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Atlantic Notes: Raptors Injuries, Raptors Schedule, Mazzulla, McCain

October 22nd, 2024 at 8:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Raptors have listed RJ Barrett, Kelly Olynyk, Ja’Kobe Walter, and Bruce Brown as out for their season opener against Cleveland on Wednesday, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet tweets.

Barrett is making progress in his recovery from shoulder injury. He was a limited participant in practice on Tuesday but still hasn’t been cleared for contact, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports (Twitter links). Olynyk is dealing with back stiffness, while Walter and Brown are recovering from shoulder and knee injuries, respectively.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

The Raptors have acknowledged this will be a rebuilding season but that doesn’t mean they have to be boring, Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes. The Raptors plan to push the pace and play an entertaining brand of basketball but their early schedule is brutal, Koreen notes. In its first 25 games, Toronto will have 22 matchups against teams that finished better .500 in 2023/24.
Joe Mazzulla had a blunt and somewhat amusing response to questions about the pressure to repeat as champions. “It’s not pressure,” said the Celtics coach, per ESPN News Services. “There’s nothing anyone in this circle can do to me that’s going to impact my identity and who I am as a person or a coach. We’re either going to win or we’re not, and 40 years from now, none of you are invited to my funeral and that’s it.”
Sixers first-rounder Jared McCain averaged 12.8 points and shot 37.9% on 3-pointers in five preseason games but he’s unlikely to find many minutes on a win-now team. McCain plans to work hard and deal with whatever’s thrown at him in his rookie campaign, he told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. McCain will be available for Philadelphia’s opener on Wednesday despite suffering bruised lungs during a preseason game last week. He’s not listed on the injury report, Pompey tweets.

Western Notes: Huerter, Murphy, Braun, Strawther, Jokic

October 22nd, 2024 at 7:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kings guard Kevin Huerter went through a full practice, including a scrimmage, on Tuesday. Huerter was cleared for full contact earlier this month after undergoing left shoulder surgery during the spring. It appears he’ll jump right back into a starting role.

“He looks good. Doesn’t look like he missed a beat at all. If he plays (in Thursday’s regular season opener), he’ll probably start,” head coach Mike Brown said, per Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter links).

We have more from the Western Conference:

Now that the Pelicans have locked in Trey Murphy to a rookie scale extension, it’s time to see what he can do as a full-time starter, Will Guillory of The Athletic opines. Guillory believes Murphy could play at an All-Star level and make New Orleans a prime contender but needs an expanded role to show if he can develop into that type of player. Murphy signed a four-year extension worth $112MM on Monday.
While Christian Braun is generally considered the likely successor to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as the Nuggets’ starting shooting guard, coach Michael Malone continues to insist that Julian Strawther is still in the running for that spot, Ryan Blackburn of Mile High Sports tweets.
The Nuggets open their season on Thursday and center Nikola Jokic says the team needs to ramp it up after what he feels was a poor preseason, he told Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. “I think we didn’t play the preseason how we’re supposed to be playing,” Jokic said. “The defense was not where it’s supposed to be. We couldn’t make shots. So we played really bad and poorly the whole preseason. So hopefully we can do something a little bit better when the (regular) season comes.”

Hardy Signs Three-Year Extension With Mavs; No Extension For Grimes

October 22nd, 2024 at 6:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

OCTOBER 22: Hardy has officially signed his extension, according to Mavs PR (Twitter link).

OCTOBER 21: Third-year guard Jaden Hardy has agreed to a three-year, $18MM extension with the Mavericks, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets. The final year of Hardy’s extension will include a team option, Tim MacMahon of ESPN tweets.

Hardy was a second-round pick in 2022 and the contract he’s signing is considered a veteran extension rather than a rookie scale extension.

He was eligible to sign at any point this season, unlike some other veterans who faced a Monday deadline. However, Hardy and the team chose to get the deal done sooner rather than later.

In related news, the Mavericks won’t be signing Quentin Grimes to a rookie scale extension, The Athletic’s Fred Katz tweets. Grimes will be headed to restricted free agency next summer.

Hardy has proved to be a valuable rotation player in his two NBA seasons. He saw action in 73 regular season games last season, including seven starts, averaging 7.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 13.5 minutes per contest. He’s established himself as a reliable three-point threat in his two seasons in Dallas (37.9%).

The 6’4” Hardy also played regularly in the postseason, albeit in limited minutes. He averaged 4.2 PPG in 6.8 MPG. He could have an opportunity for more minutes early in the 2024/25 season with Dante Exum sidelined due to wrist surgery.

Low-cost rotation players are extremely valuable to contenders with max contract players on their ledger, so Hardy’s willingness to sign for an average of $6MM per season was naturally an incentive for the Western Conference champions.

The Grimes news comes somewhat as a surprise, considering he was reportedly negotiating a three-year extension with Dallas. According to Marc Stein (Twitter link), despite some initial optimism, the two sides were unable to bridge a gap in their discussions during the final days leading up to Monday’s deadline.

Grimes, a late first-rounder in 2021, spent two-and-a-half seasons with the Knicks, then was dealt to the Pistons at the February trade deadline. Detroit included Grimes in the offseason Tim Hardaway Jr. deal.

Los Angeles Notes: Porter Jr., Harden, Olivari, James Family

October 22nd, 2024 at 5:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA’s investigation regarding Clippers guard Kevin Porter Jr. remains ongoing, Law Murray of The Athletic tweets. Porter will be able to play until the NBA decides whether to take disciplinary action. The Clippers signed Porter to a two-year contract in the summer despite his past troubles with the law.

In 2023, following an arrest on a domestic assault charge, Porter was traded by the Rockets to Oklahoma City shortly before the start of the regular season. The Thunder waived him the day after the deal was completed and he didn’t play in the league last season.

Porter reached a plea agreement of a third-degree reckless assault misdemeanor in January. He was required to complete a court-ordered program, after which his plea was to move to not guilty with no criminal record.

We have more on the Los Angeles teams:

With Kawhi Leonard out indefinitely due to his knee rehab, James Harden is thrust into the role of primary scorer for the Clippers. However, coach Tyronn Lue doesn’t want to place too much of a burden on the 35-year-old guard. “Yeah, we got to be smart about it. We’ve been talking about it, meeting about it, just making sure we don’t run him into the ground,” Lue told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. “When you lose a power player like Kawhi to start, you can see yourself playing James way more minutes than you need to. So, we just got to make sure we keep him healthy and make sure we’re doing the smart thing, and we’re still working on that right now as far as minutes and what we try to have to start the season.”
Quincy Olivari had his Exhibit 10 contract converted into a two-way deal by the Lakers after his strong preseason showing. He’s thrilled to make the roster but has loftier goals in mind. “This ain’t my end goal in life, but it’s another milestone that I’ve completed and accomplished and I’m just ready,” Olivari told Khobi Price of the Orange County Register. “I’m just glad I was able to come back here to practice, honestly. I woke up and I was like, ‘It might be early, I might still be tired, but there’s some people that don’t have this blessing that I have so I’m just going to take full advantage.’ It changed my whole mindset.”
Will Bronny James appear on the court at the same time as his father in the Lakers’ season opener? LeBron James says there’s no rush to make history. “Whenever it happens, it will happen,” he said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “If it’s tonight or if it’s down the line, whenever it happens, it will happen. But it’s been a treat, and just in preseason, the practices, just every day … just bringing him up to speed of what this professional life is all about and how to prepare every day as a professional.” The Lakers host Minnesota on Tuesday.

Heat Notes: Herro, Butler, Offense, Richardson

October 22nd, 2024 at 4:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Heat guard Tyler Herro bristled last season when head coach Erik Spoelstra had him play off the ball more often while attempting more catch-and-shoot three-pointers, but he has bought in on the adjustments to his role ahead of the 2024/25 season, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.

“I mean, I’m actually a really good catch-and-shoot player,” Herro told Winderman. “I didn’t know that last season, when I was being in my feelings about being a catch-and-shoot player. I’m a very good catch-and-shoot player, as well as I am off the dribble. So I think I can do both.”

Herro will be part of a starting five that includes other ball-dominant players, including Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier, so while he’ll have opportunities to handle the ball, he’s also expecting to play off of it more often than he has in the past. He indicated he’s happy to take on whatever role the team asks of him.

“This is already year six for me, so I definitely have matured in my mind,” he said earlier in camp. “Last year, I was coming in like, ‘I’m trying to score 25 per game.’ This year, honestly, I’m just here to play, have fun, be myself. Whatever I end up averaging, I end up averaging.

“… I’m not here to push any agendas of All-Star or anything like that,” he added. “I’m just honestly here to have fun, win a championship with the guys we have, and just go from there.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

Even if the Heat were to offer Butler a maximum-salary contract extension at this point, the expectation is that he’d pass on it, sources tell Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, since the star swingman is focused on playing out his current deal and reevaluating his contract situation next summer. However, there’s still no indication he wants to be anywhere except Miami. Agent Bernie Lee, who spoke to Chiang about his client’s outlook ahead of the coming season, said that the organization supported Butler admirably during a difficult time when his father passed away last season.
In two more stories for The Miami Herald, Chiang looks at what we learned during the Heat’s five-game preseason slate and examines the offensive changes that Spoelstra is implementing this fall. As Chiang notes, Miami has made it a priority to move away from mid-range attempts and to focus more on layups and three-pointers in an effort to make its offense more efficient.
Riley said last week that Bam Adebayo, Butler, Herro, and Rozier “have to be better” for the Heat to take a step forward in 2024/25. What would that look like in practice? Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald takes a closer look at specific potential areas of improvement for each player.
Josh Richardson has been medically cleared in his recovery from March shoulder surgery, but is now battling left heel inflammation and isn’t expected to be ready for the regular season opener, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

Warriors Rumors: George, Markkanen, Towns, Expectations

October 22nd, 2024 at 3:26pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr., who spent a year as teammates with Paul George in Indiana in 2010/11, “led the charge” in the team’s efforts to acquire the star forward from the Clippers in June before George declined his player option and became a free agent this summer, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

As Slater outlines, Dunleavy got Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and head coach Steve Kerr involved in the recruitment of George, who was on board with the idea of picking up his player option and getting traded to Golden State. However, the Clippers decided they’d be better off not taking on significant salary in a trade with the Warriors.

“Paul George wanted to come here,” Green said. “So shout out to Mike. The Clippers just wouldn’t do (an opt-in and trade).”

There’s still some “fading frustration” within the organization about the failed pursuit of George, according to Slater, who says the Warriors may argue the Clippers underestimated their chances of losing the forward for nothing in free agency.

While Golden State’s subsequent pursuit of Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen was viewed as a Plan B after missing out on George, Slater says it was actually part of Plan A and that the Warriors initially wanted to land both players.

“The conversation was always about that possibility,” Green said. “You get both of those guys, you make a huge splash. But the Clippers weren’t really willing to play ball. Then (Jazz CEO) Danny Ainge was being Danny Ainge.”

The Warriors had hoped they’d be able to acquire George while preserving enough assets to meet Ainge’s asking price for Markkanen, Slater explains. They still talked to Utah about Markkanen after striking out on PG13, but at that point Dunleavy felt it wasn’t the right move for the team to go all-in for the Jazz forward.

“Mike is very sensible,” Kerr said. “He just said to me, ‘It doesn’t make sense to sell your entire future for a team that you think can be pretty good, but isn’t awesome, right?’ Especially at this stage with the ages of our stars.”

Here’s more out of Golden State:

The Warriors also spoke to the Timberwolves about a possible Karl-Anthony Towns trade before he was dealt from Minnesota to New York, league sources tell Slater. However, the Wolves targeted a specific Knicks package that the Warriors couldn’t replicate.
Despite striking out on top trade targets this summer, the Warriors are high on the players they added – Kyle Anderson, Buddy Hield, and De’Anthony Melton – and are more bullish than outsiders about their chances this season. According to Slater, the Warriors’ internal models have them in the top six in the West and there has been talk within the organization that 50-plus wins should be the expectation.
Still, that doesn’t mean the Warriors won’t continue to keep an eye out for a chance to acquire an impact player who could help take them to the next level. “We’re sitting about as good as we could, subject to the point that we didn’t catch the big fish that we were going after,” team owner Joe Lacob told Slater. “But that doesn’t mean we won’t. It just means we didn’t yet.”
Dunleavy told reporters on Tuesday that the Warriors aren’t concerned about not having reached an agreement on a contract extension for Jonathan Kuminga before Monday’s deadline, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN (Twitter link). “Not much has changed in regards to our hopes for his future with this team,” Dunleavy said. “Sometimes these things get done, sometimes they don’t. … Hope to get something done in the offseason.”

Knicks Notes: Ryan, Hart, Brunson, Sims, Rose

October 22nd, 2024 at 2:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks appear poised to enter the regular season with just 12 players on standard contracts, but they’re only permitted to carry fewer than 14 players for up to two weeks at a time, meaning they’ll have to add two players to their standard roster by November 5.

According to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter video link), one potential target on their radar is free agent sharpshooter Matt Ryan.

The Knicks had been preparing to hang onto veteran guard Landry Shamet before he dislocated his shoulder in a preseason game last week, and Ryan could provide the same sort of floor spacing and outside shooting off the bench that Shamet would have. In 63 career NBA games, the 27-year-old Ryan has converted 41.1% of his three-point attempts.

Besides being permitted to carry fewer than 14 players for no more than two weeks at a time, teams are also limited to 28 total days in a season with fewer than 14 players on standard contracts. Given the Knicks’ extremely limited flexibility below their hard cap, they’ll likely want to take advantage of all 28 of those days at some point this season, but if they use the first 14 in the next two weeks, it’s unclear when they’ll plan to use the remaining 14.

Theoretically, New York could add two players on non-guaranteed contracts for one day on Nov. 5, then waive them and spend two more weeks with just 12 players on standard deals, reaching that 28-day limit early in the season. But the Knicks could also promote Ariel Hukporti from his two-way contract to the standard roster and sign a free agent like Ryan to a non-guaranteed contract in early November, preserving those last 14 days for later in the season.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Even before Shamet’s injury, Ryan had been on the Knicks’ radar as a possible two-way target, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv. That would be another potential path for New York to take — if Hukporti is elevated to the standard roster in November, Ryan could take the newly opened two-way slot, allowing the team to add another veteran on a standard minimum-salary contract.
It was a rough preseason for Knicks forward Josh Hart, who struggled to find his fit in the team’s new-look starting five. Jalen Brunson took responsibility for Hart’s discomfort, according to Zach Braziller of The New York Post. “I have to be a better leader and make sure he’s ready to go by game one,” Brunson said. “It’s on me.”
Knicks big man Jericho Sims figures to play rotation minutes in the early part of the 2024/25 season, with Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa unavailable due to injuries. Head coach Tom Thibodeau expressed confidence in Sims’ ability to handle an increased role, praising his rebounding and suggesting that he can impact a game beyond the box score. “He has the ability, because of his athleticism, to play very well,” Thibodeau said, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. “So you play the ball, stay below the roller, get back, make a decision in the restricted — those are things that are hard to measure but because of his athleticism, it’s what he’s good at.”
After taking a patient roster-building approach for his first several years in New York, Knicks president of basketball operations Leon Rose took a couple big swings this summer by sacrificing draft assets and roster depth to acquire Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. Rose has a lot riding on the new-look squad, as Bondy writes in a subscriber-only story for The Post.

Central Notes: Ball, Giddey, THT, Middleton, Holland, Cavs

October 22nd, 2024 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of Bulls point guards will enter the 2024/25 season on expiring contracts. Lonzo Ball is entering the final season of the four-year deal he signed with the team back in 2021, while newcomer Josh Giddey is on track for restricted free agency in 2025 after not coming to terms with Chicago on a rookie scale extension.

Ball will be eligible for a veteran extension throughout the season, but he’s an unlikely candidate for a new deal prior to free agency after missing the past two-and-a-half years. For now, he’s just happy to be back on the court. Head coach Billy Donovan said the plan will be to have Ball play about 14 to 16 minutes against New Orleans in the team’s regular season opener on Wednesday, per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link).

Giddey was a more viable extension candidate ahead of the season, but he’s not stressed about not completing a deal. He told reporters on Tuesday that he “loves being here” and that the contract situation will “take care of itself,” as Johnson relays (via Twitter).

While Giddey admits that the prospect of an extension weighed on him last season, he doesn’t expect to be distracted by his impending free agency this season. It probably helps that the Bulls specifically targeted him in a trade this past summer, whereas his place in Oklahoma City’s long-term future was always uncertain.

We have more from around the Central:

Chicago native Talen Horton-Tucker officially made the Bulls‘ regular season roster, making him the only player on an Exhibit 10 contract this fall to have that deal become a standard non-guaranteed deal. He called it a “dream come true” to be opening the season with his hometown team, tweets Johnson.
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers confirmed today that forward Khris Middleton still hasn’t participated in a 5-on-5 scrimmage and won’t play on Wednesday vs. Philadelphia. However, Middleton hasn’t experienced any setbacks in his recovery from offseason ankle surgeries and is considered day-to-day (Twitter links via Eric Nehm of The Athletic). “I would say if this is a playoff game, he’d probably be playing or close to it,” Rivers said.
Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has been impressed by rookie forward Ron Holland‘s team-first attitude this fall, as Keith Langlois of Pistons.com relays. “The only thing that matters to him is impacting winning,” Bickerstaff said. “It’s important that at his age he understands the intangibles that impact winning. His mindset isn’t, ‘I’ve got to go out and score 30 points, take 30 shots.’ His mindset is, ‘What needs to be done right now to help this team?’ That’s why he’s fit in so well and can fit in with different groups because he has the ability to fill the intangible parts of the game.”
After standing pat while most of their Eastern Conference rivals shook up their rosters this summer, the Cavaliers will have to show they can take a step forward in 2024/25 with their current core, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). If the Cavs season ends like ’23/24 did, with a second-round playoff exit, the front office will have more significant decision to make in the 2025 offseason, according to Fedor.

Nets Notes: Claxton, Simmons, Thomas, Lawson

October 22nd, 2024 at 12:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixth-year center Nic Claxton will enter the 2024/25 season as the Nets‘ longest-tenured player. Although he’s still just 25 years old, he’s ready to take on the challenge of being a veteran leader on a Brooklyn roster that features 10 players younger than him, as Peter Botte of The New York Post writes.

“I had a lot of really good vets since I’ve been in the league, and I’ve been able to soak up a lot of knowledge from a lot of different players (and) coaches,” Claxton said on Monday. “DeAndre Jordan, Blake (Griffin), KD (Kevin Durant), Kyrie (Irving), James (Harden), Caris (LeVert), It’s so many dudes and I’m a sponge. I’m always just listening, and I remember things. So just using what I’ve learned from those guys and from all the things that I’ve seen out there on the court, helping others, and also just taking my game to another level.”

Claxton missed the entire preseason due to a hamstring injury, but he went through a full practice on Monday and said he’ll be “ready to go” for the season opener in Atlanta on Wednesday, according to Botte. Head coach Jordi Fernandez declined to say whether or not his starting center will be on a minutes restriction to open the season.

“That’s a good question and I’m not answering for obvious reasons because I’m not giving out secrets, but he’s doing very well,” Fernandez said. “We’re very happy with where he’s at physically right now. Health is the No. 1 priority for us and he’s done a really good job.”

Here’s more on Claxton and the Nets:

After signing a four-year, $97MM contract as a free agent in July, Claxton said he feels like a “weight has been lifted” from his shoulders entering this fall, per Botte. “It’s my first time I feel like I’m not worried about the contract, I’m not worrying that I need to stay healthy, I just need to go out here and just have fun playing the game of basketball,” Claxton said. “I just wanna feel like a kid again and just enjoy this with a younger group.”
The Nets’ front office is trying to tank, their new head coach is looking to build a winning culture, and many of their players will enter the year with something to prove, Brian Lewis writes for the New York Post (subscription required) in a preview of Brooklyn’s season. Figuring out who will and won’t be able to achieve those seemingly contradictory goals will go a long way toward determining what sort of year it will be in Brooklyn, as Lewis details.
Lewis also published a Nets season preview for non-subscribers of The Post, posing five burning questions for the team, including whether Ben Simmons can stay healthy and whether Cam Thomas can establish himself as a franchise cornerstone. Lewis’ preview includes several other predictions for the season and suggests the most important decision Brooklyn makes in 2024/25 will be determining who to trade — and when.
Former Mavericks guard A.J. Lawson, who was waived by Dallas (twice) ahead of the regular season, is expected to join the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, for the start of the 2024/25 campaign, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Lawson appeared in a total of 56 NBA games for the Mavericks during his two seasons with the team, including 42 in 2023/24. He averaged 3.4 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7.4 minutes per contest and posted a shooting line of .457/.307/.548 at the NBA level.
Day’Ron Sharpe (hamstring), Trendon Watford (hamstring), and Bojan Bogdanovic (foot) are expected to be the only Nets players not available for the regular season opener on Wednesday, tweets Lewis. Everyone else should be available.
In case you missed it, three Nets – Thomas, Sharpe, and Ziaire Williams – were among the 13 players eligible for rookie scale extensions who didn’t sign new contracts ahead of Monday’s deadline and are now on track for free agency in 2025.

Pistons Sign Alondes Williams To Two-Way Deal

October 22nd, 2024 at 11:58am CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have officially filled their third and final two-way slot by signing free agent guard Alondes Williams to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

Reporting on Saturday indicated that Detroit planned to sign Williams. However, the team had to wait for him to clear waivers first. That happened on Monday, two days after he was cut by the Clippers.

Williams, who played college ball for Triton College, Oklahoma, and Wake Forest, went undrafted in 2022 and spent his rookie season with the Nets and their G League affiliate in Long Island. Last August, he signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Heat and opened the season with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League affiliate, before signing a two-way contract with the Heat in February and finishing the season on their 18-man roster.

Although Williams has only played 21 total minutes across eight appearances for Brooklyn and Miami at the NBA level, he’s coming off a big year in the G League. In 43 Showcase Cup and regular season appearances for the Skyforce in 2023/24, he put up 20.3 points, 7.1 assists, and 5.3 rebounds in 37.4 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .499/.369/.742. The 25-year-old also helped the Heat win a Summer League title in July, averaging 12.0 PPG and 4.8 APG with a .480 3PT% in five games in Las Vegas.

Williams was in camp with the Clippers on a non-guaranteed deal, but didn’t secure a spot on L.A.’s regular season roster. The Pistons reached a deal with him immediately after he was waived and have now added a pair of former Heat youngsters in the past two days, having also inked Cole Swider to a two-way contract.

Now that the Pistons have all three of their two-way slots filled, the Magic are the only NBA team that still has a two-way opening. That means 89 of 90 two-way spots around the league are occupied, as our tracker shows.