Newsstand Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Dereck Lively Cleared For Game 5

May 30th, 2024 at 6:32pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Mavericks reserve rookie center Dereck Lively II has seen his status upgraded from questionable to available just in time for Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals on Thursday night, per Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

The 2023 lottery pick left Game 3 of the series, an eventual Dallas victory over the Timberwolves, with what was ruled as a neck sprain. He sat out Game 4, the Mavericks’ lone loss thus far. The club currently leads Minnesota 3-1.

Lively has been a key contributor for the club thus far in these playoffs. Across 15 healthy contests, he’s averaging 8.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.5 dimes and 1.1 blocks per night.

As Keerthika Uthayakumar of TSN tweets, the Mavericks have outscored the Timberwolves by 22 points during Lively’s 63 minutes on the hardwood during the Western Conference finals.

His abilities as a hyper-athletic, rim-rolling big man, and lob threat have been key to maximizing the talents of Dallas All-Star guards Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic.

The victor of this Mavericks-Timberwolves series will go on to face the Celtics in the Finals, which tip off on June 6.

Usman Garuba: I Haven’t Made Decision On Future

May 30th, 2024 at 10:54am CST by Dana Gauruder

Usman Garuba, who played for the Warriors this season, refuted a report that he’s already decided to return to Europe. Garuba posted on social media (hat tip to Sportando) that he’s still mulling his future plans.

“I don’t usually write here but this time I have to do it,” Garuba stated on Twitter. “I understand every journalist/insider and their work they do but they got to have respect for the players and teams instead of providing false news without knowing anything that’s going on. My future is not decide yet so stop spreading fake news. We keep working. Thanks.”

A Eurohoops report indicated that Garuba was poised to rejoin Real Madrid on a multiyear contract.

Garuba played for the Real Madrid organization from 2017-21. He was drafted in the first round by the Rockets in 2021 but has only seen modest playing time in his NBA career.

The 22-year-old power forward was traded twice during the 2023 offseason, then was waived by the Thunder. He signed a two-way deal with the Warriors in September and spent most of the season in the G League. He was promoted to the 15-man roster just before the start of the postseason but Golden State was eliminated during the play-in tournament.

Garuba, touted as a strong defender, barely played for the Warriors. In six games and just 18 minutes, he totaled three points, seven rebounds and three blocks this year. Across his three seasons in the NBA, Garuba holds averages of 2.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 104 games (three starts).

This season with Santa Cruz in the G League, he averaged 12.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.4 blocks in 35 regular season and Showcase Cup games.

Wizards Name Brian Keefe Head Coach

May 29th, 2024 at 4:35pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Wizards have hired former interim coach Brian Keefe as the franchise’s permanent head coach, according to a team release. Keefe was formerly named interim head coach in January after the Wizards moved Wes Unseld Jr. from his coaching position to a front office role.

“We are excited for Brian to become our next head coach. Brian is a proven motivator and connector of people,” Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said in the team’s press release. “As a leader in the organization, he will continue to positively grow and invest into the development of our players. His wealth of experience will help move our team forward as we build for long-term sustained success.“

Keefe joined the Wizards ahead of the 2023/24 season as an assistant coach. He also served the same role with Oklahoma City/Seattle (2007-15 and 2019/20), New York (2015/16), Los Angeles (2016-19) and Brooklyn (2021-23). He has earned a reputation as a good player development coach through his time in the league and inherits a roster with promising young players like Deni Avdija and Bilal Coulibaly.

“I am grateful to [team president] Michael [Winger] and Will for the opportunity to lead the Washington Wizards,” Keefe said in a statement. “I look forward to continuing to work with our players and helping them grow and develop. As a team, we are committed to a collaborative approach to build an environment of accountability and hard work that allows us to improve every day.“

When Keefe took over as interim coach, Washington improved immediately on the defensive side of the ball and got marginally better results in the win-loss column, posting an 8-31 (.205) mark under Keefe after going 7-36 (.163) under Unseld. Holders of the No. 2 overall pick in the class, the Wizards look poised to build on their young core while continuing their defensive strength from the second half of the season.

Now that Washington has named a head coach, that leaves the Lakers and Cavaliers as the only teams yet to fill their head coaching positions for the ’24/25 season, barring any unforeseen changes.

Clippers Sign Tyronn Lue To Long-Term Extension

May 29th, 2024 at 12:21pm CST by Luke Adams

12:21pm: The Clippers have officially signed Lue to an extension, the team announced in a press release. In a statement, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank referred to Lue as a “brilliant tactician and a natural leader,” adding that he’s a “pillar of the organization” who will be with the team for a long time.

“This is where I want to be,” Lue said in a statement of his own. “I’ve loved coaching this team for the past four years and I’m excited to head into a new era at Intuit Dome. I’m grateful to (team owner) Steve (Ballmer), Lawrence, and the entire organization for the opportunity. With our ownership, front office, roster, staff, and arena, we have all the advantages we need to win in the present and the future, and I’m confident we will.”

According to Shams Charania and Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link), Lue’s new deal is worth nearly $70MM over five years.

11:02am: The Clippers have reached an agreement with head coach Tyronn Lue on a contract extension, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Lue had been entering the final year of his current contract with the team.

While Wojnarowski doesn’t have specific details on exactly how many years the new contract will cover, he refers to it as a “long-term” extension, which suggests the Clippers have locked up their head coach for at least the next few years. Woj also states that it will make Lue one of the NBA’s highest-paid coaches. A number of coaches have signed deals worth more than $10MM per season in recent years, so it seems safe to assume Lue will earn an eight-figure annual salary on his new contract.

Signing Lue to an extension had been one of the Clippers’ top priorities entering a critical offseason. The head coach, who previously led the Cavaliers to a title and two additional NBA Finals appearances, was hired in 2020 and has posted a 184-134 (.579) regular season record across four seasons in Los Angeles, despite dealing with a plethora of injuries to his star players during that time. Lue has a 97-47 record in games that both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have played, notes Wojnarowski.

The Clippers haven’t won a playoff series since reaching the Western Conference finals in 2021, but Lue hasn’t received the blame for those early postseason exits and remains highly regarded by team ownership and management.

Lue’s extension with the Clippers officially takes him off the table as an option for the cross-town Lakers, who are conducting a head coaching search this spring and reportedly coveted Lue, who began his playing career with the Lakers and won two championships with the franchise.

With a new deal for Lue in place, the Clippers will be able to shift their focus to free agency, where George (player option), Russell Westbrook (player option), and James Harden (unrestricted free agent) could all reach the open market in a matter of weeks.

Mavs’ Maxi Kleber Available To Play Tuesday

May 28th, 2024 at 6:30pm CST by Luke Adams

6:30pm: Kleber is available to play, the Mavs’ PR deparment tweets.

8:52am: Mavericks big man Maxi Kleber is on track to return to action on Tuesday for Game 4 of the Western Conference finals vs. Minnesota, reports Marc Stein (Twitter link).

The team has yet to offer any clarity on Kleber’s status beyond upgrading him to questionable for Tuesday’s contest, but Stein says he should be able to play unless he suffers a setback at some point before the game tips off.

Kleber was injured in Game 6 of Dallas’ first-round series vs. the Clippers, sustaining a right shoulder AC joint separation on May 3. The team announced at the time that he’d be out for at least three weeks before being reevaluated. Stein stated on Sunday night that the Mavs were optimistic about the possibility of Kleber potentially returning for the NBA Finals — now it sounds like he’ll be able to beat that timeline.

Whether Kleber will be able to perform at his pre-injury level is a separate question, but the Mavs will welcome any quality minutes he can give them in the frontcourt, since they’re expected to be without center Dereck Lively on Tuesday. Lively sprained his neck in the team’s Game 3 win and is listed as doubtful for Game 4.

Considered a solid defender, Kleber was limited to 43 regular season appearances due to health issues this season and averaged 4.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 20.3 minutes per night. He logged 19.3 MPG during the first round of the playoffs, bumping his scoring average to 5.7 PPG and knocking down 10-of-18 (55.6%) three-pointers.

Sixers Willing To Extend Butler If Heat Star Becomes Available In Trade

May 28th, 2024 at 5:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jimmy Butler may not be the Sixers’ top target this offseason but they’re apparently willing to give him more financial security than the Heat.

Paul George is widely considered the Sixers’ primary focus if the Clippers forward declines his $48.8MM option in order to enter free agency. A reunion with Butler could be a viable alternative and Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports the Sixers are prepared to give Butler a maximum-salary extension if he forces a trade out of Miami.

There has been speculation about Butler’s future since the Heat were eliminated from postseason contention. Butler, who will be 35 next season, has a $48.8MM salary for next season and a player option for $52.2MM for the 2025/26 season.

Butler is seeking a two-year maximum extension for $113MM in which he’d decline the $52.2MM option in order to get an extra year of guaranteed salary. Miami president Pat Riley indicated during his annual postseason press conference he’d be reluctant to make that commitment, noting that Butler has missed chunks of time in recent seasons.

“It’s a big decision on our part to commit those kinds of resources, unless you have someone who is going to be available every night,” Riley said.

Butler hasn’t appeared in more than 64 regular season games in any of his five years in Miami and was unavailable for the playoffs this spring due to an MCL sprain.

Butler stated in a GQ interview his preference is to finish his career with Miami.

“I feel at home, man. I really care about the city, I really care about the people in this city,” Butler said. “Miami has embraced me.”

There’s no indication that the Heat have any plans to trade Butler unless he forces the issue. Beyond that, the Sixers — seeking another star to join forces with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey — would seemingly have to strike out on the George front before turning to other options.

The Sixers do feel they erred by shipping Butler to Miami in a sign-and-trade five years ago and could make amends by slotting him into one of their forward spots.

Philadelphia is in the rare position of being a playoff contender with the ability to absorb a huge salary. The Sixers could have close to $65MM in cap space this summer and they’ll also have five first-round picks and multiple pick swaps available to trade, beginning at the start of the draft, Pompey notes.

The Sixers have also been linked to the Lakers’ LeBron James and Knicks’ OG Anunoby in free agency. Bulls wing Zach LaVine and the Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram could emerge as potential trade targets if they must go further down the wish list.

Pistons Confirm Fontecchio Underwent Surgery On Toe

May 28th, 2024 at 3:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Pistons forward Simone Fontecchio, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, recently underwent surgery to address the left big toe injury that ended his season early, the club announced today in a press release (Twitter link). According to the team, Fontecchio is expected to make a full recovery this offseason and will be ready for training camp in the fall.

Fontecchio himself revealed on Instagram a few days ago that he’d undergone surgery that will sideline him for Italy’s Olympic qualifying tournament this summer, but he didn’t offer any specific details about the procedure or his recovery timeline.

The 28-year-old played professionally in Europe from 2012-22 before signing with the Jazz two summers ago. He spent a season-and-a-half in Utah, then was traded to Detroit at this year’s trade deadline. In 66 total games (43 starts) for the Jazz and Pistons in 2023/24, the Italian wing averaged 10.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 24.9 minutes per game, with a strong shooting line of .460/.401/.818.

Fontecchio signed a relatively modest two-year, $6.25MM contract when he first made the move to the NBA in 2022, but he increased the value of his qualifying offer to $5.2MM by meeting the starter criteria this past season and appears to have positioned himself for a salary worth well above that on his next contract.

James L. Edwards of The Athletic predicted last month that Fontecchio’s next deal could be worth between $14-17MM annually due to his three-and-D skill set, citing contracts signed by Luke Kennard (four years, $56MM) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (four years, $68MM) as points of comparison.

While a rival suitor could put pressure on the Pistons by signing Fontecchio to a lucrative offer sheet, Detroit has a ton of cap flexibility and would be able to match any offer. Fontecchio said in an Instagram post last week that he’s looking forward to a future with the Pistons.

Jaylen Brown Named Eastern Finals MVP

May 28th, 2024 at 6:58am CST by Luke Adams

Celtics wing Jaylen Brown was named the Most Valuable Player of the Eastern Conference Finals, winning the Larry Bird trophy for 2024, the NBA announced (via Twitter).

Brown narrowly edged out teammate Jayson Tatum, who earned four of nine votes from media members for the honor at the conclusion of Boston’s 4-0 sweep over the Pacers. Brown received the other five votes (Twitter link).

“I wasn’t expecting that at all,” Brown said of the award, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “I don’t ever win s–t. I was just happy we won.”

Brown scored at least 24 points in all four games of the series, including 40 in last Thursday’s Game 2 win and 29 in Monday’s close-out victory. He averaged 29.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 steals in 40.9 minutes per game vs. Indiana, making 51.7% of his shot attempts from the field, including 37.0% of his three-pointers.

“He was unreal this whole series, a complete player on both sides of the ball that you don’t really see much these days,” teammate Derrick White said, according to Vardon.

The NBA instituted MVP awards for the conference finals just three years ago, naming the trophies after Bird in the East and Magic Johnson in the West. Tatum was the first ever Eastern Conference Finals MVP in 2022, while Heat star Jimmy Butler took home the honor last spring.

Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton Out For Game 4

May 27th, 2024 at 5:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton won’t play in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals tonight against the Celtics, Joe Vardon of The Athletic tweets. Haliburton also missed Game 3 on Saturday due to a left hamstring strain.

Indiana, which is facing elimination, nearly won Game 3 without its All-Star point guard until Boston staged a fourth-quarter rally. Andrew Nembhard stepped up his production with 32 points but Ben Sheppard, who was inserted into the starting lineup, was held scoreless in 26 minutes.

Haliburton suffered the injury during the 126-110 Game 2 loss in Boston. He had just 10 points and eight assists in that contest after a 25-point, 10-assist outing in Game 1.

He underwent an MRI on Saturday, and the risk of doing further damage with his team facing long odds of a comeback outweighs trying to push through it. He also dealt with a hamstring strain during the regular season. Haliburton, a third-team All-NBA selection, has averaged 18.7 PPG and 8.2 APG in the playoffs.

The Celtics have announced that Jrue Holiday and Luke Kornet, who were on Sunday’s injury report, are available, Keith Smith of Spotrac tweets. Kristaps Porzingis remains out.

Lively Expected To Miss Game 4; Kleber Listed As Questionable

May 27th, 2024 at 4:18pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks won’t have their outstanding rookie center for Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals but they could get another veteran big man back in action.

Dereck Lively won’t play as the Mavericks try to close out the series against the Timberwolves on Tuesday, Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT tweets. Lively is officially listed as doubtful to play by the team, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon tweets.

Lively suffered a neck sprain during the second quarter in Game 3 on Sunday when he fell backward in the lane and was inadvertently kneed in the head by Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns. Lively’s head snapped forward upon contact. He was down on the court for several minutes before appearing dazed as he was helped to the locker room.

Lively has knocked down all 13 of his field goal attempts in the series. He had a 14-point, 9-rebound outing in Game 2.

Fortunately for Dallas, Maxi Kleber could be back in action. He’s listed as questionable, according to MacMahon.

Kleber has been out since May 3 due to a right shoulder injury, officially labelled an AC joint separation. He averaged 5.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 19.5 minutes per game while appearing in all six first-round games against the Clippers.

Luka Doncic (right knee sprain/left ankle soreness) is also listed as questionable again, though it would be surprising to see Doncic sit out a closeout game. Doncic was a game-time decision on Sunday and wound up dominating with 33 points, seven rebounds, five assists and five steals in the 116-107 victory.