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Hornets’ Kai Jones Away From Team Indefinitely

September 30th, 2023 at 1:55pm CST by Rory Maher

While it isn’t described as a suspension, the Hornets will have center Kai Jones away from the team indefinitely with no timetable for a return, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Jones will be absent for training camp due to personal reasons, Charania adds, and Charlotte is in “constant” contact with the former first-round pick.

The Hornets released a statement (via Twitter) confirming that Jones is indefinitely away from the team for personal reasons.

Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer reported a few days ago that there were indications that Jones might not play for the Hornets this season. The 22-year-old made a series of strange social media posts — including calling out some of his teammates — and has been absent during optional sessions for players in recent weeks.

Jones will earn a guaranteed $3.05MM this season after the Hornets picked up their third-year team option on his rookie scale contract last fall. However, based on recent events and his limited role during his first two seasons, it’s looking extremely unlikely that they will pick up his $4.69MM option for 2024/25.

A native of the Bahamas, Jones played two years at Texas before being selected No. 19 overall in the 2021 draft. During his two seasons with Charlotte, he has averaged a 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 67 total games (9.1 minutes per night).

Jones has had a much bigger role at the G League level, averaging 17.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 2.1 blocks in 38 regular season games with the Greensboro Swarm — Charlotte’s affiliate — from 2021-23. However, he was still projected to be the Hornets’ third-string center entering ’23/24, behind Mark Williams and Nick Richards.

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More Details On The Three-Team Lillard Blockbuster

September 30th, 2023 at 1:47pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bucks were interested in acquiring Damian Lillard immediately after he made his trade request on July 1, but the deal didn’t start to come together until this past Sunday.

As Adrian Wojnarowski writes in an in-depth story for ESPN (Insider link), Bucks general manager Jon Horst told Trail Blazers GM Joe Cronin from the outset that their talks had to remain a secret or Milwaukee would withdraw from negotiations.

According to Wojnarowski, Horst didn’t want Jrue Holiday to be involved in any trade rumors, or used as leverage by Cronin with other teams to increase offers for Lillard. The Bucks didn’t want to disrupt their chemistry and hold Holiday in very high regard. That meant Cronin was unable to gauge Holiday’s market value before agreeing to the trade.

As Wojnarowski details, Horst told Cronin that the only way a deal would work is if the Blazers took their time fielding offers and eventually circled back to Milwaukee for one-on-one talks. That started Sunday evening, with both sides feeling like they had reached a breakthrough.

Cronin was determined to say patient and accept the best possible offer, per Woj, and kept details of Lillard negotiations hidden from prying eyes. Lillard’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, was determined to steer him to Miami, but Lillard didn’t have much leverage. Wojnarowski strongly suggests Cronin felt the need to keep things private from Goodwin in case he tried to tank trade talks with non-Heat teams.

One of the most fascinating and “delicate” parts of the deal was Phoenix’s involvement. According to Wojnarowski, the Blazers and Suns had the outline of a trade together for months — Deandre Ayton to Portland for Jusuf Nurkic. Cronin wanted to tie that agreement into any Lillard trade, so throughout the offseason he kept circling back to the Suns.

However, as Wojnarowski writes, due to Milwaukee’s insistence on secrecy, Cronin was unable to tell Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein the final details until the last minute. According to Woj, Phoenix knew it was getting Nurkic, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson from the Blazers in a three-team deal, but the Suns wanted another asset in return.

Cronin was unable to tell the Suns who that player was — or who he played for. Cronin did tell the Suns the mystery player’s position and gave an approximation of his salary, and Phoenix was able to deduce it was either Thunder guard Victor Oladipo or Bucks guard Grayson Allen.

Only on Wednesday afternoon — just before the trade was made public — did Cronin confirm that it was Allen, whom the Suns had reportedly been interested in for several months. According to Wojnarowski, Bartelstein, GM James Jones and owner Mat Ishbia quickly discussed and then agreed to the deal.

The Blazers were happy and relieved to have completed the deal, per Woj, and believed they did right by Lillard by sending him to a contender, even if it wasn’t his preferred destination. Shortly thereafter, Cronin was bombarded by calls inquiring about Holiday, who is now the hottest name on the trade block.

Wojnarowki’s full story is definitely worth reading in full if you subscribe to ESPN+.

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Atlantic Notes: Tatum, Ujiri, Sixers, Lillard, Randle

September 30th, 2023 at 11:53am CST by Tristan Tucker

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum went into the offseason thinking he may have needed surgery on his non-shooting wrist, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne said on NBA Today (YouTube link). According to Shelburne, Tatum visited a bunch of specialists and opted against going under the knife.

Shelburne said that Tatum received a cortisone shot in his wrist, adding that the wrist feels “really good.”

Following the trade that sent Marcus Smart to the Grizzlies, Tatum is likely going to be seeing even more primary ball-handling duties. Shelburne reports that Tatum is “comfortable” initiating the offense and handling the ball, with his experience in the postseason helping him build confidence for that role.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Raptors president Masai Ujiri‘s 10-year anniversary as the team’s top decision-maker came and went this offseason and his tenure has been marked by huge successes by the organization, including an NBA title in 2019. However, Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes that Ujiri’s record hasn’t been without misses, especially recently. Missing out on Damian Lillard is an example of a questionable decision, Koreen opines, and it leaves the franchise in a tricky situation moving forward. Importantly, Koreen notes that he doesn’t think that Ujiri is in any danger of being close to losing his position. I recommend reading the article in full, as Koreen evaluates and compares Ujiri’s tenure to other top decision-makers in the league.
  • While the Sixers didn’t land Lillard, Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports writes that Philadelphia is in a better position with Lillard on the Bucks rather than the Heat, who were heavily linked to the seven-time All-Star. Neubeck reasons that if Miami had landed Lillard, they would be firmly in the top tier of Eastern Conference teams ahead of the Sixers, along with the Bucks and Celtics. With Lillard on the Bucks, it makes Milwaukee better, but the Sixers are only behind two teams in the conference’s hierarchy, opines Neubeck. The deal also opens Philadelphia to make other moves via trade.
  • The Knicks have several storylines to watch for this upcoming season after earning the No. 5 seed and reaching the second round in the NBA playoffs in 2022/23. Zach Braziller of the New York Post argues that the biggest storyline surrounding the Knicks is the play of Julius Randle. In Braziller’s view, the Knicks will need Randle to step up in the postseason in order to increase their ceiling for next season and beyond.
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Pacific Notes: Primo, Hachimura, Jasikevicius, Poole

September 30th, 2023 at 11:05am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Clippers signed guard Joshua Primo to a two-way contract on Friday, the same day the league suspended him for four games after the league determined he “engaged in inappropriate and offensive behavior by exposing himself to women.” Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times writes that the Clippers felt comfortable with signing Primo after meeting with him for months and hearing from specialists who spent time with him.

Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, said that the decision to sign Primo came with “a great deal of conversation with people throughout the organization,” according to Greif. Frank also said that female employees who most frequently interact with players were consulted on the decision, per Greif.

“We took many steps to make sure that we could feel very confident that we will be able to create a safe and comfortable workplace,” Frank said.

The specialists who met with Primo worked in mental health fields, Frank said, according to Greif.

“We’re not disputing allegations or condoning the alleged conduct, but why we’re here is because of all the work he’s put in since those allegations,” Frank said.

Primo was drafted with the 12th overall pick by the Spurs in the 2021 NBA Draft but was waived four games into his second season after a psychologist who worked for the Spurs, Dr. Hillary Cauthen, alleged in a civil complaint against the Spurs that Primo exposed himself to her nine times during individual private sessions.

A source tells San Antonio Express-News’ Tom Orsborn (Twitter link) that, in addition to Dr. Cauthen, Primo exposed himself to two other women, with all incidents occurring while he was with the Spurs. Orsborn adds that it’s possible that charges could arise in other counties like they did in Bexar County (Twitter link).

In addition to being suspended for the first four games of the season, Primo is ineligible to appear in the NBA’s preseason, Greif writes.

We have more notes from the Pacific Division:

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Jrue Holiday Notes: Clippers, Sixers, Kings, Pacers, Knicks

September 30th, 2023 at 9:46am CST by Tristan Tucker

After being sent to the Trail Blazers as part of the Damian Lillard blockbuster, Jrue Holiday is likely the next guard to be traded by a Portland team seeking draft capital and/or players who fit the club’s timeline. The Blazers are expected to be active in the next few days in attempting to find a landing spot for the two-time All-Star and there’s a “good chance” he’s on the move by Monday, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

The market for Holiday, a tenacious defender, is already robust. As we wrote on Thursday, the Clippers, Heat, Bulls, Celtics, Knicks, Pacers, and Sixers are among the teams that could explore acquiring him.

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic looks at several hypothetical landing spots for Holiday and considers what the trade package might look like in each scenario. In his view, the Clippers are the most viable destination for Holiday, with an easy-to-build package consisting of matching salaries, young players and draft picks. While the Clippers have been tied to Sixers guard James Harden for some time, Vecenie reasons that Holiday could be more appealing, since he’s extension-eligible while Harden is not, due to his two-year deal last offseason.

Of course, the rumors linking Harden and the Clippers make a three-team deal that sends Harden to L.A, Holiday to Philadelphia, and salaries, picks and other assets to Portland easy to imagine, Vecenie writes. However, Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports says that he’s hearing no real traction on any such move and that it will be difficult for Philadelphia to land Holiday.

The Heat, Knicks and Warriors are among other teams who can put together reasonable packages for Holiday, Vecenie writes, with Golden State providing his favorite potential landing spot for the guard.

We have more Jrue Holiday-related notes:

  • The Kings are one of the few teams who will not be in on the Holiday sweepstakes, tweets Sam Amick of The Athletic. According to Amick, the Kings “looked at” the possibility, but will not pursue the guard. While Holiday makes sense for just about every team in the league, it stands to reason that the Kings, who seem to have a set backcourt rotation, wouldn’t want to shake things up this close to the season.
  • Indiana is a dark horse candidate to trade for Holiday. IndyStar’s Dustin Dopirak explores the subject, weighing the pros and cons of the Pacers acquiring Holiday. While adding the former All-Star would give Indiana a secondary ball-handler and shooting, along with high-level defense, it might not be the best idea for the team to sacrifice draft capital and/or young players at this stage of its timeline. With Holiday potentially becoming a free agent next offseason, it’s also possible he would be a rental and, if not, he would be costly at 33 years old, Dopirak writes. Ultimately, Dopirak believes the Pacers shouldn’t get desperate to acquire Holiday, even if he would boost their playoff odds this season.
  • As noted above, New York makes some level of sense as a suitor for Holiday’s services. Fred Katz and Mike Vorkunov write about the topic, arguing that while Holiday would help in a major way on the court, the cost to acquire him would be great. Ian Begley of SNY writes that if the Knicks did acquire Holiday, they’d do so with the idea of extending him.
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Pelicans Sign Malcolm Hill, Four Others

September 30th, 2023 at 9:11am CST by Tristan Tucker

9:11am: The Pelicans announced the signings of Hill, Jones, Jemison and Robbins, along with Nolley.

New Orleans also confirmed the signing of Kaiser Gates to a two-way contract, which became official earlier in the week. The Pelicans’ offseason roster now stands at 21.

8:18am: The Pelicans have officially signed Malcolm Hill, Tevian Jones, Trey Jemison and Liam Robbins, according to RealGM’s transaction log. We previously wrote that New Orleans had agreed to sign Jones, Jemison and Robbins, but the Hill signing hadn’t been covered.

Hill, 27, has 24 games of NBA experience across stints with the Hawks and Bulls holding averages of 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds. Most recently, Hill spent time with Chicago on a two-way contract, but was waived in February.

A product of Illinois, Hill has received more extensive playing time in the G League. In 32 regular season and Showcase Cup appearances last season with the Windy City Bulls (Chicago’s affiliate) and Birmingham Squadron (New Orleans’ affiliate), Hill averaged 15.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals.

It was reported in August that Jemison would be receiving an Exhibit 10 contract, and it’s likely safe to assume that’s the type of deal Hill, Jones and Robbins received from the Pelicans as well. If that’s indeed the case, all four players would be eligible for a bonus of up to $75K if they are waived by the Pelicans before the season begins and spend at least 60 days with Birmingham.

The signings of all four players brings New Orleans to 20 players under contract, one short of the offseason maximum. New Orleans has 14 players on standard contracts and two players signed to two-way deals. However, New Orleans is a bit over the tax and isn’t likely looking to keep a 15th standard player on the opening night roster in case they can duck under the tax. That means filling out the final open two-way spot is likely their primary goal, and one of these players could fill that spot.

It’s important to note that Landers Nolley was also reported to be joining New Orleans, but that deal has yet to be made official. It’s possible Nolley will fill the 21st and final spot on the team’s offseason roster.

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DJ Steward Signs Training Camp Deal With Celtics

September 30th, 2023 at 7:25am CST by Arthur Hill

SEPTEMBER 30: Steward’s contract with Boston is now official, according to RealGM’s transaction log.

AUGUST 12: The Celtics have reached an agreement on a training camp contract with former Duke guard DJ Steward, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Sources tell Wojnarowski that Steward will be given a chance to earn a two-way contract. Boston has one spot open, with JD Davison and Jay Scrubb already holding two-way deals.

Steward signed with the Kings in 2021 and 2022 and wound up in the G League both years. In April, he joined the Vancouver Bandits in the Canadian Elite Basketball League.

The 21-year-old played for the Sixers in the Las Vegas Summer League, where he averaged 16.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists in five games.

Steward’s signing will give the Celtics 16 players under contract, five short of the offseason limit.

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Mavericks Notes: Green, Doncic, Kidd, Kyrie, Curry

September 29th, 2023 at 10:54pm CST by Rory Maher

Fourth-year wing Josh Green is entering the final year of his rookie contract with the Mavericks. The former first-round pick is eligible for a rookie scale extension until October 23, which is the day before the regular season begins.

Marc Stein reported last month that the Mavericks had opened extension talks with Green, but an agreement has yet to be reached.

Speaking to the media on Friday, Green said he hopes to reach a long-term deal, as Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News relays.

“At the end of the day, I know I want to be here,” Green said. “I’m going to work as if I’m going to be here for a long time. I want to be able to win in Dallas; I want to be in Dallas.

“Whatever their decision is their decision, but at the end of the day I’ve got the same goal every single day and that’s to be the best teammate and the best player I can be for the team.”

If Green doesn’t sign an extension, he’ll be eligible for restricted free agency next summer.

Here’s more on the Mavs:

  • Star Luka Doncic said he’s still not exactly sure what’s wrong with his nagging thigh injury, which bothered him last season and lingered into this summer’s World Cup. “It’s better, but we still have some appointments,” Doncic said, per Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. “So when we get the clear ‘What is it?,’ we’ll let you guys know.” When asked if he would be a full participant in training camp, which started Wednesday because the team is traveling overseas, Doncic said he might speak to the trainer about skipping “some stuff” due to two-a-days. However, according to Townsend, head coach Jason Kidd expected Doncic to be present for everything, despite being less than 100%. “And so the topic of getting him stronger, and getting him close to 100% before the first game is the goal,” Kidd said. “And so to answer the second part, yes, he will participate in two-a-days.”
  • Doncic also said he’s looking forward to building more chemistry with Kyrie Irving, who re-signed with Dallas this offseason after being acquired at the February trade deadline, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “I mean better for sure,” Doncic said. “He came in the middle of the season last year, and we didn’t have much time. We went straight to playing games. It takes time to do chemistry, especially on the court, so we didn’t have the whole training camp and then I mean the preseason too. So I think it’s going to be way better.”
  • Speaking of Irving, he discussed why he decided to return to the Mavs in free agency, MacMahon writes in another article for ESPN. “It wasn’t too difficult of a process,” said Irving, who signed a three-year, $120MM+ deal. “Had Dallas as No. 1 on my list. Obviously I looked elsewhere — salary cap opportunities, where I could fit in with other guys around the league — but there just wasn’t much space. And me being 31 now, I had to have a different vantage point, and I felt like I could not just settle here but be happy to come back here and be welcomed back with a warm embrace.”
  • Veteran sharpshooter Seth Curry, who signed a two-year, $8MM deal with the Mavs in free agency, is also happy to be back in Dallas, per Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. This is Curry’s third stint with the team. “A lot of potential, a lot of talent – top to bottom, a lot of guys that can play,” he said. “It’s about putting it together. Offensively, we should have one of the best rosters in the league. It’s about getting timely stops on defense.”
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Warriors Notes: Holiday, Roster, Jackson-Davis, Looney, More

September 29th, 2023 at 9:10pm CST by Rory Maher

There are logical reasons why the Warriors should pursue Jrue Holiday, who was traded to the Trail Blazers in the Damian Lillard blockbuster.

As Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area writes, Holiday — a two-time All-Star and five-time All-Defense member — is one of the best two-way guards in the league. He’s also five years younger (33) than Chris Paul (38), who would almost certainly be included in a potential deal for salary-matching purposes.

However, according to Poole, the possibility of trading Paul so soon after acquiring him creates a dilemma for Golden State. The team has spent the past few months talking up how well the future Hall-of-Famer will fit in, and how he was the “missing piece.” Flipping him before he plays a game for the Warriors would likely have future free agents questioning the organization’s integrity, Poole writes.

Poole believes Holiday would improve the roster, and is “probably a more seamless fit into the team’s culture.” But trading Paul now would still carry a level of risk.

Here’s more on the Warriors:

  • Kendra Andrews of ESPN examines key storylines for the Warriors entering the 2023/24 season, including how the team will fill its final standard roster spots. After the chemistry issues of last season, Golden State is looking for a “glue guy” who will be a good locker-room presence, team sources tell Andrews.
  • Rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis could be a seamless fit for Golden State’s system, according to Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. The 6’9″ big man has plenty of experience, having played four highly productive college seasons at Indiana. Head coach Steve Kerr sounded impressed with the second round-pick on Monday, Johnson notes. “What I like about Trayce is he plays the way we like to play — good passer, dribble handoff guy at the top of the key, good screener, gives us a lob threat that we don’t otherwise have, which is a really nice addition,” Kerr said. “And I think he’s just the kind of guy who feels the game well. He’s got a good feel for passing, cutting movement. And a lot of the stuff that we already run he runs really well. So Trayce is a really intriguing prospect and will be fun to watch him play.”
  • In a lengthy interview with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, center Kevon Looney talked about his rebounding prowess, his desire to keep his consecutive games streak alive (he hasn’t missed a game the past two seasons), how long he hopes to play, adjusting to new teammates, and more.
  • The Warriors are close to hosting the 2025 All-Star game, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The news isn’t official yet, but it’s heading in that direction. As Charania notes, 2024 All-Star weekend will be held in Indianapolis.
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Heat Notes: Ellington, Roster, Jaquez, Lillard

September 29th, 2023 at 7:12pm CST by Rory Maher

Wayne Ellington, a 13-year veteran whose last NBA stint came with the Lakers in 2021/22, has joined the Heat as a player development coach, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Ellington will replace Anthony Carter, who left Miami a couple months ago to join the Grizzlies.

Ellington, 35, hasn’t officially retired, but the fact that the longtime shooting guard is joining Miami’s coaching staff is an indication that his playing days might be coming to a close.

According to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link), Ellington was considering continuing his career in a front office role, but the Heat offered him a job as a coach and he accepted it. The team just made the announcement, but Ellington has already been acting in an unofficial capacity for several weeks, Reynolds adds.

The 28th pick of the 2009 draft, Ellington has played in 770 regular seasons games (20.9 MPG) for nine teams during his career, averaging 8.0 PPG and 2.1 RPG while shooting 38.2% from three-point range. He had his most productive seasons during his tenure with the Heat from 2016-19, averaging 10.5 PPG as a shooting specialist (38.4% from deep on high volume).

Here’s more on the Heat:

  • Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald explore what’s next for the Heat after they were unable to trade for Damian Lillard, who landed with the Bucks in a three-team blockbuster. As the authors note, the Heat will have to fill their 14th standard roster spot before the season starts — they currently only have 13 players on standard deals, including Orlando Robinson‘s partially guaranteed salary.
  • First-round pick Jaime Jaquez was involved in the Lillard trade rumors and he admits he heard the speculation, he told Chiang of The Miami Herald. “I won’t lie, at first it was in the back of my head,” Jaquez said earlier this week. “Like what’s going to happen? Am I going to leave? You never know. But as we moved on and time went on, I just got really comfortable in my situation that whatever happens happens. I just believe it’s all a part of a bigger plan. Things happen for a reason. If I stay, great. If I get traded, it was fun while it lasted. But I try not to worry about that. I can only control what I can control.” The former UCLA standout also said he’s fully healthy following a shoulder injury in Summer League and has been working on his shooting and defense ahead of his rookie season.
  • Missing out on Lillard is “close to a worst-case scenario” for the Heat, contends William Guillory of The Athletic. As Guillory writes, Lillard would have been an ideal fit on the offensive end, and he’ll also be joining the rival Bucks, which not only improves Milwaukee’s roster but also may make Giannis Antetokounmpo more likely to sign an extension. Guillory believes the Heat can’t just stand pat and need to bolster their offensive firepower to make another deep playoff run. He also wonders if Tyler Herro will have any lingering resentment after being involved in trade rumors all summer.
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