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Hall Of Famer George McGinnis Passes Away

December 14th, 2023 at 8:01am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA and ABA star George McGinnis has died at age 73, the Pacers announced today in a press release. McGinnis passed away early on Thursday morning due to complications from a cardiac arrest he suffered last week.

An Indianapolis native, McGinnis played his college ball with the Hoosiers, then joined the Pacers in 1971. He helped the franchise claim a pair of ABA championships in 1972 and 1973, earning three ABA All-Star nods from 1973-75 and co-MVP honors (with Julius Erving) in ’75, when he lead the league in scoring.

McGinnis later made the move to the NBA and teamed up with Erving in Philadelphia, playing for the Sixers from 1975-78. He made two All-Star teams as a 76er and one more with the Nuggets in 1979 before rejoining the Pacers from 1980-82 to finish his playing career.

In 842 career NBA and ABA games, McGinnis scored 17,009 points and grabbed 9,233 rebounds, good for a double-double average (20.2 PPG, 11.0 RPG). He was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame as a player in 2017.

As the Pacers’ press release notes, McGinnis is one of four players in franchise history to have his number (No. 30) retired. Reggie Miller (31), Mel Daniels (34), and Roger Brown (35) are the others.

Our condolences go out to McGinnis’ friends and family.

Warriors, Knicks, Lakers Top Latest NBA Franchise Valuations

December 13th, 2023 at 2:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors remain the NBA’s most valuable team, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico (subscription required), who unveiled the website’s updated NBA franchise valuations for 2023 on Wednesday.

Badenhausen projects the Warriors’ value at $8.28 billion, making them one of three teams to surpass the $7 billion mark this year. The Knicks have a projected worth of $7.43 billion, while the Lakers come in at $7.34 billion, per Sportico.

As Badenhausen details, Sportico spoke to more than 30 team executives, owners, investors, bankers, consultants, and lawyers in compiling their latest NBA franchise valuations. According to Sportico, the average value of an NBA team is up 33% from a year ago and 70% from when the site first started publishing valuations three years ago.

A combination of factors are contributing to the soaring value of NBA franchises, says Baudenhausen. Those factors include national media deals, international opportunities, scarcity (ie. only 30 teams are available), and an equal 1/30th stake in the league.

In the past, we’ve used Forbes as our primary source for NBA franchise valuations, but with Badenhausen making the move from Forbes to Sportico in recent years and the outlet establishing itself as a go-to resource for sports business news, we’re highlighting Sportico’s projections in 2023.

Of course, it’s worth noting that figures from Sportico, Forbes, or any other media outlet are just estimates and often don’t quite match up with the sale prices for franchises that change hands. But thse projections are usually in the right ballpark and remain useful for getting a sense of the league’s most and least valuable teams.

Here’s Sportico’s full list of NBA franchise valuations for 2023:

Golden State Warriors: $8.28 billion
New York Knicks: $7.43 billion
Los Angeles Lakers: $7.34 billion
Boston Celtics: $5.12 billion
Chicago Bulls: $4.83 billion
Los Angeles Clippers: $4.56 billion
Miami Heat: $4.17 billion
Philadelphia 76ers: $4.13 billion
Toronto Raptors: $4.11 billion
Houston Rockets: $4.05 billion
Dallas Mavericks: $4.03 billion
Phoenix Suns: $4 billion
Brooklyn Nets: $3.98 billion
Sacramento Kings: $3.46 billion
Denver Nuggets: $3.4 billion
Atlanta Hawks: $3.35 billion
Washington Wizards: $3.33 billion
San Antonio Spurs: $3.29 billion
Portland Trail Blazers: $3.28 billion
Indiana Pacers: $3.27 billion
Utah Jazz: $3.24 billion
Cleveland Cavaliers: $3.22 billion
Milwaukee Bucks: $3.2 billion
Orlando Magic: $3.12 billion
Detroit Pistons: $3.1 billion
Oklahoma City Thunder: $3.08 billion
Charlotte Hornets: $3 billion
Minnesota Timberwolves: $2.94 billion
Memphis Grizzlies: $2.82 billion
New Orleans Pelicans: $2.72 billion

For the most part, the most significant valuation increases (by percentage) within the last year belonged to the teams on the bottom half of this list. Besides the Bucks, whose projection rose by 32%, every franchise in the bottom 10 received at least a 50% bump from Sportico’s 2022 valuations.

The Nuggets, who cracked the top half of this list following their 2023 championship, were another big riser — their valuation increased by 60% and they moved up six spots.

It’s worth noting that the Mavericks‘ reported valuation in Mark Cuban‘s sale to the Adelson and Dumont families reportedly came in around $3.5 billion, well below Sportico’s valuation.

However, more recent reporting has suggested the final valuation will be closer to $4 billion when the transaction closes. That was also a unique situation since Cuban is retaining control of basketball operations as part of the sale agreement, despite surrendering majority control of the business. He’ll hang onto about 25% of the franchise, according to Sportico.

Charania’s Latest: Siakam, Bulls, Tucker, Vincent, Morant, Grizzlies

December 11th, 2023 at 11:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Rival teams believe Pascal Siakam is the most likely player to be traded if the Raptors decide to break up their core, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Charania identifies the Hawks, Kings and Pacers as “expected suitors” for either Siakam or OG Anunoby. Atlanta had “intense conversations” with Toronto during the offseason about a potential Siakam deal, and Sacramento and Indiana have both reached out to the Raptors about his availability over the past year, according to Charania. However, he adds that the Kings are becoming more confident that they can develop into a contender with their current roster and may be less likely to pursue a major trade.

Both players are headed toward free agency next summer, with Siakam on a $37.9MM expiring contract and Anunoby holding a $19.9MM player option for 2024/25 that he’s virtually certain to decline. Toronto’s front office might be more aggressive about seeking a trade after losing free agent Fred VanVleet this offseason, but a rival executive tells Charania to expect “a game of chicken” from the Raptors all the way to the deadline.

Charania offers an inside look at several other teams:

The Bulls have won four straight games without Zach LaVine, but his injury setback is expected to slow down any progress toward a trade. Charania identifies the Lakers and Sixers as potential destinations, but adds that both teams are being patient while considering their options. Several teams have called about Alex Caruso, league sources tell Charania, but Chicago’s front office has no interest in moving him.
P.J. Tucker is unhappy with his current situation, and the Clippers are working with him to resolve it, either by giving him a larger role or moving him elsewhere, according to Charania. Tucker, who came to L.A. in the James Harden trade, hasn’t played since November 27 and is mainly serving as a mentor to the team’s younger players. Charania hears that multiple contenders are keeping an eye on Tucker’s potential availability.
The Lakers could have Gabe Vincent back on the court by next Monday, sources tell Charania. After signing as a free agent this summer, Vincent has been dealing with a left knee effusion that has limited him to four games.
Grizzlies guard Ja Morant “looks good” as he prepares to return from his suspension, according to Charania’s sources. Commissioner Adam Silver said over the weekend that Morant “has complied with everything he’s been asked to do.” He could be cleared to return as early as December 19 for a game at New Orleans.
The Grizzlies will have to remove someone from their roster when Morant is reinstated, and they would prefer to keep veteran center Bismack Biyombo, according to Charania. Memphis signed Biyombo to a one-year, $5MM contract after an injury sidelined Steven Adams for the season, and he has been a capable fill-in, averaging 6.1 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.25 blocks in 15 games. Sources tell Charania that Memphis has been active in trade talks around the league involving other players on its roster.

Sixers Notes: Embiid, Rotation, Record, Arena, Bazley

December 10th, 2023 at 8:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Joel Embiid twisted his knee on Friday when the Sixers defeated Atlanta, but it’s considered a minor issue. The reigning Most Valuable Player was essentially a full participant in Sunday’s practice, other than some early weight room work while the rest of the team was on the floor, Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Embiid is questionable to play against Washington on Monday.

We have more on the Sixers:

With the team relatively healthy, coach Nick Nurse has decisions to make regarding the rotation, Mizell writes. Nurse essentially went with an eight-man rotation in the win over the Hawks. Paul Reed and Mohamed Bamba combined for just 11 minutes, while Robert Covington, Danuel House and Furkan Korkmaz didn’t play. “It’s a good thing to have a different variety of players and guys that bring different things,” Marcus Morris said. “But at the same time, for players, it can get frustrating. Because everybody wants to play and everybody works hard. It will definitely be interesting.”
The Sixers have a 14-7 record and play some of the league’s weakest teams this week, including a pair of games against the downtrodden Pistons. Nurse believes the team is generally playing well and he expects the defense to improve during the second quarter of the season, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “We are doing a lot of things well. … We’re just not finishing off possessions,” Nurse said. “Things like that would be at the top of my list.”
The Sixers want to model their new arena after Boston’s TD Garden, but would that work in Philadelphia? Inga Saffron of the Inquirer takes a closer look.
The 76ers’ NBA G League affiliate in Delaware has acquired the rights to Darius Bazley from the Wisconsin Herd in exchange for a 2024 G League first round pick, the Blue Coats tweet. Bazley was waived by the Nets during training camp after signing with Brooklyn during the offseason on a non-guaranteed contract. A 6’8″ forward/center, Bazley holds career averages of 9.1 PPG and 5.3 RPG on .411/.310/.673 shooting in 228 regular season games (118 starts, 23.6 MPG) with the Thunder and Suns.

Injury Notes: Mobley, Embiid, Brunson, Little, O. Porter

December 8th, 2023 at 10:26pm CST by Rory Maher

Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley missed his first game of the 2023/24 season on Friday due to left knee soreness. The third-year forward/center also didn’t participate in the team’s shootaround, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link), who reports that Mobley could miss multiple games with the injury, though that depends on how he responds to treatment.

The Cavs’ next game is Monday in Orlando, so Mobley will have a couple more days to determine how he’s feeling, Fedor notes. Forward Dean Wade started in Mobley’s place during Friday’s victory in Miami.

Here are some more injury notes from around the NBA:

Reigning MVP Joel Embiid will be reevaluated on Saturday after sustaining a left leg injury in the Sixers‘ victory over Atlanta on Friday, tweets Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. Embiid grabbed at his knee after falling on a drive, Vorkunov adds, but he was able to play through it while favoring his left leg.
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson sustained an injury to his lower left leg after stepping on Payton Pritchard‘s foot with 21 seconds remaining and the Knicks down 12 to Boston, per New York Basketball (Twitter video link). The team’s leading scorer was able to head to the locker room under his own power, but had a noticeable limp. Head coach Tom Thibodeau said he didn’t regret having Brunson in the game, despite the loss being all but guaranteed (Twitter link via Stefan Bondy of The New York Post). Brunson didn’t speak to the media afterward, tweets Steve Popper of Newsday.
Suns wing Nassir Little took a hard fall in the first quarter of Friday’s contest vs. Sacramento and appeared to be woozy after the incident, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link). Little was later ruled out of the remainder of the contest, as he’s being evaluated for a concussion. He could be sidelined for multiple games if he did indeed sustain a concussion.
Raptors forward Otto Porter Jr. exited Friday’s game with a left foot contusion. As Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca observes (via Twitter), that’s the same foot that caused Porter to miss most of last season after he had surgery. This injury hopefully isn’t serious, however, as X-rays were negative, per Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).

Knicks Notes: Trade Rumors, Towns, Quickley, Grades

December 8th, 2023 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

Although the Knicks have conveyed to potential trade partners that they want to acquire a star, they don’t expect one to become available during the 2023/24 season, Fred Katz writes for The Athletic.

Katz, like Ian Begley of SNY.tv, has heard from league sources that New York hasn’t expressed any serious interest in Bulls scorers Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, who are presumably a tier or two below the level of player the Knicks would ideally like to land in any major trade. Sixers center Joel Embiid is one example of the kind of star who would interest New York’s front office, but Philadelphia’s success this season has reduced the likelihood that the Knicks will get a chance to make a play for Embiid anytime soon, Katz notes.

At this time last year, the Knicks had already been in touch with some teams to gauge Immanuel Quickley‘s potential trade value, but things have been quiet so far this season, Katz continues. Still, some people within the Knicks’ front office believe a “too-many-guys situation could be brewing,” sources tell The Athletic, so a consolidation trade at some point this season is a possibility.

Here’s more on the Knicks, including some additional trade-related chatter from Katz:

The Knicks checked in on Karl-Anthony Towns earlier this season, but didn’t make an offer for the Timberwolves big man and haven’t made a “serious run” at him in recent years, Katz writes. Towns has frequently been cited as a possible trade target for the Knicks due to his connections to executives Leon Rose (a former CAA agent) and Gersson Rosas (Minnesota’s former head of basketball operations), but the Wolves are off to a 16-4 start and presumably won’t be looking to make significant roster changes.
Teams around the NBA are curious to see how the Knicks will handle Quickley, who will be a restricted free agent in 2024, says Katz. According to Begley, when Quickley and the Knicks talked about a rookie scale extension prior to the season, the two sides couldn’t agree on the structure of a potential deal. They didn’t discuss incentives, but at least one offer made by New York included a team option on the final season, Begley adds. Just two of the 14 players who signed rookie scale extensions this year – Isaiah Stewart and Cole Anthony – agreed to deals that included team options.
Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required) hands out his grades for the first quarter of the 2023/24 season, awarding Jalen Brunson an A and giving both Quickley and Julius Randle a B-plus. Josh Hart (C-minus) and Quentin Grimes (D-minus), who have voiced concerns about their respective roles, didn’t fare as well.

And-Ones: D. Harper, Harden, Iguodala, NBPA, Pacers/Bucks

December 7th, 2023 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Dylan Harper, a five-star recruit who comes in at No. 2 overall in ESPN’s breakdown of the 2024 high school class, announced on Wednesday that he has committed to Rutgers for the 2024/25 college season, per Jeff Borzello and Paul Biancardi of ESPN.

The son of five-time champion Ron Harper and the younger brother of Raptors two-way player Ron Harper Jr., Dylan is behind only Cooper Flagg in ESPN’s rankings of next year’s recruiting class. Flagg has committed to Duke, but Harper – like No. 3 prospect Airious “Ace” Bailey – will join the Scarlet Knights, whom his older brother represented from 2018-22.

“His advice to me was to pick a school that is best for me and make it your decision,” Dylan said of Ron Jr. “I saw what a great player my brother was there and how successful Rutgers was during that time. He had a great career there. He was one of the best to play at Rutgers.”

It’s a historic recruiting class for Rutgers, which typically hasn’t been a basketball powerhouse. As Borzello and Biancardi point out, prior to this year, Rutgers had landed just six total prospects on ESPN’s top-100 lists since 2007, which is when the outlet began maintaining its annual recruiting rankings. Only one of those players – Mike Rosario in 2008 – was considered a top-50 recruit.

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

The NBA investigated the Sixers following 2022’s free agent period, looking into whether James Harden‘s pay cut that year came with any quid pro quo assurances, and investigated the team again earlier this year after the star guard called Daryl Morey a “liar.” Will yet another Harden-related investigation be necessary? Over at his Substack, Marc Stein says the comments Harden made to Sam Amick of The Athletic may force the league’s hand. The former MVP made two eyebrow-raising claims in that interview, telling Amick that the 76ers promised him a maximum-salary contract prior to his 2023 free agency and that his representatives met with Rockets head coach Ime Udoka while he was under contract with Philadelphia.
Andre Iguodala, who took over for Tamika Tremaglio last month as the NBPA’s acting executive director, is unsure whether or not he’s interested in keeping the position permanently, but he tells Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic that he couldn’t pass on the opportunity to lead the players’ union. “The players thought it was perfect timing, with my career ending, helping them continue to progress, continue to transition and helping out with that,” Iguodala said. “So, it was just a unique opportunity to do that. I’m indebted to the players and servicing the guys, and it was a no-brainer.”
The over-under for Thursday’s in-season tournament Eastern semifinal is 257.5 points, the highest total in an NBA game since 1991, according to David Purdum of ESPN. As we detailed earlier today, the Pacers have the NBA’s best offense and the Bucks rank third, so a shootout is anticipated. It’s the seventh game since ’91 with an over/under greater than 250, with four of those games occurring this season, Purdum notes.

Sixers Notes: Oubre, Trade Market, Embiid, Rivers

December 7th, 2023 at 12:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Sixers coach Nick Nurse admitted to being concerned about Kelly Oubre Wednesday night in his first game since suffering a fractured rib and other injuries in a car accident, writes Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Oubre wasn’t sharp during his first five-minute stint off the bench, but he looked much better when he returned to the game in the second half, finishing with 12 points and three rebounds in 19 minutes.

“It’s a blessing, man,” Oubre said. “I’ve been on the couch and in rehab facilities and things like that this past month, so it feels amazing. And especially coming off of something pretty crazy in my life, to play basketball, it brings everything home. This is what I do. It’s what I love to do, and I’m going to smile doing something that I love.”

It had been 24 days since Oubre was injured by a hit-and-run driver in his Philadelphia neighborhood. He said “adrenaline kind of took over” during the game, so he wasn’t in any pain. He also declined to answer a question about the rest of his recovery process, telling reporters, “I just want to play basketball.”

“Just continue to gain coach’s trust,” Oubre said. “And just show that I’m able to be in there in big moments, and just stay out there and just continue to compete with the guys.”

There’s more on the Sixers:

President of basketball operations Daryl Morey should be searching for someone to upgrade the defense, but adding another star who needs the ball in his hands could disrupt the team’s chemistry, contends Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Pompey believes Morey should make a strong play for Raptors forward OG Anunoby or Bulls guard Alex Caruso if they become available, but he doesn’t see the need for a more ball-dominant player like Pascal Siakam or Zach LaVine. Pompey points out that the Sixers have plenty of depth since the James Harden trade, and Oubre’s return gives them 13 players worthy of regular minutes.
Joel Embiid didn’t look like someone recovering from an illness as he poured in 50 points Wednesday night, but he told reporters he still wasn’t 100% after missing the previous two games, according to Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia. “Man, my chest was hurting,” Embiid said. “I was pretty much struggling. But I’m much better than I was; it was pretty bad. I would imagine the last two games (out) were really helpful because in the first practice, I could not go up and down more than twice. And then yesterday, it was much better. (Tonight) in the second half I started feeling much better. So I would imagine that tomorrow, I’ll get on the floor again and push myself. And then Friday, I would imagine that I’ll feel good.”
Appearing on ESPN’s First Take (video link), Austin Rivers commented on the Sixers’ firing of his father, Doc Rivers, following last season’s playoffs, saying, “They did my pops dirty.”

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Koloko, Siakam, Sixers

December 5th, 2023 at 10:12am CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on FanDuel’s Run It Back show (Twitter video link), Shams Charania of The Athletic said that he anticipates the Celtics being active on the trade market as February’s deadline nears. The goal for the C’s, Charania says, will be to “beef up” their bench rotation.

The expectation coming into the season was that Boston would have a top-heavy roster, and that has certainly been the case so far this fall. Top scorers Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis have averaged nearly 69 combined points per game, while the club’s reserves are totaling just 25.7 points per contest, which ranks 29th in the NBA.

As Charania observes, the Celtics parted with a pair of future first-round picks in their preseason trade for Jrue Holiday, but one of those came from Golden State, so they still have some flexibility with draft assets going forward and could theoretically move multiple first-rounders. The team also has a trade exception worth approximately $6.2MM that could come in handy in a deal involving a player earning a modest salary.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

There are still no concrete updates on the status of Raptors big man Christian Koloko, who has been sidelined since Summer League due to a respiratory issue, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. The 23-year-old appeared in 58 games as a rookie last season, but is still just doing drill work with coaches after practices and has yet to participate in full practices this fall, Grange notes.
Raptors forward Pascal Siakam is in the midst of one of the worst shooting slumps of his career, having made just five of his last 52 three-pointers, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. Siakam’s poor shooting has been a major factor in Toronto’s underwhelming 33.7% rate on threes (28th in the NBA), but he’s confident he’ll turn things around. “I think the most important [thing] is just putting the work in,” Siakam said. “… Either you stop shooting them or the other thing you do is you keep shooting and it just kinda [evens out]. I think it’s just basketball. It happens and you just got to continue to work on it, trust the work and the process.”
The scheduling around the in-season tournament has resulted in a stretch of four consecutive off-days for the Sixers. Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer takes a closer look at how the 76ers have been taking advantage of the break in their schedule, including head coach Nick Nurse giving his team two days off followed by two days of “sharp, intense” practices.

Sixers Notes: Oubre, Harden, Nurse, Morey, Embiid

December 4th, 2023 at 8:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Sixers forward Kelly Oubre has been cleared to play on Wednesday after going through a full practice on Monday, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Oubre has been sidelined since Nov. 10 due to injuries suffered in a reported hit-and-run accident. Oubre, who was signed to a one-year contract as a free agent, was off to a hot start before the incident, averaging 16.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

Oubre was reluctant to share details about it due to an ongoing police investigation. However, he’s upset that some people have expressed doubts about his story.

“This was and is a very traumatic situation for me and my family,” Oubre said. “I just wish that my life wasn’t The Truman Show, where everybody can kind of watch it and have their own opinion about my life. This is very hard for us to have to deal with — and for me to miss being on the court, which keeps me sane. A lot of people are very inconsiderate and insensitive to try to worry about video cameras and [stuff] about something that happened with my life, and it’s very detrimental to me and missing time with my job.”

We have more on the Sixers:

James Harden told Sam Amick of The Athletic that he was promised a max deal by the Sixers front office. However, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack post that he spoke to a Sixers source on Monday who refuted Harden’s claim. According to Stein’s source, no such promise was made after Harden agreed to a two-year deal with a player option in the summer of 2022.
The 76ers have thrived since the Harden trade and Yaron Weitzman of Fox Sports details how coach Nick Nurse and top exec Daryl Morey put plans in motion even before the deal was made. They were tweaking schemes in order to maximize the team’s potential without the mercurial guard. Nurse also gave Joel Embiid advice on how he could be more effective in the postseason. “Just having more variety and less predictability,” Nurse said. “Not having the same rhythm to every game, not doing the same thing over and over, just making things a little bit more unpredictable. That way [opponents] don’t know what’s coming as much, and you’re hard to prepare for.”
Embiid and Tyrese Maxey were both at Sixers practice on Monday after missing Friday’s game at Boston due to illness, Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

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