- After a brief on-court altercation between Embiid and Pelicans rookie Jose Alvarado on Tuesday resulted in technical fouls for both players, Alvarado revealed on Thursday that the Sixers center was paying the $2,000 fine associated with his technical. Embiid explained to reporters, including Andrew Lopez of ESPN, why he covered the cost of Alvarado’s fine. “I just like his energy. He plays hard. He competes. Even when he picked up the tech, he wasn’t backing down,” Embiid said. “… I just felt like the least I can do because I made him pick up a tech and he doesn’t make as much as other guys in the league. I just felt like that was on me and I didn’t want him to lose that money because I’m sure we all need it.”
The Kings are still expected to make some sort of major move ahead of this year’s trade deadline in an effort to strengthen their roster for a postseason push, writes Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. Sacramento has expressed interest in both Pacers centers, Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis, but Fischer hears that Indiana’s asking price has been much higher than what teams are willing to give up for either player.
According to Fischer, who says the Pelicans also have interest in Sabonis, Turner is still the more likely trade candidate of the two Indiana centers, but only if the Pacers are willing to drop their asking price a little, since teams are concerned about Turner’s injury recovery timeline and his ability to help a team this season. If the price remains high, Turner may stay in Indiana until the offseason.
One team to watch on the Turner front is the Trail Blazers, who gained some momentum in discussions with the Pacers prior to the big man’s injury, according to Fischer. If Portland is focused more on next season than this season, acquiring Turner would make some sense, but the Blazers still hold a play-in spot in the West, so they probably aren’t prepared to just throw in the towel.
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the West:
- Kings center Tristan Thompson is considered to be available in exchange for a second-round pick, says Fischer. I’m a little skeptical that Sacramento will be able to get positive value for Thompson by himself.
- The Spurs received a call from the Hawks about guard Derrick White, Fischer reports. It doesn’t sound like those discussions gained any traction, but Fischer points out that San Antonio has been viewed since 2020 as a potential suitor for Atlanta big man John Collins.
- As previously relayed, rival executives think the Mavericks may trade one of Jalen Brunson or Dorian Finney-Smith by February 10. Both players will be unrestricted free agents this summer, so there will be nothing stopping them from signing elsewhere, and if the Mavs do re-sign both, they’ll likely be taxpayers. However, Dallas has expressed confidence in its ability to re-sign both players, according to Fischer, who adds that there’s a belief Finney-Smith will seek $15MM annually on his next deal.
- The Thunder‘s asking price in any trade for forward Kenrich Williams is believed to be a first-round pick, per Fischer.
The Trail Blazers are considered one of the NBA’s most active teams in trade discussions leading up to the February 10 deadline, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, who says the Hawks, Pacers, Kings, and Pelicans also fall into that group.
While it remains to be seen exactly what direction Portland will take at the deadline, it seems clear the team remains motivated to shed a little salary to get out of luxury tax territory, Fischer writes. Rival executives who have spoken to Bleacher Report suggest CJ McCollum, Norman Powell, Jusuf Nurkic, and Robert Covington could all be trade candidates.
Here’s more on the Blazers:
- The Pelicans have been the team most frequently linked to McCollum, says Fischer. Fischer suggests a package of Jonas Valanciunas and Josh Hart might make sense, but acknowledges that New Orleans will be reluctant to part with Valanciunas, preferring to move players like Tomas Satoransky and Jaxson Hayes.
- Noting that Portland has been among Jerami Grant‘s suitors, Fischer wonders if Powell might appeal to the Pistons. Detroit is believed to prefer draft picks and young players in any Grant trade, but Dwane Casey coached Powell in Toronto and Fischer says the Pistons were one of Powell’s top options as a free agent last summer.
- Despite their reported interest in Covington, the Jazz have been described by Fischer’s sources as an unlikely landing spot for the Blazers forward.
- The Blazers moved quickly earlier this month to hire former Cavaliers executive Andrae Patterson as an assistant general manager, according to Fischer, who says Patterson received a job offer just one day after Portland requested permission to interview him. He’ll have “significant input” in the team’s draft and free agency planning.
- Besides hiring Patterson, interim GM Joe Cronin has also made changes to the Blazers’ scouting department, public relations department, and medical staff, so there’s no reason to believe he won’t have the go-ahead to make major roster changes too, Fischer writes.
A lot of executives around the NBA think the Mavericks may trade either Jalen Brunson or Dorian Finney-Smith prior to the February 10 deadline, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Scotto first stated two weeks ago that rival execs believed there may be an opportunity to acquire Brunson or Finney-Smith.
As Scotto reported earlier and restated during the most recent HoopsHype Podcast, the Mavs project to go well into the luxury tax if they re-sign both Brunson and Finney-Smith to lucrative contracts this offseason when the duo reaches unrestricted free agency, which is one reason why the team would be incentivized to make a move. Those two players are also among Dallas’ best trade assets if the team wants to try to acquire an impact player.
The Pistons are one club worth keeping an eye on for Brunson, according to Scotto, who says the fourth-year point guard has “some admirers in Detroit.” The Mavericks are known to be interested in Jerami Grant, so Brunson or Finney-Smith could head to Detroit if the Pistons decide to send Grant to Dallas.
Scotto also points out that the Pistons are one of the few teams projected to have cap room this summer, so if their interest in Brunson is real and they don’t acquire him at the deadline, they could make an offseason run at him.
Meanwhile, the Hawks, Trail Blazers, Pacers, Wizards, and Pelicans are among the teams that have been keeping an eye on Finney-Smith, says Scotto. Those clubs aren’t exactly title contenders, so they’d likely view Finney-Smith as a potential long-term core piece rather than a short-term solution to push them over the top.
Of course, the three-and-D wing would fit well on virtually any roster, so he’ll likely have many more suitors than just those five teams.
Pelicans rookie wing Trey Murphy III entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols on Monday prior to New Orleans’ win over Indiana, according to the team (via Twitter).
The 17th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Murphy has played a minor role for the Pelicans this season, averaging 3.8 PPG and 2.1 RPG in 36 games (12.8 MPG). The 21-year-old hasn’t logged more than three minutes in a game since December 28, so his absence didn’t affect the club’s rotation on Monday. He’ll remain in the protocols until at least this weekend unless he can exit early by registering two consecutive negative tests 24 hours apart.
Here are a few more protocol-related updates from around the league:
- Nuggets forward JaMychal Green is no longer on the team’s injury report, indicating that he has exited the COVID-19 protocols, as Mike Singer of The Denver Post tweets. Jamal Murray is the only Nugget still in the protocols, and he’s not ready to return from his ACL surgery yet anyway.
- Bucks two-way player Lindell Wigginton entered the protocols over the weekend, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Wigginton is the only Milwaukee player currently in the protocols.
- As our health and safety protocols tracker shows, there are currently 12 players in the protocols. Only the Grizzlies (three players) and Pistons (two players) have more than a single player affected at the moment. We’ll continue to update that tracker going forward, but since the number of players entering and exiting has declined significantly in the last couple weeks, it will likely be updated just once or twice per day, rather than several times.
Pelicans center Jaxson Hayes has been charged with 12 misdemeanors in Los Angeles related to a domestic incident last summer, TMZ reports.
The charges lodged by the city attorney in Los Angeles County against Hayes include – but are not limited to – inflicting corporal injury (domestic violence charge), destroying property, use of force, resisting a police officer, and using force and violence against an LAPD member.
Hayes was originally charged with a felony after the July incident and was held on $25K bond. The incident occurred after police were called to a home where Hayes was staying due to a domestic disturbance. Hayes allegedly tried to prevent law enforcement from entering the home and the confrontation became so heated that a Taser was used on Hayes. Hayes was taken to a hospital to treat minor injuries and an officer also sought medical treatment.
Hayes apparently pushed the officer into a wall, causing an arm injury to the policeman.
During the arrest, Hayes claimed he couldn’t breathe. A probe within the LAPD was launched regarding that claim but the results are unknown, according to the TMZ report.
Hayes, the eighth pick in the 2019 draft, was out of the Pelicans’ rotation for a portion of this season but has appeared regularly since late December. He’s averaging 6.8 PPG and 3.4 RPG in 33 games off the bench.
- Pelicans forward Herbert Jones is gaining confidence in his three-point shot, Christian Clark of NOLA.com writes. Jones has been working closely with assistant coach Fred Vinson on his mechanics. In 42 games this season, he’s shot 50.2% from the floor and 40% from three, scoring 9.1 points per game.
- In a separate story for NOLA.com, Clark examines the strength coach that Zion Williamson is working with. The strength coach, Jasper Bibbs, does not work for the Pelicans, who haven’t seen Williamson play since last May. Williamson suffered a setback in his rehab from foot surgery roughly six weeks ago, but no timetable was issued for a return.
Pelicans rookie Jose Alvarado is elated about the start to his professional career, William Guillory of The Athletic writes. Alvarado signed a two-way contract with New Orleans after going undrafted last year and has appeared in 18 games so far this season.
“I’m still at the beginning, but I feel like this is about as good of a beginning as I could possibly ask for,” Alvarado said in his interview with Guillory. “I just want to keep it going and show everybody how grateful I am to be here.”
Alvarado, 23, played college ball at Georgia Tech for four seasons. In addition to his 18 NBA appearances, he’s also played in five G League games this season, averaging 19.8 points on 52% shooting from the floor and 43% from three-point range.
Along with Alvarado, the Pelicans also have Devonte’ Graham, Josh Hart, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Kira Lewis Jr. and others in the backcourt. Gary Clark currently occupies the team’s other two-way spot.
Here are some other notes out of the Western Conference:
- Suns guard Cameron Payne and forward Jae Crowder suffered wrist injuries in the team’s win over Indiana on Saturday, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic writes. Both players exited the game early and won’t play in Monday’s contest against Utah, according to Kellan Olson of 98.7 Arizona Sports (Twitter link). Crowder sustained a wrist contusion, while Payne suffered a sprain. “It’s tough,” teammate Mikal Bridges said. “It kind of put my mood down a little bit when at the end the game seeing those guys hurt a little bit. You always want to have your whole team out there, but just pray for them tonight and next man up, but yeah, obviously you always want to have your team out there.”
- Timberwolves guard Jordan McLaughlin has exited the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the team announced on social media. McLaughlin has missed five straight games. He’s appeared in 28 contests this season, averaging 2.2 points and 2.4 assists in 11.2 minutes per contest.
Former Pacers center Ike Anigbogu has signed a contract in the NBA G League, he told Hoops Rumors. Anigbogu will join the Birmingham Squadron, the Pelicans‘ affiliate.
Anigbogu, 23, was drafted No. 47 overall in 2017. He spent parts of the 2017/18 and ’18/19 seasons with Indiana and its G League affiliate, appearing in 14 NBA games.
Anigbogu also signed with the Pelicans for training camp in December of 2020. Along with Anigbogu, Birmingham’s roster currently features former NBA players Jared Harper and Joe Young.
Here are some other odds and ends from around the association:
- Free agent Allen Crabbe has been acquired by the Knicks‘ G League affiliate in Westchester, according to Marc Stein (Twitter link). Crabbe holds seven years of NBA experience, last playing with Minnesota during the 2019/20 season. In 381 career games, he’s averaged 9.1 points per contest, shooting 42.5% from the floor and 39% from behind-the-arc.
- Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype examines which players have increased their value ahead of the trade deadline. The deadline falls on Thursday, February 10 this season, which is now less than three weeks away.
- The Nets‘ G League affiliate in Long Island has acquired former NBA center Thon Maker, a source confirmed to Hoops Rumors. Maker has made past stops with Milwaukee, Detroit and Cleveland, owning 263 games of experience. The former No. 10 pick last played in Israel.
We’re over halfway through the 2021/22 NBA regular season, which means it’s a good time to take a look at where things stand with 2022’s traded first-round picks. Many of the traded first-rounders for the ’22 draft come with protections, so there’s a chance they might not change hands this year after all.
Using our list of traded first-round picks for 2022 and our reverse standings tool, here’s our breakdown of which of those traded picks are most and least likely to change hands, and which ones remain up in the air:
Picks that will definitely change hands:
- Thunder acquiring Clippers‘ pick (unprotected).
When the Clippers traded a series of first-round picks and swaps to the Thunder in the Paul George blockbuster in the 2019 offseason, they weren’t counting on losing both George and Kawhi Leonard to long-term injuries in the same season. That’s the case this year though, and it could result in Oklahoma City receiving an extra lottery pick.
The Clippers are currently in a play-in spot, so their pick could move to No. 15 or lower if they make the playoffs, but for now it’s projected to be No. 11 or No. 12 (they’re tied with the Knicks in the NBA standings).
- Thunder acquiring Suns‘ pick (top-12 protected).
The Thunder will also receive a first-round pick from another Pacific team, though that selection appears likely to end up at the very end of the round — the Suns have the league’s best record so far, so their pick would be at No. 30.
- Grizzlies acquiring Jazz‘s pick (top-six protected).
The pick the Grizzlies are getting from the Jazz will fall near the end of the first round too. For now, it projects to be No. 25 or No. 26, as Utah is tied in the standings with the Heat.
- Grizzlies or Pelicans acquiring Lakers‘ pick (unprotected).
The Lakers will send their first-rounder to the Pelicans if it lands in the top 10 or to the Grizzlies if it’s between 11-30. It’s certainly possible things continue to go south in Los Angeles and the pick moves up into the top 10 — if the Lakers don’t make the playoffs, their pick could even jump into the top four via the lottery.
For now though, the more likely scenario is that Memphis will get the Lakers’ pick — it would be No. 15 or No. 16 (they’re tied with Minesota) if the season ended today and L.A. clinched a playoff spot in the play-in tournament.
Picks that definitely won’t change hands:
- Thunder acquiring Pistons’ pick (top-16 protected).
- Hawks acquiring Thunder‘s pick (top-14 protected).
There’s still a lot of basketball to be played this season, but it seems pretty safe to pencil in the Pistons and Thunder as non-playoff teams, which means they’ll keep their first-round picks in 2022. Right now, Detroit’s at No. 2 in the lottery standings, while Oklahoma City’s at No. 4.
Given how weak the bottom half of the Western Conference has been, the Thunder could theoretically sneak into a play-in spot and make the playoffs, but it’s an extreme long shot — the teams ahead of them in the standings will be more motivated to push for the postseason.
Assuming they keep their pick this year, the Pistons will owe the Thunder their top-18 protected first-round pick in 2023. If the Thunder’s own pick is protected, they’ll instead send the Hawks their 2024 and 2025 second-round selections.
Still up in the air:
- Hornets acquiring Pelicans‘ pick (top-14 protected)
- Bulls acquiring Trail Blazers‘ pick (top-14 protected)
At this point, it looks more likely than not that the Pelicans and Trail Blazers will keep their own lottery-protected first-round picks.
Portland, despite holding the West’s No. 10 seed for now, has a tenuous hold on a play-in spot with Damian Lillard sidelined for a while. New Orleans may have some potential for a second-half surge, especially if Zion Williamson returns, but the team is on the outside looking in for the time being. Either team would have a difficult path to a playoff spot as a lower seed in the play-in tournament.
Currently, the Pelicans’ first-rounder projects to be No. 6 or No. 7 (they’re tied with San Antonio), pending lottery results. Assuming that pick ends up in the top 14, New Orleans would instead send their 2022 and 2024 second-round selections to the Hornets.
If the Trail Blazers keep their first-round pick, currently projected to be No. 9, they’d owe the Bulls their top-14 protected first-rounder in 2023.
- Hawks acquiring Hornets‘ pick (top-18 protected)
The Hornets‘ first-round selection, which was just traded from New York to Atlanta in the Cam Reddish deal, is right on the edge and could go either way. It’s top-18 protected and is currently projected to be at No. 19, meaning the Hawks would receive it if the season ended today (as long as the seventh-seeded Hornets clinched a playoff spot in the play-in tournament). That could change quickly though.
- Rockets acquiring most favorable of Heat‘s or Nets‘ pick (Heat get least favorable).
Finally, the Rockets will control the two most favorable picks of the following three: their own first-rounder, the Nets first-rounder, and the Heat‘s first-rounder; Miami will get the least favorable of the three, unless the Heat’s own pick lands in the top 14 (in which case Miami would keep it and Houston would get the other two picks).
It seems safe to assume at this point that the Rockets will keep their own selection and the Heat will make the playoffs, so it’ll come down to whether Brooklyn or Miami finishes higher in the standings. Currently, the Heat are a half-game ahead of the Nets, so Houston would get Brooklyn’s pick (No. 24) and Miami would hang onto its own (No. 25 or No. 26).