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Hawks Notes: Murray, Young, Rebuild, Forrest, Milestone

January 15th, 2024 at 8:19pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hawks guard Dejounte Murray, whose name has been mentioned prominently in trade circles, made an interesting comment during Monday’s TNT broadcast. In an interview with Dennis Scott relayed by Paul Garcia of ProjectSpurs (Twitter link), Murray indicated he wouldn’t mind playing for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich again.

“Pop is like a father to me, I would welcome that,” Murray said. “But right now, I’m a Hawk, I’m going to stay professional and play the right way.”

The Hawks gave up three first-rounders in a package to acquire Murray from San Antonio in the summer of 2022. However, the Spurs reportedly have some interest in reacquiring the standout guard.

We have more on the Hawks:

  • They are on a fast track toward major changes, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer opines. While a Trae Young trade probably won’t happen this season, it may come to a point where Young and the franchise decide it’s best if he goes elsewhere to pursue a title. In the meantime, the Hawks may sit Young later in the season if they keep losing in order to improve their lottery odds, O’Connor suggests.
  • In terms of Murray, O’Connor reports that the Hawks are asking for two first-round picks as part of the package but no one has met their demands. O’Connor adds that Murray would prefer to play for a contender, although the Spurs would seem to be the exception.
  • Fourth-year guard Trent Forrest has carved out a rotation spot, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. He’s averaging 16 minutes per game this month. Forrest is on a two-way deal.
  • Young reached a milestone in the Hawks’ 10-point win over San Antonio on Monday. He passed 10,000 points for his career while scoring 36 against the Spurs. “It was not on my mind at all,” Young said, as relayed by The Associated Press’ Charles Odum. “I was just trying to go out there and win and put on a show.”
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Bulls’ LaVine: Not Thinking About Trades At All

January 15th, 2024 at 7:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

When it comes to trade rumors, Bulls wing Zach LaVine is near the top of the list. Speculation about LaVine’s future has been rampant ever since a report surfaced in mid-November that he was increasingly open to being traded.

With the trade deadline only a few weeks out, LaVine says he’s only thinking about the Bulls’ recent surge. They were 4-1 since LaVine returned from a foot injury entering their game against Cleveland on Monday night.

“We’re winning,” said LaVine said, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “There’s nothing better than that. I don’t think about (trades) at all. Unless I get a call from my agent, it’s just another day at the office for me. I’m glad to be out here playing. I’ve been in trade talks for a long time, obviously. I think this year was bigger than years prior. But at the end of the day, it’s nothing new.”

LaVine’s maximum-salary contract, injury history and iffy defense has made it difficult to build a market for him. The two-time All-Star is also averaging just 20.1 points per game, his lowest figure since the 2017/18 season.

He’s taken fewer shots this month while averaging 16.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per night. In two of the five games, LaVine only attempted eight field goals.

LaVine says he’s fine with that.

“We’re in a good rhythm. Offensively, I didn’t have as much output scoring,” he said. “But I feel like I impacted the game the right way and we got the wins. I know who I am and what I can do on the court. So we’ll keep going with it.”

The fact he’s been able to play 35.6 minutes per game after missing over a month of action has been encouraging.

“Couple overtime games, back-to-back kicks you in shape pretty quick. I’m tired, sore but I feel good overall and happy to be back on the court,” LaVine said. “And I think I’ve been solid considering the fact I missed 17 games. I feel I found a rhythm pretty quickly and been able to do a lot of things on the court, including defensively.”

At this point, LaVine seems content with staying put.

“As long as I have a Bulls jersey on, I have no inclination of looking into the future of if I’ll be here,” he said.

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Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Barlow, Murray, Young

January 15th, 2024 at 5:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Victor Wembanyama started the season at power forward but he’s mainly manned the center position in recent weeks. The first pick of the draft says he’s eager to find out where he best fits, ESPN’s Andrew Lopez writes.

“I’m glad we can experience stuff and figure out my role. I’m a rookie,” he said. “It’s also me figuring out how I want to play now but also for the future how we want to build. We’re still trying some stuff.”

The Spurs also want him to develop chemistry with wing Devin Vassell.

“Those are two of the people we want to have the ball a lot since they’re our skilled players in a sense,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “Seeing those two guys meld together is important for us. They’re doing pretty well.”

We have more on the Spurs:

  • Wembanyama is planning to participate in the Skills Challenge during All-Star weekend in Indianapolis next month, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
  • With Wembanyama sitting out against Chicago over the weekend, Dominick Barlow got a chance to start on Saturday. He didn’t dazzle, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News notes, as he contributed five points, six rebounds and a block in 22 minutes. It was still a milestone for an undrafted two-way player. He’s been backing up the super rookie since Zach Collins was sidelined by an ankle injury.
  • The Spurs have been linked to Dejounte Murray, but Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer argues that they should pursue the Hawks’ other starting guard, Trae Young. Wembanyama and Young could form a dynamic duo that teams wouldn’t want to switch screens against. Young is also one of the league’s best at creating easy shots for bigs, which would allow Wembanyama to score off of rolls and cuts on a regular basis, O’Connor notes.
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Pistons/Wizards Notes: Morris, Trade, Baldwin, Avdija, Gafford

January 15th, 2024 at 4:26pm CST by Rory Maher

One of the Pistons‘ primary offseason acquisitions — guard Monte Morris — has yet to play this season. However, he should be back before this month ends, according to Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).

A steady veteran, Morris is known for his ability to take care of the ball, which has been Detroit’s biggest weakness this season. In 2022/23, the Michigan native had a 5.3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He has also shot 39.2% from deep in his career, though it’s on fairly low volume (3.1 attempts per game).

Morris has been sidelined by back and quad injuries this season. He’s in the final season of his contract, which will pay him $9.8MM in 2023/24.

Here’s more on the Pistons and Wizards, who made a trade yesterday:

  • Since the Pistons decided to create a traded player exception in Sunday’s deal and operate over the salary cap, they won’t be able to aggregate the salaries of Danilo Gallinari or Mike Muscala in a future trade, notes Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Both players can still be traded on their own — they can also be flipped in multi-player deals where their salaries don’t need to be combined with others for matching purposes.
  • Pistons head coach Monty Williams touched on all four players involved in the deal that saw Marvin Bagley III, Isaiah Livers and two second-round picks head to Washington, while Gallinari and Muscala were sent to Detroit, per Sankofa (Twitter link). “I just got to Detroit and I got a chance to be with Bags and Liv for a short period, but those guys were stellar in how they handled their business. … Trades are never easy on either party, especially when you have family,” Williams said. “We do have room for guys like Gallo and Muscala just because they are vets, they understand how to play … we’ll try to figure out their (fit) as we go along.” Williams went on to say that the two veteran big men will be able to space the floor for Detroit, but they’ll probably have to play center due to their lack of defensive mobility, Sankofa adds (via Twitter).
  • Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. praised Gallinari and Muscala, as Sankofa relays (Twitter links). “We’re going to miss their veteran leadership and shooting … they’ll really help the young group,” Unseld said. “They’ve been really good as far as barometers, bringing that experience and perspective to a younger core. Those guys were terrific for us.” Unseld also touched on the additions of Bagley and Livers. “He’s a skilled big,” Unseld said of Bagley. “He can score around the rim, good touch and can expand his range as he gets comfortable … Isaiah’s been a pretty good shooter in his career and has the ability to be a two-way player, has defensive size.”
  • The four players were not cleared to play in time for Monday’s contest, but Bagley and Livers attended the game and watched in owner Ted Leonsis‘ luxury box, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link). The Pistons won the game, snapping their seven-game losing streak.
  • Second-year forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. got some run as a small-ball center on Monday with the Wizards shorthanded and played well in limited minutes, going 3-of-3 from long distance for nine points in 12 minutes, notes Robbins (Twitter links). Baldwin had only played 71 minutes this season leading into the game.
  • The Wizards haven’t had many bright spots this season but the development of Deni Avdija stands out as a positive, writes Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. Avdija, who inked a four-year, $55MM rookie scale extension in the offseason (it begins in 2024/25), is averaging career highs in several statistics and has grown as a play-maker, per O’Connor.
  • Wizards center Daniel Gafford sustained a head injury on Monday and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest (Twitter link). Gafford has been mentioned in some trade rumors this season.
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Jazz’s Markkanen, Heat’s Adebayo Named Players Of The Week

January 15th, 2024 at 2:33pm CST by Rory Maher

Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen and Heat center Bam Adebayo have been named the NBA’s Players of the Week, the league announced on Monday (via Twitter).

A first-time All-Star in 2022/23, Markkanen averaged 24.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.0 block per game on .473/.481/.917 shooting in helping Utah to an undefeated week at 4-0. The Jazz are the league’s hottest team, going 11-2 over their past 13 games to move above .500 (21-20).

Adebayo, the East’s winner, averaged 23.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.0 block per night while shooting 56.5% from the floor and 78.6% from the charity stripe in four games. Miami went 3-1 in those contests and is currently 23-16.

According to the NBA, the other nominees in the West were Devin Booker, Paul George, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Rudy Gobert and Nikola Jokic, while Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bennedict MAthurin, Myles Turner, Donovan Mitchell and Coby White were nominated in the East (Twitter link).

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Western Notes: Kuminga, Moody, Suns, Mavs, Hawkins

January 15th, 2024 at 1:44pm CST by Rory Maher

While the Warriors appear open to various trade possibilities, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic hears Golden State’s front office isn’t actively shopping 2021 lottery picks Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody.

According to Vecenie’s sources, GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. places a high value on both young players and prefers to keep them, but he also recognizes that other teams value them as well. It remains to be seen how things will shake out over the next three-plus weeks until the February 8 deadline.

Vecenie’s full article focuses on this season’s trade candidates, with Pascal Siakam, Dejounte Murray and Zach LaVine at the top of his trade board.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

  • The Suns‘ “big three” rotation was slow to form with all three players dealing with various injuries in 2023/24, particularly Bradley Beal, who has been limited to 15 games thus far. However, in recent games, head coach Frank Vogel seems to have settled on a substitution pattern he likes, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic details.
  • Star guard Luka Doncic will miss Monday’s game vs. New Orleans — his third straight absence — due to a right ankle sprain, the Mavericks announced (via Twitter). Starting forward Derrick Jones Jr. is a new addition to the injury report — he’s sidelined with a right calf contusion. Rookie center Dereck Lively, meanwhile, will return from a five-game absence after dealing with a left ankle sprain, and Maxi Kleber will be active for the second straight contest after a lengthy absence due to a toe injury.
  • With the Pelicans near full strength, rookie guard Jordan Hawkins had received erratic playing time of late. That changed in a major way during Saturday’s victory over Dallas, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com. CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson all missed the contest — the second of a back-to-back — for various reasons, creating an opening for Hawkins, who responded with a career-high 34 points (on 11-of-19 shooting), five rebounds and four assists in 37 minutes. “I was just playing basketball,” Hawkins said. “Early in the season, I got a chance to play a lot. I wasn’t really nervous or anything. I looked at it like, ‘I’m going to hoop and show what I can do.’ No CJ, Trey, BI or Z. I knew the shots were going to be there. I just had to make them.”
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Atlantic Notes: McBride, Nets, Simmons, Embiid, Melton

January 15th, 2024 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Miles McBride‘s role has been expanding since the Knicks traded Immanuel Quickley to Toronto, so he was ready when he made his first start of the season on Saturday night, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. With Jalen Brunson sidelined by a calf injury, McBride responded by scoring a career-high 19 points in a win at Memphis.

“I mean, you prepare,” McBride said. “In the summer doing a lot of long workouts, a lot of running, just knowing at some point it’s a long season and your name is going to be called. So you’ve got to do whatever you can do to be prepared as much as you can.”

McBride hasn’t been able to earn consistent playing time since New York drafted him in 2021, but he was on the court for 38 minutes in Saturday’s game, including the entire second half. He received a three-year, $13MM extension on the day the trade was announced and appears to be secure as part of the Knicks’ future.

“He just plays hard,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He’s an elite defender. That’s been his strength. That’s been his calling card. He’s proven to be a really good shooter as well. He has a lot of confidence, really works hard on his game. So this is a great opportunity for him. Every time he’s been called upon, he’s been ready and he’s performed well.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • The Nets, who opted for small-ball when Nic Claxton was hurt earlier this season, have been forced to go back to that approach due to a knee injury to backup center Day’Ron Sharpe, notes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Whenever Claxton rests, coach Jacque Vaughn replaces him with 6’7″ forward Dorian Finney-Smith. “Harry [Giles] is gonna have to step up, and guys are just gonna have to alter their roles a little bit,” Cameron Johnson said. “The one thing I think would change is you’re gonna see more small-ball. Obviously, [Claxton] has been doing a great job all year holding the paint down, but it’s hard to ask him to play 48 [minutes]. We’ll see how it goes. [Finney-Smith] is one of the best in the league at playing that small-ball 5. When we have it, that’s definitely on the table for us.”
  • The Nets haven’t decided if Ben Simmons will join them for their upcoming West Coast trip, Schwartz adds. Simmons has been sidelined since November 6 with a nerve impingement in his back, but he’s reportedly “in the home stretch” of his recovery process.
  • Joel Embiid will return to the Sixers‘ lineup this afternoon against Houston after missing the past three games with inflammation in his left knee, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer examines how Embiid’s injury history might affect his legacy.
  • Sixers coach Nick Nurse expects De’Anthony Melton to be sidelined at least a week as he deals with a lumbar injury, per Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).
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Heat Notes: Jaquez, Spoelstra, Jovic, Wade

January 15th, 2024 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Jaime Jaquez didn’t travel with the Heat for their two-game road trip after suffering a left groin strain Sunday night, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The rookie forward is the only player on the roster who hasn’t missed time this season, but that will change after he was injured on a dunk attempt in the first quarter.

“When I went up for the dunk in transition, I just didn’t feel that well when I took off,” Jaquez said. “It totally started to get worse throughout the duration of the game.”

Jaquez tried to play through the pain, but after talking to assistant coach Caron Butler, he decided to sit out the rest of the game as Haywood Highsmith took his place in Miami’s starting lineup for the second half. Jaquez also suffered a groin strain that forced him to miss two weeks during the preseason, but he doesn’t believe this one is as severe.

“I would say I don’t think it’s as bad,” Jaquez said. “I think especially since we’re on it very early, I’m going to make a very quick and smooth recovery. A lot of prevention is what we’re looking at right now.”

There’s more from Miami:

  • Coach Erik Spoelstra sees a bright side to the continuing injury issues, saying they have brought a unique focus to the team, Winderman adds in a separate story. As an example, he points to forward Caleb Martin, who returned Friday after his second extended absence of the season. “Guys like Caleb, he wants to gobble up any minute of this type of environment that he can right now,” Spoelstra said. “And the underlying benefit of all this, without anybody having to talk about it, nobody’s taking any of this for granted. When you’re out and you want to play, you’re incredibly grateful to do what we get to do and compete at a high level.”
  • Nikola Jovic is learning how he can help the team during his greatest stretch of playing time since entering the NBA, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Injuries have provided a rare opportunity for the second-year forward, who was hurt for most of his rookie year and was barely used in the first 30 games of this season. “Defensively, I still need a lot of work. I feel like I’ve improved a lot because I’m working on it,” Jovic said. “But I still feel like I’m not there. As someone who is 6-foot-10, I think I can do a lot more. Those things are going to keep me on the court and those are the things that (Spoelstra) talks about and those are things that are important.”
  • Team president Pat Riley announced on Sunday that the Heat will build a statue of Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade outside their arena, writes David Wilson of The Miami Herald.
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Pacific Notes: Green, Brown, Clippers, Reddish

January 15th, 2024 at 9:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Draymond Green will return to the court today after missing 16 games during his suspension and reconditioning process, but it might take some time before the Warriors look like a cohesive unit, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Golden State had the second worst defense in the league during Green’s absence, according to Andrews, giving up 123.8 points per 100 possessions. The Warriors have allowed opponents to score at least 70 points in the first half in four of their last six games.

“Nothing ever just flips,” Green said. “I don’t look at myself as some savior, like this is going to save our defense or anything like that. I think I can help with communication. And like with everything else, it’s contagious.”

Green stayed away from the Warriors while he underwent counseling and didn’t rejoin the team until his suspension was lifted on January 6. He believes the break from basketball helped with his mental health, and coach Steve Kerr indicated that it could be beneficial for everyone.

“He’s still obviously a huge part of this thing and a huge part of our leadership,” Kerr said. “But he needs the awareness that comes with what he’s just gone through and what he has put the team through as well.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • Mike Brown is the latest coach to vent about officiating, but he found a creative way to do it after the Kings‘ overtime loss Sunday at Milwaukee, per Rich Rovito of The Associated Press. Brown brought the team’s video coordinator and a laptop to his post-game press conference to show reporters the calls that led to his ejection. “The referees are human, and they’re going to make mistakes, but you just hope that there’s some sort of consistency and there’s some sort of communication between the refs,” Brown said. “The refs tonight, they were great, they communicated with me all night. But in terms of consistency, you guys saw it right here. In my opinion, the consistency wasn’t here tonight.”
  • Seerat Sohi of The Ringer looks at how the Clippers were able to get all their stars on the same page after a rough start to the James Harden era. Coach Tyronn Lue believes they were too deferential to one another following the trade that brought Harden to L.A. “I think not wanting to step on each other’s toes. I think having respect, all four guys having a huge respect for each other,” Lue said. “Sometimes that can be a negative because now they don’t want to do what they’re capable of doing.”
  • Cam Reddish could miss multiple games after leaving each of the Lakers‘ last two contests with knee soreness, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
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