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Latest On Andre Drummond

March 15th, 2021 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

With the March 25 trade deadline just 10 days away, we’ll soon find out whether the Cavaliers are right to believe they can find a worthwhile trade for Andre Drummond. Sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic that Cleveland continues to seek a modest asset, such as a second-round pick, for Drummond, while rival teams are skeptical that such an offer will be available.

For the time being, the Cavaliers remain opposed to the idea of buying out Drummond, but if that ultimately becomes their most viable option, the Lakers and Nets would be the center’s top suitors once he clears waivers, writes Charania.

One other scenario to watch would involve the Knicks. According to Charania, New York has explored the possibility of pursuing Drummond and has mulled offering him a multiyear deal if agrees to a buyout with Cleveland. The Knicks still have about $15MM in cap room this season, meaning the club could offer more years and more money than rival suitors for Drummond on the buyout market.

If Drummond is bought out and signs with a team like the Lakers or Nets, he’d enter free agency this offseason coming off a minimum-salary contract (or something close to it) and would only have Non-Bird rights, limiting his options on the open market. As such, he could be intrigued by the idea of getting a jump-start on free agency by signing an in-season multiyear deal with the Knicks.

Charania’s report is light on additional details, so it remains to be seen just how strong an offer the Knicks would be willing to make in that scenario — they’d probably have to go into the mid-level range or higher for Drummond to seriously consider it. It’s also unclear whether New York is focused only on buyout scenarios or if the club will make an effort to trade for the Cavs big man.

Checking In On NBA’s 10-Day Contracts

March 15th, 2021 at 11:15am CST by Luke Adams

As our 10-day contract tracker shows, there are currently five players around the NBA who have active 10-day deals. Those players are as follows:

Henry Ellenson, Raptors (runs through March 19)
Sindarius Thornwell, Pelicans (runs through March 19)
Damian Jones, Lakers (runs through March 20)
Mason Jones, Rockets (runs through March 21)
Quinn Cook, Cavaliers (runs through March 21)

Thornwell and Damian Jones are on their second 10-day contracts with their respective teams. Players can’t sign three 10-day deals with the same club, so Thornwell and Jones will either have to be re-signed to rest-of-season deals or will become free agents.

Since their contracts expire just a few days before the March 25 trade deadline, Thornwell and Jones likely won’t be re-signed immediately, as the Pelicans and Lakers look to maximize their roster flexibility for potential trades.

Ellenson, Mason Jones, and Cook are each eligible to sign one more 10-day contract with their respective teams after their current deals expire, but again, if teams prioritize roster flexibility around the trade deadline, those players may have to wait until after March 25 to get a second offer — Jones is the one exception here, since the Rockets are very shorthanded due to injuries and may not want to lose him for even a few days.

While there are just five players on active 10-day pacts for now, the Nets are a team to keep an eye on this week. They’ve had fewer than 14 players on standard contracts since March 8, when Andre Roberson‘s and Iman Shumpert‘s 10-day deals expired. Teams are only permitted to dip below that minimum roster requirement for two weeks at a time, so Brooklyn will have to add a 14th man within the next week — a 10-day signing is the most likely solution to address that issue, though the team could also make a trade or target a player for a rest-of-season contract.

The Pelicans and Lakers will also each only have 13 players under contract once their current 10-day players are no longer on the roster, so if they don’t re-sign those players right away and don’t add at least one player in a trade-deadline deal, they’ll each have to fill at least one roster spot shortly after the trade deadline, via a 10-day or rest-of-season signing.

Several other teams around the league also have an open 15th roster spot and could be candidates to sign players to 10-day contracts soon, as our roster counts page shows.

Trade Rumors: Hill, Ariza, Tucker, Hawks, Collins, Celtics, More

March 15th, 2021 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

Multiple playoff contenders have interest in Thunder veterans George Hill and Trevor Ariza, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic. According to Charania, the Clippers are among the teams eyeing Hill.

Neither Hill nor Ariza is active right now for the Thunder. Hill hasn’t played since January 24 due to a right thumb injury, while Ariza has been away from the team all season, having been acquired in an offseason trade as a salary throw-in. Hill shouldn’t be out too much longer though, and there’s no indication that Ariza isn’t healthy.

The Thunder have been focusing on developing their young players, so Hill and Ariza are expendable. However, Charania notes that the team would be fine with retaining Hill, who is under contract for 2021/22 at a reasonable price ($10MM).

Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors from Charania:

The Rockets continue to discuss possible P.J. Tucker trades with teams like the Bucks, Heat, and Lakers, but the Nets are no longer believed to be actively involved, writes Charania. A Brooklyn deal for Tucker likely would’ve involved injured guard Spencer Dinwiddie.
The Hawks have made trade inquiries in recent weeks about wing players, per Charania. The team is currently missing two of its top young forwards, De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish, due to injuries.
Hawks big man John Collins is among the potential trade targets being eyed by the Celtics, but Atlanta’s asking price is high, according to Charania, who says the team is seeking a high first-round pick and/or a talented young player. Collins is eligible for restricted free agency this summer.
The Pistons are after a second-round pick in exchange for veteran shooting guard Wayne Ellington, says Charania. Ellington is having a nice year in Detroit, with 10.6 PPG and a .422 3PT%.
Heat guard Avery Bradley and Grizzlies forward Gorgui Dieng are receiving interest from several teams, sources tell The Athletic.

Jared Dudley Suffers MCL Tear

March 14th, 2021 at 7:17pm CST by JD Shaw

Lakers forward Jared Dudley has suffered a right MCL tear and is evaluating his treatment options, the team announced, as relayed by Michael Duarte of NBC Los Angeles (Twitter link). No timetable was issued for his return.

Dudley, 35, has appeared in only 11 games this season, playing a total of 76 minutes. He was part of the team’s 2019/20 championship roster, serving as a valuable locker room leader and appearing in 45 contests.

Dudley has made past stops with Charlotte, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Washington and Brooklyn during his 14-year NBA career. The Lakers currently own the third-best record in the West at 25-13.

Alex Caruso Latest Addition To Lakers' Injury List

March 14th, 2021 at 11:57am CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers‘ injury list continues to grow, notes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. Alex Caruso is the latest addition after hitting his head on the floor in Friday’s game and being diagnosed with a concussion. Anthony Davis is still sidelined with a right calf strain and won’t be re-evaluated for two more weeks. Marc Gasol and Kostas Antetokounmpo remain in COVID-19 protocols and have been ruled out for the next two games.

Anthony Davis To Miss At Least Two More Weeks

March 12th, 2021 at 10:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Anthony Davis will miss a minimum of two more weeks as he continues to recover from a right calf strain, Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register relays (Twitter link).

The team said in a statement that Davis has been cleared to enter the “next phase of his return to play process.” However, the Lakers’ superstar big man won’t be re-evaluated again for two weeks.

Beginning with Friday’s contest against Indiana, the Lakers have a very busy schedule for the next couple weeks, as they’re scheduled to play nine games.

Davis was initially ruled out at least two or three weeks when he was first diagnosed with a right calf strain. That timeline was amended to four weeks on February 19, so Davis’ recovery has taken longer than expected.

Davis suffered the injury against the Nuggets on February 14. He was averaging 22.5 PPG, 8.4 RPG and 3.0 APG this season.

P.J. Tucker Away From Rockets, Expected To Be Traded

March 12th, 2021 at 12:25am CST by Luke Adams

Rockets forward P.J. Tucker is away from the team and there’s a belief that he has likely played his last game with Houston, head coach Stephen Silas said after Thursday’s game in Sacramento, his club’s 14th straight loss.

“P.J.’s not with the team,” Silas said (video link via Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston). “He traveled here (to Sacramento), but is traveling back to Houston (instead of accompanying the team to Utah). We’re going to try to figure out something that works for him and works for us, in terms of him not being on the team anymore.

“I was under the assumption that he was going to be playing tonight, and he didn’t play. And that was disappointing. But it’s no secret that it’s been a rough year. He’s been professional… But at this point we’re going to do what’s best for the group and what’s best for P.J., and that’s probably not having him here.”

Prior to Silas’ post-game presser, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon had reported that Tucker, who is “increasingly frustrated” about not having been traded to a contending team, was a healthy scratch and that there was uncertainty about whether he’d return to the lineup at all. Silas essentially confirmed that report after the game, suggesting that both sides are on board with the divorce.

“He decided he was just not really with it, and we decided that’s a good idea — let’s move on,” Silas said, explaining why Tucker didn’t practice with the team on Wednesday and didn’t play vs. the Kings on Thursday (video link via Berman).

Unlike other players that have been pulled from their teams’ lineups in recent weeks, such as Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond, and LaMarcus Aldridge, Tucker has a very manageable expiring salary, worth just under $8MM. As such, it shouldn’t be too tricky to find a taker for him, despite the fact that he’s having a down year.

While he’s still a solid defender, the 35-year-old isn’t contributing much on offense this season, averaging a career-low 4.4 PPG with a .314 3PT% in 32 games (30.0 MPG). Tucker believes joining a contender would allow him to display his value in ways he hasn’t been able to on the struggling and rebuilding Rockets, a person familiar with his thinking told Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.

According to Woj and MacMahon, the Rockets have engaged in several trade discussions with teams about Tucker in recent weeks, including the Bucks, Lakers, Heat, and Nets. The Sixers, Jazz, Nuggets, and Timberwolves have also been cited as clubs with potential interest in the veteran forward, as Houston seeks a young, productive rotation player.

Sources tell ESPN that the Rockets thought they were in position to sign Tucker to an extension earlier in 2020/21, having offered $17MM ($10MM guaranteed) over two seasons. However, they balked when Tucker’s camp countered with a fully guaranteed two-year, $24MM deal.

The Tucker situation is the latest unfortunate development in what’s turning into a nightmare of a season for the Rockets, who already had to deal with a prolonged push from superstar James Harden to be traded.

Houston has slumped badly with Christian Wood out due to an ankle sprain, and the club’s injury situation has gone from bad to worse within the last couple days. As Feigen details, John Wall was hit on the side of his left knee in a scrimmage on Wednesday and was ruled out for Thursday’s game, while fellow guard Eric Gordon strained his groin vs. Sacramento and will undergo an MRI (Twitter link).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Kostas Antetokounmpo Enters COVID-19 Protocols

March 11th, 2021 at 10:06pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Lakers reserve forward Kostas Antetokounmpo, who signed his second two-way contract with Los Angeles during the offseason, has entered the league’s COVID-19 protocols, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets. Center Marc Gasol remains away from the team in coronavirus protocols as well.

Lakers Sign Damian Jones To Second 10-Day Deal

March 11th, 2021 at 12:41pm CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 11: The Lakers have officially re-signed Jones to a second 10-day deal, the team announced today in a press release. It’ll run through March 20, covering L.A.’s next five games.

MARCH 10: The Lakers intend to re-sign center Damian Jones to a second 10-day contract, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Jones made a good impression during his first 10 days as a Laker prior to the All-Star Game, putting up eight points in eight minutes in his first appearance and earning a start in Sacramento last Wednesday. Head coach Frank Vogel said prior to the break that Jones should be “optimistic about what’s ahead of him,” hinting that the big man could get another 10-day deal.

The Lakers have two open spots on their roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary to bring back Jones. With the March 25 trade deadline fast approaching, the team may leave its final roster spot open to maximize its flexibility for possible trades or buyout targets.

Since the Lakers aren’t in action until Friday, Jones likely won’t be officially re-signed until then — that would allow his new 10-day deal to run through March 21, covering the club’s first six second-half games. The contract will pay him $119K, with a $111K cap hit, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks, who tweets that L.A. remains about $1.5MM below the hard cap.

A player can only sign two 10-day contracts with the same team during a season, so if the Lakers want to bring back after his next deal expires, they’d need to sign him for the rest of 2020/21. That’s probably only a likely outcome if the team misses out on its top trade and buyout targets.

Buyout Market Is Best Bet For Upgrades

March 8th, 2021 at 10:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

How much longer does LeBron James want to keep playing? Long enough to make history by playing with his son Bronny, Mark Medina of USA Today tweets. “That’s definitely one of my goals, but that’s a long-term goal,” The Lakers‘ star said. “My son right now is in high school and enjoying what being a teenager is all about. But that would be pretty cool to go on my resume.” Bronny, 16, attends Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth, Calif. and recently had surgery to repair torn meniscus.

The Lakers are unlikely to find help via a trade due to salary-cap restrictions and the fact that their best trade pieces are rotation players, Jovan Buha of The Athletic opines. The team could use help at backup center, as well as a large wing with 3-point ability. Their best place to find that would be in the buyout market, with Andre Drummond, P.J. Tucker and Trevor Ariza as possibilities. The Lakers’ reported interest in Drummond was already noted here.