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Central Notes: Cavs, Mitchell, DeRozan, Pacers, Johnson, Bucks

December 15th, 2023 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

After the Cavaliers‘ 51-win 2022/23 season came to a disappointing end with an unceremonious exit in the first round of the playoffs, that momentum appears to have carried over to this fall, with the team off to a 13-12 start. However, speaking to Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com, star guard Donovan Mitchell rejects the idea that the postseason letdown in the spring left a lasting mark on the team.

“I think we came back motivated,” he said. “We’ve got guys who came back ready to go. I think it motivated us, but, you know, it’s not showing it. That’s the tough part. But I’m not deflated. We’ve got to figure this thing out. That’s it. That’s all you can really do. Find ways. That’s it. It’s tough obviously, you know, winning a few, losing a few, but we’re not going to quit. We’re going to keep going.”

Mitchell also said that he believes the Cavaliers have the pieces to be a contender and that it’s just a matter of getting everyone on the same page. But Mitchell’s conversation with Bulpett occurred on Thursday, and the challenge facing the team got a lot tougher on Friday, when word broke that both Darius Garland and Evan Mobley will be sidelined until well into the new year due to injuries.

Earlier today, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported that the Cavaliers had shown no inclination to make Mitchell available via trade despite the “mounting interest” of rival teams. It’s unlikely that stance has changed in the past few hours, in spite of the Garland and Mobley news, but it’ll certainly be worth keeping a close eye on how the situation in Cleveland plays out in the coming weeks to see how the club responds.

Here’s more from around the Central:

Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan is “deeply valued internally,” according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, who says the organization appreciates the veteran not just for his skills on the court but for his leadership off of it. The team has similar feelings about Alex Caruso, Johnson adds.
A recent report indicated that the Bulls and DeRozan are far apart in extension talks and suggested that the forward is a trade candidate in the final year of his contract. For what it’s worth though, DeRozan has expressed a desire to stay where he is. “Chicago is Chicago to me,” he told Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. “I love it here. Obviously it’s a place I want to be in my career. None of that has changed. I don’t have no other type of doubts or feelings or suggestions to be elsewhere. That don’t cross my mind.”
Following a run to the play-in tournament final, Tyrese Haliburton spoke about his hope that seeing how the Pacers play will make impact players want to join him in Indiana. With that in mind, Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star considers what sort of moves the Pacers could make by February’s deadline and what their best trade assets might be.
James Johnson‘s new one-year, minimum-salary deal with the Pacers is non-guaranteed, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. Johnson will receive his full salary ($2,241,188) if he remains under contract beyond January 7.
The chippy, hard-fought nature of Wednesday’s victory over the division-rival Pacers, which culminated in an argument over the game ball, may have helped the Bucks build a stronger bond, as Eric Nehm of The Athletic writes. “When stuff happens, whether it’s extremely serious or it’s small, any time you can get into something and you can look over and see people got your back and they’re with you, it changes things,” Damian Lillard said. “… I think (Wednesday), for our team, it was just a step in that direction where we kind of — we were with each other, so I’m not saying that’s going to make us the world’s greatest, but it was a step in the right direction.”

Kings Sign Juan Toscano-Anderson

December 15th, 2023 at 3:47pm CST by Tristan Tucker

DECEMBER 15: The Kings have officially signed Toscano-Anderson, tweets Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. His contract is non-guaranteed, per James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link).

DECEMBER 14: The Kings are signing Juan Toscano-Anderson to a one-year deal, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Toscano-Anderson, 30, had stints with the Warriors, Lakers and Jazz and will now fill Sacramento’s final open roster spot after impressing with the G League’s Mexico City Capitanes.

In 11 Showcase Cup games with the Capitanes, Toscano-Anderson averaged 19.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks. He holds career averages of 4.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG and 1.9 APG in 191 career NBA appearances (37 starts).

Toscano-Anderson worked out with the Warriors this offseason, but ultimately didn’t come away with a deal of any sort. However, Andscape’s Marc J. Spears tweets Kings head coach Mike Brown had strong interest in bringing Toscano-Anderson to training camp this offseason, though that never materialized.

As The Sacramento Bee’s Jason Anderson notes (Twitter link), Brown and Toscano-Anderson have familiarity with each other. Toscano-Anderson played for the Warriors for three seasons while Brown was lead assistant, and the duo won a championship together in 2021/22.

The Kings opened up a spot on their 15-man roster last month when they waived Filip Petrusev, who they acquired for cash after he was sent to the Clippers in the James Harden blockbuster. After surveying its options, Sacramento landed on signing Toscano-Anderson.

Anderson notes in a piece detailing the move that the Kings needed to address their wing depth after experiencing matchup difficulties in recent losses to the Pelicans and Clippers, and signing the Marquette product should help with those issues.

It’s unclear how much playing time Toscano-Anderson will receive right away but its possible the veteran could make an immediate impact on the rotation. Players like Keon Ellis, Jalen Slawson, Colby Jones and Kessler Edwards make up Sacramento’s forward and wing depth on the deep bench.

Southwest Notes: Morant, Luka, Pelicans, Wemby

December 15th, 2023 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking today to reporters for the first time this season, Grizzlies guard Ja Morant admitted he made “a lot” of mistakes in the past and said he had “some horrible days” this year as he focused on his behavior away from basketball, according to reports from Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal and Teresa M. Walker of The Associated Press. However, he’s hopeful that he’ll ultimately benefit from his 25-game suspension and the requirements that came with it, including therapy.

“In the end, I feel like it made me better,” Morant said. “I feel like I learned some stuff about myself that I did during that process. Very eye-opening. It kind of gave me a new look on life. How I go about my days. How I carry myself.”

Morant, who acknowledged that his actions will speak louder than his words when it comes to being a better leader on and off the court for the Grizzlies, also said he felt guilty about the fact that the team has struggled without him while he has served his 25-game suspension. After winning 107 regular season games over the last two seasons, Memphis is off to a 6-17 start this fall.

“Yes, it’s definitely some guilt in that,” he said. “Obviously I’m not on the floor. Nobody like losing. … I take full responsibility of that. Even though I’m not on the floor, decisions I’ve made didn’t allow me to be out there to go to battle with my team.”

Morant remains on track to make his return on Tuesday against New Orleans. His teammates, who have been seeing what he’s doing in practice, are excited about how he’s looked and the impact his return will have on the club, as Cole writes for The Commercial Appeal. Jaren Jackson Jr. said Morant has the “same quick-trigger bounce” as he always has, while Vince Williams referred to the star guard as an “energy guy” in practices.

“I feel like he’s putting in a lot more effort on the defensive end in practice,” Williams said. “If he’s doing it in practice, I know he’s going to do it in the games for us.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Appearing on Headliners with Rachel Nichols (Twitter video link), Mavericks star Luka Doncic was asked if he’d seek an exit from Dallas if he didn’t feel like the team was moving toward title contention. Doncic suggested that’s not something he’s considered. “I feel great here,” he said. “They drafted me. I’ve felt at home since day one. I’m really happy where I’m at. I think we made some great moves this offseason. Yeah, I’m happy here.”
The Pelicans have the pieces to be an effective small-ball team and have been leaning more on those lineups as of late, William Guillory writes for The Athletic. In Guillory’s view, embracing a small-ball identity could take the team to new heights, so he thinks it’s important to see what a lineup consisting of Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy, and Herbert Jones looks like once they’re all healthy — those five players have shared the court for just one minute so far this season.
Former No. 1 overall picks Anthony Davis and LeBron James are sympathetic to the expectations that Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama is facing in San Antonio, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscriber link), who notes that neither Davis nor James made the playoffs during their first two NBA seasons. “You’ve just got to go in and just play, find your way,” Davis said of Wembanyama this week. “You’re going to have ups and downs in the season. Obviously, he’s an exceptional talent. But don’t stress yourself out over the pressure from everyone else. You’ve got to know what your team wants from you. And don’t think that you have to turn the franchise around in one year.”

Evan Mobley To Undergo Knee Surgery, Expected To Be Out 6-8 Weeks

December 15th, 2023 at 1:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Today’s injury news has gone from bad to worse for the Cavaliers. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), big man Evan Mobley will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and is expected to be out for the next six-to-eight weeks.

The update on Mobley comes on the heels of a report stating that Cavs point guard Darius Garland will miss several weeks due to a fractured jaw.

The No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 draft, Mobley has started all 169 games he has played for the Cavaliers since entering the league. This season, he’s averaging a double-double (16.0 points, 10.5 rebounds) to go along with 2.9 assists and 1.7 blocks per game.

However, after appearing in each of Cleveland’s first 21 games of the season, Mobley has missed the last four due to what the team had been referring to as left knee soreness. According to Wojnarowski (Twitter link), the 22-year-old will have a loose body removed from that knee as part of his arthroscopic procedure.

As we outlined in our story on Garland’s injury, the Cavs are off to a disappointing 13-12 start this fall and don’t have a particularly deep roster, with guards Ricky Rubio (personal reasons) and Ty Jerome (ankle) having also missed most or all of the season so far.

With Mobley unavailable, forwards Isaac Okoro, Georges Niang, and Dean Wade are among the candidates to see bumps in minutes, while deeper reserves like Tristan Thompson, Damian Jones, Emoni Bates, and Evan’s brother Isaiah Mobley figure to slide up the depth chart.

The Cavaliers have an open spot on their 15-man roster, but they’re less than $1MM away from the luxury tax line, so they’ll be reluctant to add much more salary to their books.

Darius Garland Expected To Miss Several Weeks With Broken Jaw

December 15th, 2023 at 12:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Cavaliers guard Darius Garland has sustained a fractured jaw, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Garland is expected to be sidelined for several weeks as a result of the injury.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (Twitter link), who says Garland is scheduled to undergo surgery next week, estimates that the 23-year-old will be out for about a month.

As Charania notes, the injury occurred when Garland collided with Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis on a drive in the third quarter of Thursday’s loss to Boston (Twitter video link). Garland left the game and headed to the locker room, though he did check back in and played the fourth quarter.

It’s an unfortunate setback for a Cavaliers team that has gotten off to an underwhelming start to the 2023/24 season. Widely projected to be a top-three team in the East, Cleveland is just 13-12 so far, good for ninth in the conference.

While Garland has averaged 20.7 points and 5.9 assists per game through his first 20 contests, he hasn’t been at his best this fall. His 34.6% three-point percentage and 3.8 turnovers per night would both be career-worst marks.

Still, the Cavs will certainly miss him during his absence, especially since the No. 2 point guard on their depth chart – Ricky Rubio – has been away from the team all season for personal reasons, while No. 3 option Ty Jerome has been out since October 27 due to an ankle injury.

Rookie two-way player Craig Porter Jr. figures to play a larger role until Garland returns, while Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert will likely take on more ball-handling responsibilities.

It’s worth noting that Cleveland does have an open spot on its 15-man standard roster, with two little-used reserves (Tristan Thompson and Sam Merrill) on non-guaranteed contracts, so the club has the flexibility to make a backcourt addition if necessary, though the Cavs’ team salary is close to the luxury tax line.

Western Rumors: Markkanen, Giddey, Mann, Kings, Lofton

December 15th, 2023 at 12:23pm CST by Luke Adams

After Marc Stein reported that teams around the NBA are keeping an eye on Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports says that several clubs have already contacted Utah to inquire on Markkanen.

Fischer stresses that the Jazz are “by no means expected” to trade Markkanen, who is a favorite of team officials. However, opposing executives have gotten the sense that the All-Star forward is no longer quite as untouchable as he was in the past.

“Do I expect Utah to trade Lauri? No,” one general manager told Fischer. “But they are saying they’re willing to listen. They are willing to listen to calls on everyone, but it’s a matter of meeting their price like Minnesota did for Rudy [Gobert].”

As Fischer notes, even if a deal is unlikely, the fact that the Jazz are open to listening on Markkanen means that there will continue to be plenty of buzz around him as the trade deadline nears. League personnel believe that the Kings, Hawks, and Thunder are among the teams that would have the most interest in the Finnish star, Fischer adds.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

Rival teams had begun to zero in on Thunder guard Josh Giddey as a possible trade target before the NBA and California police began looking into allegations that he had an inappropriate relationship with a minor, per Fischer. Depending on the outcome of those investigations, Giddey may still draw interest ahead of the trade deadline. Oklahoma City also explored moving Tre Mann prior to the start of the season, Fischer adds.
If the Kings pursue either Pascal Siakam or OG Anunoby, the Raptors are expected to ask for Keegan Murray in return, which may be a non-starter for Sacramento, Fischer writes, since the Kings view Murray as an important piece in both the present and the future. However, another former lottery pick, Davion Mitchell, is considered a “strong” trade candidate, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
The Grizzlies have made calls to potential trade partners to gauge those teams’ interest in some of Memphis’ reserves, but if a deal doesn’t materialize in the coming days, the expectation is that the team will probably waive Kenneth Lofton Jr. to open up a roster spot to activate Ja Morant next week, says Fischer. We took a closer look at Memphis’ looming roster decisions earlier in the week.

Pacers Sign James Johnson To One-Year Deal

December 15th, 2023 at 11:57am CST by Rory Maher

DECEMBER 15: The Pacers have officially signed Johnson, the team announced today in a press release.

DECEMBER 14: The Pacers are signing free agent forward James Johnson to a one-year contract, agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter), the Pacers had an open roster spot after reaching a buyout agreement last month with Daniel Theis, so no corresponding move will be necessary to add Johnson.

Johnson, 36, has played for 10 different teams and is now in his 15th NBA season. He spent the 2022/23 campaign with Indiana, appearing in 18 games while averaging 2.8 points and 1.7 rebounds in 9.0 minutes per contest. Johnson was waived in February as part of the Kevin Durant blockbuster trade (due to a roster crunch), but the Pacers re-signed him a few days later.

The timing of the move is interesting and perhaps not a coincidence. The Pacers and Bucks had a postgame altercation over the game ball on Wednesday night after a chippy contest between the two Central Division teams. Johnson is known for being one of the toughest players in the league, and head coach Rick Carlisle praised his veteran leadership last season.

“Very important for us,” Carlisle said. “… He’s contributed so much to our situation just in terms of setting examples, mentoring, being very positive, being very truthful. He has a really strong reputation in this league as a great competitors, as a very tough guy. Those kinds of things. He’s been a difference maker so it’s great to have him back on board.”

Indiana’s roster will be full once the move is official.

Eastern Rumors: LaVine, Bulls, Raptors, Pacers, Sixers

December 15th, 2023 at 11:16am CST by Luke Adams

It has been difficult to sift through the noise in the rumor mill to determine which teams might actually be legitimate suitors for Zach LaVine, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who notes that while the Sixers and Lakers have frequently been mentioned as possibilities, their level of interest in the Bulls guard is unclear.

Teams like the 76ers, Knicks, and Heat haven’t seriously engaged or shown real interest in LaVine, says K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times reported this week that the Lakers are believed to be LaVine’s preference in the event of a trade, but we don’t have a sense of whether that interest is reciprocated.

As Fischer writes – and as Cowley previously suggested – if the Bulls are going to move LaVine, they’d ideally like to do it well in advance of February’s deadline in order to give them time to evaluate their new-look roster before deciding on whether or not to trade more players, such as DeMar DeRozan or Alex Caruso.

However, LaVine’s injury history was already considered a red flag for potential suitors, and the fact that he’s currently on the shelf due to a foot issue only lends credence to that concern, Fischer notes. On top of that, the Bulls’ asking price is believed to be high, consisting of an established starter, a young player with upside, and first-round draft capital, sources tell Fischer. It remains to be seen whether any team is willing to put a package like that on the table.

According to Fischer, the Bulls have also explored the possibility of trying to move LaVine in a deal for another All-Star level player. They attempted to pitch the Cavaliers on a swap that would have sent point guard Darius Garland to Chicago, sources tell Yahoo Sports. Presumably, Cleveland didn’t have much interest in that concept.

Here are a few more rumors from around the Eastern Conference, courtesy of Fischer:

Given that the 2024 draft class is considered relatively weak, there’s a sense that teams in search of roster upgrades might be more inclined to move their ’24 first-round picks in trades this season, but there’s not yet a long list of sellers. According to Fischer, league personnel believe the Raptors will be more inclined to join that group of sellers this winter than they have been in past years, after they saw Fred VanVleet walk in free agency over the summer. “Toronto’s going to be forced to make a decision,” one GM said to Yahoo Sports.
Pascal Siakam is considered the more likely trade candidate than Raptors teammate OG Anunoby, but a couple of the clubs believed to have interest in Siakam – the Pacers and Kings – seem “more vested” in the idea of landing Anunoby, Fischer writes.
Speaking of the Pacers, rival executives think they’ll be aggressive in exploring ceiling-raising trades that would consolidate some of their depth pieces, though Fischer is unconvinced the team is prepared to do anything substantial quite yet. Veteran backup point guard T.J. McConnell continues to draw interest from playoff teams seeking backcourt help, Fischer adds.
The Sixers aren’t expected to pursue any major roster changes until much closer to February’s trade deadline, according to Fischer.

Sixers Extend Daryl Morey Through 2027/28

December 15th, 2023 at 10:22am CST by Luke Adams

10:22am: The extension is official, the Sixers have announced in a press release.

“Daryl is one of the best front office executives in sports and I greatly value his leadership,” team owner Josh Harris said in a statement. “I’m thrilled to have reached an agreement to extend his contract and look forward to working together to maximize our chances of competing for an NBA title.”

10:07am: The Sixers and president of basketball operations Daryl Morey have agreed on an extension that will keep Morey under contract through the 2027/28 season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Morey has been the head of basketball operations in Philadelphia since the 2020 offseason, following his departure from his longtime position in Houston’s front office.

The 76ers went 154-82 (.653) in Morey’s first three seasons on the job, winning a playoff series each spring before being eliminated in the second round of the postseason. The team is off to a 16-7 start this fall.

Drafting Tyrese Maxey and extending Joel Embiid have been among the highlights of Morey’s tenure in Philadelphia. He also had to navigate Ben Simmons‘ trade request, eventually sending the former No. 1 overall pick to Brooklyn in a multi-player deal for James Harden, who subsequently demanded a trade of his own and was dealt to the Clippers last month.

While he was waiting to be traded, Harden referred to Morey as a “liar,” claiming that the Sixers’ front office hadn’t delivered on their promise to resolve his situation quickly. Given today’s news, it doesn’t appear that Harden’s criticisms of Morey negatively impacted the executive’s standing in the organization at all.

One of Morey’s other notable recent moves was hiring Nick Nurse to replace Doc Rivers as the 76ers’ head coach this past spring. As Wojnarowski notes (via Twitter), Morey’s new extension means that his and Nurse’s contracts are now aligned — both will expire in 2028.

Morey’s initial contract with the Sixers was for five years, so the extension will add three new years, notes Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (Twitter link).

Knicks Waive Dylan Windler, Sign Taj Gibson

December 15th, 2023 at 9:06am CST by Luke Adams

DECEMBER 15: The Knicks have officially signed Gibson, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link). He’ll earn a salary of $2,241,188, while the team carries a cap hit of $1,416,116.

DECEMBER 13: The Knicks are making a change at the back of their standard 15-man roster, announcing today that they’ve waived wing Dylan Windler (Twitter link). Using their newly opened roster spot, the team will sign free agent big man Taj Gibson to a one-year contract, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).

Gibson’s one-year deal with New York will be non-guaranteed, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Gibson is a longtime favorite of Tom Thibodeau, who has coached the veteran forward/center in Chicago, Minnesota, and New York. Gibson previously had a stint with the Knicks that lasted from 2019-22 — he appeared in 159 games over the course of three seasons.

Gibson spent last the 2022/23 season with the Wizards and re-signed with Washington on a one-year, minimum-salary contract during the 2023 offseason. However, even though his deal was fully guaranteed, the 38-year-old became the victim of a roster crunch in D.C. and was cut before the season began.

With starting center Mitchell Robinson expected to miss at least eight-to-10 weeks due to an ankle injury, New York was in the market for additional frontcourt depth and Gibson was an obvious candidate to fill that role, given his familiarity with Thibodeau and the Knicks, who highly value his leadership, according to Begley.

Gibson’s playing time has been on the decline in recent years and he’ll turn 39 in June, so he’s unlikely to leapfrog Isaiah Hartenstein or Jericho Sims on New York’s depth chart, but he’ll be a useful piece of insurance at center.

Since the Knicks had a full 15-man roster, they had to waive someone to make room for Gibson. None of their three players on non-guaranteed salaries – Windler, DaQuan Jeffries, and Ryan Arcidiacono – had seen much action this fall, but it was Windler who was ultimately the odd man out. The former first-round pick has logged just seven total minutes across three appearances for the Knicks this season.

For what it’s worth, Windler is still eligible for a two-way contract, whereas Jeffries and Aricidacono aren’t, so if he clears waivers, the former Belmont sharpshooter could return in that capacity. It would require another cut though, since New York doesn’t have an open two-way slot.

If he goes unclaimed on waivers, Windler will end up making $659,454, a prorated portion of his minimum-salary deal with the Knicks.