Newsstand Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wenyen Gabriel Signs With Team In Puerto Rico

March 11th, 2024 at 3:54pm CST by Rory Maher

Big man Wenyen Gabriel has signed with Puerto Rico’s Vaqueros de Bayamon, the team announced (Twitter link; hat tip to Alberto De Roa of HoopsHype).

The timing of the announcement is curious, since Gabriel just inked a 10-day hardship contract with the Grizzlies on Friday. The press release from Bayamon didn’t indicate when Gabriel would join the team, but it would make the most sense to occur once his deal with Memphis expires on March 17.

Gabriel, 26, had been an NBA free agent for most of the 2023/24 campaign until signing his 10-day deal with the Grizzlies. He has averaged 4.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 1.0 SPG in 17.0 MPG in two appearances with Memphis. The veteran forward/center signed a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract with Boston last fall, but he was released before ’23/24 began, having spent most of the season with the G League’s Wisconsin Herd.

In total, Gabriel has appeared 147 career regular season games with the Kings, Trail Blazers, Pelicans, Nets, Clippers, Lakers and Grizzlies over the past five seasons. His most consistent role came last season with the Lakers, when he averaged 5.5 PPG and 4.2 RPG in 68 games (15.1 MPG).

Last summer at the World Cup, Gabriel helped South Sudan secure its first-ever appearance in men’s basketball at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Jazz Waive Otto Porter, Sign Kenneth Lofton

March 11th, 2024 at 3:20pm CST by Rory Maher

3:20pm: Porter has officially been waived and Lofton has been signed, the Jazz announced in a press release.

12:41pm: The Jazz intend to waive veteran forward Otto Porter Jr., sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Porter will not eligible to participate in the playoffs with the new team, since he was waived after March 1, which is the deadline for players to be released while maintaining postseason eligibility.

A report earlier today said Utah plans to sign young big men Darius Bazley and Kenneth Lofton Jr. to three-year contracts that are mostly non-guaranteed. Since the Jazz have 14 players on standard contracts and a 15th — Taevion Kinsey — on a 10-day deal, they needed to cut someone to create roster space. Porter will be that roster casualty, while Kinsey’s 10-day contract is also likely to be cut short.

Porter, 30, was traded from Toronto to Utah at the deadline in the deal that saw Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji moved to the Raptors. He never actually played in a game for the Jazz, who have been prioritizing young players for the second consecutive season after being in the hunt for the play-in tournament prior to the deadline.

A former No. 3 overall pick, Porter developed into a quality three-and-D player with the Wizards early in his career, which has unfortunately been derailed by injuries over the past six seasons. After helping the Warriors win a title as a key reserve in 2021/22, he signed a two-year, $12.3MM contract with Toronto, but only appeared in 23 combined games for the Raptors the past two seasons.

Assuming Porter clears waivers, which is a virtual certainty, the Jazz will carry a $6.3MM dead-money cap hit.

Saddiq Bey Out For Season With Torn ACL

March 11th, 2024 at 3:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

3:17pm: The Hawks confirmed in a press release (via Twitter) that Bey sustained a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the 2023/24 season. He’ll be undergoing surgery to repair the injury, per the team.

11:49am: A torn left ACL will sideline Hawks forward Saddiq Bey for the rest of the season, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). An MRI conducted this morning revealed the damage.

Bey suffered the injury early in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against New Orleans, according to Lauren Williams of The Journal-Constitution. He collided with Trey Murphy on a fast break, turning his foot as he planted it on the court. Bey pounded his fist before grabbing his leg in pain.

He tried to stay in the game, Williams adds, but limped to the locker room after shooting his free throws.

Bey averaged 13.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in his first full season with Atlanta after being acquired from Detroit at last year’s deadline. He started 51 of the 63 games he appeared in, shooting 41.6% from the field and 31.6% from three-point range.

Bey, 24, is making $4.5MM this season and was on a path toward being a restricted free agent this summer. He met the “starter criteria” by making his 41st start last month, increasing the value of his qualifying offer from $6,498,258 to $8,486,620. The injury will obviously factor into the Hawks’ QO decision.

NBA Considers Launching New League In Europe

March 11th, 2024 at 7:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA is considering an ambitious project in Europe that may exclude the EuroLeague, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico.

Sources tell Badenhausen that the NBA has been holding discussions for several years with FIBA and the EuroLeague on how to grow the popularity of the game in the continent, considering the number of NBA stars that hail from Europe. A new plan could create a standalone NBA Europe league that would operate in cooperation with FIBA.

In February, the NBA hired the Raine Group investment bank to explore its opportunities in Europe, Badenhausen states. Both the NBA and Raine refused to comment for Badenhausen’s story, but he says the league is determined to increase its European operations.

A league operated by the NBA and FIBA would be set up similar to the Basketball Africa League, which was launched in 2021. Badenhausen expects the NBA to target strategic investors for the project who already have ties to Europe.

An international competition is also being considered along the lines of FIBA’s Intercontinental Cup, according to Badenhausen, bringing together the top teams in Europe and other parts of the globe. He adds that those talks are still in the preliminary stages.

According to Raine’s projections, the NBA stands to earn up to $3 billion a year by expanding its business in Europe and the Middle East.

Pistons GM Troy Weaver Has Verbal Spat With Fan

March 10th, 2024 at 4:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Embattled Pistons general manager Troy Weaver had a verbal altercation with a heckler during their 142-124 home loss to Dallas on Sunday, according to multiple reports.

A video posted online and relayed by The Detroit Free Press’ Jared Ramsey showed a fuming Weaver stating to the fan, “I don’t give a (expletive), you’re lucky I don’t beat your (expletive).” The heckler retorted to Weaver, “You suck at your job.”

Another fan seated near Weaver said the heckler approached Weaver twice before arena security removed him.

“The guy that was in the incident, with the Red Wings stuff on, came over and was pointing at the scoreboard earlier in the game,” season ticket holder Jeffrey Calloway told Larry Lage of The Associated Press. “Troy Weaver just shrugged his shoulders and said, ‘OK,’ and the guy went back to his seat. When (center Jalen) Duren got ejected (during the fourth quarter), the guy came back and told him that he was terrible at his job. Then, Troy Weaver was telling the fan he had to leave and that’s when ushers or security walked over.”

Weaver declined to comment about the incident, Lage added.

As the Free Press story noted, it’s a another low moment for the franchise in a season filled with them. The Pistons were hoping to show significant improvement this season with the return of Cade Cunningham from a shin injury that sidelined most of last season.

Instead, the team set an NBA single-season record with 28 consecutive losses. Detroit has won only 10 games and is on pace to have the franchise’s worst single-season record.

Weaver has been in charge since 2020, completely overhauling the roster during the time. However, save for perhaps Cunningham, he’s been unable to find All-Star level talents despite repeated trips to the lottery.

Weaver made numerous trades prior to this February’s deadline, mainly designed to open up more cap space for this summer and expand court time for younger players. The Pistons could have as much as $60MM in cap room.

Weaver, who received a four-year contract when he was originally hired away from the Thunder front office, signed a contract extension in December 2022.

Owner Tom Gores expressed support for Weaver last month despite the team’s miserable performance.

“I think we just came together and the first thing we did is take accountability for the mistakes we made,” Gores responded when asked about Weaver. “As an organization, you really can’t go forward until you acknowledge what didn’t work. That was the first thing. And being honest about that provides you the future. If you don’t look in your past for a little bit and what was right and what was wrong, it’s very hard to go to the future. We did that along the process. I have confidence in Troy. I have confidence. We leaned on each other through this process, but we also didn’t avoid the idea of what were we accountable for? It gave us a pathway to go forward.”

Rudy Gobert Fined $100K By NBA For Ref Interaction

March 10th, 2024 at 1:46pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

All-Defensive Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert was fined to the tune of $100K, the maximum amount possible, by the NBA, the league has announced (Twitter link).

After being whistled for his sixth (and thus final) personal foul on Friday during the fourth quarter of an eventual 113-104 overtime road loss to the Cavaliers, Gobert made a mocking “money” gesture indicating that attendant referee Scott Foster was being influenced by gambling.

The 7’1″ big man was hit with a technical foul, and the ensuing foul shot enabled Cleveland to send the contest into a bonus period.

“Mistakes happen. Referees make mistakes, too,” Gobert said after the game. “But sometimes I think it’s more than mistakes. I think everyone that’s in this league knows. I think it’s got to get better. … I know the betting and all that is becoming bigger and bigger, but it shouldn’t feel that way.”

Gobert stated that he expected to be fined for his comments but wanted to speak his mind because, “I think it’s hurting our game.”

“The fine takes into account Gobert’s past instances of conduct detrimental to the NBA with regard to publicly criticizing the officiation,” the NBA said in its statement announcing the $100K fine.

Gobert, 31, has looked like his Jazz-era self on the court for the West’s No. 2 seed. Across 62 contests, he’s averaging 13.8 points per game while shooting 64.9% shooting from the floor. He’s also putting up 12.9 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, and 1.2 assists per night.

Zach LaVine Talks About Recovery From Foot Surgery

March 9th, 2024 at 6:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

Zach LaVine hoped to avoid having surgery on his injured right foot, but an outside opinion made him realize it was necessary, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. While attending this afternoon’s game in Los Angeles, the Bulls guard made his first public comments since the February 8 operation that ended his season. LaVine said he was trying to play for months with what amounted to a floating bone in his foot.

“I was pretty much trying to figure out every way not to,” he said of having the foot operated on. “You never want to have surgery. But I got to a conclusion, especially with what the doctor was telling me, that the pain level and this thing isn’t going to heal on its own. It’s a bone that was floating around. It’s known as a non-union Jones fracture, which I was dealing with for a while. And once the doctor—I’m glad I was able to find him—told me you need to get this done sooner than later, it was good to know.”

Johnson reports that LaVine is still wearing a walking boot, but he confirmed coach Billy Donovan‘s statement that the recovery process is ahead of schedule. LaVine said the soft tissue around the tendon needs time to heal, and he hopes to be able to get rid of the boot in about three weeks. The team’s original timeline puts him out of action for four-to-six months.

“I’m just feeling a lot better. I was able to take the cast off. I’ve been walking around in the boot. That’s the main thing I have to stay in. I don’t have a lot of pain,” LaVine said. “They said everything looks good. So hopefully the next update is as good as the last one.”

LaVine managed to play 25 games this season — averaging 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 34.9 minutes per night — but he went through two extended injury absences before opting for surgery. LaVine was also the subject of trade rumors for most of the season, as the Bulls got off to a slow start and were determined to shake up their roster, starting with their highest-paid player.

LaVine’s pricey contract and concerns about his durability limited interest around the league. The Lakers were mentioned most prominently as a potential destination, but their offer wasn’t close to what the Bulls were seeking. Chicago had talks with Detroit about LaVine up to the trade deadline, and a source tells Johnson that the Bulls’ front office plans to try again this summer.

“There’s a lot of things that don’t bug me,” LaVine said of the trade speculation. “My name has been circulating around more than once from the beginning of my career to now. If I let people’s opinions bug me or influence me, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today. So I go out there and keep doing me. Haven’t really talked to anybody, but we’ll continue to push forward. My main objective is to help the guys play and be myself out there. When I’m on the court, I know I make an impact most of the time offensively, but defensively as well.”

Chicago still may find it challenging to get offers for a player coming off foot surgery with three years and about $138MM left on his contract. LaVine said it won’t be difficult to return to the Bulls if a trade doesn’t happen.

“It’s not hard to fit back in, especially with the way I play the game and want to go out there and help,” he said. “You never want to be hurt, but it’s not hard to see yourself back out there.”

Warriors Confirm Stephen Curry Suffered Sprained Right Ankle

March 9th, 2024 at 5:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

An MRI showed no structural damage to Stephen Curry‘s right ankle and the injury has been diagnosed as a sprain, the Warriors announced (via Twitter). He will miss games against San Antonio tonight and Monday and will be reevaluated Tuesday.

The injury occurred late in Thursday’s contest when Curry rolled the ankle while cutting to the basket. He limped to the locker room to have it checked out and didn’t return to the game.

A report on Friday indicated that Curry is expected to miss seven-to-10 days, but that could be adjusted depending on the results of Tuesday’s examination.

Curry has appeared in 59 of Golden State’s first 62 games and doesn’t appear to be in any danger of missing the 65-game limit to be considered for All-NBA honors and other postseason awards. He’s been putting up typically outstanding numbers, averaging 26.9 points per game while shooting 44.9% from the field and 40.7% from three-point range.

The Warriors are locked in a tight race to avoid the play-in tournament and need every win they can get to track down sixth-place Phoenix. Chris Paul is expected to take over the starting point guard duties until Curry can return.

Pacers’ Mathurin To Undergo Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery

March 9th, 2024 at 2:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). According to Wojnarowski, Mathurin is expected to make a full recovery in advance of the 2024/25 season.

The Pacers have issued a press release officially confirming the news. The procedure will be performed next week in Los Angeles by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, per the team.

It had been a promising sophomore season for Mathurin, who finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting in 2022/23 and had become a more efficient scorer in his second year in the NBA.

The MVP of this year’s Rising Stars event at All-Star weekend in Indianapolis, he averaged 14.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 26.1 minutes per game this season, with a .446/.374/.821 shooting line across 59 appearances (19 starts).

Mathurin’s injury is an unfortunate development for a Pacers team that sacrificed some wing depth earlier this season by trading away Bruce Brown and Buddy Hield in separate deals. As Wojnarowski and ESPN’s Bobby Marks note (via Twitter), the 21-year-old was a key contributor to the NBA’s No. 1 offense and one of the league’s best second units.

Mathurin ranked third on the roster in total minutes played this season, behind only Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner, but will now have to watch from the sidelines as the club continues its push for a playoff spot without him. The Pacers currently hold the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference with a 35-29 record. They have a 3.5-game cushion on the ninth-place Bulls and are only 2.5 games behind the No. 4 Knicks.

With Mathurin unavailable, Aaron Nesmith, Andrew Nembhard, Ben Sheppard, and Jarace Walker are among the Pacers role players who are candidates for increased roles. Trade deadline addition Doug McDermott also figures to take over some of Mathurin’s minutes once he’s healthy, but he has been sidelined since February 26 due to a calf injury.

As Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca notes (via Twitter), it’s not clear if Mathurin would have been in the mix for a spot on the Canadian national team this summer, but playing in the 2024 Olympics is almost certainly out of the question for him now.

Stephen Curry Injures Right Ankle, MRI Clean

March 8th, 2024 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

3:07pm: An MRI on Curry’s right ankle came back clean, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who says (via Twitter) that the star guard’s return timeline will depend on how the ankle responds within the next few days.

Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link) report that Curry will miss at least one game and possibly more, but there’s optimism that his absence won’t be a lengthy one.

The Warriors are expected to issue a formal update on Saturday, tweets Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area.

7:04am: Warriors star Stephen Curry exited the team’s Thursday loss to the Bulls late in the fourth quarter after rolling his right ankle and didn’t return to the game, according to Kendra Andrews of ESPN and Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

The injury occurred as Curry was cutting to the basket and receiving a pass (Twitter video link via NBC Sports Bay Area). After attempting to walk it off, he eventually limped to the locker room.

Speaking to reporters after the game, head coach Steve Kerr didn’t have much of an update on Golden State’s leading scorer, offering only that he saw Curry with his right foot in a bucket of ice after the game. However, as Andrews and Slater observe, Curry’s teammates were talking as if they’re preparing for him to miss a little time.

“He had his ankle wrap on,” Klay Thompson said, per Slater. “Icing his ankle. I know we’re going to miss him … if he does have time off. We’ve been in this position before where he has had time off and we have to do it collectively. I know he’ll be ready to go when he does come back.”

Draymond Green said Curry’s spirits were “high” after the game but that he might undergo an MRI on the injured ankle. Green also discussed the possibility of Chris Paul entering the starting five in Curry’s place, expressing confidence that the team would be OK despite the potential lineup change.

“We know he is more than capable. He’s Chris Paul,” Green said, according to Andrews. “It’s been incredible having C here, but then you have Steph going down — no one is Steph Curry in the NBA. But knowing you are going into the game with a guy who can win you game after game after game, it definitely gives you confidence going in knowing that you are more than capable to win games.”

Curry, who has dealt with some ankle sprains in the past, had been enjoying one of his healthiest seasons in years heading into Thursday’s contest. He missed two games in November due to a minor knee issue and sat out one end of a back-to-back set in January but has appeared in 59 of the Warriors’ 62 games.

Even if Curry has to miss some time, there’s no indication at this point that the ankle injury is serious enough to jeopardize his ability to play in at least 65 games and qualify for an All-NBA spot. However, his diagnosis may affect Golden State’s push for a higher playoff seed.

The Warriors currently hold the No. 9 spot in the West at 33-29. They’re just percentage points ahead of the 34-30 Lakers and trail the eighth-place Mavericks by 1.5 games.