- The Thunder are hoping Keyontae Johnson can become their next G League success story, Rylan Stiles writes for Thunderous Intentions. The 50th pick in this year’s draft signed a two-way contract and will spend most of the season with Oklahoma City Blue.
Bulls guard Zach LaVine and Raptors forward OG Anunoby continue to be two names to watch as possible trade targets for the Sixers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who said during an appearance on FanDuel’s Run it Back (Twitter video link) that Philadelphia has monitored both players and has “a level of interest” in them.
The Sixers have several expiring contracts that could be used as salary-matching pieces in a deadline trade. The biggest of those expiring deals belongs to Tobias Harris, who is earning $39.27MM this season before reaching unrestricted free agency in 2024.
According to Charania, while the 76ers value Harris and want to keep him around, there are “a lot of teams” keeping an eye on the veteran forward, whose scoring output has slowed down recently (11.3 PPG in his past 11 games) following a hot start (19.3 PPG in his first 16 games).
Here are a few more trade-related notes from around the NBA:
- Zach Lowe of ESPN (Insider link) is the latest reporter to confirm that the Cavaliers have shown no inclination to make Donovan Mitchell available via trade. That stance may not change unless Mitchell expresses unhappiness in Cleveland, Lowe adds.
- Within the same ESPN story, Lowe makes a case that the Thunder should be active on the trade market this season, pointing out that there’s plenty of middle ground available between standing pat and trying to land a superstar. Oklahoma City is good enough that even overpaying for one starter-caliber player could make the team a legitimate title contender, Lowe argues.
- In the third article in a series examining the Heat‘s trade options, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald takes a closer look at 10 Eastern Conference rivals, exploring which of them might make the most sense as trade partners for Miami.
After finishing runner-up to Nikola Jokic in 2020/21 and ’21/22, Sixers center Joel Embiid won his first MVP award last season. And he’s arguably been even better through the first third of the ’23/24 season, averaging career highs in multiple categories, including points (35.1), assists (5.9) and free throw percentage (89.3%).
In the first MVP straw poll conducted by Tim Bontemps of ESPN (subscriber link), Embiid is the clear frontrunner, receiving 63 first-place votes and 848 points. However, several top players are in the mix, with Nuggets center Jokic (630 points), Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (352), Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (340) and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (306) rounding out the top five.
12 total players received at least one top-five vote in the informal poll, which features 100 media members and mimics the NBA’s scoring system. Embiid made it clear he’d welcome more hardware.
“I have a pretty good chance [at another MVP],” Embiid told Bontemps. “I mean, if I have a chance to be in the conversation, why not? I want it all. I’m not shy about it. I’m not going to sit here and be like, ‘Oh, I don’t care about this.’ Anything that I can get my hands on, I want it.”
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- All-Star fan voting is underway, prompting Zach Harper of The Athletic to choose his starters to this point in the season. Out West, Harper has Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic in the backcourt, with LeBron James (Lakers) and Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) joining Jokic in the froncourt. For the East, Harper selects Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers), Jayson Tatum (Celtics), Antetokounmpo, and Embiid.
- In a press release, the NBA announced its celebrations for the first-ever World Basketball Day, which was established by the United Nations earlier this year during the World Cup. It will be observed annually on December 21 — the day Dr. James Naismith first introduced the game of basketball at the Springfield YMCA in 1891.
- Former first-round pick Darius Bazley is attempting to make his way back into the NBA through the G League after being waived by the Nets prior to the season. Playing for the Delaware Blue Coats (the Sixers‘ affiliate), Bazley had a huge game at the Winter Showcase on Wednesday, recording 43 points, 18 rebounds, three steals and six blocks in the victory over the Texas Legends (Twitter link via the NBAGL).
It’s a little too early in the season to project 2023/24 award winners, but Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon told reporters after Monday’s win over Dallas that Reggie Jackson deserves serious consideration for Sixth Man of the Year honors (Twitter video link via DNVR Sports).
Jackson, who has technically started 14 of 28 games so far due to Jamal Murray‘s injury, didn’t play regular minutes during Denver’s championship run in the spring, but he has emerged as a key rotation player this season. He has averaged 13.6 points and 4.5 assists per night with shooting percentages (.495 FG%, .407 3PT%) well above his career rates.
The veteran guard has been “huge for us,” according to Gordon, who wanted to make sure to get Jackson’s name into the Sixth Man conversation.
“He has to be in the running,” Gordon said. “I know being in Denver you don’t get a lot of pub, you don’t get a lot of media nods as far as the All-Star team, All-Defensive team, MVPs, and Sixth Man of the Year. But Reggie is arguably the Sixth Man of the Year in the NBA right now.”
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- Sam Presti has referenced the Thunder‘s losing record last season and has tempered expectations for the team in the short term, suggesting that Oklahoma City won’t be in any rush to add win-now reinforcements to its roster. However, appearing on SiriusXM NBA Radio (Twitter audio link), Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports says some people around the league are skeptical of that claim and expect Presti’s front office to be active in the coming weeks. The Thunder have an air of unpredictability about them, according to Rylan Stiles of Thunderous Intentions, who says it wouldn’t be surprising to see the club go in any direction at the trade deadline.
- Rookie Jazz guard Keyonte George has missed the past three games due to left foot inflammation, but he’s progressing toward a return. As Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune relays (via Twitter), George is now traveling with the team and participating in on-court activities.
- The bond that Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards are building is one that the Timberwolves previously envisioned Towns having with Jimmy Butler, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. The Butler era in Minnesota crashed and burned in dramatic fashion five years ago, but Towns and Edwards have always respected each other’s skill sets and have had one another’s backs, as Krawczynski details.
The Timberwolves are truly gelling this season, and it all starts with their defense, writes Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports.
After a very bumpy 2022/23 season, Minnesota has looked like an altogether different team thus far in 2023/24. At 20-5, the club is currently the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference alone, three games ahead of the No. 2 Thunder.
Devine writes that the Timberwolves currently lead the NBA in points permitted per possession, and also boast the one of best defenses of the young century.
The Wolves’ length and size helps them stand apart on that end, thanks to its fearsome frontcourt tandem of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, plus its size on the wing with All-Star shooting guard Anthony Edwards and small forward Jaden McDaniels.
There’s more out of the Northwest:
- Following a 127-109 loss to Minnesota on Saturday, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle was struck by the Timberwolves’ sheer ability, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “This is one of the best teams on the planet,” Carlisle reflected postgame. “These guys have really got it going here. The building is alive, the environment is way different than it used to be.”
- Combo guard Collin Sexton remains a critical energy player for the Jazz this season, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. His enthusiasm appears to be a big part of his charm, according to Utah head coach Will Hardy. “I love Collin to death,” Hardy said. “His intensity, his passion, his want to win, his energy is infectious… Collin’s a very endearing person.” Through 26 contests, mostly as a reserve, Sexton is averaging 14.3 PPG on .474/.333/.884 shooting splits, along with 3.3 APG and 2.7 RPG.
- Second-year Thunder forward Jalen Williams has carved out a significant role on Oklahoma City’s new “big three” alongside All-Star point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Rookie of the Year frontrunner Chet Holmgren, writes Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman. Williams is emerging as a secondary play-maker as well, and figuring out how best to work in tandem with Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren. “I think the biggest thing for me is just realizing what spots I’m in on a consistent basis and trying to rep those out continuously over this past summer,” Williams said. “And even now I feel like I also treat games like the most live reps you can get.”
- Several contenders, including the Celtics, Thunder and Mavericks, have expressed an interest in Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart, sources tell James L. Edwards of The Athletic. Stewart has been one of the few bright spots in Detroit’s ugly season, averaging 10.2 points and 6.8 rebounds through 25 games. He signed a four-year, $64MM extension this summer and would be subject to the poison pill provision in any trade until July 1. Edwards also addresses trade suggestions from readers, saying he’s heard the Pistons don’t have interest in adding Utah’s John Collins or Charlotte’s P.J. Washington.
The significance of the Thunder‘s victory in Denver on Saturday night can’t be ignored, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic, who points out that it’s extremely rare for any team to steal a win at Ball Arena. The Nuggets lost just seven times in Denver during the 2022/23 regular season and had won 10 of 11 home games so far this season before Saturday’s defeat.
“It showed that we can play with anybody when we are playing well,” Thunder forward Jalen Williams said of the thrilling 118-117 win. “Obviously, we have a ton of respect for Denver. In regards to that, they did a lot to win this game as well. But we feel that we can compete with anybody, and I think this solidifies those thoughts that we have.
“Honestly, I don’t think that we’ve ever not thought that way. But this just gives us more and more confidence as we head into the rest of the season. We know that we have a lot of work ahead of us and a long way to go. But we know that we can play with anyone when we are on our game.”
With the victory, the Thunder moved ahead of the Nuggets in the standings and once again hold the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. As Jones writes, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also continued to strengthen his Most Valuable Player case on Saturday, outplaying two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and hitting the game-winning shot in the final second of the fourth quarter.
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- Jokic had high praise for Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, who had an incredible nine blocked shots on Saturday. As Bennett Durando of The Denver Post relays, the Nuggets’ star center thinks Holmgren is capable of being much more than just a Rookie of the Year winner. “I think that’s not supposed to be his goal,” Jokic said. “I think he can be much better than that.”
- Zeke Nnaji has been a DNP-CD in six of the Nuggets‘ past eight games, as head coach Michael Malone has leaned on DeAndre Jordan as the team’s primary backup center. However, Malone is unwilling to classify Nnaji as “out of the rotation,” referring to him as “an effective player for us,” tweets Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports. Nnaji signed a four-year, $32MM rookie scale extension prior to the season; it will begin in ’24/25.
- Trail Blazers rookie Scoot Henderson has been showing his explosiveness more often as of late, which the team views as another sign that he’s getting more comfortable after a slow start to his NBA career, writes Jason Quick of The Athletic. “I think Scoot is getting better every day, to be honest with you,” Billups said of the No. 3 overall pick, who has averaged 18.3 points on .468/.500/1.000 shooting in his past three games. “You can actually see the progress in the games. In the early part of the season he really struggled, and I thought most of his struggles came from him just wanting so badly to play well. So, he could never slow down.”
- Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant returned to action on Saturday after spending four games in the concussion protocol and didn’t miss a beat, scoring 27 points on 12-of-20 shooting in 38 minutes of action. Grant is one of several players around the NBA who won’t become trade-eligible until January 15.
After Marc Stein reported that teams around the NBA are keeping an eye on Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports says that several clubs have already contacted Utah to inquire on Markkanen.
Fischer stresses that the Jazz are “by no means expected” to trade Markkanen, who is a favorite of team officials. However, opposing executives have gotten the sense that the All-Star forward is no longer quite as untouchable as he was in the past.
“Do I expect Utah to trade Lauri? No,” one general manager told Fischer. “But they are saying they’re willing to listen. They are willing to listen to calls on everyone, but it’s a matter of meeting their price like Minnesota did for Rudy [Gobert].”
As Fischer notes, even if a deal is unlikely, the fact that the Jazz are open to listening on Markkanen means that there will continue to be plenty of buzz around him as the trade deadline nears. League personnel believe that the Kings, Hawks, and Thunder are among the teams that would have the most interest in the Finnish star, Fischer adds.
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Rival teams had begun to zero in on Thunder guard Josh Giddey as a possible trade target before the NBA and California police began looking into allegations that he had an inappropriate relationship with a minor, per Fischer. Depending on the outcome of those investigations, Giddey may still draw interest ahead of the trade deadline. Oklahoma City also explored moving Tre Mann prior to the start of the season, Fischer adds.
- If the Kings pursue either Pascal Siakam or OG Anunoby, the Raptors are expected to ask for Keegan Murray in return, which may be a non-starter for Sacramento, Fischer writes, since the Kings view Murray as an important piece in both the present and the future. However, another former lottery pick, Davion Mitchell, is considered a “strong” trade candidate, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
- The Grizzlies have made calls to potential trade partners to gauge those teams’ interest in some of Memphis’ reserves, but if a deal doesn’t materialize in the coming days, the expectation is that the team will probably waive Kenneth Lofton Jr. to open up a roster spot to activate Ja Morant next week, says Fischer. We took a closer look at Memphis’ looming roster decisions earlier in the week.
The Warriors remain the NBA’s most valuable team, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico (subscription required), who unveiled the website’s updated NBA franchise valuations for 2023 on Wednesday.
Badenhausen projects the Warriors’ value at $8.28 billion, making them one of three teams to surpass the $7 billion mark this year. The Knicks have a projected worth of $7.43 billion, while the Lakers come in at $7.34 billion, per Sportico.
As Badenhausen details, Sportico spoke to more than 30 team executives, owners, investors, bankers, consultants, and lawyers in compiling their latest NBA franchise valuations. According to Sportico, the average value of an NBA team is up 33% from a year ago and 70% from when the site first started publishing valuations three years ago.
A combination of factors are contributing to the soaring value of NBA franchises, says Baudenhausen. Those factors include national media deals, international opportunities, scarcity (ie. only 30 teams are available), and an equal 1/30th stake in the league.
In the past, we’ve used Forbes as our primary source for NBA franchise valuations, but with Badenhausen making the move from Forbes to Sportico in recent years and the outlet establishing itself as a go-to resource for sports business news, we’re highlighting Sportico’s projections in 2023.
Of course, it’s worth noting that figures from Sportico, Forbes, or any other media outlet are just estimates and often don’t quite match up with the sale prices for franchises that change hands. But thse projections are usually in the right ballpark and remain useful for getting a sense of the league’s most and least valuable teams.
Here’s Sportico’s full list of NBA franchise valuations for 2023:
- Golden State Warriors: $8.28 billion
- New York Knicks: $7.43 billion
- Los Angeles Lakers: $7.34 billion
- Boston Celtics: $5.12 billion
- Chicago Bulls: $4.83 billion
- Los Angeles Clippers: $4.56 billion
- Miami Heat: $4.17 billion
- Philadelphia 76ers: $4.13 billion
- Toronto Raptors: $4.11 billion
- Houston Rockets: $4.05 billion
- Dallas Mavericks: $4.03 billion
- Phoenix Suns: $4 billion
- Brooklyn Nets: $3.98 billion
- Sacramento Kings: $3.46 billion
- Denver Nuggets: $3.4 billion
- Atlanta Hawks: $3.35 billion
- Washington Wizards: $3.33 billion
- San Antonio Spurs: $3.29 billion
- Portland Trail Blazers: $3.28 billion
- Indiana Pacers: $3.27 billion
- Utah Jazz: $3.24 billion
- Cleveland Cavaliers: $3.22 billion
- Milwaukee Bucks: $3.2 billion
- Orlando Magic: $3.12 billion
- Detroit Pistons: $3.1 billion
- Oklahoma City Thunder: $3.08 billion
- Charlotte Hornets: $3 billion
- Minnesota Timberwolves: $2.94 billion
- Memphis Grizzlies: $2.82 billion
- New Orleans Pelicans: $2.72 billion
For the most part, the most significant valuation increases (by percentage) within the last year belonged to the teams on the bottom half of this list. Besides the Bucks, whose projection rose by 32%, every franchise in the bottom 10 received at least a 50% bump from Sportico’s 2022 valuations.
The Nuggets, who cracked the top half of this list following their 2023 championship, were another big riser — their valuation increased by 60% and they moved up six spots.
It’s worth noting that the Mavericks‘ reported valuation in Mark Cuban‘s sale to the Adelson and Dumont families reportedly came in around $3.5 billion, well below Sportico’s valuation.
However, more recent reporting has suggested the final valuation will be closer to $4 billion when the transaction closes. That was also a unique situation since Cuban is retaining control of basketball operations as part of the sale agreement, despite surrendering majority control of the business. He’ll hang onto about 25% of the franchise, according to Sportico.
Residents of Oklahoma City overwhelmingly approved a proposal to use taxpayer dollars to fund the majority of a new arena for the Thunder, according to reports from Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman and Sean Murphy of The Associated Press.
The vote, which occurred on Tuesday, asked OKC residents whether or not to approve a 1% sales tax that would fund approximately $850MM of the arena project. According to the Oklahoma State Election Board, 71% of the respondents voted in favor of the plan.
Under the proposed deal, Thunder owner Clay Bennett will also contribute $50MM to the construction of the arena, which is expected to cost around $900MM.
An exact location for the new building has yet to be determined, though mayor David Holt said finalizing that detail will be “one of the first orders of business.” According to Mussatto, the most likely location is the land currently occupied by Prairie Surf Studios (the former home of the Cox Convention Center).
The hope is that the new arena will be ready for the 2029/30 season. The Thunder have committed to play in the building for at least 25 years, which means the franchise would remain in Oklahoma City through at least 2054.
Since moving from Seattle to Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder (formerly the SuperSonics) have played in the Paycom Center, which opened in 2002. OKC voters previously approved a sales tax to finance upgrades to that arena — that tax will remain in effect until April 1, 2028, which is when this newly approved tax will begin.
“A signature of the Oklahoma City Thunder, beyond the team’s success on the floor, has been their deep connection to their fans and their community,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement (Twitter link via Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman). “This vote for a new arena is another example of that bond.
“We are grateful to the people of Oklahoma City for the confidence they have shown in both the Thunder and the NBA as we embark on a new era of global sports and entertainment.”