Newsstand Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacers’ Star Haliburton Suffers Left Hamstring Strain

January 9th, 2024 at 10:34am CST by Dana Gauruder

JANUARY 9: Haliburton has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain and is expected to be reevaluated in about two weeks, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Although the star guard will miss some time, there’s a sense of relief that the injury isn’t more serious, Wojnarowski adds.

JANUARY 8: Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton suffered a left hamstring strain during the first half of Indiana’s game against the Celtics on Monday and did not return.

Haliburton was injured late in the second quarter while driving to the basket. He slipped in the lane and did the splits. He then twisted around on the court in pain while grabbing the back of his left leg.

Buddy Hield and James Johnson carried Haliburton off the court and into the locker room. He’ll undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury, Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files writes.

Haliburton leads all Eastern Conference guards in the All-Star voting and it’s much deserved. He’s averaging career highs at 24.2 points and 12.7 assists per game.

If Indiana has to go an extended stretch without him, Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell would take over the essential role of lead ballhandlers.

Agness points out that Haliburton was wearing high-top Kobe shoes, rather than his usual low-top Kobe’s. He also slipped on the court during the first quarter.

The Pacers pulled out a 133-131 victory.

“Really amazing effort from our team,” head coach Rick Carlisle said. “A lot of emotions in this game for a lot of reasons. You’re playing the best team in basketball and Tyrese’s injury situation is a very deflating moment. We hope that it’s not serious.”

Jazz Waive Christopher, Sign Preston To Two-Way Deal

January 8th, 2024 at 10:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Jazz have waived Josh Christopher and signed Jason Preston to a two-way deal, Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets.

Preston spent training camp with the Grizzlies but was waived prior to the season. He was also cut by the Clippers at the beginning of October before his $1.8MM salary became fully guaranteed. He appeared in 14 games with L.A. last season and spent most of his time in the G League.

Prior to getting a contract with Utah, Preston was playing for the G League’s Memphis Hustle. Preston played in 17 games (16 starts) for the Hustle, averaging 12.4 points (on 48.1% shooting), 8.6 assists, and 7.9 rebounds per contest.

Christopher appeared in 138 games with Houston from 2021-23 but hasn’t seen any NBA action this season. He has appeared in 18 games (17 starts) for the Jazz’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, averaging 17.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in 29.0 minutes per contest.

He was signed to a two-way deal in mid-October.

Ja Morant To Undergo Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery

January 8th, 2024 at 9:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant has suffered a labral tear in his right shoulder and will undergo season-ending surgery, the team’s PR department announced (Twitter link).

It’s a stunning turn of events for Memphis’ franchise and Morant, who returned last month from his 25-game, league-imposed suspension.

Morant suffered a subluxation of his right shoulder during Saturday’s training session. After he experienced continued soreness and instability, Morant underwent an MRI that revealed the underlying labral tear, per the Grizzlies. He’s expected to make a full recovery ahead of the 2024/25 season.

Morant averaged 25.1 points, 8.1 assists and 5.6 rebounds in nine games since he served out the suspension, including a game-winning shot against New Orleans on Dec. 19 in his return to action.

The Grizzlies won just six games during his suspension. They were 6-3 in games that he played.

Morant sat out Sunday’s win over Phoenix with what the team described at the time as shoulder soreness.

The loss of Morant would seemingly end any realistic hope of the Grizzlies getting into the postseason picture and could also alter the front office’s approach to the trade deadline.

Morant is the first year of a five-year, rookie scale max extension.

The Grizzlies have until January 15 to file for a disabled player exception, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. The exception would be worth approximately $12.4MM, the amount of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.

Memphis already has a $6.3MM DPE as a result of Steven Adams‘ season-ending injury.

Lakers Add Skylar Mays On Two-Way Contract

January 8th, 2024 at 8:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

8:03pm: The signing has been announced in a team press release, Jovan Buha of The Athletic tweets.

4:38pm: The Lakers are adding Skylar Mays on a two-way deal, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (Twitter link).

Mays was waived on Saturday by the Trail Blazers before his contract became fully guaranteed. Mays’ contract was partially guaranteed for just $850K and would have become fully guaranteed for approximately $1.86MM if he hadn’t been waived.

Mays will now draw a two-way salary and provide depth at point guard for the Lakers.

Los Angeles had an open two-way slot after waiving Alex Fudge and D’Moi Hodge over the weekend. Colin Castleton and Dylan Windler, who was signed on Saturday, hold the other two-way spots.

Mays’ two-way deal with Portland was converted to a standard deal in October. The LSU product had some impressive performances in November while Portland’s roster was banged up, averaging 11.1 points and 6.4 assists in 26.3 minutes across nine games from Nov. 3-21. However, he fell out of the rotation when the Blazers got healthier and averaged just 11.1 minutes in eight appearances after that.

Draymond Green Says Adam Silver Talked Him Out Of Retiring

January 8th, 2024 at 9:46am CST by Arthur Hill

Draymond Green considered retirement around the time he was suspended last month, but NBA commissioner Adam Silver convinced him to keep playing, relays ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Warriors star explained the situation on the latest edition of his podcast, “The Draymond Green Show.”

“I told him, ‘Adam this is too much for me. … This is too much,” Green said. “It’s all becoming too much for me — and I’m going to retire.’ And Adam said, ‘You’re making a very rash decision and I won’t let you do that.’

“We had a long, great conversation — very helpful to me. Very thankful to play in a league with a commissioner like Adam who’s more about helping you than hurting you; helping you than punishing you. He’s more about the players.”

The podcast marks Green’s first public comments since Silver handed down an indefinite suspension on December 14 after Green was thrown out of a game for striking Phoenix center Jusuf Nurkic in the face. It was the second suspension of the season for Green, who was also docked five games for putting Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert in a choke hold in November.

Green’s latest suspension was lifted on Saturday, but he still hasn’t returned to action. He’s currently working on his conditioning and could be back on the court by the end of the week.

During his time away from the game, Green underwent counseling with representatives from the league office, the team and the players association, as well as his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. Green was reported to be “open and engaged” during the counseling sessions, which are expected to continue for the rest of the season.

The Warriors have publicly expressed support for Green throughout the process, but coach Steve Kerr said after the incident with Nurkic that Green “has to change and he knows that.”

Knicks Waive Taj Gibson

January 7th, 2024 at 3:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have waived big man Taj Gibson ahead of today’s salary guarantee deadline, the team announced (Twitter links).

Gibson signed a non-guaranteed, minimum-salary contract with the Knicks on December 15 and appeared in 10 games for the club, averaging 1.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in 9.7 minutes per night.

Initially expected to merely provide some frontcourt depth and locker room leadership, the 38-year-old saw more playing time than anticipated due to injuries to centers Mitchell Robinson and Jericho Sims.

However, with Sims healthy again and Precious Achiuwa added to the roster in last weekend’s OG Anunoby trade, Gibson once again found himself pushed down the depth chart — he hadn’t played at all since Monday.

Gibson’s release doesn’t necessarily mean the Knicks are done with him for the season. He could return on a 10-day contract or two, and if the team still has an open roster spot after the trade deadline comes and goes, he’d be an obvious candidate for a rest-of-season deal.

According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), New York decided to part with Gibson for now to create some additional roster flexibility ahead of the trade deadline, since the club expects to continue to be active.

Gibson had been one of two players on the Knicks’ roster who was on a non-guaranteed contract for 2023/24. The other one, Ryan Arcidiacono, will be retained and will have his full $2,528,233 salary (and $2,019,706 cap hit) guaranteed, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Assuming he clears waivers, Gibson will count for $477,630 in dead money on the Knicks’ salary cap.

Magic’s Fultz Available For First Game In Two Months

January 7th, 2024 at 3:42pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Magic point guard Markelle Fultz has been given the green light to suit up on Sunday for his first game in nearly two months, the team has announced (Twitter link). Orlando is facing the Hawks today.

Fultz has been out since November 9 with left knee tendinitis, as Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link) notes.

In his five healthy games for the Magic this season, Fultz has averaged 11.4 PPG on 48.2% shooting from the floor, 4.0 APG, 3.4 RPG, and 1.2 SPG.

Rookie lottery pick Anthony Black has generally been starting in Fultz’s stead, though reserve guard Cole Anthony has taken the lion’s share of minutes at the position.

Beede tweets that an activated Fultz will operate as a reserve for this first game back. Head coach Jamahl Mosley has indicated that Fultz will be working under a restriction of about 12-to-16 minutes per night, per Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta-Journal Constitution (via Twitter).

At 20-15, the Magic are currently the seventh seed in the East. Their record is identical to that of the No. 6 Heat, as well as the No. 8 Pacers. Every game counts for the Magic in a crowded Eastern playoff race, so this is a critical positive health development. The club is just three games behind the third-seeded Sixers and 5.5 games clear of the No. 11 Hawks.

Lakers Sign Dylan Windler To Two-Way Contract

January 7th, 2024 at 1:18pm CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 7: Windler officially signed his two-way contract on Saturday, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

JANUARY 6: Veteran wing Dylan Windler, who had been playing in the G League, has agreed to sign a two-way contract with the Lakers, agents Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

A first-round pick in 2019, Windler signed a two-way contract with the Knicks in July following four seasons in Cleveland, then was converted to a standard non-guaranteed contract prior to the start of the regular season. He appeared in three games for the Knicks before being waived last month, before his 2023/24 salary became fully guaranteed.

Windler continued to play for the Westchester Knicks, New York’s G League affiliate, after being waived by the NBA team. He’s coming off a monster performance on Friday vs. the Delaware Blue Coats, as he put up 23 points to go along with a NBAGL-record 33 rebounds (11 offensive) in a loss.

For the season, he has averaged 13.8 PPG and 8.8 RPG on .443/.360/.714 shooting in 13 appearances for Westchester.

Players with four years of NBA service are typically ineligible for two-way contracts. However, Windler qualifies under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement due to a rule tweak that allows players who missed one of their four seasons as a result of an injury to retain their two-way eligibility — the former Belmont standout didn’t play at all as a rookie in 2019/20 due to a leg injury.

Assuming he officially signs his contract today, Windler will be eligible to appear in up to 29 games and will earn $321,714 on his two-way deal with the Lakers.

Los Angeles, meanwhile, has to waive one of its current two-way players to open up a spot for Windler. Colin Castleton, D’Moi Hodge, and Alex Fudge currently occupy those slots, and the Lakers intend to waive Fudge, reports Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). He logged just 14 total minutes in four NBA appearances as a rookie out of Florida this season.

NBA Reinstates Draymond Green

January 6th, 2024 at 4:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

Warriors forward Draymond Green has been reinstated after missing 12 games during his suspension, NBA executive vice president Joe Dumars announced (Twitter link).

In a statement, Dumars says Green has made progress in counseling sessions since an indefinite suspension was imposed on December 14.

“Green completed steps that demonstrated his commitment to conforming his conduct to standards expected of NBA players,” the statement reads. “He has engaged in meetings with a counselor and has met jointly on multiple occasions with representatives of the NBA, the Warriors and the National Basketball Players Association, both of which will continue throughout the season.”

Green is expected to need about a week of preparation before he can start playing again, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Green will likely be with the Warriors for Sunday night’s game against Toronto, Wojnarowski adds, marking his first public appearance with the team since the suspension was announced.

Golden State travels to Chicago on January 12, Milwaukee on January 13, and Memphis on January 15, so it appears Green’s return will happen in one of those games.

Green lost $1,847,291 in salary while missing 12 games, which results in an $8.8MM savings for the team, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. Golden State’s projected tax bill will be reduced from $192.5MM to $183.7MM.

Green was suspended after striking Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the head during a December 12 game. He claimed the act was unintentional, but the league cited a “repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts” in announcing the suspension.

The Warriors managed to post a 7-5 record during Green’s suspension, but they remain under .500 and are just a half-game ahead of the Lakers for the 10th spot in the West.

Kings To Cut Juan Toscano-Anderson

January 6th, 2024 at 3:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings intend to waive Juan Toscano-Anderson prior to Sunday’s salary guarantee deadline, reports James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link). The move will open up a spot on Sacramento’s 15-man roster.

Toscano-Anderson signed a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal with the Kings on December 15, providing some depth on the wing for the club. However, he didn’t end up earning a role outside of garbage time, logging 19 total minutes in his eight appearances. He had two points, five rebounds, and three assists in his limited action.

Waiving Toscano-Anderson ahead of tomorrow’s salary guarantee date will give Sacramento some extra roster and financial flexibility ahead of the February 8 trade deadline. Assuming he officially hits waivers today and goes unclaimed, the 30-year-old will count for $311,063 against the Kings’ cap for his 25 days of service with the team. A club interested in claiming Toscano-Anderson would have to be prepared to guarantee his full $1,517,989 salary.

Sacramento, meanwhile, would be under no obligation to immediately fill the newly opened roster spot. However, the Kings could sign a free agent – including Toscano-Anderson, if he clears waivers – to a 10-day contract or two if they want to fortify their depth in the short term while keeping their options open for the trade deadline.