NBA Rumors - HoopsRumors.com

Scottie Barnes Out Indefinitely With Fractured Hand

March 1st, 2024 at 10:14pm CST by Rory Maher

Forward Scottie Barnes sustained a fracture to the third metacarpal bone of his left hand in the second quarter of Friday’s loss to Golden State, the Raptors announced in a press release. He’s out indefinitely.

It’s a tough blow for the former Rookie of the Year, who is averaging career highs in every major statistic this season, including points (20.0), rebounds (8.3), assists (6.1), steals (1.3) and blocks (1.5) though 59 games. His shooting slash line in those contests was .474/.340/.781.

An All-Star for the first time in 2023/24, Barnes has assumed a larger role on both ends of the court for Toronto in 2023/24 after the team lost Fred VanVleet in free agency last summer and then decided to trade impending free agents Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby during the season.

Since the team is now built around Barnes, who was the fourth overall pick in 2020, it’s hard to say who will take on larger roles in his absence. Trade additions Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett seem like obvious candidates, but neither has Barnes’ size or unique skill set.

If the team elects to go with smaller wings, Gradey Dick, Bruce Brown and Ochai Agbaji could receive more run. If the Raptors want to go bigger, they could play Kelly Olynyk more minutes in the frontcourt alongside Jakob Poeltl.

At 22-38, the Raptors were already on the outside looking in of the postseason picture, currently trailing the Hawks by 4.5 games for the final spot in the East’s play-in tournament. With Barnes sidelined, their odds of making the playoffs — slim as they were — are all but eliminated.

Barnes, 22, will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the offseason, and there’s a very good chance he’ll receive a maximum-salary offer from Toronto.

Sixers Waive Kenneth Lofton Jr.

March 1st, 2024 at 10:02pm CST by Rory Maher

10:02pm: Lofton has been released, the 76ers confirmed in a press release.

9:45pm: The Sixers intend to waive Kenneth Lofton Jr., who is on a two-way contract, reports Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (via Twitter).

A burly forward/center, Lofton went undrafted out of Louisiana Tech in 2022. He caught on with the Grizzlies, signing a two-way contract before being converted to a standard deal at the end of his rookie season in 2022/23.

Lofton became the victim of a roster crunch in Memphis when the team needed to open up a roster spot to activate Ja Morant following the completion of his 25-game suspension. He was released in December, signing a two-way deal with Philadelphia a few days later.

After averaging 5.0 PPG and 2.1 RPG while shooting 52.7% from the floor in 24 games (7.3 MPG) as a rookie, the 21-year-old has struggled in his brief NBA minutes this season, averaging a combined 2.4 PPG and 1.1 RPG while making just 34.9% of his field goal attempts in 17 games with Memphis and Philadelphia (6.4 MPG). He only played two games for the 76ers, having spent most of his time with the Delaware Blue Coats, their NBA G League affiliate.

In 10 regular season games with the Blue Coats, Lofton put up big numbers, averaging 27.2 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 4.0 APG and 1.8 BPG on .577/.324/.746 shooting (29.8 MPG). He was named to the NBAGL’s Up Next Game, but wound up being replaced last month due to an injury.

Philadelphia has two openings on its standard roster and will have one open two-way spot once Lofton is officially released.

Pistons, Shake Milton Agree To Contract Buyout

March 1st, 2024 at 8:28pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pistons and veteran guard Shake Milton have agreed to a contract buyout, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), who says “multiple postseason contenders” are interested in signing Milton once he clears waivers.

The 54th pick of the 2018 draft, Milton spent his first five NBA seasons with the Sixers before hitting unrestricted free agency last summer. He signed a two-year, $10MM contract with the Timberwolves, with the second year being non-guaranteed.

Despite initial enthusiasm, the deal didn’t work out well for either party, as Milton averaged just 4.9 PPG, 1.6 RPG and 1.3 APG on .400/.264/.818 shooting in 38 games with Minnesota (12.9 MPG), well below his career marks. The Wolves wound up trading him to Detroit last month as part of a package for Monte Morris.

Milton appeared in four games for the Pistons, averaging 6.8 PPG and 4.5 RPG in 15.8 RPG. He’s only 27 and has been a productive reserve as recently as last season, so it’s not surprising that he’s expected to draw interest from several suitors.

Players must be waived by 11:59pm ET on Friday in order to maintain their postseason eligibility, so we can safely assume Milton be cut before the end of the day.

Raptors Promote Javon Freeman-Liberty To Standard Deal

March 1st, 2024 at 5:58pm CST by Rory Maher

5:58pm: Freeman-Liberty has officially been converted to a standard deal, Toronto announced in a press release.

4:53pm: The Raptors are giving Javon Freeman-Liberty a promotion, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the 24-year-old will receive a multiyear standard deal. Freeman-Liberty is currently on a two-way contract.

A Chicago native who played four years of college ball at Valparaiso and DePaul, Freeman-Liberty went undrafted in 2022, later signing an Exhibit 10 contract with his hometown Bulls. He spent his first pro season playing for the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s NBA G League affiliate, and had an impressive Summer League run in 2023, which led to a two-way deal with Toronto.

Freeman-Liberty, a 6’4″ guard, has only played four total minutes across two appearances with the Raptors in 2023/24, which is technically his rookie season. He’s been a standout at the NBAGL level for the Raptors 905, however, averaging 23.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 4.2 APG and 1.5 SPG on .461/.345/.830 shooting in 25 Showcase Cup and regular season games (35.2 MPG).

“Javon is quiet guy who came into camp and made a lot of noise,” head coach Darko Rajakovic said. ” … We’re really proud of what he’s accomplished this year” (Twitter links via Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca and Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca).

Rajakovic added that he hopes to get Freeman-Liberty some playing time with the NBA club at some point this season.

The Raptors currently have 13 players on standard contracts, and a 14th — D.J. Carton — on a 10-day deal, which expires tonight. That means they won’t have to waive anyone to convert Freeman-Liberty, since standard rosters can hold up to 15 players.

Nets, Jalen Wilson Finalize Three-Year Contract

March 1st, 2024 at 5:45pm CST by Luke Adams

5:45pm: Wilson’s deal is now official, according to a press release from the Nets.

2:50pm: Wilson’s deal will include a partial guarantee for 2024/25 and a team option on the ’25/26 season, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

2:16pm: The Nets are promoting Jalen Wilson from his two-way contract and will give him a spot on their standard 15-man roster, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the rookie forward will sign a new three-year deal.

After winning a national championship with Kansas in 2022, Wilson led the Jayhawks in scoring (20.1 PPG) and rebounding (8.3 RPG) as a redshirt junior in 2022/23. He was named a first-team All-American and the Big 12 Player of the Year before entering the 2023 draft, where he was selected with the No. 51 overall pick by the Nets.

Wilson didn’t play much at the NBA level earlier this season but impressed in the G League with the Long Island Nets, averaging 19.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 33.0 minutes per game across 22 appearances in the Showcase Cup and NBAGL regular season. He posted a shooting line of .471/.380/.745 in those contests.

Wilson’s strong play with Long Island has helped earn him a spot in Brooklyn’s rotation in recent weeks. Since February 6, he has played in all 10 of the Nets’ games, averaging 5.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 1.5 APG on .444/.500/.667 shooting in 18.9 MPG.

The Nets have an open spot on their 15-man roster, so no corresponding move will be required to make room for Wilson. Once his promotion is official, the club will have an open two-way slot and will face a March 4 deadline to fill it.

Brooklyn will use a portion of its mid-level exception in order to sign Wilson to a contract exceeding two seasons. Additional details on the deal aren’t yet known.

Wizards Convert Eugene Omoruyi To Standard Contract

March 1st, 2024 at 5:21pm CST by Rory Maher

The Wizards have officially converted Eugene Omoruyi‘s two-way deal into a standard contract, the team announced in a press release. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the news, indicating that it’s a two-year pact (Twitter link).

Ava Wallace of The Washington Post suggested last week that Omoruyi looked like a strong candidate to be promoted to a standard deal, and now that has come to fruition.

A 6’7″ forward who went undrafted out of Oregon in 2021, Omoruyi holds three seasons of NBA experience, having made previous stops with Dallas, Oklahoma City and Detroit before catching on with Washington last summer. The 27-year-old has appeared in 27 games for the Wizards in 2023/24, averaging 4.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in 7.6 minutes per night.

In addition to his NBA minutes, Omoruyi has also played 12 total games for Washington’s G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, averaging 20.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals.

Omoruyi will technically be the Wizards’ 15th player on a standard deal, at least for one day — Justin Champagnie‘s 10-day contract expires on Saturday night. If they don’t re-sign Champagnie, they’ll be back down to 14 players on standard contracts at that point, with one two-way opening.

And-Ones: Lottery, D. Howard, G League, M. Wright, Team USA

March 1st, 2024 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA announced this week (via Twitter) that the 2024 draft lottery will take place on Sunday, May 12. That’s a departure from the league’s usual schedule — the lottery has typically been held on a Tuesday in recent years.

The lottery will be one of three draft-related events held during that week in Chicago. The NBA’s annual draft combine will run from May 12-19, according to the league, while the G League Elite Camp will take place just before that, on the weekend of May 11-12. The Elite Camp features the top draft prospects who didn’t make the initial cut for the combine, with the top performers at that event typically invited to stick around for combine week.

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

Eight-time NBA All-Star and three-time Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard will continue his playing career in Puerto Rico, having reached a deal with Mets de Guaynabo, according to a tweet from the Baoloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). Howard, who last played in the NBA in 2021/22, spent the ’22/23 season in Taiwan. He was accused of sexual assault and battery in a lawsuit filed last July; that civil suit is ongoing, with a Georgia judge denying a motion to dismiss it last week.
Playing in the G League is becoming a more common path for rookies to develop and show they’re capable of a longer look at the NBA level, according to Zach Kram of The Ringer, who says 18 of this year’s 30 first-round picks – including six of 14 lottery selections – have spent time in the NBAGL. Both of those marks are new records, Kram writes within an in-depth look at what the future might hold for the NBA’s minor league.
Former Georgia Tech star Moses Wright appeared in just four NBA games in brief stints with the Clippers and Mavericks earlier in his career and now plays for Panathinaikos in Greece. However, Clippers player development assistant Wesley Johnson, who was on Tyronn Lue‘s staff when Wright signed a 10-day deal with the team in 2021, is confident that the 25-year-old will be back in the NBA at some point. “He’s a great player, talented, athletic, can shoot, put the ball on the floor. He was the player of the year in the ACC for a reason,” Johnson said, per Giorgos Efkarpidis of Eurohoops. “… He will find the time and the moment to join a team.”
Suns forward Kevin Durant is looking forward to playing for Team USA this summer and will be looking to claim his fourth Olympic gold medal, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, who takes a closer look at what the U.S. roster might look like. The Athletic identified several frontrunners for the 12-man squad earlier this week.

Southwest Notes: Morant, Claxton, Zeller, Luka, Washington

March 1st, 2024 at 1:50pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets‘ trip to Memphis earlier this week wasn’t exactly a homecoming for Nic Claxton, but it gave him an opportunity to see some familiar faces, according to Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal, who notes that Claxton played AAU ball in his native South Carolina with Grizzlies star Ja Morant and Morant’s close friend Davonte Pack.

“Playing that last year of AAU with (Morant) and seeing where he is now with his career and everything he has achieved so early, it’s definitely good to see,” Claxton said. “… I didn’t see him being the player that he is now with the athleticism. He was always talented, skilled, could always really pass the ball. When he got that athleticism, he just started to take off.”

As Cole notes, Claxton – who has worn Morant’s signature shoe this season – will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and the Grizzlies will be in the market for help at center after trading away Steven Adams and Xavier Tillman. A deal with Claxton may be a long shot, given that Memphis will be well over the salary cap and won’t be in position to offer the young center the type of lucrative deal the Nets can.

Still, Claxton didn’t close the door on the idea – replying, “We’ll see” when asked about the possibility – and Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. didn’t sound opposed to it either, Cole writes.

“He’s good for that team,” Jackson said of Brooklyn’s starting center. “He’s doing his thing. Who knows, man. I can play alongside a lot of different types of players. Credit to what he’s doing over there.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

After beginning the 2022/23 season without an NBA home, Cody Zeller wasn’t sure if his days in the league were coming to an end. However, as Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star relays, Zeller got another shot last February with Miami, which led to a new deal with the Pelicans this past offseason. The veteran big man is happy to be serving as a veteran leader in New Orleans and grateful to still be in the NBA. “I had already had a good career (before joining the Heat last season),” Zeller said. “That gave me a different perspective that each additional game that I play or contract that I get or extra year that I get is icing on the cake. If I can be a good veteran guy even if I’m not playing, I’m totally happy with that, totally cool with that.”
Cautioning Mavericks fans not to take Luka Doncic‘s ongoing greatness for granted, Tim Cato of The Athletic explores the star guard’s case for this season’s MVP award.
Coming off a 23-point game on Wednesday in Toronto – his best performance since joining the Mavericks last month – P.J. Washington is making a case to be Dallas’ third option on offense behind Doncic and Kyrie Irving, writes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. “We would like to be consistent with a third,” head coach Jason Kidd said. “Yes, that would make coaching or being a teammate a little bit easier, knowing who’s going to be there on a consistent basis. And I think P.J. is starting to trend that way.” Kidd added that he believes Washington is “up for the challenge” of being more of an offensive play-maker.

Community Shootaround: Rookie Of The Year Race

March 1st, 2024 at 12:29pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s 2023/24 Rookie of the Year race has arguably been the best in recent memory, with Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama and Thunder center Chet Holmgren both enjoying incredible debut seasons.

It was Wembanyama who got the upper hand in the latest chapter of the budding rivalry between the two young bigs on Thursday night. The No. 1 overall pick, who led the Spurs to an upset win over the Thunder, became the first player in NBA history to record at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, five blocks, and five 3-pointers in a game, according to Andrew Lopez of ESPN.

Wembanyama helped seal San Antonio’s victory by making a highlight block on a Holmgren shot attempt in a late-game possession (Twitter video link).

Asked after Thursday’s game whether the performance locked up the Rookie of the Year race for his star teammate, Spurs wing Devin Vassell said he believed Wembanyama had already earned that award.

“I feel like it’s been over, but I mean, night in, night out, the stuff that he does, the impact that he has on both ends of the floor, big shot after big block, after whatever the case may be, I mean he doesn’t even look like a rookie,” Vassell said, per Lopez. “The shots that he shoots, the confidence that he has in his game is second to none, truthfully.”

In their recaps of Thursday’s game, Mike Monroe of The Athletic and Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News each also declared the Rookie of the Year race all but over, contending that Wembanyama has it in hand. The 20-year-old has increased his season-long averages to 20.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 3.3 blocks, and 1.3 steals in just 28.7 minutes per game across 54 appearances, with a shooting line of .467/.327/.814.

Still, Wembanyama, who has stated that winning Rookie of the Year is important to him, wasn’t as eager as Vassell or those local reporters to declare the race over, according to Lopez.

“No, because there’s still 22 games left,” Wembanyama said. “So no, it’s not over.”

While the Spurs’ young star has repeatedly showed signs this season that he’s on his way to becoming a generational talent, Holmgren has made a compelling case of his own for Rookie of the Year honors by anchoring the defense of one of the NBA’s best teams while scoring effectively and efficiently on the other end of the floor. In 59 games (30.2 MPG) for the Thunder, he has put up 17.2 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.7 APG, and 2.6 BPG on .544/.398/.784 shooting.

Even after Thursday’s loss to San Antonio, the Thunder are 29.5 games ahead of the Spurs in the standings, which may be a factor voters weigh when they make their Rookie of the Year choice. Holmgren’s .617 effective field goal percentage is also substantially stronger than Wembanyama’s .518 mark.

In the latest episode of The Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link), ESPN’s Tim MacMahon suggested that Holmgren might be having the best rookie season of any non-Wembanyama player of the past decade besides Luka Doncic in 2018/19. Tim Bontemps argued that Holmgren has been even better this season than Doncic was as a rookie.

However, both ESPN reporters, along with colleague Brian Windhorst, agreed that Wembanyama is the obvious frontrunner for this season’s award.

For what it’s worth, while an injury to either player would obviously impact the race, the NBA’s new 65-game minimum for end-of-season awards doesn’t apply to Rookie of the Year, so there’s no risk of either Wembanyama or Holmgren becoming ineligible.

We want to know what you think. Is Wembanyama your Rookie of the Year pick? If so, what would it take for Holmgren to overtake him in the season’s final six weeks? If not, why do you feel as if Holmgren’s case is stronger?

Head to the comment section to weigh in with your thoughts!

Injury Notes: Ball, Ayton, Exum, Reddish

March 1st, 2024 at 10:40am CST by Luke Adams

LaMelo Ball has been sidelined since January 26, having missed the Hornets‘ past 16 games due to what the team initially referred to as right ankle soreness and later diagnosed as ankle tendinopathy. Asked on Thursday where the star guard is in his recovery compared to two weeks ago, head coach Steve Clifford offered few specifics and didn’t give any indication that Ball’s return is imminent.

“It’s hard to tell,” Clifford said, per Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). “Look, he’s doing the same stuff now that he was doing two weeks ago. I don’t know that stuff. He does what they allow him to do. There’s a lot of factors in that, obviously. Like today, he did a lot of shootaround. He’s been doing that for a while.

“He wants to be back. Again, he doesn’t feel healthy enough and people aren’t comfortable enough that he should play. I don’t really know how to answer that. He does shootaround and things like that. He does his work. I know he wants to get back. There’s just a lot of factors on that one.”

The Hornets are 11 games back of the final play-in spot in the East with just 23 contests remaining, so the team has little to play for down the stretch and can afford to be extremely cautious with Ball, whose five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension will go into effect in July.

Here are a few more injury notes from around the league:

Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton underwent further testing on the right hand injury he sustained on Tuesday, and those tests confirmed the hand is sprained, a source tells Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Twitter link). Ayton is considered day-to-day, per Highkin. The former No. 1 overall pick is listed as doubtful to play on Friday in Memphis.
Mavericks guard Dante Exum – who missed nine games in January due to a right plantar sprain, then 13 more in January and February due to right knee bursitis – played on Wednesday for the first time in over a month (Twitter link). A starter for 14 games in the first half of the season, Exum may not reclaim that role for a Dallas team that is deeper and healthier than it was earlier in 2023/24, but he played nearly 17 minutes off the bench in his first game back, recording four points, five assists, and three rebounds.
Cam Reddish returned this week from a right ankle injury that cost him 14 games, but he doesn’t appear to be feeling 100% quite yet. Reddish was on the court for just four minutes in the Lakers‘ win over Washington on Thursday, with head coach Darvin Ham telling reporters after the game that the forward experienced soreness in that ankle, prompting the team to sit him for the rest of the game in favor of Max Christie (Twitter link via Jovan Buha of The Athletic).