 of his 17 shots and scored just 15 points. He admitted that the inflammation is still bothering him.

“It was pretty good the first game,” Leonard said of the inflammation. “Like I said, it didn’t respond the way we wanted it to. Tonight it was either play limited minutes or not play. And I wanted to be on the floor to help the team. And, that’s what the results are. Frustrating that it happened to me this late in the season. But, yeah, we’re going to keep going. We’re going to get it right.”

Head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters that the team was managing Leonard’s minutes and is trying to be smart with how the’s used, according to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk (Twitter link). According to Youngmisuk, Lue said Leonard will be available for Game 4.

We have more from L.A.:

Paul George is averaging 4.7 fouls per game so far in the playoffs and has committed at least four in every game. Law Murray of The Athletic analyzes how George’s fouls are costing the Clippers in the series vs. Dallas. George has as many fouls (10) as field goals made (1o-of-25) in Los Angeles’s two losses. “Defense can be physical, they can be aggressive on me,” George said. “Other side of it, I pick up quick, cheap ones. And, you know, it’s frustrating. But I got to be better — I got to be better.“
Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell has had an up-and-down series against Denver, shooting just 6-of-20 for 13 points in Game 1 before making seven three-pointers in a narrow Game 2 loss. In Game 3, as the Lakers went down 3-0 in the series, he made none of his seven shot attempts and was held scoreless. According to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha (Twitter link), coach Darvin Ham said he’s not considering benching Russell. Ham plans to roll out the same starting five for Game 4, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
Lakers reserve big Christian Wood, out since Feb. 14 with a knee injury, was upgraded to questionable ahead of Game 4, according to McMenamin (Twitter link). Wood, who averaged 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 50 games this season, had reportedly been aiming to return in Game 3, but remained sidelined on Thursday.

Injury Notes: Leonard, Gafford, Lillard, G. Allen, Jackson

April 26th, 2024 at 7:38pm CST by Rory Maher

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard was listed as questionable heading into Friday’s Game 3 against Dallas due to right knee inflammation, but he was later upgraded to available, notes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN (via Twitter).

Leonard returned to action on Tuesday after being sidelined for three-plus week with the knee injury. He played 35 minutes in Game 2 and it’s unclear if two-time Finals MVP will be ready for more than that tonight.

“Not sure yet,” head coach Tyronn Lue said on Thursday, per Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. “That’s something we got to talk about with medical. I’m not sure if the minutes will go up but he feels good.”

Leonard was understandable rusty in his first game back and needs to find his timing, Lue added, according to Janis Carr of The Orange County Register.

“I think mentally he felt OK (thinking) ‘I got over that hurdle. I feel good. I can do this,’” Lue said of Leonard. “I’m hoping he continues that at the start of (Game 3).

Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:

After previously being listed as questionable, Mavericks center Daniel Gafford (back spasms) went through his pregame routine unscathed and will be active on Friday, the team announced (via Twitter). Gafford made a big impact for Dallas in the second half of the season after being acquired from Washington at the trade deadline.
Bucks guard Damian Lillard appeared to suffer a left knee injury in the first quarter of Friday’s Game 3 vs. Indiana after his heel area was accidentally landed on by Pascal Siakam (Twitter video link via ESPN). Lillard was in significant pain and went back to the locker room to get checked out, tweets Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. However, the eight-time All-Star returned to action at the start of the second quarter and remained in through the conclusion of the overtime loss, so evidently the injury isn’t a serious one.
Suns wing Grayson Allen, who sustained a right ankle sprain in Game 1 in Minnesota and then re-injured the ankle in Game 2, said he felt “better than expected” on Thursday, per Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (Twitter link). Allen was a partial practice participant on Thursday and is questionable for Friday’s Game 3 in Phoenix. However, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 expressed doubt about his status tonight, tweeting that Sunday’s Game 4 looks like a more “realistic” return date.
Nuggets reserve guard Reggie Jackson was in a walking boot and using crutches on Friday, tweets Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette. Head coach Michael Malone said Jackson has a sprained ankle and he’ll be questionable for Saturday’s Game 4 vs. the Lakers, with the boot a “preventative” measure, according to Brendan Vogt of DNVR Sports (Twitter links).

Southwest Notes: Ryan, Morant, Grizzlies, Gafford, Mavs

April 26th, 2024 at 2:53pm CST by Luke Adams

When the Pelicans converted Matt Ryan from his two-way deal to a standard contract on the day before their regular season finale, they used their mid-level exception to sign him to a three-year deal that paid him $1.5MM in guaranteed money for the final two days of this season, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

In exchange for that substantial end-of-season payday, Ryan gave the Pelicans two additional years of low-cost control — he’s under contract for a non-guaranteed minimum salary ($2,196,970) in 2024/25, with a non-guaranteed minimum-salary team option ($2,381,501) for ’25/26.

Ryan’s salary for ’24/25 would become guaranteed if he remains under contract through the start of the regular season, but there are no trigger dates before that point, so New Orleans won’t necessarily need to make a decision on him until the fall.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Grizzlies guard Ja Morant is now being represented by Lift Management, according to a tweet from the agency. Morant reportedly parted ways with longtime agent Jim Tanner earlier this spring. The two-time All-Star has seen his stock drop following multiple suspensions for his off-court behavior, along with a shoulder injury that cost him nearly all of the 2023/24 season, but his maximum-salary contract runs for four more seasons.
Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal takes a look at what the Grizzlies want to see from their young players this summer, including projected Summer League participants like GG Jackson and Scotty Pippen Jr. As Cole observes, it’ll also a big offseason for Jake LaRavia, who will be entering his third NBA season, but it’s rare for former first-round picks to return for a third year of Summer League.
With center Daniel Gafford listed as questionable for Game 3 vs. the Clippers on Friday due to back spasms, the Mavericks could be forced to make a change to their starting lineup, writes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required). Dereck Lively would likely be the top candidate to move into the starting five, though Maxi Kleber – who has averaged 27.0 minutes per game so far in the series – would also play a major role. Dwight Powell and Markieff Morris are also in the mix as depth options.

Pacific Notes: M. Brown, Moody, Westbrook, Durant

April 26th, 2024 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

While there has been some chatter about Mike Brown‘s contract situation since the Kings‘ season ended last week, Brown denied on Wednesday that the issue is “top of mind” as he enters the summer, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.

“It’s not, really, at the end of the day,” Brown said. “I have one year left on my deal. Everybody knows that, but I’m excited about being here. I’m excited about our future, so I’m going to go into this summer trying to figure out how we can be better next year.”

Brown technically has two years left on his contract, but the 2025/26 season is a mutual option, meaning both he and the Kings would have to opt in. Since ’24/25 is his last guaranteed season, the two sides may feel compelled to try to get a new deal done sooner rather than later. Brown is reportedly expected to seek a deal that’s in line with the new market for head coaches after Steve Kerr, Gregg Popovich, and Monty Williams signed lucrative contracts in the past year.

“Look at a two-year horizon here, which is when Coach Brown and his staff came in, and (there are) a lot of positives,” general manager Monte McNair said on Wednesday. “We’re certainly disappointed this year, and Mike and I will sit down and try to figure out how we get back to where we want to get to. And, yeah, we’ll have all those conversations here starting soon.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Within a discussion about a few Warriors-related subjects, Anthony Slater of The Athletic notes that it will be an interesting offseason for Moses Moody. The former 14th overall pick will be extension-eligible beginning in July and should be in line for a larger role next season, especially if Klay Thompson leaves in free agency or if Golden State trades Andrew Wiggins. “I think it’s really important coming into year four for (Moody) that there is some reasonable playing time available for him where he can impact our team and be out there and continue to improve,” general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said this week.
The Clippers have been better both offensively and defensively when Russell Westbrook is on the court during the first two games of their series against Dallas, according to Law Murray of The Athletic, who suggests that Westbrook’s contributions are critical to counter the Mavericks’ small lineups. Westbrook can become a free agent this offseason if he turns down a $4MM player option for 2024/25.
In a feature for ESPN.com, Baxter Holmes explores Kevin Durant‘s return from a 2019 Achilles tear, an injury that the Suns‘ star forward thought might end his run as an All-NBA-level player. As Holmes writes, Durant’s intense love of the game helped fuel his recovery process and allowed him to eventually regain his All-NBA form.

Injury Notes: Middleton, Giannis, Kawhi, THJ, Gafford

April 25th, 2024 at 2:19pm CST by Rory Maher

Bucks wing Khris Middleton sustained a right ankle sprain in the first quarter of Tuesday’s Game 2 loss to Indiana. He wound up playing 36 minutes, but he didn’t practice on Thursday and head coach Doc Rivers said “there’s a little” concern about Middleton’s availability for Game 3 on Friday, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

“It’s another holding our breath situation, so honestly, I don’t know,” Rivers said (Twitter link via Nehm).

Middleton has averaged 19.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 5.0 APG while shooting 53.6% from the field through two games (35.5 MPG). Milwaukee would certainly miss the three-time All-Star if he’s unable to go on Friday, particularly with Giannis Antetokounmpo still out.

Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:

Speaking of Antetokounmpo, Rivers said the Bucks‘ two-time MVP was doing quite a bit of “shooting and moving” at Thursday’s practice. However, he was unable to go through live drills, as Nehm relays (via Twitter). Antetokoutnmpo was listed as doubtful before being ruled out prior to the first two games of the first-round series vs. the Pacers. The 29-year-old has been sidelined since April 9 due to a left calf strain.
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue confirmed that Kawhi Leonard‘s knee responded well following Tuesday’s loss to Dallas, which was his first game back in three-plus weeks, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter links). Lue said Leonard will go through a non-contact practice on Thursday, Townsend adds. It’s unclear if the six-time All-Star will see even more minutes in Friday’s Game 3 after playing 35 a couple days ago.
Mavericks wing Tim Hardaway Jr. will be sidelined for Friday’s Game 3, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “He’ll be evaluated in a few days,” head coach Jason Kidd said. Hardaway sprained his right ankle in Game 2 and didn’t play the entire second half. Starting center Daniel Gafford (back) did not practice on Thursday and is questionable for Friday’s game, Kidd added.
In case you missed it, the Lakers will still be without Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) and Christian Wood (knee) for Thursday’s Game 3 vs. Denver. Both players had reportedly been aiming to return tonight.

L.A. Notes: Vanderbilt, Wood, George, Leonard

April 25th, 2024 at 7:56am CST by Luke Adams

Injured Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt (right midfoot sprain) and big man Christian Wood (left knee surgery) had both been aiming to return to action for Game 3 on Thursday, but it appears they’ll remain sidelined for at least one more game. Los Angeles has listed Vanderbilt and Wood as out on the official injury report.

As we noted on Tuesday, it’s unclear how much the Lakers would actually use Vanderbilt and/or Wood if they were available. Vanderbilt hasn’t played since February 1, while Wood has been on the shelf since February 14, so both players would likely have some rust to shake off in their first game back.

Still, the Lakers are already facing a 2-0 deficit against the defending-champion Nuggets, who have beaten them 10 times in a row dating back to the 2022/23 season. If Vanderbilt and Wood are available, it’s worth seeing if they can provide some sort of spark. However, it seems L.A. won’t get that chance until at least Game 4.

Here’s more on the NBA’s two L.A. teams:

As discouraging as their blown 20-point lead on Monday was, the Lakers were able to take some positives from their Game 2 performance during a Wednesday film session, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “We generated some great shots. We missed a lot of shots at the rim that we’ve been making throughout the course of this season,” said LeBron James, who went just 4-of-11 at the rim, per ESPN. Head coach Darvin Ham added that he likes film sessions because they remove “post-game emotions” and allow the team to zero in on specific areas to improve: “It’s not just, ‘We failed, let’s scrap the whole plan and go this way.’ No. You have to understand why things went the way they went.”
Three-and-a-half months after Kawhi Leonard signed an extension to remain with the Clippers, the team still doesn’t have a new deal in place with Paul George. However, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report says that multiple sources still expect George to re-sign with L.A., either via an extension or free agent contract.
Leonard and the Clippers struggled to find a rhythm on Tuesday in the star forward’s first game in April, but George is confident that it won’t take long for the club to get more comfortable, as Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times relays. “I mean, y’all know this: Kawhi is one of the best in the world. He’s going to find his rhythm. We’re going to find our rhythm around him,” George said. “We feel good about it despite … I don’t ever like to take or look at the moral victories. We lost (Game 2), which is frustrating and upsetting, but it is great having … (Leonard) back out there with us and we’ll all adjust. We’ll get our timing back, our rhythm back and getting a better flow.”

Wolves’ Naz Reid Named Sixth Man Of The Year

April 24th, 2024 at 5:46pm CST by Rory Maher

Timberwolves big man Naz Reid has been named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year for the 2023/24 season, the league announced on Wednesday evening (via Twitter).

A former undrafted free agent, Reid averaged 13.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG and 0.9 BPG on .477/.414/.736 shooting in 81 games this season (24.2 MPG).

Reid is the first player in Timberwolves franchise history to win the Sixth Man award, per a team press release.

The 24-year-old was a major reason why Minnesota didn’t skip a beat when Karl-Anthony Towns was sidelined with a knee injury late in the season. The Wolves went 14-6 without Towns and 56-26 overall, good for the No. 3 seed in the West.

The voting was remarkably close (Twitter link via the NBA). In fact, it was the smallest margin between first- and second-place finishers since the current voting format was implemented 21 years ago, according to the league (via Twitter).

Reid finished with 45 first-place votes, 39 second-place votes and 10 third-place votes for a total of 352 points. Runner-up Malik Monk had the exact same number of second- and third-place votes, but finished with two fewer first-place votes for 342 total points.

Kings guard Monk appeared in 72 games this season for Sacramento, all off the bench. He averaged 15.4 PPG, 2.9 RPG and 5.1 APG on .443/.350/.829 shooting in 26.0 MPG.

Bucks big man Bobby Portis, who finished third in Sixth Man voting last season, finished a distant third again in ’23/24, receiving 81 total points. He averaged 13.8 PPG and 7.4 RPG on .508/.407/.790 shooting without missing a game this season for Milwaukee (24.5 MPG).

Clippers wing Norman Powell (65 points) and Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (40 points) finished fourth and fifth in voting, respectively. No other player received more than three points.

Powell actually received the most third-place votes of any player, but fewer first- and second-place votes than Portis, which is why he finished behind Milwaukee’s forward/center.

Jose Alvarado, Russell Westbrook, T.J. McConnell, Jonathan Isaac, Jaime Jaquez, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Bojan Bogdanovic all received at least one vote.