Knicks Rumors

Stein’s Latest: Nuggets, Yabusele, Nance, Reath

December 9th, 2024 at 8:05am CST by Arthur Hill

The Nuggets‘ problem with lack of production off their bench could have been addressed by seeking a sign-and-trade deal for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope instead of letting him leave in free agency, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column (subscription required). Denver improved to 12-10 by winning in Atlanta Sunday night, but that was on the heels of an embarrassing loss Saturday at Washington. Coach Michael Malone is leaning heavily on his starting lineup as he has few proven options among his reserves.

Sources tell Stein that the Mavericks were interested in obtaining Caldwell-Pope via sign-and-trade when free agency opened last summer, but those plans changed when the Nuggets exhibited a reluctance to pursue that option, which would have meant taking back contracts and increasing their luxury tax payment. Denver was also reportedly unwilling to send Caldwell-Pope to one of its chief Western Conference rivals.

Stein points out that Dallas had free agents Tim Hardaway Jr. and Josh Green, who could have been made available in a deal for Caldwell-Pope. Both players were eventually traded, with Hardaway going to Detroit in a swap for Quentin Grimes and Green heading to Charlotte in the six-team deal to acquire Klay Thompson.

Stein hears that the Nuggets eventually warmed up to the idea of a sign-and-trade for Caldwell-Pope, but it was too late in the process to find a taker. Orlando used its cap space to add him with a three-year, $66MM offer, taking away another important piece of the roster that brought a title to Denver in 2023.

Stein describes the Nuggets as “eager” to shake up their current team before the February 6 trade deadline, but they face limited options because of their financial position. He calls it an “open secret” that the team would like to unload former first-round pick Zeke Nnaji, but they would likely have to include draft assets to sweeten any deal due to the fifth-year power forward’s disappointing performance and a contract that runs through 2027/28.

There’s more from Stein:

Guerschon Yabusele‘s strong start and his minimum contract could make him a valuable trade asset, but the Sixers don’t appear to have any interest in moving him. Yabusele has been one of the few bright spots for the injury-riddled team, averaging 9.9 points and 5.6 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game while shooting 39.5% from three-point range. Even with its disastrous start, Stein points out that Philadelphia is only a game-and-a-half out of the play-in tournament and four-and-a-half games away from the top six in the East. A source tells Stein that the Sixers are “thrilled” with Yabusele’s performance so far.
The Hawks have been getting offers for Larry Nance Jr. since they acquired him in an offseason trade with New Orleans, but they aren’t interested in parting with him, Stein adds. He points to Clint Capela ($22.3MM expiring contract) as the Atlanta big man who’s most likely to be on the move before the deadline, noting that the Knicks considered making an offer for Capela before landing Karl-Anthony Towns.
Stein confirms a report by Jake Fischer that Trail Blazers center Duop Reath is worth watching in trade talks. Reath is earning the veteran’s minimum and is probably expendable with three other centers on the roster.

New York Notes: Finney-Smith, Fernandez, Knicks, Hart

December 8th, 2024 at 9:22am CST by Rory Maher

Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith, who has missed the past four games — and six of the past seven — with a left ankle sprain, will return to action on Sunday vs. Milwaukee, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The 31-year-old was able to practice for the second consecutive day on Saturday and is not on the injury report for today’s matinee against the Bucks.

“It’s a long season. Nobody’s really 100 percent, so I’m pretty sure everybody’s got some nags and bumps and bruises, but I feel better and I’m ready to play [Sunday],” Finney-Smith said. “Yeah, no question. You know I’m playing.”

As Lewis writes, Finney-Smith has by far the best plus-minus on Brooklyn’s roster (plus-56). On top of shooting a career-best 42.2% from three-point range and playing solid, switchable defense, he’s also the Nets’ locker-room leader.

“Doe brings toughness, his veteran leadership that he brings to any team,” Trendon Watford said. “That’s what he’s made his name off of, just him being a leader and him being that tough guy, him just being a knockdown shooter and lock-down defender. We know what Doe brings every night, and we definitely can use it.”

Second-year big man Noah Clowney is questionable for Sunday’s contest after missing the past six games with his own left ankle sprain, Lewis adds.

Here are some more notes on the NBA’s two New York-based teams:

First-year Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez has been lauded for his job performance thus far, Lewis writes in subscriber-only story for The New York Post. In addition to being nominated for the Eastern Conference’s Coach of the Month award, Fernandez has drawn praise both inside and outside the organization for instilling belief in a club that was widely expected to finish with among the worst records in the league. Despite dealing with injuries to several key players, Brooklyn is currently 10-13, the No. 8 seed in the East.
Playing without Karl-Anthony Towns, who was a late scratch due to a right knee patellar tendinopathy, the Knicks had a disappointing home loss to Detroit on Saturday, according to Peter Botte of The New York Post. Jericho Sims got the start at center in place of Towns, but he only played six minutes, with head coach Tom Thibodeau turning to Precious Achiuwa and rookie Ariel Hukporti to man the middle. Mikal Bridges expressed disappointment with the team’s defensive effort after giving up 120 points to a Pistons team that ranks 22nd in the league in offensive rating. “Not good. I think we pick and choose when [to play defense],” Bridges said. “And we ain’t that good that we can just pick and choose when to play defense.”
Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson was questionable ahead of Saturday’s game due to a lower back contusion he sustained in Thursday’s victory over Charlotte, but he wound up playing a season-high 44 minutes and scoring a game-high 31 points to go along with 10 assists in the loss, notes Christian Arnold of The New York Post.
Thibodeau was disappointed that Knicks forward Josh Hart was ejected for receiving his second technical foul late in the fourth quarter, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv. “Josh plays on emotion which is great,” Thibodeau said. “But there’s a fine line and just, we can’t have that in the fourth quarter.” Hart claimed he didn’t know why he received either technical.

Knicks Notes: Anunoby, Towns, Bridges, Brunson, Sims

December 7th, 2024 at 9:47am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Knicks reached four wins in a row on Thursday, due in part to OG Anunoby‘s strong defensive performances. In those games, Anunoby is averaging 2.5 blocks while the Knicks are winning by an average margin of 18.3 points. According to the New York Post’s Peter Botte, Anunoby’s defensive clinics have inspired his teammates.

“I think plays like that unite and inspire the team. You can feel it. When a guy makes a great multiple effort, it’s inspiring to everyone,” coach Tom Thibodeau said of one sequence where Anunoby blocked consecutive shots. “That gets you going. The energy that you get from that is huge. The blocked shots, diving on the floor, coming up with a steal, and actually that’s really what got us going. He blew up a couple of dribble hand-offs, we got a couple of easy baskets, and then we got going.”

No team has scored more than 106 points on New York during its current streak. The Knicks already rank first in the NBA in offensive rating and their defensive rating has slightly climbed to 17th in the league after this stretch. They’ll continue to try to improve on that end with Anunoby playing at a high level.

“He has All-Defensive teams in his future. So we’ll make it up,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “I think we all know in this locker room the talent OG possesses. I think he’s one of the best two-way players in the NBA. Defensively, offensively, he affects the game. I’m just glad that he’s getting this moment here in the Mecca in New York to show the world the talent that we all see.”

We have more from the Knicks:

The Knicks’ trade for Towns continues to look like a major success, as the big man is averaging career highs of 25.2 points and a league-leading 13.2 rebounds per game. According to Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Insider link), the Knicks hold an internal belief that when Precious Achiuwa and Mitchell Robinson are operating at full health, the outside perception of the trade will be largely positive.
While the Towns trade is paying early dividends, New York’s other blockbuster move to acquire Mikal Bridges is still a bit more up and down, Bontemps and Windhorst write in the same ESPN story. Bridges knocked down seven of his 12 three-point attempts for 31 points on Sunday but has shot just 30.7% from deep in the two games since then. “Fair or not, the price they paid to trade for him will follow him,” one league executive said to ESPN. Despite the fact that Bridges hasn’t been playing at a star level, Windhorst writes that acquiring him likely helped convince Jalen Brunson to sign a team-friendly extension and that Bridges should provide big value down the line.
After suffering a hard fall in Thursday’s game, Brunson is listed as questionable for New York’s Saturday outing against Detroit, according to Botte. Thibodeau said Brunson could have gone back in the game on Thursday, but there was no reason to risk it with the Knicks up big.
Reserve big man Jericho Sims has appeared in all 22 of New York’s games this season, averaging 1.9 points and 4.0 rebounds. But in Achiuwa’s season debut, he played just three minutes. With that same Botte article, Thibodeau explained his decision to limit Sims’ minutes. “I didn’t like the energy of the group, so we just started searching for something that could get us going. He’s got to make sure that you’re getting things done out there,” Thibodeau said.

How Injuries To Players On Non-Guaranteed Contracts Have Impacted Teams’ Caps

December 6th, 2024 at 10:01pm CST by Luke Adams

In most cases, an NBA team has the ability to waive a player on a non-guaranteed contract at any time before the league-wide salary guarantee date on January 7 to avoid being on the hook for the remainder of that player’s salary.

However, that equation changes if the player is injured at the time he’s placed on waivers. In that case, one of two rules applies:

If the player’s contract includes Exhibit 9 language, the team incurs a cap hit of $15K when the injured player is waived.
If the player’s contract does not include Exhibit 9 language and he’s waived on or before January 7, the team continues to pay the player until he has fully recovered from the injury or for the rest of the season, whichever comes first.

Cases that fall into the first category often fly under the radar unless the injury is serious or the player is a well-known veteran, since $15K isn’t enough to make a noticeable dent in a team’s overall salary. However, there were a couple notable instances this fall of players on Exhibit 9 contracts suffering injuries and counting against their respective teams’ caps for $15K.

One was Knicks guard Landry Shamet, who appeared on track to make New York’s opening night roster before he dislocated his shoulder in the preseason. The Knicks waived Shamet and took on a $15K cap hit in the process, which isn’t entirely insignificant for a team currently operating just $581K below its second-apron hard cap. That extra $15K cap charge won’t majorly alter the Knicks’ plans, but it’ll force the team to wait a couple extra days to fit a 15th man under its hard cap later in the season.

Lakers camp invitee Jordan Goodwin also sustained an injury during the preseason, resulting in a $15K cap hit. Los Angeles had been operating just $45K below the second apron, so accounting for Goodwin’s $15K cap charge moved the team to within $30K of the second apron. Again, that shouldn’t really affect the way the Lakers handle business on the trade market or in free agency during the season, but even that slight difference is notable for a team operating with such a razor-thin margin below the restrictive second apron.

Spurs camp invitee Nathan Mensah is the other player who was injured in camp and left his team with a $15K cap charge. But San Antonio is operating way below the luxury tax line and will barely notice that extra $15K.

Exhibit 9 contracts are only effect during the summer and preseason. Once the regular season begins, there are no players on contracts with Exhibit 9 language — a player like Shamet, if he had made the Knicks’ regular season roster, would have had his Exhibit 9 contract turned into a standard one-year non-guaranteed deal.

That means the second rule outlined above applies to any player on a non-guaranteed contract who suffers an injury between opening night and January 7. Pacers center James Wiseman is the most noteworthy example so far in 2024/25.

Wiseman remains on Indiana’s roster for now and his contract is still non-guaranteed, but even if the club waives him today, his full $2,237,691 cap figure will remain on the Pacers’ cap for the rest of ’24/25, since his torn Achilles tendon is expected to sideline him for the rest of the season. Indiana has to continue paying Wiseman until he recovers from his injury or until the end of the season, so waiving him will create no cap relief.

While the Pacers aren’t right up against a hard cap or an apron threshold like the Knicks and Lakers are, the $2.2MM+ cap charge for Wiseman is far more significant than a $15K hit for an Exhibit 9 player, and it could have a real impact on what Indiana can do on the trade market. Currently, the team is hovering just $500K below the luxury tax line.

The Pacers will want to avoid becoming a taxpayer this season, so their ability to take on an extra salary in a trade is now noticeably more limited than it would be if they could cut Wiseman and remove more than two-thirds of his cap hit from their books.

New York Notes: Achiuwa, Brunson, McBride, Thomas, Claxton

December 6th, 2024 at 8:19am CST by Tristan Tucker

Knicks big man Precious Achiuwa made his season debut on Thursday after missing the first 22 games of the season with a hamstring injury. ESPN’s Tim Bontemps first reported (via Twitter) that Achiuwa’s debut was dependent on how warmups went. He ended up playing 12 minutes in a blowout win over Charlotte, finishing with two points and four rebounds.

Achiuwa’s return is a boon for a Knicks team that has had its frontcourt depth depleted by injuries in the early going. Center Mitchell Robinson has yet to play this season as he deals with an ankle issue, which left Jericho Sims and Ariel Hukporti as the team’s only true bigs behind Karl-Anthony Towns until Achiuwa’s return.

The Knicks sit at 14-8, good for fourth in the Eastern Conference. They opened the season 5-6 before beginning to really click and winning nine of their last 11 games. New York made big offseason swings for both Towns and Mikal Bridges, the former coming right before the beginning of the regular season.

Adding Achiuwa should only help the team continue its climb up the standings. A part of the OG Anunoby deal last December, the former Raptor made 18 starts for New York in 2023/24 across his 49 appearances. He averaged 7.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 0.6 steals and 1.1 blocks per game for the Knicks.

According to the New York Post’s Peter Botte, Achiuwa received an ovation in his return.

“[The reception] means a lot to me. Obviously, New York to me is very dear to my heart,” Achiuwa said. “So just being able to go out there and hearing the crowd, it meant a lot to me. … Watching from the sideline has been very tough, but just being out there and knowing that the crowd is behind me throughout the whole process has been very reassuring.”

We have more from New York:

Knicks star guard Jalen Brunson took a hard hit in New York’s win over Charlotte on Thursday, exiting the game late in the third quarter and not reutrning, according to Newsday’s Steve Popper. It doesn’t sound like anything serious though, as the Knicks were up big late when Brunson returned to the bench and likely held him out for precautionary reasons. He was sporting a wrap on his back/ribs, but said after the game that he felt amazing.
The three-year, $13MM extension Miles McBride signed approximately one year ago is looking like a bargain for the Knicks. He became integral to the team in the second half of last season, averaging 11.0 PPG while making 36.8% of his three-point attempts in the 2024 playoffs. Through 17 games this season, McBride is averaging career highs of 11.2 PPG and 2.8 APG on a career-best shooting split of .462/.435/.909. In a subscriber-only story, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post explores what the young guard would earn if he were signing a new contract now, positing that the deal would likely be somewhere in the range of $10-12MM annually. The former West Virginia guard expressed no regrets about signing his contract when he did, though. “There are a lot of people that are out here struggling, and I’m having fun,” McBride said. “I’m playing well. I’m on a great team. I’m more than happy.”
High-scoring Nets guard Cam Thomas has missed the last five games for Brooklyn while he nurses a hamstring injury. According to the New York Post’s Brian Lewis, Thomas is still in the early stages of his recovery and there’s no timetable yet for his return. “I’m just doing whatever the performance team has me doing. It’s still early,” Thomas said. “I’m just doing whatever they have me doing, just a little bit here and there. But it’s all right.”
Nets center Nic Claxton — who signed to a four-year, $100MM extension last offseason — fluctuated between the bench and starting unit in the first 14 games of the season while dealing with a back injury. Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily questions whether there’s any reason to worry about Claxton, who averaged just 8.5 points per game in those first games of the season. “I think in professional sports, especially in this league, a lot of these guys play with bumps and bruises. What we need them is to believe that they’re good to go,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “And if we feel like a guy is not confident, we’re gonna let them make the decisions, I think that’s fair. If you play and you are afraid to get hurt, guess what? You’re going to get hurt. So we don’t want that for Nic or anybody in our group.” Claxton’s numbers are his lowest since becoming a starter and Kaplan suggests that he isn’t playing with the same level of explosiveness.
On the other hand, Lewis posits that Claxton is rounding into form after averaging 12.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks in his last three games (all starts). “Yeah, I’m getting there, for sure. It’s taking a while, but I’m getting there,” the Nets center said.

Atlantic Notes: Barnes, Raptors, Embiid, Knicks’ Offense

December 5th, 2024 at 9:54pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Raptors are playing their best basketball of the season when star Scottie Barnes is on the floor, Sportsnet.ca’s Michael Grange writes. This season looked like an opportunity for Toronto to potentially bottom out and add a lottery prospect to a young core that includes Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, Gradey Dick and Ja’Kobe Walter, but Barnes’ excellence is making that difficult.

Entering Thursday, Toronto had won five of their last eight games with Barnes in the lineup, trending up despite still holding a 7-16 record. Barnes was again deadly against the Pacers on Tuesday, finishing as a plus-18 in his 36 minutes. Part of that success stems from the chemistry Barnes is building with fellow forward RJ Barrett, Grange writes.

“When we’re both being aggressive, we’re both getting downhill, we’re both pushing the pace, finding each other in transition, it pays off really well,” Barnes said. “Our games complement each other really well, we’re finding each other with that space we’re able to create and play off that.”

While there’s plenty of time remaining in the regular season for movement up and down the standings, the Raptors are just two games behind the Pacers for the No. 10 seed and the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Despite a rough start to the season, Toronto’s energy has been high all year thanks in part to a summer getaway that set the tone for the season, Eric Koreen of The Athletic details. “We were vibing. We were just vibing, having a good time,” Fernando said of the team’s trips to Spain and Miami this offseason. “We would definitely wake up first thing in the morning for workouts.” While the Raptors aren’t happy to have a losing record, Koreen writes that they understand that the team is a work in progress and is cognizant of their youth. Veterans have helped establish a culture and young players like Jamal Shead and Jonathan Mogbo expressed gratitude for their early career playing time. “I feel like we’re more together than teams that I’ve been on where we had a really good record,” newcomer Davion Mitchell said.
Sixers superstar Joel Embiid (left knee injury management) is set to miss his seventh straight game, having been ruled out for Friday’s game against Orlando, according to PHLY Sports’ Kyle Neubeck (Twitter link). Adem Bona was also ruled out while Andre Drummond, who missed the past two games, has been upgraded to questionable. Bona played on Wednesday with Embiid and Drummond out, but he was the only player 6’10” or taller to see action for the club. Philadelphia started Guerschon Yabusele and KJ Martin amid its frontcourt injuries.
The Knicks led the NBA with a 121.0 offensive rating heading into Thursday’s tilt against the Hornets, Peter Botte of the New York Post observes. Tom Thibodeau‘s team has consistently been effective on offense during his tenure, but New York has never had a league-best offense since the NBA started tracking points per 100 possessions. The Knicks’ five starters are averaging a collective 97.8 points per game and top reserve Miles McBride is adding a career-best 11.3 points per game.

Knicks Notes: R. Brunson, Sims, Payne, Kolek, Achiuwa

December 4th, 2024 at 9:27pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The NBA has closed its inquiry into the Knicks‘ decision to promote assistant coach Rick Brunson, sources tell Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).

Brunson, the father of All-NBA New York point guard Jalen Brunson, was recently promoted to a lead assistant gig under head coach Tom Thibodeau. Rick Brunson earned his new role with the Knicks during the same offseason his son inked a four-year, $157MM contract extension to stay with the team long-term.

Jalen Brunson would have been eligible for a five-year maximum contract worth an estimated $269MM had he waited to reach free agency this summer, so the belief is that the NBA was poking around to make sure there was no cap circumvention involved in Rick’s promotion and raise.

The elder Brunson, a former league journeyman guard, has been a coach since 2007 and has served on staffs in Denver, Chicago, Charlotte and Minnesota. He has been working under Thibodeau in New York since 2022, the same summer Jalen joined the team as a free agent.

There’s more out of New York:

Knicks reserve center Jericho Sims is becoming an underappreciated defender, thanks in large part to his athletic upside and abilities as a rim protector, contends Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Sims is limiting opposing players to connecting on just 33% of their buckets within six feet of the rack, Bondy notes. By contrast, All-Star starter Karl-Anthony Towns is allowing players he’s matched up against to make 73.2% of their takes from the same area. “He’s really worked hard at it,” Thibodeau said of Sims. “Very athletic. Great feet. And making the right decision at the right time. His athleticism is through the roof. He can react very quickly. And you need that. The rim protection is huge.”
Backup Knicks point guard Cameron Payne, a former lottery pick, is hoping to not have to head back overseas anytime soon, writes James L. Edwards of The Athletic. “The biggest experience was me getting waived and going overseas,” Payne said. “I was just like, ‘I will not ever go back overseas.’ I credit the little things like getting on the floor, the things people don’t do. I take that to the game every night. I don’t want to go back overseas. That’s my identity. I’m going to play my heart out and do whatever I have to do to help the team win.” Payne played for Chinese club Shanxi Loongs in 2019, but ultimately returned stateside to play in the G League. He reasserted himself as an NBA player during a productive stint with the Suns that began in 2020 and has been a journeyman backup ever since. Payne’s solid ball control and efficient three-point shooting have made him a staple in Thibodeau’s rotation.
Elsewhere in the same Edwards article, rookie Knicks guard Tyler Kolek discussed what it was like to prepare for the draft over the summer. “In the summertime, what I’m working on is whatever I think I need to get better at,” Kolek said. “I feel like every summer I’ve improved, going back to college and even high school. Even during this year, I’m still learning. I’m just trying to gain the trust of my teammates and trust of my coaches and pull as much as I can from.” The 6’1″ guard was selected with the No. 34 pick out of Marquette by the Trail Blazers, who traded his draft rights to the Knicks. Kolek has played sparingly this season, averaging 3.1 points per game on .417/.429/1.000 shooting splits in 14 outings.
Knicks reserve big man Precious Achiuwa, who has missed the entire season so far with a left hamstring strain, has seen his injury status upgraded to questionable for this time this year for Thursday’s game vs. Charlotte, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter). Achiuwa re-signed a one-year, $6MM with the Knicks this offseason.

Knockout Round Matchups Set For NBA Cup; Games Scheduled For Non-Quarterfinalists

December 4th, 2024 at 6:27am CST by Luke Adams

Following the conclusion of the group play games in the NBA Cup on Tuesday, the eight teams advancing to the knockout round have been set, and the quarterfinal games have been scheduled.

After the Warriors, Rockets, and Hawks previously clinched spots in the knockout round, the Thunder, Mavericks, Bucks, Knicks, and Magic joined them as a result of Tuesday’s outcomes. The quarterfinal matchups are as follows, per the NBA (Twitter links):

Eastern Conference:

Orlando Magic (No. 4) at Milwaukee Bucks (No. 1): Tuesday, December 10 (7 pm ET)
Atlanta Hawks (No. 3) at New York Knicks (No. 2): Wednesday, December 11 (7 pm ET)

Western Conference:

Dallas Mavericks (No. 4) at Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 1): Tuesday, December 10 (9:30 pm ET)
Golden State Warriors (No. 3) at Houston Rockets (No. 2): Wednesday, December 11 (9:30 pm ET)

While those four games will be played in the home team’s arena, the winners will advance to a neutral site for the final four. The semifinals (Dec. 14) and final (Dec. 17) will be held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The quarterfinal and semifinal results will count toward each team’s regular season record, whereas the final won’t. A team that loses in the quarterfinals will play the other quarterfinal loser in its conference in newly scheduled regular season games to make sure those clubs get the full 82.

Meanwhile, the 22 teams who did not advance to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup have each had two regular season games added to their initial 80 to fill that mid-December gap on their schedules.

Here are the newly added games for those clubs, according to the league (Twitter link):

Thursday, December 12:

Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics (7:30 pm ET)
Toronto Raptors at Miami Heat (7:30 pm ET)
Sacramento Kings at New Orleans Pelicans (8 pm ET)

Friday, December 13:

Washington Wizards at Cleveland Cavaliers (7 pm ET)
Indiana Pacers at Philadelphia 76ers (7 pm ET)
Los Angeles Lakers at Minnesota Timberwolves (8 pm ET)
Brooklyn Nets at Memphis Grizzlies (8 pm ET)
Charlotte Hornets at Chicago Bulls (8 pm ET)
Los Angeles Clippers at Denver Nuggets (9 pm ET)
Phoenix Suns at Utah Jazz (9:30 pm ET)
San Antonio Spurs at Portland Trail Blazers (10 pm ET)

Sunday, December 15:

New Orleans Pelicans at Indiana Pacers (5 pm ET)
Boston Celtics at Washington Wizards (6 pm ET)
Minnesota Timberwolves at San Antonio Spurs (7 pm ET)
Portland Trail Blazers at Phoenix Suns (8 pm ET)
Memphis Grizzlies at Los Angeles Lakers (9:30 pm ET)

Monday, December 16:

Philadelphia 76ers at Charlotte Hornets (7 pm ET)
Miami Heat at Detroit Pistons (7 pm ET)
Chicago Bulls at Toronto Raptors (7:30 pm ET)
Cleveland Cavaliers at Brooklyn Nets (7:30 pm ET)
Denver Nuggets at Sacramento Kings (10 pm ET)
Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Clippers (10:30 pm ET)

Western Rumors: Kings, Grant, Kessler, Moody, Looney, Rockets, A. Mitchell

December 2nd, 2024 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings are off to a disappointing 9-12 start this season, already 2.5 games back of a play-in spot in the Western Conference, prompting executives around the NBA to keep an eye on the situation in Sacramento to see if the front office will make another move to try to upgrade its roster, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Citing a “heightened sense of urgency” in Sacramento, Scotto suggests that teams talking to the Kings will be eager to see if the club is willing to part with first-round picks, rookie Devin Carter, or perhaps former No. 4 overall pick Keegan Murray, who has essentially been off the table in trade discussions in recent years.

For now, it seems safe to assume that the Kings will dangle Kevin Huerter and Trey Lyles in trade talks, according to Scotto, who points out that both players were also available last season. Between Huerter’s $16.8MM cap hit and Lyles’ $8MM expiring deal, Sacramento could get to about $25MM in matching salary and then sweeten an offer from there by adding draft capital and/or a young player.

Here are a few more Western Conference rumors from Scotto:

Although Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant and Jazz center Walker Kessler are both considered potential trade candidates, Portland has been unwilling to move Grant without getting two first-round picks back and Utah has sought at least two first-rounders for Kessler, Scotto writes. Teams with interest in Grant and Kessler have viewed the Blazers’ and Jazz’s asking prices as too high, Scotto notes.
Moses Moody signed a three-year contract extension with the Warriors before the season, but his role hasn’t increased at all, leading to speculation that he’s a player to monitor as a possible trade chip, says Scotto. “Moody could be part of a package in a bigger deal, and (head coach) Steve Kerr still doesn’t play him 20 minutes a game,” one league executive told HoopsHype. Moody would be subject to the poison pill provision if he’s dealt this season, which wouldn’t preclude a trade but would make it more complicated.
The Knicks, Thunder, and Grizzlies had “exploratory” trade interest in Warriors center Kevon Looney during the offseason before they addressed frontcourt holes in other ways, Scotto reports. Looney, who is on an $8MM expiring contract, has been Golden State’s leading rebounder (7.6 RPG) despite playing just 14.9 minutes per night.
Despite reports insisting the Rockets aren’t looking to break up their young core to acquire a player like Kevin Durant or Giannis Antetokounmpo, many rival executives believe it’s just a matter of when – not if – Houston makes a big splash on the trade market, according to Scotto. Those execs believe Jalen Green won’t be off limits in future Rockets trade talks, even after signing a three-year, $105MM+ contract extension in October.
Thunder rookie Ajay Mitchell, who has impressed in a rotation role this fall, is considered a strong candidate to be promoted from his two-way contract to the standard roster later this season, per Scotto. Oklahoma City currently has a full 15-man roster, but has some flexibility with its last roster spot, which is held by Branden Carlson on a non-guaranteed deal.

Southeast Rumors: Richards, Martin, Micic, Capela, Nance, Hunter, Anthony

December 2nd, 2024 at 2:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Nick Richards has drawn trade interest from a number of teams across the NBA, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who says the Hornets center is viewed as an intriguing target due to his solid play as a starter and his team-friendly contract, which includes a $5MM salary this season and a $5MM non-guaranteed cap hit for 2025/26.

Several rival executives who spoke to HoopsHype believe it would take at least two second-round picks to acquire Richards, Scotto writes, and there’s also uncertainty about how willing Charlotte would even be to trade him, since ostensible starting center Mark Williams has been sidelined for nearly a full year due to back and foot issues. If the Hornets can’t trust Williams to be available, they may be reluctant to part with an important frontcourt depth piece like Richards.

Exploring other potential trade candidates in Charlotte, Scotto identifies wing Cody Martin and guard Vasilije Micic as two more players to watch.

After a couple injury-plagued seasons, Martin has been healthy and effective so far in 2024/25. According to Scotto, the Hornets spoke to the Cavaliers during the offseason about a possible Isaac Okoro sign-and-trade that would have sent Martin and multiple second-round picks to Cleveland, but Okoro ended up re-signing with the Cavs.

As for Micic, while he’s playing a more significant role right now due to injuries to LaMelo Ball and Tre Mann, he’s Charlotte’s third-string point guard when both of those players are healthy, having fallen firmly behind Mann on the depth chart. That makes him potentially expendable for the Hornets, and his pseudo-expiring contract (his 2025/26 salary is non-guaranteed) could make him an appealing target for a team in need of point guard depth.

We have more from around the Southeast:

According to Scotto, executives scouring the center market believe Hawks center Clint Capela may be a trade candidate this season, with potential unrestricted free agency looming in 2025. Sources tell HoopsHype that the Knicks, Grizzlies, and Pelicans are among the clubs that did due diligence on Capela during the 2024 offseason before going in different directions at center.
Hawks reserves Larry Nance Jr. and De’Andre Hunter are also viewed as potential trade candidates, Scotto reports. That’s especially true of Nance, who is on an expiring deal, has played inconsistent minutes in Atlanta, and is considered a good locker room presence. As for Hunter, his three-and-D skill set is valued, but Scotto suggests teams have some questions about his durability and may be reluctant to take on his contract, which has two years and $48MM+ still left on it after this season.
The Magic‘s offseason addition of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, along with an increased role for second-year guard Anthony Black, has resulted in several NBA executives viewing Cole Anthony as a viable trade candidate, Scotto writes. After averaging 26.5 minutes per game in his first four years in Orlando, Anthony is logging just 9.8 MPG so far this season.

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