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Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Trent, Anunoby, Poeltl, Batum, Knicks

November 17th, 2023 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

Down a pair of key players on Wednesday vs. Philadelphia, the Celtics got a boost from Derrick White – who scored 27 points – and Al Horford, who contributed 14 points, nine rebounds, and five blocks while playing strong defense against Joel Embiid, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

As Bontemps notes, White and Horford have taken a step back in the Celtics’ pecking order this season due to the offseason acquisitions of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. But with Porzingis and Jaylen Brown unavailable vs. the Sixers, White and Horford provided a reminder of their importance to the club.

“That’s the luxury that we have on our team,” Jayson Tatum said. “We have so many talented guys.”

It was a big night for Horford, in particular. While White has remained a permanent starter for the Celtics even after the offseason roster changes, Horford has been asked to come off the bench on a regular basis for the first time in his career. Coming into this season, he had been a reserve in just 10 of 1,013 regular season games. He has started only three of 10 this fall.

“We were we down a couple of guys so having to step up and create a spark plug was important for me to do,” Horford said, per Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. “I feel like that’s kind of been what I do for the most part, if I have to guard in the perimeter, if I have to guard in the post, create energy in different ways, shoot threes. I’m trying to do whatever I can to help our group.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

While Gary Trent Jr. (foot) is expected to suit up for the Raptors on Friday after missing the club’s last three games, forward OG Anunoby is listed as doubtful. As Josh Lewenberg of TSN tweets, Anunoby – who has been out for the past two games – received stitches on his lacerated right index finger and can still only shoot and dribble with his left hand.
Eric Koreen of The Athletic doesn’t believe that the Raptors‘ decisions to give up a top-six protected first-round pick for Jakob Poeltl and then to sign him to a four-year, $78MM contract were bad ones in isolation, given that Poeltl is a quality NBA starting center. However, Koreen suggests that Poeltl’s fit with Toronto’s other frontcourt pieces hasn’t exactly been seamless so far. The team has a -9.9 net rating when Poeltl, Pascal Siakam, and Scottie Barnes have shared the court this season.
Sixers forward Nicolas Batum, who has been away from the team for personal reasons, is out for Friday’s game in Atlanta but will likely be back for Sunday’s contest in Brooklyn, tweets Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Mark Jackson had been expected to call some Knicks games for MSG Network this season, but it seems that won’t happen after all, according to Andrew Marchand of The New York Post. Knicks management objected to having Jackson travel on the team plane, Marchand explains, in part due to an old “quarrel” between the former Warriors head coach and current Knicks assistant Darren Erman, who worked under Jackson in Golden State and recorded meetings without Jackson’s knowledge.

L.A. Notes: George, Vincent, Hood-Schifino, Davis, Harden, More

November 16th, 2023 at 10:26pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The NBA fined Clippers star Paul George $35K on Thursday for criticizing the officiating in L.A.’s Tuesday loss to Denver, the league announced in a release (Twitter link).

“I thought we played great. It’s tough, the adversity of playing against the extra three,” George said. “I thought they were awful but (against) the defending champs, we’ve got to play better. So many times I got hit on layups, 3-pointers. It was constant. Jump shots, getting hit, smacked on the forearm. It was a poor job.”

According to the NBA’s statement, the amount of the fine was based partly on George’s history of public criticism of officiating. George has been fined three prior times for the same offense, most recently in February 2020, which was also for $35K. His other two fines were for $25K and $10K.

The fine came on the heels of a three-point loss against Denver in which George scored 35 points. George, 33, is averaging 24.7 points in his first 10 games this season. As always, he’s connecting on a blistering clip from deep, shooting 39.0% on 8.2 attempts beyond the arc.

We have more from the teams out of Los Angeles:

Lakers guard Gabe Vincent is progressing from his left knee injury and will be reevaluated in two weeks, tweets The Athletic’s Jovan Buha. Vincent hasn’t played since Oct. 30. He’s averaging 6.0 points and 3.0 assists in four games this year. Buha adds that rookie guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, who hasn’t yet made his NBA debut while dealing with a right patella contusion, has begun a return-to-play progression.
The $500K-per-player reward for the league’s in-season tournament holds significant appeal to Lakers star center Anthony Davis, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link). “$500 [thousand] sounds real good to us,” Davis said. “It’s going to bring that juice, you know what I mean? … I heard one of our players, I’m not going to say who but he was like, ‘Man, when we beat Phoenix, ‘That’s one step closer to this $500. I’ve never had that before.’ So it’s like, that’s a little extra motivation.“
The Clippers are in the midst of a six-game losing streak, having lost all five since trading for James Harden, prompting Sportsnaut’s Mark Medina to explore whether the trade was worth it for the Clips. Medina argues that while it’s easy to point to their 3-1 start before acquiring Harden as an indication that the Clippers are worse with him, they’re simply ironing out having four high-profile players. Harden’s passivity in games so far indicates he’s taking time to learn the system, and they have awareness to fix these issues. Ultimately, Medina reasons the Harden acquisition gives the Clippers a higher ceiling than the rotation pieces they sent out, especially if or when Kawhi Leonard or George have to miss time.
The Lakers have been up and down through their first 12 games and their lackluster play is cause for concern, according to The Orange County Register’s Mirjam Swanson. They’re 6-6 and while the Lakers had a worse start last season, the issues this time around are much different, Swanson argues, especially considering they largely ran back the group they acquired at the deadline last year that powered them to the Western Conference Finals. Some of the Lakers’ issues include conceding second-chance points (their 18.4 per game allowed are the worst in the league), as well as getting beat by an NBA-worst 6.8 points per first quarter.

Warriors Notes: Green, Kerr, Kuminga, Savings, Curry

November 16th, 2023 at 9:15pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Warriors have lost their last four games, as well as five of their last six, and Draymond Green‘s suspension following an altercation with Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert on Tuesday makes matters more difficult, writes NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole. Green was suspended five games by the NBA for “escalating an on-court altercation and forcibly grabbing (Gobert) around the neck in an unsportsmanlike and dangerous manner.”

On top of being without Green, Stephen Curry is battling a minor knee injury and will miss his second straight game on Thursday night against the Thunder. To overcome the absences of Green and Curry, the Warriors are going to need everyone else to step up, including offseason acquisition Chris Paul, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson. Paul started off the year with just six turnovers in his first eight games, including no turnovers in four straight games, but has 10 in his last four outings.

“We’re not doing a great job of getting organized,” Green said. “I’ve got to do a better job of making sure we’re getting into some things. Chris got to do a better job. We both need to do a better job of getting us into things. When Steph’s got it going, he’s just moving and going. It’s on us to realize that and learn how to also use him when he’s got it going to get other guys looks as well.”

Rookie Brandin Podziemski made the most of an extended opportunity without Green against Minnesota, finishing that game with 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists. He’s going to stay in the rotation moving forward, according to Johnson.

“I look at myself like a spare tire,” Podziemski said. “Whenever something is wrong with the tire, I just go in and fix it. Whatever coach asks me, that is what I have to do.”

Trayce Jackson-Davis and Dario Saric should also see their opportunities continue to grow. Saric started against the Wolves and recorded 21 points. Both his and Podziemski’s contributions allowed the Warriors to almost win that game and should keep them competitive moving forward. Johnson adds that Klay Thompson, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and Andrew Wiggins need to step up as well.

We have more on the Warriors:

Head coach Steve Kerr was fully supportive of the NBA’s decision to suspend Green when speaking to reporters on Thursday. According to ESPN’s Kendra Andrews (Twitter link), Green took it too far in taking action against Gobert and Kerr called the suspension “deserved.” “Draymond has to find a way to not cross the line – I’m not talking about an ejection or a technical – I’m talking about a physical act of violence. That’s inexcusable,” Kerr said (Twitter link via Andrews).
Third-year forward Jonathan Kuminga is starting in place of Green on Thursday, tweets The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. Kerr’s instructions for Kuminga were to “run the floor, rebound, dive, get to the line. I want him to shoot the 3.” Kuminga is averaging 11.5 points in his first 11 games this season. Thursday’s game will be his 29th career start and he averages 12.2 points as a starter in his career.
The Green suspension also has some financial implications for the Warriors. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), Green will forfeit $769,705 in salary, which will save the Warriors $2,597,762. The Warriors receive a tax variance credit which is worth 50% of Green’s lost salary and that variance is applied to team salary that counts toward the tax, Marks explains.
Curry remains one of the league’s top players, but he’s thinking about his post-playing career, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson. Curry “absolutely” wants to be an NBA owner in the future. “Understanding the business and how the NBA is run, what all goes into this huge behemoth of an operation, it fascinates you to understand, where’s the future headed?” Curry said. “The league has changed so much in the 15 years I’ve been in and hopefully I’ll be still playing for a good while.“

Southwest Notes: Brooks, Hawkins, Morant, Rose

November 16th, 2023 at 7:54pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Current Rockets guard Dillon Brooks felt unsupported as member of the Grizzlies during last season’s Western Conference playoffs, as detailed by Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix. Brooks was lambasted on social media following public disputes with the likes of Draymond Green and LeBron James, which ultimately paved the way for his exit from Memphis.

The Grizzlies fell to the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs last season in disappointing fashion. Brooks made comments suggesting LeBron was past his prime, calling him “old,” and then received backlash from fans and players alike. The former Oregon Duck averaged 10.5 points in that series, shooting a poor 31.2% from the field, prompting the team to let Brooks know he wouldn’t be brought back under any circumstance.

“What I didn’t like about Memphis was they allowed that so they can get out of the woodwork, and then I’m the scapegoat of it all,” Brooks said. “That’s what I didn’t appreciate. And then ultimately they’ll come to me on the low, as men, one on one and tell me something, but then not defend me when everything went down.”

Brooks spent the first six seasons of his career with the Grizzlies after they selected him with the 45th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. He spent 345 games there (318 as a starter) and averaged 14.5 PPG across those seasons. After the Grizzlies didn’t bring him back, he was signed-and-traded to the Rockets on a brand-new four-year, $86MM contract. Still, he wasn’t happy with the way his time in Memphis ended.

“It wasn’t what I wanted,” Brooks said. “The whole season was not what I wanted. I feel like we did better when I was a focal point in that organization. They chose a different route. But I’m happy that through all the bulls–t I was able to get what I always deserved.”

Now, Brooks is part of a Houston team that appreciated the defensive tenacity, grit, and veteran know-how he brings to the franchise. He’s averaging 13.7 points while hitting a career-best 53.3% of his 3.3 deep-ball attempts per game, helping the Rockets get out to a 6-3 start on the season.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Pelicans rookie Jordan Hawkins is off to a strong start to his career, writes NOLA.com’s Christian Clark. Hawkins ranks 11th in the NBA in three-pointers, is shooting 36.4% on catch-and-shoot threes and is averaging 13.7 points per game. “Don’t care if I miss a shot,” Hawkins said. “I know the next one is going in. That’s the mentality you have to have. You have to have tough skin to be a shooter. I’m going to use it now as much as I can. Me having a bad game, missing a shot, I know I can’t hang my head. I know the next one is going in. Because my team needs me.” The Pelicans selected Hawkins with the 14th overall pick in the 2023 draft.
A Shelby County Circuit Court judge granted Grizzlies guard Ja Morant an immunity hearing in his civil case, which stems from allegations that he punched a teenager at his home in July 2022, reports to Memphis Commercial Appeal’s Lucas Finton. Morant has not been criminally charged and his attorneys argue the altercation was in self defense. The hearing is set for Dec. 11. According to documents, during a pickup basketball game at Morant’s home, the teen threw a basketball at Morant’s head, which caused the Grizzlies guard to swing at the teen. Thursday’s ruling marks a win for Morant, according to Finton, who writes that with immunity on the table, he’s one step closer to being removed from the case.
Grizzlies guard Derrick Rose is expected back “very soon,” according to The Memphis Commercial Appeal’s Damichael Cole (Twitter link). Rose hasn’t played since Oct. 30 as he deals with a knee injury.

Central Notes: LaVine, Caruso, DeRozan, Theis, Lillard

November 16th, 2023 at 6:32pm CST by Tristan Tucker

A potential Zach LaVine trade for the Bulls may not look the way some might expect, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. According to Cowley, if LaVine is traded, it might not be as part of a larger package involving other Chicago players. Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas has insisted numerous times that a rebuild is not on the table and, according to Cowley, the Bulls would instead be looking to retool rather than embark on a second rebuild since Karnisovas took over in 2020.

That means Alex Caruso‘s place in Chicago appears secure for now. Cowley reports that a trade involving Caruso appears unlikely due to the fact that he’s on the books for just $19.35MM across the next two seasons and Chicago views him as “the culture.”

Reports over the summer indicated the Bulls’ asking price for LaVine was called “unreasonable” by other teams, so the return the team would demand for a package of LaVine and Caruso would almost assuredly be enormous, further reducing the likelihood of them being traded together, according to Cowley. It’s always possible the Bulls could change their tune regarding the asking price for either player as the season progresses.

In any case, the trade rumors revolving LaVine are likely just beginning. As we’ve noted and as Cowley points out, we’re less than a month into the season and teams don’t usually pursue blockbuster trades this early in the year. The trade season really begins to pick up in December and January, when recently signed free agents are eligible to be moved. This season’s James Harden trade was an exception, but that deal was only made after Harden had been on the block for months.

We have more from the Central Division:

DeMar DeRozan missed the Bulls‘ Wednesday matchup against Orlando and is still away from the team as he deals with a personal matter, tweets NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson. Head coach Billy Donovan said DeRozan’s status for Chicago’s next game is to be determined.
Former Pacers center Daniel Theis gave up about $2.2MM in his contract buyout with Indiana, tweets Spotrac’s Keith Smith. As Smith observes, that’s the same amount as the prorated minimum contract Theis will sign with the Clippers. The Pacers can now create up to $9.7MM in cap space this season.
Bucks guard Damian Lillard offered a unique explanation for why he wants to win the NBA’s in-season tournament. “As a leader and somebody who cares about your teammates, especially your younger teammates, you got guys on two-way contracts [and] who are trying to earn a stay and that prize in the end could change their family’s lives,” Lillard said (Twitter link via HoopsHype). The players on the winning team will receive $500K apiece.

Grizzlies Granted Disabled Player Exception

November 16th, 2023 at 5:14pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Grizzlies have been granted a disabled player exception worth $6.3MM for the season-ending loss of Steven Adams, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).

Adams is out for the 2023/24 season after undergoing surgery to address his right posterior cruciate ligament after “non-operative rehabilitation” failed to properly fix the issues in his knee.

As explained in our glossary, a disabled player exception allows an over-the-cap team some spending power when it loses a player to an injury deemed likely to sideline him through at least June 15 of that season. The exception is worth either half the injured player’s salary or the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, whichever is lesser. Adams is on track to earn $12.6MM this season, so the exception is worth half that.

The exception can be used to sign a free agent, claim a player off waivers or acquire a player in a trade. It can only be used on one single player and can only be utilized for a one-year deal. Any player being acquired via trade or waiver claim must have just one year remaining on his contract.

It’s important to note that a disabled player exception does not open up a roster spot for the Grizzlies, or any other team who uses one. In order to use the exception, Memphis needs to have an open roster spot. The Grizzlies currently have 15 players on standard contracts, plus Ja Morant on the suspended list, so they’d have to make a cut or trade to use the exception. The Grizzlies face a March 11 deadline to use the DPE for Adams.

Adams, 30, has been with Memphis since the 2021/22 season. In 118 games over the past two seasons, he’s been an integral part of the team’s competitive identity, averaging 7.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.9 blocks per night.

Nets Notes: Bridges, LaVine, Thomas, Johnson, Simmons

November 16th, 2023 at 4:32pm CST by Rory Maher

Mikal Bridges has individual handshakes and greetings with people throughout the Nets‘ organization. He hopes that positive energy will help build the team’s culture.

“I think it’s just being who I am, that’s how culture starts,” Bridges told Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. “Bringing in good people. I think there’s nothing else to it. Just bringing energy, being who I am and just be nice. Basically be myself and hopefully people will follow.”

As Fischer writes, the 27-year-old wing is friendly with many players around the league, including stars. Brooklyn hopes Bridges’ personality and “malleable” game will make the Nets an attractive option for a star player in the future.

“I’m friends with a lot of people. I think friendships help. Obviously, if I think it’s a good option, then yeah.” said Bridges, adding that he’s not proactively recruiting players around the league. “I’m just trying to win now and do what it takes. You can talk about all the ‘what ifs’ and ‘maybe this,’ but you can’t control that. Other than that just trying to win now. I’m more locked in on the guys here.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

If Zach LaVine is traded, he’s unlikely to land with Brooklyn, sources tell Fischer. Based on Fischer’s wording, it’s unclear if LaVine is uninterested in the Nets or they’re uninterested in him (or both).
Guard Cam Thomas will be reevaluated next week after spraining his left ankle. While he’s in “good spirits” and is making progress, he says sustaining the injury was discouraging, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “Of course it’s frustrating. I was playing real well, helping the team, we were competing. What was I, number six or seven in scoring at the time? So obviously it’s frustrating,” said Thomas, who is averaging 26.9 points in eight games. “But at the end of day, everything happens for a reason. So I’m going to just try to rehab as best I can, just so I can get back to that level of play I was at, that’s the only thing I’m looking forward to.”
Forward Cameron Johnson scored a season-high 20 points (on 7-of-11 shooting) in Tuesday’s victory over Orlando, also contributing five rebounds and three steals. It was a much-needed boost to a Nets team playing without Thomas and Ben Simmons (back), writes Bridget Reilly of The New York Post. Johnson missed seven consecutive games after getting injured in the season opener, but he seems to be rounding into form, says Reilly.
The Nets can no longer rely on Simmons as a focal point after his latest injury, a nerve impingement in his lower left back that will sideline him for at least another week, Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily.com opines. Assuming Simmons is fully healthy when he returns, Kaplan thinks he’ll return to the starting lineup because he’s the highest-paid player on the team. But that would be a mistake, in Kaplan’s view, because Simmons negatively impacts the half-court offense, which has looked better without him. Kaplan believes Simmons should be a “low-minute, spark-plug point-center that pushes the pace relentlessly” off the bench.

Injury Notes: Murray, Beal, AD, Pistons

November 16th, 2023 at 2:38pm CST by Rory Maher

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone says Jamal Murray will be traveling with the team during its upcoming road trip, which includes five games from November 17-24.

“I don’t know if on this road trip he’ll play or not, but I know from all the reports I’m getting he’s working really hard to get back and making positive strides every day,” Malone said, per Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette (Twitter link).

A report last week indicated that Murray, who sustained a right hamstring strain on November 4, would likely be sidelined three-to-four weeks. The fact that he’s progressing so quickly is an encouraging sign.

Still, while Murray may have a chance to play on the road trip, that doesn’t necessarily mean he will, observes Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports (via Twitter).

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

Bradley Beal missed Wednesday’s game for the Suns after his lower back issue flared up yesterday morning, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link). Head coach Frank Vogel later confirmed that Beal woke up with back tightness that didn’t dissipate in time to play (Twitter link via Rankin). Vogel was evasive about a return timeline for the three-time All-Star guard, simply saying Phoenix has a plan to get him back in the lineup. Beal has only appeared in three games thus far for the 5-6 Suns, whose next two games are in Utah on Friday and Sunday.
Lakers big man Anthony Davis admits he was battling left hip soreness during Wednesday’s loss to Sacramento, which was the second of a back-to-back, but he refused to use the injury as an excuse for his performance, writes ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “I just played bad,” Davis said after tying a season low with nine points on 3-of-9 shooting. “I’m not going to put it on anything. … It was just missed shots. I just played like s— tonight. It’s that simple.” Davis, who missed a game-and-a-half last week with left adductor/hip spasms, said he’ll be ready to go for Friday’s matchup in Portland, McMenamin adds.
Pistons forward Isaiah Livers has yet to make his 2023/24 season debut after suffering a Grade III left ankle sprain prior to training camp. While there’s still no timeline for his return, the 25-year-old was a full practice participant on Thursday afternoon, head coach Monty Williams told reporters, including Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Williams also said there were “no updates” on veteran guard Monte Morris, who is battling a right quad strain, tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. “Hopefully we can get him to ramp up soon,” Williams said.

Clippers Officially Promote Joshua Primo To Standard Roster

November 16th, 2023 at 1:25pm CST by Luke Adams

November 16: Primo received a two-year, minimum-salary deal that is fully guaranteed for the remainder of this season and features a $1MM partial guarantee for 2024/25, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

November 15: The Clippers have officially signed two-way player Joshua Primo to a new standard contract, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported last Monday that this promotion was coming. The move had to be made official today because teams aren’t permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for more than two weeks at a time. The Clippers had been carrying 13 since completing their James Harden and Filip Petrusev trades on November 1.

Primo was given a second chance this fall by the Clippers after being waived by San Antonio last year for engaging in “inappropriate and offensive behavior by exposing himself to women.” The NBA imposed a four-game suspension and Primo has been undergoing therapy for his behavior, which allegedly included multiple incidents with Dr. Hillary Cauthen, a sports psychologist who worked for the Spurs during his time with the organization.

The 20-year-old wing was the youngest player in the 2021 draft when San Antonio selected him with the 12th overall pick. He appeared in 50 games as a rookie, making 16 starts and averaging 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 19.3 minutes per night. He got into just four games during his second season before being waived and has yet to appear in an NBA game since joining the Clippers.

Primo has been playing for the Ontario Clippers, L.A.’s G League affiliate, and is expected to remain in the NBAGL for the time being, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic. He has averaged 17.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 3.0 APG in three games (28.9 MPG) for Ontario so far.

While the exact terms of Primo’s deal aren’t yet known, it will be a minimum-salary contract, which is all the Clippers can offer. According to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link), it’s a two-year contract with a partial guarantee in year two — that suggests the deal is fully guaranteed for the 2023/24 season, though we haven’t yet gotten official confirmation on that.

Los Angeles is expected to sign Xavier Moon to a two-way contract soon to fill Primo’s spot. The team is also on track to fill the open 15th spot on its standard roster by signing Daniel Theis, who is currently on waivers.

Bulls Rumors: LaVine, Donovan, DeRozan, Caruso, Lakers, More

November 16th, 2023 at 12:56pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bulls and Zach LaVine are reportedly increasingly open to exploring a trade involving the two-time All-Star. When asked about that report this week, LaVine was evasive and didn’t deny that he might be open to a change of scenery.

One report stated that LaVine was still upset about being benched by head coach Billy Donovan late in a game last year in which he shot 1-of-14 from the field. When Donovan was asked about the recent LaVine rumors, he said the team’s shooting guard has “always been coachable” and that he visited LaVine twice in Los Angeles in the offseason.

“He’s always been been very welcoming when I’ve come out there,” Donovan said, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “We’ve always had really good conversations. He’s always responsive to text messages and phone calls. So I haven’t seen anything where it’s like, ‘OK, this guy has really pushed himself all the way over here and he’s just totally disconnected from everybody. I have not seen that at all.

“I would think that if there’s anything he’d want to talk to a teammate about or a coach about or me about that he as a man would come up and do that. I do think our conversations have been very open and honest. And I think he has worked hard at the relationship just as I have.”

According to Johnson, Donovan also said he’s in constant contact with Bulls lead basketball executive Arturas Karnisovas, and suggested that nothing is imminent on the trade front. That makes sense, given that most free agents who signed new deals over the summer aren’t trade-eligible until December 15 or January 15.

Here’s more on the Bulls:

The Lakers have been linked to LaVine multiple times over the years, including recently. Jovan Buha of The Athletic confirms that L.A. would be interested in the 28-year-old, but only if the price is right. Buha says LaVine’s pricey long-term contract — he’s in the second season of a five-year, maximum-salary deal — is the Lakers’ primary concern. The Lakers also don’t have interest in trading Austin Reaves in a potential LaVine deal, Buha reports.
Of course, as Buha writes, there are several impediments to a trade possibly coming together. The Lakers can only offer one first-round pick and one pick swap, and the players they could use as salary-matching pieces aren’t eligible to be traded until the aforementioned Dec. and Jan. dates. LaVine also might not be an ideal fit for the Lakers’ roster.
Chicago is now 4-8 after losing Wednesday’s game to Orlando. If the Bulls pivot to a rebuild in the next few months, multiple sources tell Buha that the Lakers would also be interested in DeMar DeRozan and/or Alex Caruso, and suggests those players would be a higher priority for Los Angeles. Kurt Helin of NBC Sports hears several teams monitoring the Bulls’ situation would be more interested in DeRozan ($28.6MM expiring contract) and Caruso ($19.4MM over the next two seasons) than LaVine.
Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago reports that, despite the increasing trade chatter and the team’s poor overall play, the Bulls have had no interest in dealing Caruso in the past and there’s no sign that has changed (Twitter link).
Danny Chau of The Ringer examines LaVine’s trade value and comes up with five trades that might make sense. In addition to the Lakers and Heat, who have been previously linked to LaVine, Chau comes up with hypothetical trades sending LaVine to the Warriors, Raptors and Pacers.

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