Los Angeles Clippers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

L.A. Notes: Harden, Clippers, Hayes, Prince, Vincent, Lakers

November 5th, 2023 at 5:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

James Harden will be on some sort of minutes restriction in his Clippers debut on Monday against the Knicks, Adam Zagoria relays in a NJ.com story.

“There will probably be something,” coach Tyronn Lue said of limiting Harden’s minutes. “We don’t want to just jump right into it and play him crazy minutes, so we’ll just talk to the medical staff and just see what’s best.”

Harden will also have to adjust to being off the ball on a majority of possessions when he’s sharing the backcourt with Russell Westbrook.

“That’s what we talked about the last two or three days, is just when they’re on the floor together, just making sure James is off the ball and let Russ be more of the point guard,” Lue said.

We have more on the Los Angeles teams:

Jaxson Hayes is listed as questionable for the Lakers’ road game against the Heat on Monday due to a sprained left ankle, Khobi Price of the Orange County Register tweets. Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Jalen Hood-Schifino and Jarred Vanderbilt are already listed as out due to a variety of injuries. However, Taurean Prince is not on the injury report after missing the last two games due to a knee injury.
Vincent won’t be able to play against his former team because of a knee injury, but he indicated he wanted to return to Miami during free agency. Vincent’s stock rose during the postseason, putting him out of the Heat‘s price range, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “I think I had a good playoff run, and I think that changed my value,” Vincent said. “I think once that changed, it just became more difficult. I think Miami wanted me to be there. I think I was naturally looking to return to the team I just had a Finals run with and the team I had been with for the last three or four seasons. It’s unfortunate it didn’t work out. But my value had changed.” Vincent joined the Lakers on a three-year, $33MM deal.
The Lakers have been outscored 117-54 in second-chance points through six games and coach Darvin Ham says it’s simply a matter of effort and positioning, Price writes. “You can’t scheme rebounding,” Ham said. “You’ve got to want to get the ball. Plain and simple. The shot goes up, if your opponent is in your area, you’ve got to get hits, put bodies on bodies and be the most aggressive one to the ball. That’s it. There’s no play I can draw up to get more rebounds.”

James Harden To Make Clippers Debut On Monday

November 5th, 2023 at 11:49am CST by Luke Adams

Star guard James Harden will make his first appearance of the 2023/24 season on Monday, according to Shams Charania and Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link), who reports that Harden will make his Clippers debut in New York vs. the Knicks.

The expectation, per The Athletic’s duo, is that Harden will start alongside Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Ivica Zubac.

There had been some speculation that Westbrook might be moved to the bench to play the sort of sixth man role he did with the Lakers during the first half of last season. That would allow the Clippers to stagger their ball-dominant players a little more. However, it sounds like the team will look to make it work with a starting five that features a pair of former MVPs in the backcourt alongside star forwards George and Leonard.

Harden had yet to play this season for Philadelphia prior to Wednesday’s blockbuster trade that sent him to Los Angeles, but 76ers head coach Nick Nurse and Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue both told reporters that the 34-year-old looked great in practices, so he wasn’t expected to require an extended ramp-up period.

The Clippers last played on Wednesday and are in the midst of four consecutive days off, giving them ample time to get Harden up to speed. The club’s other newcomer, P.J. Tucker, played nearly 21 minutes on Wednesday, about 12 hours after the trade was officially finalized.

NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots

November 4th, 2023 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Each of the NBA’s 30 teams is permitted to carry 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals, which works out to a maximum of 540 players across 30 rosters. The Grizzlies have been granted an extra roster spot after moving Ja Morant to the suspended list, so let’s call it 541.

Of those 541 potential roster spots, 527 are currently occupied, leaving just 14 open roster spots around the NBA. Four of those open roster spots belong to two teams, while 10 other clubs have one opening apiece.

[RELATED: 2023/24 NBA Roster Counts]

Here’s the full breakdown:

Two open standard roster spots

Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Clippers

As we’ve previously discussed, teams can only carry two open spots on their standard rosters for up to 14 days at a time, so the Warriors and Clippers will each have to add a 14th man soon.

That deadline is coming up very soon for the Warriors, who have had two open roster spots since the start of the season on October 24. The Clippers, who just dipped to 13 players following their two trades on Thursday, will have a little more time to decide on their next roster move.

I wouldn’t expect either team to be in any rush to add a 15th man, since both clubs are well above the luxury tax line.

One open standard roster spot

Boston Celtics
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Detroit Pistons
Los Angeles Lakers
Miami Heat
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans
Portland Trail Blazers

Many of these teams are carrying an open roster spot for luxury tax reasons. The Celtics, Lakers, Heat, and Pelicans are all over the tax line, while the Bulls, Cavaliers, and Timberwolves don’t have much breathing room below it. Most of those teams will add 15th men eventually, but they’ll be in no rush to do so yet.

The Pistons are well below the tax, however, while the Trail Blazers have more than enough flexibility to sign a 15th man without getting too close to tax territory. Both teams should be on the lookout for players who would make good candidates to fill those openings.

One open two-way roster spot

Phoenix Suns

It’s no coincidence that Phoenix, the only NBA team without a G League affiliate of its own, is also the only club carrying just a pair of two-way players instead of three.

With no NBAGL team where they can send players for developmental purposes, the Suns will be less motivated to carry a full complement of two-way players, since it’s unlikely they’ll need three of them to regularly contribute at the NBA level unless their standard roster is beset by injuries.

Pacific Notes: Harden, Warriors, Santa Cruz, Kings Depth, Booker

November 4th, 2023 at 11:54am CST by Tristan Tucker

New Clippers guard James Harden discussed his desire to help the team win a championship during his introductory presser on Thursday, and the Clippers are much closer to winning a chip by acquiring him, Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register opines. However, Swanson argues that trading for Harden puts the Clippers under more public scrutiny, adding Harden to a list of big-name players alongside Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook.

The fit between Harden and Westbrook, who have played together twice before in Houston and Oklahoma City, will be interesting to watch unfold. Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times further explores the fit, adding that coach Tyronn Lue said he hasn’t yet talked to the two about splitting ball-handling duties.

“I don’t predict the future. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know, bro,” Westbrook said. “But it’s going to be a process. It’s going to be ups and downs, going to be good games, bad games. It’s not just going to come together and mesh and we’re going to be perfectly fine. That’s unrealistic expectations for everybody. The realistic expectations, like I said, it’s going to be a process. I don’t have the answer to what that is.”

Harden said he’s used to adjusting his playing style, having done so in Brooklyn and Philadelphia alongside other superstars, though he expressed displeasure with his role in Philly.

“Somebody that can have that dialogue with me and understand and move forward and figure out and make adjustments on the fly throughout the course of games, that’s all I really care about,” Harden said. “It’s not about me scoring … 34 points. I’ve done that already.”

Harden is in the final year of his contract and will earn about $35.6MM this season.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

The Warriors are off to a 5-1 start, but they are still figuring out certain lineups, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater observes. In particular, head coach Steve Kerr is still working through the team’s closing unit, and Jonathan Kuminga, Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II are all fighting for spots in that lineup, with Payton closing out Friday.
In the same article, Slater reports the Warriors sent Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis to the G League to get playing time in training camp with Santa Cruz. However, Draymond Green argued that the Warriors played with low energy on Friday and that not having the young players there hurt the team. “Next time we have an in-season tournament game, we need them here,” Green said. “You always talk about young guys bringing energy, that’s their job. We don’t have to tell those young guys to bring energy. They do every single day. I wasn’t overly shocked our energy wasn’t there because they lift our energy level. … We need them here. They are a big part of the fabric of this team. We missed them [Friday].“
With both De’Aaron Fox and Trey Lyles still out for the Kings, Sacramento’s depth is being tested early on, The Sacramento Bee’s Jason Anderson writes. Davion Mitchell and Sasha Vezenkov have been taking on the majority of Fox’s and Lyles’ minutes.
After returning to play Thursday, Suns guard Devin Booker is out again for Saturday’s contest against the Sixers, according to Duane Rankin (Twitter link). Head coach Frank Vogel is “hopeful” Booker will play in the second game of the team’s back-to-back on Sunday against the Pistons, but that the short turnaround mixed with ankle soreness is holding him out today.

Clippers Notes: Chemistry, Harden, Westbrook, Frank, Batum

November 3rd, 2023 at 9:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Head coach Tyronn Lue said James Harden is in better shape “than I thought it would be” after the new Clippers guard participated in a scrimmage on Wednesday, according to Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times.

“He pushed the pace, he pushed the basketball, made plays for his teammates and he looked really good,” Lue said.

However, Lue realizes that developing chemistry among four ball-dominant players like Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook will be an ongoing process.

“When you have four guys that can score the basketball and make plays, you know, this is just gonna be a process understanding our rotations, how we want to play, who we want to have on the floor together,” Lue said.

We have more on the Clippers:

Even though Westbrook and Harden were teammates in Oklahoma City, they bring different styles that will require constant adjustments, Lue told Mark Medina of The SportingTribune.com. “Russ is more attack, get downhill and speed and pace. James is more slow, playing his game and so it’s a difference,” Lue said. “It’s a big difference between those two guys. Now when you’re staggering those guys, it’s going to be a different pace to the game.”
President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank isn’t worried about Harden making sacrifices, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN writes. “James Harden should have been an All-Star last year,” Frank said. “But he’s a 10-time All-Star. He has an elite skill set, and all he cares about is one thing: He wants to win a championship for the L.A. Clippers. He wants to be part of something bigger than himself. He’s had all the individual awards. He’s about doing something really special.”
In a detailed analysis, The Athletic’s Sam Amick elicited opinions from numerous scouts regarding how, or if, Harden can blend his skills with the current Clippers roster.
Nicolas Batum, one of the players dealt to Philadelphia in the Harden blockbuster, thanked the Clippers organization and their fans on social media. Batum noted that the organization and fans embraced him at “the lowest point in my career.” The veteran forward fell out of favor in Charlotte before joining the Clippers prior to the 2020/21 season.

Injury Notes: Kyrie, Thunder, Mann, Lyles

November 3rd, 2023 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

After missing the last two games due to a sprained left foot, Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving has been upgraded to available for Friday’s game vs. the Nuggets, as first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The Mavericks are the only undefeated team left in the Western Conference, but will face a tough matchup in their first in-season tournament game tonight as they visit the defending champions in the altitude of Denver, so they’ll be happy to have Irving back in their lineup.

Here are a few more injury-related updates from around the NBA:

There’s good and bad news on the injury front for the Thunder. Center Jaylin Williams will be available for the first time this season on Friday after having been sidelined with a right hamstring strain. However, star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is among the team’s unavailable players vs. Golden State due to a left knee sprain (Twitter links via Rylan Stiles of Locked on Thunder).
Clippers guard/forward Terance Mann, who has yet to play this season due to what the team is calling a sprained left ankle, said in a YouTube video that he “overstretched” a muscle or “maybe tore it a little” (hat tip to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times). Mann added that there’s no timeline for his return and he’s still focused on trying to reduce the swelling in the ankle.
The Kings have ruled out forward Trey Lyles for at least two more games, the team announced today (Twitter link via Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee). Lyles, hampered by a left calf strain, has yet to suit up for Sacramento this season.

James Harden: “I’m Not A System Player, I Am A System”

November 2nd, 2023 at 5:55pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Speaking in front of reporters for the first time as a member of the Clippers, James Harden opened up about his trade demand from the Sixers. Harden stated he felt the Sixers had him “on a leash” last season.

“When I mean a leash, I don’t mean just shooting the basketball every time,” Harden said via ESPN’s Malika Andrews (Twitter link). “I think the game and I’m a creator on the court … [I need] somebody that trusts me, that believes in me, that understands me, that I’m not a system player. I am a system.”

The 10-time All-Star said he just wants to win at the highest level, which is why he took less money to stay with the Sixers last season (Twitter link via Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina). Harden signed a two-year, $68.6MM deal with Philadelphia last summer — the second year was a player option, which he exercised before demanding a trade. According to Harden, he planned to retire a Sixer, but felt the organization had other plans.

“They didn’t want me. It’s that simple,” Harden said.

The Sixers traded Harden to the Clippers after a four-month saga. Harden made public comments criticizing Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey over the summer and was in and out of training camp as he awaited a trade.

In the end, Harden was sent to Los Angeles alongside P.J. Tucker, with Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, Marcus Morris and Kenyon Martin Jr. dealt to Philadelphia. According to Andrews (Twitter link), Harden is planning to make his Clippers debut on Monday against the Knicks.

“I can fit in with anybody and make a championship run work,” (Twitter link via Medina). “All of us are on the same page in the sense that the individual stats and all of those things are past us.“

Sixers Notes: Trade Targets, Harden, Maxey, Embiid, Harris, Martin

November 2nd, 2023 at 11:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Raptors forward OG Anunoby is a player to watch as the Sixers try to remake their roster following the James Harden trade, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype says in a conversation with Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Scotto states that Nick Nurse is a huge fan of Anunoby after coaching him in Toronto, and he would be a good fit with the current roster on both offense and defense. Scotto also points out that the Sixers would have plenty of cap room to re-sign Anunoby when he becomes a free agent next summer.

Sources tell Scotto that Philadelphia may eye a few other trade targets such as Bulls guard Zach LaVine, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell and Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic. He hears the Sixers aren’t interested in pursuing Karl-Anthony Towns to play alongside Joel Embiid because he hasn’t meshed well with Rudy Gobert on the Timberwolves. Bulls swingman DeMar DeRozan would provide scoring punch, but he also brings spacing issues to the offense. Scotto doesn’t believe Philadelphia currently has interest in either Raptors forward Pascal Siakam or Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant.

Pompey doesn’t see another ball-dominant scorer as an ideal fit because of Tyrese Maxey‘s strong play to open the season. Anunoby’s defense and Bogdanovic’s outside shooting would be more valuable, according to Pompey, and they’re likely to cost less than some of the other hypothetical targets.

Scotto and Pompey offer more on the Sixers:

The Clippers‘ offer that president of basketball operations Daryl Morey accepted for James Harden was the only legitimate one he received, according to Pompey. He speculates that the organization wanted to unload Harden before he was reintroduced to the team and possibly caused a distraction, and there was concern that L.A.’s interest in Harden might lessen if the team got off to a strong start. Scotto hears that the Knicks called about Harden but never made a serious offer, while the Heat weren’t involved at all.
The Sixers believe it will take a max contract to keep Maxey in free agency next summer, Scotto hears. The fourth-year guard has excelled as the leader of the offense with Harden sidelined, but Scotto believes the organization has to determine whether he’s best suited as a point guard or shooting guard.
Embiid is “monitoring the situation” to see if Morey can build a legitimate contender before making any decisions about his future, Pompey states. The Sixers are currently optimistic about keeping him happy, but Pompey warns that another early playoff exit could prompt him to ask for a trade during the offseason.
The Sixers will be interested in re-signing Tobias Harris, but they can’t give him close to a max contract because of how much they’ll have to pay Maxey and possibly others, Pompey adds. He points out that Philadelphia has Harris’ Bird rights, which will help with his next contract but would eat into the club’s cap room.
Sources tell Scotto that the Sixers are “intrigued” with Kenyon Martin Jr., who was part of the return from the Clippers in the Harden deal, and may consider re-signing him next summer if he plays well.

Roster Notes: Grizzlies, Hornets, Clippers, Warriors

November 2nd, 2023 at 8:01am CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies officially signed center Bismack Biyombo overnight, adding a 16th man to what we refer to as their 15-man roster. Memphis gained the ability to carry an extra player by moving Ja Morant to the suspended list, which is available for players serving longer-term suspensions following the fifth game of the ban.

Morant’s suspension is for 25 games in total, so the Grizzlies will be permitted to carry that extra player for their next 20 games, through their December 18 contest in Oklahoma City. Once Morant is eligible to be activated from the suspended list on Dec. 19, Memphis will have to waive one of its 16 players in order to make room on the roster for him.

While we don’t know the details of Biyombo’s contract yet, it will likely be non-guaranteed so that the Grizzlies can waive him in December without being on the hook for a full-season salary. Memphis has no other players on non-guaranteed contracts, so if Biyombo proves invaluable and the team doesn’t want to let him go, a player with a guaranteed salary would have to be cut.

The only way the Grizzlies would be able to keep Biyombo and their 15 players on guaranteed deals beyond Dec. 19 would be if they qualify at that time for a hardship exception, which grants an extra roster spot to teams with at least four injured players (who meet certain games-missed criteria).

Here are a few more roster notes on teams from around the NBA:

Memphis isn’t the only team with a player serving a lengthy suspension. Hornets forward Miles Bridges will serve the fifth game of his 10-game ban on Saturday, so Charlotte could move him to the suspended list and add a 16th man for the final five games of his suspension. There haven’t been any reports yet indicating the Hornets plan to do so. They don’t have an obvious glaring hole to address like the Grizzlies did in their frontcourt.
After completing their blockbuster deal with Philadelphia and then trading Filip Petrusev to Sacramento, the Clippers are carrying just 13 players on standard contracts. Teams can only carry fewer than 14 players on standard deals for up to two weeks at a time, so Los Angeles will have until November 15 to add at least one player via free agency or trade.
The Warriors began the regular season, nine days ago, with just 13 players on standard contracts, so the clock is ticking for them to add a 14th man of their own. Next Tuesday (November 7) will be the two-week mark, so that will be the deadline for them to make a roster addition.

Daryl Morey Happy With Return In James Harden Trade

November 1st, 2023 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

It took more than four months, but the Sixers got the assets they were seeking when James Harden first asked for a trade in late June, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey tells Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Morey said the focus was on acquiring expiring contracts and draft capital in any Harden deal. The trade with the Clippers brought back Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington and Kenyon Martin Jr., all of whom will be free agents next summer, along with a collection of draft assets that stretch through 2029.

“We set a bar in June, really, when James requested the trade and said, ‘Look, if we can get it to here, that should be what generally allows you to get out and get a player,” Morey said. “Having a player like Jrue (Holiday) go (to the Boston Celtics) for a similar package was sort of validating on that. So we set the bar, and obviously it came together where the Clippers met that price.”

What the Sixers didn’t get is Terance Mann, who was reportedly the sticking point for L.A. throughout the negotiations. According to Pompey, the Clippers initially offered one unprotected first-round pick and a pick swap along with the expiring contracts. With Morey unable to pry Mann loose, he settled for more draft capital instead.

Appearing Wednesday on the Ball Don’t Lie podcast, Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports suggested that Morey was reluctant to accept the final version of the trade, but was forced to by ownership, which told him to “get a deal done now.”

Speaking with Pompey, Morey downplayed the report, saying team owners have a role in virtually every NBA trade.

“Ownership, I can only speak to my side. I don’t know how much their side was involved,” Morey said. “Our side was straightforward, the same: Always keep them abreast of our plans, making recommendations for when we make trades, and they signed off on them. It was a very standard trade, so I didn’t quite follow that reporting.”

Morey also expressed hope that his long relationship with Harden, which fell apart in spectacular fashion this summer, can eventually be repaired.

“Look, I think time heals,” Morey said. “He wanted to be traded and we did follow through on what he wanted. … Honestly, I think he chose to handle things certain ways that I wouldn’t have. He might feel the same about us, that we should have moved quicker or whatever. Look, he’s a great player and he’s going to do great things for the Clippers. P.J. (Tucker) as well. I’m glad they’re in the West.”