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Bismack Biyombo Signs With Grizzlies

November 2nd, 2023 at 10:08am CST by Arthur Hill

NOVEMBER 2: Following their fifth game of the season on Wednesday, the Grizzlies have moved Morant to the suspended list and officially signed Biyombo, the team confirmed in a press release (Twitter link).

Biyombo received a one-year, $5MM contract with a $1MM guarantee, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

OCTOBER 28: The Grizzlies will add veteran center Bismack Biyombo, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Memphis will be able to transfer Ja Morant to the suspended list after he serves five games of his 25-game suspension, and Charania suggests the signing will occur once that happens. The Grizzlies are off to an 0-3 start with upcoming games Monday against Dallas and Wednesday at Utah.

The 31-year-old Biyombo will provide an interior presence for a team playing without starting center Steven Adams, who will undergo knee surgery and miss the entire season. The Grizzlies are also missing backup center Brandon Clarke, who is still recovering from a torn Achilles he suffered in March, and have been starting Xavier Tillman in the middle.

Biyombo is a free agent after spending the past two years in Phoenix. He got into 61 games last season, making 14 starts and averaging 4.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 14.3 minutes per night. He shot 57.8% from the field, but he brings a limited shooting range and hasn’t made a three-pointer in his career.

The Lakers reportedly considered signing Biyombo this summer, but opted for Christian Wood instead.

The Grizzlies have a full roster, so they can’t add Biyombo without cutting someone else until Morant is officially on the suspended list. They still have their entire $12.4MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception remaining, plus the $4.516MM bi-annual exception, if they want to offer Biyombo more than the veteran’s minimum salary, though it seems unlikely that will be necessary.

Daryl Morey Happy With Return In James Harden Trade

November 1st, 2023 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

It took more than four months, but the Sixers got the assets they were seeking when James Harden first asked for a trade in late June, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey tells Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Morey said the focus was on acquiring expiring contracts and draft capital in any Harden deal. The trade with the Clippers brought back Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington and Kenyon Martin Jr., all of whom will be free agents next summer, along with a collection of draft assets that stretch through 2029.

“We set a bar in June, really, when James requested the trade and said, ‘Look, if we can get it to here, that should be what generally allows you to get out and get a player,” Morey said. “Having a player like Jrue (Holiday) go (to the Boston Celtics) for a similar package was sort of validating on that. So we set the bar, and obviously it came together where the Clippers met that price.”

What the Sixers didn’t get is Terance Mann, who was reportedly the sticking point for L.A. throughout the negotiations. According to Pompey, the Clippers initially offered one unprotected first-round pick and a pick swap along with the expiring contracts. With Morey unable to pry Mann loose, he settled for more draft capital instead.

Appearing Wednesday on the Ball Don’t Lie podcast, Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports suggested that Morey was reluctant to accept the final version of the trade, but was forced to by ownership, which told him to “get a deal done now.”

Speaking with Pompey, Morey downplayed the report, saying team owners have a role in virtually every NBA trade.

“Ownership, I can only speak to my side. I don’t know how much their side was involved,” Morey said. “Our side was straightforward, the same: Always keep them abreast of our plans, making recommendations for when we make trades, and they signed off on them. It was a very standard trade, so I didn’t quite follow that reporting.”

Morey also expressed hope that his long relationship with Harden, which fell apart in spectacular fashion this summer, can eventually be repaired.

“Look, I think time heals,” Morey said. “He wanted to be traded and we did follow through on what he wanted. … Honestly, I think he chose to handle things certain ways that I wouldn’t have. He might feel the same about us, that we should have moved quicker or whatever. Look, he’s a great player and he’s going to do great things for the Clippers. P.J. (Tucker) as well. I’m glad they’re in the West.”

Clippers Trade Filip Petrusev, Cash To Kings

November 1st, 2023 at 8:23pm CST by Luke Adams

8:23pm: The trade is official, the Clippers announced (via Twitter).

7:59 pm: The Clippers will send Petrusev and cash to the Kings in exchange for the draft rights to Luka Mitrovic, a source tells Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). Mitrovic, a 30-year-old forward currently playing in Serbia, was the final pick in the 2015 draft.

3:02pm: The Clippers and Kings have agreed to a trade that will send big man Filip Petrusev and cash to Sacramento, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Petrusev was dealt to Los Angeles along with James Harden and P.J. Tucker in the blockbuster trade that was officially completed on Wednesday. However, Law Murray of The Athletic reported at the time of the agreement that the Serbian rookie wasn’t in the Clippers’ plans and wasn’t expected to remain on the roster.

By trading Petrusev to Sacramento, the Clippers will open up a second roster spot on their 15-man squad. Under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, a team can only carry fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for up to 14 days at a time and 28 total days during a season, so Los Angeles will have to replace Petrusev on its roster sooner rather than later.

Even after the Clippers add a 14th man, I’d expect them to keep their 15th roster spot open for the time being in order to maintain some flexibility and to avoid increasing their projected luxury tax bill.

The Kings, meanwhile, entered the season with an open roster spot of their own and will now use it to take a look at Petrusev, a draft-and-stash prospect who was selected 50th overall in 2021 and joined the 76ers two years later.

The 6’11” forward/center, who played college ball at Gonzaga, won a EuroLeague championship with Anadolu Efes in 2022, earned a Serbian League title with Crvena Zvezda in 2023, and was part of the Serbian national team that finished second at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Assuming the terms of his contract aren’t being adjusted as part of the trade, Petrusev’s salary is currently only partially guaranteed for $559,782 (50% of his full salary), so the Kings could waive him at some point with no real financial penalty if they want to reopen that 15th roster spot. His full cap hit is $1,119,563.

It’s unclear what the Kings are sending the Clippers in the trade, but based on the structure of the deal and how it’s been reported, I expect it to be either a heavily protected second-round pick or the draft rights to a player who will likely never sign an NBA contract.

College Basketball Legend Bobby Knight Dies

November 1st, 2023 at 6:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bobby Knight, one of the most successful coaches in college basketball history, died today at age 83. A formal announcement was made on his website.

Knight amassed 902 career wins at three schools, but his greatest success came at Indiana, where he coached from 1971 to 2000 and led the Hoosiers to three national championships. Indiana was the dominant team in the Big 10 during Knight’s time there, winning 11 regular season titles and making five trips to the Final Four.

Knight was known for his fiery temper as much as his on-court success, and both helped make him one of college basketball’s most recognizable figures for several decades. He’s a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, being inducted in 1991, and the College Basketball Hall of Fame, which he joined in 2006.

Knight also enjoyed success in international competitions, guiding Team USA to gold medals at the 1984 Olympics and the 1979 Pan American Games.

As a college player, Knight was part of an NCAA champion at Ohio State in 1960. He joined the army after graduation and became an assistant coach at West Point, then was promoted to the Black Knights’ head coach at age 24. Six seasons at the military academy set him up for the opportunity at Indiana.

Knight coached several legendary Hoosiers teams, including the 1975-76 squad, which went unbeaten through the regular season and NCAA Tournament, a feat that hasn’t been duplicated since. Knight was dismissed in 2000 after several complaints about his behavior and finished his college coaching career with Texas Tech from 2001-08.

Although Knight never played or coached in the NBA, his influence on the league was widespread. His programs produced numerous NBA players and several head coaches, including Randy Wittman, Mike Woodson, Keith Smart, Isiah Thomas and Lawrence Frank.

Our deepest condolences go out to Knight’s family and friends.

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Keon Johnson Signs Two-Way Contract With Nets

November 1st, 2023 at 12:34pm CST by Rory Maher

NOVEMBER 1: The Nets have officially signed Johnson to a two-way contract, the team announced in a press release.

OCTOBER 31: Free agent guard Keon Johnson plans to sign a two-way deal with the Nets, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

As our tracker shows, the Nets have an open two-way spot, so they won’t need to waive anyone to sign Johnson. Their 18-man roster will be full once the move is official.

Johnson, the 21st overall pick of the 2021 draft, was sent to Phoenix from Portland in the three-team blockbuster that saw Damian Lillard land with Milwaukee. The 21-year-old was waived by the Suns last week, just before the season started, due to the team’s roster crunch.

The fourth-year option on Johnson’s rookie scale contract was declined when he was cut by Phoenix, though the team will still be paying his $2.8MM salary this season. After clearing waivers, the third-year guard became an unrestricted free agent, but he was ineligible to return to the Suns on a two-way deal since his contract was guaranteed for more than $75K (the maximum two-way protection amount). Phoenix is now the lone NBA team with a two-way opening.

An explosive athlete who was viewed as a developmental project when he declared for the draft after one college season at Tennesseee, Johnson struggled to score efficiently over his first two NBA seasons with the Clippers and Trail Blazers, averaging a combined 5.9 PPG, 1.8 APG and 1.6 RPG on .362/.343/.739 shooting in 77 games (14.4 MPG). Due to the Nets’ crowded backcourt, Johnson will likely be spending a good chunk of 2023/24 in the G League with their affiliate in Long Island.

If Johnson officially signs on Wednesday, he’ll earn a two-way salary of $534,045 and will be eligible to appear in up to 48 regular season games.

Sixers Trade James Harden To Clippers In Three-Team Deal

November 1st, 2023 at 10:45am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

NOVEMBER 1: The trade is official, according to press releases from all three teams. The terms of the deal are as follows:

Clippers acquire James Harden, P.J. Tucker, and Filip Petrusev.
Sixers acquire Marcus Morris; Nicolas Batum; Robert Covington; Kenyon Martin Jr.; the Clippers’ 2028 first-round pick (unprotected); either the Rockets’ (top-four protected), Clippers’, or Thunder’s 2026 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable); the right to swap their own 2029 first-round pick with the Clippers’ 2029 first-round pick (top-three protected); a 2024 second-round pick (details below); the Clippers’ 2029 second-round pick; and cash ($2MM; from Clippers).
- Note: The 2024 second-round pick acquired by the Sixers will be either the Raptors’, Pacers’, Jazz’s, or Cavaliers’ pick, whichever is most favorable. If either the Jazz’s or Cavaliers’ pick is the most favorable, Philadelphia would instead receive the second-most favorable of the four.
Thunder acquire the right to swap either their own 2027 first-round pick or the Nuggets’ 2027 first-round pick (top-five protected) for the Clippers’ 2027 first-round pick (unprotected) and cash ($1.1MM; from Clippers).

As expected, Danny Green was waived by the Sixers in order to make room for the incoming players.

Harden received the maximum portion of his trade bonus ($40,595) that he could while still making the deal legal for salary-matching purposes, Hoops Rumors has learned.

OCTOBER 31: The Sixers are shipping star guard James Harden to the Clippers, his latest destination of choice, sources inform Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

According to Wojnarowski, Philadelphia is sending out Harden, veteran forward P.J. Tucker and rookie center Filip Petrusev to Los Angeles in exchange for forwards Kenyon Martin Jr., Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum and Robert Covington, plus some significant future draft equity.

The 76ers will receive the Clippers’ 2028 unprotected first-round draft pick, two second-rounders and a 2029 pick swap, as well as an additional first-round pick. That extra first-round pick the Sixers are acquiring in the blockbuster deal is a 2026 first-rounder that had been controlled by the Thunder, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the Thunder will receive a 2027 first-round pick swap from the Clippers in exchange for that 2026 first-rounder. Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports reports (via Twitter) that the 2026 first-round selection the Thunder are trading to Philadelphia will be the least favorable of the Clippers’ pick, OKC’s own pick, and Houston’s selection (top-four protected).

The two second-round picks the Clippers are trading to the Sixers are 2024 and 2029 selections, sources tell Wojnarowski. The ’29 pick will be Los Angeles’ own, but the Clips have already traded away their own 2024 second-round pick, so the other second-rounder in this deal will be one of two others that L.A. controls (one is Toronto’s pick; the other could be Indiana’s, Utah’s, or Cleveland’s).

Philadelphia wing Danny Green is being cut to create an open roster spot for the new additions from the Clippers, sources tell Wojnarowski. Green’s salary had only been partially guaranteed for $200K.

According to Wojnarowski, the Sixers and Clippers – who have had conversations about Harden for months – began talking again over the weekend following L.A.’s recent “pause” in negotiations, with Philadelphia recognizing it was becoming increasingly untenable to incorporate Harden back into its lineup.

This will bring the latest Harden trade request saga to a close. The 10-time All-Star opted into the final season of his current contract, worth $35.6MM, and immediately requested a trade rather than joining a new team in free agency. It was the third time in three years that he had sought a change of scenery via trade — he was originally dealt from Houston to Brooklyn in 2021, then from Brooklyn to Philadelphia in 2022.

Following his June trade request, Harden made some explosive comments over the summer about Sixers team president Daryl Morey, calling him a “liar” and saying he had no intention of being part of the same organization as Morey. When the NBA launched an investigation into those comments, Harden informed league investigators that he called Morey a liar because he told the former MVP he’d be traded “quickly” after he asked to be moved. The incident cost him $100K.

Harden skipped media day and the first day of training camp before reporting to the 76ers this fall. He participated in just one 5-on-5 scrimmage and no preseason games before leaving the team again for what was described as a personal matter, only to return after a 10-day absence. He has missed all of Philadelphia’s regular season games to this point as he continues to ramp up to game shape.

Harden struggled with injuries in 2022/23. Though the 34-year-old was clearly no longer in his athletic prime, he remained his prolific self while playing alongside eventual MVP Joel Embiid. Across 58 regular season contests, he averaged 21.0 points per game on .441/.385/.867 shooting, also contributing 10.7 assists, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per night.

According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Harden is “ecstatic” to be joining the Clippers alongside fellow Southern California natives Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook. Los Angeles has long sought a play-making point guard who can stretch the floor alongside its two star forwards and will now insert Harden into that role for at least the 2023/24 season.

Harden is on an expiring contract and won’t become extension-eligible before reaching unrestricted free agency next July. Leonard, George, and Westbrook all have 2024/25 player options, so they could also hit the open market after the season if things don’t go well in L.A., though Leonard and George remain eligible to sign extensions before then.

Harden is hoping to fly to Los Angeles right away and there’s a chance he’ll attend the Clippers’ home game against Orlando on Tuesday, Shelburne adds, though it will likely still be a few days before he makes his debut for his new team.

It remains to be seen whether or not the Clippers will hang onto Petrusev, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic, though Tucker is in their plans.

While the Sixers won’t land Terance Mann – whose inclusion in the deal was long believed to be a sticking point – they’ll acquire four players on expiring contracts and get out from under Tucker’s 2024/25 player option, further increasing their cap flexibility for the summer of 2024. They project to have between $50-65MM in space next offseason, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

The draft assets and expiring contracts the Sixers are acquiring from Los Angeles also put Philadelphia in position to make another pre-deadline trade to further reinforce its roster. The 76ers are expected to scour the trade market for another “high-level guard,” writes Wojnarowski.

The four players the Sixers are adding in this deal will be ineligible to have their salaries aggregated in a separate trade for the next two months, but could be flipped immediately as long as they’re not being combined with other players for salary-matching purposes.

Meanwhile, as Marks observes (via Twitter), Harden’s contract includes a $5.1MM trade bonus, which Philadelphia would be responsible for paying. However, based on the terms that have been reported so far, he would have to waive most or all of that bonus for the trade to be legal.

The Clippers’ projected luxury tax bill is projected to increase by approximately $29MM once the deal is finalized, Marks adds (via Twitter), while the Sixers’ projected tax bill will dip by $13.4MM.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Anfernee Simons Undergoes Thumb Surgery, Out Six Weeks

October 31st, 2023 at 6:50pm CST by Rory Maher

October 31: Simons underwent successful thumb surgery on Tuesday, Portland announced in a press release. According to the Blazers, Simons is expected to return to action in about six weeks, or around December 12.

October 27: Anfernee Simons sustained a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb in Wednesday’s season-opening loss at the Clippers, the Trail Blazers announced in a press release.

The 24-year-old guard is undergoing surgery and is expected to be sidelined four-to-six weeks, per the team.

It’s a tough setback for Simons, who is in the second season of a four-year, $100MM contract signed in 2022. He has missed a good chunk of time each of the past two seasons due to various injuries, appearing in 119 of a possible 164 games.

Simons has developed into an explosive scorer when healthy, averaging a career-high 21.1 points per game in 2022/23 while posting a .447/.377/.894 shooting slash line. He also averaged a career-best 4.1 assists last season.

In Portland’s lopsided loss to Los Angeles, Simons recorded 18 points, four assists and two steals in 27 minutes. He has a goal of being named an All-Star for the first time in ’23/24 and also wants to become a better and more consistent defensive player.

The All-Star nod seems unlikely now due to the injury — if he returns in four weeks, which is optimistic, he would miss 14 games. If he returns in six weeks, he would be out for 18 games.

With Simons sidelined, players like Malcolm Brogdon and Shaedon Sharpe should see an uptick in backcourt minutes for the Blazers.

Hornets Exercise Mark Williams’ 2024/25 Option, Decline Bouknight’s

October 31st, 2023 at 12:53pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets are exercising their 2024/25 rookie scale team option on center Mark Williams, but will decline James Bouknight‘s fourth-year option for the same season, reports Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer.

The decision on Williams was a given. The 15th pick in the 2022 draft, he emerged as Charlotte’s starting center down the stretch of his rookie season and has carried over that role to 2023/24. Through three games this season, Williams is averaging 11.0 points and 8.3 rebounds in 24.7 minutes per night.

Williams’ $4,094,280 salary for 2024/25 is now fully guaranteed. The Hornets will have to decide a year from now on his $6,276,531 team option for ’25/26.

It’s far rarer for rookie scale team options to be declined, but it doesn’t come as a huge surprise that Charlotte will pass on Bouknight’s $6,064,496 salary for ’24/25.

The 23-year-old, who was drafted 11th overall in 2021, has failed to establish himself as a regular rotation player in Charlotte through two NBA seasons, averaging 5.1 points per game on .353/.316/.770 shooting in 65 appearances (12.6 MPG).

Bouknight has also had some legal troubles since becoming a Hornet and is currently recovering from surgery to repair a meniscus injury in his left knee, so he didn’t get an opportunity in the preseason to show he deserves a longer look in Steve Clifford‘s rotation this fall.

The option decision on Bouknight means he’ll be an unrestricted free agent in 2024. The Hornets – or whichever team has Bouknight on its roster at season’s end – won’t be able to offer him a starting salary that exceeds his declined option salary of $6,064,496, though rival suitors would have the ability to go higher. Barring a major turnaround from the former UConn standout, those higher offers seem unlikely to materialize.

As our tracker shows, the Hornets only picked up one of their three 2024/25 rookie scale team options. Kai Jones‘ option was also turned down when he was waived by Charlotte earlier this month, meaning neither of the team’s 2021 first-rounders will finish his rookie contract.

Kendrick Nunn Signs With Panathinaikos

October 31st, 2023 at 10:56am CST by Luke Adams

10:56am: Panathinaikos has made it official, announcing in a press release that Nunn has signed with the team through the end of the 2023/24 season.

9:46am: Free agent guard Kendrick Nunn has reportedly agreed to sign with the Greek team Panathinaikos.

Team owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos announced in an Instagram story (Twitter video link) that Nunn would be joining Panathinaikos, as BasketNews.com relays. According to Alexandros Trigas of Sport24.com, Nunn will receive a rest-of-season deal that will be worth in the neighborhood of 1.5 to 2 million Euros.

Nunn, 28, has spent the last four seasons in the NBA, playing in 193 total regular season games for the Heat, Lakers, and Wizards. A knee injury during his first year in Los Angeles sidelined him for the entire 2021/22 season. While that injury derailed his career to some extent, the former undrafted free agent returned last season and appeared in 70 games for L.A. and Washington.

Nunn got off to a slow start in 2022/23, but finished strong after being traded to D.C. in the Rui Hachimura deal. In 31 games as a Wizard, he averaged 7.5 points and 1.8 assists in 14.1 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .447/.392/.900.

That solid second half wasn’t enough to earn Nunn a spot on an NBA roster this fall, however. Rumors linking him to European teams – including Olympiacos and Olimpia Milano – persisted throughout the offseason, and it appears he got more serious about pursuing an opportunity overseas once the NBA season got underway and he still didn’t have a deal in place.

Panathinaikos – which also features former NBA players like Juancho Hernangomez, Luca Vildoza, Kyle Guy, Kostas Antetokounmpo, and Jerian Grant – competes in the EuroLeague as well as the Greek Basket League. The team is off to a 2-3 start in EuroLeague games but is 4-0 in domestic competition.

De’Aaron Fox To Miss Time With Ankle Injury

October 30th, 2023 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

11:58am: Fox suffered a moderate right ankle sprain and is expected to miss some time, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Sources tell Marc J. Spears of Andscape that the guard could return within a week (Twitter link).

7:59am: The Kings are determining the severity of an ankle injury that De’Aaron Fox suffered late in Sunday’s win over the Lakers, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. A league source told Anderson that the team’s medical staff was examining Fox after the game and an update will be provided once the extent of the damage is clear.

The All-Star guard hurt his right ankle late in the fourth quarter, but returned to the court for the start of overtime despite being told to remain on the bench, according to Anderson. Head coach Mike Brown pulled him from the game after about 90 seconds, saying he was “limping really bad,” but he admires Fox’s toughness for attempting to play.

“(Fox) is tough as nails, man,” Brown said. “To try to show the grit that he showed and get out there to help us win a ballgame, that just speaks volumes to who he is and how much he wants to lay his body on the line to help his team.”

Fox was injured on a drive to the basket when he stepped on Gabe Vincent’s foot and rolled his right ankle. He remained on the ground for two to three minutes, Anderson states, then limped to the locker room with trainers before quickly returning to the team’s bench.

Fox checked back into the game and led a comeback that put Sacramento in front, but the Lakers forced overtime on a layup by LeBron James. Fox wasn’t supposed to stay in the game for the extra session, and Brown wasn’t aware that he was on the court until it was too late.

“So I started calling him, and he’s ignoring me,” Brown said. “He felt he could go, so he stayed on the floor, and then when I felt he really couldn’t go, we took him out.”

Anderson points out that Fox missed 17 games during the 2019/20 season with a Grade 3 sprain to his left ankle. The Kings have to hope the news isn’t as bad this time, as a prolonged absence would be a significant obstacle in what’s expected to be a tight Western Conference playoff race. Fox scored 37 points Sunday night, including 13 in the fourth quarter, and is averaging 31.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists through three games.

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