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Injury Updates: Randle, Clippers, Sixers, Wolves, Blazers

March 29th, 2023 at 9:11pm CST by Rory Maher

The Knicks received both good and bad news on Wednesday night versus Miami. The good news is point guard Jalen Brunson was able to play after missing the past two games with a sprained right hand, and the Knicks came away with an important victory (Twitter link via the team).

The bad news is power forward Julius Randle sprained his left ankle after landing on Bam Adebayo‘s foot following an offensive rebound (YouTube link), with Randle remaining on the floor for a while in pain. He stayed in the game to shoot free throws, but headed back to the locker room with a trainer.

Randle was able to limp off the floor on his own, but as soon as he was back in the team’s tunnel he was bent over in discomfort. The Knicks later ruled him out for the remainder of the contest (via Twitter).

Hopefully the injury isn’t severe, particularly so late in the season. Randle has appeared in all 77 games for the Knicks and was named to his second All-Star team last month.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard was ruled out of Wednesday’s game in Memphis due to personal reasons, per Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter links). Head coach Tyronn Lue said the team is hopeful Leonard will only be out one game. On a positive note, Norman Powell was able to return to action after missing the past 11 games with a shoulder injury — he was previously listed as questionable.
Sixers stars Joel Embiid (calf soreness) and James Harden (Achilles soreness) were active for Wednesday’s game vs. Dallas, tweets Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN was the first to report the news (via Twitter). Embiid missed Monday’s loss in Denver with the injury, while Harden had missed four straight games.
The Timberwolves had several late additions to their injury report (Twitter link) ahead of tonight’s game in Phoenix. Kyle Anderson, Anthony Edwards, Taurean Prince, Austin Rivers and Matt Ryan are all dealing with an illness that head coach Chris Finch described as an “intestinal flu,” according to Chis Hine of The Star Tribune (Twitter link). Edwards and Anderson were able to suit up, but the Wolves later ruled out (via Twitter) the other three players as well as Jaylen Nowell, who continues to battle left knee tendinopathy.
In addition to four starters being held out with various injuries and surgeries sidelining a couple other players, the Trail Blazers added three young players to Wednesday’s injury report ahead of their matchup with Sacramento (Twitter link). Second-year guard Keon Johnson is out with a fractured right finger, while second-year big man Trendon Watford will miss his second straight game with a sprained right ankle. Fourth-year wing Cam Reddish is doubtful due to lumbar soreness.

Adam Silver Discusses CBA Negotiations

March 29th, 2023 at 7:39pm CST by Rory Maher

The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association continue to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement, with a deadline set for Friday at midnight Eastern Time, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

The March 31 deadline has already been extended twice after originally being set for December 15. That deadline is for either the league or the NBPA to opt out of the current CBA on June 30.

Commissioner Adam Silver says he’s hopeful about reaching a new CBA in the next few days, but the NBA plans to exercise its option to opt out if there is no deal in place when the deadline arrives.

“I certainly can foresee one getting done and I hope we do get one done,” Silver said, per Reynolds. “It’s just because, honestly, I’m only one side of the negotiation, it’s difficult for me to place odds on whether or not that’s going to happen.”

In a statement, NBPA executive director Tamika Tremaglio said the union has no intention of opting out if the deadline passes with no deal.

“The March 31st deadline is an important benchmark, and we are doing everything in our power to reach an agreement with the league,” Tremaglio said. “If we don’t have a deal and the league decides to opt out, it will be disappointing considering all the work both sides have put into the negotiations, and the fair nature of our requests. As far as our fans are concerned, it will be business as usual. Games will continue uninterrupted.”

Silver said he thought negotiations would come down to the wire, as both sides “tend to hold their best positions until the very end.” He described the discussions as “positive,” though he cautioned there was still work to be done, according to Reynolds.

“I think for both sides in various categories we acknowledge we’ve come closer together,” Silver said. “There still is a gap between where we feel we need to be in order to get a deal done. I’d say throughout the discussions have had a very positive tenor and continued the strong sense of partnership that we have with our players and the players association.”

It’s worth noting that if the league follows through and does opt out, the two sides would still have until June 30 to negotiate a new CBA and prevent a possible lockout. The current CBA was originally set to expire after the 2023/24 season, but an opt-out would change that timeline.

According to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, Silver said part of the reason the NBA is trying to get a new CBA in place sooner rather than later is because the media landscape has changed drastically since 2017, when the current CBA was put in place. As Vorkunov writes, Diamond Sports Group filed for bankruptcy earlier this month and it owns Bally Sports Regional Networks, which works with 16 different teams to distribute games.

However, Diamond informed the NBA it would be able to continue its payments for the rest of the season and keep games on air.

Trail Blazers’ Justise Winslow Undergoes Ankle Surgery

March 29th, 2023 at 5:52pm CST by Rory Maher

Forward Justise Winslow underwent successful left ankle surgery on Wednesday to address joint instability, the Trail Blazers announced in a press release. He is expected make a full recovery and be ready for next season, per the team.

Winslow had a separate ankle procedure earlier this month to address persistent pain from what was initially diagnosed as a Grade 2 ankle sprain in December.

At the time of the first surgery, the Blazers said he would be reevaluated “in the coming weeks.” Evidently that reevaluation led doctors to believe a second surgery was necessary for the ankle to fully heal.

It’s another unfortunate setback for the 27-year-old, who has missed significant time due to injuries throughout his eight-year career. Over the past four seasons, Winslow has appeared in just 114 regular season games.

In 29 games (26.8 MPG) this season, Winslow averaged 6.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.4 APG and 1.0 SPG on .409/.311/.714 shooting. He will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and is earning $4.1MM in the final year of his contract.

Draft Notes: Clark, Miles, Cryer, Cook, Wahab, Pullin

March 29th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Following a breakout junior season, UCLA guard Jaylen Clark has decided to declare for the 2023 NBA draft, he announced today on Instagram.

After coming off the bench in 54 of 60 games during his first college seasons, Clark was a full-time starter in 2022/23, averaging 13.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.6 steals per game in 30 contests (30.5 MPG). More notably, he was named the Defensive Player of the Year for the Pac-12 and was also a member of the All-Pac-12 team.

Clark is currently just outside the top 60 on ESPN’s big board, so he’s no lock to be drafted. He has the option of maintaining his college eligibility while testing the draft waters, but his Instagram statement gives no indication that’s the plan — our assumption for now is that he intends to keep his name in the draft and go pro.

Here are a few more updates on early entrants declaring for the 2023 draft:

TCU junior guard Mike Miles, who comes in five spots below Clark on ESPN’s top-100 list, has also declared for the draft, he announced today on Twitter. Miles averaged 17.9 PPG on .497/.362/.749 shooting in 27 games (31.9 MPG) in 2022/23. Like Clark, he doesn’t say anything in his announcement about maintaining his NCAA eligibility through the draft process.
Baylor junior guard LJ Cryer will test the draft waters, according to an announcement on Twitter. Cryer won a national title with the Bears in 2021 and became a full-time starter in 2022/23, averaging 15.0 PPG with a .415 3PT% and earning All-Big 12 honors.
Tulane junior guard Jalen Cook is entering both the transfer portal and the NBA draft pool, tweets Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Cook is coming off his second consecutive All-AAC season and upped his scoring average to 19.9 PPG.
Georgetown senior center Qudus Wahab tells Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link) that he’s entering the draft while maintaining his final year of NCAA eligibility. Wahab spent his first two college seasons at Georgetown, transferred to Maryland for his junior season, then returned to the Hoyas last year.
Zyon Pullin, a senior guard at UC-Riverside, is entering the draft after averaging a team-leading 18.3 PPG in 2022/23, he tells Jeff Borzello of ESPN (Twitter link). Pullin, who also tested the draft waters in 2022, is signing with an NCAA-certified agent, so he’ll have the option of withdrawing later this spring.

Injury Notes: Morant, Grizzlies, SGA, Markkanen, Cavs, Pacers

March 29th, 2023 at 2:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant missed Tuesday’s game vs. Orlando due to right thigh soreness, but there are no long-term concerns about the injury, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. It sounds like the team was simply playing it safe with Morant, who recently returned from an eight-game absence and will be available on Wednesday for the second game of a back-to-back set.

While Morant will suit up on Wednesday, the Grizzlies may give a few other regulars the night off when they host the Clippers. According to the team (Twitter link), Desmond Bane (right foot soreness), Jaren Jackson Jr. (left calf soreness), and Tyus Jones (left foot soreness) are all considered doubtful to play.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Two teams still in the thick of the Western Conference play-in race won’t have their All-Stars available on Wednesday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (left ankle sprain) will miss a second consecutive game when the Thunder host the Pistons, per Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (Twitter link), while forward Lauri Markkanen (left hand contusion) won’t play for the Jazz in San Antonio, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).
Jarrett Allen (right groin strain) and Isaac Okoro (left knee soreness) missed Tuesday’s game for the Cavaliers, but Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com hears their absences were precautionary, with the team having already clinched its playoff spot. “Isaac is extremely disappointed because Isaac wanted to play all 82 games,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “But this is something where just big picture we need to make sure we take care of him. We know how important he is and how impactful he can be for us. So, you just have to keep an eye on him. Isaac will keep running through a wall if you don’t pull him back some. We’re trying to do our best to protect him.”
Tyrese Haliburton (right ankle sprain; left elbow soreness), Buddy Hield (non-COVID illness), and Chris Duarte (left ankle soreness) will all be unavailable for the Pacers on Wednesday vs. Milwaukee for a second consecutive game, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Myles Turner, who has missed the last two games due to left ankle soreness, is listed as questionable.

Pacers Waive Trevelin Queen

March 29th, 2023 at 1:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers have officially waived guard Trevelin Queen, the team announced today in a press release. Queen had been on a two-way contract with Indiana.

The G League’s reigning MVP, Queen signed with the Sixers last summer, but was waived during the preseason and caught on with the Pacers on a two-way deal a few days later. He spent nearly the entire season with the team, though his NBA playing time was extremely limited — he appeared in just seven games with Indiana.

Queen once again put up big numbers at the G League level in 2022/23, including averages of 23.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.3 steals per game in 11 Showcase Cup contests (35.7 MPG) for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. In 24 NBAGL regular season games, he put up 22.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 4.5 APG, and 2.1 SPG. He was named as a participant in the Next Up Game at All-Star weekend.

Queen did have some issues with three-point shooting (26.5% on 7.1 attempts per regular season game) and turnovers (3.8 per game) in the G League this season. He also earned a one-game suspension earlier this week for “directing threatening language” toward a referee, which may have been a factor in the Pacers’ decision to release him. He served that suspension on Tuesday during the one-game Eastern Conference quarterfinal, which Fort Wayne lost, ending the team’s season.

The Pacers now have an open two-way slot, which they could fill at any point up until the last day of the regular season on April 9.

2023 NBA Draft Dates, Deadlines To Watch

March 29th, 2023 at 12:56pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re still nearly three months away from NBA draft day, but before we get to June 22, there are several other important dates and deadlines on the calendar. Here are some of those dates and deadlines worth keeping an eye on:

April 23 (11:59 pm ET): Deadline for early entrants to declare for the draft

College players and international early entrants have until the end of the day on April 23 to submit their names into the 2023 NBA draft pool. They can withdraw their names later if they decide they’re not quite ready to go pro, though if college players want to maintain their NCAA eligibility, they can’t hire an agent who’s not certified by the NCAA.

Once the early entrant list is set, NBA teams can begin conducting or attending workouts for those players.

May 13-14: NBA G League Elite Camp

In 2019, the Elite Camp – having recently been revamped by the NBA – consisted of 40 veteran G League invitees participating in the first half of the event, followed by 40 top draft-eligible players (who weren’t invited to the actual combine) taking part in the second half.

After being canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Elite Camp returned in 2021, but only featured 40 draft-eligible prospects, without the G League players. That format carried over to 2022, with 44 prospects in attendance, and will presumably be in effect in 2023 as well.

May 15-21: NBA draft combine

This week-long event, which takes place annually in Chicago, allows NBA teams to get a first-hand look at many of the year’s top draft-eligible players.

The combine is often particularly important for early entrants who have yet to decide whether or not to stay in the draft. The feedback they get at the combine could go a long way toward dictating whether they keep their names in the draft or return to school for another year.

May 16: NBA draft lottery

The 2023 draft lottery will be the fifth one that uses the new format, which was introduced in 2019. With the lottery odds flattened out, the NBA’s worst team has a 14% shot at the No. 1 overall pick, as opposed to the 25% chance it had prior to ’19.

The new system has generated some excitement during the past four draft lotteries — seven of the 16 teams that have claimed top-four picks since 2019 entered the night without a top-six spot in the lottery standings.

Still, it has been a few years since we saw any real long shots become big winners on lottery night. The Pelicans and Grizzlies moved up from seventh and eighth in the lottery standings in 2019 to claim the top two picks, but one of the NBA’s worst three teams has been awarded the No. 1 spot in each of the last three lotteries. Could we be due for a few surprises in 2023?

May 31 (11:59 pm ET): NCAA early entrant withdrawal deadline

College underclassmen – and seniors who are eligible to play for more one season – who want to retain their NCAA eligibility will have to withdraw their names from the draft pool by May 31. NBA rules call for a later withdrawal deadline, but the NCAA has its own set of rules that say the deadline is 10 days after the combine ends.

An early entrant could technically wait until after May 31 to withdraw from the draft and could still retain his NBA draft eligibility for a future year. However, he would forfeit his amateur status in that scenario, making him ineligible to return to his NCAA squad. College players who want to play overseas for a year or two before entering the NBA draft could take this route.

June 12 (5:00 pm ET): NBA early entrant withdrawal deadline

This is the NBA’s final deadline for early entrants to withdraw their names from the draft pool and retain their draft eligibility for a future year.

By this point, we generally know whether or not a college player decided to keep his name in the draft, but this is an important deadline for international players, who aren’t subject to the same restrictions as college players. We’ll likely hear about several international early entrants withdrawing from the draft during the days leading up to June 12.

June 22: NBA draft day

The most exciting few weeks of the NBA offseason unofficially get underway on draft day, which is often when several of the first major trades of the summer are completed and when we get a sense of which direction certain teams are heading.

It’s also worth noting that the hours and days after the draft ends will be hugely important for many of this year’s draft-eligible prospects — a ton of players who aren’t selected with one of the 58 picks in the draft will reach agreements shortly thereafter to play for an NBA team’s Summer League squad, to attend training camp with a club, or to sign a two-way contract.

Raptors Notes: Dowtin, Barnes, Trent, Barton

March 29th, 2023 at 11:33am CST by Luke Adams

Point guard Jeff Dowtin, who is on a two-way contract with the Raptors, has seen regular playing time as Fred VanVleet‘s backup in the team’s last three games, logging 20.4 minutes per night during that stretch. Dowtin’s numbers (4.7 PPG, 3.0 APG, .417/.400/.667 shooting) are relatively modest, but Toronto has played better this season when he sees at least 10 minutes of action, notes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.

“I think he’s played for us well just about every time he’s gone out there,” head coach Nick Nurse said. “We’re always talking about solid play, which is guarding your position as well as you can and executing at both ends of the floor. He’s got us running stuff and is capable of scoring a little bit as well on his own but doesn’t overdo it. He just fits in nicely there on both ends.”

Unfortunately for Toronto, Dowtin only has three games of eligibility left on his two-way deal. If the Raptors want to make him eligible to play in the rest of their regular season games and potential play-in and playoff contests, they’ll have to promote him to their 15-man roster by converting him to a standard contract.

The team doesn’t currently have an open spot on its 15-man squad, but Grange believes that Joe Wieskamp and Thaddeus Young are candidates to be cut in the event of a Dowtin promotion. Toronto is very close to the luxury tax line, but should be able to stay out of tax territory even after converting Dowtin’s contract, since a prorated minimum-salary cap hit this late in the season is minuscule.

Here’s more on the Raptors:

With several key players headed for free agency this summer, Eric Koreen of The Athletic observes that the Raptors could use some low-cost contributors off the bench and suggests that Dowtin may be a fit on the roster beyond this season.
In a separate article for The Athletic, Koreen says that the ongoing development of Scottie Barnes needs to remain a top priority for the Raptors, since Barnes’ ceiling may go a long way to determining the club’s ceiling in the next few years.
Raptors wing Gary Trent Jr. has missed the last four games due to what the team is referring to as right elbow stiffness. Nurse said on Tuesday that Trent, who was originally listed as doubtful for yesterday’s game vs. Miami, is “getting closer,” according to Grange (Twitter link).
Another wing, Will Barton, also missed Tuesday’s game due to a sprained left ankle, but Nurse doesn’t believe that injury is serious or will keep him out long, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca.

Duke’s Dariq Whitehead Declares For 2023 NBA Draft

March 29th, 2023 at 10:00am CST by Luke Adams

Duke freshman Dariq Whitehead announced on Wednesday that he’s entering his name into the 2023 NBA draft pool, per a press release from the school. The announcement doesn’t mention anything about Whitehead maintaining his NCAA eligibility, so it seems safe to assume he’ll hire an agent and go pro.

“I’m really looking forward to this next step in my basketball career and I’m truly blessed to have this opportunity,” Whitehead said in a statement. “I’ve dreamed of these moments for so long. I can’t wait to get after it and continue preparing for the NBA Draft.”

A five-star recruit out of high school, Whitehead was widely viewed as a potential lottery pick entering the college season, but has seen his stock dip a little since then. The 6’7″ swingman averaged just 8.3 points per game on .421/.429/.793 shooting in 28 games (20.6 MPG) for the Blue Devils, chipping in 2.4 RPG and 1.0 APG.

Whitehead sustained a stress fracture in his right foot last August and also dealt with an ankle sprain during the college season, so those injuries may have been a factor in his up-and-down freshman year.

Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) believes Whitehead’s draft range is among the widest for this year’s first-round prospects. Jonathan Givony of ESPN currently has the 18-year-old ranked at No. 24 on his big board. Sam Vecenie of The Athletic had him at No. 22 in his most recent mock draft.

Wizards, Kristaps Porzingis Discussing Contract Extension

March 29th, 2023 at 9:11am CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards and big man Kristaps Porzingis have engaged in “serious” discussions about a possible contract extension, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Porzingis, who holds a $36MM player option for the 2023/24 season, is currently eligible for a veteran extension as long as he turns down that option as part of any agreement. In that scenario, his first-year salary would have to match or exceed his $36MM option salary.

If he were to decline the option, Porzingis would be eligible for an extension worth up to approximately $180MM over four years, beginning in ’23/24, as Charania observes. However, The Athletic’s report doesn’t make it clear exactly how high the Wizards are willing to go with their offer.

Porzingis is enjoying arguably his best season since entering the NBA in 2015. He has averaged 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 32.6 minutes per game for the Wizards, with an impressive shooting line of .498/.385/.851. In addition to his increased production, the 27-year-old has avoided the injured list this year — his 65 games are the most he has played in a single season since 2016/17.

Despite Porzingis’ strong performance, the Wizards will likely finish in the lottery in the Eastern Conference. At 34-42, they’re currently 2.5 games back of Chicago for the East’s No. 10 seed with just six left to play.

The Wizards have reportedly shown interest in re-signing both Porzingis and forward Kyle Kuzma, who also holds a 2023/24 option that he’s unlikely to exercise. While Kuzma has also been productive in D.C., Josh Robbins of The Athletic questions whether it makes sense to double down on the team’s current core, given this year’s underwhelming record. Robbins notes that the price tags on new deals for Porzingis and Kuzma will go a long way toward determining the wisdom of investing in the duo.

Because players who sign veteran extensions are limited to 20% raises in the first year of their new deals, Kuzma will become a free agent rather than signing an extension between now and July. He’s earning just $13MM this season, so a 20% raise would result in a first-year salary of $15.6MM on an extension — he believes he can exceed that, though Charania says he and the Wizards have mutual interest in working something out in free agency.

Porzingis is earning $33.83MM this season, so his limit in the first year of an extension would be either 120% of that amount or the league-wide maximum salary for a player with between seven and nine years of NBA experience (whichever is lesser). Based on the NBA’s latest cap projections, that would mean a maximum salary of $40.2MM for Porzingis.