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Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson Won’t Be Ready For Start Of Season

September 23rd, 2024 at 11:42am CST by Luke Adams

Knicks center Mitchell Robinson won’t be available at the start of the regular season, according to reports from Yaron Weitzman of FOX Sports (Twitter link) and Ian Begley of SNY.tv.

Robinson underwent surgery on his left ankle in May to address a stress injury after having undergone a procedure on the same ankle last December. His recovery is ongoing, and both Weitzman and Begley suggest that the Knicks and Robinson are targeting a return in December or January.

Weitzman’s and Begley’s sources say that New York is proceeding cautiously with Robinson’s recovery process, given the troubles that ankle has given him in the last year, and that the team is confident in the “depth and versatility” of its frontcourt, which will have to get by without the Knicks’ starting center for the first couple months of the season.

The Knicks’ depth at center has already been a source of some concern entering the 2024/25 season, given that the club lost Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency and didn’t add a replacement for the big man. Further complicating matters is the fact that Julius Randle is recovering from a surgery of his own (on his shoulder) and isn’t guaranteed to be available for opening night, though his recovery process is believed to be further along than Robinson’s.

When Randle underwent his shoulder procedure in early April, the team announced that he’d be reevaluated in five months, which would be early September. However, the team hasn’t provided any formal update on the three-time All-Star — that update will likely come on Media Day next week.

Head coach Tom Thibodeau has spoken about the possibility of Randle playing some small-ball center this season, but even if Randle is available by opening night, the team will have to lean more heavily on big men like Jericho Sims and Precious Achiuwa until Robinson is ready to return. It’s also worth noting that Robinson’s unavailability this fall could help give power forward Marcus Morris a leg up on guard Landry Shamet in the battle for the 15th and final spot on the Knicks’ standard roster.

Robinson is an athletic rim-runner and rim protector who holds career averages of 8.0 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 24.5 minutes per game across 320 career outings (196 starts). He has been impacted by injuries in recent years though, as he has missed 125 of 318 total regular season games and 12 of 29 playoff contests since the start of the 2020/21 season.

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Raptors To Retire Vince Carter’s No. 15 Jersey

September 23rd, 2024 at 11:09am CST by Luke Adams

Vince Carter‘s jersey will be retired by two separate NBA franchises during the 2024/25 season. After the Nets announced last week that they’ll retire Carter’s No. 15 at a ceremony in January, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca reports that the Raptors will do the same with his No. 15 jersey when they host the Kings on November 2.

It will be the first time in Raptors history that the team has retired a player’s jersey.

The fifth overall pick in the 1998 draft,  Carter spent his first six seasons in the NBA with Toronto. He was traded to the Nets midway through his seventh season and spent the next four-and-a-half years with New Jersey before bouncing around the league and playing for six different teams during the second half of his 22-year Hall of Fame career.

As a Raptor, Carter became the first true star in the history of a franchise that began play in 1995, earning Rookie of the Year honors in 1999 and making the All-Star team six consecutive times beginning in 2000. He averaged 23.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game in 403 total regular season appearances for Toronto and put on one of the all-time great shows at the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest in 2000.

As Lewenberg writes, Carter’s emergence as an NBA superstar and his role in leading the Raptors to the first three postseason appearances in team history helped spur the growth and popularity of basketball in Canada, leading to a significant uptick in the number of Canadians playing in the NBA. The 6’6″ wing still ranks fourth overall on the Raptors’ all-time scoring list, despite coming in at just 12th in games played.

Despite the impressive résumé he compiled during his time with the Raptors, Carter’s legacy in Toronto is a complicated one, Lewenberg notes. When he requested a trade, there was a widespread perception among many Raptors fans that he had given up on the team. When he returned to Toronto as a visitor, he was loudly booed for several years after the deal.

Within the organization, the decision to retire Carter’s No. 15 wasn’t a given, according to Lewenberg, who says there were “high-ranking members” of the organization who felt that Kyle Lowry should be the first Raptor to have his jersey hung in the rafters.

With Lowry still active, however, and the Nets indicating back in the spring that they planned to retire Carter’s jersey, there was a “strong push” made on the 47-year-old’s behalf in Toronto, per Lewenberg. The relationship between Carter and Raptors fans has also healed significantly within the last decade — he received a standing ovation as a member of the Grizzlies when the Raptors honored with him a tribute video during their 20th anniversary season in 2014/15, Lewenberg adds.

According to Lewenberg, the Raptors considered the idea of retiring Carter’s No. 15 on October 25, when Lowry and the Sixers will be in town. However, they ultimately settled on the Nov. 2 game vs. Sacramento. DeMar DeRozan, another longtime Raptor who will likely have his jersey retired eventually, will be in town as a member of the Kings that night.

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Pre-Camp Roster Snapshot: Pacific Division

September 23rd, 2024 at 10:23am CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is in the process of taking a closer look at each NBA team’s current roster situation, evaluating which clubs still have some moves to make and which ones seem most prepared for training camp to begin.

This series is meant to provide a snapshot of each team’s roster at this time, so these articles won’t be updated in the coming weeks as more signings, trades, and/or cuts are made. You can follow our roster counts page to keep tabs on teams’ open spots as opening night nears.

We’re continuing our pre-camp Roster Snapshot series today with the Pacific Division. Let’s dive in…

Golden State Warriors

The Warriors are hard-capped at the first tax apron and are currently less than $1MM away from that threshold, so carrying a full 15-man standard roster won’t be an option to start the season. That doesn’t mean roster changes aren’t possible, since either Santos or Waters could be replaced with a minimum-salary player. However, recent reporting suggested that Golden State will probably stick with those two for opening night, despite recently working out several veteran free agents.

The Warriors have been in the process of shuffling Exhibit 10 players on and off the roster, having waived Donta Scott, Yuri Collins, and Javan Johnson within the last few days. That process figures to continue.

One key outstanding question in Golden State is which two-way player will be cut to make room for Post — the No. 52 overall pick is expected to receive a two-way contract of his own, but either Beekman, Plowden, or Spencer will have to be waived to open up a spot.

Two-way players who are holdovers from the prior season are generally more in danger of losing their roster spots than newly signed players, which is why I’d long viewed Spencer as the Warriors’ most likely release candidate. However, the fact that the College Park Skyhawks recently surrendered a G League draft pick in a trade for Plowden’s returning rights is a signal that he could be the odd man out. Complicating matters further? Beekman was easily the trio’s least effective performer in Summer League play. I wouldn’t necessarily assume that any one of these three players is entirely safe.

Los Angeles Clippers

With 15 players on standard guaranteed contracts, the Clippers‘ standard roster looks pretty set for opening night. They’d probably like to find a taker for Tucker’s expiring contract, but I wouldn’t count on that happening before the season begins.

There’s still work to be done with the Clippers’ two-way contracts though. Even if Flowers and Miller keep their spots, the club will almost certainly add a third player to that group prior to the start of the regular season. Of the camp invitees on Exhibit 10 contracts, Jones – the 19th overall pick in 2021 – looks like the most intriguing option for that final two-way slot.

Meanwhile, the reporting on Williams’ alleged agreement with the Clippers was somewhat vague and has yet to be corroborated, so it’s unclear if and when that signing will be finalized and what kind of contract he’ll get. It’s possible Williams could be among the players in the mix for the final two-way spot.

Los Angeles Lakers

Like the Clippers, the Lakers have one or more potential salary-dump candidates among their 15 guaranteed players on guaranteed contracts, but those trade opportunities are more likely to materialize during the regular season than during the preseason. I’d expect the 15 players on standard contracts listed above to be the ones on the Lakers’ opening night roster.

The Lakers have shown already this offseason that they don’t mind shaking up their two-way spots — they signed Blake Hinson to a two-year, two-way contract in July, only to waive him a couple months later in favor of Koloko. It’s possible the team will make another change to that group (Goodwin, notably, is eligible to converted). Otherwise, we should just expect minor Exhibit 10 signings and cuts in the coming weeks.

Phoenix Suns

This is the first time in a few years that the Suns have had a G League team of their own, so we’ll see just how many affiliate and returning-rights players they sign to Exhibit 10 contracts prior to the season. If they complete their reported deals with Buie, Diakite, and Samuel, they’ll be at the 21-man roster limit, but more transactions are certainly a possibility.

The Suns, who had been carrying 16 players on guaranteed contracts, opened up a spot on their projected 15-man regular season roster by waiving both Nassir Little and E.J. Liddell last month. Given that they stretched both players’ salaries in an effort to reduce their projected tax bill, I imagine they aren’t all that eager to fill that 15th spot with a new addition right away — that may not happen until later in the season.

Sacramento Kings

The Kings are in a similar spot to the Warriors. With just 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, plus two more without full guarantees, Sacramento theoretically has some room to make changes at the back of its roster. But adding a 15th man would push the team’s salary into luxury tax territory. Plus, Keon Ellis should have a rotation role and Robinson has a $500K partial guarantee, so neither looks like a great candidate to be cut before opening night.

While Sacramento could carry a 15th man into the season and worry down the road about ducking out of the tax, I don’t expect that to be the plan unless the club is hit hard by injuries in the preseason. For what it’s worth, the Kings are already dealing with one injury — Carter is expected to be sidelined until at least January as he recovers from shoulder surgery.

Even if they were to finalize the Labissiere and Taylor signings today, the Kings would still have an open spot on their 21-man preseason roster, so more Exhibit 10 signings (and cuts) are likely coming. We’ll see if any of those players, including Boogie Ellis, get a shot to unseat Crawford or the Joneses for a two-way spot or whether Sacramento is content to carry its current two-way players into the season.

Previously:

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RaiQuan Gray Signs With AEK Athens

September 23rd, 2024 at 7:58am CST by Luke Adams

After spending his first three professional seasons in the NBA and G League, free agent power forward RaiQuan Gray will continue his career overseas. He has signed with AEK Athens for the 2024/25 season, the Greek team announced in a press release.

Selected by Brooklyn with the 59th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Gray was stashed in the G League for his rookie year, then spent nearly his entire second season with the Long Island Nets too before being promoted to a two-way deal at the very end of the 2022/23 campaign.

In ’23/24, Gray played for the Austin Spurs in the NBAGL until early March, when he signed a two-year, two-way contract with San Antonio. In 43 total Showcase Cup and regular season G League games for Austin last season, the former Florida State standout averaged 15.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.0 steals in 27.7 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .564/.316/.761.

Gray, 25, played in just three games for San Antonio this past spring after making his NBA debut with Brooklyn in April 2023, so he has four total NBA appearances under his belt.

Although Gray’s two-way deal with the Spurs covered the 2024/25 season too, he found himself back on the free agent market after being included in the three-team DeMar DeRozan trade — he was sent from San Antonio to the Bulls, who subsequently waived him.

Gray is joining an AEK club that posted an underwhelming 9-13 record in Greek League action last season and will be looking to bounce back in 2024/25.

If Gray ends up eventually returning stateside and signing another G League contract, the Pistons’ affiliate – the Motor City Cruise – will control his returning rights, having acquired them this summer in a trade with Austin.

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Western Notes: Gordon, Rockets Roster, Divac, Doncic, Kennard

September 22nd, 2024 at 9:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Aaron Gordon becomes eligible for a four-year contract extension later this week and that will be one of the big storylines at the Nuggets’ training camp, Bennett Durando of the Denver Post writes. Gordon has a player option for the 2025/26 season but could replace that with the first year of a new deal as part of an extension agreement.

Jamal Murray‘s health and the way Russell Westbrook fits into the Nuggets’ rotation are among the other storylines to watch in Denver, according to Durando.

We have more from the Western Conference:

  • With the Rockets buying out and waiving forward AJ Griffin, they have an open spot on the official roster. How will it be filled? It could turn into a competition among players on two-ways and training camp deals, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Jeenathan Williams, Nate Hinton, N’Faly Dante, Jermaine Samuels and Jack McVeigh comprise that group. Houston could also opt to leave that spot open or sign a free agent.
  • Former Kings general manager Vlade Divac made one of the biggest draft blunders in recent years when he passed on Luka Doncic in favor of Marvin Bagley in 2018. Divac admits he made a mistake but explained that he already had a talented floor leader in De’Aaron Fox.  “I could’ve taken Luka, but then I would’ve had to trade Fox,” he said in an interview with Index, a Croatian outlet (hat tip to Grant Afseth of the Dallas Sports Journal).
  • Grizzlies players have been competing in 5-on-5 scrimmages for over a month and Luke Kennard is impressed by the team’s competitiveness and attention to detail. “Something I haven’t really seen before,” Kennard told Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “We’re really pushing each other and competing really hard. I think that’s going to go a long way. We start that right now. We’re getting a few steps ahead until the season starts.”
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Community Shootaround: Rule Changes

September 22nd, 2024 at 8:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Some rule changes in major sports transform the game in a good way. The pitch clock has done precisely what Major League Baseball hoped. It dramatically improved the pace of play and shaved nearly half an hour off the length of games.

Others, like the new NFL kickoff rule, have flopped. The league was hoping the new format would increase the amount of kick returns. Instead, teams would rather let the opponent start at its own 30-yard-line than risk a long return.

The NBA rules haven’t really changed much in recent years, save for a few tweaks here and there. However, the game itself has been impacted dramatically by analytics. Mid-range shots and post-ups have been deemphasized in favor of three-point attempts and driving to the basket for layups and dunks, or least setting up high-percentage shots.

The proliferation of three-point tries has been arguably the biggest change in the game in recent decades. Last season, for example, the champion Celtics attempted a whopping 42.5 3s per game. In contrast, their 2008 championship club averaged 19.1 three-point tries per game.

Coaches around the league rarely say their teams are shooting too many threes; usually they’re hoping to find ways to increase three-point attempts.

Is it time for the league to make the three-pointer less important? The NBA isn’t going to erase the three-point line but it could limit the amount a team takes. Or it could make all baskets two-pointers until a certain time structure, say the last three minutes of each quarter.

That would lead to more strategic moves by the league’s coaches. If there were a limit on threes, coaches might instruct their players to “save” some of the allotment for later in the game.

If three-pointers only counted for a certain time period, coaches would be certain to make sure their best perimeter shooters were on the floor when beyond-the-arc shots count for three points. Mid-range shooting and post-ups would have more of a place in game strategy when all baskets count for two points.

That brings up to today’s topic: Would you like to see the NBA take steps to limit three-point shooting or do you prefer the status quo? If there were limitations, what type of rule or rules would you like to see the league adopt?

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

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G League Notes: Swirsky, Gueye, Dotson, Johnson, Smith

September 22nd, 2024 at 7:12pm CST by Dana Gauruder

T.C. Swirsky has been named head coach of the Memphis Hustle, the NBA G League affiliate of the Grizzlies, the Hustle announced (via Twitter). Swirsky was an assistant with the team last season.

Danielle Boiago, Nick Covington, Jack Hostetler and Rob Sanicola have been named assistant coaches, while former Hustle head coach Jason March has been promoted to Taylor Jenkins‘ Grizzlies staff.

We have more G League news:

  • The Raptors 905 have traded the rights to Mouhamadou Gueye to the Capital City Go-Go, the Wizards’ affiliate, for the rights to Devon Dotson and a first-round pick in the 2025 G League draft, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet tweets. Gueye appeared in 11 Raptors games last season. He was waived by Toronto in June. Dotson didn’t appear at all in the NBA last season but saw action in six Wizards games in 2022/23.
  • The Valley Suns have received the returning player rights to guard Kaleb Johnson from the Austin Spurs in exchange for the returning player rights to Justin Smith, according to Phoenix’s affiliate (Twitter link). Johnson appeared in 24 regular-season games with the Austin Spurs last season.
  • The Hawks’ G League affiliate has a new head coach. Get the details here.
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Warriors Waive Donta Scott

September 22nd, 2024 at 5:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors have waived forward Donta Scott, according to NBA.com’s official transaction log.

Scott was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract last week. He was officially cut on Saturday.

Scott wrapped up a five-year college career at Maryland this past spring. As a super-senior in 2023/24, he averaged 11.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 1.1 APG in 33 games (30.2 MPG), with a shooting line of .407/.335/.812. He went undrafted in June, then played for the Warriors in the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer Leagues.

Under the terms of Scott’s Exhibit 10 deal, he’ll make $25K (on top of his standard G League salary) if he spends at least 60 days with Golden State’s affiliate in Santa Cruz after clearing waivers.

By waiving Scott, the Warriors now have three openings on their training camp roster.

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Nets Waive Patrick Gardner

September 22nd, 2024 at 3:35pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Center Patrick Gardner has been waived by the Nets, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link). Brooklyn had initially signed the 25-year-old to an Exhibit 10 contract earlier this week.

Last year, the 6’11” big man inked the same training camp deal and was quickly waived after going undrafted out of Marist. He spent the 2023/24 season with Brooklyn’s G League affiliate club, the Long Island Nets. Across 28 Showcase Cup and regular season bouts, Gardner averaged 7.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game on .500/.364/.731 shooting splits.

It seems quite likely he is bound for the same fate with Long Island again this season as a returning rights player, Lewis notes. Should he report back to the G League and spend at least 60 days with the Nets’ NBAGL affiliate, Gardner will earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K.

Gardner recently played for Basketball Africa League champions Petro de Luanda of Angola at the FIBA Intercontinental Cup in Singapore. He appeared in three games for the team, averaging 11.7 PPG and 5.7 RPG on .444/.333/.727 shooting.

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Southeast Notes: Bogdanovic, Nance, Sarr, Suggs

September 22nd, 2024 at 2:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

Recent photos of Bogdan Bogdanovic in Partizan Belgrade training gear sparked rumors that he might have an interest in returning to the Serbian team, but the Hawks guard told Mozzart Sport that he’s happy in the NBA, BasketNews relays. Partizan was Bogdanovic’s first team when he entered professional basketball in 2010. He played four seasons there before moving on to Fenerbahce and eventually the NBA in 2017.

“I just wanted to send support to the team where I started my professional career,” Bogdanovic explained. “We all know how much I love Partizan, I practiced in their hall, they gave me conditions for practicing, that’s how I wanted so send a message that I’m thankful for that. I know people want me back in Partizan, but my focus is now on NBA, I won’t lie. I want to impress there in best way possible. And when it is time to come back, I’m sure emotions will make the judgement.”

Bogdanovic’s contract has two seasons remaining, plus a team option for 2026/27, so it should be a while before he plays again in Europe. His current focus is helping Atlanta remain competitive in the Eastern Conference, and he’s hoping to reach a standard that he’s yet to accomplish in the NBA.

“I made myself a goal to play 82 games, I never did that and it’s very tough,” Bogdanovic said. “Last season I missed two, once I was sick, once injured, I think I can accomplish that now.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

  • Veteran big man Larry Nance Jr. is eager to play for coach Quin Snyder after being traded to the Hawks this summer, writes Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Nance is already getting involved in the community and was among several Atlanta players who volunteered at Saturday’s Million Meal Pack at State Farm Arena. “Quin is a basketball mastermind,” Nance said. “I was a huge fan of his when he was at Utah, and obviously, these past few years in Atlanta. Now I’m excited to play for him, and we’re gonna get along really well. Yeah, I consider myself a high-IQ basketball player, and he’s very high IQ. Yeah, so. But the roster is exciting. Obviously, it’s a young roster and a team that’s looking to make some noise here going forward.”
  • Appearing on a Monumental Sports Network podcast, Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said fans should be excited about what Alex Sarr might be able to accomplish in his rookie season. “I wouldn’t put limitations on it, to be honest with you,” Dawkins said of the No. 2 overall pick. “I think he’s someone that by the end of the season you’ll be like ‘okay, that was different.’ He’ll have his moments throughout the beginning of the year, both negative and positive. But the stuff he can do on the floor long-term, I think you guys will be pretty excited about.”
  • Jalen Suggs is coming off his best NBA season, but the Magic will need him to improve his point guard skills as he takes over the offense, per Mike Shearer of Basketball Poetry.
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