- Although Shams Charania has repeatedly stated that Anthony Davis is on track to return in early February, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter video link) suggested in a TV appearance that the Lakers star could be back before then. “If everything continues to go the right way, he will be back playing for the Lakers next week at Crypto.com Arena and be with them for that entire road trip,” McMenamin said. Los Angeles plays home games next Tuesday and Wednesday before embarking on a five-game road trip that begins on January 28.
Lakers star big man Anthony Davis had an encouraging practice session on Thursday, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets.
“He did jump in with the group today, did some non-contact stuff, pick-and-roll drills, a little offensive scripting,” head coach Darvin Ham said. “He’s looking good. Moving well. … Got a great sweat in [during an] individual workout … He’s progressing really, really, really well.”
Davis has a general timeline of early February to suit up again. He has been out since December 16 after suffering a stress reaction in the navicular bone in his right foot.
We have more on the Lakers:
- Guard Kendrick Nunn is one of the most tradable pieces on the team, according to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. Nunn is on an expiring contract and could be part of a package for a frontcourt player. “He could help someone,” one executive told Deveney. “But they need to show he is healthy. He’s got a very manageable contract and they’re dying for size on that team.”
- The Lakers have lost three close games over the past week and LeBron James laments how injuries have impacted the team, noting they have “zero room for error,” according to McMenamin. “We are limited with bodies,” James said. “So until some of our big guys or some of our key guys get back … we’ve got to continue to play how we’ve played the last couple games. Play mistake-free basketball.”
- James has averaged 34.9 points while playing 37.8 minutes per game so far in January. Ham would like to reduce his aging superstar’s minutes, McMenamin writes in the same story. “He’s playing at an amazing level, but we can’t run him in the ground,” Ham said.
- If the Lakers remain committed to chasing championships with Davis and James, they may be better off adding multiple role players prior to this year’s trade deadline, according to Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype. Even if they let all their projected free agents walk at season’s end, they might be priced out of the market for a top-level free agent while still having many roster spots to fill, as Gozlan explains.
The Knicks have “redoubled” their efforts to find a new home for forward Cam Reddish, according to Marc Stein, who says in his latest Substack report that Reddish is the Knick most likely to be moved ahead of the February 9 trade deadline.
Stein confirms previous reporting from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, stating that the Lakers and Bucks are among the teams with interest in Reddish. The Mavericks are another potential suitor, says Stein.
Scotto also previously reported that the Knicks are seeking a pair of second-round picks in a Reddish trade. Stein doesn’t dispute that the club is looking for “second-round draft compensation” in exchange for Reddish, though he doesn’t specify the number of picks New York is looking for.
Sources tell Stein that the Knicks have some interest in reacquiring Mavericks wing Reggie Bullock, who spent two seasons in New York from 2019-21 and was a favorite of head coach Tom Thibodeau. Although Reddish is earning just $5.95MM compared to Bullock’s $10.01MM salary, a one-for-one swap of the two players would be permitted under the NBA’s trade rules since the Knicks are well below the tax line.
Bullock is held in “high regard” by Dallas, per Stein, though he’s having a down year offensively, averaging just 5.8 points per game on .364/.338/.654 shooting in 43 games (29.3 MPG). The 31-year-old is considered a solid, versatile defender and played heavy minutes (39.3 MPG) during the Mavs’ playoff run last season.
Reddish, meanwhile, was a highly regarded college prospect and entered the NBA in 2019 as the 10th overall pick out of Duke, but has yet to deliver on his potential during four seasons in Atlanta and New York. The 23-year-old fell entirely out of Thibodeau’s rotation last month, having not appeared in a game for the Knicks since December 3.
NBA teams gained the ability to sign players to 10-day contracts on January 5, which was 13 days ago. As a result, a few of the first 10-day deals signed this season have already expired.
Of the three players whose 10-day contracts have expired, only one – Joe Wieskamp of the Raptors – has received a second 10-day commitment. His new 10-day deal will run through next Thursday (January 26).
Lakers guard Sterling Brown had his 10-day deal expire on Sunday night and wasn’t re-signed by Los Angeles before the team took the floor on Monday, which is an indication that L.A. is exploring other options for that roster spot. Meyers Leonard and DeMarcus Cousins recently worked out for the Lakers and may be candidates to become the club’s 15th man for at least 10 days.
Spurs big man Gorgui Dieng saw his 10-day contract expire on Tuesday night following the team’s win over Brooklyn. Dieng was only on the court for a total of 74 seconds during his 10-day deal, but he has spent most of the season out of San Antonio’s rotation and the team has seemed happy to keep him around, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he receives another 10-day offer from the Spurs. It may not happen for another day or two though, since Dieng would only be available for four games instead of five if he re-signs before Thursday.
Since teams can only sign a player to two standard 10-day contracts in a season, the Raptors will have to decide next week whether to commit to Wieskamp for the rest of the season or let him walk. I’d guess the team will choose the latter path, at least for now — it wouldn’t make sense for Toronto to compromise its roster flexibility by filling its 15th spot with a guaranteed contract before the trade deadline arrives.
Brown would only be able to sign one more 10-day contract this season with the Lakers, while Dieng could do the same with the Spurs, though both players are free to sign two 10-day deals with any other team.
Three more 10-day contracts will expire later this week. PJ Dozier‘s deal with the Kings ends after tonight’s game, while Friday will mark the 10th day under contract for both Derrick Favors (with the Hawks) and Saben Lee (Suns).
Dozier has only seen garbage-time action for Sacramento and Favors has yet to take the court for Atlanta, but Lee is playing rotation minutes for an injury-ravaged Phoenix squad. He has averaged 10.0 points and 3.0 assists in 19.0 minutes per game in three appearances with the Suns, making him a strong candidate to spend at least 10 more days with the team beyond Friday.
Be sure to use our 10-day contract tracker and our roster counts page to keep tabs on the active 10-day contracts.
The Hawks are in serious talks to hire former Cavaliers general manager Chris Grant as a senior adviser in their front office, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Charania’s colleague Sam Amick previously reported that Atlanta was considering adding a veteran executive to a relatively inexperienced group headed by general manager Landry Fields. Grant certainly fits that bill, having begun working for NBA teams back in 1996, when he was hired by these same Hawks.
By the end of Grant’s initial tenure in Atlanta, he had been promoted to vice president of basketball operations and assistant GM. He was hired away from the Hawks by the Cavaliers in 2005 and worked under Danny Ferry until 2010, when he became Cleveland’s GM, a position he held until 2014. In recent years, Grant has worked in the Spurs’ scouting department.
Here’s more from Charania:
- The Jazz have been the team most engaged as of late in trade talks for Hawks big man John Collins, according to Charania, who says the Wizards have also been among the clubs expressing interest in Collins.
- Charania confirms that the Clippers are in the market for a more experienced center to back up starter Ivica Zubac. L.A. has been willing to discuss point guard John Wall as the team explores the trade market, Charania adds.
- Following up on a report he shared on FanDuel TV, Charania says Lakers star Anthony Davis is aiming to return to action in early February, likely a handful of games before the All-Star break. Los Angeles has seven contests between Feb. 1-15 prior to All-Star weekend.
- In case you missed it, we also passed along some of Charania’s latest reporting in a series of earlier stories.
The Spurs and Hornets are viewed as two of the NBA’s “assured” sellers in this season’s trade market, Shams Charania of The Athletic writes in his latest Inside Pass column.
In San Antonio, veterans Jakob Poeltl, Doug McDermott, and Josh Richardson are considered the team’s top trade candidates. Poeltl and Richardson are on expiring contracts, while McDermott is under contract for one more season at the same salary he’s earning this year ($13.75MM).
Confirming a previous report indicating that Poeltl is generating significant interest, Charania says the Raptors and Celtics are among the teams that have shown interest in the big man. According to Charania, Poeltl is widely respected within the organization and the Spurs would like him to be part of their long-term future, but they’ll have to take into account his price tag as a free agent and the risk of losing him for nothing this summer.
The Spurs have had a standing extension offer of four years and $58MM (his in-season max) on the table for Poeltl since before the season, per Charania, but the center has passed on that offer and is expected to do much better on the open market. Rival executives believe he could approach $20MM per year on his next deal, Charania adds.
San Antonio will have a ton of cap room available this summer, so it’s not as if the franchise won’t have the means to retain Poeltl. However, there’s a belief among rival teams that the 27-year-old’s desire to play for a contender could be an important factor as he weighs his future, Charania notes.
As for the Hornets, Mason Plumlee, Kelly Oubre, and Jalen McDaniels – all on track for unrestricted free agency in 2023 – are considered candidates to be moved. According to Charania, Charlotte is also expected to listen to inquiries on guard Terry Rozier, even though he’s still under contract for three years beyond this one.
More sellers besides Charlotte and San Antonio figure to emerge in the coming weeks, but for now, only two other teams are with them in the NBA’s cellar, well out of play-in contention. Those teams are the Pistons and Rockets.
Multiple recent reports have suggested that Detroit has set a high asking price for veterans like Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks, but the team is believed to be open to conversations. The Raptors, Lakers, Pelicans, Bucks, Cavaliers, and Mavericks are among the clubs that have registered interest in Bogdanovic, league sources tell The Athletic.
As for the Rockets, their roster isn’t exactly loaded with expendable vets. Shooting guard Eric Gordon is the team’s most obvious trade candidate, but Houston is seeking either a good young player or a first-round pick in exchange for Gordon, says Charania.
A return to the floor for Suns starting power forward Cameron Johnson appears to be imminent, reports Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Johnson has been sidelined for Phoenix since November 4 with a torn right meniscus that required surgery.
“Just sometime when I get back from the [team’s just-wrapped road trip], but I feel pretty good,” Johnson said when asked about his return timeline. “Taking it one day at a time right now, but I’m looking forward to getting back soon, very soon.”
In his eight healthy games this year, Johnson has averaged 13.0 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.8 APG and 1.1 SPG. The Suns have gone 15-21 since Johnson’s injury, though other major absences to Phoenix players have played a role in that record, too.
There’s more out of the Pacific Division:
- Suns reserve point guard Cameron Payne is set to have his right foot sprain reassessed later in January, Rankin notes (Twitter link). “I haven’t started doing anything,” Payne said. “I think [Monday] when I get back into Phoenix, we should be doing our next checkups and check off a few things for me to get back on the court.” Payne has played just twice since December 13.
- Injured Clippers star forward Paul George has been cleared for full team practices, but head coach Tyronn Lue is unsure of an exact timeline for his return to the floor, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
- All-Star Lakers forward LeBron James took to social media today to register his discontent about what he sees as inconsistent game officiating. “And all year they keep telling me to my face on the court, ‘I didn’t see it’ or ‘It wasn’t a [foul],'” James tweeted. “It’s not making sense to me seriously! Frustrating as hell man! Anyways keep going Squad!” James seemed particularly upset during L.A.’s two latest losses, to the Mavericks on Thursday and the Sixers Sunday.
Lakers big man Anthony Davis is expected to begin running on Monday, Shams Charania of The Athletic said in an appearance on FanDuel TV (Twitter video link). Charania adds that Davis will start contact work shortly after he starts running, and the Lakers hope the 29-year-old will return to the lineup in early February.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported a week ago that the team was hopeful that Davis, who has been out since December 16 after suffering a stress reaction in the navicular bone in his right foot, could return return in a couple weeks. Based on Charania’s report, it sounds like that rough timeline may have been pushed back a little bit, but there’s no indication that Davis had a setback.
Here’s more out of Los Angeles:
- Lakers star LeBron James is not trade-eligible this season after signing an extension in August. James recently turned 38 years old and is in his 20th NBA season, but he’s still playing at an extremely high level and would have a long list of suitors if he did ask for a trade in the offseason. With that in mind, David Aldridge of The Athletic comes up with six hypothetical trades and ranks the possibility of each deal, though he acknowledges that James ending his career with the Lakers is still the most likely outcome. The highest ranking trade on Aldridge’s “Possibility Scale” (5.5 out of 10) sends James to Atlanta for a package headlined by Dejounte Murray.
- Marc Stein reported this morning that the Clippers are interested in Jazz point guard Mike Conley. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), the Clippers’ interest in Conley is not new, as the team considered trading for the 35-year-old this past summer prior to signing John Wall.
- Ivica Zubac‘s production has slipped in the past few weeks and Clippers coach Tyronn Lue is aware that the starting center is feeling the effects of a career-high 29.1 minutes per game, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. “He’s not going to admit that, but you know, I think he’s getting worn down a little bit with the overuse and playing him a lot because like you said, when he is on the floor, we are effective,” Lue said. “We’re able to run our offense and do different things. So, I have to find a balance between that. He’s been great for us all year. He’s a guy that plays every single night and we just can’t run him into the ground, which I have, I think early on. But I mean, I really don’t have a choice.” Zubac averaged 10.3 points and 11 rebounds in his first 35 games (29.8 minutes), including 17 double-doubles, but he’s only posted one double-double in the past eight contests (26.1 minutes) while averaging 9.3 points and 7.3 boards.
- The Clippers‘ depth was supposed to be a strength this season, but injuries have derailed the team from having any type of consistency, according to Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times. “I mean, it’s hard, but, you know you can’t do anything about that,” said Zubac. “Guys get hurt and we got to give them time to get healthy … we don’t want to rush anyone … it is what it is.” The Clippers are just 23-22 after entering the season with championship aspirations, and have gone 9-6 in the 15 games that Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have played together, Plaschke notes.
Clippers guard John Wall gave himself a “low C” when asked to rate his comeback season after 34 games, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Wall’s shooting percentages are close to what they were when he last played regularly — although his turnover rate is a concern — and he’s confident that things will improve.
“The season will get better for me,” Wall said. “It’s tough being on a minute restriction. It’s tough like, trying to figure out guys, figure out what roles you’re going to be. Still frustrated by not getting a lot of, no calls, it ain’t going to never change, I feel like. I think it’s always an excuse. I think we just trying to figure out as a team and as a group and try to get better game by game.”
The Clippers had Wall adjust his workout routine, which featured frequent weightlifting while he was idle with the Rockets last season. Coach Tyronn Lue also made a change to Wall’s playing style that has him taking more catch-and-shoot jumpers, rather than the pull-up variety he preferred when he was an All-Star in Washington.
“Just getting him used to playing that style of basketball when he’s been playing a different way his whole career,” Lue said. “It’s kind of tough, but he’s been doing a good job.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register has suggestions for both L.A. teams ahead of the trade deadline. She believes the Lakers should be aggressive in finding another shooter — either Bojan Bogdanovic from the Pistons or Doug McDermott or Josh Richardson from the Spurs, while the Clippers should target a big man with energy, such as the Pacers center Myles Turner, Hawks forward John Collins or Jazz center Kelly Olynyk.
- Suns coach Monty Williams refused to get into a war of words with Jae Crowder, who said the coaching staff didn’t appreciate what he brought to the team, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Crowder has sat out the entire season so far while Phoenix searches for a trade. “The thing that I’ve been consistent with is the stuff that goes on here, stays here,” Williams said. “I’m not one to use the media to get a point across. It’s just not my way. It’s not how we do business.
- Kings coach Mike Brown is campaigning for De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis to be named All-Stars, saying “shame on the whole process” if they aren’t included, per Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee. “Hopefully sooner than later, these guys will start getting the appropriate love from around the league that they deserve,” Brown said. “Starting with the media, because the media has a lot of influence.”
DeMarcus Cousins and Meyers Leonard were impressive during workouts with the Lakers, coach Darvin Ham told reporters, including Dave McMenamin of ESPN, after Saturday’s practice. Both free agent centers auditioned Friday for L.A., which is seeking frontcourt help with Anthony Davis sidelined by a foot injury.
“They both looked great,” Ham said. “Whether or not we’re able to do something with them is a different story. But we’re constantly trying to kick the tires on different scenarios.”
Cousins, a four-time All-Star, is hoping for another NBA opportunity at age 32 after playing for the Bucks and Nuggets last season. McMenamin notes that Cousins signed with the Lakers as a free agent in 2019, but an injury suffered during that summer prevented him from playing. Even though he was waived in February of that season, he remained close to the team and received a championship ring when L.A. won the title.
Leonard, 30, is hoping to revive his career after being out of the league since 2021 due to injuries and the fallout from an antisemitic slur. During that time, he has been rehabbing after shoulder and ankle surgeries, according to McMenamin, and working to repair his reputation.
There’s more on the Lakers:
- Sterling Brown‘s 10-day contract will expire Sunday night, and Ham was noncommittal when asked if the team plans to keep him on the roster, McMenamin adds. Brown, who also played for Ham when he was an assistant coach with the Bucks, has gone scoreless in four games with L.A. while averaging 2.0 rebounds and 0.8 steals in 6.0 minutes per night. “It depends on our health status and what we feel comfortable doing and making as a next step,” Ham said. The Lakers currently have a full roster and would need to open up a spot before they could sign Cousins or Leonard.
- Davis, who has been out of action since December 16, did some on-court work during today’s practice, tweets Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. Ham said Davis is “trending in the right direction.”
- Austin Reaves, who’s dealing with a strained left hamstring, was able to do individual drills at practice today, tweets Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. Ham said Lonnie Walker is making progress toward returning from left knee tendinitis. Both players are projected to have their conditions reevaluated sometime this week.