Caleb Martin

Mavs Notes: Irving, Doncic, Trade, Injuries, Davis, Martin

February 21st, 2025 at 2:29pm CST by Rory Maher

In an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews during All-Star weekend (YouTube link), star guard Kyrie Irving called for the Mavericks to “tailor back” their criticism of Luka Doncic, who was shockingly traded to the Lakers prior to the deadline earlier this month. As Grant Afseth writes for Athlon Sports, there have been numerous media leaks that have been critical of Doncic in the aftermath of the deal while glossing over how impactful he was during his time with the team.

“Part of our job every day to deal with the public space, but there were real relationships that were built behind the scenes that will transcend just the basketball court, coaching, and then upper management,” Irving told ESPN. “I know that for my own peace of mind, just because we not only had two years together, but we got a chance to know each other as men.

“Hopefully, we can tailor back on some of the public criticism aspects of it and really just maintain the kindness and the compassion that we have for each other that’s real every day, not just one moment or a sound bite that ends up being described as something that could be taken out of context. That’s what I feel like is going on right now. People are highly emotional. I’m not the one to shun anybody, whether in a public forum or behind the scenes, and trying not to have that happen.”

Here’s more on the Mavs:

In an in-depth feature story for ESPN.com, Michael Rothstein examines the local fallout from arguably the most stunning trade in NBA history, as well as the team’s botched handling of the aftermath, which included censoring Doncic out of a promotional video on Friday morning. One longtime Mavericks fan who is also the co-founder and managing partner of a local public relations firm said the trade and fallout were handled “atrociously,” according to Rothstein. “If all of them were aligned and able to articulate their rationale without bashing Luka,” said Stephen Reiff, “I think it would have helped, and I think it would have gone away quicker. [It] has made it a lot worse.”
Part of management’s rationale behind the deal was the idea of featuring a massive, defense-first frontcourt, with P.J. Washington at small forward, Anthony Davis at power forward and Daniel Gafford at center. As Christian Clark of The Athletic observes, that trio looked promising together through about three quarters on February 8 against Houston, but then Washington (ankle) and Davis (adductor strain) went down with injuries, followed by Gafford sustaining a Grade 3 MCL sprain on Feb. 10. Due to a litany of injuries up front (second-year center Dereck Lively has been out since January due to an ankle fracture), the Mavs have instead had to scramble and go small, Clark notes. “I’d say our goals are still obtainable,” head coach Jason Kidd said Thursday. “It’s a matter of, ‘Can we get healthy?’“
Kidd dodged a question about whether Davis’ “good progress” means he’ll avoid surgery, tweets Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. However, it certainly sounds like Davis is trending in the right direction. “I’m not a doctor,” Kidd said. “(Davis’ reevaluation is) in two weeks. I think you’ll get a better understanding of what has to take place but right now he’s doing great. He’s in the weight room. He was shooting on the court. A lot of positive things for him. I don’t know if that means surgery, but I think we’re all excited to see him back to work.”
Kidd also gave an update on Caleb Martin on Thursday, per Curtis (Twitter link). Acquired from Philadelphia in a trade involving Quentin Grimes and second-round picks, Martin still isn’t doing contact work as he recovers from a hip injury. “Caleb is doing better,” Kidd said. “I don’t know if you guys were in there when he was doing some dribbling and shooting on the court. No contact, but he is trending in the right direction. He feels better.”

Trade Deadline Notes: Martin, Draft Pick Details, Cash

February 6th, 2025 at 5:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2025 NBA trade deadline is now behind us.

It was a wild week leading up to the trade deadline, with Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, De’Aaron Fox, Jimmy Butler, Zach LaVine, and Brandon Ingram among the accomplished stars reported to be on the move even before deadline day arrived on Thursday.

Several more deals were agreed upon in the hours before the deadline, with the East-leading Cavaliers striking a deal for Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter and established vets like Marcus Smart, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Jusuf Nurkic also changing teams.

The full list of in-season trades – both official and still pending – can be found right here. We’ll continue to update that tracker as more details are reported and more details are officially processed.

It’s also worth noting that several notable trade candidates remained with their current teams through Thursday’s deadline. The Nets made multiple trades earlier in the season, but didn’t move Cameron Johnson, Nic Claxton, Day’Ron Sharpe, or anyone else this week. The Trail Blazers, another potential seller, stood pat, with Robert Williams, Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons, and Deandre Ayton all remaining in Portland.

The Jazz and Bulls each made deal, but rumored trade chips like John Collins, Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, Walker Kessler, Nikola Vucevic, Patrick Williams, and Lonzo Ball weren’t involved in them.

The Knicks only made a minor move, preferring to stick with Mitchell Robinson and bet on his return to health rather than acquiring another center. The Magic, Timberwolves, and Nuggets were among the few teams who stood pat, opting not to make a single in-season deal.

The Pacers, Celtics, Rockets, and Thunder all had pretty quiet deadlines too, only taking part in salary-dump deals (either sending or receiving).

Here are a few more deadline-related notes that we didn’t want to slip through the cracks as we look to stay on top of all the roster moves being made and trade details still being reported:

The Mavericks had the option to void their Caleb Martin trade with the Sixers after his return from a right hip sprain was determined to be a little further off than anticipated, tweets NBA insider Marc Stein. However, the Mavs were comfortable moving ahead with the deal after Philadelphia added a second-round pick, since they don’t expect Martin to be out too long. They’re optimistic he’ll be back in action within about two or three weeks, sources tell ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter link).
The second-round pick the Pistons are acquiring in the multi-team Butler deal is a 2031 second-round pick from the Warriors, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Golden State previously gave Minnesota swap rights on that pick, so Detroit will receive the least favorable of the Warriors’ and Timberwolves’ 2031 second-rounders.
The Grizzlies‘ 2025 first-rounder headed to the Wizards in their Smart trade includes top-14 protection, reports David Aldridge of The Athletic (Twitter link). Given Memphis’ current 35-16 record, it’s a pretty safe bet that pick won’t land in its protected range.
The Bucks are sending cash to all three of the other teams involved in their Khris Middleton/Kyle Kuzma deal, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link). The Wizards are getting $1MM from Milwaukee, the Knicks are getting $2MM, and the Spurs are receiving $4.13MM. The Bucks were only able to trade cash because they’re moving below the second tax apron as part of that deal.
The Pelicans received $1MM in cash from the Thunder in the trade that sent Daniel Theis and a future second-round pick to Oklahoma City, reports Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Oklahoma City has since waived Theis.

Sixers Sending Second-Rounder To Mavs In Caleb Martin Deal

February 6th, 2025 at 12:15pm CST by Rory Maher

The Sixers are amending their trade with the Mavericks and will now send Dallas a second-round pick in 2030 in addition to Caleb Martin, league sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link).

According to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link), the 76ers are trading their own 2030 second-rounder to the Mavs. Philadelphia will control multiple 2030 second-round picks after officially completing its trade with Washington.

As Stein explains, Martin has been dealing with a right hip sprain and was believed to be nearing a return, but his physical was flagged due to the injury (Twitter links). Both teams consulted with the league office and Philadelphia agreed to send Dallas a second-round pick as a result.

Stein clarifies that the Mavericks don’t have any long-term concerns about Martin’s hip, though a return timeline for the veteran swingman has yet to be established.

Dallas sent impending restricted free agent Quentin Grimes and Philadelphia’s 2025 second-rounder, which the Mavs controlled from a previous deal, to the 76ers in the trade.

Mavericks Notes: Davis, Irving, Christie, Martin

February 6th, 2025 at 12:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Anthony Davis could make his Mavericks debut tonight at Boston, tweets Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. Davis, who has been sidelined for the past week with a strained abdominal muscle, was upgraded to questionable in the team’s latest injury report. He was able to participate in this morning’s shootaround, and a decision on his status will be made closer to tipoff.

[Update: Davis is more likely to make his Mavericks debut on Saturday, per NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link).]

Davis met with the media on Tuesday for the first time since the shocking deal that sent him from the Lakers to the Mavs, Afseth writes in a full story. He told reporters that his long-standing relationship with Dallas general manager Nico Harrison has made the experience of changing teams much easier.

“Nico’s known me since I was in high school,” Davis said. “Obviously, one of the guys I got close to when I signed with Nike. And then, to stay close throughout the years, we remained good friends. And now to come back kind of full circle and be together here in Dallas, it’s going to be fun.”

Davis also expressed excitement about being able to return to his preferred position of power forward on a team that’s stocked with centers. Although he may see some time in the middle while Dereck Lively is injured, that should be temporary.

“Obviously, Dereck is dealing with an injury, but Gaff (Daniel Gafford) is playing phenomenal. So I think that’s the plan, but we’ll see how it goes,” Davis said. “Right now, I’m just excited to get back to playing basketball. Given the whole trade thing but also the injury, each time I’m on the floor, I feel better. But I haven’t played power forward in a long time, since I was first in LA. To be back at the four, I’m excited to see how it goes.”

There’s more on the Mavericks:

Davis is also thrilled to finally reunite with Kyrie Irving, Afseth adds. They both played for Team USA in the 2014 World Cup and have been interested in joining forces in the NBA for several years. “Me and Kai talked about this, I think, in 2018 when I asked for a trade from New Orleans,” Davis said. “He was in Boston at the time, and he ended up leaving for Brooklyn. We’ve been wanting to play alongside each other for a very long time. Now we got that opportunity to do so.”
Max Christie had an impressive first game for the Mavs in Tuesday’s loss at Philadelphia, Afseth states in a separate story. He scored 15 points while hitting all four of his three-point attempts, added nine rebounds and played high-level defense. “Christie was great. With 30 minutes on the floor and no practice, he was better than advertised,” coach Jason Kidd said. “He showed his skills as a basketball player on both sides of the floor for us tonight.” Christie said he enjoyed his debut, even though he’s still learning the sets that Dallas runs.
Because the Mavericks were playing in Philadelphia, Caleb Martin was able to join his new team right away when he got traded to Dallas before Tuesday’s game, notes Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Martin signed with the Sixers in free agency last summer, but injuries have limited him to 31 games and he hasn’t played since January 10 due to a strained right hip. “It’s kind of disappointing to see him gone,” Joel Embiid said. “True professional. Obviously, we’ve had a tough season — all of us. We just haven’t been healthy. He’s been part of this. I feel like we never really got to see what we all envisioned about all of us.”

Joel Embiid Available To Play Tuesday After Month-Long Absence

February 4th, 2025 at 4:23pm CST by Dana Gauruder

FEBRUARY 4: Embiid will be available to play on Tuesday vs. Dallas, the team confirmed today (via Twitter).

FEBRUARY 3: Joel Embiid could return to action on Tuesday. The Sixers are listing their star center as questionable to play against the Mavericks, Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports tweets.

Embiid hasn’t seen action since Jan. 4 due to lingering left knee issues. The big man has only appeared in 13 games this season, averaging 24.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 29.5 minutes per game. He was limited to 39 games last season, when he averaged a career-best 34.7 PPG, 11 RPG and 5.6 APG.

The return of Embiid could factor into the Sixers’ plans regarding their roster with the trade deadline looming. Philadelphia’s brass reportedly has no intention to give up on this season, even though Embiid and prized free agent Paul George have been sidelined for a chunk of its games. George is listed as out on Tuesday due to a finger injury, but he, like Embiid, practiced on Tuesday, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

The Sixers have a 19-29 record after losing their last two games following a four-game winning streak.

Embiid isn’t the only Sixers player close to returning after an extended absence. Embiid’s backup Andre Drummond (left toe), Caleb Martin (right hip) and KJ Martin (left foot) are also questionable to play on Tuesday. As Bodner points out, Drummond has only played in four games since Dec. 23, Caleb Martin has been out since Jan. 10 and KJ Martin hasn’t seen action since Dec. 23.

As for their opponent, the Mavericks are listing Anthony Davis and Max Christie as questionable to play on Tuesday, Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Interestingly, Davis’ abdominal strain was not listed on the Mavs’ injury report. Instead, the questionable tag was due to “trade pending,” though Dallas has officially announced the blockbuster deal with the Lakers and Jazz.

Sixers Trade Caleb Martin To Mavs For Quentin Grimes, Second-Round Pick

February 4th, 2025 at 3:32pm CST by Luke Adams

3:32 pm: The trade is official, according to a press release from the Mavericks, which confirmed the terms outlined below.

12:09 pm: The Sixers and Mavericks have agreed to a trade, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter links), who reports that forward Caleb Martin is headed to Dallas in exchange for guard Quentin Grimes and Philadelphia’s 2025 second-round pick, which the Mavs acquired in a previous deal.

Martin, who signed a four-year, $35MM contract with the Sixers last summer that includes over $5MM in incentives and a 15% trade kicker, was one of several Philadelphia players afflicted by the injury bug in 2024/25, having been limited to 31 outings through the team’s first 48 games.

Martin has been out since January 10 due to a right hip strain, but appears to be nearing a return, having been listed as questionable to play on Tuesday.

When healthy, the 6’5″ forward was an effective role player for the 76ers, averaging 9.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 30.4 minutes per game. He has registered a .435/.379/.622 shooting line so far this season and provided solid, versatile defense on the wing.

Grimes, meanwhile, has enjoyed a strong bounce-back season in Dallas after being traded from the Pistons to the Mavericks last summer. The 24-year-old averaged 10.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 22.8 minutes per night for the Mavs, with a .463/.398/.765 shooting line in 47 outings (12 starts). Like Martin, he’s considered a plus on defense.

As good as Grimes has been in his rotation role, his contract situation was uncertain beyond this season after he turned down a rookie scale extension offer from the Mavs last fall. Having not accepted that deal, which was reported to be worth in the neighborhood of $9MM annually for three years, Grimes was on track to become a restricted free agent during the summer of 2025.

By sending him to Philadelphia, Dallas will avoid going back to the negotiating table with Grimes and will instead get some multi-year cost certainty with Martin, who’s under contract through at least the 2026/27 season before he has to make a decision on his ’27/28 player option. Newly acquired guard Max Christie, who was dealt from the Lakers to the Mavs in the Luka Doncic/Anthony Davis blockbuster, figures to step into Grimes’ role in the backcourt.

The gap between Grimes’ $4.3MM cap hit and Martin’s $8.15MM salary means the Mavericks will go back into luxury tax territory as a result of the deal after having ducked that line in the Doncic trade. If Martin doesn’t waive his trade kicker, his cap charge would increase by another $1.04MM, according to cap expert Yossi Gozlan, who notes (via Twitter) that would leave Dallas just $171K below its first-apron hard cap.

If Martin receives his trade bonus, the Mavs will have to use one of their existing trade exceptions to acquire him, since Grimes’ salary wouldn’t quite be enough for salary-matching purposes. If Martin waives that bonus, Dallas could preserve its exceptions and use Grimes to match.

Whether or not Martin gives up his bonus, this move wouldn’t have been possible for the Mavs if Davis hadn’t waived his trade bonus as part of the deal that sent him to Dallas. He told reporters on Tuesday that he wanted to give general manager Nico Harrison the ability to improve the roster around him and Kyrie Irving as much as possible, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

“Trying to help the team,” Davis said. “Obviously you always want to get better and losing a monumental piece like Luka … it’s a lot, right? So I’m just trying to do my part and help Nico and the organization on how we can continuously get better. That’s just always the right thing to do.”

As for the Sixers, while they’re not throwing in the towel on the 2024/25 campaign following a disappointing 19-29 start, they’re clearly thinking about their future beyond this season in swapping out Martin for Grimes (who is five years younger) and a 2025 second-round pick while generating some tax savings.

The draft pick the Sixers are acquiring is technically the most favorable of their own and the Nuggets’ 2025 second-rounders, which will certainly be the Philadelphia pick.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, the 76ers will save about $6.7MM on their projected luxury tax bill as a result of this deal and move below the first tax apron. They’re still operating about $6.5MM above the tax line.

Trade Rumors: Warriors, Ingram, Durant, Hawks, Bucks, Raptors, TPEs

February 4th, 2025 at 11:12am CST by Luke Adams

Count Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram among the star players the Warriors have checked in on, league sources tell Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).

While it doesn’t sound like Ingram is at the top of Golden State’s wish list as the front office seeks an impact player, the club has explored what it would take to land the former All-Star, according to Stein and Fischer, who say that the Warriors could pivot to Ingram if they’re not able to gain traction on any of their higher-profile targets.

One of those higher-profile targets is Suns forward Kevin Durant. Exploring the possibility of a Warriors trade for Durant, Stein and Fischer echo a point made by Anthony Slater of The Athletic, writing that even if Phoenix is willing to move the former MVP (a big if), there’s a “measure of concern” in Golden State about how eager Durant would be for another go-round with the Warriors.

Durant doesn’t have the ability to veto a trade, but given that the Warriors would have to put together a substantial package to convince the Suns to part with him, they’d presumably like to be confident that he wanted to be there.

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA, with this year’s deadline just two days away:

There’s still an expectation that the Hawks will make a deal involving Bogdan Bogdanovic this week, according to Stein and Fischer, who say that Atlanta continues for now to explore “more ambitious” trade scenarios, including one possibility that would feature Ingram.
The Bucks continue to consider trades involving Pat Connaughton and his $9.4MM salary, either to shed his contract to duck below the second tax apron or to use his deal as a matching piece to bring back a more reliable wing. Stein and Fischer hear from sources that Sixers forward Caleb Martin and his twin brother Cody Martin of the Hornets are among the players Milwaukee has looked at in a potential deal for Connaughton. Both players are earning about $8.1MM this season.
Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca takes an in-depth look at the Raptors‘ trade options in the coming days, examining what it would take to get them to part with Jakob Poeltl, whether their reported interest in Ingram is legit, and why players like Bogdanovic and Andrew Wiggins may not fit the timeline of Toronto’s roster.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report (Twitter links) shares some details on how the Kings and Bulls completed the three-team trade involving De’Aaron Fox and Zach LaVine. Chicago took Kevin Huerter into an existing traded player exception, creating a new $17.1MM TPE for LaVine, while Sacramento used a portion of an existing TPE to take on Sidy Cissoko, generating a new exception worth $16.8MM (Huerter’s outgoing salary). The Kings were unable to acquire LaVine and Cissoko by aggregating the outgoing salaries of Fox and Jordan McLaughlin because LaVine received a portion ($3MM) of his trade bonus, increasing his cap hits for this season and next season by $1.5MM apiece.

Celtics, Knicks, Nuggets Among Teams Registering Interest In Yabusele

January 30th, 2025 at 7:39pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Celtics, Knicks, Nuggets and others have called the Sixers to express interest in trading for forward Guerschon Yabusele, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto writes.

As we relayed earlier this week, the Sixers reportedly “love” the French forward, but his impending unrestricted free agent status gives the team plenty to think about at this deadline.

Yabusele is averaging 10.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game so far this season while shooting 50.2% from the field and 39.3% from three. He’s been a crucial part of a Sixers team that has been ravaged by injuries. Yabusele entered Thursday with 22 starts under his belt.

After Yabusele’s $2.09MM salary expires this offseason, he’ll have no shortage of suitors in free agency. The Sixers only hold his Non-Bird rights, so they’re limited in what they can offer him unless they use their mid-level exception — they’ll likely only have the taxpayer form of the MLE.

As Scotto writes, given that the Sixers are 19-27 and currently on the outside looking in for the play-in tournament (though they’re tied with the Bulls), contending teams are calling about Philadelphia’s veterans. Not only would Yabusele bolster any playoff rotation, but his team-friendly contract this year could offer savings for contenders looking to cut costs.

Yabusele isn’t the only player generating interest on the trade market. As we wrote on Monday, Eric Gordon is also receiving interest. Scotto reports that rivals have checked in on Andre Drummond, Kelly Oubre and, notably, Caleb Martin as well. Martin signed a four-year, $35MM deal with Philadelphia this summer — if the Sixers decide to sell their veterans, he would be one of the more coveted players on the block.

Drummond has a player option worth $5MM next year while Oubre has one worth about $8.38MM.

Despite what sounds like healthy interest in players who would make sense to sell for a team interested in draft position, I’m somewhat skeptical the Sixers would proceed with a full-blown fire sale. For starters, as mentioned, Philadelphia is tied with the Bulls for 10th in the East. They’re also just four games out of the sixth seed, entering Thursday. While nothing has gone according to plan for Philadelphia this year, the team remains in position to claim a postseason appearance with better health luck moving forward. The Sixers are on a four-game winning streak, for what it’s worth.

The Sixers’ draft pick in this class is also protected, but only if it lands in the top six. While it’s not unheard of for teams with low odds to win big and move into the top four, the Sixers have likely already won too many games to truly bottom out and end up as one of the league’s worst six teams record-wise. And even if the Sixers did end up with one of the six worst records, there’s still a chance that pick falls out of their hands and into the Thunder’s if they’re leap-frogged by a team with lower odds on lottery night.

If the Sixers envision themselves as contenders next year, it would make sense to keep players like Martin, Oubre and Yabusele who can contribute to winning with a healthier roster.

Paul George To Undergo MRI On Finger

January 25th, 2025 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Paul George suffered an injury to his left pinky finger during Saturday’s game at Chicago and will undergo an MRI on Sunday, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

Sixers coach Nick Nurse told reporters that George jammed the finger, which caused him to be removed from the game in the second quarter. George played just under 13 minutes, finishing with nine points, one rebound and one assist.

It’s been a difficult season for George and the Sixers in general, although Saturday’s win pulled them to within one game of the Bulls for 10th place and the final play-in spot in the East. They were expecting to be among the league’s top teams after adding George in free agency, but he and Joel Embiid have suffered a series of injuries that have wrecked the season.

George has missed 14 games already with a variety of ailments, including left groin soreness that forced him to sit out twice last week. He has appeared in 30 games in his first season with Philadelphia, and his scoring average of 17.4 PPG is down more than five points from what it was with the Clippers last season. However, he’s collecting 5.8 rebounds and dishing out 4.8 assists per night, which are both above last season’s averages.

The Sixers were already missing five rotation players for tonight’s game, including rookie guard Jared McCain, who was lost for the season after surgery on his left meniscus. Embiid is dealing with swelling in his left knee and hasn’t played since January 4. Backup center Andre Drummond sat out while recovering from an injury to his left toe, Caleb Martin has a strained right hip and KJ Martin hasn’t played since December 23 due to a stress reaction in his left foot.

Both Martins are expected to return to practice next week and their availability will be determined from there, Pompey states in a full story on the game.

Atlantic Notes: Brown, Olynyk, Brissett, Sixers

January 21st, 2025 at 2:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Raptors wing Bruce Brown admits he was caught off guard when Indiana dealt him to Toronto last January, just six months after signing him to a $45MM contract in free agency. But he’s better prepared this time around for the uncertainty of trade season, as Doug Smith of The Toronto Star relays.

“I’ve been in this situation the last two years, so if (a trade) happens, it does; if it doesn’t, I’m happy to be here,” Brown said. “It’s a business, (the talk is) going to happen. I was completely shocked last year when I got traded, so this year it’s whatever.”

Brown, who played a key role on the Denver team that won a title in 2023, is still adjusting to a new role in Toronto. That, along with the fact that he has a $23MM cap hit and spent most of the first half of the season recovering from offseason knee surgery, will limit his value. For now, he’s focused on figuring out how he can best help the Raptors, Smith writes.

“You gotta understand, in Denver I was the backup point guard. I had the ball in my hands, making plays with older players on the team,” Brown said. “Then I get to Indy, still kind of on-ball when Tyrese (Haliburton) was out. I had big 30-point games and the ball in my hands to make plays.

“Then I come here and IQ (Immanuel Quickley) is going to have the ball, Scottie (Barnes) is going to have the ball, RJ (Barrett) is gonna have the ball, we’re gonna run plays for Gradey (Dick). Just trying to pick my spots when I can score, when I can’t and, really, just get the ball off misses and try to push in transition. I think I can be a more effective transition scorer.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Like Brown, veteran center Kelly Olynyk is still working to get fully comfortable in his role with the Raptors after joining the team midway through last season and battling various injuries since then. And like Brown, he’s aware that his name has popped up in trade rumors ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline. “Now 12 years in this, I’ve been traded three times. If it happens, it happens,” Olynyk said, per Smith. “If not, your feet are where you are, and you’re going to do your best to contribute to winning in that organization.”
Oshae Brissett was in camp with Team Canada under Jordi Fernandez last summer and the Nets‘ head coach is happy to have the veteran wing joining Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, he told Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “Young, good size, motor. He can play multiple positions defensively. (He’s) switchable, great rebounder,” Fernandez said of Brissett. “In the NBA the thing is that his shooting went a little bit up and down. He had one very good season shooting the three, and then went a little down. But definitely I have no doubt in my mind that he has a place in this league, and I really enjoyed my time with him.”
If the Sixers, who have lost six straight games, hope to snap their losing streak on Tuesday in Denver, they’ll have to do so with a depleted roster. As Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette tweets, Philadelphia has already ruled out five players, including superstar center Joel Embiid, and has Paul George (left groin soreness), Andre Drummond (left toe injury recovery), and Guerschon Yabusele (right knee contusion) listed as questionable. Kyle Lowry and Caleb Martin, both of whom have right hip sprains, are missing their ninth and sixth consecutive games, respectively.

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