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Knicks To Promote Ariel Hukporti To Standard Roster

November 4th, 2024 at 8:40am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks and Ariel Hukporti have reached an agreement on a new standard contract that will promote the rookie center from his two-way deal to the 15-man roster, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

According to Charania, Hukporti will sign a two-year contract that includes a team option for the 2025/26 season. While Charania doesn’t specify the financial terms, it figures to be a minimum-salary deal.

The 58th overall pick in this year’s draft, Hukporti logged 12 minutes in last Monday’s loss to Cleveland but has otherwise only seen garbage-time action in the early going this season. The 22-year-old has grabbed seven rebounds and blocked four shots in 29 total minutes across four appearances.

Under normal circumstances, the Knicks likely would’ve kept Hukporti on his two-way contract for most or all of his rookie season, but his promotion had been expected for a few weeks due to the team’s hard cap situation.

New York is carrying 12 players on standard contracts to open the season and needs to get to at least 14, the league-mandated minimum, by November 5. However, the team doesn’t have enough flexibility below its hard cap to simply sign two veteran free agents to minimum-salary contracts, meaning at least one of those two roster additions has to be a rookie who was on a two-way deal with the Knicks or whose draft rights the Knicks held. Hukporti had been viewed as the leading candidate since training camp.

If his promotion becomes official on Monday, Hukporti’s first-year cap hit will be $1,070,699, leaving the team approximately $2.5MM below the hard cap, with one more roster addition to come. If the two sides don’t finalize the rookie’s new deal until Tuesday, his 2024/25 cap hit would be $1,064,049.

While the Knicks will have to add one more player to their standard roster by Tuesday, Hukporti’s promotion opens the door for the club to make two additional signings, since it creates a two-way opening. Matt Ryan is considered a strong candidate to join the NBA squad in some capacity, perhaps filling that open two-way slot.

Landry Shamet was expected during the preseason to be part of the Knicks’ regular season roster, but his dislocated shoulder has complicated that plan — it’s possible the team will sign a healthy player to a non-guaranteed contract as its 14th man for now and pivot to Shamet later in the season if and when he has recovered. The veteran wing is currently rehabbing with the Westchester Knicks, New York’s G League affiliate.

Whether the Knicks exercise or decline Hukporti’s 2025/26 option at the end of this season, they’ll be able to make him a restricted free agent when his current contract expires, putting them in position to lock him up to a longer-term contract at that time if his development is trending in the right direction.

Paul George Expected To Make Sixers Debut On Monday

November 3rd, 2024 at 9:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Paul George, the most prominent free agent to switch teams this offseason, is expected to make his Sixers debut on Monday, The Athletic’s duo of Sam Amick and Jenna West report.

George has missed the first five regular-season games due to a hyperextended left knee he suffered during a preseason game on Oct. 14. George is officially listed as questionable, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey tweets, while Joel Embiid remains out.

George, 34, averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game for the Clippers last season before joining Philadelphia on a four-year, maximum-salary contract. George was the Sixers’ No. 1 target in free agency after they opened up ample cap space to reshape their roster.

The Sixers sorely need a boost after losing four of their first five games, including home losses to Detroit and Memphis this past week. Philadelphia is embarking on a three-game road trip that begins in Phoenix on Monday.

George’s presence in the lineup will take some pressure off Tyrese Maxey, who is averaging 29.8 points per night.

Embiid has been held out of action due to left knee injury management, which has been a source of controversy. He had an altercation with a Philadelphia Inquirer columnist in the locker room after the Memphis loss.

Jaylen Nowell Signs With Pelicans

November 3rd, 2024 at 11:49am CST by Arthur Hill

NOVEMBER 3: The signing is official, the Pelicans announced in a press release.

NOVEMBER 2: The Pelicans will sign free agent guard Jaylen Nowell, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). It’s a non-guaranteed contract, according to Will Guillory of The Athletic (Twitter link).

New Orleans has been hit hard by early-season injuries, so Nowell will provide some much-needed depth. The team announced Friday that Herbert Jones will miss two-to-four weeks with a right shoulder strain and low-grade tear in his rotator cuff, while CJ McCollum will be sidelined two-to-three weeks with a right adductor strain.

That’s in addition to the loss of Dejounte Murray, who’s expected to miss three-to-five more weeks with a broken hand he suffered on opening night, and Trey Murphy, who’s out with a hamstring strain.

Nowell, 25, was in training camp with the Wizards on an Exhibit 10 contract, but was waived last month. He was listed on the camp roster for Washington’s G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go.

Nowell played nine games for Memphis last season on a pair of 10-day contracts he signed in late November and early December. He spent most of the year with the Stockton Kings in the G League before returning to the NBA on a pair of two-way deals with Detroit in April.

Nowell was drafted by the Timberwolves with the 43rd pick in 2019 and played his first four NBA seasons in Minnesota. He holds career averages of 8.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 197 games.

The Pelicans have a roster spot open, so they won’t need a corresponding move before finalizing the contract with Nowell. The team has been using a 14-man roster because it’s operating above the luxury tax line and about $4.4MM below its hard cap.

NBA Searching For New All-Star Game Format

November 3rd, 2024 at 9:58am CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA is considering another format change for this season’s All-Star Game, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. At a news conference prior to Saturday’s game in Mexico City, commissioner Adam Silver told reporters that Warriors star Stephen Curry has been involved in discussions about the Feb. 16 showcase in San Francisco.

“We’ve had direct conversations with Steph Curry — it’s a home game for him,” Silver said. “I know he’s very prideful and wants to make sure that the players put their best foot forward, so we’re looking at other formats. I think there’s no doubt that the players were disappointed as well in last year’s All-Star Game. We all want to do a better job providing competition and entertainment for our fans.”

Last season’s contest in Indianapolis was universally panned for its lack of defense and abundance of long three-point shots. The East defeated the West 211-186 in a listless affair despite a plea from league executive Joe Dumars to take the game seriously and put forth a better effort.

Creating a watchable All-Star Game has been an issue for the NBA for several years. In an effort to spark interest, the league switched its traditional East vs. West format in 2018 to have the top two vote-getters draft the players for each team. The “Elam Ending” was adopted in 2020 to give the game a different feel and ensure more exciting finishes.

However, none of the changes really resonated with the public, and the league returned to the East-West matchup last season with regular NBA rules.

“I think we all did what we thought we could, thinking we would particularly — in Indiana, sort of the heartland of basketball, somehow we would give it the college try, and we’d see a more competitive game,” Silver said. “I think, even if we could turn the clock back and get a bit more of a competitive game, even if it was more of a standard NBA game, I think fans would want more.”

The best-received part of last season’s All-Star Weekend was a Saturday night shooting contest between Curry and WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu. Although it hasn’t been formally announced, Silver said the plan is for them to have a rematch in San Francisco.

“If we can get more participation, not just for the physical activity but for all the values it represents,” that’s what the NBA wants, Silver said. “And I think showcasing those kinds of activities where you see men and women both competing in basketball at All-Star events should increasingly become a big part of it. And incidentally when you look at the interest in terms of viewership last year, one of the highlights was that Sabrina-Steph shootout, so we do want to do more of that.”

Silver also touched on the issue of expansion, saying the league continues to study the matter but nothing should be considered imminent, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Seattle and Las Vegas are widely viewed as the front-runners for new teams, but Silver said Mexico City is among the locations under consideration.

“Nothing’s been set, and we haven’t even determined whether to expand yet,” he added. “My sense is that if we expanded, we’d do an even number, because then we might have to do some adjustments in the conferences. But I think it makes sense to have two conferences of 16 teams if we were to do it. There have been times in the past in the NBA when we had an odd number, so it’s possible. But I think we most likely, if we were to expand, would look to expand to two cities.”

NBA Reopening Jaxson Hayes Investigation

November 3rd, 2024 at 8:58am CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA will reopen its investigation into a domestic violence incident involving Lakers center Jaxson Hayes, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

Los Angeles police responded to a domestic disturbance call on July 28, 2021, involving Hayes and Sofia Jamora, who was his girlfriend at the time. TMZ posted security camera footage of the incident on Saturday, prompting league officials to take another look at the case.

“As a result of the media report and video posted this morning, we are reopening our investigation,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said.

As McMenamin relays, the video appears to show Hayes pulling Jamora out of a doorway while she says, “Stop. Let go of me.” Hayes responds, “What the f— is wrong with you?”

Their argument continues in the driveway, where Jamora shouts, “I’m not going to let you hit me anymore. What the f— do I look like, a punching bag?” Hayes is later shown walking away from her and then turning to spit toward her.

Hayes was arrested, and in June 2022 he was sentenced to three years of probation, 450 hours of community service and a year of weekly domestic violence classes. He was also ordered to pay restitution.

Police body camera video showed Hayes fighting with officers, who twice used an electric stun gun after ordering him to leave the home so they could talk to the alleged victim. He told police that Jamora had been “throwing some stuff” at him during their argument. Hayes was treated at a hospital following the arrest, and an officer that Hayes threw against a wall was treated for an elbow injury.

The NBA didn’t take any action against Hayes following its initial investigation.

“There has already been an extensive investigation that we cooperated with the league on, and as that investigation reopens, we will continue to do so,” a spokesperson for Hayes told McMenamin.

McMenamin adds that attorneys representing Jamora filed a lawsuit this week alleging that Robert T. Tamate, the officer that Hayes fought with, “previously met with Hayes’s attorneys and was compensated monetarily by Hayes for unknown reasons.”

A spokesperson for Jamora told McMenamin that she will cooperate with the NBA investigation, and a representative of the Lakers said, “We are cooperating with the league.”

Joel Embiid Shoves Columnist In Sixers’ Locker Room

November 2nd, 2024 at 11:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Joel Embiid was involved in a scuffle with a columnist after the Sixers lost at home to Memphis tonight, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Embiid made contact with the journalist, but Charania describes the action as a shove rather than a punch. That version of events was supported by Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

Recounting the exchange for PHLY Sports (Twitter video link), Kyle Neubeck identifies the columnist as Marcus Hayes of The Philadelphia Inquirer, whom Embiid singled out in public comments earlier this week. Hayes has written multiple columns accusing Embiid of being unprofessional and blasting the Sixers for a lack of transparency about his condition.

Embiid was particularly upset about a piece from Hayes criticizing him for not being ready for the season opener and claiming that he’s not providing a good example as a father.

“Joel Embiid consistently points to the birth of his son, Arthur, as the major inflection point in his career,” Hayes wrote. “He often says that he wants to be great to leave a legacy for the boy named after his little brother. … In order to be great at your job, you first have to show up for work. Embiid has been great at just the opposite.”

Embiid approached Hayes as soon as he became aware that he was in the locker room, Neubeck adds. He directed some profane comments at the writer, and Neubeck said he added something along the lines of “You can say I suck, you can say whatever you want about me as a player. Don’t ever put my dead brother’s name in your mouth. Don’t talk about my family. Don’t bring them into this. You want to talk to me like a man and talk to me about basketball, that’s different, but if you ever talk about my family again we’re going to have real problems.”

The shove occurred after about 90 seconds of the heated discussion, Neubeck adds, and then team security and other players moved in to break it up.

The Sixers are off to a 1-4 start as Embiid has been sidelined with “left knee injury management.” He has reportedly been making progress toward a recovery, but no date has been set for his return.

It’s possible Embiid could face a suspension that will keep him out of action even longer. An NBA spokesman told Charania “We are aware of reports of an incident in the Sixers locker room this evening and are commencing an investigation.” (Twitter link)

Isaiah Jackson To Have Surgery For Torn Achilles Tendon

November 2nd, 2024 at 7:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Pacers center Isaiah Jackson will undergo surgery on Monday after suffering a torn right Achilles tendon, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Jackson had to be carried off the court in the fourth quarter of Friday’s game against New Orleans after collapsing with a non-contact injury to his right calf, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.

Indiana is already without backup big man James Wiseman, who tore his left Achilles tendon on opening night. He underwent surgery last week, and a recovery timeline is still being determined.

With Jackson and Wiseman both unavailable for at least most of the season, Dopirak expects Obi Toppin and two-way rookie Enrique Freeman to see increased minutes as the backups to starting center Myles Turner.

The Pacers have an open roster spot to add another big man, but they have to consider the luxury tax implications of a new contract, since they’re operating within $2MM of the tax line. Wiseman’s deal only carries a $500K guarantee, but it’s likely to become fully guaranteed for $2.2MM due to his injury.

Jackson is in his fourth season with Indiana after being acquired in a draft-night trade in 2021. He had appeared in five of the team’s first six games, averaging 7.0 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 60.9% from the field in 16.8 minutes per night.

The 22-year-old will be a restricted free agent next summer if the Pacers decide to extend a qualifying offer.

Joel Embiid Discusses Knee Issue, Responds To Criticism

November 1st, 2024 at 8:26pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixers star center Joel Embiid, who has missed the first four games of the season and has been ruled out for Saturday’s tilt vs. Memphis due to “left knee injury management,” told reporters on Friday that his goal is to make sure he feels fully comfortable on his surgically repaired knee before making his season debut, as Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports writes.

“I want to be at my best. I don’t want to be in a situation where I’m afraid if I do this I might do something or whatever,” Embiid said. “I mentioned it since the last surgery, I mentioned it so many times, it was probably the toughest mentally. I think mentally I’m just dealing with getting that trust back. In the past, it was just easy. But for some reason, this one is just like, mentally, trusting yourself and trusting your body. And I think that’s really what I’m doing.

“I’m almost there,” he continued. “And then with the team, we’re on the same page. I listen to them, they listen to me, and see how everything reacts. Been doing pretty good, going up and down five-on-five, and today was a great session with the whole team.”

According to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter video link), Embiid experienced some “minor swelling” in his left knee during the preseason, which is one reason why the Sixers have taken a cautious approach with him this fall.

The former MVP has been scrimmaging for a few days, but Friday’s practice represented a big step forward because it was a live-action five-on-five session with teammates, rather than 76ers staffers.

While it sounds as if Embiid’s absence might not extend much further beyond Saturday’s contest, he was reluctant to name a specific target date for his return, as Neubeck relays.

“It’s unpredictable,” the big man said. “You can have good days, you can have bad days, so I think it’d be kind of foolish for me to sit there and be like, ‘Oh, I’m playing on Tuesday,’ when you don’t know. I played today and it reacts, you’re still getting back into game shape, still getting back to yourself.

“You need to feel 100%, because I think over the years, I’ve done a lot and I’ve put myself at risk for the team, which I’m going to continue to do. But right now is the time to make sure everything is great, which is trending that way. It’s pretty good right now, everybody’s trending the right way, and so we can go on and have a long season and a great couple of years.”

Embiid has faced criticism from some corners for his ongoing absence this fall, with Marcus Hayes of The Philadelphia Inquirer writing multiple columns accusing the 30-year-old of a lack of professionalism and ripping the Sixers for their lack of transparency.

Embiid, who said he’s doing what’s best for his body, pointed out that he has played through multiple injuries and come back early from others over the course of his career. He took exception to some of the criticism he has faced, calling out Hayes by name in his comments to reporters.

“When I see people saying, ‘He doesn’t want to play,'” Embiid said. “I’ve done way too much for this city and putting myself at risk for people to be saying that. I do think it’s bulls–t. Like that dude, Marcus whatever his name is, I’ve done way too much for this f—ing city to be treated like this. Done way too f—ing much. I wish I was as lucky as other ones, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not trying, and I’m not doing whatever it takes to be out there, which I’m going to be here pretty soon.”

Like Embiid, Sixers forward Paul George has missed the club’s first four games and will be unavailable on Saturday due to the bone bruise in his left knee. He’s also moving toward a return, telling reporters on Friday that he’s in the final stage of his rehab process.

“I think at this point, it’s more just cardio, getting the conditioning ready to go, so that when I do come back I’m not subject to any injuries because I’m fatigued and tired,” George said, per Neubeck. “I had really good two days of finally being on the court and practicing and running hard, being in live action, so the knee up to this point feels really good.”

Injured Grizzlies Bane, Smart Considered Week-To-Week

November 1st, 2024 at 6:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Just a week-and-a-half into the 2024/25 regular season, the injuries are piling up for the Grizzlies, who issued a press release on Friday (via Twitter) announcing updates on a handful of their players who have been affected by health issues this fall.

According to the team, swingman Desmond Bane (right oblique strain) and guard Marcus Smart (right ankle sprain) are both considered week-to-week after suffering injuries on Wednesday vs. Brooklyn.

While that’s a somewhat vague timeline, it sounds like the duo is at least expected to miss upcoming games against Philadelphia (on Saturday), Brooklyn (Monday), and the Lakers (Wednesday) and could be out well beyond that.

Second-year wing Vince Williams, who is recovering from a stress reaction in the upper portion of his left tibia, continues to make progress in his rehab process, but is still a little ways off from returning. According to the Grizzlies, Williams is on track to make it back to game action in about two-to-four weeks.

The club also provided an update on two-way guard Cam Spencer, the 53rd pick in this year’s draft. Originally diagnosed in September with a right ankle sprain, Spencer is also dealing with a talar stress reaction that he sustained at the same time, per the Grizzlies. The plan is to reevaluate the rookie in three weeks.

Memphis was the NBA’s most injury-plagued team last season, with Bane (42 games played) and Smart (20 games) among the key players who missed significant time due to various ailments. Star point guard Ja Morant also only played nine times between serving a 25-game suspension and going down with a season-ending shoulder injury.

There has been hope that a bounce-back year would be in the cards with better health luck, and that still could happen, but the season is off to an ominous start on the health front. In addition to the four players noted above, the Grizzlies are also missing forward GG Jackson, who is recovering from foot surgery.

Memphis may soon qualify for a hardship exception, which would allow the team to add an extra or player or two on top of the 15 currently on standard contracts.

A club qualifies for an extra short-term roster spot when it has at least four injured players who have missed three or more consecutive games and are expected to remain out for at least two more weeks. Jackson and Spencer fit that bill, and Williams should too — if either Bane or Smart is expected to have a multi-week absence, the club could apply for a hardship exception after Monday’s game, which will be the third that Bane and Smart have missed.

Pelicans’ Jones, McCollum Out Multiple Weeks With Injuries

November 1st, 2024 at 1:14pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pelicans announced in a press release (Twitter link) that forward Herbert Jones has sustained a right shoulder strain and small low-grade partial thickness tear in his rotator cuff. Jones will be out at least two-to-four weeks, according to the team.

New Orleans also announced that guard CJ McCollum has been diagnosed with a right adductor strain and is expected to miss approximately two-to-three weeks. Both players were sidelined for Wednesday’s loss to Golden State.

It’s a tough blow for the Pelicans, who are now down three starters and a key reserve a little over a week into the 2024/25 season — Dejounte Murray is out three-to-five more weeks with a broken hand, while fourth-year wing Trey Murphy is recovering from a hamstring strain. Murphy, who suffered his injury in training camp and has yet to make his season debut, will be reevaluated next week.

A former second-round pick (No. 35 overall in 2021), Jones has been a valuable role player for the Pelicans, earning a spot on the All-Defensive First Team in 2023/24. He’s under contract through ’26/27.

McCollum, 33, is one of the team’s best shooters and has averaged at least 20 points per game in each of the past nine seasons. He’ll earn $33.33MM this season, followed by $30.67MM in ’25/26.

The Pelicans have dealt with a litany of injuries to key rotation players in recent seasons, and unfortunately they will be shorthanded once again to open ’24/25. Jordan Hawkins, Jose Alvarado, Javonte Green, Jamal Cain, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Brandon Boston are all candidates for more playing time.