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Celtics-Lakers, Bucks-Knicks Among 2023/24 Christmas Day Games

August 10th, 2023 at 8:25pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The full Christmas Day game schedule is now known thanks to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). As usual, the holiday features five games, including a matchup between the rival Lakers and Celtics in Los Angeles.

Additionally, the Knicks host the Bucks, the Sixers and Heat play in Miami, the Mavericks and Suns square off in Phoenix, and the Nuggets host the Warriors.

Both the Celtics and the Lakers are expected to be title contenders next season. The Lakers revamped their roster, while the Celtics did the same. Boston made a huge switch-up when they moved longtime Celtic Marcus Smart in a trade that brought in Kristaps Porzingis. By moving Smart, the Celtics committed to playing a bigger lineup, with Porzingis, Al Horford and Robert Williams all expected to have major roles. The Celtics also lost Grant Williams but added Oshae Brissett to help fill the void.

The Bucks and Knicks are both interesting players in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee fell to the Heat as the No. 1 seed last year, but brought back the majority of their roster, including Brook Lopez to a two-year, $48MM deal and Khris Middleton to a three-year, $98MM deal. Jae Crowder also re-signed. Robin Lopez and Malik Beasley joined Milwaukee in free agency while the team drafted Andre Jackson Jr. and Chris Livingston.

New York didn’t have many moves to make in free agency, with most of their roster under contract. Josh Hart recently extended with the Knicks and they brought in Donte DiVincenzo, who will be squaring off against the team who drafted him. While the Knicks might not end up winning the chip, there’s thought that they improved on a roster that was the No. 5 seed last season.

The Heat and the Sixers may look vastly different by the time Christmas rolls around. Both teams are facing trade requests, but on different sides. Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard asked Portland a trade, with Miami as his preferred destination. There’s no telling when or if the Heat and Lillard will unite. If they do, the Heat immediately become one of the best teams in the NBA, pairing Lillard with Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. If not, they’re likely worse off. Even though they added Josh Richardson, Thomas Bryant and Jaime Jaquez Jr. to their roster, the Heat lost Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, two key playoff contributors. The Heat did make the NBA Finals last season but did so after scraping past the play-in tournament.

Meanwhile, the Sixers saw James Harden request a trade out of Philadelphia and reportedly express a desire to be sent to the Clippers. That hasn’t happened yet, and Harden remains a member of Philly. There’s a chance the Sixers could bring Harden to camp and into the season, but it would be surprising if he was a member of the team by the time Christmas arrives. The Sixers won 54 games last season but losing Harden would hurt. Their best move this season has been to re-sign Paul Reed, but they have no avenue to adding additional talent and any Harden trade to the Clippers is unlikely to bring back a star return. That means an even bigger plate for last year’s MVP Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris. Additionally, Patrick Beverley and Mohamed Bamba signed with the Sixers this offseason.

Any matchup between the Sixers and Heat is of note, considering Butler’s history in Philadelphia and the unofficial rivalry between the two teams.

The Suns added a new star to their roster while the Mavericks kept their co-star this offseason. While Dallas finished last year outside of the playoffs after trading for Kyrie Irving, the Mavericks doubled down on his pairing with Luka Doncic by signing him to a new three-year, $120MM contract. Dallas fleshed out the rest of the roster by adding Grant Williams, Seth Curry, Richaun Holmes and Derrick Jones Jr. while drafting Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper.

The matchup between the Suns and Mavericks features a battle between former Nets teammates Kevin Durant and Irving.

We went over the new-look Warriors and defending-champion Nuggets in a previous story.

Charania revealed the opening day matchups earlier today, which likely means the full schedule will be revealed sometime in the near future.

Nuggets Host Lakers, Warriors Host Suns On Opening Night

August 10th, 2023 at 4:39pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Four heavyweights in the Western Conference will play on opening night of the 2023/24 season, according to Shams Charania (Twitter link). The defending-champion Nuggets will host the Lakers on Tuesday, October 24, while the Warriors host the Suns. Both matchups will be aired on TNT.

The Nuggets and Lakers squared off in the Western Conference Finals last season, with Denver winning via sweep before going on to win the NBA Finals. Denver’s roster is similar to last season’s. The Nuggets lost Bruce Brown and Jeff Green, though Green only averaged 4.1 points in 17.2 minutes in the playoffs last year. Losing Brown is huge, but Denver has several players who can help take over with larger roles, such as Christian Braun. Denver also drafted Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett and Hunter Tyson while adding Justin Holiday in free agency.

While the Lakers lost to the Nuggets last year, they only lost one game by double digits. Their average margin of defeat was by six points. Los Angeles moved quickly to bring back several key rotation pieces from last year’s team, such as Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura. While they lost the likes of Dennis Schroder, Malik Beasley and Lonnie Walker, the Lakers brought in multiple free agents, including Gabe Vincent and Taurean Prince. Los Angeles also drafted Jalen Hood-Schifino in the first round.

Both the Warriors and the Suns made it to the second round last season, but both teams opted for major offseason shake-ups. The Suns made headlines when they acquired three-time All-Star Bradley Beal to their roster, giving them one of the most top-heavy and expensive teams in the league. Phoenix was active in the opening days of free agency, re-signing Josh Okogie, Ish Wainright and Damion Lee, while bringing in a multitude of minimum-contract players, like Yuta Watanabe, Eric Gordon and Keita Bates-Diop.

The Warriors also turned heads when they traded young scorer Jordan Poole in a move to acquire Chris Paul, who had been involved in the aforementioned Beal deal, from the Wizards. The Oct. 24 matchup marks Paul’s first against the Suns since the trade. Paul spent three seasons in Phoenix.

While rumors circulated about Draymond Green potentially moving on in free agency or Jonathan Kuminga being traded, both players remain on the team (Green courtesy of a new four-year, $100MM deal). Golden State brought in Cory Joseph and Dario Saric in free agency and drafted Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis, both of whom could play their ways into rotation spots.

More schedule news will trickle in in the coming weeks. The Christmas Day games, as well as other marquee matchups, are typically leaked before the full schedule release, which happened on Aug. 17 last year.

Knicks Sign Josh Hart To Four-Year Extension

August 10th, 2023 at 12:20pm CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 10: Hart’s extension is official, the Knicks announced (via Twitter).

“Josh’s immediate impact on our team last season — both on and off the court — cannot be understated. … The leadership and competitiveness Josh brings fits perfectly with the culture we are building,” president Leon Rose said.

AUGUST 9: The Knicks and forward Josh Hart are finalizing a four-year contract extension worth $81MM, his agents at CAA Basketball tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Hart, who was traded from Portland to New York on February 9, was ineligible to sign an extension that tacked on more than two years to his expiring contract until at least six months after he was dealt. He and the Knicks are wasting no time in getting something done.

According to Wojnarowski (Twitter link), the two sides are working through the final details of an agreement, which can be officially completed as soon as Thursday.

Hart had the opportunity to reach unrestricted free agency this summer by turning down a $12.96MM player option but decided to pick up that option, creating some extra short-term spending flexibility for the Knicks, who took advantage by signing Hart’s former Villanova teammate Donte DiVincenzo in free agency.

While the Knicks and Hart may not have had a formal agreement in place at the time he exercised his option, there was likely an understanding that they’d work out a longer-term contract once he became eligible to sign one.

The NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement allows Hart to receive a raise of up to 40% on his current salary, with subsequent 8% annual increases. That would work out to a maximum starting salary of $18,144,000 and a four-year total of $81,285,120, which lines up with Wojnarowski’s reporting. We’ll have to wait to see whether the deal is fully guaranteed or includes any options.

Hart averaged 10.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.4 steals in 30.0 minutes per game across 25 regular season appearances after being acquired by the Knicks at February’s trade deadline. He was also an important part of the club’s playoff rotation, starting five of 11 games and averaging 32.1 minutes per night.

The 51.9% three-point percentage that Hart posted after the trade is unsustainable, but he’s capable of knocking down an outside shot (.350 career 3PT%) and is a talented, versatile defender who is a strong rebounder for his position and size (6’5″). The 28-year-old is considered a good fit for head coach Tom Thibodeau‘s system, so it’s no surprise that the team was eager to lock him up for the long term.

Hart was the only member of Team USA’s 12-man roster that didn’t play in Monday’s exhibition game against Puerto Rico, but he’ll likely see some action once he officially signs his new contract. The U.S. team has tune-ups against Slovenia and Spain on tap this weekend, followed by exhibition contests vs. Greece and Germany next week before the World Cup officially tips off later in the month.

Hart’s extension will make him ineligible to be traded for six months. That trade restriction won’t expire until after this season’s deadline, as we detailed on Tuesday.

Latvian Basketball Denies Kristaps Porzingis Injury Rumor

August 10th, 2023 at 8:59am CST by Arthur Hill

A tweet from the Latvian Basketball Association refutes a rumor circulating Wednesday that Kristaps Porzingis may miss the FIBA World Cup because of injury concerns.

The original report came from Rupert Fabig of BIG Deutschland, who said sources told him that Porzingis was experiencing “something with his foot” and that he and the Celtics were working with Latvian officials on a final decision. Porzingis didn’t participate in Latvia’s first two exhibition games.

Latvia has denied Fabig’s report, stating that Porzingis continues to train in anticipation of playing in the international tournament.

“There has been information that questions the participation of Kristaps Porzingis in the FIBA World Cup,” the tweet reads. “LBS denies this information. Both the players’ individual preparation plans and the team’s overall training process are ongoing. The line-up for the match against the Dominican Republic will be announced on August 12.”

Porzingis has been affected by injuries frequently throughout his career, starting with an ACL tear that caused him to miss all of 2018/19. He played 65 games for the Wizards last year, the most since his second NBA season.

The Celtics are counting on continued good health from Porzingis after parting with Marcus Smart to acquire him in a three-team trade and giving him a two-year, $60MM extension.

Anthony Edwards Fined $50K By NBA For April Incident

August 9th, 2023 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards has been fined $50K by the NBA for an incident that occurred on April 25 following a playoff game in Denver, the league announced today (via Twitter).

As we detailed at the time, while exiting the court following the Timberwolves’ season-ending loss to the Nuggets, Edwards allegedly picked up a folding chair and swung it, striking two bystanders who were working at Ball Arena. The NBA’s statement today refers to Edwards as “recklessly swinging a chair in frustration.”

Typically, the punishment in situations like this one would be announced within a day or two. According to the league, the delay in this case was due to a desire to let the legal process play out. Edwards was cited at the time for two counts of third-degree assault, but those charges were dismissed following a criminal investigation.

Although Edwards won’t face any sort of suspension as a result of the incident, $50K is the maximum amount the NBA can fine a player without opening the door for the player to appeal the decision and take the issue to a grievance arbitrator.

Edwards is currently with the Team USA squad that will compete in the 2023 World Cup later this month.

Kings Re-Sign Neemias Queta On Standard Contract

August 8th, 2023 at 9:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

9:40pm: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

7:35pm: The Kings are re-signing Neemias Queta to a standard contract, James Ham of The Kings Beat tweets.

Queta has been on Sacramento’s roster the past two seasons, appearing in a total of 20 NBA games. The 7’0” Queta was a second-round pick in 2021 out of Utah State.

Queta entered the summer as a restricted free agent after finishing last season on a two-way deal. He was eligible for another two-way contract but ineligible for a two-way qualifying offer after having played on a two-way with the Kings for consecutive seasons.

As a result, Queta’s qualifying offer was equivalent to a one-year, minimum-salary contract with a $75K partial guarantee. It’s unclear whether he’s accepting that QO or if he negotiated different terms with Sacramento.

Queta’s health is a question mark. He was diagnosed with a stress reaction and a metatarsal capsule sprain in his right foot last month. That injury occurred during a Summer League game against the Clippers.

Queta only appeared in five NBA games for Sacramento last season, but thrived at the G League level, earning a spot on the All-NBAGL First Team and finishing second in MVP voting. He averaged 16.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.9 blocks in 27.7 minutes per game across 29 regular season appearances for the Stockton Kings.

Prior to the agreement with Queta, Sacramento had 13 players on guaranteed deals and another — Nerlens Noel — on a partially guaranteed contract.

Warriors To Work Out Six Veteran Free Agents

August 8th, 2023 at 8:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors are working out numerous veteran free agents over the next two weeks, The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater report (Twitter link).

That group includes Dion Waiters, Tony Snell, Kent Bazemore, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Harry Giles and Trey Burke. The Warriors have two vacancies on their 15-man roster and a camp competition is expected among several candidates, Slater tweets.

Waiters, now 31, hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since the 2019/20 season. He attended a mini-camp with the Mavericks last summer, but wasn’t able to land a job.

Snell, also 31, wasn’t in the league last year after playing a combined 53 games for Portland and New Orleans in 2021/22.

Bazemore, 34, was also out of the league last season after appearing in 39 games with the Lakers in 2021/22. Bazemore was waived by the Kings last October.

Toscano-Anderson, 30, appeared in a total of 52 games with the Lakers and Jazz last season. He hasn’t been able to land a contract after entering free agency this summer. He and Bazemore both previously played for Golden State.

Giles, 25, was a first-round pick in 2017 but hasn’t been in the league since the 2020/21 season, when he played 38 games for the Blazers. He worked out for the Magic recently and his scheduled workout with the Warriors was previously reported. Giles could also be a candidate for one of Golden State’s two-way slots.

Burke, 30, didn’t play in the NBA last season after appearing in 42 games with the Mavericks in 2021/22. He was traded twice last summer and then waived by the Thunder. He had a stint with the Kings’ G League affiliate last season.

Suns Sign Udoka Azubuike To Two-Way Deal

August 8th, 2023 at 8:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 8: The signing is official, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets via a team press release.

“Udoka possesses imposing size and the ability to finish around the rim,” GM James Jones said in a statement. “His strength and physicality help add to our team’s depth.”

JULY 31: Free agent center Udoka Azubuike has agreed on a two-way contract with the Suns, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

The 23-year-old out of Kansas spent his first three seasons with the Jazz. He appeared in 36 games last year, including four starts, averaging 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 10.0 minutes per game.

Overall, he’s appeared in 68 NBA games and has never scored more than 13 points. His career shooting percentage is 76.9%, with most of his buckets coming on layups, dunks and putbacks. The 6’10” Azubuike has never attempted a 3-pointer.

A former first-round pick (No. 27 overall in 2020), Azubuike has dealt with multiple significant ankle injuries, which has impacted his development. Utah declined its fourth-year team option on him before last season started, which is how he wound up in the free agent market.

He played for the Celtics’ Summer League squad this month.

The Suns had two openings for two-way players. Guard Saben Lee occupies the other two-way slot.

Azubuike will have to work his way up the depth chart with the NBA club. He’ll be behind starter Deandre Ayton, Drew Eubanks, Bol Bol and Chimezie Metu.

Hawks Have Reportedly Offered Hunter, Griffin, Draft Compensation For Siakam

August 8th, 2023 at 11:15am CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have been the strongest suitor to date for star forward Pascal Siakam, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports that Atlanta has offered the Raptors a package that includes forward De’Andre Hunter, swingman AJ Griffin, and draft compensation in exchange for Siakam.

The Raptors have resisted the Hawks’ overtures and are “believed to have upped the price on any possible deal at each turn,” Charania says.

As Charania outlines in his story, it has become increasingly rare for a player of Siakam’s caliber to enter a contract year without some sort of clarity on his long-term future. However, he and the Raptors have yet to seriously engage in negotiations on a potential contract extension, and the 29-year-old also hasn’t requested a trade, sources tell The Athletic.

Siakam has been considered a trade candidate since well before February’s deadline due to his contract situation and his positional and skill-set overlap with rising star Scottie Barnes, the 2022 Rookie of the Year.

Charania suggests that Siakam’s trade value has been limited to some extent by the fact that the two-time All-NBA forward has privately expressed a desire to remain in Toronto and an unwillingness to sign an extension with any team that acquires him.

Siakam is currently eligible for a maximum-salary extension worth up to 30% of the cap — earning another All-NBA nod in 2024 would make him eligible for a super-max contract that starts at 35% of the cap, but he would only be able to sign such a deal with the Raptors. A trade would make him ineligible for a super-max contract.

Atlanta isn’t the only club to express interest in Siakam, Charania notes, but it doesn’t appear that any other suitor has made significant headway with the Raptors. The Pacers are among the other clubs previously reported to be interested.

For what it’s worth, the Hawks’ offer for Siakam as described by Charania appears incomplete, since Hunter’s and Griffin’s combined salaries ($23.8MM) wouldn’t be nearly enough to match Siakam’s $37.9MM cap hit for 2023/24.

There has been some chatter about the possibility of Atlanta sending Clint Capela ($20.6MM) to a third team – like the Mavericks – as part of a trade for Siakam, but such a structure would require that third team to send at least one player to Toronto. Dallas doesn’t have a big expiring contract to close that salary gap and would likely have to include some combination of Tim Hardaway Jr. ($17.9MM), Richaun Holmes ($12MM), and JaVale McGee ($5.7MM), each of whom has two years left on his respective deal.

As for the Hawks’ movable draft assets, they owe two of their own future first-round picks to San Antonio as part of the Dejounte Murray trade, but they could offer Sacramento’s lottery-protected 2024 first-rounder as well as their own first-rounder in either 2029 or 2030.

For now, trade talks between Toronto and Atlanta are “at a complete pause,” according to Charania, who says the Hawks are “fully prepared” to enter the 2023/24 season with their current roster.

Scoot Henderson: “I Will Win Rookie Of The Year”

August 8th, 2023 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

After being selected third overall in the 2023 NBA draft, Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson is confident that he’ll have a big rookie season in Portland.

“My goal, obviously, is to win Rookie of the Year,” Henderson told Playmaker (YouTube link). “And I will win Rookie of the Year. … My goals for the season are to help win a lot of games, to embrace the position I’m in, to embrace my role on the team, to be a great listener, and watching film and applying it to the next game.”

Henderson’s assertion that he’ll be the 2023/24 Rookie of the Year is just one of the lofty goals he expressed during the Playmaker interview. He also said he wants to eventually “be remembered as the best point guard to ever play the game.”

Henderson’s professional career got off to a promising start at the Las Vegas Summer League, where he put up 15 points, six assists, and five rebounds in just 21 minutes before exiting the Trail Blazers’ first game due to a shoulder injury. There’s no indication that he won’t be fully healthy by the time training camp begins this fall.

Still, before he begins chasing his most ambitious career goals, Henderson may have to achieve a more modest one: cracking Portland’s starting lineup. Even if Damian Lillard is traded, Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe appear to be the favorites to open the season as the starters in the Blazers’ backcourt, a league source tells Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian.

Of course, Henderson figures to have a major role even if he’s coming off the bench, and it’s possible he’ll show enough this fall that it will be impossible for the club to keep him out of its starting five.

Henderson also figures to face stiff competition in the ’23/24 Rookie of the Year race. The betting favorite is No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama, while last year’s No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren is also considered a strong contender for the award.