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Thunder Trade Oladipo, Robinson-Earl To Rockets For Porter, Second-Round Picks

October 17th, 2023 at 7:28pm CST by Luke Adams

7:28pm: Both teams have officially announced the trade, the Rockets via a press release and Thunder with a separate news release. The Thunder also announced they have waived Porter.

Houston made a related move, waiving Matthew Mayer in order to open a roster spot to complete the two-for-one deal. Mayer, who signed a camp deal in early August, went undrafted in June out of Illinois and caught on with the Rockets’ Summer League team. He’ll likely wind up with their G League squad, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

11:42am: The Thunder and Rockets have agreed to a trade, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that Oklahoma City will receive guard Kevin Porter Jr. and a pair of future second-round picks in the deal, while Houston will get guard Victor Oladipo and forward/center Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

The Thunder, who will immediately waive Porter, are acquiring the Timberwolves’ 2027 second-round pick and the Bucks’ 2028 second-rounder from Houston, Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter).

Porter was arrested in September on charges of assault and strangulation after allegedly assaulting his girlfriend, former WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick. The Rockets began trying to trade the 23-year-old shortly after his arrest and confirmed on media day that he wouldn’t be rejoining the team.

According to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required), prosecutors dropped a second-degree assault charge against Porter this week due to “insufficient evidence.”

However, Porter still faces charges of second-degree strangulation and third-degree assault, so the dropped charge doesn’t materially affect his NBA outlook. No team is likely to consider picking him up at least until the legal process has played out and the league has completed its own investigation and potentially handed out a suspension.

The Rockets’ goal in shopping Porter was to replace him with a player who could actually contribute on the court this season. It’s unclear what the team’s plans are for Oladipo, who is still recovering from a torn patellar tendon in his left knee, but Robinson-Earl should provide some depth in Houston’s frontcourt.

Once the deal is complete, the Rockets will have 16 players on standard contracts — 14 with fully guaranteed salaries, plus Aaron Holiday and Boban Marjanovic on partially guaranteed deals. The team will have to waive or trade one of those 16 players by Monday to get down to the regular season roster limit.

It’s possible Oladipo will be the odd man out, especially if his injury recovery is expected to extend well into the season. His expiring $9.5MM salary could be useful for salary-matching purposes in a subsequent deal, so the Rockets may try to find a way to hang onto him, but most of their roster consists of promising young players or recent additions, so there aren’t any other obvious candidates to be let go.

The Thunder were facing a roster crunch of their own this fall, with 18 players on standard contracts for 15 regular season roster spots. In trading Oladipo and Robinson-Earl for a player whom they’ll waive immediately, they’ll reduce their roster count to 16 players, meaning only one more cut (or trade) will be necessary before opening night.

Acquiring Porter doesn’t look great from a PR perspective for Oklahoma City, given what he has been accused of, but the team will drop him right away and acquires two more future draft picks in the deal. The Thunder also received two future second-round selections when they took on Oladipo in a salary-dump deal with the Heat earlier this offseason, so they’ve essentially added four second-rounders by taking him on from Miami and then flipping him to Houston.

In waiving Porter, the Thunder will eat $15.86MM in dead money this season, plus a $1MM partial guarantee for 2024/25. The rest of Porter’s four-year, $63MM+ contract was non-guaranteed, so Oklahoma City won’t be on the hook for additional money beyond that $16.86MM. OKC also generates a $1.9MM trade exception in the move, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.

As for the Rockets, they’ll save a little money in the deal and create a new $4.5MM trade exception of their own. It’s also worth noting that Robinson-Earl, who is owed $1.9MM this season, has a $1.99MM team option for 2024/25, so Houston could hang onto him at a near-minimum cost for two seasons.

Robinson-Earl, who will turn 23 next month, appeared in 43 games for the Thunder last season, starting 20. He posted respectable averages of 6.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in a part-time role (18.9 MPG) and has shown an ability to make an outside shot (.344 career 3PT%), but was buried on OKC’s frontcourt depth chart with Chet Holmgren returning to action.

The Thunder and Rockets have been frequent trade partners in recent years, dating back to their Chris Paul/Russell Westbrook swap in July 2019. They also came together for trades during the 2021 and 2022 offseasons, and they were both involved in the five-team deal sending Dillon Brooks to Houston earlier this year.

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Southwest Notes: Smart, Jones, Alvarado, Hardy, Green

October 17th, 2023 at 6:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Marcus Smart will make his preseason Grizzlies debut on Friday, according to Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Smart, acquired from Boston this offseason, will go right into the starting lineup, coach Taylor Jenkins told Cole. Smart has been battling abdominal soreness.

“I’ve been doing this going on 10 years now, so for me, I know what it takes to get myself going and how long it takes,” the Grizzlies veteran guard said. “I’ll be ready.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

  • Tre Jones signed a two-year, $19MM contract this offseason to remain with the Spurs. However, it’s uncertain if he’ll remain a starter. He told Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News he’s fine either way. “No matter if I’m starting or coming off the bench, it will always be the same,” Jones said. “I’ve got to be a leader for us. I’ve got to continue to set my teammates up as many ways as possible, be an extension of coach on the court, be aggressive on the defensive end and try to help us win any way possible.”
  • The Pelicans have played poorly this preseason but they should toughen up when backup point guard Jose Alvarado returns. Alvarado has been sidelined by an ankle sprain but there’s optimism he’ll be back for the regular season opener next week. “He’s a big piece for our team, especially on the defensive side of the basketball,” forward Brandon Ingram told Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “He brings us energy. He’ll be good for our second group, just trying to run our second group.”
  • The Mavericks are dealing with a few minor injuries, Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com tweets. Jaden Hardy is getting treatment on a sprained ankle, while Josh Green suffered a back injury on Monday and sat out Tuesday’s practice.
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Rockets Eye Alec Burks, Talen Horton-Tucker

October 17th, 2023 at 5:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Rockets cut ties with Kevin Porter Jr. by agreeing to trade the troubled guard and two future second-round picks to the Thunder for injured guard Victor Oladipo and big man Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

However, the Rockets may not be through making deals before next week’s regular season opener, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reports. They may look to move Oladipo, combined with other second-round picks, to upgrade their roster.

Houston has held trade discussions with the Pistons regarding veteran guard Alec Burks, who has an expiring $10,489,600 contract. Fischer notes that his contract nearly matches Oladipo’s $9.5MM expiring salary.

It’s not clear if the Pistons would be interested a trade for Oladipo, who is recovering from a torn patellar tendon in his left knee, and some type of sweetener.

The Pistons have other options at guard beyond franchise player Cade Cunningham. New head coach Monty Williams is mulling whether to start lottery pick Ausar Thompson and bring Jaden Ivey off the bench. Detroit also traded for Monte Morris and Joe Harris this offseason, with rookie Marcus Sasser and Killian Hayes also battling for playing time.

Houston has also contacted the Jazz regarding Talen Horton-Tucker. Tucker has an $11.02MM expiring contract and his role with Utah is uncertain, due to the strong play of Kris Dunn and rookie Keyonte George.

The Rockets have some interest in Malcolm Brogdon as well, although the Trail Blazers and Rockets have not held significant discussions. Portland has indicated that it wants to hold onto Brogdon, who was acquired from Boston in the Jrue Holiday deal. Houston also wouldn’t be able to aggregate Oladipo’s salary with another player for two months after finalizing its trade with Oklahoma City. Brogdon is earning $22.5MM.

Fischer also delivered some other interesting tidbits in his story:

  • Prior to the Thunder’s trade with the Rockets, veteran forward Davis Bertāns‘ name was passing through the rumor mill. The Thunder had a roster logjam prior to the deal and still needs to clear another spot, but Bertans is safe. Not only could his perimeter shooting help the Thunder, his $16MM salary for 2024/25 is only guaranteed for $5MM. That could make him a valuable trade piece approaching February’s trade deadline.
  • The Rockets held conversations with several other teams regarding Porter that would have required them to throw in more second-rounders to get him off their roster. Oklahoma City had planned to waive Oladipo if it couldn’t find a trade for him.
  • Few rival executives anticipate that the Pacers’ Buddy Hield will be traded prior to the season. The Pacers had looked at potential deals involving Hield after contract extension talks stalled, but it sounds like there’s no traction toward a move.
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Mavericks Sign, Waive Taze Moore

October 17th, 2023 at 5:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

OCTOBER 17: The Mavericks have waived Moore, the team’s PR department tweets. It’s likely he’ll end up with the Legends after clearing waivers.

OCTOBER 16: The Mavericks have signed former University of Houston forward Taze Moore, the team announced (via Twitter).

The 6’5″ Moore joined Dallas’ G League team after going undrafted in 2022 and averaged 13.9 points and 6.7 rebounds in 24 regular season games with the Texas Legends. He also played for the Mavericks’ Summer League squad, posting 7.0 points and 4.8 rebounds in five games.

In an interview this summer with Grant Afseth of Sports Illustrated, Moore said the Mavs asked him to concentrate on defense in Las Vegas, but he feels he can handle any role that he’s assigned.

“I’m not really a well-known guy like that, and I’m kind of cool with that,” Moore said. “I’m a defensive guy, but when I was at (Cal) Bakersfield, I kind of had a team where I had to be an offensive threat and things like that. So I can just be anything you want me to be when you want me to be that. I can score. If you need me to score, I score. If you don’t, I won’t.”

Moore is a long shot to make the Mavericks’ roster, but assuming he signed an Exhibit 10 contract, he’ll be able to earn a bonus of up to $75K if he’s waived and spends at least 60 days with the Legends.

Dallas had room to sign Moore after waiving three players over the weekend. There are still two openings on the 21-man roster.

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Sixers Notes: Harden, Trade Talks, Maxey, Harris

October 17th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

While James Harden has been on his best behavior when he has been present at practices for the Sixers during training camp and the preseason, he hasn’t exactly been a full participant this fall, Shams Charania said on Stadium’s NBA season preview show (Twitter video link).

According to Charania, Harden has taken part in just one five-on-five scrimmage this month, back on October 7. The former MVP also hasn’t been in attendance for any of the 76ers’ three preseason games and has skipped at least one shootaround.

The Clippers and Sixers have talked more about Harden in the last week, according to Charania, but there’s still no deal imminent between the two teams.

Here are a few more Sixers notes:

  • Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports also checked in on the Harden saga, citing league sources who say that Daryl Morey wants a second first-round pick (in addition to a pick swap and expiring contracts) for Harden. While Fischer doesn’t state it explicitly, it sounds like Philadelphia would want both of those first-round picks to be unprotected. The Clippers haven’t shown a willingness thus far to include more than one first-rounder in their offer for Harden.
  • According to Fischer, the Clippers value their 2028 first-round pick pretty highly, since Kawhi Leonard‘s and Paul George‘s futures in Los Angeles aren’t locked in, so there’s no guarantee that pick won’t be a high one. They’ve looked around to see if they’d be able to get two first-rounders from another team in exchange for that lone 2028 pick in order to satisfy Philadelphia’s asking price, Fischer says, but that seems like a long shot.
  • Fischer suggests one reason Harden has been so professional in his return following a brief holdout is a belief that the gap between the Sixers and Clippers isn’t significant and that the two teams will be able to work something out. It’s unclear whether or not there’s an “undetermined deadline” when Harden might get impatient and start trying to force the issue more proactively, Fischer adds.
  • Tyrese Maxey understands “the business aspect” of the Sixers deciding to hold off on a rookie scale extension and isn’t concerned about reaching restricted free agency next July, he tells Fischer. Philadelphia is putting off Maxey’s next deal in order to maximize its 2024 cap room. “I just look at it as I’m gonna go out there and still play,” Maxey said. “I’m still on the 76ers. I love it here and I want to help us win. And at the end of the day, that’s my contract and that’s what I’ll fulfill. I love Philly. And we’ll see what happens.”
  • In a conversation with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Sixers forward Tobias Harris spoke about how he’ll fit into Nick Nurse‘s system, his mindset entering a contract year, and his expectations for the team this season, among other topics.
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Jazz Waive Romeo Langford, Two Others

October 17th, 2023 at 3:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz have removed three players from their preseason roster, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived swingman Romeo Langford, guard Michael Devoe, and forward Keshawn Justice.

All three moves had been anticipated. Langford, Devoe, and Justice were on Exhibit 10 contracts, which will put them in line for bonuses worth up to $75K if they spend at least 60 days with Utah’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars. They’re not obligated to head to the NBAGL now that they’ve been cut – they could find an opportunity elsewhere they like more – but it appears that’s the plan for all three.

Langford, who will turn 24 next Wednesday, was drafted 14th overall by the Celtics in 2019 when current Jazz CEO Danny Ainge was Boston’s head of basketball operations. He has shown some promise as a defender but hasn’t displayed much of an offensive game since entering the NBA, averaging 4.6 points per night on .430/.288/.659 shooting in 141 career games (16.1 MPG).

Devoe played for the Ontario Clippers in the G League last season after going undrafted out of Georgia Tech. He put up modest stats in his rookie season (6.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 20.8 minutes over 29 regular season games), but he had a strong Summer League showing for Portland, averaging 18.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.3 steals in just 23.9 minutes per game (four games).

Justice went undrafted in June after five seasons at Santa Clara. As a “super senior” in 2022/23, the 23-year-old averaged 13.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 rebounds in 33 games for the Broncos (34.9 minutes). He played for the Jazz’s Summer League squad, averaging 10.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals in five games (23.4 minutes).

The Jazz now have 18 players under contract. Utah’s roster looks ready for the regular season, though the club could still shuffle players in and out of its three open roster spots for G League purposes.

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2023/24 NBA Over/Unders: Atlantic Division

October 17th, 2023 at 2:39pm CST by Luke Adams

With the 2023/24 NBA regular season around the corner, we’re getting serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign and continuing an annual Hoops Rumors tradition.

With the help of the lines from a series of sports betting sites – including Bovada and BetOnline – we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. In a series of team-by-team polls, you’ll get the chance to weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.

In 2022/23, our voters went 16-14 on their over/under picks. Can you top that in ’23/24?

We’ll wrap up our series today with the Atlantic Division…

Boston Celtics

Philadelphia 76ers

New York Knicks

Brooklyn Nets

Toronto Raptors

Previous voting results:

Northwest

  • Denver Nuggets (53.5 wins): Over (52.0%)
  • Minnesota Timberwolves (44.5 wins): Over (53.1%)
  • Oklahoma City Thunder (44.5 wins): Under (53.6%)
  • Utah Jazz (35.5 wins): Over (55.5%)
  • Portland Trail Blazers (28.5 wins): Under (50.9%)

Central

  • Milwaukee Bucks (54.5 wins): Over (76.9%)
  • Cleveland Cavaliers (50.5 wins): Under (52.0%)
  • Indiana Pacers (38.5 wins): Over (64.1%)
  • Chicago Bulls (37.5 wins): Under (61.9%)
  • Detroit Pistons (27.5 wins): Over (53.8%)

Southwest

  • Memphis Grizzlies (46.5 wins): Under (52.1%)
  • New Orleans Pelicans (44.5 wins): Under (60.8%)
  • Dallas Mavericks (44.5 wins): Under (50.3%)
  • Houston Rockets (31.5 wins): Over (59.2%)
  • San Antonio Spurs (28.5 wins): Over (54.4%)

Southeast

  • Miami Heat (46.5 wins): Under (59.0%)
  • Atlanta Hawks (42.5 wins): Under (61.1%)
  • Orlando Magic (37.5 wins): Over (60.7%)
  • Charlotte Hornets (31.5 wins): Under (65.8%)
  • Washington Wizards (24.5 wins): Over (53.3%)

Pacific

  • Phoenix Suns (52.5 wins): Under (52.6%)
  • Golden State Warriors (48.5 wins): Over (52.7%)
  • Los Angeles Lakers (47.5 wins): Over (57.2%)
  • Los Angeles Clippers (46.5 wins): Under (64.6%)
  • Sacramento Kings (44.5 wins): Over (71.3%)
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Jazz Notes: Dunn, George, THT, Clarkson, Hendricks

October 17th, 2023 at 1:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Sarah Todd of The Deseret News believes Kris Dunn has been the Jazz‘s best point guard so far this fall, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he’ll be named the starter at the position. As Todd writes, head coach Will Hardy appears more focused on backcourt pairings and how well they play together than singling out a starter.

With that in mind, Todd suggests it might make sense for Dunn to come off the bench alongside Keyonte George. That would alleviate some pressure on George by allowing him to be part of the second unit rather than the starting five and by pairing him with a stellar perimeter defender like Dunn.

Whatever Dunn’s role ends up being, Hardy values what the veteran guard brings to the team, praising his “tenacity,” as well as the “fight and hunger” he shows on the court, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (subscription required). The Jazz coach still isn’t tipping his hand on the starting lineup though.

“I think there are opportunities for us to change the (starting) lineup at certain times, depending on who we’re playing,” Hardy said. “We’re always looking at it like we’re trying to maximize 48 minutes, but yes, Kris is somebody who could be in that (starting point guard) slot. He could potentially be there the opening night of the season, he could not.”

Here’s more out of Utah:

  • As both Todd and Larsen point out within their observations on Dunn, the former No. 5 overall pick won’t become extension-eligible before reaching unrestricted free agency in 2024, so if the Jazz want to sign him beyond this season, they may need to ward off other suitors next summer to do so.
  • Tony Jones of The Athletic wonders if Talen Horton-Tucker and Jordan Clarkson, who have started the last two preseason games, will emerge as Utah’s starting backcourt. Neither is a traditional point guard, but their skill sets complement the team’s frontcourt starters, Jones writes, noting that the offense has looked better with Horton-Tucker and Clarkson starting.
  • With so much depth in their backcourt, the Jazz have been experimenting this preseason with having three or four guards on the court at once, per Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. Count big man Kelly Olynyk among those who like the idea. “It’s a different look, obviously, for defenses to have to guard [against] four guards — the floor space, everything’s wide open, it gives everybody lots of room to pass, cut, move,” Olynyk said. “Obviously, rebounding is a big key in those stretches and those lineups. But it just gives the defenses a totally different look; they probably can’t guard the same way they guard the rest of the game, so they have to make adjustments, do different things, and change the pace of the game a little.”
  • The Jazz haven’t given lottery pick Taylor Hendricks significant playing time this preseason, which can probably be attributed to Hardy’s “no free minutes” approach, Larsen writes for The Salt Lake Tribune. Hardy told reporters over the weekend that Hendricks is still feeling out his role, adding that he appreciates that the rookie “doesn’t think that he’s owed anything.”
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And-Ones: Tibbetts, J. Jackson, Load Management, Vasiljevic

October 17th, 2023 at 10:32am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA assistant Nate Tibbetts, who had been employed by the Magic as part of Jamahl Mosley‘s staff, is finalizing an agreement to become the new head coach of the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). According to Wojnarowski, the deal will make Tibbetts the highest-paid coach in WNBA history.

Tibbetts, who was hired Orlando in 2021, previously served as the associate head coach in Portland and was also an assistant for the Cavaliers. He has head coaching experience at the G League level and has interviewed for the top coaching job for several NBA teams over the years.

Interestingly, one of those NBA head coaching interviews that Tibbetts received was from the Suns back in 2019, before the team hired Monty Williams. Four years later, with the Suns and Mercury under ownership, Tibbetts will be the named the head coach of Phoenix’s other basketball franchise.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Veteran NBA forward Josh Jackson, the No. 4 pick in the 2017 draft, has been accused of raping a woman and then sending two other women to break into apartment to threaten her, according to Shreyas Laddha and Luke Nozicka of The Kansas City Star, who share details from a federal lawsuit filed by Jackson’s accuser. The former Kansas Jayhawk last played in the NBA in 2021/22, when he appeared in 51 games for Detroit and Sacramento.
  • While Joe Dumars and the NBA have publicly stated that their data doesn’t support the benefits of “load management,” some coaches around the league are skeptical of that conclusion, according to Joe Vardon and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. “It’s just PR,” one coach told The Athletic. “There are plenty of other studies that prove load management makes sense from an injury and recovery standpoint.”
  • Australian guard Dejan Vasiljevic signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Wizards in September and was waived a couple weeks ago, but it seems he won’t be joining the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s G League affiliate. Olgun Uluc of ESPN reports that Vasiljevic is headed back to his home country and is set to officially sign with the Adelaide 36ers after the Sydney Kings renounced their right of first refusal.
  • In a pair of features for The Athletic, John Hollinger makes win-loss predictions for the eight teams he projects to finish at the bottom of the West and his bottom eight teams in the East. Of note: Hollinger has the Kings (39-43) and Bulls (33-49) finishing out of the play-in picture in their respective conferences.
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