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Lore, A-Rod Reportedly Projected Reduced Payroll For Wolves

April 10th, 2024 at 8:54pm CST by Rory Maher

As part of their final option to purchase a majority stake, Timberwolves minority owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez projected a team payroll of $171MM for the 2024/25 season in documents shared with current majority stakeholder Glen Taylor, the NBA, and The Carlyle Group, a private equity firm, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

As Wojnarowski writes, the Wolves currently project to have a payroll of about $198MM in ’24/25. $171MM is obviously a significant reduction from that figure. It’s also just shy of the projected $171.3MM luxury tax line.

Lore and Rodriguez are currently in a contractual dispute with Taylor for majority ownership of the Wolves. Both sides declined to comment for the story, which isn’t surprising, as Wojnarowski hears the NBA asked those involved not to discuss the matter publicly. All three owners gave several interviews a couple weeks ago after Taylor announced he was retaining majority ownership of the Wolves and WNBA’s Lynx.

According to Wojnarowski, the reduced payroll for next season was one factor that led Taylor to void the contract with Lore and A-Rod. Taylor was concerned that such a cut “would jeopardize the franchise’s ability to compete for a championship,” Woj adds.

Of course, there’s some irony there, since Taylor isn’t exactly known for being a big spender. Since he bought the Wolves in 1994, he has only paid a total of $25MM in luxury tax penalties, with less than $2MM coming since 2005. The Wolves project to be above the second tax apron next season, with a tax bill exceeding $25MM.

“I just think (we) built this team,” Taylor told The Athletic in explaining why he’s not putting the team back on the market. “We’ve got the players now. And it appears to me that we should have a very positive run for a number of years, and I want to be a part of that.”

While there have been rumors about Lore and Rodriguez’s ability to spend on the team going forward, since neither is a billionaire, they did approve of the contract extensions for Jaden McDaniels and Mike Conley as minority owners, sources tell Wojnarowski. Those deals increased Minnesota’s projected tax bill for ’24/25.

Lore and Rodriguez were also reportedly instrumental in hiring president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, who made the blockbuster trade for Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner Rudy Gobert. That move was quite controversial at the time, but it has paid off thus far in ’23/24, with the Wolves currently 55-24, the No. 1 seed in the West.

Giannis Antetokounmpo To Miss Rest Of Regular Season With Left Soleus Strain

April 10th, 2024 at 4:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

APRIL 10, 4:50pm: According to the Bucks (Twitter link), an MRI confirmed that Antetkounmpo sustained a left soleus strain on Tuesday. He will miss the final three games of the regular season and will receive “daily treatment and evaluation,” per the team, with no return timeline provided.

APRIL 10, 6:42am: Antetokounmpo hasn’t sustained any damage to his left Achilles tendon, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

While that’s good news for the Bucks and their star forward, Charania notes (via Twitter) that calf strains typically necessitate a recovery timeline of at least a week or two. Antetokounmpo’s return to play will be based on how his calf responds to treatment and rehab, Charania adds.

APRIL 9: Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo will undergo an MRI on his strained left calf, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Antetokounmpo injured himself merely jogging up the court during the third quarter against the Celtics on Tuesday. He crumbled to the ground in the backcourt and grabbed his left leg. He was carried back to the locker room by teammates, ESPN’s Jamal Collier writes.

The injury has been described as a left soleus strain. The soleus is a muscle in the back part of the calf.

Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers said after the game that his franchise player would also have his Achilles tendon evaluated, Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets. “So, we’re just gonna hope for the best,” Rivers said.

It’s an ominous development with the postseason fast approaching. Antetokounmpo missed two games during the first round of the playoffs last season due to a back injury. Miami upset top-seeded Milwaukee, 4-1.

Antetokounmpo was listed on the injury report prior to Tuesday’s game with left hamstring tendinopathy before being upgraded to probable. Milwaukee defeated Boston to strengthen its hold on the second seed in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks had lost their previous four games.

USC’s Isaiah Collier Entering 2024 NBA Draft

April 10th, 2024 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

USC freshman Isaiah Collier is entering the 2024 NBA draft, he tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

According to Wojnarowski, Collier will be represented by agent B.J. Armstrong of Wasserman. Since Armstrong isn’t on the list of NCAA-certified agents, that means Collier will be forgoing his remaining college eligibility and going pro this spring.

Once listed as the top prospect on ESPN’s big board of 2024 prospects, Collier now ranks 11th following an up-and-down season that was interrupted for several weeks in January by a fractured hand.

Collier finished strong after returning from that injury, posting full-season averages of 16.3 points, 4.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 30.0 minutes per game across 27 contests. The 6’5″ guard made 49.0% of his shot attempts from the floor, but just 33.8% of his threes and 67.3% of his free throw tries.

According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Collier is highly regarded by NBA evaluators due to his “combination of size, changing speeds, live-dribble passing and bully-ball finishing.” A former No. 1 high school recruit, Collier is one of the few players in the 2024 draft class with legitimate star-level upside, Givony adds.

Trae Young Could Return As Soon As Wednesday

April 10th, 2024 at 9:27am CST by Luke Adams

Trae Young is nearing a return to action, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the Hawks‘ star guard could play as soon as Wednesday vs. Charlotte.

The team announced earlier this week that Young, who underwent left hand surgery in February after tearing a ligament in his finger, had been cleared for practice and contact, so Wojnarowski’s report doesn’t come as a major surprise.

It sounds like Atlanta’s goal will be to get Young back on the court for at least a couple games before the team’s play-in matchup vs. Chicago next week. After tonight’s contest vs. the Hornets, the Hawks will wrap up their regular season schedule by visiting Minnesota on Friday and Indiana on Sunday.

Although they’re locked into the No. 9 vs. 10 play-in game, the Hawks could gain home court advantage for that win-or-go-home showdown with a strong finish. They’re currently one game back of Chicago in the standings, though the Bulls hold the tiebreaker.

The Hawks won 12 of their first 20 games after Young went down in February, but are currently in the midst of a three-game losing streak and will welcome the return of their leading scorer. An All-Star this season for the third time in his career, Young has averaged 26.4 points and a career-high 10.8 assists in 51 games (36.5 MPG), with a shooting line of .426/.371/.856.

Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham Declares For 2024 NBA Draft

April 9th, 2024 at 3:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Following his freshman season at Kentucky, guard Rob Dillingham told Malika Andrews of ESPN on NBA Today this afternoon that he’ll declare for the 2024 NBA draft and go pro. As Jonathan Givony of ESPN relays, Dillingham said he has hired Klutch Sports for representation.

Dillingham came off the bench for the Wildcats in 2023/24, but put up big numbers in a somewhat limited role, averaging 15.2 points and 3.9 assists in just 23.3 minutes per game across 32 appearances. He also posted an impressive .475/.444/.796 shooting line.

Dillingham was named the SEC’s Sixth Man of the Year and earned a spot on the All-SEC second team as he raised his draft stock significantly over the course of his freshman year. Givony cites the 19-year-old’s “open-court explosiveness, advanced ball-handling ability, (and) creativity as a passer and finisher” as a few reasons why he’s now viewed as a potential top-five pick.

Dillingham currently ranks fourth overall on ESPN’s list of top 100 prospects for 2024. He’s the second-highest ranked NCAA prospect and the No. 1 point guard on ESPN’s board, though he says he’s not concerned about how high he gets drafted.

“It doesn’t matter what pick I am, if I get picked 60th,” Dillingham said. “I want to go to a team that trusts me and can help me build, and I can build with them, and make me better. I just want to help my team win, and they can develop me and teach me things.”

Suns Sign Isaiah Thomas For Rest Of Season

April 9th, 2024 at 12:47pm CST by Rory Maher

APRIL 9: Thomas’ rest-of-season contract with the Suns is now official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

APRIL 8: The Suns intend to make veteran guard Isaiah Thomas playoff-eligible by signing him for the rest of the 2023/24 season, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Thomas signed a pair of 10-day contracts with Phoenix, the second of which expires tonight. The 35-year-old will fill the 15th and final spot on the Suns’ standard roster.

A former two-time All-Star, Thomas had been out of the NBA for a couple years prior to getting another shot with Phoenix. He has only played 14 minutes of garbage time across four appearances this season, but he has reportedly played well in practices and has drawn praise from head coach Frank Vogel for being a good locker room presence.

Thomas, who has played for 10 different teams in his 12 seasons, will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 first reported around the time that Thomas signed his first 10-day deal last month that he was expected to eventually get a rest-of-season commitment from the Suns.

The move signals that Saben Lee and Phoenix’s other two-way players will remain on their current contracts and won’t become playoff-eligible.

Grizzlies Sign Zavier Simpson, Jack White Via Hardship Exceptions

April 9th, 2024 at 9:58am CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have re-signed guard Zavier Simpson following the expiration of his initial 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

Simpson, 27, appeared in three games during his first 10 days with Memphis, averaging 5.3 points, 3.7 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.7 steals in 24.0 minutes per night. He made just 22.7% of his field goal attempts, though he did knock down 3-of-8 three-pointers (37.5%).

The Grizzlies have also signed forward Jack White, according to today’s announcement. It will be White’s first time back on an NBA roster since he was waived by Oklahoma City in October.

White, who appeared in 17 NBA regular season games in 2022/23 as a member of the Nuggets, has spent this season with the South Bay Lakers in the G League. In 29 total appearances for the Lakers’ NBAGL affiliate, he averaged 9.6 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 1.8 APG on .442/.321/.595 shooting.

Both Simpson and White were technically signed to 10-day contracts via hardship exceptions, which the Grizzlies qualified for due to the number of injured players on their roster. The deals will cover only the six days left in the regular season, however, before both players return to free agency. The club won’t hold any form of Bird rights this offseason on either player.

White will take Maozinha Pereira‘s spot on Memphis’ roster. Like Simpson, Pereira was on a 10-day contract that expired overnight on Monday, but it was his second 10-day deal with the Grizzlies, so he was ineligible to sign another one. The team is now carrying three extra players beyond its standard 15, with Simpson and White joining hardship signee Timmy Allen.

Celtics Promote Neemias Queta To Multiyear Standard Contract

April 8th, 2024 at 8:42pm CST by Rory Maher

8:42pm: While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, a source tells Brian Robb of MassLive that Queta received a multiyear contract. Since the Celtics don’t have their mid-level exception available, the deal can’t cover more than two seasons.

7:16pm: The Celtics have promoted center Neemias Queta from a two-way deal to a standard contract, the team announced in a press release.

Converting Queta makes him eligible for the postseason, and the move also completes Boston’s 15-man standard roster.

The NBA’s first player from Portugal, the Lisbon native was the 39th overall pick of the 2021 draft after playing three years of college ball at Utah State. He spent his first two seasons on two-way deals with Sacramento, but he was released in September and signed with the Celtics a few days later.

Queta, 24, has been a standout at the G League level over the past three seasons, including helping lead the Maine Celtics to their first ever appearance in the NBAGL Finals. Maine will face the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s affiliate, in a best-of-three series that begins on Tuesday.

In 26 games with Boston in 2023/24, Queta has averaged 4.6 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 61.4% from the field in 11.4 minutes per contest.

Hornets To Interview Lindsey Harding For Head Coaching Job

April 8th, 2024 at 5:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Hornets have been granted permission to interview the Kings’ G League coach, Lindsey Harding, for their head coaching opening, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Harding was named the NBAGL’s Coach of the Year in her first season in the role. The former WNBA star coached the Stockton Kings to the Western Conference Finals. Stockton was defeated by the Oklahoma City Blue on Sunday.

Harding was hired to coach Sacramento’s NBAGL affiliate last June. Harding spent the past four seasons as an assistant/player development coach with the NBA’s Kings.

The Hornets’ decision to interview a woman for their head coaching job isn’t unprecedented, but hiring one would be groundbreaking. Current WNBA coach Becky Hammon, a former Spurs assistant, interviewed for numerous NBA head coaching openings before taking the Las Vegas Aces job.

Steve Clifford announced earlier this month he would be stepping down from the Hornets’ job at the end of the season. Charlotte has already been granted permission to interview several assistants from around the NBA, including Charles Lee (Celtics), Jordi Fernandez (Kings), Kevin Young (Suns) and David Adelman (Nuggets).

Hawks Star Trae Young Cleared For Practice, Contact

April 8th, 2024 at 4:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hawks star guard Trae Young has been cleared for team practice and contact, according to a team press release.

Young underwent hand surgery on Feb. 25 after sustaining a torn ligament in his left fifth finger on Feb. 23 during a home game against Toronto. He had his six-week follow-up evaluation on Monday.

The Hawks are locked into the Eastern Conference’s 9-10 play-in tournament game against the Bulls, though home court for that April 17 game has yet to be determined. Young’s potential return could have a significant impact in that tournament. The Hawks have done well enough without Young, going 12-10 since he was sidelined.

Young stated in a podcast last week that he was optimistic he could return soon. “Hopefully next week I can make a fist and I can get out of this cast. And then I can play,” he said at that time. “So hopefully next week.”

An All-Star this season for the third time in his career, Young is averaging 26.4 points and a career-high 10.8 assists this season in 51 games (36.5 MPG), with a shooting line of .426/.371/.856.