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Eastern Notes: Embiid, Joerger, Bucks, Rozier, Heat

January 24th, 2024 at 3:04pm CST by Luke Adams

When Sixers star Joel Embiid scored 30-plus points for a 21st consecutive game on Monday, he didn’t just eke past that threshold — he more than doubled it, eclipsing Wilt Chamberlain‘s franchise record of 68 points by racking up an eye-popping 70 in a victory over San Antonio, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

The performance increased Embiid’s season-long scoring average to 36.1 points per game. James Harden (2018/19) is the only other player to average that many points in a single season since Michael Jordan did it in 1986/87.

Having already missed 10 games in 2023/24, Embiid isn’t a lock to reach the 65-game minimum required to qualify for end-of-season awards. But as long as he plays enough, he looks like the clear frontrunner to win a second consecutive MVP award.

“I keep telling everybody, we cannot take this for granted,” Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey said. “Not just as teammates, not as an organization, but as fans … even if you’re not a fan of Philadelphia, if you’re just a fan of basketball, you can’t take Jo for granted, man. What he’s doing right now is special.

“… He’s doing so much out there. And you know, the kicker is he’s on the other end, he’s anchoring the defense as well. He’s not taking any nights off on defense. So, you know, we appreciate him, and everybody else should appreciate him, as well.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Dave Joerger, who spent three seasons on Doc Rivers‘ staff in Philadelphia, is receiving consideration to join the Bucks as an assistant, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Rivers and Bucks general manager Jon Horst are expected to work together to finalize any additions to Milwaukee’s coaching staff, tweets Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT.
Examining the Terry Rozier trade between the Heat and Hornets, John Hollinger of The Athletic wonders if this deal is a sign that there won’t be any blockbuster trades completed at the deadline. As Hollinger explains, Miami’s front office typically prefers to use its assets to go star-hunting on the trade market, so if the the Heat were willing to give up a first-round pick for Rozier, they may have felt as if no impact players will become available at the 11th hour.
Elsewhere at The Athletic, Jared Weiss and William Guillory take a closer look at what the Heat‘s Rozier acquisition means for the teams at the top of the East. As The Athletic’s duo points out, there’s a good deal of overlap between Rozier’s and Tyler Herro‘s skill sets, so it may be a challenge to play them together in the postseason when their relative lack of size makes them susceptible to being hunted on defense.
In a comprehensive Insider-only story for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks breaks down the trade deadline for the 15 Eastern Conference teams, outlining the assets at their disposal and what sorts of deals might make sense for each club.

Clarifying The NBA’s New Rule On Post-Buyout Signings

January 24th, 2024 at 2:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s trade deadline is just 15 days away, which means we’re nearly in buyout season. Several veteran players on lottery-bound teams who are in the final year of their respective contracts will become candidates to be bought out if they’re not traded to a new team on or before February 8.

When the league and the players’ union finalized a new Collective Bargaining Agreement in 2023, they agreed to a new rule that affects the buyout market. This rule hasn’t been a factor yet this season, but it will likely be relevant in the coming weeks. And in the wake of the deal that sent Kyle Lowry to Charlotte, making him a buyout candidate, I’ve seen some confusion about how the rule works and which players are affected, so we’ll offer some clarity here.

First, here’s the new rule: A team whose salary is above either the first or second tax apron is not permitted to sign a free agent on the buyout market if his pre-waiver salary exceeded the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.

For the 2023/24 season, that means that any team whose taxable salary is above $172,346,000 is ineligible to sign a player who was cut this season if he was earning more than $12,405,000.

This applies to both buyouts and standard waivers, so regardless of whether or not the player agreed to give up any money as part of his release, he’s ineligible to sign with an apron team if he had been earning more than $12,405,000.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN noted earlier this week (via Twitter), these are the clubs whose team salaries are currently above the apron levels:

Boston Celtics
Denver Nuggets
Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Clippers
Miami Heat
Milwaukee Bucks
Phoenix Suns

That means that a player like Lowry, whose $29.7MM salary far exceeds the mid-level exception, would currently be ineligible to sign with one of those seven teams if he’s bought out by the Hornets. However, that list of teams is subject to change as rosters changes and salaries fluctuate.

The Heat, for instance, reduced their payroll in the deal that sent out Lowry for Terry Rozier, whose cap charge is several million dollars smaller than Lowry’s. The Heat are currently above the first apron but well below the second, per Eric Pincus of Sports Business Classroom, so if they were to further trim their payroll, they could gain the ability to sign any player on the buyout market (well, with the exception of Lowry, due to a separate rule prohibiting a team from re-signing a player it traded if he’s waived by his new team).

Conversely, if a team like the Sixers, whose salary is currently less than $3MM shy of the first apron, took on several million dollars in salary in a deadline trade, they’d become ineligible to sign a player like Lowry in the buyout market.

A team can be above the luxury tax line but remain eligible to sign a player on the buyout market, since there’s a gap of approximately $7MM between the tax threshold ($165,294,000) and the first apron. The Lakers, for example, currently project to be a taxpayer, but they have enough room below the apron to ensure this restriction won’t apply to them.

In order to be eligible to sign a player who had been earning more than $12,405,000, the team must have a salary below the first apron upon the completion of the signing — that means a team whose salary is $1MM below the apron can’t offer a player a rest-of-season contract worth $1.2MM.

If a team were to sign a player like Lowry or Gordon Hayward (who is earning $31.5MM) on the buyout market, that club would subsequently be hard-capped at the first apron and would be prohibited from having its salary exceed $172,346,000 for the rest of the season.

Outside of Lowry, Hayward, and perhaps Knicks wing Evan Fournier, it doesn’t look like there will be many buyout candidates earning above the mid-level who would be particularly intriguing on the free agent market.

Players like Gary Harris, Marcus Morris, or Doug McDermott would certainly draw interest, but I don’t see them as viable candidates for buyouts unless they’re traded to a team that views them as a pure salary-matching chip. Guys like Davis Bertans and Joe Harris may appeal to a team in need of shooting, but they’ve barely played this season, so if they were bought out, the competition for their services may not be particularly fierce.

Still, even if this rule only affects a couple players this season, it’s worth keeping in mind. After all, several of the teams in that aforementioned group of seven are legitimate championship contenders. Those are the sorts of clubs that would benefit most from adding one more depth piece, so the fact that that they won’t have access to certain targets on the buyout market is noteworthy.

Trade Rumors: Bucks Targets, Payne, Allen, Suns, Hornets, Kuzma

January 24th, 2024 at 12:42pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks don’t have a ton of trade assets left after completing blockbuster deals in recent years for Jrue Holiday and then Damian Lillard, but they’re perusing the market in an effort to upgrade their perimeter defense, reports Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

According to Fischer, the Bucks have contacted teams to gauge the value of Portland’s 2024 second-round pick, which Milwaukee controls — it currently projects to be 35th overall, making it more valuable than a typical second-rounder. The team is exploring deals that would package that pick with wing Pat Connaughton and guard Cameron Payne, sources tell Yahoo Sports.

As Fischer explains, Payne fell out of Adrian Griffin‘s rotation earlier this month, but it’s possible new head coach Doc Rivers will want to use him more. If not, the veteran point guard would be “amenable” to a change of scenery, Fischer writes.

While the Bucks would love to acquire a player like Hawks guard Dejounte Murray or Raptors wing Bruce Brown, Bobby Portis‘ $11.7MM cap hit would almost certainly need to be includd in order to match their salaries, Fischer notes. Additionally, Atlanta and Toronto are seeking the sort of packages – two first-round picks and a starter-level player for Murray and a first-round picks for Brown – which the Bucks may not be able to offer, given their lack of tradable first-rounders.

Chicago guard Alex Caruso is likely also out of Milwaukee’s reach, given that the Bulls aren’t inclined to move him and would seek multiple first-rounders if they did, says Fischer. Players like Trail Blazers wing Matisse Thybulle and Clippers forward P.J. Tucker may be more attainable, Fischer suggests. However, Tucker’s appeal is limited, and Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report points out (via Twitter) that Thybulle has veto rights and may not be eager to play for Rivers again.

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:

The Suns are no longer considering the possibility of trading Grayson Allen at the deadline, league sources tell Fischer. Fischer reported last week that Phoenix was gauging what a package of Allen and Nassir Little could bring back, but that seemed like it was more about due diligence, given how well the former Duke star has played this season.
Responding to reports from Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports and Trevor Booth of Clutch Points stating that the Suns have interest in Miles Bridges and Nick Richards of the Hornets, John Gambadoro of Arizons Sports 98.7 (Twitter link) throws cold water on the Richards speculation, but suggests Phoenix could be in the mix for Bridges if the price is right.
While Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma has been viewed as a potential in-season trade candidate, he’s under contract for several more years and Washington appears to be in no rush to move him, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on The Woj Pod. “Washington’s been very reticent with Kyle Kuzma,” Wojnarowski said (hat tip to RealGM). “… Teams tell me they call them and they’re not getting counters from Washington. If you want to register an offer for Kuzma, fine, you can do it. But they’re not at the point now where it seems like they’re really active in seriously trying to move him. It could change by the deadline, but I know (Wizards executives) Michael Winger and Will Dawkins like Kuzma, like having him there. I think they’ll be particular about what they might do.”

Sixers Issue Injury Updates On Melton, Covington

January 24th, 2024 at 11:32am CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers will be without a pair of rotation players for the foreseeable future, according to the team, which issued injury updates today on guard De’Anthony Melton and wing Robert Covington, as Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports relays (Twitter links).

Melton (lumbar spine stress response) – who has missed Philadelphia’s past five games, and eight of the past 10 – has completed an “offloading” period and will begin ramping up to return. Although Melton will accompany the team on the five-game road trip that begins on Thursday in Indiana, he remains sidelined for the time being and will be reevaluated in approximately one week.

That recovery timeline suggests Melton will miss at least four more games, since the 76ers are also in action on Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday before concluding their trip in Utah next Thursday.

Covington hasn’t played at all this month due to left knee inflammation and a bone bruise in that knee, having sat out Philadelphia’s past 10 games. He has continued to receive treatment and will remain on the shelf for a while. According to the club, he’ll be reevaluated in three or four weeks.

Melton has started all 33 games he has appeared in this season, while Covington was averaging 16.1 minutes per night in his first 26 games back with the 76ers.

Nicolas Batum, Danuel House, and Patrick Beverley are among the players whose minutes have increased with Melton and Covington unavailable as of late. Beverley has missed the past two games with an illness, resulting in rotation minutes for Furkan Korkmaz.

Grizzlies Awarded Second Disabled Player Exception

January 24th, 2024 at 9:53am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has granted the Grizzlies‘ request for a second disabled player exception following Ja Morant‘s season-ending shoulder surgery, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). The exception will be worth $12,405,000.

A disabled player exception gives an over-the-cap team some extra spending power – but not an additional 15-man roster spot – when it loses a player to an injury deemed likely to sideline him through at least June 15. As we explain in our glossary entry, the exception can be used to sign a free agent, to claim a player off waivers, or to acquire a player in a trade.

The disabled player exception can only be used on a single player and can only accommodate a player on a one-year deal. A free agent signee can’t get a multiyear contract, and any trade or waiver target must be in the final year of his contract.

The exception is worth either half the injured player’s salary or the value of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, whichever is lesser. Since Morant is earning $34MM+ this season, the Grizzlies’ DPE is worth the amount of the non-taxpayer MLE.

Memphis had already been granted one disabled player exception this season — the team was awarded a $6.3MM exception following Steven Adams‘ season-ending knee surgery, as our DPE tracker shows. The Grizzlies will have until March 11 to make use of one or both exceptions.

Disabled player exceptions often expire without being used, but the Grizzlies have some breathing room below the luxury tax line and appear lottery-bound, so they could be a candidate to take on an unwanted contract along with an asset (such as a future draft pick or cash) to help another team trim payroll. They also have one available trade exception worth approximately $7.5MM.

Hornets Notes: Rozier Trade, Ball, Miller, Lowry, Hayward

January 24th, 2024 at 9:17am CST by Luke Adams

After trading Terry Rozier to Miami on Tuesday in exchange for Kyle Lowry‘s expiring contract and a future first-round pick, president of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak said that the financial flexibility the deal affords the Hornets going forward was important. However, getting that first-rounder was the key part of the trade from Charlotte’s perspective, as Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer writes.

“The pick itself has potential for incredible upside,” Kupchak said. “We don’t know who that player may be several years down the road. But an asset that valuable can also become something that you can put in a trade and make a deal. So. yeah, the financial part of it was a part of it. But getting the pick was probably the most important part.”

According to Boone, one factor in the Hornets’ decision to move on from Rozier at this time is the fact that it will give the team’s backcourt of the future – LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller – more opportunities to play alongside one another. Kupchak singled out those two players on Tuesday when he discussed Charlotte’s core pieces.

“We think we’ve got a foundation of players in place,” he said. “I’m not going to mention all of our players, but I’m going to mention our two highest picks — LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. But there are other players that we’ve pegged that would be very difficult to trade.”

A report last week suggested that Ball, Miller, and center Mark Williams are likely the only players on the Hornets’ roster who are off-limits in trade talks.

Here’s more out of Charlotte:

Kupchak indicated on Tuesday that the Rozier trade doesn’t signal the beginning of an all-out rebuild, per Boone. “I wouldn’t call it a rebuild,” Kupchak said. “A rebuild is, in my opinion, something where you start from scratch and you convert everything you have into draft capital, and you create gobs of cap room, and you start taking in contracts to get picks and it could drag out years. That’s not the case. I think it’s more of a case of recognizing where we are this year.”
Still, Kupchak suggested the Hornets will remain very open to making additional trades on or before February 8, as Steve Reed of The Associated Press relays. “I can’t discount the fact that we’re a team that is trying to build something that can sustain something going forward, and … we will look for opportunities,” Kupchak said when asked about the possibility of more deals. “And if there is something out there we will look to do it. It’s as simple as that.”
The Hornets are expected to explore the possibility of flipping Lowry to a new team, though two league sources who spoke to Boone believe he’ll ultimately become a buyout candidate instead. Either way, it doesn’t sound like Charlotte is intent on actually playing the veteran point guard. “He’s got to report, he’s got to pass a physical,” Kupchak said of Lowry. “It’s going to take a couple of days. I can’t say that that’s something we look to accomplish right away. We may wait to see what happens out of respect to him and what he’s accomplished in this league. Maybe we wait to see and have the trade deadline pass, rather than have him relocate and start something that may or may not take place. I think that’s probably what we will do. Don’t know for sure, but that seems to make the most sense.”
Veteran forward Gordon Hayward is another player on a sizable veteran contract who is available in trade talks. Boone hears from league sources that Hayward is “at the very top” of Charlotte’s list of trade candidates. However, the 33-year-old has been out since December due to a left calf strain and there’s no timeline for his return, so it’s unclear whether the Hornets will be able to acquire anything of value for him. He’s another possible buyout candidate if no trade arises, Boone notes.
While it’s typically difficult to determine right away which teams won and lost a trade, there’s one clear winner in the deal between the Heat and Hornets, according to Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer: Rozier. As Fowler details, Rozier appeared in 50 postseason contests with Boston during his first four NBA seasons, but didn’t get to play a single playoff game during his time in Charlotte — that figures to change in Miami.

Latest On Bucks’ Coaching Situation

January 23rd, 2024 at 10:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bucks have reached out to Doc Rivers to discuss having him take over their head coaching job, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski confirms.

As reported earlier in the day, Rivers is the top choice to replace first-year coach Adrian Griffin, who was abruptly fired on Tuesday.

CNN Sports, as relayed by the NBA on TNT, reported on Tuesday night that Rivers had accepted the position (video link). However, that report has yet to be corroborated by other media outlets.

Rivers already has a connection to the Bucks, having informally served as a consultant for Griffin this season at the behest of the club.

Here’s more on the Bucks’ coaching situation:

Griffin offered a diplomatic answer to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report regarding his dismissal: “I appreciate the opportunity the Bucks gave me. You can’t control everything,” Griffin said in a phone interview. “I feel good about the job we did. I appreciate my coaching staff for all their hard work. I always wanted to be a head coach in this league. I couldn’t have asked for a better roster. I got to coach Giannis (Antetokounpo), Dame (Lillard), Khris (Middleton), Brook (Lopez). Dream come true. Hopefully, I get another shot at it, but overall, I’m just thankful.”
Bucks general manager Jon Horst and assistant GM Milt Newton began closely observing practices and shootarounds in the last 10 days or so, Haynes reports in the same story. That began raising the eyebrows of the coaching staff and players. If they don’t land Rivers, the Bucks also have Jeff Van Gundy and Nate McMillan on their short list of candidates, Haynes adds.
Griffin met with his top four players after the team’s loss to Indiana during the in-season tournament last month and they all spoke about what was working, what wasn’t working and how they could best be utilized. Griffin told the players that sacrifices were required, but bickering in the locker room continued shortly thereafter.
Griffin was hired at the endorsement of Antetokounmpo, but that endorsement had more to do with whom the two-time MVP didn’t want as head coach, writes Marc Stein at Substack. Nick Nurse was high on the Bucks’ list of candidates before he was hired by the Sixers, according to Stein, who says Antetokounmpo wanted the franchise to go in a different direction and chose to back Griffin. Moving on from Griffin now was a far easier move than finding a difference-making trade, given Milwaukee’s limited assets, Stein adds.
When Lillard’s former head coach, Terry Stotts, chose to resign from the Bucks’ staff just prior to the season opener, the reason was that Griffin felt that he was being undermined by Stotts, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. Stotts was brought in to mentor Griffin but they clashed on scheme and philosophy.

Pistons’ Cunningham, Morris Probable To Play Wednesday

January 23rd, 2024 at 10:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons could have their full complement of players for the first time this season when they face the Hornets on Wednesday.

Cade Cunningham and Monte Morris are listed as probable to play, James Edwards III of The Athletic tweets.

Cunningham hasn’t played since departing Detroit’s Jan. 7 game at Denver after 11 minutes with a left knee strain. The Pistons’ franchise player, who is extension-eligible after the season, has missed the past seven games. He’s averaging 22.8 points, 7.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds per contest this season.

Morris would be making his season – and Pistons – debut if he checks into the game. Morris has been sidelined due to a right quad strain. He was affected during the preseason by lower back soreness, then hurt his quad while rehabbing his back injury.

Morris was acquired from Washington in July and was expected to back up Jaden Ivey and Cunningham. He has an expiring $9.8MM contract, which could come in handy as the four-win Pistons explore trades to build a better future.

Central Notes: Bates, LaVine, Walker, Williams

January 23rd, 2024 at 8:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cavaliers rookie second-rounder Emoni Bates and Gabe Osabuohien were each suspended for two games without pay for entering the spectator stands while playing for the G League Cleveland Charge, according to an NBA Communications press release.

The incident occurred at the conclusion of the Charge’s 126-105 loss to the Birmingham Squadron on Saturday. Bates, who is on a two-way contract with the Cavaliers, will lose over $7,700 in pay during the G League suspension, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).

Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff defended the actions of the two players, claiming that they were subjected to nasty and inappropriate comments from the stands, Peter Dewey of CavaliersNation.com relays.

“We talked to Emoni and I want to be clear about the circumstances of that and I don’t think it’s been clear. It was an ugly incident from the fan standpoint,” the Cavaliers coach said. “Emoni and Gabe , they draw the attention and I understand the league’s hard and fast rule on approaching the stands and that type of thing, but there’s also a line that needs to be drawn between how fans believe they can interact with players, how they can interact with players’ families and the things that were said to Emoni and his family. I let him know we’ve got his back, we’re still supporting him and as a league there needs to be more done to protect those guys. They should never have to go through what they went through and be called the names they were called.”

We have more from the Central Division:

The Bulls revealed on Friday that Zach LaVine would miss at least a week due to a right ankle sprain. The Athletic’s Shams Charania said on FanDuel’s Run It Back program (Twitter link) that LaVine’s injury is worse than a Grade 1 (mild) sprain.
In light of the Pascal Siakam acquisition, Pacers’ rookie forward Jarace Walker would seemingly have an even smaller role. However, coach Rick Carlisle has been giving Walker more opportunities to play small forward, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star notes. “Once we acquired Pascal, you gotta take a hard look at how this thing is shaping up,” Carlisle said. “With the realities about the importance of playing with size to being a good defensive team, it makes sense to put him in that equation somewhere. It doesn’t mean he will always play 3. The more I’m going through this, I like playing with size, size that can move and make plays and stay in front of people is even better.” Walker, the eighth overall pick of last year’s draft, has averaged 21.3 minutes of playing time over the last three games.
Patrick Williams, a restricted free agent after the season, remains a work in progress when it comes to decision-making on offense, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic writes. Bulls coach Billy Donovan gave Williams a quick hook on Saturday when he made two passive decisions instead of being aggressive. “Guys grow and develop at different rates. It’s not like he doesn’t want to do it. I just think he’s got to be more decisive when the ball comes,” Donovan said.

Northwest Notes: Towns, Finch, Ayton, Pokusevski, Sexton

January 23rd, 2024 at 6:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Karl-Anthony Towns scored a franchise record 62 points on Monday but coach Chris Finch tore into Towns and his teammates for blowing a double-digit, second-half lead to the lottery bound Hornets, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

“It was an absolutely disgusting performance of defense and immature basketball,” the Timberwolves coach said.

Finch believed Towns and the other regulars weren’t focused enough on playing winning basketball.

“We totally disrespected the game, ourselves, and we got exactly what we deserved,” said Finch, adding, “We’ve got a lot of basketball left to play, and that’s what our guys need to understand. We haven’t done a thing yet. We haven’t accomplished a thing yet. We’ve got to play with a better desire and a better purpose and a better readiness every single night.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

Deandre Ayton is averaging a career-low 12.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game in his first season with the Trail Blazers but it hasn’t impacted his high opinion of his game. Ayton told Mark Medina of BasketballIntelligence.net (subscription required) that he’s a max player. “I got nothing to prove in this league,” Ayton said. “I’m a max player, and I’ll continue to be a max player.” Ayton is in the second year of a four-year, $132.9MM contract, which Indiana offered him in restricted free agency and Phoenix matched in 2022.
Aleksej Pokusevski has only appeared in seven games for the Thunder this season. Coach Mark Daigneault said there’s nothing wrong with the big man physically — he just doesn’t have a spot in the rotation, Clemente Almanza of The Thunder Wire tweets. “He’s healthy,” Daigneault said. “You can only dress 15 guys and we’ve had kinda an uncommon run of health here. We’ve really had a healthy team for much of the season, which is hard to do. Some of that is luck and some of that is the work these guys have put in. Some combination of the two. You have to make three guys inactive and we usually just put out the 15 in uniform that we think are most relevant for that game that night.”
Collin Sexton has been a major part of the Jazz’s surge up the standings. The guard said his trust in his surgically repaired knee is a big reason why, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. “Confidence is everything,” he says. “Not worrying about pushing off or not trying to change your game just because you are nervous or scared. I feel like that’s something that people have to get over that hump. Now, I’m back at full swing.” Sexton received a four-year, $72MM contract in a sign-and-trade between Cleveland and Utah in 2o22.