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Latest On Clippers, Paul George

March 29th, 2024 at 11:01pm CST by Rory Maher

Shortly after the Clippers announced that they had signed Kawhi Leonard to an extension, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported they were also discussing a new deal with fellow star wing Paul George. The next day — January 11 — George said he was “very, very optimistic” that an agreement would eventually be reached.

However, nearly three months have passed, and the 33-year-old can still become a free agent this summer if he declines his $48.8MM player option for 2024/25. He will remain extension-eligible through June 30, and would also be extension-eligible all of next season if he decides to pick up that option.

On his Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link), ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said there’s a gap between what the Clippers are offering and what George wants.

“The word in the NBA is that they’re apart,” Windhorst said. “It’s not like, let’s have a big problem. They’re apart.”

Windhorst noted that a handful of teams — including the Sixers — could have the cap room necessary to sign George to a maximum-salary deal in free agency. But he doesn’t think it’ll reach that point.

“I think the league believes that Paul George wants to remain a Clipper, and there would be concern in the league about recruiting Paul George — especially if you had to give away players to open up space,” Windhorst said (hat tip to Adam Wells of Bleacher Report). “… My informed speculation is that, eventually, Paul will agree to a deal with the Clippers. It may not be for the full max, but it may be for more than what the Clippers have been offering.”

Leonard signed a three-year extension at slightly below his maximum salary. That means he received fewer years and less money than the maximum possible under the CBA. At the time, Leonard said he felt good about the chances of George and James Harden sticking around beyond this season — Harden will be a free agent this offseason and is not extension-eligible, since his existing contract didn’t cover at least three years.

President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank also said while he wanted his star players to be “compensated fairly,” “sacrifices” would be necessary to maintain flexibility in both the short and long term.

Marc Stein reported at Substack last week that there have been rumors the Clips’ offers to George “have fallen an unknown amount shy of the numbers contained” in Leonard’s extension. Still, Stein reiterated the expectation around the NBA is a deal will get done at some point.

Pistons’ Grimes To Miss Rest Of Season With Knee Issue

March 29th, 2024 at 9:11pm CST by Rory Maher

Pistons wing Quentin Grimes will miss the remainder of the 2023/24 season in order to rehab “lingering muscle soreness” from a knee injury he sustained in January, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who says (via Twitter) the third-year guard/forward won’t require surgery.

While Detroit has officially been listing Grimes as out with a right knee contusion, Charania’s sources say the bone bruise has healed — evidently it’s the muscle soreness that’s been causing issues of late. Grimes has missed the past nine contests with the injury, only appearing in six of a possible 24 games with Detroit.

A trade-deadline acquisition from New York, Grimes averaged 5.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG and 2.3 APG in 19.2 MPG over his six games as a Piston. His .214/.143/.909 shooting line in those contests was much worse than his career mark of .428/.371/.772, another indication that he wasn’t right physically.

Grimes, 23, was a starter the majority of last season for the Knicks, averaging 11.3 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.1 APG on .468/.386/.796 shooting in 71 games (29.9 MPG). However, he struggled to make the same impact in a reduced role in ’23/24, and was moved to the bench after 20 games. He later said he wasn’t surprised to be moved last month.

The former Houston Cougar, who was selected 25th overall back in 2021, will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the offseason.

Lore, A-Rod Confident They’ll Become Wolves’ Majority Owners

March 29th, 2024 at 8:15pm CST by Rory Maher

In an interview with Eben Novy-Williams and Eric Jackson of Sportico, Timberwolves minority owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez expressed confidence that they’ll eventually become the team’s majority owners.

“We’re going to be the owners of the Minnesota Timberwolves,” Lore said. “It’s just a matter of time, and how much pain Glen (Taylor) wants to put the fans, the players, the town and community through. It’s his choice. It didn’t have to be this way.”

On Thursday, current majority stakeholder Taylor said Lore and Rodriguez broke the terms of the purchase agreement by not completing the final payment option by March 27. He acknowledged “under certain circumstances, the buyer could have been entitled to a limited extension. However, those circumstances did not occur.”

Lore and Rodriguez told Sportico they fulfilled their end of the bargain, claiming that Taylor is trying to back out of a deal that he no longer views as “financially advantageous.” The duo call it a “complete and utter disregard for the contract.”

Specifically, Lore and Rodriguez pointed to a clause in the purchase agreement that states the buyers are entitled to an automatic 90-day extension “if they’ve submitted the signed financial subscriptions but are still awaiting NBA approvals.” They say the commitments were submitted on March 21 — six days prior to the March 27 deadline — and league approval is still pending.

While they didn’t commit to a lawsuit, Lore and Rodriguez said their lawyers are currently talking to the NBA, and they’re going to fight to uphold their interpretation of the contract.

“I’ve never sued anyone; I’ve never been sued,” Lore said, per Sportico, “but we’re dealing with someone that is very comfortable operating that way, and we have to take whatever actions are necessary to protect our childhood dream here.”

There are more interesting tidbits from the interview with Novy-Williams and Jackson, which is worth reading in full. However, Lore, Rodriguez and Taylor also spoke to several other outlets on Thursday and Friday.

Here’s a round-up of the other interviews, which feature more details on the history and recent events from both sides of the ownership dispute:

Taylor was turned off by an “opulent private owners’ suite” that Lore and Rodriguez had built — and Taylor approved — near the team’s locker room, per Jon Krawczynski and Shams Charania of The Athletic. “They wanted that private room for themselves down there,” Taylor told The Athletic. “I didn’t think that was a very good idea. But I OK’d it and paid for it and stuff like this. So I bent the corners a little bit and stuff like this here. But, I mean, that was more of their priority that they had that room than, ‘Who are we trading for?’” Former baseball star Rodriguez pushed back on that notion. “I would expect to hear that from like, a teenager, not from someone who’s so mature and so astute and who has been so successful,” Rodriguez said in a video call Friday. “Not only is that a cheap shot, but it is disingenuous and disappointing.”
Lore and Rodriguez say they were stunned by Taylor’s announcement that he would remain the majority owner and the sale was off, according to The Athletic’s report. “We thought we were on good terms and we had a good relationship, and they were happy with all the time that we’ve put into the team to help get the team to where it is today,” Lore said. “They seemed appreciative of that and then boom. It’s really like a nuclear bomb went off, completely unexpected and very, very disappointing.” Taylor, meanwhile says it was simply a business deal that didn’t materialize: “If they would have had the money on the 27th, the deal would have been all done and they would have had control .But they didn’t.”
In every interview they’ve given today, Lore and Rodriguez said when Taylor released his announcement, he also sent a message through his lawyer barring the pair from entering the private suite, entering certain parts of the arena, speaking to team executives, and even the players. Lore and Rodriguez view that as personal; Taylor told The Athletic it was standard procedure for minority owners. “It is now personal,” Rodriguez said. “We can be in this (fight) for five years, 10 years, whatever. We’re not going to let go.”
Chris Hine of The Star Tribune — a paper owned by Taylor — has more quotes from both sides of the ownership disagreement. “It’s just bad faith that you have a deal and a contract, and then because you’re able to get more money, you just decide I don’t want the contract anymore,” Lore said. “That’s just bad faith. It’s not being a good person, a good partner, a good human. You just don’t do that. It’s sort of like honor. It’s honor a little bit. You made a deal and then you honor it because you have integrity.”
Rodriguez confirmed that he was the one raising money for the last payment option, and said he and Lore would have owned “close to 50%” of the franchise had the sale been completed, with other investors holding a significant stake — roughly 30%, per Hine (Taylor would have held the final 20%). Rodriguez and Lore currently control 36% of the Wolves and WNBA’s Lynx. There have been rumors throughout the past few years that the duo didn’t have the capital necessary to complete the sale, but they said that wasn’t the case. “I’ve never been in better financial position,” Lore said. “Way better now than I was two and a half years ago when we did this deal. … I’m flush with cash. I’ve got literally hundreds of millions of dollars in the bank, ready to invest in the Wolves and bring home a championship. We’re never in a better spot.“
Lore and Rodriguez also spoke to Dane Moore on his podcast and Darren Wolfson of KSTP Sports about their side of the disagreement. Among other things, Lore said he’d just seen Taylor and his wife at a game a few days ago and there was no indication that anything was amiss with the sale.

Kevin Huerter To Undergo Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery

March 29th, 2024 at 3:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Kevin Huerter‘s 2023/24 season will come to an early end due to his left shoulder injury, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The Kings‘ wing will undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Wojnarowski.

The expectation is that Huerter will make a full recovery this offseason and will be ready for the start of the 2024/25 season, Woj adds.

Huerter spent the first four seasons of his career in Atlanta before being traded to Sacramento during the 2022 offseason in exchange for a protected first-round pick. The 25-year-old set new career highs in points per game (15.2) and three-point percentage (40.2%) during his first season as a King, but saw his role and his numbers dip this season as head coach Mike Brown made defense a greater priority.

Huerter averaged just 10.2 PPG on .443/.361/.766 shooting in 64 contests (24.4 MPG) this season before suffering his shoulder injury on March 18 vs. Memphis. The Kings announced last Thursday that he had been diagnosed with a left shoulder dislocation and a labral tear and that treatment options were still being evaluated.

In Huerter’s absence, Keon Ellis has moved into Sacramento’s starting lineup for the past five games and is averaging 27.0 minutes per contest, a significant step up from his season average. Davion Mitchell and Chris Duarte have also both seen more consistent playing time since Huerter went down.

The Kings are in the midst of a competitive race for playoff positioning in the Western Conference. They’re currently at No. 8 with a 42-30 record, though they’re only one game back of the No. 6 Mavericks. Finishing in the top six would assure the club of a playoff berth without having to win one ore more play-in games.

Cavaliers Sign Marcus Morris For Rest Of Season

March 29th, 2024 at 12:16pm CST by Rory Maher

MARCH 29: The Cavaliers have officially signed Morris for the remainder of the season, the team confirmed today in a press release.

MARCH 28: Forward Marcus Morris saw his 10-day contract with the Cavaliers expire overnight, temporarily making him an unrestricted free agent.

However, he won’t remain a free agent for long — according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link), the Cavs plan to bring Morris back on a deal that covers the remainder of the 2023/24 season.

Many players who sign 10-day deals don’t play much for their new clubs, but that was not the case for Morris. He averaged 7.8 points and 3.0 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per game across his five appearances with Cleveland.

A 13-year NBA veteran, Morris has technically been on four teams this season, but he didn’t play in any games for two of them (the Clippers and Spurs). He was sent from L.A. to Philadelphia in the James Harden deal, then shipped from Philly to San Antonio at the February deadline.

The 34-year-old was waived by the Spurs at the end of last month, making him eligible for the playoffs. He found a new team a couple weeks later when he signed with Cleveland.

The Cavs have one opening on their standard roster, which means they don’t need to cut anyone to re-sign Morris. Their 18-man roster will be full once the deal is official.

Sixers’ Nick Nurse, Kelly Oubre Fined $50K Apiece

March 29th, 2024 at 11:41am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has fined Sixers head coach Nick Nurse and forward Kelly Oubre $50K each, the league announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

According to the NBA’s statement, Nurse was fined for “aggressively pursuing and verbally abusing” game officials, while Oubre got his fine as a result of “verbally abusing and directing an obscene gesture” toward game officials.

The incident in question occurred at the end of the Sixers’ one-point loss to the Clippers on Wednesday. With Philadelphia down 108-107 in the final seconds of the game, Oubre drove to the basket and appeared to draw contact with Paul George as the Clippers’ forward impeded his path to the rim (Twitter video link).

No foul was called, however, allowing the Clippers to hang onto their lead and leave with the victory. Nurse and Oubre both expressed their displeasure over the non-call to the referees following the buzzer, with Oubre in particular appearing to do so in colorful terms (Twitter video link).

Referee crew chief Kevin Scott admitted in a pool interview after the game that a foul should have been called on George on the game’s final play, while Oubre apologized to the officials during his post-game media session for “losing his cool.”

Gilbert: Cavs Confident Mitchell Will Sign Extension

March 28th, 2024 at 2:24pm CST by Rory Maher

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert believes star guard Donovan Mitchell will eventually sign a long-term extension to remain in Cleveland, per Larry Lage of The Associated Press.

“We’ve been talking to him, sure, for the last couple of years about extending this contract,” Gilbert said Thursday in an interview with The Associated Press. “We think he will extend. I think if you listen to him talk, he loves the city.

“He loves the situation in Cleveland because our players are very young and we’re just kind of putting the core together that he’s clearly the biggest part of.”

Mitchell is currently in the third season of a five-year rookie scale extension he signed with Utah prior to being traded to Cleveland in 2022. However, the 27-year-old could become a free agent in 2025 if he declines his $37.1MM player option for 2025/26.

A five-time All-Star, Mitchell made his first All-NBA appearance in ’22/23. While Mitchell won’t earn an All-NBA spot this season (he has missed too many games to qualify), that won’t have any impact on his next contract, since he’s no longer eligible for a super-max deal after being traded. He will be extension-eligible as of this July, however.

The Cavaliers could offer Mitchell a new contract that’s worth 30% of the ’25/26 cap and covers up to four seasons (through ’28/29), with 8% annual raises. Based on the latest cap projections, that four-year max extension would be worth an estimated $199MM.

Mitchell, who has been dealing with a nagging knee injury as well as a nasal fracture, could reportedly return to action on Friday. He has missed the past six games — and 13 of the past 15 — as he recovers from the injuries.

The Cavaliers have been in a skid of late, going 4-8 over their last 12 games to currently hold a 44-29 record, good for the No. 4 seed in the East. They’ve gone 11-13 without Mitchell this season, Lage notes.

Lore, A-Rod Dispute Taylor’s Claim To Wolves Ownership

March 28th, 2024 at 1:02pm CST by Rory Maher

On Thursday morning, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor announced that he will retain his majority stake in the franchise after the final purchase option held by minority owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez expired on Wednesday.

That would leave Taylor with about a 60% stake in the Wolves and WNBA’s Lynx, with Lore and Rodriguez controlling approximately 40%. The final option would have seen Lore and Rodriguez become the majority owners with an 80% stake, while Taylor would have retained 20%.

In Taylor’s press release, he also said the Wolves and Lynx are no longer for sale.

However, in their own statement this afternoon, Lore and Rodriguez disputed Taylor’s claim to ownership, and they believe they should — and will — become majority owners, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).

“We are disappointed with Glen Taylor’s public statement today. We have fulfilled our obligations, have all necessary funding and are fully committed to closing our purchase of the team as soon as the NBA completes its approval process.

“Glen Taylor’s statement is an unfortunate case of seller’s remorse that is short sighted and disruptive to the team and the fans during a historic winning season.”

Sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link) that the relationship between Taylor and Lore and Rodriguez has “disintegrated over the past two-plus years.” That reporting certainly seems to align with today’s contentious news.

As Krawczynski writes in a full story for The Athletic, the next steps aren’t immediately clear. A week ago, Lore and Rodriguez submitted the financial documentation they believed was necessary to complete the purchase. But Taylor says the duo failed to reach several key benchmarks in the purchase agreement.

According to Krawcyznski, the purchase agreement calls for third-party mediation and arbitration to resolve disputes like the one currently unfolding. Whatever happens next, it doesn’t seem like the situation will be resolved anytime soon.

There’s no indication the dispute has disrupted Minnesota’s play on the court — the Wolves are in the midst of their first 50-win season in two decades. The timing is certainly unfortunate though, with only 10 regular season games remaining before the playoffs get underway next month.

Since 2021, Lore and Rodriguez have been involved in the purchase of the Wolves for $1.5 billion on a multi-phase payment plan. They were reportedly instrumental in recruiting president of basketball operations Tim Connelly away from the Nuggets in 2022.

Glen Taylor Announces He’ll Retain Majority Stake In Timberwolves

March 28th, 2024 at 10:10am CST by Dana Gauruder

Glen Taylor says he will remain the majority owner of the Timberwolves as well as the WNBA’s Lynx, the team announced in a press release.

Taylor confirmed the expiration of the option of Marc Lore and former baseball star Alex Rodriguez to purchase controlling interest in the team. Under terms of the purchase agreement, the closing was required to occur within 90 days following the exercise notice issued by Lore and Rodriguez. That 90-day period expired on Wednesday, according to the statement.

Under certain circumstances, the buyer could have been entitled to a limited extension. However, those circumstances did not occur, the statement adds.

Taylor will retain approximately 60% of the franchises, while Lore and Rodriguez will hold an approximate 40% stake.

“I will continue to work with Marc, Alex and the rest of the ownership group to ensure our teams have the necessary resources to compete at the highest levels on and off the court,” Taylor said in the statement. “The Timberwolves and Lynx are no longer for sale.”

Last week, Lore and Rodriguez reportedly had found new financial backing to complete the purchase. A previous report indicated that the sale proceedings were disrupted when the Carlyle Group chose to withdraw. Lore and Rodriguez were supposedly able to replace the firm with Dyal Capital Partners but apparently that was not enough to close the sale by the March 27 deadline.

Since 2021, Lore and Rodriguez have been involved in the purchase of the Wolves for $1.5 billion on a multi-phase payment plan. They have made two payments so far — giving them a 20% stake each time, for a total of 40%.

They exercised their option in December for the final 40% of the purchase. That began a 90-day window to submit the required documents and commitment letters to finalize the deal.

Hornets’ LaMelo Ball Won’t Return This Season

March 28th, 2024 at 9:27am CST by Dana Gauruder

Hornets star guard LaMelo Ball will miss the remainder of the season as he continues to rehab from right ankle surgery, the team’s PR department tweets.

It comes as no surprise that the team is shutting down its star player. The Hornets have the Eastern Conference’s third-worst record at 18-54.

Ball signed a five-year, maximum-salary extension last July. However, his young career has been sidetracked by injuries. He appeared in 51 games in his rookie season and 75 in his sophomore campaign. A wrist injury limited his rookie season.

Last season, he was only able to suit up for 36 games. His season was cut short by a fractured right ankle that required surgery.

This season, he appeared in just 22 games, averaging 23.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 8.0 assists. He hasn’t played since Jan. 26 after the ankle flared up again.

Earlier this month, Ball was believed to be on track to return to action this season. That obviously never materialized. The team initially described his injury as right ankle soreness and later diagnosed it as ankle tendinopathy.