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Southeast Notes: Hornets, Black, Bagley, Livers

January 15th, 2024 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

The Hornets were expecting to improve once their roster got healthier, but it hasn’t worked out that way, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Charlotte dropped its fifth straight game Sunday at Miami and its second since LaMelo Ball returned after missing 20 games with a severely sprained right ankle. The two losses with Ball have been by 36 and 17 points, and the players understand that something has to change.

“I think we are going to talk it over at a players’ only (meeting) and I think we are going to figure it out,” Terry Rozier said, “because as bad as things are going, we are only five, six games behind a (play-in tournament spot). We win the next three, things can turn for us. We’ve just got to believe that as a team and put that effort toward it.”

Postseason talk doesn’t seem realistic for a team with just one victory in its past 17 games. The Hornets are struggling everywhere, as the offense failed to reach 100 points Sunday for the third time in four games and coach Steve Clifford lamented a lack of effort on defense.

“A bunch of stuff is happening,” said P.J. Washington, who was back in the lineup after missing three games with a sprained ankle. “If I had the answers, I feel like things would be different. But for us, we’ve just got to buy into the process and keep trying to get better each and every day and have a better attitude and play more together.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

  • Rookie guard Anthony Black has become the Magic‘s best defender and has gotten used to matching up with elite scorers every night, notes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Black’s 108.1 defensive rating is tops among all rookies who average more than 15 minutes per game and ranks 25th overall in the NBA, according to Beede. “Really just getting more settled in,” Black said. “Game by game, I feel like I’m getting more comfortable and finding my spots — just being aggressive when I’m out there and disrupting the game on defense.”
  • Marvin Bagley III and Isaiah Livers will get a chance to prove themselves with the Wizards, but fans shouldn’t expect them to be a lot better than they were in Detroit, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic says in a discussion with Josh Robbins about Sunday’s trade. Edwards views Bagley as a proven low-post scorer with limited impact on defense, while Livers was a huge disappointment as a shooter this season.
  • The Wizards created a $3.5MM trade exception in the deal with the Pistons, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Washington could have structured the trade to create an exception worth $6.8MM, but it would’ve required the team to use an existing $12MM+ TPE.
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Bulls Notes: Trade Deadline, LaVine, Williams, Ball

January 15th, 2024 at 8:02am CST by Arthur Hill

A few weeks ago, the Bulls seemed likely to be among the NBA’s most active teams heading into the trade deadline, but their recent surge may have changed that, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.

Chicago has won 14 of its last 22 games after a 5-14 start to move into ninth place in the Eastern Conference. The team is still below .500 and another play-in appearance seems like the best-case scenario, but the players still have 11 games before the deadline to convince management that this group is worthy of being kept together.

‘‘Trying not to veer out of my lane too much, but when we play the right way, we’re a good team,’’ said Alex Caruso, who would have plenty of suitors if the Bulls decide to move him. ‘‘I think we’ve proven that a little bit last year and this year, even though you can’t put much weight in seasons you’re not in [the playoffs]. But we’ve beaten good teams, we’ve shown we can play with the good teams, and that’s the way you win late in the season. For us, it’s just about the consistency of it. Move or no move, we’ve got to show up and do our job, keep trying to win games and be a team that can beat good teams late in the season.’’

Chicago’s most significant improvement has been on defense, Cowley adds. The team has ranked seventh in the league in defensive efficiency over its last 22 games after placing 22nd in the first 19. The offense is also getting better, moving from 26th to 18th in that same span. Nikola Vucevic believes the Bulls can continue their progress, but he realizes that front office decisions are beyond his control.

‘‘I’m happy with the guys we have here, and I think we can play even better than we have,” he said. “We have a lot more to show than we have so far. Whatever the front office wants to do, that’s on them.’’

There’s more from Chicago:

  • Zach LaVine‘s future will be the most important decision facing the team in the second half of the season, notes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. The Bulls began looking for someone to take LaVine’s pricey contract in November, but there’s been no indication of any progress. Chicago began its turnaround while LaVine was sidelined with inflammation in his right foot and has gone 4-1 since he returned. “I think he’s flowing really well,” Caruso said. “When he gets to the paint, he’s making really good reads and not forcing anything. When he does that, he plays better and it makes our offense easier. It simplifies stuff for us.”
  • Right ankle soreness caused Patrick Williams to sit out Saturday for the second time in five games, Johnson states in a separate story. Williams has been playing through pain for several weeks, and coach Billy Donovan is hoping he’ll be active for tonight’s game at Cleveland.
  • Sunday marked the two-year anniversary of Lonzo Ball‘s last game, Johnson adds in another piece. Ball has undergone three surgeries on his left knee since then, including a cartilage transplant last March. Donovan said Ball is slated to start running later this month, and he’ll connect with the team during next week’s visit to Los Angeles, where the guard is rehabbing the knee.
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Seventeen More Players Become Trade-Eligible

January 15th, 2024 at 7:02am CST by Luke Adams

Today is Monday, January 15, which means that a total of 17 players who signed free agent contracts meeting specific criteria this past offseason are now eligible to be traded.

Most offseason signees became trade-eligible on December 15, but players who met the following criteria were ineligible to be moved for an extra month:

  1. The player re-signed with his previous team.
  2. He got a raise of at least 20%.
  3. His salary is worth more than the minimum.
  4. His team was over the cap and used Bird or Early Bird rights to sign him.

The following players met that criteria and are eligible to be traded as of Monday:

(* Players marked with an asterisk have the ability to veto trades.)

Most of the players on NBA rosters are now eligible to be moved, though a small handful still can’t be dealt. That group includes Heat guard Dru Smith, who becomes trade-eligible on Monday, Hornets guard Ish Smith (trade-eligible on January 24), Lakers star Anthony Davis (trade-eligible on February 6), and Pistons forward Kevin Knox (trade-eligible on Feb. 8).

There are also several players who won’t become trade-eligible prior to this season’s February 8 deadline, including stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, and Jaylen Brown. Players on 10-day contracts are also ineligible to be dealt.

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Western Notes: Jazz Streak, Edwards, Blazers, Allen

January 14th, 2024 at 9:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Jazz have moved one game above .500 by winning 11 of their last 13 games. They’re now ninth in the Western Conference and the players have taken note of the team’s rise in the standings, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News writes.

“Of course,” big man John Collins said of checking the standings. “All the time, and I see us popping up in the standings a little bit. I like it. I’m enjoying all this good energy right now.”

The coaching staff hasn’t made it a point of emphasis.

“I haven’t mentioned the standings once to the team but they all know,” coach Will Hardy said. “I can promise you that with the way social media is now and friends and family and agents and all of you guys, they know where we are, but it’s my job to try to keep them focused on the present moment.”

We have more from the Western Conference:

  • Timberwolves star guard Anthony Edwards is shooting more free throws this season — 6.5 attempts per game compared to 5.3 last season. Edwards is falling short of his goal of averaging eight free throws a game, but he’s pleased that he’s getting more calls. “I worked on it all summer because that was an emphasis,” Edwards told Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “Being able to draw fouls, get to the line, stop the clock, especially when we’re down, I think I’m doing a pretty good job at it right now.”
  • While the expectations for the Trail Blazers dropped after they traded away Damian Lillard, they’ve still been worse than projected this season, Sean Highkin of RoseGardenReport.com writes. They are coming off a road trip in which they went 1-6 and got outscored by 192 points. The games have been as non-competitive as Portland’s post-trade deadline tanking during the past two springs, Highkin notes.
  • Could Grayson Allen be the Suns’ best bargaining chip? Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes reported on TNT during Phoenix’s 127-109 road win over the Lakers that the Suns are more interested in acquiring an athletic wing player, rather than a point guard. Allen, who has an expiring $8.5MM contract, might be the only player the Suns could move and get that type of wing in return to help improve the team’s perimeter defense, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic.
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Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane Out At Least Six Weeks

January 14th, 2024 at 9:19pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Grizzlies’ lengthy injury list added two more names on Sunday, the team announced (via Twitter).

Guard Desmond Bane suffered a Grade 3 left ankle sprain during the third quarter against the Clippers on Friday. He will be reevaluated in six weeks.

Forward Jake LaRavia has a Grade 2 high left ankle sprain, which he suffered during the first quarter against the Knicks on Saturday. He will be reevaluated in three weeks.

Ja Morant and Steven Adams have already suffered season-ending injuries. The team announced on Thursday that Marcus Smart will be out at least six weeks due to a finger injury, and Brandon Clarke (Achilles) and Derrick Rose (hamstring) are also currently sidelined.

Bane is enjoying a career year, averaging 24.4 points, 5.3 assists and 4.6 rebounds. He officially leads the teams in scoring and assists, as Morant only appeared in nine games before a shoulder injury ended his season.

LaRavia has appeared in 11 games this season, averaging 3.6 points and 1.5 rebounds.

As was the case earlier this season, Memphis will soon become eligible for multiple hardship exceptions. The Grizzlies carried as many as 17 players on their standard roster in the fall when they was beset by injuries, adding Jaylen Nowell and Shaquille Harrison to 10-day contracts.

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Community Shootaround: Two-Day Draft

January 14th, 2024 at 8:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA has tinkered with the draft lottery in recent years, mainly to discourage tanking.

The draft itself has gone relatively untouched for decades. The NBA switched to a two-round format in 1989 with all the picks being made in one frenzied night.

The second round often runs past midnight Eastern time and by then, most NBA fans have already tuned out and turned in for the night.

With a nod toward the NFL, which stretches its draft across three days, the NBA is expected to change to a two-night format. The Players Association still must sign off on the proposal, but that seems likely.

Front office executives should benefit from the alteration. There is usually a flurry of activity in the second round and now the deal-makers will have more time to map out their strategies and ponder what moves they need to make. They’ll also have more time to decide which undrafted prospects they might look to add to their summer league teams and training camp rosters.

It’s unknown whether more time will be allotted between first-round picks but at least it should end at a more reasonable hour. The change could be nerve-wracking for prospects who are borderline first-round picks and second-rounders, since they might have to go through an extra night of suspense to find out if their names are called.

Considering most of the suspense of the NBA draft comes during the lottery, it’s also fair to wonder whether holding the second round on the following night will draw much of a TV audience.

That brings us to our topic of the day: What do you think of the NBA possibly switching to a two-night format for the annual draft?

Please take to the comments section to weigh on this topic. We look forward to your input.

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Southeast Notes: Livers, Bagley, Christopher, Hawks’ Trade Chatter, Washington

January 14th, 2024 at 6:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Wizards view Isaiah Livers and Marvin Bagley III as the most important parts of their trade with the Pistons on Sunday, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic, rather than the two second-round picks Detroit tossed in to rid itself of Bagley’s contract.

Washngton parted with Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala in the deal. The Wizards are banking on their player development system to get more out of the two forwards they acquired. The team can make Livers a restricted free agent this summer if it likes what it sees from him the rest of the season.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

  • Josh Christopher is joining the Heat’s NBA G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Christopher, who had a two-way contract with the Jazz before he was waived on Monday, appeared in 138 games with Houston from 2021-23 but hasn’t seen any NBA action this season. He has appeared in 18 games (17 starts) for the Jazz’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, averaging 17.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in 29.0 minutes per contest.
  • Trae Young and Jalen Johnson are the only players the Hawks are unwilling to trade, John Hollinger of The Athletic confirms. There’s plenty of trade chatter involving Dejounte Murray and they’re also trying to determine the trade value of De’Andre Hunter and Clint Capela. The Hawks could use Murray as means to shed the contract of either Capela or Hunter.
  • Hornets forward P.J. Washington returned to action on Sunday after missing the previous three games with a foot injury. the team’s PR department tweets. Washington, who is averaging 13.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game this season, signed a three-year contract over the summer.
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Stein’s Latest: Hield, Wiggins, Finney-Smith, O’Neale, Fultz, McDermott, Osman

January 14th, 2024 at 5:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons and Wizards pulled off a trade involving four players and two draft picks on Sunday. Expect a lot more activity in the coming weeks, according to Marc Stein in his latest Substack post.

Stein offers a number of interesting tidbits from around the league:

  • Buddy Hield‘s name was prominently mentioned around the trade market after the veteran guard and the Pacers failed to reach an extension agreement during training camp. Sources tell Stein that Indiana continues to look for ways to move Hield. The Pacers are trying to package his expiring $18.6MM contract and a future first-rounder to get an impact player. Raptors forward Pascal Siakam continues to be talked about as a potential Pacers target. However, Indiana would be reluctant to give up second-year guard Bennedict Mathurin or rookie Jarace Walker in any trade.
  • Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins is looked upon as another potential Pacers target but it may be difficult for Golden State to create a market for him, Stein writes. Wiggins not only has three more years left on his contract, his production has nosedived.
  • Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale could be on the move. The Nets are listening to offers for both of those forwards and Stein suggests the Cavaliers should pursue O’Neale, considering they need a wing and he’s close friends with Donovan Mitchell. O’Neale has an expiring contract, while Finney-Smith is signed through 2025/26.
  • Speaking of expiring contracts, the Magic are “exploring the trade market” the top pick of the 2017 draft. They’ve made guard Markelle Fultz and his $17MM expiring deal available, along with center Wendell Carter Jr, per Stein.
  • Another team dangling expiring contracts is the Spurs. Forwards Doug McDermott and Cedi Osman are available for teams looking to clear cap room this summer or upgrade their second unit, according to Stein.
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Draymond Green Set To Return For Warriors On Monday

January 14th, 2024 at 3:37pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Warriors forward Draymond Green will return to action in a Monday clash with the Grizzlies, sources inform Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

This will mark the four-time All-Star’s first appearance in the last 16 contests, as he was suspended indefinitely last month after violently striking Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face last month, unprovoked. He was instantly ejected upon being assessed a flagrant 2 foul for the offense.

Golden State has gone 8-8 since Green began serving his suspension.

Across his 15 available contests with the club, Green has averaged 9.7 PPG on a respectable .490/.429/.833 shooting line, along with 5.8 APG, 5.5 RPG, and 0.7 BPG.

This latest altercation with Nurkic marked just the most recent in a series of bizarre on-court transgressions from Green in the last two seasons. The four-time champ received no regular season penalty for punching then-teammate Jordan Poole in the face during a training camp practice in the fall of 2022. He was suspended, however, after stomping on Kings center Domantas Sabonis‘ chest during a first-round playoff game last season, and again last month after choking Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert.

Green, 33, underwent counseling during his time away. The 2016/17 Defensive Player of the Year also revealed recently that he had contemplated retirement, but was talked out of it by league commissioner Adam Silver.

Because his ban lasted less than 20 games, Green lost $153,931 per contest during the suspension.

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Pistons Notes: Bagley, Livers, More Possible Deals, Trade Exception

January 14th, 2024 at 3:27pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Ex-Pistons players Marvin Bagley III and Isaiah Livers got news of their trade to Washington in the midst of a Detroit practice. As Mike Curtis of The Detroit News relays (Twitter video link), Bagley and Livers – now members of the Wizards – were filmed bidding their Pistons colleagues farewell.

The duo, along with a pair of second-round draft picks, was shipped out to the Wizards earlier today. Detroit added forwards Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala, while saving considerable coin on Bagley’s contract for 2024/25.

There’s more out of the Motor City:

  • With the trade deadline looming and the Pistons still spiraling at a league-worst 3-36, Omari Sankofa II Detroit Free Press has cooked up several potential trades that could help slightly elevate the club’s dismal 2023/24 season. Sankofa’s piece was published prior to today’s trade, hence the inclusion of Bagley in one of the proposals. Several of the hypothetical moves involve shipping out veterans Bojan Bogdanovic and/or Alec Burks.
  • Today’s trade seems to forecast a change-heavy summer for the Pistons, posits James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Veterans Gallinari and Muscala are both signed to expiring deals, which – along with the expiring salaries of Burks, Joe Harris and Monte Morris – will put Detroit in position to create upwards of $60MM in cap room.
  • Sankofa confirms (via Twitter) that the Pistons generated a $5.7MM trade exception as part of the deal. As Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link) observes, that means Detroit continues to operate as an over-the-cap team, despite its player salaries coming in a little below the $136MM cap.
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