Newsstand Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bulls’ Lonzo Ball Expected To Play On Wednesday

October 14th, 2024 at 11:22am CST by Luke Adams

Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball, who last played in an NBA game on January 14, 2022, is expected to return to the court and make his preseason debut on Wednesday vs. Minnesota, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link).

Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic first reported (via Twitter) that the Bulls and Ball were targeting Wednesday for his return. Chicago will also be in action on Monday vs. the Bucks, but the former No. 2 overall pick has been ruled out for that contest.

After signing a four-year contract with the Bulls during the summer of 2020, Ball was able to play in just 35 games during his first season in Chicago before going down as a result of knee problems that have necessitated three separate surgeries since 2022.

The veteran guard, who will turn 27 later this month, experienced setbacks after each of the first two procedures, but underwent a rare cartilage transplant surgery in 2023 that he believes addressed the issue in his knee.

According to Mayberry (Twitter links), while Ball dealt with some soreness recently and was held out of the club’s shootaround on Saturday, the Bulls remain optimistic that he’ll be able to suit up for each of their last two preseason games — on Wednesday vs. the Timberwolves and on Friday against Cleveland.

“He’s done really, really well,” head coach Billy Donovan said of Ball’s progress this month (Twitter link via Mayberry). “He’s been out there and he’s played. And he’s been effective playing. I think his timing’s coming back.”

Ball was a difference-maker when he was healthy, averaging 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in 34.6 minutes per game while providing strong defense and making 42.3% of his three-pointers in his first season in Chicago.

The Bulls aren’t counting on him to get back to that level and have plenty of other options in a crowded backcourt that also includes Zach LaVine, Josh Giddey, Coby White, and Ayo Dosunmu, among others. However, if he can stay healthy and be productive in a part-time role, it would be a very encouraging sign for the team and for Ball himself as he nears the end of his contract.

Assuming he plays out the remainder of his current deal, which will pay him approximately $21.4MM this season, Ball will be an unrestricted free agent in 2025.

Joel Embiid Ruled Out For Remainder Of Preseason

October 13th, 2024 at 9:48pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Load management for Sixers superstar center Joel Embiid includes the preseason. The team announced on Sunday that Embiid will not play in any remaining preseason games this month, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps relays.

The decision is due to left knee management. Embiid met with doctors on Thursday and it apparently went well, according to Bontemps. The goal is to get the seven-time All-Star through the regular season in good shape and to have his knee as close to 100% as possible for the postseason.

According to Embiid, he lost 25-to-30 pounds during the offseason and is aiming to lose more in accordance with his conditioning. The 2023 winner of the Most Valuable Player award appeared in just 39 games last season due to torn lateral meniscus in the knee. He was still limited by the injury when he returned late in the season, as well as during the Sixers’ playoff series against New York.

It’s up in the air whether Embiid will suit up when Philadelphia opens the regular season at home against the Bucks on Oct. 23.

Troy Brown Jr. Signs With Turkish Club

October 11th, 2024 at 8:15am CST by Tristan Tucker

Former NBA wing Troy Brown Jr. is heading overseas for the first time in his career, landing with Turkish club Manisa Basket, according to an announcement from the team (Twitter link).

Brown evolved into an effective role player after being selected with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2018 draft by the Wizards. He spent six seasons in the league with five different teams, including Washington, the Bulls, the Lakers, the Timberwolves and, most recently, the Pistons.

Brown holds career averages of 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game on a .423/.351/.783 shooting line. The 25-year-old had his most productive season in 2019/20, averaging 10.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 2.6 APG and making 22 starts.

Brown had a resurgent year in ’22/23 after signing with the Lakers, as he averaged 7.1 PPG and 4.1 RPG while making 45 starts on a team that wound up in the Western Conference Finals. However, last offseason, he signed with the Wolves and didn’t become a rotation staple. He was then traded to the Pistons at the February deadline and wasn’t retained after the season.

The Oregon product is now taking his talents to Manisa, a club that just lost Javon Freeman-Liberty to the NBA and may not have Saben Lee for long.

Manisa is competing in the Basketball Champions League for the first time this season after posting a 16-14 domestic record last year.

Mavericks Ink A.J. Lawson To Two-Way Contract

October 10th, 2024 at 4:56pm CST by Tristan Tucker

4:56 pm: Lawson’s new two-way deal with the Mavericks is now official, according to the NBA’s transaction log.

3:31 pm: The Mavericks are bringing back wing A.J. Lawson to a two-way contract, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).

Dallas originally waived Lawson on Tuesday from a standard contract. He was signed to a two-year, two-way contract in 2022 by the Mavericks and was converted to a standard deal in March of this year. With the team facing a roster crunch after bringing back Markieff Morris, Lawson’s non-guaranteed contract was waived. Because he only has two years of NBA service, he was eligible to sign back to a two-way deal.

Lawson averaged 18.4 points in Summer League for Dallas and appeared in 42 games with the team last year. Having also spent time with the Timberwolves, he holds a career average of 3.4 PPG across 57 total outings. He averaged 20.7 PPG and 7.0 RPG last year in the G League.

The Mavericks have a two-way slot open, with only Brandon Williams and Kessler Edwards claiming those spots for now. That means no other move will be required to bring Lawson back in.

Pelicans Waive Matt Ryan, Adonis Arms

October 10th, 2024 at 4:54pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Pelicans have waived both guards Matt Ryan and Adonis Arms, according to the NBA’s official transaction log (hat tip to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype).

Both players were on non-guaranteed training camp contracts, so the Pelicans won’t carry any dead money as a result of waiving them.

The decision to waive Ryan is a notable one. The three-point marksman was an instrumental reserve for New Orleans at times last season, averaging 5.4 points per game while shooting 45.1% from deep. He was originally on a two-way contract with the Timberwolves ahead of the 2023/24 season, but was waived last October and was claimed by the Pelicans.

Ryan parlayed his strong play into a standard contract in April. However, he was waived from that standard deal in August after the team signed Javonte Green. The Pelicans, who are operating slightly above the luxury tax line, brought Ryan back on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract but presumably want to start the season with just 14 players on standard deals in order to avoid going deeper into the tax.

Keith Langlois of Pistons.com speculates Detroit could be a landing spot for Ryan if he winds back up on an NBA roster this season (Twitter link). New Pistons head of basketball operations Trajan Langdon was the general manager in New Orleans when the team claimed Ryan last fall. The Pistons are also first in waiver order if they choose to put in a claim for him and they have an open spot on their 15-man roster while being comfortably below the salary cap.

Because Ryan was signed to an Exhibit 9 deal that didn’t include Exhibit 10 language, he’s not eligible for a bonus if he were to join the Pelicans’ G League affiliate Birmingham Squadron. Ryan holds career averages of 4.4 points on 41.1% shooting from three in 63 career appearances with the Pels, Wolves, Lakers and Celtics.

As for Arms, the Pelicans signed him to an Exhibit 10 deal at the beginning of the month. The plan is presumably for him to suit up for the Squadron, where he will be eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days in Birmingham.

Arms went undrafted last season after attending Texas Tech. He played for the Memphis Hustle last season, averaging 16.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists. He was impressive in Summer League this season, averaging 20.7 points and 6.7 rebounds for the Kings.

Veteran Wing Danny Green Decides To Retire

October 10th, 2024 at 9:50am CST by Dana Gauruder

Longtime NBA wing Danny Green is retiring, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.

Green will announce his decision on his podcast Thursday, Charania adds. He is one of four players in NBA history to win championships with three different teams — the Spurs in 2014, the Raptors in 2019 and the Lakers in 2020.

Green carved out a 15-year career as a three-and-D player. He averaged 40% from distance in his career on a whopping 3,946 regular season attempts. Overall, he averaged 8.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 25.1 minutes per game. Green appeared in 832 regular season contests, including 709 starts.

He also played in 169 postseason contests, averaging 7.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 steals in 25.3 minutes per night.

Green began his career in Cleveland as a second-round pick in 2009. He spent the bulk of his career (2010-18) with San Antonio, then had one-year stints during those championship runs with Toronto and the Lakers. Green spent the next two seasons in Philadelphia. He only played a total of 11 games with Memphis and Cleveland in 2022/23 and two games with the Sixers last season.

He was waived in early November by Philadelphia after the team completed the James Harden blockbuster with the Clippers, and never found another opportunity as a free agent.

Mavs’ Exum Undergoes Wrist Surgery, Expected To Miss Three Months

October 9th, 2024 at 9:48am CST by Luke Adams

Mavericks guard Dante Exum underwent surgery on Tuesday to address a right wrist injury, the team announced in a press release. Reporting last week indicated that Exum had suffered a “serious” wrist injury and that surgery was one of the treatment options being considered.

While the Mavs’ announcement didn’t include an estimated recovery timeline, Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link) reports that Exum is expected to be sidelined for the next three months. That would put him in line for a return sometime in the new year.

Exum, 29, was the fifth overall pick in the 2014 draft, but battled health issues early in his NBA career and struggled to develop into a reliable rotation piece. He spent two seasons overseas from 2021-23 and played well for FC Barcelona in Spain and KK Partizan in Serbia, earning another shot in the NBA.

The 6’5″ guard signed a two-year contract with the Mavericks during the 2023 offseason and played a regular role for the Western Conference champions last season, averaging 7.8 PPG and 2.9 APG with a .533/.491/.779 shooting line and strong defense in 55 games (19.8 MPG).

Once again though, injuries have been an obstacle since his return stateside. Exum missed time last season due to foot and knee ailments, then had to sit out Australia’s first game at the Paris Olympics in July due to a compound dislocation of his right index finger. Now he’s expected to be on the shelf for roughly half of the 2024/25 regular season.

With Exum unavailable this fall, the Mavericks figure to lean more heavily on veteran guard Spencer Dinwiddie and third-year pro Jaden Hardy for backcourt depth behind superstars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Hornets Waive Duane Washington

October 9th, 2024 at 8:59am CST by Luke Adams

One week after acquiring him via sign-and-trade in the three-team Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster, the Hornets have waived guard Duane Washington, the club announced today in a press release.

The move had been expected, since Washington was only included in the Towns trade for salary-matching purposes — if he hadn’t been part of the deal, New York would have had to add another player from its active roster to the deal to make it a legal trade. Even though he never actually appeared in a game for them, the Knicks were able to sign-and-trade Washington because he finished last season on a two-way contract with the club.

Prior to being signed-and-traded from New York to Charlotte, Washington had been playing for KK Partizan in Belgrade, Serbia. The Knicks had to pay Partizan a buyout (believed to be worth $850K) to free him up for the Towns deal. The expectation is that the 24-year-old will now rejoin the Serbian club on a new contract.

Washington’s $2,162,607 salary for 2024/25 was fully guaranteed and will remain on the Hornets’ books for the rest of the season. However, Charlotte acquired more than enough cash from New York in the Towns trade ($7.2MM) to cover the salaries for Washington and the two others players sent to the Hornets (DaQuan Jeffries and Charlie Brown).

The second and third years of Washington’s contract were non-guaranteed, so they’ll come off Charlotte’s cap now that he has been placed on waivers.

As a result of the transaction, the Hornets are now carrying 15 players on fully guaranteed contracts, with Taj Gibson on a minimum-salary contract that’s partially guaranteed for about $1.08MM. In all likelihood, Charlotte will end up waiving at least one of Jeffries or Brown prior to opening night in order to make room for Gibson on the team’s 15-man regular season roster.

Mavericks Waive A.J. Lawson

October 8th, 2024 at 12:31pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have waived shooting guard A.J. Lawson, the team announced today (via Twitter).

Although Lawson was on a non-guaranteed contract, his release is a little more notable than many roster cuts this month, since he was on a standard multiyear deal that had carried over to this season, rather than an Exhibit 10/training camp contract.

Lawson, 24, signed a two-year, two-way contract with Dallas back in December 2022, shortly after being waived by Minnesota. He remained on that deal until March 2024, when he was promoted to the standard roster on a new four-year contract that was only guaranteed for the remainder of the 2023/24 season.

Lawson appeared in a total of 56 NBA games for the Mavericks during his two seasons with the team, including 42 in 2023/24. He averaged 3.4 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7.4 minutes per contest and posted a shooting line of .457/.307/.548 at the NBA level. The former South Carolina standout also played seven times for the Texas Legends in the G League last season, averaging 20.7 PPG and 7.0 RPG with a .530 FG%.

Dallas is carrying 14 players on guaranteed contracts. Veteran forward Markieff Morris, who has a non-guaranteed salary, is considered the heavy favorite to claim the 15th standard roster spot, assuming the team carries a full roster to open the season.

It’s worth noting that the Mavs do have a two-way slot available, so if they still like Lawson and want to bring him back, they could re-sign him to a two-way contract as long as he clears waivers — his multiyear deal wasn’t eligible to be directly converted into a two-way.

Wizards’ Malcolm Brogdon Undergoes Thumb Surgery

October 8th, 2024 at 12:17pm CST by Rory Maher

OCTOBER 8: Brogdon underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair a torn ligament in his thumb, the Wizards announced (via Twitter).

The team didn’t offer any specifics on his recovery timeline, but it seems like a safe bet that Brogdon will be sidelined for at least a month, as detailed below. When Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons had a similar surgery last fall, he missed approximately five weeks of action.

OCTOBER 7: Veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon, whom the Wizards acquired in an offseason trade with Portland, is expected to miss several weeks with a right hand injury, reports Josh Robbins of The Athletic.

Brogdon sustained the injury during Saturday’s practice in Montreal and was subsequently sent back to Washington, D.C. to undergo testing. The full severity of the injury has yet to be determined, but a source told Robbins that Brogdon is expected to be out at least a month.

The 36th pick of the 2016 draft out of Virginia, Brogdon has compiled an impressive NBA résumé, winning Rookie of the Year in 2017 with Milwaukee and Sixth Man of the Year in 2023 with Boston. However, the 31-year-old has also been hampered by injuries throughout his career.

Brogdon has appeared in more than 56 regular season games just once in the past five years and only played 39 times in 2023/24. He remains effective when he’s available, averaging 15.7 PPG, 5.5 APG, and 3.8 RPG on .440/.412/.819 shooting last season for Portland (28.7 MPG).

Brogdon, who is on an expiring $22.5MM contract, seems like a prime candidate, with the Wizards in the early stages of a rebuild. The hand injury complicates matters, but it’s fairly unusual for trades to occur this time of year anyways.

If Brogdon misses exactly one month, he would be sidelined for the Wizards’ remaining preseason contests and would likely miss at least a handful of regular season games. As Robbins writes, rookie guards Carlton Carrington and Kyshawn George are candidates for more playing time while Brogdon is sidelined.