NBA Rumors - HoopsRumors.com

Suns Sign Isaiah Thomas For Rest Of Season

April 9th, 2024 at 12:47pm CST by Rory Maher

APRIL 9: Thomas’ rest-of-season contract with the Suns is now official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

APRIL 8: The Suns intend to make veteran guard Isaiah Thomas playoff-eligible by signing him for the rest of the 2023/24 season, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Thomas signed a pair of 10-day contracts with Phoenix, the second of which expires tonight. The 35-year-old will fill the 15th and final spot on the Suns’ standard roster.

A former two-time All-Star, Thomas had been out of the NBA for a couple years prior to getting another shot with Phoenix. He has only played 14 minutes of garbage time across four appearances this season, but he has reportedly played well in practices and has drawn praise from head coach Frank Vogel for being a good locker room presence.

Thomas, who has played for 10 different teams in his 12 seasons, will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 first reported around the time that Thomas signed his first 10-day deal last month that he was expected to eventually get a rest-of-season commitment from the Suns.

The move signals that Saben Lee and Phoenix’s other two-way players will remain on their current contracts and won’t become playoff-eligible.

Atlantic Notes: Dowtin, Queta, Melton, Poeltl, Barnes, Rajakovic

April 9th, 2024 at 11:46am CST by Luke Adams

The new deals signed by Jeff Dowtin with the Sixers and Neemias Queta with the Celtics are two-way contracts with second-year team options for 2024/25, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter links).

Both Dowtin and Queta were on two-way deals before promoted to their respective teams’ 15-man rosters, and both players received minimum-salary contracts.

Here are more notes from around the Atlantic:

Sixers guard De’Anthony Melton, who has been sidelined since February 27 due to back issues and has only played five games since the calendar turned to 2024, has been upgraded to questionable for Tuesday’s game vs. Detroit, tweets Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. While Melton’s comeback efforts have flown somewhat under the radar, overshadowed by Joel Embiid‘s recent return, it would be a major boost for the 76ers if they can get the versatile guard back in action before the postseason tips off.
Asked on Sunday about Jakob Poeltl‘s and Scottie Barnes‘ recoveries from hand surgeries, Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic told reporters that although neither player has formally been ruled out for the season, he’s not counting on either one returning this week (Twitter links via Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca and Michael Grange of Sportsnet). Both Poeltl and Barnes continue to go through the ramp-up process — even if they’re not back in action in the coming days, the goal is to get them in the best possible shape heading into the offseason.
In a pair of stories for The Athletic, Eric Koreen considers what we can learn from Rajakovic’s first year as the Raptors‘ head coach and hands out his end-of-season awards, including naming Poeltl the most underappreciated Raptor of 2023/24.

Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 4/9/2024

April 9th, 2024 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today at 11 a.m. Central time (noon Eastern).

Click here to read the transcript.

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Chats

Grizzlies Sign Zavier Simpson, Jack White Via Hardship Exceptions

April 9th, 2024 at 9:58am CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have re-signed guard Zavier Simpson following the expiration of his initial 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

Simpson, 27, appeared in three games during his first 10 days with Memphis, averaging 5.3 points, 3.7 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.7 steals in 24.0 minutes per night. He made just 22.7% of his field goal attempts, though he did knock down 3-of-8 three-pointers (37.5%).

The Grizzlies have also signed forward Jack White, according to today’s announcement. It will be White’s first time back on an NBA roster since he was waived by Oklahoma City in October.

White, who appeared in 17 NBA regular season games in 2022/23 as a member of the Nuggets, has spent this season with the South Bay Lakers in the G League. In 29 total appearances for the Lakers’ NBAGL affiliate, he averaged 9.6 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 1.8 APG on .442/.321/.595 shooting.

Both Simpson and White were technically signed to 10-day contracts via hardship exceptions, which the Grizzlies qualified for due to the number of injured players on their roster. The deals will cover only the six days left in the regular season, however, before both players return to free agency. The club won’t hold any form of Bird rights this offseason on either player.

White will take Maozinha Pereira‘s spot on Memphis’ roster. Like Simpson, Pereira was on a 10-day contract that expired overnight on Monday, but it was his second 10-day deal with the Grizzlies, so he was ineligible to sign another one. The team is now carrying three extra players beyond its standard 15, with Simpson and White joining hardship signee Timmy Allen.

Northwest Notes: Reid, Wolves, Murray, SGA, Williams

April 9th, 2024 at 9:02am CST by Luke Adams

Naz Reid is making a strong late-season push for the Sixth Man of the Year award, having averaged 19.4 points and 7.1 rebounds on .488/.448/.743 shooting in his past 14 games as he fills in for injured Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns. After racking up 31 points and 11 rebounds in a win over the Lakers on Sunday, Reid admitted that winning that award is a personal goal, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune.

“That’s something that I want. I’m hungry for it,” Reid said. “I want that. I think the impact, the record has shown it, our standing has shown it. I want it bad. I’m hungry for it.”

Reid has come off the bench in 65 of his 77 appearances this season — all 12 of those starts have come within the last month, which is the primary reason for the bump in his production. Still, as Hine points out, it’s the mark of an effective sixth man to be able to sub in for an injured starter without missing a beat.

“I think it’s obvious that Naz Reid is the Sixth Man of the Year,” teammate Anthony Edwards said. “We’re the No. 1 team in the West. He’s had multiple 30-point games. He’s the reason we’re winning. He’s a big reason why. KAT went down a little minute ago and we’ve still been able to win, it’s because of Naz.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Securing the No. 1 seed in the West would be the “cherry on top” of a terrific regular season for the Timberwolves and would give the team a “huge advantage” heading into the playoffs, according to head coach Chris Finch (Twitter video link via Mark Medina of Sportskeeda). However, no matter where the Wolves end up in the standings, Finch expects a difficult path in the postseason. “It might be the hardest playoffs ever,” Finch said, “so any advantage you can get is going to be a big one.”
Nuggets guard Jamal Murray was on a minutes restriction on Sunday in his first game back from various leg injuries and that restriction may continue for the rest of the regular season, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required). Murray played just 21 minutes on Sunday, though head coach Michael Malone confirmed his limit isn’t actually that low — the star guard wasn’t needed in the fourth quarter since Denver had the game well in hand.
In an entertaining feature story for ESPN.com, Ramona Shelburne explores Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s evolution into a legitimate MVP candidate. The star guard doesn’t show up on the Thunder‘s injury report for Tuesday’s game vs. the Kings, notes Clemente Almanza of Thunder Wire, so it appears he’ll return after missing four games due to a quad injury. Jalen Williams (ankle), who has also been out for the past four games, is listed as questionable.

Hornets To Interview Jay Larranaga For Head Coaching Job

April 9th, 2024 at 8:02am CST by Luke Adams

Another veteran assistant has joined the Hornets‘ list of head coaching candidates, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Clippers assistant Jay Larranaga will interview for the top job in Charlotte.

A former professional basketball player in Europe, Larranaga coached the Erie BayHawks from 2010-12, then spent nine seasons as an assistant in Boston under Brad Stevens. Following Stevens’ ascension to the Celtics’ front office, Larranaga made the move to Los Angeles, where he has spent the last three seasons on Tyronn Lue‘s Clippers staff.

The Hornets are getting a head start on their coaching search since Steve Clifford announced last week that he would step down from his role at the end of the regular season. The team has already been granted permission to speak to several assistant coaches around the NBA.

In addition to Larranaga, the Hornets are reportedly interviewing – or have already interviewed – Charles Lee, Jordi Fernandez, Kevin Young, David Adelman, and Lindsey Harding. That list of confirmed candidates may continue to grow in the coming days.

New York Notes: Knicks, Robinson, Watford, Clowney

April 8th, 2024 at 10:07pm CST by Rory Maher

The NBA fined the Knicks $25K on Monday for an injury reporting violation (Twitter link). According to the league, New York originally listed center Mitchell Robinson as out for the March 27 contest vs. Toronto, but he wound up playing 12 minutes in his first game back from a lengthy absence.

Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York-based teams:

Speaking of Robinson, who missed most of the season with a fractured left ankle that required surgery, he has been quite rusty since he returned a couple weeks ago, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. In addition to having poor conditioning and timing, the 26-year-old says he still isn’t 100% confident in his ankle. “Pushing off. Absorbing contact through it. Stuff like that,” the Knicks big man said. “’Cause obviously no one wants this to happen again. I damn sure don’t. … It’s something I’ve gotta get back used to again.”
In another story for The New York Post, Bondy examines the Knicks‘ complicated playoff possibilities with four regular season games remaining. New York, which is currently 46-32, the No. 4 seed in the East, can finish as high as No. 2, but theoretically could drop all the way down to No. 8, though the latter is very unlikely.
Third-year forward Trendon Watford will be a restricted free agent this summer if the Nets give him a qualifying offer. He hasn’t been a rotation regular for much of the 2023/24 season, but he’s been trying to take advantage of an expanded role as Brooklyn deals with multiple frontcourt injuries, per Bridget Reilly of The New York Post. Watford is averaging 13.1 PPG on .571/.474/.696 over the past eight games (23.5 MPG).
Nets rookie Noah Clowney got his first career start in Sunday’s loss to Sacramento and the young big man got thoroughly outplayed by Kings center Domantas Sabonis, observes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Clowney had seven points, 10 rebounds and was minus-26 in his 35 minutes, compared to 18 points, 20 rebounds, nine assists and plus-18 in 35 minutes for Sacramento’s star big man. “He’s just gotta be in it, you know? This is good for him,” interim coach Kevin Ollie said. “He’s gotta be in it and experience it, learn from it, just as long as you don’t quit in it, and he’s not gonna quit in it. These guys have been around — Sabonis is an All-Star — so hopefully he watches the tape and maybe gets something from Sabonis to bring it in his game, go lift some weights, all that stuff.” Clowney became just the fourth teenager in franchise history to start a game for the Nets, Lewis adds.

Southeast Notes: F. Wagner, Rozier, Butler, Hayward

April 8th, 2024 at 8:47pm CST by Rory Maher

The Magic got good news on Monday, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel, who reports (via Twitter) that Franz Wagner will be questionable for Tuesday’s contest in Houston. An MRI confirmed the initial diagnosis of a right ankle sprain, Beede adds, but the fact that the third-year forward has a chance to suit up tomorrow after exiting Sunday’s contest with the injury is a positive development.

Wagner, who helped Germany win a gold medal at last year’s World Cup, will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the offseason. The 22-year-old has averaged 19.6 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 3.8 APG and 1.0 SPG through 70 games (32.4 MPG) for Orlando, which is currently 46-32, the No. 3 seed in the East.

Here’s more from the Southeast:

Heat guard Terry Rozier said he hurt his team by suiting up in Sunday’s loss to Indiana due to a neck injury that limited his effectiveness and caused him to sit out the entire fourth quarter. He’s questionable for Tuesday’s game vs. Atlanta, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (subscriber link).
Wizards guard Jared Butler was recently promoted from a two-way deal to a three-year standard contract. His new contract pays him $1.25MM for 2023/24, but it doesn’t feature any guaranteed money beyond this season, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Washington, which completed the signing using a portion of its mid-level exception, will hold a team option on Butler for ’25/26, Scotto adds.
Sunday marked a homecoming of sorts for Gordon Hayward, who signed a lucrative long-term deal with the Hornets four years ago before being traded to the Thunder in February, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Perhaps fittingly in an unfortunate sort of way, the oft-injured veteran sat out the game with a lower left leg injury. Boone argues Hayward’s $120MM contract should be a cautionary tale for the new front office to spend wisely when signing free agents going forward.

Celtics Promote Neemias Queta To Multiyear Standard Contract

April 8th, 2024 at 8:42pm CST by Rory Maher

8:42pm: While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, a source tells Brian Robb of MassLive that Queta received a multiyear contract. Since the Celtics don’t have their mid-level exception available, the deal can’t cover more than two seasons.

7:16pm: The Celtics have promoted center Neemias Queta from a two-way deal to a standard contract, the team announced in a press release.

Converting Queta makes him eligible for the postseason, and the move also completes Boston’s 15-man standard roster.

The NBA’s first player from Portugal, the Lisbon native was the 39th overall pick of the 2021 draft after playing three years of college ball at Utah State. He spent his first two seasons on two-way deals with Sacramento, but he was released in September and signed with the Celtics a few days later.

Queta, 24, has been a standout at the G League level over the past three seasons, including helping lead the Maine Celtics to their first ever appearance in the NBAGL Finals. Maine will face the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s affiliate, in a best-of-three series that begins on Tuesday.

In 26 games with Boston in 2023/24, Queta has averaged 4.6 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 61.4% from the field in 11.4 minutes per contest.

Hornets To Interview Lindsey Harding For Head Coaching Job

April 8th, 2024 at 5:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Hornets have been granted permission to interview the Kings’ G League coach, Lindsey Harding, for their head coaching opening, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Harding was named the NBAGL’s Coach of the Year in her first season in the role. The former WNBA star coached the Stockton Kings to the Western Conference Finals. Stockton was defeated by the Oklahoma City Blue on Sunday.

Harding was hired to coach Sacramento’s NBAGL affiliate last June. Harding spent the past four seasons as an assistant/player development coach with the NBA’s Kings.

The Hornets’ decision to interview a woman for their head coaching job isn’t unprecedented, but hiring one would be groundbreaking. Current WNBA coach Becky Hammon, a former Spurs assistant, interviewed for numerous NBA head coaching openings before taking the Las Vegas Aces job.

Steve Clifford announced earlier this month he would be stepping down from the Hornets’ job at the end of the season. Charlotte has already been granted permission to interview several assistants from around the NBA, including Charles Lee (Celtics), Jordi Fernandez (Kings), Kevin Young (Suns) and David Adelman (Nuggets).