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Pacific Notes: D-Lo, Vanderbilt, Duarte, Huerter, J. Green

October 18th, 2023 at 9:08am CST by Luke Adams

Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell is a talented scorer, shooter, and passer, but has been targeted on the defensive end of the court over the years, a fact that he’s aware of and is making an effort to remedy, as Jovan Buha and Jay King of The Athletic write.

“Last year they found a way to get me off the floor by not playing defense, I guess,” Russell said. “So, try to be a reason to eliminate that. Not give them a reason to not have me on the floor. Try to be as dangerous as I can on offense and try not to be a liability on defense. So, that’s what I’m working on. I’m trying to do it now before the season so I continue to practice those good habits.”

Interestingly, Russell named Derrick White as a role model, praising the Celtics guard for making “all the winning plays,” even if he doesn’t necessarily get credit for them. According to Russell, that’s the type of player he aspires to be.

“I woke up to it and I was shocked, really,” White said when asked by The Athletic about Russell’s endorsement. “Obviously D-Lo’s an All-Star, has done a lot of great things in this league, a highly talented player. So it’s cool to get recognized like that, especially by a guy who’s done so much in the league like he has.”

Here are a few more notes from around the Pacific:

Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt, who is battling left heel soreness, will be reevaluated on Friday, head coach Darvin Ham told reporters earlier this week (Twitter link via Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group). Vanderbilt hasn’t played since the team’s preseason opener on October 7.
The Kings still haven’t made a decision on whether to start Kevin Huerter or Chris Duarte on the wing in their regular season opener, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. However, a left knee injury for Duarte may give Huerter a leg up — Duarte has been diagnosed with a bone bruise and will miss the remainder of the preseason, as Anderson writes.
The non-guaranteed contract that swingman Javonte Green signed with the Warriors includes Exhibit 9 language, but not an Exhibit 10 clause, Hoops Rumors has learned. Green is one of three veterans on the roster – along with Rudy Gay and Rodney McGruder – whose camp contract isn’t an Exhibit 10 deal. That means those vets may not be candidates to join the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League if they don’t make Golden State’s regular season roster.

Nuggets GM: Comments On Hyland, MPJ Weren’t Intended For “Public Consumption”

October 18th, 2023 at 7:59am CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on ESPN2 on Tuesday night, Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth was asked about comments he made recently to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer about Bones Hyland and Michael Porter Jr. While he didn’t dispute the accuracy of his quote, Booth indicated he didn’t expect it to show up in O’Connor’s story.

“Under no circumstances would I make or approve of those kind of comments for public consumption,” Booth said (Twitter link via Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports). “It’s not my character as a person or executive, and I think it’s an unfair characterization of Michael and Bones.

“I think Bones is a great kid, has a bright future ahead of him, a charismatic player in our game. And obviously Michael is a core piece of our program with his character and offensive and defensive prowess. So I think that was unfair for those things to be put out there and hopefully it doesn’t happen in the future.”

Addressing the Nuggets’ decision to trade Hyland at last season’s deadline, Booth had candidly explained his thinking to O’Connor.

“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,'” he said. “Mike makes $30 million. He’s one of the best shooters in the NBA. So, Bones, there’s no place for you.”

While those comments don’t come off as particularly flattering to either Hyland or Porter, O’Connor clarified on Twitter that he didn’t view them, in context, as a shot at either player.

“Being a ‘me guy’ wasn’t a knock,” O’Connor wrote. “You want at least one guy who can shoot without any fear from anywhere. It’s part of what makes MPJ special, there was just too much of the same. Plus MPJ improved (defensively), as written about in the context of the article.”

Based on Booth’s comments on Tuesday, it sounds like he believed he was speaking off the record when he discussed his thinking for trading Hyland. While his frank assessment was refreshing when compared to typical executive-speak, the fact that he’s already walking it back suggests that he’ll be more guarded when talking to reporters in the future.

Pacific Notes: Green, Harden, Clippers, Mann, Suns, Durant

October 17th, 2023 at 10:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Warriors forward Draymond Green, who suffered an ankle sprain in an offseason workout, is making good progress, according to the team’s PR department (Twitter link). Green has been cleared to do light on-court workouts (shooting drills, etc.) and his return to full practices and scrimmages will depend on his continued progress. He’ll be reevaluated again on Sunday.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Despite some promising signs from their current roster in the preseason, a trade for James Harden stills holds appeal for the Clippers, according to Law Murray of The Athletic. He fits the timeline of the team’s other stars and coach Tyronn Lue often prefers having a more traditional point guard who can run an isolation-heavy offense. The Clippers also realize the roster has not undergone enough change after last season’s postseason flameout.
There’s still a good vibe around the Clippers thanks to the improved health of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, Janis Carr of the Orange County Register notes. “Last year, it was tough because we felt we had opportunities to do something special and PG goes down and Kawhi goes down after Game 2 (against the Suns),” Lue said. “You never want to see anyone get injured, but a lot of people said, ‘Oh they’re hurt again,’ or whatever, but the biggest thing is they’re messed up mentally because they want to be out there. Seeing them come back 100 percent and being healthy and just the vibe of our team is totally different.”
Following up an earlier reports on the stalled trade discussions between the Clippers and Sixers, a source told Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer (Twitter link) that Los Angeles remains unwilling to part with Terance Mann or additional draft capital. That makes it increasingly likely Harden will be on the Sixers’ roster at the beginning of the regular season.
The fifth starter for the Suns beyond Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Jusuf Nurkic could vary depending matchups, coach Frank Vogel told Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (Twitter link) and other media members. Josh Okogie has generally been considered the frontrunner for the starting job.
The Suns’ big three are holding each other to a high standard, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes. “It’s always good to get work in with some of the best players in the world,” Kevin Durant said. “It’s like iron sharpening iron over there. We hold each other to a high standard. So it’s always good to get some of that post-practice work. The more days we stack together, the better.”

Thunder Notes: Williams, Micic, Dort

October 17th, 2023 at 9:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Thunder reserve big man Jaylin Williams will miss some early regular season games due a hamstring strain suffered in practice, Brett Dawson tweets. Williams will be reevaluated in a couple of weeks.

Williams projects as Chet Holmgren‘s backup this season after starting 36 of 49 games last season during his rookie campaign. A second-round pick in 2022, Williams averaged 5.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 18.7 minutes.

Olivier Sarr and Ousmane Dieng could see more action until Williams returns.

We have more on the Thunder:

Vasilije Micic has noticed some major differences between the EuroLeague and NBA, as Eurohoops.net relays. “It’s open space, with a much higher pace of play compared to the EuroLeague,” he said. “The paint is more open, providing a lot of opportunities for creative players to penetrate and gain an advantage, especially for skilled ball handlers. It’s also a bit easier to create from that spacing. I’m still trying to adjust. Everything is still new for me, but my teammates are helping me learn as quickly as possible. I believe that, together, we will get there eventually.” The former EuroLeague MVP signed a three-year, $23.5MM contract with Oklahoma City in July.
Luguentz Dort scored a team-high 24 points during the team’s exhibition game Thursday in Montreal. It was an emotional homecoming for the Montreal native, he told Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. He spoke in French to the crowd prior to the contest. “I just told them that we were honored to be here,” Dort said, “As a Montreal guy, it was an honor for me to bring my team here and play in front of them.”
Get all the details on the big Thunder-Rockets trade here.

New York Notes: DiVincenzo, Myers, Sharpe, Dinwiddie, Barrett

October 17th, 2023 at 7:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Donte DiVincenzo feels less pressure this season despite signing a four-year, $47MM contract with the Knicks during free agency, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. DiVincenzo was rewarded after a solid season with the Warriors.

“I’m fortunate and thankful to have some stability, to be on a team now on a four-year deal. I can settle down and calm down,” DiVincenzo said. “Last year, I’m essentially on a one-year deal. Your anxiety, that’s more pressure. And you’re playing — when you’re playing with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson and Draymond [Green], what they’ve done, that’s pressure.”

We have more on the New York teams:

Former Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers believes the Knicks have become an attractive free agent destination and that they’re currently positioned to trade for a star, he told Ian Begley of SNY and other media members. “I think what has shifted (recently is) … there was a time where I felt like people may not have wanted to play in (New York City). And I think that’s changed,” Myers said. “I think now you’re looking at murmurings, hearing things – ‘Hey, what about the Knicks?’ And the draft capital they have – it’s a realistic thing. It’s not some lay person saying, ‘Well, the Knicks should go get this guy!’ Now it’s viable, it’s possible. And they have what it takes with first-round picks in their cabinet to go do it. They’ve got a lot of good young players on pretty affordable contracts. They’re just another team that you’re kind of waiting for the next big thing.”
Day’Ron Sharpe provided some good minutes for the Nets in their preseason game against Philadelphia on Monday with nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds in 18 minutes. “He had a really good offseason, really good. And he’s had a really good preseason,” starting center Nic Claxton said to the New York Post’s Brian Lewis. “He’s using his physicality without fouling. He’s a lot more comfortable out there.” It’s a pivotal season for Sharpe, as the Nets hold a $4MM option on his 2024/25 contract, which must be exercised by the end of this month.
Playing alongside Ben Simmons, Spencer Dinwiddie will have a different role this season with the Nets, Zach Braziller of the New York Post notes. He’ll be looked upon for more perimeter shooting — he shot 28.9% on 3s after being reacquired from Dallas, where he made 40% of his long-range attempts. “He has the ability to shoot it at a high level,” coach Jacque Vaughn said. “He also has the ability to get downhill into the paint. So we just don’t want him just shooting 3s. But the ability to do both for us [is there].”
In a subscriber-only story, Newsday’s Steve Popper details that RJ Barrett isn’t under the same load management restrictions that some of his Knicks teammates are facing.

Thunder Trade Oladipo, Robinson-Earl To Rockets For Porter, Second-Round Picks

October 17th, 2023 at 7:28pm CST by Luke Adams

7:28pm: Both teams have officially announced the trade, the Rockets via a press release and Thunder with a separate news release. The Thunder also announced they have waived Porter.

Houston made a related move, waiving Matthew Mayer in order to open a roster spot to complete the two-for-one deal. Mayer, who signed a camp deal in early August, went undrafted in June out of Illinois and caught on with the Rockets’ Summer League team. He’ll likely wind up with their G League squad, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

11:42am: The Thunder and Rockets have agreed to a trade, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that Oklahoma City will receive guard Kevin Porter Jr. and a pair of future second-round picks in the deal, while Houston will get guard Victor Oladipo and forward/center Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

The Thunder, who will immediately waive Porter, are acquiring the Timberwolves’ 2027 second-round pick and the Bucks’ 2028 second-rounder from Houston, Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter).

Porter was arrested in September on charges of assault and strangulation after allegedly assaulting his girlfriend, former WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick. The Rockets began trying to trade the 23-year-old shortly after his arrest and confirmed on media day that he wouldn’t be rejoining the team.

According to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required), prosecutors dropped a second-degree assault charge against Porter this week due to “insufficient evidence.”

However, Porter still faces charges of second-degree strangulation and third-degree assault, so the dropped charge doesn’t materially affect his NBA outlook. No team is likely to consider picking him up at least until the legal process has played out and the league has completed its own investigation and potentially handed out a suspension.

The Rockets’ goal in shopping Porter was to replace him with a player who could actually contribute on the court this season. It’s unclear what the team’s plans are for Oladipo, who is still recovering from a torn patellar tendon in his left knee, but Robinson-Earl should provide some depth in Houston’s frontcourt.

Once the deal is complete, the Rockets will have 16 players on standard contracts — 14 with fully guaranteed salaries, plus Aaron Holiday and Boban Marjanovic on partially guaranteed deals. The team will have to waive or trade one of those 16 players by Monday to get down to the regular season roster limit.

It’s possible Oladipo will be the odd man out, especially if his injury recovery is expected to extend well into the season. His expiring $9.5MM salary could be useful for salary-matching purposes in a subsequent deal, so the Rockets may try to find a way to hang onto him, but most of their roster consists of promising young players or recent additions, so there aren’t any other obvious candidates to be let go.

The Thunder were facing a roster crunch of their own this fall, with 18 players on standard contracts for 15 regular season roster spots. In trading Oladipo and Robinson-Earl for a player whom they’ll waive immediately, they’ll reduce their roster count to 16 players, meaning only one more cut (or trade) will be necessary before opening night.

Acquiring Porter doesn’t look great from a PR perspective for Oklahoma City, given what he has been accused of, but the team will drop him right away and acquires two more future draft picks in the deal. The Thunder also received two future second-round selections when they took on Oladipo in a salary-dump deal with the Heat earlier this offseason, so they’ve essentially added four second-rounders by taking him on from Miami and then flipping him to Houston.

In waiving Porter, the Thunder will eat $15.86MM in dead money this season, plus a $1MM partial guarantee for 2024/25. The rest of Porter’s four-year, $63MM+ contract was non-guaranteed, so Oklahoma City won’t be on the hook for additional money beyond that $16.86MM. OKC also generates a $1.9MM trade exception in the move, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.

As for the Rockets, they’ll save a little money in the deal and create a new $4.5MM trade exception of their own. It’s also worth noting that Robinson-Earl, who is owed $1.9MM this season, has a $1.99MM team option for 2024/25, so Houston could hang onto him at a near-minimum cost for two seasons.

Robinson-Earl, who will turn 23 next month, appeared in 43 games for the Thunder last season, starting 20. He posted respectable averages of 6.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in a part-time role (18.9 MPG) and has shown an ability to make an outside shot (.344 career 3PT%), but was buried on OKC’s frontcourt depth chart with Chet Holmgren returning to action.

The Thunder and Rockets have been frequent trade partners in recent years, dating back to their Chris Paul/Russell Westbrook swap in July 2019. They also came together for trades during the 2021 and 2022 offseasons, and they were both involved in the five-team deal sending Dillon Brooks to Houston earlier this year.

Southwest Notes: Smart, Jones, Alvarado, Hardy, Green

October 17th, 2023 at 6:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Marcus Smart will make his preseason Grizzlies debut on Friday, according to Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Smart, acquired from Boston this offseason, will go right into the starting lineup, coach Taylor Jenkins told Cole. Smart has been battling abdominal soreness.

“I’ve been doing this going on 10 years now, so for me, I know what it takes to get myself going and how long it takes,” the Grizzlies veteran guard said. “I’ll be ready.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Tre Jones signed a two-year, $19MM contract this offseason to remain with the Spurs. However, it’s uncertain if he’ll remain a starter. He told Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News he’s fine either way. “No matter if I’m starting or coming off the bench, it will always be the same,” Jones said. “I’ve got to be a leader for us. I’ve got to continue to set my teammates up as many ways as possible, be an extension of coach on the court, be aggressive on the defensive end and try to help us win any way possible.”
The Pelicans have played poorly this preseason but they should toughen up when backup point guard Jose Alvarado returns. Alvarado has been sidelined by an ankle sprain but there’s optimism he’ll be back for the regular season opener next week. “He’s a big piece for our team, especially on the defensive side of the basketball,” forward Brandon Ingram told Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “He brings us energy. He’ll be good for our second group, just trying to run our second group.”
The Mavericks are dealing with a few minor injuries, Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com tweets. Jaden Hardy is getting treatment on a sprained ankle, while Josh Green suffered a back injury on Monday and sat out Tuesday’s practice.

Rockets Eye Alec Burks, Talen Horton-Tucker

October 17th, 2023 at 5:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Rockets cut ties with Kevin Porter Jr. by agreeing to trade the troubled guard and two future second-round picks to the Thunder for injured guard Victor Oladipo and big man Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

However, the Rockets may not be through making deals before next week’s regular season opener, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reports. They may look to move Oladipo, combined with other second-round picks, to upgrade their roster.

Houston has held trade discussions with the Pistons regarding veteran guard Alec Burks, who has an expiring $10,489,600 contract. Fischer notes that his contract nearly matches Oladipo’s $9.5MM expiring salary.

It’s not clear if the Pistons would be interested a trade for Oladipo, who is recovering from a torn patellar tendon in his left knee, and some type of sweetener.

The Pistons have other options at guard beyond franchise player Cade Cunningham. New head coach Monty Williams is mulling whether to start lottery pick Ausar Thompson and bring Jaden Ivey off the bench. Detroit also traded for Monte Morris and Joe Harris this offseason, with rookie Marcus Sasser and Killian Hayes also battling for playing time.

Houston has also contacted the Jazz regarding Talen Horton-Tucker. Tucker has an $11.02MM expiring contract and his role with Utah is uncertain, due to the strong play of Kris Dunn and rookie Keyonte George.

The Rockets have some interest in Malcolm Brogdon as well, although the Trail Blazers and Rockets have not held significant discussions. Portland has indicated that it wants to hold onto Brogdon, who was acquired from Boston in the Jrue Holiday deal. Houston also wouldn’t be able to aggregate Oladipo’s salary with another player for two months after finalizing its trade with Oklahoma City. Brogdon is earning $22.5MM.

Fischer also delivered some other interesting tidbits in his story:

Prior to the Thunder’s trade with the Rockets, veteran forward Davis Bertāns‘ name was passing through the rumor mill. The Thunder had a roster logjam prior to the deal and still needs to clear another spot, but Bertans is safe. Not only could his perimeter shooting help the Thunder, his $16MM salary for 2024/25 is only guaranteed for $5MM. That could make him a valuable trade piece approaching February’s trade deadline.
The Rockets held conversations with several other teams regarding Porter that would have required them to throw in more second-rounders to get him off their roster. Oklahoma City had planned to waive Oladipo if it couldn’t find a trade for him.
Few rival executives anticipate that the Pacers’ Buddy Hield will be traded prior to the season. The Pacers had looked at potential deals involving Hield after contract extension talks stalled, but it sounds like there’s no traction toward a move.

Mavericks Sign, Waive Taze Moore

October 17th, 2023 at 5:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

OCTOBER 17: The Mavericks have waived Moore, the team’s PR department tweets. It’s likely he’ll end up with the Legends after clearing waivers.

OCTOBER 16: The Mavericks have signed former University of Houston forward Taze Moore, the team announced (via Twitter).

The 6’5″ Moore joined Dallas’ G League team after going undrafted in 2022 and averaged 13.9 points and 6.7 rebounds in 24 regular season games with the Texas Legends. He also played for the Mavericks’ Summer League squad, posting 7.0 points and 4.8 rebounds in five games.

In an interview this summer with Grant Afseth of Sports Illustrated, Moore said the Mavs asked him to concentrate on defense in Las Vegas, but he feels he can handle any role that he’s assigned.

“I’m not really a well-known guy like that, and I’m kind of cool with that,” Moore said. “I’m a defensive guy, but when I was at (Cal) Bakersfield, I kind of had a team where I had to be an offensive threat and things like that. So I can just be anything you want me to be when you want me to be that. I can score. If you need me to score, I score. If you don’t, I won’t.”

Moore is a long shot to make the Mavericks’ roster, but assuming he signed an Exhibit 10 contract, he’ll be able to earn a bonus of up to $75K if he’s waived and spends at least 60 days with the Legends.

Dallas had room to sign Moore after waiving three players over the weekend. There are still two openings on the 21-man roster.

Sixers Notes: Harden, Trade Talks, Maxey, Harris

October 17th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

While James Harden has been on his best behavior when he has been present at practices for the Sixers during training camp and the preseason, he hasn’t exactly been a full participant this fall, Shams Charania said on Stadium’s NBA season preview show (Twitter video link).

According to Charania, Harden has taken part in just one five-on-five scrimmage this month, back on October 7. The former MVP also hasn’t been in attendance for any of the 76ers’ three preseason games and has skipped at least one shootaround.

The Clippers and Sixers have talked more about Harden in the last week, according to Charania, but there’s still no deal imminent between the two teams.

Here are a few more Sixers notes:

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports also checked in on the Harden saga, citing league sources who say that Daryl Morey wants a second first-round pick (in addition to a pick swap and expiring contracts) for Harden. While Fischer doesn’t state it explicitly, it sounds like Philadelphia would want both of those first-round picks to be unprotected. The Clippers haven’t shown a willingness thus far to include more than one first-rounder in their offer for Harden.
According to Fischer, the Clippers value their 2028 first-round pick pretty highly, since Kawhi Leonard‘s and Paul George‘s futures in Los Angeles aren’t locked in, so there’s no guarantee that pick won’t be a high one. They’ve looked around to see if they’d be able to get two first-rounders from another team in exchange for that lone 2028 pick in order to satisfy Philadelphia’s asking price, Fischer says, but that seems like a long shot.
Fischer suggests one reason Harden has been so professional in his return following a brief holdout is a belief that the gap between the Sixers and Clippers isn’t significant and that the two teams will be able to work something out. It’s unclear whether or not there’s an “undetermined deadline” when Harden might get impatient and start trying to force the issue more proactively, Fischer adds.
Tyrese Maxey understands “the business aspect” of the Sixers deciding to hold off on a rookie scale extension and isn’t concerned about reaching restricted free agency next July, he tells Fischer. Philadelphia is putting off Maxey’s next deal in order to maximize its 2024 cap room. “I just look at it as I’m gonna go out there and still play,” Maxey said. “I’m still on the 76ers. I love it here and I want to help us win. And at the end of the day, that’s my contract and that’s what I’ll fulfill. I love Philly. And we’ll see what happens.”
In a conversation with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Sixers forward Tobias Harris spoke about how he’ll fit into Nick Nurse‘s system, his mindset entering a contract year, and his expectations for the team this season, among other topics.