NBA Rumors - HoopsRumors.com

Nuggets Notes: Booth, Braun, Hyland, Strawther, More

October 16th, 2023 at 9:50pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The 2023 NBA champion Nuggets took a hit when they lost Bruce Brown in free agency this offseason, but Denver has the infrastructure in place to continue developing rotation threats to help win rings, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth has a plan in place for a dynasty, according to Amick, and sees the widespread public doubt following Brown’s departure as “disproportionate.”

Amick writes that Booth is high on Christian Braun, whom he compares to early-career Jimmy Butler and sees as a headlining piece of Denver’s core. Booth knows supplementing stars with rotational talent is key to maintaining a winning culture, and Braun has already impressed the organization enough to earn that level of trust. Amick notes Booth said the team explored signing Torrey Craig, who wound up with Chicago, but ultimately felt good about the development of Braun and Peyton Watson.

The Nuggets also drafted several young pieces — Jalen Pickett, Julian Strawther and Hunter Tyson — as well as keeping 22-year-old Zeke Nnaji on board.

“We’re going to have to learn to block the outside noise,” Booth said. “Like, ‘Why didn’t you put a veteran team together and try to repeat?’ You have to be willing to take all that criticism, because I don’t think it’s the right thing — especially for this team and the developmental stage we’re at — to go quote-unquote all-in on a repeat. So we don’t get the repeat. Then what? What if we won one out of the next two? What if we won two out of the next four?”

Booth is of course high on superstar Nikola Jokic, but also believes Reggie Jackson can be a contender for Sixth Man of the Year and Jamal Murray will be motivated by the potential of earning a super-max extension next summer, Amick writes.

We have more Nuggets notes:

A similar piece from The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor emphasizes Booth’s confidence in his team and desire to build a dynasty. O’Connor notes the challenges the Nuggets, like other teams, face as a result of the tax measures in the new CBA, and explains their philosophy in bringing in young players. Of note, O’Connor mentions one of Booth’s first moves was to ship out promising youngster Bones Hyland at the trade deadline this year. “I knew you couldn’t have two guys that couldn’t guard, and we couldn’t have two guys that were young and kind of more ‘me guys,’” Booth said. “[Michael Porter Jr.] makes $30 million. He’s one of the best shooters in the NBA. So, Bones, there’s no place for you.“
Murray has taken Strawther under his wing, according to Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports. The rookie has been standing out in the preseason and is attempting to earn a regular season role. Murray sees potential in the Gonzaga product. “I’m just trying to keep him thinking and let him play free,” Murray said. “I just love his aggressive mindset. Miss, make, turnover, whatever it is. He’s staying constantly aggressive and looking for his shot and playing at his own pace.“
Strawther is making it difficult for the Nuggets to not call plays for him with his play of late, Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes. The No. 29 pick in the 2023 draft is averaging 19.7 points and shooting 50% on eight three-point attempts per game in the preseason. The Nuggets made him the first player off the bench in their Sunday preseason game and he shared the floor with members the championship starting lineup. “You’re crazy if you think I’m on the floor with Nikola and Jamal and they’re going to be worried about what I’m doing,” Strawther said. “My job is just ultimately to space the floor and make shots when I’m on the floor with those guys.“
Porter and Braun are progressing from ankle and calf injuries, respectively, Wind tweets. According to Wind, the hope is that they play Thursday in Los Angeles for the Nuggets’ final preseason game against the Clippers.

Raptors Notes: Dowtin, Boucher, Trent, Flynn

October 16th, 2023 at 8:21pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The status of Raptors guard Jeff Dowtin is a curious case to watch as teams begin cutting down rosters ahead of the official October 23 deadline, Sportsnet.ca’s Blake Murphy writes. Dowtin has an uncertain future with the organization, given he doesn’t own a guaranteed contract and Toronto has 15 others who do.

As Murphy details, the guard had an impressive run at the end of the 2022/23 season, making a case to have his prior contract converted to a standard deal last season. He was on a two-way deal last year before being re-signed to a separate, non-guaranteed standard contract in July. Even though he was a rotation piece at times, Dowtin wasn’t converted to a standard deal last season, and he was thus ineligible for postseason play.

It was presumed that Toronto would quickly re-sign Dowtin to a standard deal in free agency this year, according to Murphy, but that didn’t happen as the Raptors fleshed out the rest of the roster.

Murphy notes the Raptors could theoretically waive or trade another player in order to keep Dowtin, but he has limited time to prove he’s worth doing so in the preseason. If he’s cut, the Raptors don’t own his G League rights, which were acquired by the Sixers’ affiliate, so funneling him to their developmental system isn’t an option.

Dowtin is also a candidate to be claimed by another team if he were to be waived, which makes waiving him and then signing him back to a two-way (after waiving an incumbent two-way player) an unappealing option, and it’s unclear if he’d be willing to do that, Murphy adds.

If Dowtin makes the opening-night roster, his contract is guaranteed for $900K. It becomes guaranteed for $2.02MM if he remains on the roster through January 10.

We have more from the Raptors:

Forward Chris Boucher is drawing rave reviews for his play during preseason, Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes in a piece evaluating the stocks of Raptors players. Boucher is expected to be a regular part of the rotation, having impressed as a cutter. Koreen writes that Jalen McDaniels, Precious Achiuwa and Thaddeus Young have improved their standing with the team while Dowtin, Garrett Temple and Otto Porter have failed to stand out.
It appears that Dennis Schröder has supplanted Gary Trent Jr. as a starter for the Raptors. Trent had been a starter almost exclusively since arriving in Toronto in 2021/22, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Trent has expressed a desire to be a member of the starting lineup but said he wanted to help the team in whatever way possible (Twitter link). “Obviously the first two games I’ve been coming off the bench; practices I’ve been with the second unit … so the writing’s on the wall,” Trent said.
Malachi Flynn appears to be breaking into the rotation, according to Grange. Head coach Darko Rajakovic is committed to using a 10-man rotation and it appears Flynn will be a part of that. Josh Lewenberg of TSN relays (Twitter link) that the point guard dedicated extra time in the weight room this offseason, having put on five-to-seven pounds. According to Lewenberg (Twitter link), Flynn knows he has a big season ahead in the final year of his rookie deal and thinks the coaching change could be a “reset” for him.

Lakers Waive Vincent Valerio-Bodon, Damion Baugh, Scotty Pippen Jr.

October 16th, 2023 at 6:25pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Lakers have waived forward Vincent Valerio-Bodon and guards Damion Baugh and Scotty Pippen Jr, according to a team press release relayed by The Athletic’s Jovan Buha (Twitter link).

Pippen, 22, is the son of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen and spent last season, his rookie year, with the Lakers on a two-way contract after going undrafted out of Vanderbilt. He averaged 21.4 points, 5.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds with the South Bay Lakers in 19 regular season G League games. Pippen appeared in two preseason contests with the Lakers this year and averaged 4.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists.

Baugh, 23, appeared in one game with the Lakers in the preseason. He joined the team after going undrafted out of TCU, where he averaged 12.6 points and 5.8 assists per game in his senior season.

Valerio-Bodon, 22, made one preseason appearance for the Lakers. The 6’10” forward averaged 8.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per night in the Hungarian NBIA last season.

All three players are likely to end up with the South Bay Lakers if they go unclaimed on waivers, given that they signed Exhibit 10 deals. If that happens, they’ll be eligible for a bonus worth up to $75K if they stay with South Bay for at least 60 days.

The Lakers have 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-way contracts. Given that they’ll likely save the 15th spot on their standard roster for flexibility purposes, their roster is pretty set for opening night. It’s possible the Lakers shuffle out players on Exhibit 10 deals in the coming days to funnel them to the G League.

Evaluating NBA’s Open Two-Way Contract Slots

October 16th, 2023 at 5:53pm CST by Tristan Tucker

As our two-way contract tracker shows, 81 of the 90 available two-way slots available around the NBA are currently occupied, with nine still open as of Friday afternoon.

With the start of the season rapidly approaching, teams will begin cutting down their rosters en masse around October 21, which ensures players clear waivers before the start of the season on October 24. One way teams will manage their rosters before the season is by converting certain Exhibit 10 players to two-way contracts.

Let’s take a look at each open two-way spot on a team-by-team basis and consider who could potentially fill those spots.

Brooklyn Nets

Open two-way spots: 1

The Nets are an interesting case because they don’t currently have anyone signed to the roster that makes sense as a two-way option.

They are reportedly signing Patrick Gardner to an Exhibit 10 deal, though that has yet to happen. Harry Giles, while technically eligible for a two-way deal, is not an option because he is signed to only an Exhibit 9 contract, which are ineligible to be converted if they don’t also include Exhibit 10 language.

For now, it seems as though Brooklyn will either keep the slot open to begin the year, claim someone on waivers from another team, or sign an outside option.

Dallas Mavericks

Open two-way spots: 2

Dallas waived Mike Miles on Saturday, giving them two open two-way contract spots. Two logical options to fill those spots, as we wrote, are training camp invitees Greg Brown and Dexter Dennis. Brown is still just 22 with two NBA seasons under his belt and was a consensus five-star prospect out of high school. Dennis averaged 9.5 points and 5.7 rebounds with Texas A&M in his final collegiate season.

The Mavericks also signed Taze Moore to a camp deal on Monday, who averaged 10.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals in his final collegiate season with Houston. All three appear to be in play for those final spots, though outside options are always possible.

Detroit Pistons

Open two-way spots: 1

The Pistons have one open standard spot, as well as their open two-way slot. It’s unclear what their plans are with those spots, but it’s possible they give both to players currently on their training camp roster. Stanley Umude, Tosan Evbuomwan, Buddy Boeheim, Zavier Simpson and Jontay Porter are signed to Exhibit 10 deals with Detroit.

Umude appears to have the inside track to a roster spot, whether standard or a two-way deal, given his play in the preseason. However, the Pistons are in a good position to claim a young player on waivers from another team if they chose to, so I’d expect them to at least explore that option.

New Orleans Pelicans

Open two-way spots: 1

The Pelicans also have one open standard spot in addition to their open two-way spot, but given their proximity to the tax, I’d expect them to keep their 15th standard spot open.

That leaves one two-way spot, and they have five players currently signed to Exhibit 10 deals in Jalen Crutcher, Izaiah Brockington, Trey Jemison, Tevian Jones and Malcolm Hill. Jemison, who was once reportedly eyed for a two-way with Phoenix, has been impressive in the preseason and a promotion to a two-way deal wouldn’t be surprising.

Orlando Magic

Open two-way spots: 1

Orlando has a talented crop of players signed to Exhibit 10 deals, including last year’s dunk contest champion Mac McClung. Joining McClung are Trevelin Queen, Brandon Williams and Miye Oni, all of whom have NBA experience.

The Magic traded for the G League rights to McClung and Williams earlier this offseason, which could indicate they don’t plan to convert either given that they have secured their potential G League services However, I expect both to have a chance to make the roster.

Phoenix Suns

Open two-way spots: 1

The Suns don’t have any players currently signed to training camp deals, so it’s hard to predict what they’ll do with these slots. Historically, Phoenix has used their two-way spots to sign players who are older and/or have NBA experience. Ish Wainright and Duane Washington are two such examples and they have Udoka Azubuike and Saben Lee already on board who both fit that bill.

Given that Phoenix is the only team without a G League affiliate for the upcoming season, it’d track that whoever they sign to fill that spot, if any player, would also fulfill that criteria.

San Antonio Spurs

Open two-way spots: 1

Charles Bediako is the only player the Spurs have signed to an Exhibit 10 deal as of Friday afternoon, so he could be a logical option to fill San Antonio’s last two-way contract. Bediako was ESPN’s fifth-best ranked undrafted free agent after the 2023 draft and eight of the top 10 signed two-way deals following the draft (Miles was later waived).

Washington Wizards

Open two-way spots: 1

The Wizards are in the process of cycling through Exhibit 10 players, so I’m not 100% convinced they move either Jules Bernard or Michael Foster Jr., their two current Exhibit 10 signees, to two-way slots. Bernard isn’t a bad bet though — he averaged 15.3 points for Washington’s affiliate Capital City Go-Go last season.

It’s also important to note that every player currently signed to a two-way deal isn’t necessarily a lock to make their team. With a modest contract guarantee, teams often swap out two-way players either before the season or during the course of the year. For example, Miles was waived earlier this week by the Mavericks despite holding a two-way deal.

Potential situations to monitor include Jay Scrubb of the Celtics, who is on a one-year two-way deal but is out for the season with a torn ACL; and Dru Smith of the Heat, whom Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel identified as a possible odd man out, though head coach Erik Spoelstra has spoken highly of him.

Warriors Sign Javonte Green, Yuri Collins; Waive Three Players

October 16th, 2023 at 5:10pm CST by Rory Maher

5:10pm: The Warriors have officially signed Green and Collins, per the team (Twitter link).

12:37pm: The Warriors plan to sign free agents Javonte Green and Yuri Collins, sources tell Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).

To create roster space, Golden State waived Donovan Williams, Javan Johnson and Kendric Davis, according to Slater. All three players were on non-guaranteed training camp deals. The Warriors confirmed (via Twitter) that Williams, Johnson and Davis have been released.

Slater says the plan is for Green and Collins to be waived as well, with all five players expected to play for the Warriors’ NBA G League affiliate in Santa Cruz. While the terms of the deals were not disclosed, Slater’s reporting strongly suggests that Green and Collins will be signing Exhibit 10 contracts, which would entitle both players to a bonus worth up to $75K if they spend at least 60 days with Santa Cruz.

Green, 30, holds four seasons of NBA experience with Boston and Chicago. The 6’4″ guard/forward was limited to 32 games in 2022/23 due to a lingering right knee problem. A strong athlete and defender who is limited offensively, Green holds career averages of 5.1 PPG and 2.8 RPG on .534/.342/.753 shooting in 186 regular season contests (15.8 MPG).

Collins, meanwhile, is a 6’0″ point guard who went undrafted in June out of Saint Louis. He averaged 11.2 PPG, 10.1 APG, 3.3 RPG and 1.3 SPG on .442/.319/.735 shooting in 32 games (35.1 MPG) as a senior last season. An All-Atlantic 10 First Team member each of the past two seasons, Collins suited up for the Warriors in Summer League action.

Once the signings of Green and Collins are official, the Warriors will have 20 players under contract, one shy of the preseason limit.

Raptors Seek To Have Knicks’ “Baseless” Lawsuit Dismissed

October 16th, 2023 at 4:37pm CST by Rory Maher

The Raptors have filed a motion in New York to dismiss the Knicks‘ lawsuit, which alleges that former employee Ikechukwu Azotam “illegally took thousands of proprietary files with him to his new position” with Toronto, according to Mike Vorkunov, Eric Koreen and Fred Katz of The Athletic.

In the motion to dismiss, Toronto called the lawsuit “baseless” and “a public relations stunt by the Knicks,” per The Athletic.

Azotam, head coach Darko Rajakovic, development coach Noah Lewis and are among several defendants in the lawsuit.

“As the Knicks surely expected and presumably intended, the filing of this lawsuit — virtually unprecedented between two members of the NBA or, frankly, two teams in any North American professional sports league — generated significant publicity,” the motion to dismiss states. “The effect of such a public accusation of wrongdoing in federal court was to tarnish the stellar reputations of Messrs. Rajaković, Lewis and Azotam, as well as MLSE (Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the Raptors’ parent company), and to chill present and future Knicks’ employees from their pursuit of employment with other members.”

To support the claim that the Knicks were seeking publicity rather than something legitimate, the Raptors put out a timeline of events in their filing, The Athletic’s trio writes. On August 18, a day after the Knicks told the Raptors about the allegations, Toronto said it had no interest in the “proprietary” data that Azotam took and would cooperate with New York. The Knicks filed the lawsuit the next business day, August 21.

The Knicks alleged that Rajakovic “recruited and used” Azotam as a “mole.” However, the Raptors’ filing says those allegations are “false and overblown” and that the data was not confidential, but rather “publicly available information.”

“These were not the Knicks’ team and player statistics, play frequency data, player tendencies or play calls, but rather those of other NBA teams — including particularly the Raptors’ own game film — compiled from video of their games accessible to all NBA teams (and, indeed, the general public). In other words, they were far from confidential, let alone trade secrets. The Knicks surely know this,” the motion states, according to ESPN’s Baxter Holmes.

“As we have previously stated, given the theft of proprietary and confidential files and clear violation of criminal and civil law, we were left no choice but to take this to federal court and are confident the judicial system will agree,” a Knicks spokesperson said in reply to the filing.

According to Holmes, the Raptors believe that the dispute should be handled by commissioner Adam Silver instead of a federal judge, pursuant to a bylaw in the NBA’s constitution that reads, “The Commissioner shall have exclusive, full, complete, and final jurisdiction of any dispute involving two (2) or more Members of the Association.”

Obviously the Knicks disagreed, arguing the NBA doesn’t have “exclusive authority over criminal matters.” NBA general counsel Rich Buchanan later told the two teams that the league would abide by the judge’s decision on if the lawsuit should be decided by the NBA or the court.

Pelicans Sign Izaiah Brockington, Waive Landers Nolley II

October 16th, 2023 at 2:59pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pelicans have waived Landers Nolley II in order to sign free agent guard Izaiah Brockington, the team announced in a press release.

NBA teams typically specify when they have signed players to two-way contracts, so it seems likely that Brockington signed an Exhibit 10 deal. He could receive a bonus worth up to $75K if he’s waived before the season starts and then spends at least 60 days with the Birmingham Squadron, New Orleans’ G League affiliate. Exhibit 10 contracts can also be converted into two-way deals.

Brockington missed nearly all of his rookie season in 2022/23 after sustaining a torn ACL during a pre-draft workout with the Pelicans last year. After going undrafted, New Orleans signed him to a two-way deal last September, but he was waived a couple weeks later.

The 24-year-old played four collegiate seasons for three teams. He started out at St. Bonaventure, spent two seasons with Penn State and finished up Iowa State. In ’21/22 with the Cyclones, Brockington averaged team-highs of 16.9 PPG and 6.8 RPG on a .447/.362/.775 shooting line.

Brockington made two brief cameos for the Squadron in March and suited up for the Pelicans during Summer League in Las Vegas.

Nolley, who went undrafted in June out of Cincinnati, was signed to a non-guaranteed training camp deal. He’s likely headed to Birmingham for his first pro season.

The Pelicans’ roster remains at 21 players under contract, which is the preseason maximum. They have one open two-way slot.

Luka Doncic Out For Preseason Finale With Mild Calf Strain

October 16th, 2023 at 2:00pm CST by Rory Maher

Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd told reporters on Monday, including Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News, that star guard Luka Doncic underwent an MRI last week that revealed a mild left calf strain.

Doncic will miss the Mavs’ preseason finale on Friday and “will be reevaluated later this week,” Kidd said. Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein hears the Mavs are “optimistic” that the four-time All-Star will be available for the team’s regular season opener on October 25 at San Antonio (Twitter link).

Kidd also gave an update on Doncic’s star backcourt mate, Kyrie Irving, who has been dealing with left groin soreness that caused him to miss two of the team’s three preseason games overseas. Irving was a full practice participant on Monday and “we’ll see how he feels tomorrow and we’ll go from there,” Kidd said (Twitter video link via Townsend).

Doncic sustained the mild calf strain while practicing early last week in Spain, which is why he only played five minutes against his former European club, Real Madrid. He downplayed the severity of the injury after the Mavs lost the game, but has been limited to riding a stationary bike and spot shooting of late, Kidd added.

It’s an unfortunate set of circumstances for Dallas, as the team reshaped its roster this offseason around Doncic and Irving, but the Mavs have barely been able to see how the new pieces fit together. After they traded for Irving in February, both he and Doncic dealt with injuries down the stretch — they only played 16 games together, going 5-11 in those contests.

Doncic made his fourth consecutive All-NBA First Team appearance in 2022/23, once again putting up incredible numbers, but he played through a nagging left thigh injury at the end of the season that lingered into the summer and impacted him during the World Cup. It’s unclear if the two injuries are connected, though it’s noteworthy that they’ve both affected his left leg.

As Townsend writes, this at least the second left calf strain of Doncic’s career — the 24-year-old missed three games in the Mavs’ first-round playoff series against Utah in ’21/22 after sustaining the injury in the regular season finale. Dallas won the series and reached the Western Conference Finals that season, ultimately losing to the Warriors, who won the championship.

Heat Notes: Herro, Butler, Jaquez, Jovic, Champagnie

October 16th, 2023 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Tyler Herro is still in Miami after a long summer of trade rumors and he’s determined to show the Heat that he was worth keeping, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Herro appeared on the way out when Damian Lillard asked the Trail Blazers for a trade in early July and listed Miami as his only preference. But Herro’s role with the Heat is secure now and he’s ready to make an impact, as he showed with a 30-point performance on Sunday night.

“I’m always ambitious,” he said. “Motivation kind of drives me and it’s who I am. But that’s who I am, so that’s me every day. Just being myself. This year is obviously, I wouldn’t even call it revenge or a bounce back. It’s just a year to be myself and just have fun and enjoying what I love to do, which is play basketball. Tonight was a little bit of it.”

Herro was a productive scorer from everywhere on the court on Sunday, Chiang adds, finishing 11-of-19 from the field, 4-of-7 from three-point range, and 4-of-5 on free throws. He displayed an effective floater near the basket as nine of his shots came from inside the lane.

“Man, he’s just so efficient now,” Bam Adebayo said. “His movements, less dribbles, not trying to do much. He gets straight to his points, gets straight to his shots.”

There’s more from Miami:

Jimmy Butler was held out of Sunday’s game after undergoing two separate dental surgeries this week, but he’s expected to return before the end of the preseason, Chiang adds.
Coach Eric Spoelstra cited progress by Drew Peterson and Alondes Williams, who were both waived over the weekend, Chiang states in another Miami Herald story. Both players were part of Miami’s Summer League team, and Spoelstra hopes they will continue to develop with the organization’s G League affiliate. “We’re encouraged by both of them,” he said. “This was part of the agreement to transition them and get guys on to Sioux Falls. It happens in stages. These can be great opportunities still. We want to invest in them for the entire season. That’s ideally the plan. They got a lot better these last eight weeks and we’re looking forward to this next step in Sioux Falls.”
Nagging injuries have virtually eliminated any chance that Jaime Jaquez or Nikola Jovic will be in the rotation when the regular season begins, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Jaquez has been limited by a groin strain in the preseason, while Jovic is dealing with a bruised knee.
Justin Champagnie may be the favorite to fill the open roster spot if the Heat don’t try to sign someone else, Winderman speculates in a separate piece. He expects Cole Swider to be converted to a two-way contract, with current two-way player Dru Smith possibly the odd man out.

Bulls Waive Quenton Jackson

October 16th, 2023 at 10:45am CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls have announced (via Twitter) that shooting guard Quenton Jackson has been placed on waivers.

Jackson signed with the team in September after the Wizards released him in July. He appeared in nine games with Washington last season, spending most of the year in the G League, where he averaged 15.5 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.8 rebounds in 29 regular season contests.

Jackson went undrafted out of Texas A&M in 2022 and was in training camp with the Wizards before the start of the season. He rejoined the team in February on a two-year, two-way contract.

The Exhibit 10 deal that Jackson signed with the Bulls gives him the opportunity to earn a bonus of up to $75K if he spends at least 60 days with the team’s Windy City G League affiliate.

The move leaves Chicago with three openings on its 21-man offseason roster.