- Did GG Jackson come out too soon to the NBA? One talent evaluator interviewed by Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal feels that way. Jackson was selected with the No. 45 pick by the Grizzlies last June. Rafael Barlowe said Jackson might have cashed in as the top pick in this year’s draft if he had stayed in college. Jackson has scored in double digits in five of his last eight NBA appearances. “If he stayed in this class, he would have had another year of maturity, and the things that he’s doing right now, he’d be doing them on the college level,” Barlowe said. “I don’t think there would be anybody better.”
5:09pm: Hurt has officially signed his 10-day contract, the team tweets.
4:40pm: The injury-ravaged Grizzlies are signing forward Matthew Hurt to a 10-day contract via the hardship exception, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
Hurt has been playing for their NBA G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, averaging 22.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
The Grizzlies list eight players as out for their home game tonight against Sacramento (Twitter link). John Konchar and Ziaire Williams are listed as doubtful and Vince Williams Jr. is listed as questionable.
Starters Ja Morant and Steven Adams are out with season-ending injuries, while key rotation player Brandon Clarke has yet to play this season and Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia have been out for multiple weeks.
Yet the Grizzlies have somehow remained competitive, winning three of their last four games.
Hurt was on Memphis’ training camp roster but was waived in mid-October. He also played for the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate last season, averaging 13.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 45 G League Showcase and regular season games.
There has been “little to no” dialogue in recent days between the Lakers and Hawks about a potential Dejounte Murray trade, league sources tell veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein (Substack link). The clubs reportedly previously discussed the possibility of a deal that would include D’Angelo Russell, the Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick, a pick swap, and possibly rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino.
As Stein notes, there’s still more than enough time before the February 8 trade deadline for the two teams to reengage, but he spoke to one source briefed on the talks who believes it’s “unrealistic” that Murray ends up with the Lakers.
One factor for the disconnect between the two clubs, Stein explains, is a gap in how they value Russell. The veteran point guard has been playing some of the best basketball of his career as of late, averaging 27.5 points and 6.4 assists per game since being reinserted into the Lakers’ starting lineup on January 13.
However, the Hawks appear to have no real interest in acquiring D-Lo and would want to flip him to a third team in a potential Murray trade. With Russell performing so well recently, the Lakers’ pursuit of Murray seems to have been “dialed back,” Stein writes.
Here’s more from Stein’s latest Substack article:
- Some industry insiders think the NBA’s next media rights deal will be a shorter-term agreement than the league’s current nine-year pact, which is expiring in 2025. As Stein points out, a five-year media rights deal could put commissioner Adam Silver in position to lead negotiations on the next contract after that, before his new extension expires.
- Grizzlies big man Xavier Tillman is a player to watch as a possible trade candidate in the next week-and-a-half, according to Stein. Tillman is the only one of 15 Grizzlies on standard deals who doesn’t have a contract for next season — 13 have guaranteed salaries, while Memphis holds a team option on Luke Kennard.
- Stein also passes along some reporting from his podcast co-host Chris Haynes, who stated on his latest Bleacher Report live stream that the Cavaliers have zero interest in fielding inquiries on Jarrett Allen at this season’s trade deadline.
Rockets forward Jabari Smith will miss a fourth consecutive game on Saturday due to a sprained left ankle, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Houston will also continue to be without forward Tari Eason, who has been hampered by a lower left leg injury for the entire season. Eason has appeared in 22 games, but has been sidelined since January 1 and his return isn’t imminent.
“He’s been doing a little bit here and there, getting shots up, just not doing the contact,” head coach Ime Udoka said of Eason earlier this week, per Feigen. “He’s feeling better. We still don’t have a definite date (for Eason to return) but the fact he’s getting out here, getting shots up, moving, it’s a good sign. It’s more week-to-week. We were giving him a few weeks initially. He’ll be reevaluated soon, and we’ll go from there.”
According to Feigen, Eason is expected to begin contact work next week and ramp up from there.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Nearly two years after the Pelicans acquired CJ McCollum from Portland, William Guillory of The Athletic explores how the veteran guard has adjusted to a new city, a new team, and a new role, which continue to evolve. McCollum has served as more of a floor spacer than a point guard this season. “I think originally we approached it as, ‘Yeah, (CJ’s) the smallest player (in our starting lineup), so he’s the point guard,'” Larry Nance Jr. told Guillory. “But it doesn’t have to be that way. He can be, but he doesn’t have to be. We can run offense through (Brandon Ingram), (Zion Williamson) or a bunch of other people in the lineup. That was one of the biggest realizations for our team and for CJ. We don’t have a Tyrese Haliburton who sets the table for everybody. We have a lot of guys who are good at passing and seeing the court. We can run the offense through a few people and that makes us harder to defend.”
- Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News passes along a couple Spurs updates, writing that Blake Wesley appears to have taken over Malaki Branham‘s role as the backup point guard and tweeting that Victor Wembanyama is confident he’ll be available for the second end of the team’s back-to-back set on Saturday after playing on Friday. Wembanyama hasn’t played in both games of a back-to-back since November.
- Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal takes a look at how the Grizzlies may approach the trade deadline, noting that the team currently has something of a roster logjam, with 14 of the 15 players on standard deals also under contract for next season. Xavier Tillman is the only one who is on track for free agency, while Luke Kennard has a team option — the other 13 have guaranteed salaries.
The NBA has granted the Grizzlies‘ request for a second disabled player exception following Ja Morant‘s season-ending shoulder surgery, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). The exception will be worth $12,405,000.
A disabled player exception gives an over-the-cap team some extra spending power – but not an additional 15-man roster spot – when it loses a player to an injury deemed likely to sideline him through at least June 15. As we explain in our glossary entry, the exception can be used to sign a free agent, to claim a player off waivers, or to acquire a player in a trade.
The disabled player exception can only be used on a single player and can only accommodate a player on a one-year deal. A free agent signee can’t get a multiyear contract, and any trade or waiver target must be in the final year of his contract.
The exception is worth either half the injured player’s salary or the value of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, whichever is lesser. Since Morant is earning $34MM+ this season, the Grizzlies’ DPE is worth the amount of the non-taxpayer MLE.
Memphis had already been granted one disabled player exception this season — the team was awarded a $6.3MM exception following Steven Adams‘ season-ending knee surgery, as our DPE tracker shows. The Grizzlies will have until March 11 to make use of one or both exceptions.
Disabled player exceptions often expire without being used, but the Grizzlies have some breathing room below the luxury tax line and appear lottery-bound, so they could be a candidate to take on an unwanted contract along with an asset (such as a future draft pick or cash) to help another team trim payroll. They also have one available trade exception worth approximately $7.5MM.
USA Basketball has officially announced a pool of 41 players who are in the mix for the 12 spots on the 2024 Olympic men’s basketball team.
While the pool is subject to change, Team USA’s 12-man roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics will, in all likelihood, be made up of players from this group.
The list figures to shrink as the summer nears due to players suffering injuries or opting not to participate for other reasons, but at some point prior to the July event the U.S. decision-makers will have to choose a final roster from the remaining candidates.
Here’s the full list of 41 players, 28 of whom have represented Team USA in a previous World Cup or Olympics:
- Bam Adebayo (Heat)
- Jarrett Allen (Cavaliers)
- Paolo Banchero (Magic)
- Desmond Bane (Grizzlies)
- Scottie Barnes (Raptors)
- Devin Booker (Suns)
- Mikal Bridges (Nets)
- Jaylen Brown (Celtics)
- Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
- Jimmy Butler (Heat)
- Alex Caruso (Bulls)
- Stephen Curry (Warriors)
- Anthony Davis (Lakers)
- Kevin Durant (Suns)
- Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)
- Joel Embiid (Sixers)
- De’Aaron Fox (Kings)
- Paul George (Clippers)
- Aaron Gordon (Nuggets)
- Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers)
- James Harden (Clippers)
- Josh Hart (Knicks)
- Tyler Herro (Heat)
- Jrue Holiday (Celtics)
- Chet Holmgren (Thunder)
- Brandon Ingram (Pelicans)
- Kyrie Irving (Mavericks)
- Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies)
- LeBron James (Lakers)
- Cameron Johnson (Nets)
- Walker Kessler (Jazz)
- Kawhi Leonard (Clippers)
- Damian Lillard (Bucks)
- Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers)
- Chris Paul (Warriors)
- Bobby Portis (Bucks)
- Austin Reaves (Lakers)
- Duncan Robinson (Heat)
- Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
- Derrick White (Celtics)
- Trae Young (Hawks)
Adebayo, Booker, Durant, Holiday, Lillard, and Tatum were part of the Olympic team that won gold in Tokyo in 2021. Jerami Grant, Draymond Green, Keldon Johnson, Zach LaVine, JaVale McGee, and Khris Middleton were also on that roster, but aren’t part of the preliminary pool this time around. It’s possible some of them turned down invitations.
“The United States boasts unbelievable basketball talent and I am thrilled that many of the game’s superstars have expressed interest in representing our country at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games,” national team managing director Grant Hill said in a statement. “It is a privilege to select the team that will help us toward the goal of once again standing atop the Olympic podium. This challenging process will unfold over the next several months as we eagerly anticipate the start of national team activity.”
USA Basketball also announced today that Team USA will face Team Canada in Las Vegas on July 10 in an exhibition game. It sounds like that contest will take place during the NBA’s 2024 Summer League.
The Celtics lost a home game for the first time this season on Friday night, but the matchup with Denver gave Kristaps Porzingis a taste of a championship atmosphere, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Weiss notes that not only was Porzingis the only starter on Friday who hasn’t been to the NBA Finals, he’s never won a playoff series. Matching up with Nikola Jokic in a potential Finals preview offered a hint of what Porzingis and his team will face when the playoffs begin.
“It’s just pure basketball talent,” Porziņgis said of Jokic. “Pure basketball mastermind. He’s the best player in the world and he’s just so crafty. Kind of almost makes you fall asleep like he’s not doing anything and just slides by you. He has so many tricks and so many things that he can do and then making so many tough shots that are not really tough for him because — I guess they’re not because he’s just been making them for a long time and you have to live with those.”
The Celtics acquired Porzingis last summer to fortify their frontcourt and provide size and shooting for another long playoff run. Injuries have been the main concern surrounding Porzingis throughout his career, but he has appeared in 31 of Boston’s first 42 games and he told Souichi Terada of MassLive before Friday’s contest that he’s happy with how he feels halfway through the season.
“Feeling great,” Porzingis said. “Of course, the medical staff is always on the more cautionary side of things and understanding that we have to look at the big picture. I’m feeling great and ready to go tonight.”
There’s more from Boston:
- Friday’s loss showed that the Celtics need more late-game options than just giving the ball to Jayson Tatum and expecting him to make a play, observes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Washburn, who points out that Tatum is shooting just 33.3% in clutch situations, calls on coach Joe Mazzulla to get Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Porzingis more involved in the offense when games are tight.
- Nuggets coach Michael Malone believes the Celtics have a better chance to win the East this year because of their offseason additions, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Boston was aggressive on the trade market after falling in the conference finals last season, acquiring Porzingis and Jrue Holiday in separate deals. “Porzingis has length, shot-blocking and is a tough matchup because at the five he can step out and shoot the three,” Malone said. “He can roll with force, he can handle the ball. So, a tremendous addition. And Jrue Holiday, to me, is one of the best two-way players in the NBA.”
- Finding another veteran guard or wing is likely to be the team’s priority heading into the trade deadline, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. He mentions the Hawks‘ Saddiq Bey as a player who would fit into Boston’s $6.2MM traded player exception and suggests the Grizzlies‘ Xavier Tillman if the Celtics opt to pursue a big man.
The injuries that have short-circuited the Grizzlies‘ season are providing more minutes for their young players and giving management a chance to evaluate them for the future, writes Michael Wallace of Grind City Media. With Ja Morant out for the rest of the season and Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart not expected back until late February, Memphis is relying on some unfamiliar names in an effort to remain competitive.
“It’s an opportunity for us young guys to develop and to try to win games, too,” said second-year power forward David Roddy. “It’s something we’re going to rely on in years to come, these pivotal games and this pivotal point in the season for our development. Just make it simple. Share the ball as much as we can, attack the rim and the paint. Be calm, relax and have fun.”
Among those getting an opportunity is 19-year-old rookie G.G. Jackson, who started the season in the G League but recently became the second-youngest player in league history with back-to-back 20-point games. Coach Taylor Jenkins said he’s still determining the best way to use the 6’9″ Jackson, who’s versatile enough to handle several positions.
“Figuring out what position he’ll play will come in time,” Jenkins said. “We want to continue to challenge him to be a better defender and rebounder. But the fact he’s super coachable, loves the game and wants to get better each day, I’m excited to see what transpires moving forward.”
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- The Rockets held their first practice session of 2024 on Friday as they try to fix the defensive issues that led to a 1-5 road trip, per Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle. Coach Ime Udoka emphasized to his players that they need to concentrate on what worked earlier this season. “With a younger team, you want to keep giving them reminders of what made us successful early, and the chance to get through and walk through some things and bang around a little bit, it was good for us,” Udoka said. “It felt just normal to what we were doing earlier and that’s why we had the success.”
- Dillon Brooks and Tari Eason weren’t available for Friday’s practice, Lerner adds, and while Brooks is playing tonight against Utah, the Rockets will have to survive a while longer without Eason, who is missing his 10th straight game. “No setback,” Udoka said. “He just is on the timeline where we’re giving him the time to operate and try to get healthy. And you know, the pain tolerance is a thing. Like I said, he was playing through some pain and we want to make sure that’s gone before he comes back. So an extended amount of time is what has been diagnosed for him.”
- Pelicans forward Matt Ryan said he feels “92%” recovered after undergoing elbow surgery last month, tweets Will Guillory of The Athletic. Ryan adds that his shot feels fine and he’s working toward his return.
As we detailed back in September, there are several players around the NBA who would benefit financially from making an All-NBA team or winning a Most Valuable Player of Defensive Player of the Year award in 2023/24.
Heat big man Bam Adebayo, Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram, Nuggets guard Jamal Murray are among the players who would become eligible to sign a super-max (Designated Veteran) contract during the 2024 offseason by earning one of those honors this season.
Mavericks guard Luka Doncic and Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could ensure they become eligible to sign a super-max extension in 2025 by making this year’s All-NBA team. Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. could do the same by winning a second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year award.
Additionally, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, and Hornets guard LaMelo Ball signed maximum-salary rookie scale extensions that will be worth 30% of next season’s salary cap (instead of 25%) if they make an All-NBA team this spring. These “Rose Rule” contracts are essentially “mini” super-max deals.
Not all of those 10 players look like legitimate All-NBA, MVP, or DPOY candidates this season, but many of them will be in the mix. However, as Tim Bontemps and Bobby Marks write at ESPN.com, the newly implemented 65-game minimum requirement for award winners looms large for this group.
Without appearing in 65 games (including at least 63 of 20-plus minutes and two of 15-plus minutes), these players will be ineligible to earn an All-NBA spot, and without that end-of-season honor, they won’t be in position to receive a higher maximum salary.
According to Bontemps and Marks, a player who misses more than 17 of his team’s games, falling short of appearing in the required 65, can technically still qualify for award recognition, but only in very specific scenarios:
- If the player appeared in at least 62 games (and 85% of his team’s games to that point) and then suffers a season-ending injury.
- If the player files a grievance and presents “clear and convincing evidence” that his team limited his games or his minutes with the intention of depriving him of award eligibility.
While there’s also a clause for “extraordinary circumstances,” the NBA and NBPA don’t expect that clause to apply to injury absences, since it would essentially defeat the purpose of the rule, per ESPN’s duo.
Of the 10 players mentioned above, one is already ineligible for a major end-of-season award — Ball has appeared in just 19 of the Hornets’ first 39 games due to an ankle injury, so even if he doesn’t miss a game for the rest of the season, he’ll max out at 62 appearances. Given Charlotte’s spot in the standings, Ball would have been an All-NBA long shot anyway, but he has been playing at a very high level when he’s been healthy.
The 65-game mark remains within reach for the rest of this group, though some players can’t really afford any sort of extended absence. Adebayo, for instance, has missed 10 of Miami’s 42 games so far and only logged 12 minutes in an 11th, which means it won’t count toward his 65. Seven more missed games would cost him his award eligibility.
Murray is in a similar spot — he has missed 14 of Denver’s 43 games and played just 10 minutes in a 15th, so three more missed games would make him ineligible for award consideration.
Doncic has missed seven games for the Mavericks, while Fox has missed six for the Kings, so they’re on pace to play in enough games, but if either player turns an ankle or tweaks a hamstring and is forced to the sidelines for a couple weeks, he’d be in trouble.
It looked like that might happen with Haliburton, who sat out just three of the Pacers’ first 36 games, then strained his hamstring earlier this month. He was expected to be unavailable for at least a couple weeks, but returned to action on Friday night, ahead of schedule, after missing just five contests.
Haliburton is a legitimate All-NBA candidate and would be in line for a projected $41MM pay increase across his five-year extension if he earns one of those 15 spots. Were those financial considerations a factor in his early return to action? Would he still have been inactive on Friday if that 65-game minimum weren’t in play?
It’s hard to imagine the Pacers allowing their franchise player to risk potential re-injury by coming back too early, but Haliburton certainly has a ton of motivation to play in every game he can this year.
As Howard Beck of The Ringer writes, that 65-game minimum will be a fascinating subplot to follow in the second half of the season. Although we’ve focused here on players whose future earnings could be directly tied to whether or not they claim an end-of-season award, there are many other potential All-NBA candidates who may fall short of 65 games, changing the equation for voters.
Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving, Donovan Mitchell, Devin Booker, Zion Williamson, and Lauri Markkanen are among the stars who have been out for eight or more games so far this season, Beck observes. Kevin Durant has missed seven.
The 65-game minimum isn’t necessary to earn votes for Sixth Man of the Year, Rookie of the Year, or an All-Rookie spot, but the other major awards require at least 65 appearances.
In 2023, five of the 15 players who made an All-NBA team appeared in fewer than 65 games, but that won’t be the case in 2024. The players who have the most riding on All-NBA honors from a financial perspective may be the ones most motivated to stay on the court, but as Adebayo points out, you “can’t stop injuries from happening.”
“God forbid nobody gets hurt, but you can’t [prevent] injury,” he said, per Bontemps and Marks. “I think it’s crazy that we even have the rule. It’s one of those things where you just accept the rule. … I guess use your 17 games as wisely as possible.”
Knicks forward Josh Hart sat out Thursday’s victory over Washington due to left knee soreness, which the team referred to as patellar tendinopathy, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post.
Hart, who described himself as day-to-day, said it’s an issue that has affected him in past seasons, but that it popped up earlier than usual this year after a shortened summer that included a stint with Team USA.
“I’m not surprised with how it feels. Normally, once you get later in the season, Game 50-ish, 55-60 you start kind of feeling it,” Hart said. “Then you have a little All-Star break so you can kind of rest for some days and then get back into it. So I’m not surprised with the shorter summer that it’s kind of starting to bite me in the butt a little bit a little earlier than it normally does. But it’s not something that is too serious.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- With multiple reports indicating that the Knicks have made Quentin Grimes available via trade, Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter video link) identifies a few of the teams that have expressed interest in the third-year wing, suggesting that the Jazz, Hawks, Rockets and Grizzlies are potential suitors for Grimes.
- Barbara Barker of Newsday argues that Tom Thibodeau has earned a contract extension from the Knicks, not only for the success the team has had on the court in recent years but for the way he has helped change the culture around the franchise.
- Former teammate Fred VanVleet views OG Anunoby as an “absolutely perfect” fit for the Knicks, he said on Wednesday, according to Botte. “Thibs is gonna love him, obviously. But I think more than that, with all those Villanova guys you got over here, he fits right into that mold, a similar type of personality and player,” VanVleet said. “I think he’s a great fit for their team, and you could see it right away the way he plugged right in and was able to have success. Definitely, I think New York is gonna love him.”
- Former Knicks RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, who will face their old team on Saturday for the first time since being traded to Toronto last month, spoke ahead of their return about how much their time in New York meant to them, per Steve Popper of Newsday. Barrett said he’ll have “mixed emotions” being back in Madison Square Garden, since it was “definitely difficult” to leave the place where he spent the first four-and-a-half NBA seasons, even though he’s enjoying playing for his hometown Raptors.