NBA Rumors - HoopsRumors.com

Kristaps Porzingis Will Be Sidelined 5-6 Months Following Surgery

June 27th, 2024 at 9:42am CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics have announced that Kristaps Porzingis will be sidelined for five to six months after undergoing surgery for a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN. His projected recovery timeline means he’ll miss at least the first month or two of next season.

Porzingis wasn’t available for most of the Celtics’ playoff run because of a strained right calf he suffered in the first-round series against Miami. He was able to return for the start of the NBA Finals, but was knocked out of action in Game 2 with the new left leg injury that forced him to have surgery. He made a brief return as Boston won the title in Game 5, but he admitted that he probably made his condition worse by playing.

Injuries have plagued Porzingis throughout his career, but he was relatively healthy for most of the regular season, appearing in 57 games and averaging 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 29.6 minutes per night. He negotiated a two-year, $60MM extension after being traded to Boston last summer and is under contract through 2025/26.

Porzingis’ early-season absence increases the Celtics’ urgency to keep at least one of their backup centers. The team will want to be careful with Porzingis when he does return, along with veteran big man Al Horford, who recently turned 38.

Boston holds a $2.2MM team option on Neemias Queta, but Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman are unrestricted free agents.

Brian Robb of MassLive suggests the front office should be aggressive on the free agent market in trying to find another big man willing to accept a veteran’s minimum contract, which is all Boston can offer as a second-apron team. He lists former Celtic Daniel Theis as one possibility, along with Mason Plumlee, Andre Drummond and Drew Eubanks.

Free Agent Rumors: KCP, Nuggets, DeRozan, Williams, Jones, Hartenstein

June 27th, 2024 at 8:21am CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth made it clear that the team wants to retain potential free agent wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but is prepared for the possibility of losing him. Caldwell-Pope has until Saturday to decide whether or not he’ll pick up his 2024/25 player option.

“I think we have to look at everything, and the nature of free agency is, he’s unrestricted,” Booth said, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “So we can try to bring him back, and if he doesn’t want to come back or opts to go somewhere else, that’s his prerogative. So we’ll have to work with that. But I think we’re prepared to plug and play, so to speak.”

As Durando notes, Booth identified third-year swingman Christian Braun as the top candidate to replace Caldwell-Pope in the starting lineup if necessary, citing Braun’s net rating in various lineups as a positive indicator for his ability to take on a larger role.

“I think when you look at some of the teams that have been good in the past, they have to find a way to replace fourth, fifth starters, sixth men off the bench and still keep rolling,” Booth said. “… I think if (Braun) has to step into the starting lineup, I think we’ll be OK, if KCP doesn’t return.”

Booth added that the Nuggets have interest in re-signing veteran free agents DeAndre Jordan and Justin Holiday, per Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette (Twitter link).

Here are a few more free agency rumors and notes from around the NBA:

There has been “growing buzz” that DeMar DeRozan won’t be back with the Bulls next season, whether he simply walks as a free agent or departs via sign-and-trade, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Within his latest Substack article, Marc Stein relays that his podcast partner Chris Haynes said extension talks between the Bulls and DeRozan have “gone cold,” increasing the likelihood that the veteran forward reaches the open market.
On the other hand, “all signs” point to the Bulls re-signing free agent forward Patrick Williams, says Johnson. Chicago was the first team to officially tender a qualifying offer to a free agent this summer, issuing Williams a QO on Monday to ensure he’ll be a restricted free agent.
There have been “league-wide rumblings” that the Magic have interest in point guard Tyus Jones, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports writes within a breakdown of the draft’s first day. Jones will be an unrestricted free agent and is widely expected to command a salary above the mid-level; the Magic will have the cap room necessary to make him a competitive offer if they so choose.
Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein is another potential target to watch for Orlando. With Hartenstein nearing unrestricted free agency, Stein writes at his Substack that the Magic and Thunder continue to be named most frequently by rival executives as potential suitors for the big man.

Thunder Acquire No. 26 Pick Dillon Jones From Knicks

June 27th, 2024 at 8:04am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JUNE 27: The trade is now official, the Knicks confirmed (via Twitter).

JUNE 26: The Thunder have agreed to acquire the No. 26 pick from the Knicks and are using it to draft Weber State’s Dillon Jones, according to reports from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links).

Oklahoma City will trade five second-round picks to New York in exchange for Jones’ rights at No. 26, per Charania (Twitter link). The five second-rounders are as follows, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links):

Either the Celtics’ or Grizzlies’ 2025 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable).
The Warriors’ 2026 second-round pick.
The Timberwolves’ 2027 second-round pick.
Either the Thunder’s, Rockets’, Heat’s, or Pacers’ 2027 second-round pick (whichever is second-most favorable).
Either the Thunder’s, Rockets’, Heat’s, or Pacers’ 2027 second-round pick (whichever is third-most favorable).

Adding Jones at No. 26 is a surprise move from Thunder team president Sam Presti. As The Oklahoman’s Joel Lorenzi tweets, Jones – who was not invited to the green room – was ranked 50th on ESPN’s big board and 65th by The Athletic.

However, the three-time All-Big Sky honoree had a big senior season in his final year with the Wildcats in 2023/24, averaging 20.8 points, 9.8 boards, 5.2 dimes, and 2.0 steals per game across 31 starts (37.0 MPG), with a shooting line of .489/.324/.857.

The move will allow the Knicks to replenish their future draft assets to some extent after the Nets ransacked their stash in the Mikal Bridges trade. It should also save New York some money and create additional flexibility below the tax aprons, since the cap hold for the No. 26 would have been about $2.63MM. The Knicks could instead use that roster spot on a minimum-salary player.

Luke Adams contributed to this report.

Knicks Trade No. 24 Pick Kyshawn George To Wizards

June 27th, 2024 at 8:02am CST by Luke Adams

JUNE 27: The Knicks have officially confirmed (via Twitter) that their deal with the Wizards has been finalized.

JUNE 26: The Wizards have agreed to acquire the No. 24 overall pick from the Knicks and are using it to draft Miami guard Kyshawn George, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links).

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), Washington is giving up the 26th and 51th overall selections in exchange for George’s rights.

The Knicks had controlled both the No. 24 and No. 25 picks, so the Wizards presumably felt as if New York would use one of those selections to nab George, or that another team would move up ahead of them for the former Hurricane.

In his freshman season at Miami, George averaged 7.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 23.0 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .426/.408/.778. The Wizards will make the freshman wing their third draft pick of the night — he joins No. 2 pick Alexandre Sarr and No. 14 pick Carlton Carrington on the retooling squad, which is going all-in on player development and building through the draft.

The Knicks, meanwhile, essentially agreed to push their consecutive first-round picks by one spot – they now control the 25th and 26th picks instead of Nos. 24 and 25 – and acquired an extra second-round selection for their trouble.

They’ll reportedly flip that No. 26 pick to the Thunder in exchange for five future second-round picks.

Trade/Draft Rumors: Kuzma, Kings, Kispert, Durant, Raptors, More

June 27th, 2024 at 7:42am CST by Luke Adams

Exploring a potential deal for Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma on Wednesday, the Kings discussed a framework that would have sent their No. 13 overall pick to Washington as part of the package and moved Sacramento down to No. 26, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. If that deal had happened, the Wizards would’ve had a third lottery pick to go along with No. 2 and No. 14, but no agreement was reached and Washington ultimately traded up from No. 26 to No. 24 instead.

Still, after agreeing to trade Deni Avdija to Portland on Wednesday, it seems safe to assume the Wizards will continue to listen to inquiries on their veteran players, including Kuzma, Fischer writes. Fischer has also heard that fourth-year Washington sharpshooter Corey Kispert is generating trade interest from rival teams (Twitter link).

Here are a few more trade and draft rumors as we prepare for day two of the 2024 draft:

Just in case more confirmation was required after various reports – and team owner Mat Ishbia – stated that the Suns have no plans to trade Kevin Durant, general manager James Jones reiterated that message on Wednesday night, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “It’s the stuff that gets clicks and that everyone wants to talk about, but I think I said it specifically back on May 19th when I was asked are we trading Kevin Durant,” Jones said. “I said no then, I’ll say no now. I’ll continue to get asked.”
According to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, the Raptors are expected to receive significant interest in the No. 31 pick ahead of the resumption of the draft on Thursday, with presumed first-round picks like Johnny Furphy, Kyle Filipowski, and Tyler Kolek still on the board (those are also the top three remaining prospects on ESPN’s best-available list). Vecenie has Furphy penciled in at No. 31 in his mock draft of the second round, writing that most league sources expected the Kansas wing to be drafted in the top 23.
Former G League Ignite big man Tyler Smith is viewed as another prospect who could entice a team to trade for an early second-round pick, Fischer reports.
Elsewhere in his second-round mock, Vecenie says Spanish point guard Juan Nunez has been connected to the Timberwolves by league sources throughout the pre-draft process, while San Francisco forward/center Jonathan Mogbo has been frequently linked to the Knicks. Minnesota and New York currently control the 37th and 38th picks, respectively, with New York also picking at No. 51.

Southwest Notes: Ingram, Cash, Rockets, Sheppard, Kennard, Clarke

June 27th, 2024 at 6:38am CST by Luke Adams

With trade rumors swirling around forward Brandon Ingram, Pelicans head of basketball operations David Griffin spoke to reporters on Wednesday night about where things stand with the former All-Star, as Christian Clark of NOLA.com relays (via Twitter). Griffin didn’t explicitly say Ingram wouldn’t be traded this offseason, but suggested the situation is a complicated one.

“Brandon wants to stay here,” Griffin said. “He believes in what we are building. That is meaningful to us. That’s meaningful to him. That’s meaningful to his agent. At the same time, there is a financial reality that we all deal with. I think we’re excited about Brandon. We know he’s excited about us. Usually, those things yield good results one way or the other.”

Reports have indicated that the Pelicans are unwilling to put a maximum-salary contract extension on the table for Ingram this offseason as he enters the final year of his current contract, making him a logical candidate to be on the move in a deal that upgrades another area of New Orleans’ roster.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

On the heels of losing a handful of front office executives this offseason, the Pelicans are promoting former WNBA star Swin Cash to senior vice president of basketball operations, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Cash, who has been in New Orleans’ basketball operations department since 2019, is one of the highest-ranking women by title in any NBA front office, Charania notes.
Speaking to reporters after the first round of the draft on Wednesday, Rockets general manager Rafael Stone said Houston considered Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard to be the top prospect in this draft and would have likely tried to trade out of No. 3 if he hadn’t been on the board (Twitter link via Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle).
With the deadline to exercise Luke Kennard‘s $14.8MM team option now just two days away, GM Zach Kleiman said the Grizzlies “still feel very strongly about Luke as someone who’s a great fit as part of this group,” writes Jonah Dylan of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. While Kennard is one of the NBA’s best shooters, Memphis has potential luxury tax concerns to consider as it weighs the decision on his 2024/25 option. One recent report indicated he might be a trade candidate if the option is exercised.
Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke hopes to get a chance to represent his home country in international competition at some point, but it won’t happen this summer. Clarke, who missed most of the 2023/24 season while recovering from an Achilles tear, explained on Tuesday why he wasn’t on the preliminary Olympic roster recently released by Team Canada. “It’s tough for me,” he said, according to Dylan. “I have to work on my rehab still. I’m still really working on my calf rehab, I didn’t get to have the summer that I wanted the past couple summers. There might be a time where I can play in the future, but as of right now my time is best spent doing my own thing and getting ready for the season.”

Community Shootaround: 2024 First Round Draft Results

June 26th, 2024 at 11:39pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The first round of the 2024 draft is now in the books. The full results of the day can be viewed right here.

Three French players were selected with the first six picks of the draft. The Hawks selected forward Zaccharie Risacher with the top pick, the Wizards drafted power forward/center Alexandre Sarr with the No. 2 selection, and the Hornets added forward Tidjane Salaun at No. 6.

All told, four French players were selected in the first round. Swingman Pacome Dadiet was drafted with the No. 25 pick by the Knicks.

Two players apiece were selected from Kentucky, UConn and Colorado in the first round.

It proved to be a fairly active night from a trade perspective. The Wizards and Trail Blazers kicked off the festivities with a pre-draft trade agreement that sent Washington the No. 14 pick, its second lottery selection. Portland was able to get out of tax territory by moving off the expiring contract of veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon, while acquiring 23-year-old small forward Deni Avdija. The Wizards would go on to select Pittsburgh guard Carlton Carrington.

Washington made a second trade later in the first round, moving up in a deal with the Knicks to select Miami guard Kyshawn George using the No. 24 pick. New York, meanwhile, later shipped the No. 26 selection to the Thunder in exchange for five future second-rounders.

The Spurs flipped the No. 8 pick to the Timberwolves in exchange for Minnesota’s unprotected 2031 first-rounder and a top-one protected 2030 pick swap. The Timberwolves used the pick on Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham. Fresh off a run to the Western Conference Finals, Minnesota is able to add a blue-chip young lottery talent under team control.

The 2023 champion Nuggets offloaded three second-round picks and the No. 28 selection this year to acquire Dayton forward DaRon Holmes.

When it comes to potential draft steals beyond the lottery, the Lakers nabbed a potential keeper in sharpshooter Dalton Knecht out of Tennessee, who had been projected as a lottery selection before slipping on draft night.

The Trail Blazers’ selection of UConn big man Donovan Clingan at No. 7 was one of the night’s most interest selections, since it raises questions about Portland’s plans going forward for centers Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams. The Grizzlies were another team to use a top-10 pick on a center, adding some size to their frontcourt by nabbing Zach Edey at No. 9.

The draft continues on Thursday afternoon, with pick Nos. 31-58.

We want to hear from you. Who was the steal of the first round? Which team made the most questionable move? Who won the day?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in!

Presti: Thunder Don’t Expect Nikola Topic To Play In 2024/25

June 26th, 2024 at 11:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Nearly two years after their No. 2 overall pick (Chet Holmgren) suffered a foot injury that sidelined him for his entire rookie season, the Thunder used their 2024 lottery pick on another player they expect to have a redshirt season.

Head of basketball operations Sam Presti told reporters on Wednesday that Oklahoma City isn’t counting on 12th overall pick Nikola Topic being available to play in the NBA in 2024/25.

“Our expectation is that he probably won’t be playing for us next season,” Presti said of the Serbian point guard, who suffered a partially torn ACL earlier this year (Twitter link via Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman).

Topic is still expected to join the Thunder shortly and spend his rookie year around the team like Holmgren did in 2022/23, Presti confirmed (Twitter link via Rylan Stiles of SI.com). That experience benefited Holmgren, who finished second in Rookie of the Year voting this spring after averaging 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per contest while starting all 82 games for the Thunder.

New rules implemented in the 2023 CBA related to prospects’ medical info ensured that the Thunder got the opportunity to view Topic’s medicals prior to the draft . They were comfortable with everything they saw in regard to his knee, Presti said (Twitter link via Stiles).

Timberwolves Acquire No. 8 Pick Rob Dillingham From Spurs

June 26th, 2024 at 11:17pm CST by Luke Adams

11:17pm: The deal is official, the Spurs announced in a press release.

8:04pm: The Spurs used the No. 8 pick in tonight’s draft on Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham, but he won’t begin his NBA career in San Antonio, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the Timberwolves are acquiring Dillingham’s rights from the Spurs.

According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), San Antonio is receiving Minnesota’s unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap in the deal. The ’30 swap will be top-one protected, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Neither of the Wolves’ 2024 picks (No. 27 and No. 37) are involved in the trade, confirms Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

Minnesota’s ability to make roster moves this offseason will be extremely limited due to the fact that team salary will be above the second tax apron. That means the Wolves won’t be able to aggregate players in trades, take back more salary than they send out in trades, or sign outside free agents to contracts worth more than the minimum.

However, the second apron doesn’t prohibit them from acquiring a player’s draft rights, which don’t count as incoming salary for trade purposes as long as the player has not yet signed his rookie contract. That means they’ll be able to trade for Dillingham without sending out any players.

In his first and only college season with the Wildcats, Dillingham averaged 15.2 points, 3.9 assists, and 2.9 rebounds in 23.3 minutes per game, posting an impressive shooting line of .475/.444/.796

Despite the Wolves’ ongoing ownership dispute, it appears management has been given the go-ahead to keep adding pieces. The addition of Dillingham, who projects to earn about $6.28MM as a rookie, will increase the club’s projected tax bill to approximately $100MM, according to cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link). Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link) estimates Minnesota’s projected tax bill at $84MM, but that number is fluid depending on how the club fills out its roster.

As for the Spurs, after adding Stephon Castle with the No. 4 pick, they clearly weren’t in love with any of the prospects available to them at No. 8, opting instead to continue adding to their stockpile of future draft picks by acquiring a pair of assets far down the road with little to no protection.

Clearing the $6.28MM cap hold for the No. 8 pick from their books will put the Spurs in position to create additional cap room this summer.

Nuggets Acquire No. 22 Pick DaRon Holmes

June 26th, 2024 at 11:05pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

11:05pm: The trade is official, the Suns announced in a press release, confirming the terms outlined below. Phoenix used the No. 28 pick to select Virginia’s Ryan Dunn.

Speaking on Wednesday night to reporters, Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth said the team views Holmes as a four (rather than a five) going forward, adding that the team didn’t necessarily make a promise to draft him but certainly targeted him (Twitter links via Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette and Bennett Durando of The Denver Post).

“Once we got into the 20s and there was a chance to get him, we wanted to go get our guy, essentially,” Booth said.

The Knicks (initially at 24 and 25) and the Timberwolves (at 27) were considered teams that might be eyeing Holmes, compelling Denver to move up, according to Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports and Durando (Twitter links).

9:28pm: The Nuggets and Suns have agreed to a trade that will allow Denver to move up from No. 28 to No. 22 to select Dayton forward DaRon Holmes, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links).

According to Charania, in addition to the 28th pick, Phoenix is receiving the No. 56 pick in this draft and two future second-round picks from Denver. Those future second-rounders are the Nuggets’ own picks in 2026 and 2031, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

The 6’10” forward was a three-time All-A10 honoree and a consensus All-American selection during his tenure with Dayton. During his final collegiate season in 2023/24, he averaged 20.4 points on .544/.386/.713 shooting splits, plus 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.1 blocks and 0.9 steals per night.

Last week, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony indicated that teams had been operating as if Denver had promised to select Holmes in the draft. Some recent reports denied that any promise had been made, but it certainly appears now that the 2023 champions had their eye on Holmes.

With the deal, the Suns are able to replenish their war chest of second-round picks after having traded so many away in deals over the last few seasons. As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), Phoenix has increased its tally of future second-round selections from just two to five, including the No. 56 pick this year.

The Nuggets, weighed down by a pricey starting five, are clearly looking to add win-now young role player talent to their bench. Last season, they lost sixth man extraordinaire Bruce Brown in free agency. This year, the team is at risk of losing starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who has a $15.4MM player option for the 2024/25 season and could likely fetch a raise in free agency.

Luke Adams contributed to this report.