Newsstand Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Grizzlies’ Bane, Smart To Remain Out For Multiple Weeks

February 22nd, 2024 at 8:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Grizzlies will continue to be without guards Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart for several more weeks, the team announced in a press release.

Bane is progressing well from a Grade 3 left ankle sprain he suffered on Jan. 12 game against the Clippers. He is expected to return to play during the next three-to-five weeks, per the Grizzlies.

Bane was in the midst of a career year prior to the injury, averaging 24.4 points, 5.3 assists and 4.6 rebounds in 37 games.

Smart, who sustained a left finger/hand injury during a Jan. 9 game against the Mavericks, will continue to wear a splint for another three weeks, per that club. He will be reevaluated at that three-week mark.

Acquired from the Celtics during the offseason, Smart is averaging 14.5 points and 4.3 assists in 20 starts with Memphis.

The injury-ravaged Grizzlies return Friday from the All-Star break with a 20-36 mark, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Smart is eventually shut down.

Timberwolves Sign Justin Jackson To 10-Day Deal

February 22nd, 2024 at 4:20pm CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 22: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

FEBRUARY 21: The Timberwolves have agreed to sign former first-round pick Justin Jackson to a 10-day contract, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

The 15th overall pick in 2017, Jackson has appeared in 278 total regular season games for the Kings, Mavericks, Thunder, Bucks, Celtics, and Suns across six seasons in the NBA. However, he has been out of the league for over a year, having been waived by Oklahoma City last February after being sent from Boston to OKC in exchange for Mike Muscala at the trade deadline.

Jackson has spent the 2023/24 season playing for the Texas Legends, Dallas’ G League affiliate. In 35 games for the Legends, he has averaged 19.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 34.6 minutes per contest, with an excellent shooting line of .480/.427/.868.

Minnesota had been carrying 13 players on standard contracts since this season’s February 8 trade deadline and had until Thursday to fill at least one of the two openings on its roster, as we outlined over the weekend. Unless the Wolves make a second addition to their roster, they’ll find themselves in a similar situation once Jackson’s 10-day contract expires, with up to two weeks to re-add a 14th man.

Jackson will earn $145,301 over the course of his 10-day deal, while the Wolves take on a cap hit of $116,075. The contract will cover the team’s next five games, starting on Friday vs. Milwaukee.

With Jackson’s 10-day deal on their books, the Wolves are now $1.4MM below the luxury tax line, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. That will be a consideration as Minnesota manages its roster during the season’s final weeks, since the organization won’t want to become a taxpayer.

Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart Suspended Three Games Without Pay

February 22nd, 2024 at 3:40pm CST by Rory Maher

3:40pm: The misdemeanor assault charge against Stewart has been dismissed after prosecutors declined to pursue the case, tweets Baxter Holmes of ESPN. That explains why the NBA handed out a suspension today, since the league typically doesn’t act until the legal process has played out.

Stewart will lose $108,966 as part of his three-game suspension, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).

3:17pm: Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart has been suspended three games without pay for initiating an altercation with Suns big man Drew Eubanks prior to last week’s game in Phoenix, the NBA announced (via Twitter).

Stewart punched and pushed Eubanks during the incident, per the league’s statement. His suspension is expected to begin on Thursday vs. Indiana, as Detroit’s forward/center was set to be active tonight for the first time in several weeks after dealing with an ankle sprain.

Eubanks said he was sucker-punched in the face by Stewart in the hallway of the Footprint Center shortly after arriving at the arena, though he wasn’t injured and was able to suit up for the Suns’ victory last Wednesday. Stewart was arrested on a misdemeanor assault charge and issued a citation before being released.

Stewart, 22, is averaging 11.0 PPG and 6.8 RPG on .470/.374/.746 shooting in 35 games (30.6 MPG) this season for the Pistons, who hold the worst record in the league at 8-46.

Pistons Converting Stanley Umude To Standard Contract

February 22nd, 2024 at 3:35pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pistons plan to give Stanley Umude a promotion, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the second-year guard/forward will have his two-way contract converted into a standard two-year deal.

Umude, 24, has appeared in 17 games this season for Detroit, averaging 5.2 points and 1.8 rebounds on .481/.548/.917 shooting in 11.2 minutes per contest. He has also played 22 games (32.6 minutes) for the Pistons’ G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise, averaging 17.1 points and 5.8 rebounds on .397/.345/.774 shooting.

Umude went undrafted in 2022 out of Arkansas and spent training camp with Detroit, spending most of his rookie campaign with the Cruise. He made one appearance with the Pistons last season while on a 10-day deal.

The Pistons have been busy on Thursday, having reached agreements to sign Cruise member Buddy Boeheim to a two-way deal, convert Umude to a standard contract, and give Tosan Evbuomwan the two-way slot previously held by Umude.

Warriors Promote Lester Quinones To 15-Man Roster

February 22nd, 2024 at 1:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

February 22: Quinones has officially been converted to a standard contract, the Warriors announced (via Twitter).

February 20: The Warriors plan to convert two-way guard Lester Quinones to a standard NBA contract, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter). The contract is expected to be signed Thursday, Wojnarowski adds.

Quinones has been with Golden State for the last two seasons. He has appeared in 19 NBA contests this season, averaging 4.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 12.9 minutes per game.

Quinones has played regularly off the bench this month, averaging 7.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 19.6 minutes per night. He hasn’t been inactive or registered a DNP-CD since January 27.

The Warriors had only 13 players on the 15-man roster entering the All-Star break and needed to add at least one more by Thursday. Golden State got down to 13 by trading Cory Joseph. After officially promoting Quinones, Golden State will have another two-way slot available.

Quinones was signed to a two-way deal late last season and re-signed in July. He was the named the 2023 Most Improved Player in the NBA G League when he averaged 21.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists for Santa Cruz.

Lakers’ Wood To Be Reevaluated In Two Weeks; LeBron To Miss Thursday’s Game

February 21st, 2024 at 9:34pm CST by Arthur Hill

9:34pm: The Lakers are optimistic that Wood’s injury is relatively minor and that he won’t miss more than a couple weeks, a source tells Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link).

7:15pm: Lakers backup big man Christian Wood has been diagnosed with swelling in his left knee and will be reevaluated in about two weeks, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

Wood has appeared in 50 of the team’s first 56 games and was able to play 16 minutes last Wednesday in L.A.’s final game before the All-Star break. He’s averaging 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per night in his first season with the Lakers.

The team is listing LeBron James as out for Thursday’s game with Golden State due to the peroneal tendinopathy in his left ankle that has been affecting him for a while. He also missed last Wednesday’s contest and sat out the second half of Sunday’s All-Star Game.

James has been receiving treatment on the ankle this week, but it hasn’t responded well enough for him to take the court. Thursday will mark the eighth game he has missed this season, and it comes at a crucial time as the Warriors are just a game-and-a-half behind L.A. in the Western Conference play-in race.

Ryan Rollins Signs Two-Way Contract With Bucks

February 21st, 2024 at 9:23am CST by Rory Maher

FEBRUARY 21: The Bucks have officially announced Rollins’ two-way contract (Twitter link).

FEBRUARY 19: Free agent guard Ryan Rollins is signing a two-way contract with the Bucks, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Rollins was selected 44th overall in the 2022 draft after two college seasons at Toledo. He only appeared in 12 games as a rookie last season with the Warriors, who traded him to the Wizards last summer as part of the Chris Paul/Jordan Poole deal.

The 21-year-old didn’t play much for Washington either, making 10 appearances for 66 total minutes in 2023/24 before the Wizards released him in January.

A few days later, it was reported that Rollins was accused of repeatedly shoplifting from a Target store in Virginia. He was charged with seven counts of petit larceny, which is considered a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia.

It’s unclear what came of his legal situation, as he had a court hearing scheduled for February. But evidently the Bucks felt comfortable taking a chance on Rollins, who was viewed as having defensive upside and an ability to create shots when he was drafted.

Milwaukee has a pair of two-way openings, so the team won’t have to release anyone to add Rollins.

Darius Bazley Signs 10-Day Deal With Sixers

February 20th, 2024 at 4:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

FEBRUARY 20: Bazley has officially signed with the Sixers, according to a team press release.

FEBRUARY 19: The Sixers will sign Darius Bazley to a 10-day contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The 23-year-old big man has been playing with Philadelphia’s G League affiliate in Delaware since being waived by Brooklyn prior to the start of the season. Bazley is averaging 20.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 18 regular season games with the Blue Coats, and Charania points out that he recently had a 38-point, 15-rebound performance.

Bazley should provide some depth to the Sixers’ front line, which has been depleted with the loss of Joel Embiid to meniscus surgery. Assuming he signs on Thursday, Bazley will be eligible for that night’s game against New York, plus four more over the 10-day contract.

After creating three open roster spots through trades, Philadelphia faces a deadline of Thursday to get back to the league-mandated minimum of 14 players. The team filled one opening by signing Kyle Lowry last week.

A first-round pick in 2019, Bazley began his career in Oklahoma City, where he spent three-and-a-half seasons before being traded to Phoenix at last year’s deadline. He appeared in just seven games with the Suns before becoming a free agent last summer. He was selected to participate in the G League’s Up Next Game at All-Star Weekend.

Suns Sign Thaddeus Young

February 20th, 2024 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 20: The Suns have officially signed Young, announcing the deal in a press release. That means he’ll be available for Phoenix when the club’s post-All-Star schedule gets underway on Thursday, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic writes.

“Thad is a highly respected veteran player who makes us a better team in our pursuit of winning an NBA Championship,” general manager James Jones said in a statement. “Thad is extremely intelligent and plays with a competitive intensity. His size and defensive abilities add versatility to our roster.”

FEBRUARY 13: The Suns are finalizing a deal to sign free agent forward Thaddeus Young, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Young had been with the Raptors for the past two years, but was traded to Brooklyn at last week’s deadline along with Dennis Schröder in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie. The Nets opted to waive Young, who was on an expiring $8MM contract, in order to open up a roster spot to complete the deal that sent Royce O’Neale to Phoenix in exchange for draft picks and two incoming players.

A veteran in his 17th NBA season, Young hasn’t been a regular starter since 2018/19 and played a limited role in Toronto this season. He averaged 5.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 15.2 minutes per game across 23 appearances (six starts), shooting a career-high 62.1% from the floor.

Young is unlikely to play major minutes in Phoenix either, but will provide some additional frontcourt depth and veteran leadership on a team with title aspirations. In addition to playing at forward, the 35-year-old can also function as a small-ball five.

The Suns have two open spots on their 15-man roster after trading away four players at the deadline for O’Neale and David Roddy, so no corresponding move will be necessary to create room for Young.

Due to a new rule related to the buyout market, Phoenix is ineligible to sign a player cut during the season if his pre-waiver salary exceeded the amount of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($12.4MM), but that restriction doesn’t apply to Young, who was earning less than that.

Nets Name Kevin Ollie Interim Head Coach

February 20th, 2024 at 12:48pm CST by Rory Maher

FEBRUARY 20: The Nets have made it official, announcing (via Twitter) that Ollie is their interim head coach.

According to Charania (Twitter video link), while Ollie may receive consideration for the permanent job, Brooklyn will conduct a “full-blown” search this spring.

FEBRUARY 19: The Nets plan to name Kevin Ollie as their interim head coach in the wake of Jacque Vaughn‘s dismissal, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

According to Woj, Ollie will run Tuesday’s practice and will be the lead coach for Thursday’s contest against Toronto.

Separate reports earlier this afternoon from Shams Charania of The Athletic and Wojnarowski indicated that Ollie had emerged as the frontrunner to become Brooklyn’s interim head coach (Twitter links).

Ollie was a finalist for the Pistons’ head coaching job last offseason. The position ultimately went to Monty Williams, with Ollie instead joining Brooklyn as an assistant coach.

A former NBA journeyman guard who played for 11 different teams in his 13 seasons, Ollie began his coaching career after retiring as a player in 2010. He was the head coach at UConn from 2012-18 and won a national title with the Huskies in 2014 but lost his job after the NCAA opened an investigation into UConn and its coaches for recruiting violations.

Ollie was also the head coach of the Overtime Elite program from 2021-23. He left that position last March.

It’s unclear if the 51-year-old will be a candidate for the full-time job, but he’ll have an opportunity to make an impression down the stretch of the 2023/24 season for the Nets, who have been struggling mightily of late, losing 18 of their past 24 games.