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Southwest Notes: Brooks, Green, Zion, Smart, K. Johnson

October 11th, 2023 at 8:03am CST by Luke Adams

Just four-and-a-half minutes into his first game with the Rockets, Dillon Brooks provided a reminder of his occasional tendency to take his defensive tenacity a step too far, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). Brooks was ejected from Houston’s preseason opener with 7:27 left in the first quarter after officials determined he struck Pacers center Daniel Theis in the groin.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Brooks – who signed a four-year, $86MM deal with the Rockets in July – suggested his reputation was a factor in the quick hook he received on Tuesday.

“I tried to navigate a screen,” he said. “I might have tapped him below waist. But he got right back up. I don’t know. It’s weird that every time it happens to me, I get picked on. I guess it’s part of reputation.”

Asked if there’s a target on his back due to his past actions, Brooks didn’t dispute the idea.

“I don’t know. What’s my name?” he said, per Feigen. “The name is ‘Dillon the villain,’ so I guess.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

  • Asked about his goals for the 2023/24 season, Rockets guard Jalen Green provided a simple response, according to Feigen (subscription required): “Winning. Winning. Winning. … Winning is very important in the NBA. I haven’t done any of that. It’s time for that to change.”
  • Following a promising offseason in which he invested heavily in his personal training staff, forward Zion Williamson and the Pelicans‘ new-look offense looked good in Tuesday’s opener, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com. Williamson had 12 points, five rebounds, and five assists in just 15 minutes of action. “You can condition,” head coach Willie Green said. “You can lift. You can do a ton of cardio. But the best basketball shape is to play basketball.”
  • Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins offered a minor update on Tuesday on injured guard Marcus Smart, who has missed the team’s first two preseason games due to ab soreness. “It’s day-to-day. It’s kind of light core work right now,” Jenkins said (Twitter link via Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com). “Just being smart, anticipate a little bit more ramp up as week goes on.”
  • In a conversation with Kelly Iko of The Athletic, Spurs wing Keldon Johnson spoke about his desire to become a better defender, what his role will look like in 2023/24, and his first impressions of Victor Wembanyama.
  • In case you missed it, you can vote on the 2023/24 win totals for all five Southwest teams right here.
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Bulls Notes: White, DeRozan, LaVine, Craig, Lewis

October 10th, 2023 at 10:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Coby White, who is battling for the starting point guard spot, has emerged as a vocal leader for the Bulls, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. He previously deferred to more experienced players but now feels comfortable voicing his opinion.

“Being a young guy, you fall into this thing of, ‘I’m young.’ Especially on a team full of guys are older who have won, been in the playoffs a bunch of times. AC [Alex Caruso] has been a champion. You get that mindset of, ‘They have more experience than me. They know more than me. My opinion doesn’t matter,’” he said. “I didn’t know how much guys respected my opinion—and my connection with every guy on the team—until last year. I’m continuing to grow into it. And it feels natural for me at this point.”

We have more on the Bulls:

  • Jamal Collier of ESPN hears from sources that the extension talks the front office has had with DeMar DeRozan have been “preliminary.” Bulls head of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas confirmed at the start of training camp that he has spoken to DeRozan’s agent Aaron Goodwin about a new deal for his client. DeRozan will be an unrestricted free agent next summer if he doesn’t sign an extension.
  • In the same story, Zach LaVine says his reps aren’t behind the trade rumors that have persisted even after he signed an extension last year. “My camp isn’t putting them out,” LaVine said. “I committed to the Bulls when I signed my five-year deal. So until I’m not, I’m committed to the Bulls. I’ve always brought professionalism and consistent play, and that’s what I’ll continue to do.”
  • Patrick Williams started at power forward during the preseason opener, but newcomer Torrey Craig showed what he could bring to the table when he came off the bench, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic writes. He made aggressive offensive moves to the basket and also relentlessly attacked the glass at both ends. “It’s a lot of different things you can do to impact winning. I always tell people that,” Craig said. “It’s a million things you can do to impact winning, whether it’s getting deflections, offensive rebounding, blocking shots, getting steals, making threes, making the hustle plays, 50-50 plays, being a good teammate on the bench, being a (good) locker room guy. … But I think it goes unnoticed because this league is based off talent and big-number guys.” Craig left Phoenix and signed a two-year contract as a free agent in July.
  • Justin Lewis is still trying to settle in after recovering from an ACL tear suffered in August 2022, he told Ben Steele of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I still feel like I need some game reps,” Lewis said. “I feel like I’m getting better day by day. Just learning everything. Plays, defensive strategy, offensive strategy. I feel like I’ll keep progressing as the season goes. As I keep playing.” Lewis, who was undrafted in 2022 out of Marquette, signed a two-year, two-way contract in March.
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Northwest Notes: Collins, Dunn, Adelman, Milton

October 10th, 2023 at 10:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

John Collins admits the constant trade rumors he endured during his time with the Hawks wore on him mentally, he told Sarah Todd of the Deseret News.

“It definitely didn’t help,” he said. “It made me think that I was doing something wrong. A little lost. I thought I’d been doing things right, leading in my way, helping in the community, being a part of the team and impacting things. Even through everything, especially with the contract I was able to earn, I thought I was moving toward something longstanding.”

Collins looks at this season with the Jazz as more than just a fresh start. He has noticed a different vibe in Utah’s locker room.

“To be successful in this league, you’ve got to think about yourself in a certain way,” he said. “But here, there’s that essence of wanting to win together, regardless of how good anyone is individually. It’s refreshing to be in a locker room with a lack of ego and I’m happy to be part of it.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

  • Kris Dunn‘s future with the Jazz remains cloudy but he certainly didn’t hurt his cause in the preseason opener, Todd notes in a separate story. Dunn finished with 15 points, five assists, two steals and made all seven of his field goal attempts. Dunn’s $2.59MM salary will become guaranteed if he’s on the opening night roster.
  • David Adelman coached the Nuggets against the Suns on Tuesday, Katy Winge of Altitude TV tweets. Michael Malone is not with the team following the death of his father, longtime NBA coach Brendan Malone.
  • Shake Milton appears to be settling on the Timberwolves’ second unit behind Mike Conley and Anthony Edwards. Milton, who scored 12 points in the team’s preseason opener, will be looked upon for scoring with that unit, as well as being a trustworthy play-maker and pick-and-roll partner with Rudy Gobert, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes. “We’ve talked a lot about him internally and been so happy and surprised, even better than we thought he could be,” coach Chris Finch said. Milton left the Sixers and signed a two-year, $10MM deal with Minnesota at the start of free agency.
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Nuggets Picking Up Christian Braun’s Third-Year Option

October 10th, 2023 at 8:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets are picking up their third-year option on Christian Braun, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

It’s a mere formality, as Braun has already earned a prominent role with the defending champions. There was no doubt Denver would retain him on his rookie scale contract.

Braun is expected to be the first reserve off the bench in his second season. He appeared in 76 regular season games as a rookie, averaging 4.7 points in 15.5 minutes per game, and saw action in 19 playoff games, contributing 3.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in 13.0 minutes per contest.

The 21st overall pick of last year’s draft, Braun’s third-year option for the 2024/25 season is worth $3,089,640. He’ll make $2,949,120 this season and Denver holds a fourth-year option worth $4,921,797, which must be exercised by the end of next October.

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New York Notes: Simmons, Thomas, Exhibition Game, Toppin

October 10th, 2023 at 7:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The initial returns on Ben Simmons‘ comeback from the back ailment that wrecked his 2022/23 season were encouraging, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. The Nets guard had 10 points, three assists and a steal in 14 first-half minutes against the Lakers on Monday.

“[It felt] amazing. That’s really it, just amazing,” Simmons said. “Happy to be out there, and compete, and feel good out there and able to contribute like I know how I can. So I felt great. It’s the best in two years for sure.”

We have more on the New York teams:

  • In the same game, Cam Thomas led the Nets with 26 points. His other contributions were more noteworthy to coach Jacque Vaughn as Thomas tries to secure a rotation spot, Lewis writes in a separate story. “He can flat out score the basketball,” Vaughn said. “I look at the other things, and he knows that. What were the box outs? Was he running hard? Is he communicating with his teammates? Did he know where he was supposed to be on the floor? So those things he’s really taken strides in and give him a lot of credit. And with credit comes playing time.” Thomas’ $2,240,160 salary for this season was picked up by the club last year. The Nets hold a $4,041,249 option on his contract for next season and must make a decision on it this month.
  • Despite the war in Israel, the Nets’ preseason game against Maccabi Ra’anana is still expected to take place Thursday at Barclays Center. The exhibition hasn’t been cancelled or delayed, Lewis tweets.
  • There’s still a Toppin on the Knicks, though he’s a long shot to make the roster. While the front office traded away his brother Obi to Indiana, Jacob Toppin is trying to prove he’s an NBA player, Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News writes. “He’s my brother, but he has his own path and I have my own path, and this whole process, I’ve been trying to focus on myself and be better every single day and that’s what I’ve been doing,” Jacob said. “This whole summer is just working to be a better version of myself everyday. So, that’s what I’ve been focused on.” The younger Toppin signed an Exhibit 10 deal after going undrafted out of Kentucky. He’s likely to wind up with the G League’s Westchester Knicks.
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Hornets’ James Bouknight To Undergo Left Knee Surgery

October 10th, 2023 at 6:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hornets guard James Bouknight will undergo arthroscopic surgery on Wednesday to address a meniscus injury in his left knee, the team announced in a press release.

The third-year guard suffered the injury on Thursday during a training camp practice. Bouknight will be reevaluated in four weeks.

It’s a huge setback for the 2021 lottery pick out of UConn, who has disappointed during his first two NBA seasons. He appeared in just 34 games last season off the bench after seeing action in 31 games as a rookie. He’s averaged 5.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 12.6 minutes per game during his two-year career.

Bouknight came to camp without a clear role. He’s not guaranteed any money beyond this season. The Hornets must decide this month whether to pick up their $6MM rookie scale option on Bouknight for the 2024/25 campaign.

That seems even more unlikely now that he won’t be available at the start of this season.

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Community Shootaround: James Harden

October 10th, 2023 at 5:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Damian Lillard saga ended a couple of weeks ago. The drama regarding James Harden remains unresolved.

Contrary to early concerns, Harden reportedly hasn’t been disruptive during the Sixers’ training camp. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Harden will be “engaged” as long as he feels Philadelphia’s front office will continue to pursue a trade with the Clippers, his preferred destination.

That seems unlikely to happen in the short term. There’s “no traction” on a potential swap between those two parties, Wojnarowski said on Monday.

Reportedly the Clippers have offered a future first-rounder, a pick swap and expiring contracts for Harden. The Sixers’ top executive, Daryl Morey, is holding out for more assets.

Morey is intent on protecting his cap space for next offseason. That’s why the Sixers’ haven’t pursued an extension with their other starting guard, Tyrese Maxey. They could have the most cap space of any team if they don’t add future salary to their balance sheet.

It’s hard to tell just how much the Clippers want Harden. Coach Tyronn Lue has stated that he wants his club to take the regular season more seriously and get a better seed in a pivotal season for the franchise. Would Harden blend in well with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George or would acquiring him lead to some chemistry issues?

As we saw with Lillard’s situation, there could be a surprise outcome. Few anticipated Lillard would wind up in Milwaukee and Jrue Holiday would become the starting point guard for one of its main Eastern Conference rivals.

So the possibility of Harden winding up with another team that lost out in the Lillard/Holiday sweepstakes, such as Miami or Toronto, can’t entirely be ruled out. It’s also not out of the question Harden could be traded to a non-contender in a salary-dumping move if Morey is willing to add a sweetener or two, rather than the other way around.

That brings us to our topic of the day: How do you think the Harden saga will end? Will he stay in Philadelphia, get traded to the Clippers or be moved to a mystery team?

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

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Hawks Sign, Waive Brandon Randolph

October 10th, 2023 at 5:15pm CST by Luke Adams

5:15pm: The Hawks have waived Randolph, according to another press release from the club.

2:33pm: The Hawks have signed guard Brandon Randolph, the team announced today in a press release.

While the club didn’t reveal any details about the agreement, Brad Rowland of Locked On Hawks tweets that it’s a non-guaranteed training camp contract. It likely includes Exhibit 10 language, as most camp deals do.

Randolph, who went undrafted out of Arizona in 2019, has spent most of the last few seasons playing in the G League. In 43 regular season and Showcase Cup games last season for the Wisconsin Herd and Austin Spurs, he averaged 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 27.7 minutes per contest, posting a solid shooting line of .505/.351/.788.

The College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta’s G League affiliate, acquired Randolph’s rights from Austin in August. That deal and today’s signing are strong indicators that the Skyhawks plan on having him on their roster as a returning rights player this fall.

Atlanta now has 19 players under contract, two below the preseason limit.

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2023/24 NBA Over/Unders: Southwest Division

October 10th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

With the 2023/24 NBA regular season around the corner, we’re getting serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign and continuing an annual Hoops Rumors tradition.

With the help of the lines from a series of sports betting sites – including Bovada and BetOnline – we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. In a series of team-by-team polls, you’ll get the chance to weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.

In 2022/23, our voters went 16-14 on their over/under picks. Can you top that in ’23/24?

We’ll keep our series going today with the Southwest Division…

Memphis Grizzlies

New Orleans Pelicans

Dallas Mavericks

Houston Rockets

San Antonio Spurs

Previous voting results:

Northwest

  • Denver Nuggets (53.5 wins): Over (52.0%)
  • Minnesota Timberwolves (44.5 wins): Over (53.1%)
  • Oklahoma City Thunder (44.5 wins): Under (53.6%)
  • Utah Jazz (35.5 wins): Over (55.5%)
  • Portland Trail Blazers (28.5 wins): Under (50.9%)

Central

  • Milwaukee Bucks (54.5 wins): Over (76.9%)
  • Cleveland Cavaliers (50.5 wins): Under (52.0%)
  • Indiana Pacers (38.5 wins): Over (64.1%)
  • Chicago Bulls (37.5 wins): Under (61.9%)
  • Detroit Pistons (27.5 wins): Over (53.8%)
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Celtics Sign Payton Pritchard To Four-Year Extension

October 10th, 2023 at 3:32pm CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 10: Pritchard’s contract extension is now official, the Celtics have announced in a press release.

“In addition to his great skill, Payton brings toughness, resiliency, and diligence that collectively elevate the room,” president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said in a statement. “We are excited that he chose to extend with the Celtics and look forward to what’s ahead.”

OCTOBER 8: The Celtics and guard Payton Pritchard are in agreement on a four-year rookie scale extension worth $30MM, his agents at CAA Basketball tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The deal will be fully guaranteed, Wojnarowski adds.

The 26th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Pritchard had a promising rookie season, averaging 7.7 points per game with a .440/.411/.889 shooting line in 66 contests (19.2 MPG). He had his role cut back in his second and third seasons though — in 2022/23, he played just 13.4 minutes per night, averaging 5.6 PPG on .412/.364/.750 shooting.

Due to his declining role, Pritchard admitted back in February that he had hoped to be traded at the deadline to a team that intended to use him more. However, following the offseason trades of Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon, the 25-year-old is expected to have an expanded role in a new-look Boston backcourt behind Jrue Holiday and Derrick White.

Pritchard is apparently confident enough in his new role to sign a long-term deal with the Celtics well in advance of the October 23 deadline for rookie scale extensions. The former Oregon guard has only earned only approximately $6.4MM in his first three NBA seasons and will make $4.04MM in 2023/24, so it certainly makes sense that he’d want to lock in a contract that guarantees him $30MM, exponentially increasing his career earnings.

While Pritchard’s numbers to date have been modest, the Celtics are taking a calculated risk that he’ll increase his value in 2023/24 as he comes off a stint with the USA Select Team and receives a minutes bump. By deciding to extend him in advance of a possible breakout year, Boston now won’t have to worry about warding off potential suitors for Pritchard in restricted free agency next summer.

Pritchard’s new deal will further increase a Celtics payroll that appears likely to go well beyond the luxury tax line again in 2024/25, with big-money cap hits for Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, White, and Al Horford already on the books. The club also reportedly has interest in negotiating an extension with Holiday, who holds a $39.4MM player option for ’24/25.

As our extension tracker shows, Pritchard is the seventh player to agree to a rookie scale extension in 2023, joining LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Desmond Bane, Devin Vassell, and Isaiah Stewart. A total of 20 more players are still eligible to sign a rookie scale extension by Oct. 23.

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