Philadelphia 76ers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Brunson, Knicks, Olynyk, Agbaji, Brown, Sixers

February 11th, 2024 at 9:31am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks appear to have avoided an injury scare with Jalen Brunson, as the All-Star point guard returned to the lineup on Saturday following a one-game absence due to an ankle sprain. Brunson showed no ill effects from the injury, scoring 39 points on 14-of-25 shooting, per Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post.

Despite Brunson’s return and the debuts of newly acquired role players Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks, the Knicks remained shorthanded due to injuries and lost on Saturday to Indiana, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. The team is especially banged up in the frontcourt, where Precious Achiuwa was forced to play 43 minutes vs. the Pacers. With Mitchell Robinson, Julius Randle, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Jericho Sims all inactive, Taj Gibson logged 19 minutes on the first day of his second 10-day contract with New York.

“I thought for the first game (with the new additions), there were some obviously good things and obviously there’s a lot for them to adjust to. As a team, I think we have to do a lot better,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We’re shorthanded. We’re going to have to play a lot harder and a lot tougher.”

While their first game with the Knicks didn’t go as planned, both Bogdanovic and Burks expressed excitement about the opportunity to join a playoff team after spending the first half of the season with the league-worst Pistons. According to Botte, Burks – a former Knick – didn’t want to leave New York in the first place and said repeatedly that he’s “glad to be back.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

As Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca details, new Raptors Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji both have connections to the franchise — Olynyk grew up in Toronto rooting for the Raptors, while Agbaji’s father is old friends with team president Masai Ujiri. The two former Jazz players expressed excitement about their new circumstances, with Agbaji suggesting it feels like a “fresh new start” and Olynyk noting that he and the Raptors have had mutual interest in the past. “It’s always been on our radar, both of our radars,” the big man said. “I think maybe it’s been close [before], but it’s hard for me to know [for sure]… But [now that] it did happen, it’s pretty awesome.”
Raptors wing Bruce Brown was considered one of the top trade candidates on the market leading up to the deadline, but he ended up staying put. He’s happy with that outcome, as Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca tweets. “It feels great, it feels great,” said Brown, whose contract includes a $23MM team option for 2024/25. “Obviously it’s nice to have some stability. … I”m glad to be here for the rest of the season and then try and work things out.”
Although the Raptors were enthusiastic about the moves they made on the trade market, they’ve completed a full-fledged overhaul of their roster in the past six weeks or so, and their lack of continuity showed in Saturday’s blowout loss to Cleveland, Grange writes at Sportsnet.ca. “Obviously, it’s really tough,” Olynyk said. “You don’t know really what’s going on on both ends of the floor. I think that was probably pretty evident in the first half.”
Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer takes a look at a “whirlwind” couple days for Sixers trade deadline additions Buddy Hield and Cameron Payne, who played significant minutes as starters for an injury-depleted Philadelphia team on Friday, then helped lead their new club to a victory in Washington on Saturday.

Celtics Notes: Tillman, Porzingis, Springer, Buyout Market

February 10th, 2024 at 11:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

When they were teammates with the Grizzlies, Xavier Tillman used to ask Marcus Smart about the experience of playing in Boston, never expecting to get the opportunity to do so himself before the end of the season, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Seeking help in the frontcourt, the Celtics acquired Tillman from Memphis on Wednesday in exchange for Lamar Stevens and a pair of second-round picks. He’s looking forward to experiencing first-hand everything Smart said about Boston fans.

“The main thing he told me is it’s very similar to Memphis in terms of the grit and the grind and how hard you have to work for the fans and appreciation and stuff like that,” Tillman said. “And once you do show that you’re willing to hustle, they’re going love you. I love it.”

The Celtics had their eye on Tillman for several years and considered selecting him in the 2020 draft, Himmelsbach adds. Memphis took him with the 35th overall pick, and he has built a reputation as a hard worker and versatile defender during his four NBA seasons.

“It’s crazy, to be honest with you,” Tillman said. “I’ve always watched the Celtics in terms of just the winning history of it, back with [Kevin Garnett] and all that stuff and seeing these guys repeatedly go to the Eastern Conference finals all the time, I’m always locked in on that. So for me to get the opportunity to be part of a winning organization, it’s pretty awesome.”

There’s more from Boston:

Kristaps Porzingis wasn’t upset about being passed over as an injury replacement for the All-Star Game, Himmelsbach adds. Trae Young and Scottie Barnes were selected this week to take the place of Joel Embiid and Julius Randle. “Of course there’s some prestige in that and maybe five years ago that was something that was always on my mind, but it doesn’t change anything,” Porzingis said. “To be honest there’s a big part of me that’s kind of happy I can go to Miami or somewhere where there’s sun, get some tan, lift some weights, prepare my body for the rest of the season and then postseason.”
President of basketball operations Brad Stevens had been hoping to acquire Jaden Springer from the Sixers since watching him when their teams met in the preseason, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Stevens got his chance when Philadelphia opted to unload the 21-year-old guard to create more financial flexibility and add an extra second-round pick. Weiss notes that Stevens also faced an urgency to add talent before the deadline because of the limitations that will be placed on teams above the tax apron starting this summer.
A Celtics reunion with Danilo Gallinari appears unlikely, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. The Pistons waived Gallinari on Friday, but Robb believes his mobility is still affected by last year’s ACL tear, causing teams to target him on defense. Robb views Otto Porter as a more desirable option if he reaches a buyout with the Jazz, but he cautions that Boston would face competition from several teams.

Sixers Notes: Buyout Market, Hield, Embiid, Springer

February 10th, 2024 at 9:58am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Sixers acquired Buddy Hield from the Pacers on Thursday, which helps them with shooting and scoring, but Philadelphia needs to focus on getting back some toughness and defense on the buyout market, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Some of that toughness was lost when the team traded Patrick Beverley to the Bucks, according to Pompey, but the Sixers made that move with the confidence they’d be able to land guard depth via free agency.

All signs point to Hornets point guard Kyle Lowry landing in Philadelphia. Lowry, who is expected to be bought out after the Heat traded him in exchange for Terry Rozier earlier in the season, previously played for Nick Nurse on Toronto’s 2019 title team and is a Philadelphia native. While the Lakers are another potential destination, the Sixers feel good about bringing him in, according to Pompey.

Philadelphia has three open roster spots after the deadline and adding another center to the mix should be another priority, Pompey writes. With Joel Embiid out due to a long-term injury, Paul Reed and Mohamed Bamba are holding down the fort at the center position. Not many pure centers are on the buyout market yet, but Robin Lopez and Danilo Gallinari are among big men who were recently bought out. Bismack Biyombo is another option on the free agency market.

We have more notes on the Sixers:

The Sixers are enthusiastic about the acquisition of Hield, whom general manager Daryl Morey believes is the best player among those traded on Thursday, according to Pompey. “I felt like he gave us exactly what we were looking for, which is that he’s one of the best three-point shooters in NBA history,” Morey said. “We really like what he adds to the team and we feel like our healthy group, our playoff rotation, with Buddy Hield is right there with everyone in the entire league.” Morey also pointed out that not many bigs were traded, and the reason the Sixers didn’t address that position via trade was due to a lack of options.
Morey is hopeful Embiid will be back this season after suffering a meniscus injury that is expected to keep him out of action for one or two months, according to PHLY Sports’ Derek Bodner (Twitter link). “We’re hopeful,” Morey said. “Feedback has been more good than bad…so we’re hopeful, and we’re building the team to make it better this year. We’re hopeful he can get back to that [MVP level]. We feel we got a real shot.“
Philadelphia surprised some by trading away 21-year-old guard Jaden Springer, who seemed to just be coming into his own, for a second-round pick. Morey explained the decision by saying the Sixers felt Springer may not be ready to contribute in the playoffs by the end of his rookie contract, while the second-round pick they got for him could potentially be used to trade for a veteran next season, according to Bodner (Twitter link). “We want things that can help us out on the court now with Joel,” Morey said (Twitter link via PHLY Sports’ Kyle Neubeck). “... For me, the Jaden thing was successful.“

Pacers Waive Furkan Korkmaz

February 9th, 2024 at 3:32pm CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 9: The Pacers have officially waived Korkmaz, the team confirmed today in a press release.

FEBRUARY 8: The Pacers will waive shooting guard Furkan Korkmaz after they officially acquire him from the Sixers, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Indiana agreed to trade Buddy Hield to Philadelphia in exchange for Marcus Morris, Korkmaz, and three second-round picks. Given that the Pacers immediately made a deal to flip Morris to San Antonio and will cut Korkmaz, it’s clear those draft picks were the assets they were after, with the two former 76ers just viewed as salary-matching pieces.

Korkmaz has been with the Sixers since 2017 and played a regular rotation role for several seasons from 2019-22. However, his minutes have significantly declined in the past two seasons. In 2023/24, he has averaged 2.5 points per game on .395/.350/.700 shooting in 35 appearances off the bench (8.6 MPG).

Korkmaz is on an expiring $5,370,370 contract, so Indiana will be on the hook for that cap hit once he clears waivers.

The 26-year-old will be eligible to sign as a free agent with any NBA team except the Sixers, though he likely wouldn’t have pursued a reunion with his former team anyway, given that he has sought a trade out of Philadelphia multiple times in recent years.

And-Ones: Embiid, NBA Cup, Taxpayers, Sochan, Rising Stars, More

February 9th, 2024 at 9:43am CST by Luke Adams

Team USA head coach Steve Kerr, who texted Sixers center Joel Embiid this week to say hello and wish him well in his recovery from knee surgery, remains hopeful that the reigning MVP will be able to play in this summer’s Olympics, writes Dan Gelston of The Associated Press.

“Our fingers are crossed he’ll be healthy this summer and able to play,” Kerr said. “He’s an amazing player and we’re really excited to have him be part of the program.”

While the Sixers are hopeful that Embiid will be able to return before the end of the season and compete in the playoffs, it wouldn’t be surprising if the big man decided to forgo the Olympics and take the summer to rest and recuperate, given the nature of his injury. There’s still plenty of time to figure out his plan though, since the Paris games are still over five months away.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

The NBA’s in-season tournament will have a new name going forward, according to the league, which announced on Thursday in a press release that the event will be known as the NBA Cup and will be sponsored by the airline Emirates. NBA referees will also begin wearing Emirates patches on their uniforms later this month, per the announcement.
Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link) breaks down what the luxury tax figures for 2023/24 look like after the trade deadline, noting that nine of the 10 teams projected to be taxpayers a month ago either shed salary or stood pat. The Sixers and Pelicans ducked out of the tax, while the Suns were the only one of those 10 teams to increase their payroll. The 22 non-taxpayers currently project to receive $11.5MM apiece this offseason, Marks adds.
Spurs sophomore Jeremy Sochan has replaced injured Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe in next weekend’s Rising Stars game, the NBA announced in a press release. The league also shared (via Twitter) the results of the Rising Stars draft, with coaches Jalen Rose, Pau Gasol, and Tamika Catchings building seven-man rosters from a 21-player pool.
Nuggets center DeAndre Jordan would be open to the possibility of playing in Europe later in his career, he said during an interview with Toni Canyameras from Mundo Deportivo (hat tip to BasketNews). Jordan specifically named Barcelona as a team that would pique his interest, since he loves Spain.
John Hollinger of The Athletic shares some observations on the trade deadline, noting that many of the would-be buyers didn’t have the assets necessary to take a big swing this week.

Fischer’s Latest: Hield, Sixers, George, Pacers, Trae, Murray, More

February 9th, 2024 at 7:08am CST by Luke Adams

Buddy Hield rejected a “significant” extension offer from Indiana in the fall, and with a lucrative new deal for Pascal Siakam to account for, the Pacers’ ability to retain Hield as a free agent this offseason was in doubt, which is why they sent him to the Sixers on Thursday, writes Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Philadelphia, which doesn’t currently have any guaranteed money on its books beyond 2023/24 besides Joel Embiid‘s contract, is much better positioned to retain Hield, though the 76ers will likely consider many options with their projected cap room.

Echoing Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (Twitter video link), Fischer says star forward Paul George figures to be a top target for the Sixers if he doesn’t sign an extension with the Clippers in the coming weeks or months. Nuggets wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who holds a player option for 2024/25, has also been mentioned as a possible Philadelphia target, per Fischer.

The Sixers wouldn’t be the only team in play for George if he reaches free agency, according to Fischer, who suggests there have been whispers that the veteran is intrigued by the possibility of returning to Indiana and teaming up with Tyrese Haliburton. Such a move would be tricky – but certainly not impossible – from a cap perspective.

Philadelphia’s offseason outlook will hinge in part on what the team’s plans are for Tobias Harris. According to Fischer, the Sixers weren’t willing to include him in a deadline deal that would have sent him to Detroit, with Pistons wings Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks going to Philly. The Pistons may be in the mix for Harris in free agency this summer, Fischer notes, adding that Hornets forward Miles Bridges is another player expected to be on Detroit’s radar.

Here are a few more post-deadline items of interest from Fischer:

Multiple front offices came away from their conversations with the Hawks believing that Atlanta could make star guard Trae Young available this summer, says Fischer. However, he cautions that could “prove to be wishful thinking,” since the information is coming from rival teams rather than from the Hawks themselves. If Young were to hit the trade market, the Lakers and Spurs are among the clubs widely viewed as potential fits, Fischer adds.
League personnel anticipate that the Lakers will resume conversations with the Hawks about Dejounte Murray in the offseason, according to Fischer, who notes that the Pelicans could revisit their Murray talks at that point too. Atlanta is known to value multiple players on New Orleans’ roster, league sources Fischer, though one of those players – Naji Marshall – will be an unrestricted free agent this July.
Although there were several teams open to the idea of acquiring D’Angelo Russell, many front offices viewed his $18.7MM player option for 2024/25 as having negative value, Fischer reports. That thinking, along with Russell’s strong recent play, factored into the Lakers‘ decision to hang onto him through the deadline.
In addition to the recently released players who will hit the free agent market shortly, center Bismack Biyombo, forward Rudy Gay, and swingman Danny Green are among the veterans who were waived earlier in 2023/24 and continue to seek new NBA homes, Fischer writes, singling out Biyombo as a player expected to generate interest.

Sixers Trade Jaden Springer To Celtics

February 8th, 2024 at 9:38pm CST by Rory Maher

9:38pm: The deal is official, according to announcements from the Sixers and Celtics.

2:00pm: The Sixers and Celtics have agreed to a trade that will send third-year guard Jaden Springer to Boston in exchange for a second-round pick, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

The 2024 second-rounder the 76ers are receiving will either be Chicago’s or New Orleans’, whichever is more favorable, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

Boston will acquire Springer using its $6.2MM traded player exception, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Moving Springer means Joel Embiid will be the only player on Philadelphia’s roster with a guaranteed contract for 2024/25, Marks adds.

The 28th pick of the 2021 draft, Springer only appeared in 18 regular season games for 95 total minutes over his first two NBA seasons. Still just 21 years old, the former Tennessee Volunteer has played 32 games this season, averaging 4.0 points in 11.8 minutes per contest.

At 6’4″ and 204 pounds, Springer has a sturdy build for a guard, and he put up strong defensive stats in the NBA G League from 2021-23. He hasn’t provided much on offense at the NBA level, however, with a career shooting line of .416/.238/.810.

Springer makes $2.2MM this season and will earn a guaranteed $4MM next season after the Sixers picked up their option on the final year of his rookie scale contract. While it’s hard to envision him playing much for Boston this season, he didn’t cost much to acquire, and the team clearly likes him as a prospect. His contract could be also useful for salary-matching purposes in 2024/25.

Bucks Acquire Beverley From Sixers For Payne, Second-Rounder

February 8th, 2024 at 8:38pm CST by Rory Maher

8:38pm: The Bucks and Sixers have each put out a press release officially confirming the deal.

12:43pm: The Bucks are acquiring Patrick Beverley from the Sixers, he announced (via Twitter). Philadelphia will receive Cameron Payne and Milwaukee’s 2027 second-round pick, according to reports from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and Shams Charania of The Athletic (All Twitter links).

Both players are on expiring minimum-salary contracts, so neither the Bucks nor the 76ers will have financial commitments to the veteran guards beyond this season.

The Bucks have reportedly been scouring the trade market in search of help on the defensive end. The team is currently 33-18, but Milwaukee ranks just 18th in the league in defense.

Beverley, 35, is a three-time All-Defensive team member, and while he’s no longer in his prime, he still ranks as a positive contributor on that end. It’s worth noting that Beverley previously played under new Bucks head coach Doc Rivers while they were employed by the Clippers.

As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets, sending out a defensive-minded veteran like Beverley might mean Philadelphia is confident about signing Kyle Lowry via buyout. Lowry is currently on the Hornets after being traded by the Heat.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported (via Twitter) on Thursday afternoon that Milwaukee was looking at Jazz guard Kris Dunn and Pelicans wing Naji Marshall to improve its defense. Perhaps the asking price for Dunn was too steep, and the Bucks decided to pivot to Beverley.

Payne, 29, is a former lottery pick who didn’t find much success over his first four seasons, but he resurrected his NBA career after a solid multiyear stint with Phoenix. Payne was traded to San Antonio in the offseason, waived, and then signed a one-year deal with Milwaukee. He has averaged 6.2 points and 2.3 assists while shooting 39.7% from three-point range in 47 games this season (14.9 minutes).

Sixers, Pacers, Spurs Complete Hield, McDermott Deals As Three-Team Trade

February 8th, 2024 at 6:40pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers, Sixers, and Spurs have folded a pair of separate trade agreements into a single transaction, announcing in a series of press releases that the deals sending Buddy Hield to Philadelphia and Doug McDermott to Indiana have been officially completed as a three-team trade.

The Pacers initially agreed to acquire Marcus Morris, Furkan Korkmaz, three second-round picks, and cash from Philadelphia in exchange for Hield, then reached a deal to flip Morris, one of those second-rounders to San Antonio, and cash for McDermott. Those three pieces will go directly to the Spurs instead.

Here are the full details:

Sixers acquire Hield.
Pacers acquire McDermott, Korkmaz, the Raptors’ 2024 second-round pick (from Sixers), the Trail Blazers’ 2029 second-round pick (from Sixers), and cash (from Sixers).
Spurs acquire Morris, the Clippers’ 2029 second-round pick (from Sixers), and cash (from Sixers).

The 2024 second-round pick going from Philadelphia to Indiana technically includes “most favorable” language and could come from a different team, but there’s essentially no chance it won’t be Toronto’s second-rounder, given their place in the standings.

Folding the two trades into one deal doesn’t materially change much, but it will introduce one notable new wrinkle. If Morris had been traded to Indiana, then sent to San Antonio in a separate deal, he would’ve been eligible to re-sign with the Sixers in the event the Spurs buy him out. However, due to the structure of the deal, he now won’t be permitted to sign with Philadelphia if he’s waived by San Antonio.

A player is prohibited from rejoining a team that traded him if his new team waives him, but if he’s traded twice before being cut, he’s only ineligible to join the club that traded him most recently.

Korkmaz, who is being waived by the Pacers, will also be prohibited from re-signing with the Sixers, though as we noted in a separate story, that was never a likely outcome.

For more details on the Hield and McDermott deals, check out our full stories on the trade agreements.

Buyout Rumors: Tucker, Lowry, Dinwiddie, Harris

February 8th, 2024 at 5:40pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Clippers forward P.J. Tucker is not requesting a buyout and is expected to remain with the team through the remainder of the season, according to TNT and Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes (Twitter link). This comes after trade attempts involving Tucker fell short, Haynes adds. This was the expected outcome if Tucker wasn’t moved at the deadline.

It’s no secret Tucker wasn’t thrilled with his role after landing with the Clippers in the James Harden trade at the beginning of the season. After starting in all 78 of his appearances with the Sixers after signing there in 2022, Tucker has only played in just 12 games with Los Angeles. averaging 14.4 minutes per game.

“I want to be somewhere where I’m needed, wanted and can do it all. I don’t know what’s going to happen but I have my fingers crossed and I’m hoping to go somewhere else whether I get bought out and choose where I go or where I can play,” Tucker said before the deadline to Andscape’s Marc J. Spears (Twitter link).

Tucker was once seen as a “strong” candidate to be moved before the deadline, but the fact that he has an $11.5MM player option for next season appears to have been an issue for opposing teams. The most likely step forward for both sides is Tucker accepting his player option in the offseason and then the two sides working together to find a deal that suits him when teams have a clearer idea of their 2024/25 plans.

For what it’s worth, Tucker seemingly expressed frustration at the situation in an Instagram story following the deadline, with the story reading “All this s— is a f—ing joke” (Instagram link).

We have more rumors regarding the buyout market:

Hornets point guard Kyle Lowry is the Sixers‘ top priority on the market if he and Charlotte come to terms on a buyout agreement, according to NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link). The Sixers have been making moves all day to clear salary (Danuel House) and playing time (Jaden Springer, Patrick Beverley) in the guard room, so Lowry is a sensible addition.
The Lakers, Mavericks, Pelicans and Sixers are expected to have interest in Spencer Dinwiddie after he was waived by the Raptors earlier Thursday, The Athletic’s Shams Charania said on Stadium’s live trade deadline show (hat tip to RealGM). Dinwiddie is ineligible to sign with the Celtics, Nuggets, Warriors, Clippers, Heat, Bucks and Suns, whose team salaries are above the tax apron, so that list of four interested teams includes some of the top playoff contenders available for Dinwiddie to sign with. He averaged 12.6 points and 6.0 assists in 48 games (all starts) with the Nets this season.
The Lakers are indeed among the frontrunners to sign Dinwiddie, confirms ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link). Los Angeles is a good position to land the 6’5″ guard, because the Lakers are able to offer around $1.5MM prorated because they didn’t give Gabe Vincent the full mid-level exception in the offseason, McMenamin adds (Twitter link). Other teams are only able to offer around $1MM.
The Bulls stood pat at the trade deadline and are likely to make moves to supplement a potential playoff push, according to NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson. Former Pistons sharpshooter Joe Harris could be a target for Chicago on the buyout market after he was waived by Detroit. Johnson adds the Bulls tried to acquire Bojan Bogdanovic from Detroit.

Sixers Rumors