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Western Notes: Suns, Durant, Green, Tillie, Holmgren, Mitchell

August 27th, 2022 at 3:06pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Suns coach Monty Williams never discussed the Kevin Durant trade rumors with his players, he said during an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio (hat tip to Dana Scott of the Arizona Republic).

“When I first heard about the Kevin Durant stuff, I was kind of blown away by it just because, you know, we’ve been so blessed here to have guys want to come,” Williams said. “At the same time, ‘At the expense of what?’ was my thinking. And I like our team. I love our guys. But I wasn’t going to have conversations that didn’t need to be had.”

Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Deandre Ayton and Jae Crowder were among the names speculated as part of the talks between Brooklyn and Phoenix.

“I think our guys are mature enough to understand that part of our business,” Williams said. “I didn’t want to have conversations about stuff that didn’t need to be brought up.”

We have more from the Western Conference:

  • Danny Green‘s contract may be the reason he makes the Grizzlies’ roster, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal writes. Green is on the roster bubble as he recovers from a torn ACL that will likely keep him out of action until at least the second half of the season. However, his expiring $10MM contract is one of the team’s best trade chips. Forward Killian Tillie may be the odd man out if Green isn’t traded, though he could still find his way onto the roster due to his shooting ability and position versatility.
  • Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, declared out for the season due to a foot injury suffered during a pro-am event, is hardly the first high-profile rookie in that predicament, Drew Maresca of Basketball News notes. Joel Embiid, Blake Griffin, Nerlens Noel, Michael Porter Jr. and Ben Simmons were some of the other highly-touted prospects who had to sit out a full year due to injuries.
  • The Jazz are reportedly trying to get the best offer for Donovan Mitchell prior to training camp and Sarah Todd of the Deseret News believes that’s a wise approach. She notes that Utah isn’t out to win this coming season, so there’s no reason to keep the All-Star on the roster, while the team that acquires him will want him to build chemistry with his new teammates. It would avoid the awkwardness of having Mitchell in their camp while trade rumors swirl.
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Thunder Apply For Disabled Player Exception Due To Holmgren Injury

August 27th, 2022 at 11:53am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Thunder have applied to the NBA for a disabled player exception worth $4.95MM due to the season-ending loss of Chet Holmgren, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

The DPE allows a team to sign a player without using cap space.  In order for the exception to be granted, an NBA-designated physician must determine that the player is “substantially more likely than not” to be sidelined through at least June 15 of that league year.

If granted, the disabled player exception allows a club to sign a replacement player for 50% of the injured player’s salary, or for the amount of the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception, whichever is lesser.

Holmgren has a $9,891,240 salary in his rookie year, so a DPE worth half his salary would work out to $4,945,620.

Holmgren, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2022 draft, will miss his entire rookie season after sustaining a right foot injury. The 20-year-old will undergo surgery in the coming weeks and is expected to make a full recovery by the start of 2023/24.

The injury took place during a Seattle pro-am that was later called off due to unsafe (slippery) court conditions.

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Chet Holmgren Injury Notes: Surgery, Details, More

August 25th, 2022 at 2:23pm CST by Rory Maher

After announcing that big man Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2022 draft, will miss his entire rookie season after sustaining a right foot injury, Thunder general manager Sam Presti held an impromptu media session (video link) to provide more details and insight on the situation, writes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (subscriber link).

The 20-year-old will undergo surgery in the “coming weeks,” said Presti, adding that Holmgren is expected to make a full recovery by the start of 2023/24. The GM said the long-term outlook is “very positive,” described the injury as bad luck, and added that Holmgren suffered a “rupture of the tendon” and “not a fracture,” according to Mussatto.

Presti also dismissed a question asking whether Holmgren’s thin frame might have been a factor in the injury.

“I understand there’s a lot of first-level thinking going on out there,” Presti said. “We can’t really control that. It’s a figment of the alternate reality that is the internet. But that’s not where reality resides. There are opinions and there are facts, and we are dealing with the facts.”

While the injury took place during a Seattle pro-am that was later called off due to unsafe (slippery) court conditions, Presti doesn’t believe that led to the incident.

“I don’t think the condensation on the floor was a factor,” Presti said, per Mussatto. “Obviously this happened pretty early, and I don’t believe that issue came up until later.”

Presti said Holmgren will work with longtime former Thunder veteran Nick Collison during the recovery process, Mussatto notes. Like Holmgren, Collison also missed his entire rookie season with an injury. He now works in the team’s front office.

Here are a few more notes regarding the unfortunate news:

  • Because the pro-am league, called “The CrawsOver” in honor of founder Jamal Crawford, is on the list of sanctioned events by the NBA, Holmgren’s future earnings will not be impacted, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. The Thunder will receive an insurance reimbursement worth 80% of Holmgren’s per-game salary after he misses 41 games, for a total of $4MM, Marks relays in a separate tweet.
  • The injury shouldn’t be an indictment on NBA players who participate in pro-am leagues, argues Law Murray of The Athletic. The events are free and take place in more intimate venues, which allows players to connect to fans in local communities, and they’ve been going on for decades without an issue, Murray writes. The fact that the injury took place at a pro-am league was just a random occurrence that shouldn’t “validate the concerns” of the minority who think players should only play in NBA games, says Murray.
  • Presti agrees with Murray’s assessment that it was a one-off incident, according to Mussatto. “Players are going to play in these (pro-ams),” Presti said, “because the NBA is saying that they are okay to play in. The other thing is, guys are playing all over the place all the time everywhere. If you have players that love to play, they are going to play basketball. Every time you step on a basketball court, something like this could happen. It could happen in a game. It could happen in a practice. It could happen in a scrimmage.”
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Chet Holmgren Out For 2022/23 Season Due To Foot Injury

August 25th, 2022 at 9:05am CST by Luke Adams

Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 draft, will miss his entire rookie season due to a Lisfranc injury in his right foot, the team announced today in a press release.

Holmgren is believed to have sustained the injury during a pro-am contest in Seattle on Saturday. He left the game – which was ended early due to slippery court conditions – after rolling his ankle, and a report on Wednesday indicated that the Thunder feared the injury was more serious than initially thought.

“Certainly, we are disappointed for Chet, especially given the excitement he had about getting on the floor with his teammates this season,” Thunder executive VP and general manager Sam Presti said in a statement. “We know Chet has a long career ahead of him within our organization and the Oklahoma City community.

“One of the things that most impressed us during the process of selecting Chet was his determination and focus. We expect that same tenacity will carry him through this period of time as we work together and support him during his rehabilitation.”

Holmgren, 20, was drafted behind only Paolo Banchero this June after averaging 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game in 32 appearances (26.9 MPG) for Gonzaga during his first and only college season.

Holmgren’s ability to protect the rim and knock down three-pointers (.390 3PT%), along with his rare blend of length and athleticism, made him perhaps the most tantalizing prospect of the 2022 draft class and a cornerstone piece in the Thunder’s ongoing rebuild. While Oklahoma City hadn’t been expected to be in the playoff picture in 2022/23, it’s still a brutal blow to both the player and team that Holmgren won’t get a chance to play at all this season.

As Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN observes (via Twitter), a number of top draft picks within the last 10 or 15 years have missed their entire rookie seasons due to injuries and eventually went on to make All-NBA teams, including Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Blake Griffin. The Thunder will hope that Holmgren can follow a similar career path.

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Thunder Fear Chet Holmgren Has Torn Ligaments In Foot

August 24th, 2022 at 1:42pm CST by Luke Adams

No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren is undergoing further evaluation on his injured foot, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links), who says the Thunder fear Holmgren has suffered ligament damage.

As Charania explains, exams on Holmgren’s foot have shown potential torn ligaments, and the big man is getting additional opinions to determine the severity of the injury and to set a recovery timetable.

Holmgren’s injury occurred during a pro-am game in Seattle on Saturday — he left the contest after rolling his ankle. Reports at the time indicated the injury didn’t appear serious, but it sounds like there’s cause for real concern now that the young center has undergone more tests. That pro-am game had to be stopped early due to slippery court conditions that were deemed unsafe.

Holmgren, 20, was drafted behind only Paolo Banchero this June after averaging 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game in 32 appearances (26.9 MPG) for Gonzaga during his first and only college season.

Holmgren’s ability to protect the rim and knock down three-pointers (.390 3PT%), along with his rare blend of length and athleticism, made him perhaps the most tantalizing prospect of the 2022 draft class, but his slender build raised questions about his ability to stay healthy going forward.

The Thunder aren’t expected to be a playoff team in 2022/23, but view Holmgren as one of the foundational pieces of their franchise in the long term, alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey. We’ll provide more info on his foot injury once we know more.

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Chet Holmgren Believed To Be OK After Rolling Ankle In Pro-Am Game

August 21st, 2022 at 9:20am CST by Arthur Hill

Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren had to leave Saturday’s Seattle pro-am game after rolling his ankle, but the injury doesn’t appear to be serious, tweets Nathan Thompson of Fox 23 Sports in Oklahoma. Thompson provides a video of the play, which happened early in the game as Holmgren was defending LeBron James on a fast break.

The contest, which featured an impressive array of NBA talent, had to be called midway through the second quarter because of unsafe court conditions, writes Kevin Pelton of ESPN. The combination of unusually humid weather and a crowd of nearly 3,000 people that packed the gym at Seattle Pacific University led to condensation issues that made the court too slippery to continue.

The decision to end the game was made after Bucks rookie MarJon Beauchamp slipped while attempting a layup.

“You don’t get a day like this often, but it’s my job to protect everybody’s safety,” said league founder Jamal Crawford. “On the court, I couldn’t risk those guys taking a chance of getting hurt. It’s not worth that. It’s supposed to drive inspiration and give hope and they did that. The job was accomplished.”

According to Pelton, fans began lining up Friday night in hopes of being admitted to the venue. Thousands of people were left outside once the small gym reached its capacity.

James received a thunderous ovation when the crowd first caught a glimpse of him, and tipoff was delayed as a group of fans surrounded him on the court. Crawford addressed the crowd over the PA system, asking for order to be restored amid a warning from Seattle police that the game might have to be shut down.

Once play began, Celtics star Jayson Tatum provided some early highlights, hitting three shots from three-point range and blowing kisses to the fans (video link). He also threw a lob pass to James at the end of the first quarter that resulted in a crowd-pleasing dunk.

“Obviously, everybody didn’t get in and everybody probably could never get in,” Crawford said after the game. “We tried to do the best we can. We tried to provide an experience that we’ve never had before. I thought that overall it was great because I think it’s moments and memories that the kids will never forget.”

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More Than 30 NBA Players On Track To Suit Up For EuroBasket

August 18th, 2022 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

The first EuroBasket tournament in five years will tip off in two weeks and there are currently 34 NBA players on track to participate in the event, representing 17 different countries, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net.

EuroBasket is a 24-team international basketball competition also known as the European Basketball Championship. It historically took place every two years, but that gap was recently adjusted to four years, emulating the FIBA World Cup schedule.

The last EuroBasket tournament was played in 2017 — the next one had been scheduled for 2021, but was pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics. As a result, after being played every two years since 1947, it has now been five years since the last EuroBasket tournament, easily the longest layoff since World War II.

It’s possible that some NBA players will be cut from their teams’ rosters or will have to drop out due to injuries or personal reasons before the event begins on September 1, but in general enthusiasm to participate in the long-awaited event appears high.

Here’s the list of NBAers currently set to play in EuroBasket, per Eurohoops:

There are also multiple NBA free agents on EuroBasket rosters, including French swingman Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and German guard Dennis Schröder.

A number of young NBA players, such as 2022 draftees Jeremy Sochan and Nikola Jovic, have dropped out to focus on getting ready for the 2022/23 season, while others, including Bogdan Bogdanovic (Serbia) and Frank Ntilikina (France), were ruled out due to injuries.

Round robin play will begin on September 1, with each team facing the other five clubs in its group once. The top four teams in each group will advance to a 16-team bracket that begins on September 10. The final will take place on September 18, just over a week before NBA training camps get underway.

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Were Thunder Seeking First-Round Pick For Micic's Rights?

August 15th, 2022 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams
  • While there was a sense the asking price could have been brought down, the Thunder were believed to be seeking a first-round pick for Vasilije Micic‘s NBA rights before he decided to remain with Anadolu Efes, according to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. “I think that was where it was a little too much for teams,” one Western Conference executive told Deveney. “No one wanted to give up a pick plus everything else it would take. The guy can play, I think he’d be good in the NBA. But no one wanted to give up picks and money for him.” Deveney suggests Micic would’ve sought a salary in the $6-7MM range and a sizable rotation role in order to make the move to the NBA.
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Eastern Notes: Durant, Bulls, Micic, Giannis

August 14th, 2022 at 9:29pm CST by JD Shaw

Nets superstar Kevin Durant has apologized for comments he made about disliking playing for former Thunder coach Billy Donovan, but the Bulls still probably don’t have the assets to trade for him, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. Donovan coached Durant in Oklahoma City during the 2015/16 season.

The Bulls can offer DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, Patrick Williams and draft capital for Durant, as Cowley notes, but the Nets likely wouldn’t be interested. Brooklyn is reportedly seeking a historic haul for Durant, an All-NBA forward who has four seasons left on his contract.

While Chicago probably won’t find a way to enter the Durant sweepstakes, the team did bolster its bench this offseason by signing veterans Goran Dragic and Andre Drummond, both of whom played for the Nets last season. The club dealt with several injuries and finished with the sixth-best record in the East at 46-36 last season.

There’s more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:

  • Sean Deveney of Heavy.com examines Vasilije Micic‘s situation and why he may have decided against making the move to the NBA. Micic, whose draft rights are held by the Thunder, registered trade interest from multiple NBA teams, including the Bulls, as Deveney notes, but ultimately chose to stay in Turkey. The 28-year-old could still join the NBA down the road.
  • Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is still hungry to accomplish much more during his career, as Kurt Helin of NBC Sports writes. Antetokounmpo is entering his 10th NBA season, owning one championship ring, two MVP awards and many more accolades to date. “I’m an old soul,” Antetokounmpo said as part of a larger quote. “Like, in my mind I feel like I’ve been a vet five years now. But like my body… I have so much energy. I’m so hungry to accomplish more. I want to go out there and help you know my team in the best way possible. And a lot of people know that I’m a winner. I love to win. I love to go out there and leave everything on the court.”
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