Newsstand Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat Suspend Jimmy Butler For Two More Games

January 22nd, 2025 at 10:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

1o:35pm: The Heat have issued a statement (via Twitter) regarding Butler’s suspension: “We have suspended Jimmy Butler for two games for continued pattern of disregard of team rules, insubordinate conduct and conduct detrimental to the team, including missing today’s team flight to Milwaukee.”

4:13pm: The Heat will suspend Jimmy Butler for their upcoming two-game road trip, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Charania reports that Butler missed a team flight on Wednesday for tomorrow’s game at Milwaukee. He was planning to fly separately and join his teammates tonight, but Heat officials told him to stay home. The suspension will also cover Saturday’s game at Brooklyn.

A “timing element” was involved in Butler being late for the flight, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel (Twitter link). The Heat canceled a practice and left for Milwaukee earlier than originally scheduled.

Butler just returned on Friday from a seven-game suspension imposed before the start of the last road trip. He appeared in three games, all at home, and drew a mixed reaction from Miami fans.

The latest suspension comes as the Heat are trying to work out a trade to get Butler off their roster and avoid further escalating an already-tense situation. He has been asking to be traded for several weeks and reportedly “tripled down” on that request during recent meetings with president of basketball operations Pat Riley and team owner Micky Arison.

The Suns appear to be the front-runners to acquire Butler, and their prospects may have improved after they picked up three tradable first-round picks in a deal with Utah on Tuesday. However, at least one more team will have to get involved in order for Butler to wind up in Phoenix, so it may take time to work out the details.

The first suspension cost Butler roughly $2.35MM in lost salary, although the players union is contesting it. The latest suspension will add more than $671K to that figure.

Bucks Haven’t Contacted Suns About Bradley Beal

January 22nd, 2025 at 8:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

There have been rumors lately that the Bucks might be interested in taking on Bradley Beal as part of a larger trade that would send Heat forward Jimmy Butler to the Suns. However, NBA insider Chris Haynes says in a Twitter video that Milwaukee hasn’t contacted Phoenix at all to ask about a potential Beal trade.

“It was explained to me that a connection between the two is nonexistent,” Haynes said, “so if Phoenix is able to acquire Jimmy Butler, it would not come via the Milwaukee Bucks taking on the star guard.”

If the Bucks aren’t involved, it could become very difficult for the Suns to find any team willing to accept Beal’s contract, which pays him $53.7MM next season with a $57.1MM player option for 2026/27. That’s a huge financial risk for a 31-year-old guard whose scoring numbers have declined during both of his years in Phoenix and who hasn’t played more than 60 games in a season since 2018/19.

Beal also has a no-trade clause in his contract, which means he has the right to reject any deal the Suns make. He recently stated that no one from management has reached out to him or his agent to discuss a possible trade.

John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 states that he hasn’t heard of any teams that have expressed interest in acquiring Beal, and there are only “a select few” places that Beal would be willing to go (Twitter link).

As a second-apron team, Phoenix can’t take back more salary than it sends out and can’t aggregate players to match Butler’s $48.8MM deal. Miami reportedly isn’t interested in Beal, partially due to the no-trade clause, so at least one more team will have to get involved to facilitate the trade.

Phoenix made a trade with Utah on Tuesday, acquiring three first-round picks in exchange for its unprotected first-rounder in 2031. There has been an expectation that the Suns would use one or more of those picks to incentivize someone to add Beal, but they may be saved for other trades if there are no takers.

No Recent Talks Between Nets, Kings About Cameron Johnson

January 22nd, 2025 at 5:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings are considered to be among the top suitors for Nets forward Cameron Johnson, but the teams haven’t engaged in trade talks for several weeks, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack column (subscription required).

A source tells Stein that Sacramento officials currently don’t see a way to complete a deal for Johnson before the February 6 trade deadline. The Kings are pursuing deals with other teams instead of focusing on Johnson, Stein adds.

A weekend report from Jake Fischer at the Stein Line confirmed that the Nets haven’t lowered their price for Johnson, as they continue to ask for two first-round picks and a young player. Earlier this month, Stein stated that Sacramento wasn’t willing to part with rookie guard Devin Carter, and it appears that stance hasn’t changed.

Fischer added that the Cavaliers have called about Johnson, but their interest seems to just be exploratory. He points out that Cleveland doesn’t have a first-round pick that it can trade until 2031, so it’s nearly impossible to meet Brooklyn’s demands.

Stein brings up the Pacers as another team to watch in the Johnson pursuit. However, Indiana has risen to fifth in the East after a recent hot streak, and Stein questions whether the front office would want to break up the current roster in light of its success.

It’s possible that the Nets will hang on to Johnson past the trade deadline and see if better offers arise this summer. He’s in the midst of a career-best season, averaging 19.4 points per game while shooting 49.1% from the field and 41.9% from beyond the arc.

Mavs’ Lively Has Fracture In Ankle, Expected To Miss 2-3 Months

January 22nd, 2025 at 4:42pm CST by Luke Adams

4:42pm: Lively suffered a stress fracture in his right ankle and will be reevaluated in four weeks, the Mavericks announced (via Twitter).

12:20pm: Mavericks center Dereck Lively has been diagnosed with a small fracture in his right foot and is expected to be sidelined for the next two-to-three months, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.

Lively has missed the past three games due to an injury he suffered last Tuesday vs. Denver that was initially listed as a right ankle sprain. Further testing revealed the fracture in that foot, sources tell Charania.

It’s a brutal blow for a Mavericks team that is already dealing with a series of injuries to key players, starting with top scorer Luka Doncic, who has been out since Christmas Day due to a calf strain.

Dante Exum (right wrist surgery) has yet to make his season debut, while Jaden Hardy (right ankle sprain) and Dwight Powell (right hip strain) are also currently unavailable. Kyrie Irving recently missed several games due to a back ailment and a handful of other Mavs are battling day-to-day issues. After starting the season 20-11, Dallas has lost nine of its last 12 games.

Lively was a key part of the Mavs’ early-season success. His +8.1 net rating in 768 minutes of action is the second-best mark on the team, behind only Doncic (+9.9 in 785 minutes). The second-year center, who will turn 21 next month, has averaged 9.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.7 blocks in 24.0 minutes per night across 32 games (25 starts).

In Lively’s absence, the Mavs figure to lean more heavily on Daniel Gafford, who has split center minutes with Lively since arriving in Dallas at last year’s trade deadline. A recent report indicated that the club had been willing to discuss Gafford as it sought an impact perimeter defender, but I imagine that will no longer be the case.

Maxi Kleber and Powell are among the Mavs’ other options up front, with P.J. Washington also seeing some time as a small-ball center.

If Lively is able to make it back on the court within two or two-and-a-half months, he should be available for the end of the regular season and all of the postseason. If his recovery timeline is closer to three months – or beyond – he won’t have a chance to return until the playoffs, assuming the Mavs make it. They’re currently seventh in the West, with a 23-20 record.

Buford: No Timeline For Gregg Popovich’s Return To Spurs

January 22nd, 2025 at 2:18pm CST by Luke Adams

After suffering a stroke in the fall, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is “attacking his rehab with the same resilience” that he has exhibited for decades on the team’s bench, team CEO R.C. Buford told reporters in Paris on Wednesday, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

While Buford isn’t ruling out the possibility that Popovich will resume his coaching duties for the Spurs later this season, he said it’s impossible to say for sure — or to project a recovery timeline for the longtime head coach, who will turn 76 next Tuesday.

“His improvement continues to get better, (but) I don’t know that we have any way to judge the clock,” Buford said. “Predicting what’s to come is just a function of where Pop’s rehab goes.”

Popovich initially stepped away from the Spurs in early November due to what was described at the time as a health issue. The club later put out a statement announcing that Popovich had suffered a mild stroke, and he subsequently issued a statement of his own in December that hinted he planned to return to the sidelines for the Spurs if and when his health allowed.

In the meantime, acting head coach Mitch Johnson continues to lead the club and has San Antonio within striking distance of a play-in spot at 19-22. According to Vardon, Johnson described his communication with Popovich as “consistent.”

“He is watching games, still as opinionated as he’s ever been, and competitive, and what you would think — giving praise and cussing me out, all at the same time,” Johnson said, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

“Pop’s health has been the priority since the start of this and until dot-dot-dot. That’s kind of how we, and I, take the approach. We want the best for Pop and I want the best for this team and however I can help is where I’ll put my energy.”

Chris Paul also said he remains in contact with Popovich, telling the media in Paris that the Spurs coach is in touch with players via phone.

“I’m not even sure if this is public, but he calls,” Paul said. “He calls after games and I talk to him, and he tells me what he sees, and I appreciate that more than anything because he doesn’t have to do that. And he does.”

As Vardon writes in a separate story for The Athletic, if Popovich were in France on the current road trip, he likely would have taken the Spurs out to a posh Paris restaurant for the sort of “wine-soaked” team dinner he’s known for. Instead, it was second-year star Victor Wembanyama who took the lead on that team dinner on Monday after the club arrived in his native country, per Vardon.

“We talked about it — Pop had a schedule here, and he would have done something like that too,” Wembanyama said. “Doing that on the first day was important for me to welcome (teammates) and to show them, because I know if I went to any of these guys’ country or city, I would have loved to find out about about where they come from to learn to know them better because they’re they’re all good human beings. So really, it’s a real chance to share these moments together.”

Lakers’ Vanderbilt Expected To Make Season Debut On Saturday

January 22nd, 2025 at 1:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt has been medically cleared to make his season debut on Saturday vs. Golden State and, barring any setbacks, will suit up in that game, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

A 2023 trade deadline acquisition, Vanderbilt has been an impactful role player for Los Angeles when healthy, providing strong, versatile defense and averaging 6.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 21.9 minutes per game. The Lakers, who had a +0.6 overall net rating last season, posted a +4.2 mark during Vanderbilt’s 581 minutes of action.

However, due to health issues, the forward has been limited to just 55 total appearances since he was traded from Utah to L.A., including 29 last season and zero so far in 2024/25. He hasn’t played in a game since February 1, 2024.

Vanderbilt underwent surgeries on both of his feet in the offseason and had a setback in his rehab process when he experienced a fluid build-up in his knee in December.

Vanderbilt is unlikely to be a difference-maker for the Lakers, especially since the team will likely be cautious with his usage following a layoff of nearly a full year. But if he stays healthy, he’ll give the club another defensive option on the wing against opponents’ top scorers.

A report earlier this week indicated that the Lakers are “cautiously optimistic” that they’ll get a better sense of their needs at the trade deadline after reintegrating Vanderbilt and seeing how his addition affects the rotation. The club’s two stars are reportedly hoping for an aggressive approach on the trade market.

LeBron, AD Want Lakers To Be Aggressive On Trade Market

January 22nd, 2025 at 11:53am CST by Luke Adams

With just 15 days left until the NBA’s 2025 trade deadline arrives, Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis are “growing concerned” about the team’s ability to make significant upgrades on the trade market, league sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Insider link).

James and Davis believe the Lakers could be just a piece or two away from contending for a title and have expressed that they want the front office to make moves to try to add those pieces, according to Charania.

That lines up with reporting from Jovan Buha of The Athletic, who wrote on Tuesday that James and Davis favor an “all-in approach” on the trade market and noted that LeBron has “never valued draft picks.”

The Lakers, who currently rank sixth in the Western Conference at 23-18, have two tradable first-round picks available in 2029 and 2031. They also have a pair of 2025 second-rounders on hand (their own and the Clippers’), and could trade first-round pick swaps for up to three years (2026, 2028, and 2030).

The front office – led by executive VP of basketball operations Rob Pelinka – has taken a relatively conservative approach at the trade deadline in recent years, opting against making any moves in 2021, 2022, and 2024. In 2023, the club gave up Russell Westbrook and a lightly protected first-round pick in order to land D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt — that deal helped propel them to a strong second-half finish and a spot in the Western Conference Finals.

The Lakers, who already made one move last month for Dorian Finney-Smith, have done their due diligence in trade talks so far this season and are open to sending out one or both of their tradable first-round picks for players who would be both short- and long-term fits, Charania reports.

It’s unclear if there will be a difference-maker available that the Lakers will be able to attain using their limited assets, especially since a few of their potential salary-matching pieces – including Gabe Vincent and Vanderbilt – presumably have negative trade value.

Still, Charania suggests, given that many of the top seeds in the West this season are young teams with limited playoff experience, there’s a “perception of a wide-open league,” which could spur buyers to be more aggressive.

“Boston, OKC and Cleveland are who they are,” a high-ranking team official told ESPN. “But this is wide open.”

NBA Postpones Wednesday’s Bucks/Pelicans Game

January 22nd, 2025 at 11:27am CST by Luke Adams

The game scheduled to be played between the Bucks and Pelicans on Wednesday at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans has been postponed due to “extreme weather conditions” in New Orleans, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).

The league intends to announce a new date for the game at a later time.

New Orleans has received a rare winter storm this week, with snow blanketing the city and icy conditions affecting travel in the area.

Chris Haynes, who first reported (via Twitter) that the game between the Bucks and Pelicans would be postponed, notes that there’s concern about whether the Bucks will be able to depart New Orleans in time to get home to host the Heat on Thursday (Twitter link). The Pelicans’ next game is scheduled for Friday in Memphis.

The NBA had to postpone a handful of games earlier this month due to the wildfires in Los Angeles and extreme weather in Atlanta. Most of the new dates for those contests were announced last Wednesday, but the league has yet to confirm a rescheduled date for a Spurs/Lakers game that was postponed.

That game and this Bucks/Pelicans matchup will likely be among the next set of rescheduled contests announced by the NBA.

Danilo Gallinari Joining Puerto Rican Team

January 22nd, 2025 at 10:33am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA forward Danilo Gallinari has a new team, announcing (via Twitter) that he has reached an agreement to join Vaqueros de Bayamón in Puerto Rico.

In a follow-up tweet, Gallinari suggests the deal includes the ability to opt out in the event of an NBA opportunity.

The No. 6 overall pick in the 2008 draft, Gallinari appeared in 777 total NBA regular season games for eight teams from 2008-24. He began his career with the Knicks before being sent to the Nuggets in the Carmelo Anthony blockbuster at the 2011 trade deadline.

While many of his best seasons came in Denver, where he averaged 16.2 points per game in over 300 regular season appearances, Gallinari later had productive years for the Clippers, Thunder, and Hawks as well. In 2023/24, after recovering from an ACL tear, the 6’10” forward spent time with the Wizards, Pistons, and Bucks, getting into 49 total games.

Gallinari, who is 36 years old and saw his mobility hampered following the ACL injury, went unsigned this past summer and may have played in his last NBA game.

A former Italian League MVP who has represented his home country in previous international competitions, Gallinari added in a third tweet that he’s “ready to wear the Italian jersey for one last great European adventure” and hopes for a “great ending.”

As BasketNews.com observes, while Gallinari didn’t say it outright, those remarks suggest he may be considering retiring after suiting up for the Italian national team one more time in the 2025 EuroBasket tournament.

Likelihood Of Suns Acquiring Jimmy Butler Increasing?

January 22nd, 2025 at 8:26am CST by Luke Adams

After the Suns made a trade on Tuesday to turn their unprotected 2031 first-round pick into three separate first-rounders in 2025, 2027, and 2029, a source close to Jimmy Butler told The Athletic that there’s “rising optimism” the Heat star is closer to being traded to his preferred destination in Phoenix.

As we outlined earlier today, even though the Suns’ 2031 first-round pick was easily the most valuable of any of the four draft assets involved in their trade with Utah, breaking up that pick into three future first-rounders puts Phoenix in a better position to offer sweeteners to multiple trade partners, which will likely be necessary.

John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (Twitter link) believes that as many as five teams would be involved if the Suns are able to eventually work out a deal for Butler.

The Bucks continue to be identified by rival executives as a team worth watching as a facilitator in the Butler talks, according to The Athletic’s reporters, including Sam Amick, Tony Jones, and Jon Krawczynski. There’s a belief that Milwaukee is exploring the idea of reducing its payroll to duck below the second apron while aggregating salaries to bring in another maximum-salary star.

Marc Stein suggested earlier this week that the Bucks could be a team to keep an eye on for Suns guard Bradley Beal, who would almost certainly need to be sent to a third team in any Phoenix trade for Butler, waiving his no-trade clause in the process.

The Athletic’s reporters also mention Zach LaVine as the type of player who might appeal to Milwaukee, though if the Bulls star were involved in any Butler/Beal scenario, it would have to expand into an even larger, more complex deal.

For the time being, Butler continues to take the floor for the Heat, though the six-time All-Star had another underwhelming outing on Tuesday vs. Portland, with 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting in 27 minutes — he didn’t play in the fourth quarter and Miami was outscored by 19 points during his time on the floor.

Shams Charania of ESPN, who reported last week that Butler reiterated his trade request during a meeting with president of basketball operations Pat Riley, tweeted on Tuesday night that the veteran forward has since “tripled down” on that request to Riley and team owner Micky Arison.